The Standard - 2016 February 26 - Friday

VOL. XXX NO. 16 3 Sections 32 Pages P18 friday : fEBrUary 26, 2016 www.thestandard.com.ph editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Roxas backers mum on smear plot

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SNUBBED AT EDSA

PNoy-led revolt rites ignore Enrile, Honasan, Binay

By Christine F. Herrera, Francisco Tuyay and Sandy Araneta

THE administration marked the 30th anniversary of the Edsa Revolution Thursday but largely ignored the roles played by key figures in the uprising three decades ago.

In an “Experimental Museum” set up in Camp Aguinaldo to mark the event, not a word was said about former President Fidel V. Ramos, at the time the vice chief of staff of the Armed Forces; or Senator Juan Ponce Enrile,

who was then defense minister, to document how the two broke away from the government of then President Ferdinand Marcos.

Together, the two provided the armed might in the civilianbacked military revolt of 1986 that

ignited People Power, but they appeared only in photos at the museum, with no captions to identify them.

Ramos did attend the “Salubungan” reenactment at Edsa, however, along with ranking military and police personnel shortly after a mass at the Edsa monument.

For ceremonies marking the event, no invitations were sent to Vice President Jejomar Binay, then a human rights lawyer, or Senator Gregorio Honasan, a colonel at the time who joined Ramos and Enrile in the military revolt. The two are running for president and vice

president, respectively, under the opposition United Nationalist Alliance banner.

“I don’t know why Ramos and Enrile’s role were not given prominence. Instead, the exhibit only capsulized the bad things and memories of the late President Ferdinand Marcos during the dark days of martial law,” said one visitor who asked not to be named.

Binay, an opposition candidate running for president, challenged President Benigno Aquino III and the ruling Liberal Party to stop distorting the truth by revising

history.

Since he resigned from Aquino’s Cabinet two years ago, Binay said, he has not been invited to any of the ceremonies to mark the Edsa Revolution.

Honasan added: “We chose to be here in Quezon instead of being with personalities and celebrities who were not even there 30 years ago.”

Binay and Honasan said the spirit of Edsa had been distorted, and the poor who were supposed to have benefited from progress brought about by democracy, had been left out.

Next page

30 years. Confetti rain on Edsa on Thursday during the 30th anniversary celebration of the People Power Revolution that toppled the Marcos dictatorship in 1986. AFP

Duterte urges probe of lumad fire

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Unesco denounces killing of broadcaster

By John Paolo Bencito PAGADIAN CITY, Zamboanga del Sur—A top official of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on Thursday denounced the killing of a Zamboanga del Sur-based broadcast journalist who has been critical of the proliferation of illegal drugs and gambling.

“I condemn the killing of Elvis Ordaniza,” said Unesco Director-General Irina Bokova in a statement sent to The Standard.

“Journalists must be able to carry out their work in reasonably safe conditions, which is why I urge the authorities to spare no effort in bringing its perpetrators to justice.”

The 49-year-old Ordaniza, who

ran a public affairs program from Pagadian radio station dxWO Power 99 FM was the first journalist in the country to be murdered this year by still unidentified gunmen who used a caliber .45 pistol.

Ordaniza was taken immediately to the nearby hospital by responding policemen but was pronounced dead on Next page the way there.

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news

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

MILF puts up evacuation center as clashes continue

By Sandy Araneta

THE Moro Islamic Liberation Front on Thursday declared one of its strongholds an evacuation center for some 500 families caught in the fighting between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and bandits.

Clashes erupted on Feb. 20 when a group the military described as foreign and local terrorists harassed a military camp of the 51st Infantry Battalion in Barangay Bayabao, Butig in Lanao del Sur. The attack spilled over to a nearby village in Barangay Poktan in the

same municipality.

Ameruddin Usman, a member of the MILF Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities in Lanao, said they coordinated with the MILF front commander to declare Barangay Sandab an evacuation center.

MILF spokesman Von Al Haq said they received reports that the group that harassed the military in Butig called themselves members of the ISIS or the Islamic State.

Usman said about 500 families fled their homes and have found refuge in Barangay Sandab. Others went to their respective relatives in the other barangays away from the fighting.

The head of the government’s CCCH secretariat Carlos Sol Jr. said the barangay was prepared to ensure the safety of the evacuees. “There are facilities. There are schools, and other houses where the evacuees could

Snubbed...

From A1

“VP Binay and I were on Edsa because we wanted change. We wanted our countrymen to be alleviated from poverty. For the past six years, this administration failed to do that,” Honasan said during his speech in Candelaria, Quezon, at a campaign rally attended by some 2,000 supporters.

“It is sad to see that after 30 years, and particularly over the past six years, the poverty problem worsened,” Binay said.

“It is even sadder that the two of us, Gringo [Honasan] and I, who were active participants in the Edsa revolution and risked our lives remain frustrated at how the government has been treating the poor with very poor service. Our people deserve to have better lives,” Binay said.

After 30 years, Honasan said the country has gained more democratic space but the “inclusive growth” being boasted by President Aquino leaves much to be desired.

Thirty years ago, on Feb. 22, Enrile and Ramos, wearing bullet-proof vests and surrounded by men led by Honasan, announced they were breaking away from the Marcos government.

A day after, Enrile escorted by hundreds of heavily-armed men walked towards Camp Crame joining Ramos and waited.

While holed up in Camp Crame, Enrile and Ramos called for the people to support them, a call that was broadcast over Radio Veritas and endorsed by Jaime Cardinal Sin. None of these events were documented in the Edsa museum, which instead focused on the abuses under the Marcos regime.

Several meters away from the museum, President Aquino during his speech at the People Power Monument, attacked the Marcoses for bringing hardship to Filipinos.

A hall in the museum called Restless Sleep showed videos of Marcos declaring martial law in 1972. The Hall of Hidden Truths showed images of slums and beggars to show that people were poor during the Marcos years.

Exhibits also highlighted the torture conducted by the military with reenactments by stage players.

Other halls recounted what the Aquinos did to bring about the fall of the Marcos regime.

Well-heeled guests arrived at Camp Aguinaldo in tourist buses and were escorted to the museum. No poor visitors could be seen.

Leftists, whose participation during the Edsa Revolution was given special recognition by the symbol of People Power, Cory Aquino, the President’s late mother, were also sidelined in the museum.

But militant youth and student groups led by Anakbayan marched to Edsa to mark the event in protest, saying they would not let the Aquino government “yellow-wash history.”

“The revolt at Edsa was not the story of two families or personalities,” said Anakbayan national chairman Vencer Crisostomo, apparently referring to the Aquinos and Marcoses. “People power is the story

go for temporary shelter,” he said.

Sol said that through the ceasefire arrangement with the MILF, members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces in the area were immediately informed and repositioned to prevent a misencounter between the military and the MILF. The ceasefire between the government and the MILF was first instituted in 1997. While there had been occasional violations over the years, there were no skirmishes from 2012 to 2014.

Al Haq said the MILF had no involvement in the fighting and that they had no reason to engage the military.

“We are very sad about the attacks in Lanao del Sur.” he said.

Top BIAF Commander Abdullah Macapaar, also known as “Commander Bravo,” denied allegations that he and his group were involved in the attack on government soldiers

of a people who fought against tyranny and for freedom.”

He accused Aquino of hijacking the Edsa People Power Revolution to serve his selfish interests.

President Aquino, he added, had no moral ascendancy to claim the legacy of Edsa because his regime has presided over many of the same crimes allegedly committed by the Marcos administration.

“With the persistent human rights violations, lumad killings, corruption, cronyism, unabated tuition and other fee hikes, and puppetry to foreign powers, we can say there is no real difference between the Marcos dictatorship and the Aquino administration,” Crisostomo said.

Crisostomo said the Filipino youth and people must reclaim Edsa and continue the spirit of People Power by fighting for the democratic right to education, decent wages and jobs, land for the tillers, and civil liberties that continue to be denied the people 30 years after the Edsa uprising.

The youth group also called on the public to reject the candidacy of Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the son of the late President Marcos.

At another rally, League of Filipino Students national chairman Charisse Bañez said the Aquino administration has continued the “nightmares of martial rule, with human rights abuses becoming worse under his administration.

“Aquino should be jailed and made accountable for his crimes to the Filipino people,” she said.

In his speech, Aquino lashed out at those who said life was better during the Marcos years, and campaigned against Senator Marcos’ run for the vice presidency.

Speaking in Filipino, he attacked the Marcos family and blamed it for damaging the economy and society during martial law.

“To tell you the truth, even if my family was truly victimized during Martial Law, we were actually quite fortunate—because we were somehow able to visit our father during his imprisonment, and because after his assassination, we had a body to bury, and we now have a grave we can visit. Others were not so lucky. Many of you here today went through even greater suffering—far greater than anything I can share. But what I will speak of this morning is not intended for you, but for the current generation that experiences so many forms of freedom,” Aquino said.

“I wish to emphasize: These are not products of imagination. These are neither theories nor the opinions of a small few. Martial Law actually happened.

There was a dictator who, along with his family and his cronies, abused his position, and the price for this was the lives and the freedom of Filipinos,” said Aquino, referring to the late President Marcos.

“I can only shake my head in disappointment whenever I am told that some are saying that Mr. Marcos’s time was the golden age of the Philippines.

Perhaps they were golden days for him, who—after completing two terms as President, which is equivalent to eight years—created a way to cling to power.

In fact I have wondered: We have both been President—where might our country be today if he had just stayed true to his mandate during his time in of-

in Balindong and Butig, Lanao del Sur. He urged the ceasefire committees of the government and MILF to investigate the attacks.

A few days ago, MILF Chairman Murad Ebrahim issued a statement saying that “the MILF will continue to uphold the peace process and ensure that all the gains will be preserved.”

The Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process said on Feb. 5, the AFP’s 1st Mechanized Infantry Brigade initiated a law enforcement operation against the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters that traversed through barangays Gawang and Madia in the municipality of Datu Saudi Ampatuan and barangays Tee and Andavit in the municipality of Datu Salibo.

Before the operation, the MILF repositioned 1,737 members of its BIAF to give way to the AFP’s pursuit operations against the BIFF.

fice?,” said Aquino.

Aquino said the martial law years were golden days for the Marcos cronies, and for those close to him. “In fact, I heard several stories: During the dictator’s reign, businessmen did not want to grow their businesses, because those in power might notice and decide to steal them,” he said.

Aquino also said it was also the golden age of growing the national debt.

“When Mr. Marcos began his time in office in 1965, the national government owed P2.4 billion. At the end of 1985, two months before he was ousted from the presidency, our debt had grown to P192.2 billion. And because this money did not go where it was supposed to, the payment of this debt burdens us to this day,” Aquino said.

Aquino said it was also the golden age of brain drain—the golden age of workers leaving for jobs in the Middle East.

The President said it was also the golden age for those who abused the Moros. “Landgrabbing became a trend in Mindanao, and the Marcos regime, in spite of siding with those who were abused, seemed to approve of the actions of the abusers. Whereas they could have worked for justice, or passed a law to fix the situation, the solution they pushed for involved the Philippine Constabulary and the Armed Forces,” he said.

Aquino then criticized Senator Marcos, who is running for vice president.

“Every time I leave the country, I tend to get asked: Is it true that the Marcoses are still in power? I have to admit, it is very difficult to explain. To this day, it is still painful to think that a Filipino had the gall to inflict such abuse on his countrymen, like what Mr. Marcos did. Perhaps this is also the right time to tell you what was reported in a broadsheet just yesterday: that the 1986 Comelec tabulators are fearful. They are worried that the Marcoses will return to power, because they themselves saw the blatant cheating to favor the dictator during the 1986 elections,” Aquino said.

“Now, when I think of what we have achieved through our peace process—through which we have a Framework Agreement and a Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, and all that remains is the Bangsamoro Basic Law—I feel a deep sense of disappointment, because the only law that can bring forth justice and peace is being blocked. And is it not true that the BBL has hit a road block in the Senate Committee for Local Governance, headed by Senator Marcos?” said Aquino.

Aquino also lambasted Enrile, who was defense minister under Marcos.

“Is it not true that, in the last session day, it was Senator Enrile who continued to interpellate? And is it not true that these two surnames were the ones who pushed for a military solution against the Moros during the dictatorship?” said Aquino.

“Today, if the surveys are right, then the son of the dictator who still cannot see the mistakes of the past has an increasing number of supporters. If that is right, then does it also mean that we have forgotten what we once said, ‘Enough is enough; we have had it?” he said. With Vito Barcelo

Unesco...

From A1

Local police here have formed “Task Force Ordaniza” to conduct a thorough investigation and determine the possible motive behind the killing and to identify the assailant.

The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines slammed the Aquino administration’s marked hostility towards media and its repeated failures to stop media killings.

“It has not helped that our leaders have often helped feed the blood lust through their apathy or, as President Benigno Aquino III has so often displayed, open hostility towards media whose view about the government is markedly different from his,” Ryan Rosauro, NUJP chairman, said.

“We condemn yet another colleague’s murder and demand that authorities fulfill their duty of giving him justice.”

“Whatever the reason for Ordaniza’s murder, one thing remains constant—it is government’s continued failure to prevent such killings and solve past cases [only a handful of killers have ever been convicted, none of them a mastermind] that emboldens those who would silence critical media,” he added.

Rosauro said that it is unfortunate that “in such far-flung towns, where accountability exists the least and where disagreements can turn intensely personal... journalists face the most risks.”

The NUJP said journalists were in even greater peril during an election year.

“We urge all candidates, political parties and the Commission on Elections [Comelec] to help safeguard press freedom throughout the campaign period, the Election Day, and up until winners are proclaimed, and eventually sworn into office.

“We call on all our colleagues to remain committed to our duty of informing our audiences about the state of our communities and our nations as best we can. At the same time, we urge everyone, especially in this election year, to be mindful of each other’s safety, to promptly report all threats and other potential risks, and to uphold professional and ethical standards.”

The Unesco issues statements on the killing of media workers in line with Resolution 29 adopted by Unesco Member States at the Organization’s General Conference of 1997, entitled “Condemnation of Violence against Journalists.”

Ordaniza was the 31st media worker killed under the Aquino administration.

More than 170 journalists have been killed in the country since 1986, but only 10 suspects have been convicted so far of attacks made against media workers.

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NEWS

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

‘Roxas supporters mum on plot’ TWO supporters of the Liberal Party who are behind a plot to destroy the presidential bid of Vice President Jejomar Binay have refused to answer questions under oath that they have been conspiring to demolish the reputation of Binay and his family, Binay’s lawyer said Thursday.

on the stump in Tiaong. Residents of Tiaong in Quezon welcome Vice President Jejomar Binay, the standard bearer of the United Nationalist Alliance, during the party’s visit to the southern Tagalog town on Thursday.

Duterte says no need for martial law DAVAO City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte said Thursday there will be no need to impose martial law if he wins the presidency in this year’s elections.

“There’s no need for me to do that. All I need is for everybody to follow the law,” Duterte told 3,000 local treasurers and assessors.

He made the statement at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City, where he attended the meeting of the members of the Philippine Association of Local Treasurers and Assessors Inc. He said he would be hard on lawless elements but law-abiding citizens had nothing to worry about.

He said he would use the powers of the presidency and order the police and the military to go against drug dealers and other criminals, but he would not allow law-enforcement agencies to abuse their powers.

In commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the 1986 Edsa People Power Revolution, Duterte’s

camp said the revolution was a battle between a corrupt dictatorship and a people aching to restore democracy and the rule of law.

“The spirit of Edsa lives on today in each of us and it binds us together as the Filipino nation,” Duterte’s running mate Alan Peter Cayetano said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Duterte called administration standard bearer Manuel Roxas II an “epic failure” as secretary of the Department of Transportation and Communications and the Department of Interior and Local Government.

Quoting Duterte, Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan spokeswoman Paola Alvarez said Roxas at the helm of the DoTC in the first two years “was responsible for the many problems now plaguing the Metro Rail Transit 3 along Edsa, including frequent breakdowns and numerous glitches in its daily operations.”

“Mr. Roxas’ performance as Interior secretary has been just as

mediocre and he cannot claim any significant accomplishment,such as reducing the crime rate,” Alvarez said.

“Mr. Roxas also left the survivors of Super Typhoon ‘‘Yolanda’’ to their own devices in November 2013 and did nothing to help them get back on their feet simply because the city was led by a mayor identified with the opposition.”

She said Roxas was too callous and had even engaged in politicking amid Yolanda’s devastation in Tacloban City.

On Thursday, Duterte returned to his roots in the voterich province of Cebu as he made a homecoming in Danao City.

“We are really from Danao.

We left and went to Mindanao in 1948,” he said.

He said he aims to be the first Cebuano-speaking and southern candidate to win the highest post in the land in over 50 years.

He said his father Vicente was once mayor of Danao, just like his uncle Ramon. Rio N. Araja

Francis Enrico Gutierrez, owner of the mining companies SR Metals Inc. and its subsidiaries San R Mining Co. and Galeo Equipment and Mining Co., and Salvador Zamora, owner of Nickel Asia Corp., refused to answer the Written Interrogatories served to them that sought to elicit their answers on their participation in the conspiracy to destroy the name and reputation of the Vice President,” Binay’s lawyer Claro Certeza said.

Written Interrogatories allow a party in a legal case to demand that the adverse party answer under oath questions material to the case.

Certeza said Gutierrez and Zamora, who are supporters of LP presidential candidate Manuel Roxas II, declined to answer questions posed by the lawyers of Binay about the secret meetings at the Nickel Asia Corp. Tower in the Bonifacio Global City where they plotted to destroy Binay’s chances of winning the 2016 presidential elections.

“The plan to derail Vice President Binay’s presidential candidacy allegedly include the numerous Senate Blue Ribbon Subcommittee hearings, the Ombudsman cases filed by Mr. Renato Bondal, and the Anti-Money Laundering Council strong-arming the Vice President and his supporters,” Certeza said.

Gutierrez and Zamora are among several private and public individuals named in the P200-million damage suit filed by Binay before the Makati Regional Trial Court.

The two also refused to confirm that Senators Alan Cayetano and Antonio Trillanes IV, and Liberal Party stalwart Caloocan Rep. Edgar Erice also attended at least one of the supposed meetings when the demolition job against Binay was being discussed and planned.

Moreover, Certeza said, they also refused to confirm that the follow-

ing people were present in the meetings: Hernani Braganza, Ronald Llamas, Dexter Estacio, Mari Jogardi, Ariel Olivar, Erwin Antonio, lawyers Jaye dela Cruz and Sarah Lou Arriola, Cecilia Lero, Vince Dizon, Ching and Babes Suba, Raul Ang, Cora Dacong, Dan Kelly, and Giboy Salapantan.

Estacio, Jogardi, Arriola and Dizon are members of Cayetano’s staff.

“Gutierrez and Zamora also refused to answer if they personally knew AMLC officials Amando Tetangco Jr., Teresita Herbosa, Emmanuel Dooc and lawyer Julia Abad; if they were provided copies of the AMLC report on the bank accounts and financial records of the Vice President; and if the said report was discussed in their meetings at NAC Tower,” Certeza said.

“The two also refused to answer whether they made contributions to Roxas and the LP for the 2010 elections and are making contributions to fund the LP and Roxas’ presidential campaign for 2016.”

Certeza said they likewise refused to answer whether Erice and a person connected with the LP accompanied Gutierrez in a meeting to negotiate and discuss a loan Gutierrez had with a banking institution.

Moreover, Binay’s lawyers sought to determine whether Gutierrez and Zamora owned the helicopters used to take the aerial footage shown by former Makati Vice Mayor Ernesto Mercado during his testimony in the Senate against Binay.

Gutierrez is the owner of the Cessna planes being used by Roxas in his campaign trail.

The two also refused to answer whether they met any of the witnesses who testified against Binay in the Blue Ribbon Subcommittee hearings and whether they provided or continue to provide financial assistance to any of the witnesses.

Vito Barcelo

Poe bats for cleaner sources of energy PRESIDENTIAL race frontrunner Grace Poe said Thursday she wants cleaner sources of energy to power the homes of some 15 million Filipinos who still have no access to electricity.

Senator Poe, who has been campaigning in the Cordillera Administrative Region since Tuesday, said she would push for the development of more sources of solar and wind power if she won the presidential race as these were more sustainable and environment-friendly.

“We need renewable sources of energy. Let’s add to our windmills, our solar panels, our hydro-electric energy producers,” Poe said.

“We need to invest in all of them so our sources of energy will be cleaner and cheaper.”

The Philippines has one of the

highest electricity rates in Asia.

The Philippine Statistics Authority says electricity accounted for 4.5 percent of a Filipino household’s expenditures in 2012.

The Manila Electric Co., the largest distributor of electricity in the Philippines, charged P7.4176 per kilowatt-hour as of December 2015.

To increase the share of renewable energy in the power market, Poe said, the government must encourage more private investments in the energy sector as the country’s energy requirements increase with its population.

The Department of Energy estimates that the Philippines will need an additional 11,400 megawatts of generating capacity to meet the energy demand from 2016 to 2030.

Poe mentioned renewable en-

ergy development in her 20-point government agenda when she announced her presidential bid in September last year.

She called on the government to implement the mechanisms of the Renewable Energy Act of 2008, including the establishment of the Renewable Energy Market that will mandate power distributors to source a portion of their energy from renewable energy suppliers.

She said the lack of a market for renewable energy was hindering the development of cleaner power.

Meanwhile, former senator Miguel Zubiri said the disputed West Philippine Sea was not only rich in oil and natural gas deposits; it also had abundant wind resources that could be harnessed to produce electricity. Macon Ramos-Araneta

Protest. Members of various groups picketed outside the Chinese consular office in Makati on Thursday to condemn China’s buildup in the West Philippine Sea. Ey AcAsio

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NEWS

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Duterte orders probe of lumad refuge fire

By John Paolo Bencito and Macon Araneta PAGADIAN CITY—Presidential candidate and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday ordered the local police to probe deeper into the fire that broke out at an evacuation camp sheltering displaced tribal folk inside a church-owned property Wednesday.

“I deplore the burning if it’s intentional. The police should dig deeper and find out who did it,” said Duterte who was campaigning here Thursday.

Peter Laviña, Duterte’s spokesperson, said the mayor wants the police to find evidence whether the incident that injured at least five indigenous peoples, four of them children, was

indeed a case of arson.

“Duterte and the peace-loving people of Davao sympathize with the plight of the lumad [tribal folk] and join their call for respect for their right to self-determination, right over their ancestral land, cultural integrity, meaningful economic growth, and justice,” Laviña said in a statement.

Witnesses from the lumad organization Pasaka said unidentified men in motorcycles set fire to the camp and dormitories inside the Haran compound of the United Churches of Christ of the Philippines, the temporary home for lumad refugees who were driven from their homes by paramilitary groups in Davao del Norte and Bukidnon since last year.

The lumads had sought shelter at the UCCP’s Haran Compound in Davao City due to the presence of military units in their communities purportedly because of the presence of communist rebels in the area.

The Bureau of Fire Protection in Davao City said its initial investigation showed that arson was the cause of the fires that broke out on

opposite ends of the Haran Mission House.

Also on Thursday, teachers’ network Educators for Development decried another attack on lumad evacuees that included student evacuees. They called on the presidential candidates to pool efforts to immediately stop grave atrocities against the indigenous group.

“The intensifying militarization has deliberately attacked lumad schools, teachers and children. No one has been held accountable and justice has not been attained for the massacre of lumad educators and leaders, the killing of a lumad student, nor the burning and ransacking of schools and cooperatives,” the group said.

Republic of the Philippines Office of the President National Irrigation Administration

Republic of the Philippines Office of the President National Irrigation Administration

(PAMBANSANG PANGASIWAAN NG PATUBIG) UPPER PAMPANGA RIVER INTEGRATED IRRIGATION SYSTEMS

(PAMBANSANG PANGASIWAAN NG PATUBIG) UPPER PAMPANGA RIVER INTEGRATED IRRIGATION SYSTEMS

OFFICE ADDRESS : Maharlika Highway, Talavera, N.E. TELEPHONE No.: (044) 940-5938 Website.: www.nia.gov.ph

TELEFAX No.: TIN No. :

(044) 940-5938 916-415-026

OFFICE ADDRESS : Maharlika Highway, Talavera, N.E. TELEPHONE No.: (044) 940-5938 Website.: www.nia.gov.ph

TELEFAX No.: TIN No. :

(044) 940-5938 916-415-026

INVITATION TO BID

INVITATION TO BID

The National Irrigation Administration, Upper Pampanga River Integrated Irrigation Systems (NIA-UPRIIS) Division II, Talavera Nueva Ecija, through the CY 2016 GAA Repair and Rehabilitation of Existing Irrigation Systems funded project intends to apply the hereunder Approved Budgets for the Contract to payment of the corresponding contract below. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.

The National Irrigation Administration, Upper Pampanga River Integrated Irrigation Systems (NIAUPRIIS) Division II, Talavera Nueva Ecija, through the CY 2016 GAA Repair and Rehabilitation of Existing Irrigation Systems funded project intends to apply the hereunder Approved Budgets for the Contract to payment of the corresponding contract below. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.

1.

a. Contract ID: b. Contract Name:

c. Contract Location: d. Scope of Work: e. Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC): f. Contract Duration:

UPRIIS-DII-2016-01 Package RREIS-DII-01 1. Repair/Rehabilitation of Embankment & Concrete Lining @ DM-10, STA. 0+000-0+425.50 Repair/Rehabilitation of Embankment & Concrete Lining @ DM-10A, STA. 0+000-0+359.50.

2. Repair/Rehabilitation of Embankment & Concrete Lining @ DM-10A, STA. 0+372.70-1+081.00.

Aliaga, Nueva Ecija Concrete Lining (Two Sides), Road Resurfacing

1. a. Contract ID: b. Contract Name:

Php14,155,339.81 360 CD

2. a. b. c. d. e.

The NIA-UPRIIS DIVISION II Office now invites bids for the above-named project. Bidders should have completed a single largest completed contract (SLCC) equivalent to twenty five (25%) of a contract similar to the project. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II. Instructions to Bidders.

Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using non-discretionary pass/ fail criterion as specified in the Implementing Rules and regulations (IRR) of Republic Act 9184 (RA 9184), otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”. Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizen/sole proprietorship, partnerships, or organizations with at least seventy five percent (75%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines.

c. Contract Location: d. Scope of Work: e. Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC): f. Contract Duration:

f.

Contract ID: Contract Name: Contract Location: Scope of Work: Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC): Contract Duration

UPRIIS-DII-2016-04 Package RREIS-DII-01 1. Repair/Rehabilitation of Embankment & Concrete Lining @ D-MAIN, STA. 0+020-0+204.75 2. Repair/Rehabilitation of Embankment & Concrete Lining @ D-MAIN, STA. 1+110-1+330.00 Talavera, Nueva Ecija Concrete Lining (Two Sides) Road Resurfacing Php 6,927,799.69 360 CD UPRIIS-DII-2016-04 Package RREIS-DII-02 3. Furnishing & Installation of Steel Talavera, Nueva Ecija Furnishing & Installation of Steelgates Php 2,509,093.52 : 360 CD

The NIA-UPRIIS DIVISION II Office now invites bids for the above-named project. Bidders should have completed a single largest completed contract (SLCC) equivalent to twenty five (25%) of a contract similar to the project. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II. Instructions to Bidders.

Interested bidders may obtain further information from NIA-UPRIIS Division II Office, Talavera Nueva Ecija and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below on February 26, 2016 to March 8, 2016 from 8:00am – 5:00pm for Contract ID UPRIIS-DII-2016-01, Package RREIS-DII-01.

Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using non-discretionary pass/ fail criterion as specified in the Implementing Rules and regulations (IRR) of Republic Act 9184 (RA 9184), otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”. Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizen/ sole proprietorship, partnerships, or organizations with at least seventy five percent (75%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines.

A complete set of Bidding Documents (DB’s) may be purchased by the interested Bidders from the address below upon payment of a non-refundable fee for the Bidding Documents in the amount shown below:

Interested bidders may obtain further information from NIA-UPRIIS Division II Office, Talavera Nueva Ecija and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below on February 29, 2016 to March 11, 2016 from 8:00am – 5:00pm for Contract ID UPRIIS-DII-2016-04, Package RREIS-DII-01 & 02.

CONTRACT ID NOS.

AMOUNT

UPRIIS-DII-2016-01,Package-RREIS-DII-01.

Php 5,000.00

It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) www.philgepsgov.ph provided that bidders shall pay the fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids.

The Pre-Bid Conference to be held at NIA-UPRIIS Division II, Talavera Nueva Ecija Conference Room at February 26, 2016 @ 10:00am for Contract ID UPRIIS-DII-2016-01, RREIS-DII-01.shall be open to all interested parties. Bids must be delivered to the address below. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the accepted forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18. Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders representatives who choose to attend at the address below.

Late bids shall not be accepted.

The significant times and deadlines of procurement activities are shown below:

ACTIVITIES 1. Issuance of Bidding Documents

CONTRACT ID NOS.

DATE AND TIME

UPRIIS-DII-2015-01, Package RREIS-DII-01,

February 26,2016 to March 8, 2016, 8:00am- 5:00pm

2. Deadline for payment of Bid Docs, Receipts and Submission of Bids

UPRIIS-DII-2016-01, Package RREIS-DII-01.

9:00am., March 9, 2016

3. Opening of Bids

UPRIIS-DII-2016-01, Package RREIS-DII-01.

10:00am., March 9, 2016

Prospective bidders shall submit their duly accomplished forms as specified in the BD’s in two (2) separate sealed bid envelopes to the BAC Chairman. The first envelope shall contain the technical component of the bid, including the eligibility requirements. The second envelope shall contain the financial component of the bid. Contract will be awarded to the Lowest Calculated responsive Bid as determined in the bid evaluation and post-qualification.

The NIA-UPRIIS Division II Office, Talavera Nueva Ecija reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, to annul the bidding process and to reject all bids at any time prior to Contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

Submit your bids and for further information refer to: Name: Office: Address: Telefax No.: Email address: Website Address:

Engr. MARVIN C. BUSTAMANTE Chairperson, Bids and Awards Committee Operations and Maintenance Section NIA-UPRIIS-Division II, Talavera Nueva Ecija (044)-940-5938 niaupriisdivisionii@yahoo.com www.NIA-UPRIIS.gov.ph

Approved by:

Noted by:

SGD.MARVIN C. BUSTAMANTE Chairman, Bids and Awards Committee

SGD.SANTOS B. VIERNES Manager, Division II

(TS-FEB. 26, 2016)

A complete set of Bidding Documents (DB’s) may be purchased by the interested Bidders from the address below upon payment of a non-refundable fee for the Bidding Documents in the amount shown below:

SGD.ENGR. FLORENTINO R. DAVID, CESE Department Manager

CONTRACT ID NOS.

AMOUNT

UPRIIS-DII-2016-04,Package-RREIS-DII-01.

Php 5,000.00

UPRIIS-DII-2016-04,Package-RREIS-DII-02.

Php 5,000.00

It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) www.philgepsgov.ph provided that bidders shall pay the fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids.

The Pre-Bid Conference to be held at NIA-UPRIIS Division II, Talavera Nueva Ecija Conference Room at February 29, 2016 @ 10:00am for Contract ID UPRIIS-DII-2016-04, RREIS-DII-01 & 02.shall be open to all interested parties. Bids must be delivered to the address below. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the accepted forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18. Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders representatives who choose to attend at the address below. Late bids shall not be accepted.

The significant times and deadlines of procurement activities are shown below: ACTIVITIES

CONTRACT ID NOS.

DATE AND TIME

1. Issuance of Bidding Documents

UPRIIS-DII-2015-04, Package RREIS-DII-01 & 02.

February 29,2016 to March 11, 2016, 8:00am- 5:00pm

2. Deadline for payment of Bid Docs, Receipts and Submission of Bids

UPRIIS-DII-2016-04, Package RREIS-DII-01& 02.

9:00am., March 14, 2016

3. Opening of Bids

UPRIIS-DII-2016-04, Package RREIS-DII-01& 02.

10:00am., March 14, 2016

Prospective bidders shall submit their duly accomplished forms as specified in the BD’s in two (2) separate sealed bid envelopes to the BAC Chairman. The first envelope shall contain the technical component of the bid, including the eligibility requirements. The second envelope shall contain the financial component of the bid. Contract will be awarded to the Lowest Calculated responsive Bid as determined in the bid evaluation and post-qualification.

The NIA-UPRIIS Division II Office, Talavera Nueva Ecija reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, to annul the bidding process and to reject all bids at any time prior to Contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

Submit your bids and for further information refer to: Name: Office: Address: Telefax No.: Email address: Website Address:

Engr. MARVIN C. BUSTAMANTE Chairperson, Bids and Awards Committee Operations and Maintenance Section NIA-UPRIIS-Division II, Talavera Nueva Ecija (044)-940-5938 niaupriisdivisionii@yahoo.com www.NIA-UPRIIS.gov.ph

Approved by:

Noted by:

SGD.MARVIN C. BUSTAMANTE Chairman, Bids and Awards Committee

SGD.SANTOS B. VIERNES Manager, Division II

(TS-FEB. 26, 2016)

SGD.ENGR. FLORENTINO R. DAVID, CESE Department Manager

PCG readies WPS patrol vessels THE 10 multi-role response vessels that are now built for the Philippine Coast Guard in Japan may be deployed for a maritime safety role in the West Philippine Sea, the Philippine Coast Guard said Thursday.

PCG commander Rear Admiral William Melad said the first two of the 10 MRRVs are expected to be delivered this September, seven months after their keels were laid last February. “[The MRRVs can] be deployed anywhere but the project is all about maritime safety improvement,” Melad said.

“Basically its for s e a rc h - a n d -r e s c u e and other needs, but if needed to augment [our naval presence] at the West Philippine Sea, it could be deployed there, as it could also be used for security patrols,” he added.

He said the 10 MRRVs are being built by Japan Marine United Corp. will cost more than P8.8 billion and will be partially funded through an official development assistance loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency.

The loan facility covers P7.374 billion while the balance of P1.434 billion will be sourced from counterpart funds to be provided by the Philippine government.

Under the Maritime Safety Capability Improvement Project, Melad said two of the vessels are set to be delivered in September, another six in 2017 and the remaining two in 2018.

Melad said the vessels will be 44 meters long with approximate width of 7.5 meters and depth of 4 meters. The main engines will be two MTU 12V4000M93L with cruising speeds of 15 knots and a range of 1,500 nautical miles.

The crew will consist of five officers and 20 men.

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NEWS

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Tax cuts to ease workers’ onus

By Maricel V. Cruz Senatorial candidate leyte rep. Martin romualdez on Thursday vowed to pursue his advocacy of lowering personal income taxes—the highest in Southeast asia—as “malasakit” (compassion) to fixed-income public and private workers like teachers whose purchasing power has been eroded by inflation.

Romualdez, a lawyer and president of the Philippine Constitution Association, said Congress should pass the income tax reform bill in the next 17th Congress to “adjust the various levels of taxable income to inflation” because the income tax rates are stuck in 1997 levels.

Romualdez, head of the House Independent Bloc, said Congress should work on passing a proposed income tax reform law that would raise the tax exemption ceiling to P150,000 a year and lower the income tax rate currently pegged at 32 percent.

“I do not find logic that the proposal would risk the gains of a robust economy when ordinary workers are suffering from the burden of paying higher tax.

We need to extend compassion among ordinary workers,” Romualdez, who ran unopposed in the last polls and a former chairman of the House committee on ethics and privileges, explained after the Aquino administration vehemently rejected the proposal because this would risk the country’s fiscal sustainability and credit rating as a result of potential revenue losses.

“Ordinary wage earners should be given more disposable income to uplift their standard of living by granting them exemption from the payment of income tax,” Romualdez, a three-term congressman who is running for the Senate under a platform anchored on compassionate governance, said.

“We have to underscore the need to revise the tax collection system to make it more responsive in extending malasakit to ordinary workers, fair and equitable and not too burdensome to them. Unfortunately, ordinary workers are bearing the brunt of paying too much taxes,” Romualdez, a shared senatorial candidate of Vice President Jejomar Binay, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago who are all running for president, said.

Martin’s endorsers. Samar Rep. Mila Tan (left) and Samar Governor Sharee Ann Tan endorse senatorial candidate and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez in front of more than 15,000 Samareños at Capitol Plaza in Catbalogan City during the birthday celebration of Tan. VEr NoVENo

Four transport groups go for Marcos

By Joel E. Zurbano FOUR transport organizations on Thursday pledged their support to the candidacy of vice presidential bet Senator Bongbong Marcos Jr., saying the son of the Philippine strongman Ferdinand Marcos has a good track record.

The groups—Federation of Jeepney Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines, Pasang Masda, Association of Concerned Transport Organizations and Liga ng Transportasyon at Operators sa Pilipinas—decided to unite and campaign for the young Marcos in the May 9 polls.

The four transport groups claim to have at least 500,000 members nationwide.

ACTO president Efren de

Luna said this is the first time the Big 4 find themselves supporting a common candidate for vice president.

De Luna said they chose Senator Marcos because their members had picked him for the vice presidency. “We asked our members and they were unanimous in choosing Senator Bongbong because of his track record and his vision for the country including the transport sector,” he said.

Zeny Maranan of Fejodap, Roberto Martin of Pasang Masda and Lando Marquez of LTOP also expressed the same sentiment for the senator.

The groups came up with the decision to endorse the candidacy of Marcos during a meeting in Mandaluyong City, where a campaign headquarters of Mar-

cos was inaugurated.

Marcos, for his part, thanked the transportation sector for their support saying their advocacies to alleviate the plight of public utility drivers have helped define the transport system in the country.

He added their recent unified and unilateral decision to reduce fare hike in the wake of oil price reductions is a classic example of how unity can bring about positive change to the Filipino people.

Last month, the transport groups unilaterally reduced by P0.50 the P7.50 minimum fare following the continuing decline of oil prices in the global market.

“They have shown the way for all of us to see how unity can make things happen for our countrymen. They did not

wait for government action, they did it on their way and united they made a stand to give our commuters some relief,” Marcos said.

Marcos said the business sector should follow suit and bring about reduction in prices of their products.

He added the decision of the transport sector is an example to other sectors to start their own scheme to alleviate the plight of the public.

“This is a good example of social responsibility. I believe we have a lot of companies that are conscientious enough to start lowering prices on their own without government order or action and this is what they should do. These transport groups have shown the way and other sectors should follow suit,” Marcos said.

Filipinos prefer democracy to other forms of govt—polls (very satisfied; fairly satisfied; not very satisfied; not at all satisfied) with the way SEVEn out of 10 Filipinos are satisfied democracy works in the Philippines?”

The SWS said satisfaction with the with how democracy works, the Social way democracy works has been above 60 Weather Stations said on Thursday.

The SWS survey showed that more percent since June 2010, although it hit a than half of respondents noted that de- high of 80 percent in June 2013.

However, from October 1999 to June mocracy is always preferable to any oth2009, it exceeded 50 percent in only 2 out er kind of government.

The SWS survey comes at a time as of 31 surveys.

According to the pollster, satisfaction Thursday marked the 30th anniversary of the “People Power” uprising that top- with the way democracy works peaked at pled the Marcos administration and 70 percent in September 1992, 70 percent in July 1998, and 68 percent in June 2010, restored democracy in the country.

The SWS said it found 76 percent of which the SWS said to be “obviously relatFilipino adults satisfied with the way de- ed to the successful presidential elections mocracy works, barely changed from 77 of 1992, 1998, and 2010, respectively.”

After the senatorial elections in May percent in June 2015 when last fielded.

The survey question posed to re- 2013, a record-high of 80 percent was spondents is: “On the whole, are you reached.

By Sandy Araneta

Duterte son rises to the occasion. Sebastian ‘Baste’ Duterte campaigns for his father,

presidential aspirant and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte in Cebu City on Feb. 25, 2016. The 28-year-old Baste echoes his father’s laments about the country’s problems as he asks people to support Duterte’s presidential bid.

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Republic of the Philippines Office of the President National Irrigation Administration

(PAMBANSANG PANGASIWAAN NG PATUBIG) UPPER PAMPANGA RIVER INTEGRATED IRRIGATION SYSTEMS OFFICE ADDRESS : Maharlika Highway, Talavera, N.E. TELEPHONE No.: (044) 940-5938 Website.: www.nia.gov.ph

TELEFAX No.: TIN No. :

(044) 940-5938 916-415-026

INVITATION TO BID The National Irrigation Administration, Upper Pampanga River Integrated Irrigation Systems (NIA-UPRIIS) Division II, Talavera Nueva Ecija, through the CY 2016 GAA Repair and Rehabilitation of Existing Irrigation Systems funded project intends to apply the hereunder Approved Budgets for the Contract to payment of the corresponding contract below. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.

1. a. Contract ID: b. Contract Name:

UPRIIS-DII-2016-02 Package RREIS-DII-01 1. Repair/ Rehabilitation of Embankment & Concrete Lining @ Pris C-1, STA. 5+800-6+300 Gen. Natividad, Nueva Ecija Concrete Lining (Two Sides), Road Resurfacing

c. Contract Location: d. Scope of Work: e. Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC): Php 5,169,179.02 f. Contract Duration: 360 CD 2. a. Contract ID: b. Contract Name:

UPRIIS-DII-2016-02 Package RREIS-DII-02 2. Construction of CHB Lining @ Culiat Supply to PRIS C-4, STA. 0+000-0+370 Gen. Natividad, Nueva Ecija CHB Lining, Road Resurfacing

c. Contract Location: d. Scope of Work: e. Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC): Php 3,298,856.95 f. Contract Duration: 360 CD 3. a. b. c. d.

Contract ID: Contract Name: Contract Location: Scope of Work:

UPRIIS-DII-2016-02 Package RREIS-DII-03 3. Improvement of Carol Checkgate Gen. Natividad, Nueva Ecija Canal Lining, Road Resurfacing, Furnish & Installation of Steel Gates

e. Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC): Php 3,210,009.53 f. Contract Duration: 360 CD 4. a. b. c. d.

Contract ID: Contract Name: Contract Location: Scope of Work:

UPRIIS-DII-2016-02 Package RREIS-DII-04 4. Improvement of Chinese Checkgate Gen. Natividad, Nueva Ecija Construction of Short Span Bridge, Concrete lining & Furnish & Installation of Steel gates

e. Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC): Php 3,426,207.51 f. Contract Duration: 360 CD 5. a. b. c. d. e.

Contract ID: Contract Name: Contract Location: Scope of Work: Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC): Contract Duration:

f.

UPRIIS-DII-2016-02 Package RREIS-DII-05 5. Furnishing & Installation of Steel Gates Gen. Natividad, Nueva Ecija Furnishing & Installation of Steel gates Php 938,207.44 360 CD

The NIA-UPRIIS DIVISION II Office now invites bids for the above-named project. Bidders should have completed a single largest completed contract (SLCC) equivalent to twenty five (25%) of a contract similar to the project. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II. Instructions to Bidders.

Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using nondiscretionary pass/fail criterion as specified in the Implementing Rules and regulations (IRR) of Republic Act 9184 (RA 9184), otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”. Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizen/sole proprietorship, partnerships, or organizations with at least seventy five percent (75%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines.

Interested bidders may obtain further information from NIA-UPRIIS Division II Office, Talavera Nueva Ecija and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below on February 26, 2016 to March 8, 2016 from 8:00am – 5:00pm for Contract ID UPRIISDII-2016-02, Package ,RREIS-DII-01.02,03,04 & 05.

A complete set of Bidding Documents (DB’s) may be purchased by the interested Bidders from the address below upon payment of a non-refundable fee for the Bidding Documents in the amount shown below: CONTRACT ID NOS.

AMOUNT

UPRIIS-DII-2016-01,Package-RREIS-DII-01.

Php 5,000.00

UPRIIS-DII-2016-01,Package-RREIS-DII-02.

Php 5,000.00

UPRIIS-DII-2016-01,Package-RREIS-DII-03.

Php 5,000.00

UPRIIS-DII-2016-01,Package-RREIS-DII-04.

Php 5,000.00

UPRIIS-DII-2016-01,Package-RREIS-DII-05.

Php 5,000.00

It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) www.philgepsgov.ph provided that bidders shall pay the fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids.

The Pre-Bid Conference to be held at NIA-UPRIIS Division II, Talavera Nueva Ecija Conference Room at February 26, 2016 @ 10:00am for Contract ID UPRIIS-DII-2016-02, RREIS-DII-01.02,03,04 & 05.shall be open to all interested parties. Bids must be delivered to the address below. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the accepted forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18. Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders representatives who choose to attend at the address below. Late bids shall not be accepted.

The significant times and deadlines of procurement activities are shown below: ACTIVITIES

CONTRACT ID NOS.

DATE AND TIME

1. Issuance of Bidding Documents

UPRIIS-DII-2015-02, Package RREIS-DII-01, 02, 03, 04 & 05.

February 26,2016 to March 8, 2016, 8:00am- 5:00pm

2. Deadline for payment of Bid Docs, Receipts and Submission of Bids

UPRIIS-DII-2016-02, Package RREIS-DII-01, 02, 03, 04 & 05..

9:00am., March 9, 2016

3. Opening of Bids

UPRIIS-DII-2016-02, Package RREIS-DII-01, 02, 03, 04 & 05.

10:00am., March 9, 2016

Prospective bidders shall submit their duly accomplished forms as specified in the BD’s in two (2) separate sealed bid envelopes to the BAC Chairman. The first envelope shall contain the technical component of the bid, including the eligibility requirements. The second envelope shall contain the financial component of the bid. Contract will be awarded to the Lowest Calculated responsive Bid as determined in the bid evaluation and post-qualification.

The NIA-UPRIIS Division II Office, Talavera Nueva Ecija reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, to annul the bidding process and to reject all bids at any time prior to Contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

Submit your bids and for further information refer to: Name: Office: Address: Telefax No.: Email address: Website Address:

Engr. MARVIN C. BUSTAMANTE Chairperson, Bids and Awards Committee Operations and Maintenance Section NIA-UPRIIS-Division II, Talavera Nueva Ecija (044)-940-5938 niaupriisdivisionii@yahoo.com www.NIA-UPRIIS.gov.ph

Approved by:

Noted by:

SGD.MARVIN C. BUSTAMANTE Chairman, Bids and Awards Committee

SGD.SANTOS B. VIERNES Manager, Division II

(TS-FEB. 26, 2016)

SGD.ENGR. FLORENTINO R. DAVID, CESE Department Manager

F R I D AY : F E B R U A R Y 2 6 , 2 0 1 6

NEWS

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

UN: Transnational crime $100-b woe BANGKOK—Transnational crime is booming in Southeast Asia, the UN warned Thursday, aided by rapid regional economic integration and patchy cross-border police work.

The problem is so acute that the UN estimates illegal trade across East Asia and the Pacific is now worth more than $100 billion—more than the combined GDPs of Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia.

The stark assessment comes after the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations launched its EU-inspired regional economic bloc in December aimed at boosting trade and attracting more investment.

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

But in a report released on Thursday, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime warned moves

to pull down barriers are likely to be a major boon to the region’s sophisticated criminal networks.

Those organizations already flourish amid widespread corruption and weak governance in Southeast Asia to trade drugs, wildlife, natural resources, people and other counterfeit goods.

“Transnational crime flows have been growing rapidly in the region,” the report’s authors write.

“The threat is clear and rising.”

Timber is one area where crime groups can make huge gains with little risk. The report estimates that between 30-40 percent of all woodbased products exported from Southeast Asia are illegal “due to poor regulation and monitoring of the legitimate wood trade.”

Drug production and smuggling continues to boom, especially in Myanmar which remains the world’s second largest heroin producer after Afghanistan.

And shipping is another major weak spot seized upon by crime groups with $5.3 trillion of global trade transiting through Southeast Asian waters each year. AFP

Republic of the Philippines CITY OF SAN PEDRO Province of Laguna BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE INVITATION TO BID The City Government of San Pedro Laguna through the 2016LSBBudget Approved

by Sangguniang Panglungsodintends to apply the sum of Php 14,037.043.92being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for the hereunder project: NAME OF PROJECT: LOCATION: ABC: SOURCE OF FUND:

Proposed 3 Storey 6 Classrooms School Building SPRCNHS Brgy. Cuyab Php 14,037,043.92 LSB Budget Approved by the Sangguniang Panglungsod CONTRACT DURATION: 180Calendar Days The City Government of San Pedro, Laguna now invites contractors registered with and classified by the Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board (PCAB) to apply for eligibility and if found eligible, to bid for the above-mentioned projects. Completion of the Works is required on or before the contract duration.Bidders should have completed, two (2) calendar years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the Project. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II. Instructions to Bidders. Bids received in excess of the Approved Budget for the Contract shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.

Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using non-discretionary pass/fail criterion as specified in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act 9184 (RA 9184), otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”. Bidding is restricted, unless otherwise stated, to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least seventy five percent (75%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines, and to citizens or organizations of a country the laws or regulations of which grant similar rights or privileges to Filipino citizens, pursuant to Republic Act 5183 (RA 5183) and subject to Commonwealth Act 138 (CA 138).Only bids from eligible bidders will be opened. In accordance with the IRR-A of R.A 9184, the contract/project shall only be awarded to the Lowest Calculated and Responsive Bidder who was determined as such during post-qualification.

Interested bidders may obtain further information from the City Government of San Pedro, Laguna and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below from 8:30AM to 9:30 AM only.

Office of BAC Secretariat 4/F Conf.Rm. City Administrator’s Office San Pedro City Hall A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested Bidders from the address above and upon payment of a non-refundable fee for the Bidding Documents in the amount of PESOS: 25,000.00.

Bids must be delivered to the address below on or before March 11, 2016at 10:00AM: Office of BAC Secretariat 4/F Conf.Rm. City Administrator’s Office San Pedro City Hall Pre-Bid Conference: February 29, 2016 10:00am All bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18. Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders’ representatives who choose to attend at the address above. Late bids shall not be accepted.

All particulars relative to Eligibility Statement and Screening, Bid Security, Performance Security, Pre-Bidding Conference, Evaluation of Bids, Post-Qualification and Awards of Contract shall be governed by the pertinent provisions of R.A. 9184 and its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR).

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

For further information, please refer to: Mr. Merlin B. Paala Office of the BAC Secretariat San Pedro City Hall San Pedro, Laguna Telefax No. 808.2020 loc.320 (sgd.) ENGR. FILEMON I. SIBULO Chairman Bids and Awards Committee

(TS-FEB. 26, 2016)

House panel okays bill on presidential nominees

By Maricel V. Cruz A PANEL in the House of Representatives has endorsed for plenary approval a proposal declaring any presidential nominee who has been bypassed by the Commission on Appointments to be ineligible for reappointment by the President.

Approved and endorsed by the committee chaired

by Pangasinan Rep. Marlyn Primicias-Agabas, House Bill 6402 or the proposed “Ineligible Nominees Act” says that a nomination bypassed for three consecutive instances or disapproved by a majority vote of the CA shall render the nominee ineligible for reappointment by the President. The elder Rodriguez said the bill aims to uphold the constitutional duties of the CA by setting limits on the power of the President to reappoint bypassed nominees.

Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, one of the bill’s authors, said the CA is usually reluctant to reject outright the presidential nominees, hence, would not confirm the appointment resulting in bypass.

“However, despite such bypass, the President would reappoint the same nominees. This practice of the President of simply reappointing her nominees, even after several bypasses, subverts the principle of confirmation mandated by our Constitution,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez stressed this situation makes a mockery of the constitutional duties of the CA to confirm and reject presidential appointees on the basis of the check and balance powers of the legislative branch of the government.

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NEWS

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Govt destroys ‘pot’ worth P59m

By Dexter A. See

CAMP DANGWA, La Trinidad—An estimated P59.4 million worth of marijuana plants were destroyed by combined police operatives and antinarcotics agents during five marijuana-eradication operations conducted in different parts of the province from Feb. 13 to 21, 2016.

Between Feb. 13 and 18, some P55.1 million worth of marijuana plants were destroyed in the hinterlands of Barangays Tacadang and Badeo in Kibungan, Benguet and Barangay

Kayapa in Bakun town.

In the next four days, another P4.3 million worth were destroyed during a follow-up operation at sitios Tambor and Kolyang in Tacadang, Kibugan.

In sitios Lanipew, Bana and Dalipey of Barangay Tacadang, government forces uprooted 77,920 pieces of fully grown marijuana plants and 4,150 pieces of marijuana seedlings from 46 marijuana plantation sites covering an estimated land area of 10,763 square meters. They were also able to burn 45,000 grams of dried marijuana stalks from the said area.

Government troops who went to sitios Saep and Balbalnag in Barangay Badeo were able to burn 45,400 pieces of fully grown marijuana plants; 4,450 pieces of

marijuana seedlings and 5,500 grams of dried marijuana leaves.

The prohibited plants were sourced from 17 cultivation sites with an estimated land area of 6,201 square meters.

At sitios Dacap, Pugongan, Kaang, Nagawa and Naba of Barangay Kayapa, anti-narcotics agents were able to destroy 40,400 pieces of fully grown marijuana plants; 16,750 pieces of marijuana seedlings and 65,000 grams of dried marijuana stalks from 26 plantation sites covering an estimated land area of 6,557 square meters.

The law enforcers were also

able to torch 34,970 pieces of fully grown marijuana plants from nine cultivation sites with an estimated land area of 6,110 square meters in sitios Gusadan, Agay-ay and Caday of Barangay Kayapa.

The prohibited plants were discovered in 17 cultivation sites covering an estimated land area of 3,385 square meters.

This is the sixth marijuana eradication operation for this year in the Cordilleras, bringing to P86,442,000 the value of cannabis destroyed by government troops.

Calapan City mayor assails city board for unsigned budget

By Robert A. Evora CALAPAN CITY—Mayor Arnan Panaligan has expressed his frustration with officials of the Sangguniang Panlungsod here for their dismal failure to pass the 2016 budget because of partisan politics.

The intentional inaction of the city board to pass Calapan City’s P690-million 2016 annual budget “adversely affects the delivery of vital services, such as health care, social welfare assistance, rehabilitation assistance to victims of Typhoon Nona, and other basic services,” the mayor said.

Panaligan blamed Vice Mayor Voltaire B. Brucal, SP presiding officer, for being engaged in political partisanship and electioneering since the Sangguniang Panlungsod is “controlled by the administration Liberal Party.”

“Also, the much-needed repairs of protection dikes damaged or destroyed by Typhoon Nona cannot be undertaken because of the SP’s blatant inaction,” Panaligan added.

Mayor Panaligan chided Brucal for being partisan at the expense of public welfare. “The Sangguniang Panlungsod should not sacrifice the welfare and safety of the people and the basic services they

must receive.”

Also affected by the non-passing of the city budget is the implementation of Executive Order No. 201 or the Salary Standardization Law recently approved by the Office of the President to raise the salaries of local and national government employees.

City residents here have criticized the “gross incompetence” of Brucal and SP members for their intentional failure to deliver basic services by passing 2016 P690-million annual city budget.

Reports said that the SP has resorted to blackmailing the city government by demanding an increase of P75 million from its usual annual budget of only P25 million.

“This big jump in the SP’s annual budget is tantamount to the combined budgets of two small municipalities of Oriental Mindoro,” Panaligan explained as he turned down the city board’s undeserved demand. “It’s not SP’s legislative functions to distribute financial grants,” he said.

Mayor Panaligan also expressed fears that the onset of the rainy and the typhoon seasons in the coming months may further aggravate the existing problems on irrigation facilities and protection dikes destroyed by Typhoon “Nona.”

Backdrop to a game. Fishermen of San Esteban, Ilocos Sur play basketball after a day at sea.

DAVID CHAN

Farmer kills septuagenarian, two teenagers in Basilan

By A. Perez Rimando

Scouts. Senior scout delegates pose for a photo during the 14

th

month in Alangalang, Leyte. MEL CASPE

Provincial Scout Jamboree earlier this

LAMITAN CITY, Basilan—A septuagenarian woman and her two granddaughters were pummeled to death with a piece of wood last Tuesday dawn at barangay Limook, this city, by a man who also raped the two teenage girls, police said.

A police report received by Lamitan City chief of police Senior Inspector Gean Gallardo said Nelita Barbosa, 72, was first fatally clubbed before her two granddaughters were attacked by the suspect.

Gallardo said a Police Scene of the Crime Operatives showed the assailant also sexually abused the two girls after killing Barbosa.

The police chief claimed the suspect, Ronald Pahunao, 32, a visiting farmer and native of Titay, Zamboanga Sibugay. He was later arrested and detained at the city jail.

Witnesses said Pahunao was earlier seen a night before the incident drinking with friends at a sari-sari store near the victims’ residence.

Gallardo said the suspect’s flashlight was later recovered beside the body of one of the slain teenagers, adding that police were still tracing the whereabouts of Pahunao’s companions who reportedly left the store ahead of the suspect.

F R I D AY: F E B R U A R Y 2 6 , 2 0 1 6

A8

OPINION

ADELLE CHUA EDITOR

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

OPINION

BACK CHANNEL ALEJANDRO DEL ROSARIO

MORE THAN A US-CHINA FACE-OFF

[ EDI TORI A L ]

ECONOMY REVISITED MUCH has taken place since 1986 when the Edsa revolution took place. From a nation mired in foreign debt and struggling with hyperinflation, it has metamorphosed into a service-oriented economy, fueled by remittances from migrant Filipino workers and revenues from business process outsourcing companies and tourism.

The manufacturing sector took a backseat. From being the second-biggest exporter after electronics prior to the people power uprising, the garment sector is now reduced to a minor player, unable to compete with cheap labor from Sri Lanka, Vietnam and China. Agriculture and mining, too, have failed to sustain their major contribution to the gross domestic product.

The country’s industrialization thrust during the last few years of the Marcos administration is now a forgotten policy. No major industrialization project was pursued by succeeding presidents after the 1986 political upheaval. The copper smelter and phosphate fertilizer projects in Leyte province, and cement industry expansion were the last to be established in the Philippines. The rest of the 11 industrial projects, like aluminum smelter, diesel engine manufacturing, heavy engineering industries and integrated steel complex, were abandoned.

Succeeding administrations failed to hire economic visionaries, or the likes of former ministers Cesar Virata, Roberto Ongpin and the late Geronimo Velasco, who could have provided the Philippines with a stronger industrial base.

Consumption now drives the economy, backed by a young population, remittances and the swelling labor market in the BPO sector. Shopping malls have proliferated to meet the demands of the growing population.

Metro Manila’s skyline has vastly changed, with several skyscrapers dominating financial and commercial centers. The property sector is booming, driven by the demand for condominium units and office spaces, mostly from BPO companies.

The Philippine economy is trying to rebuild and has succeeded to register respectable growth rates in the last few years, from its feeble state back in the mid-80s. But it still lacks the backbone to chart the recovery course. The lack of infrastructure is restraining full growth. Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr., one of the vice presidential candidates, ironically, reminded the public that there was nothing to celebrate in the Edsa revolution of 1986.

Many development projects, according to him, remained unfinished 30 years after his father was ousted in 1986. He cited the light rail transit project, which should be on its eighth stage by now.

The economy, indeed, has improved from a period when it declared a moratorium on foreign debt payments. The infrastructure lack, however, serves as the shackles that impede economic growth.

FACT-CHECKING NOYNOY LOWDOWN JOJO A. ROBLES FOR once, President Noynoy Aquino gave a speech without attacking Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. He had, after all, even bigger fish to fry.

Yesterday’s 30th people power anniversary was highlighted by a speech from Aquino, who ripped into the Marcoses, past and present. And hit himself and his family, too, in the process.

The breathtaking lies told by Aquino, when fact-checked, will

make your head spin. Let’s consider just some of the humongous whoppers he narrated in his speech, okay?

Early in Aquino’s speech, he claimed that Ferdinand Marcos’ administration was responsible for the ballooning of the national debt. According to Aquino, the national debt when Marcos assumed office in 1965 was P2.4 billion; by 1985, a year before he left, the national debt had reached P192.2 billion.

Only last week, the Freedom from Debt Coalition said basically that, when it comes to increasing the national debt, Aquino made Marcos look like a market vendor borrowing from the Indian “five-

six.” The “debt-addicted” Aquino administration, from 2011 to 2015, borrowed P4.16 trillion from domestic and foreign lenders, upping the national debt to P6.4 trillion in those five years alone, FDC said.

Now, if Aquino had made it his goal to surpass Marcos in building public infrastructure, I wouldn’t complain so much.

But according to former Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno, Aquino underspent P1 trillion in appropriated funds during the same five-year period—and half of all the money his administration borrowed, FDC’s Ed Tadem said, went to pay other outstanding debts.

A9

The breathtaking lies told by Aquino, when factchecked, will make your head spin.

Now, who borrowed more?

And who gave us a lot less, in the bargain?

Aquino also reiterated his claim that his administration is a “golden age of returning Filipino workers.” To my knowledge, Aquino has never presented any data, anywhere, to support this fantastic claim.

But according to Migrante International, the Philippine Overseas Workers Administration’s official data show that the number of OFWs deployed annually from 2010 to 2014 increased steadily from 1,470,826 to 1,844,710. On a daily basis, Migrante said, still citing POEA data, that from 4,018 departures in 2010, 6,092 were leaving by 2014—an increase of 50 percent.

Migrante said that the number of OFWs has increased so greatly

since Aquino took office that by 2012, “at least one-fourth of the country’s labor force has gone abroad to find work.”

According to the Department of Labor and Employment, there are now 12 million OFWs abroad. Migrante itself pegs the number of overseas Filipinos between 12 and 15 million, to include undocumented workers.

No, Aquino did not stop the “brain drain” that Marcos started, as he claimed.

Far from it—he was just lying, as usual. *** Moving to the contemporary Marcos, Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., Aqui-

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-

no said that the senator and his colleague, Senator Juan Ponce Enrile, conspired to make the passage of his pet Bangsamoro Basic Law impossible in the Senate, where the draft legislation didn’t even make it past interpellations. But what Aquino didn’t say was that, even in the Palacecontrolled House of Representatives, the BBL could not get passed, either.

Did he blame Speaker Feliciano Belmonte, who was seated right behind him when he made the speech? Of course not.

Then Aquino unleashed what he probably thought was his most potent weapon. He castigated the younger Marcos for

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

not apologizing for anything that he or his family had done in the past.

“The saying is true: The sins of the father must not be visited on the child. But this is what hurts: The offspring of the dictator could say that ‘my father made mistakes, we made mistakes; give us a chance to make amends.’

“Instead, this is what he said: ‘I am ready to say sorry if I knew what I have to be sorry for,’” Aquino said, quoting the younger Marcos. “If he doesn’t see the mistakes of his family, how can we be assured that he will not repeat them?”

Continued on A10

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

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

THE escalating tension in the South China Sea is not just about a face-off between superpower United States and a rising China. In his book, “Asia’s Cauldron,” author Robert Kaplan sees the simmering South China Sea situation a threat to the region’s peace and security and the flow of commerce vital to the well-being of the whole world.

Freedom of navigation ensures that trillions of dollars worth of commercial cargo, including oil tankers carrying crude oil from the Middle East to the rest of Asia. This is why the US wants its warships to conduct joint patrol with other Southeast Asian nations, according to Admiral Harry Harris of the US Pacific Command. Harris gave a briefing to Southeast Asian journalists at a US naval base in Hawaii where the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier was docked, providing a backdrop of America’s naval power and reach in the Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea. In its familiar twisted thinking and doublespeak, Beijing claims the US is militarizing the South China Sea. China started it all by imposing a nine-dash line that claimed nearly the entire SCS. China then reclaimed land from the sea to make artificial islands out of the protruding reefs, rocks and shoals to build military installations complete with an airstrip and a naval base to fortify its claim. The latest military flexing and show of strength was China’s deployment of surface-to-air missile systems and fighter jets in a disputed island in the Paracels claimed by Vietnam.

So, who’s militarizing the South China Sea? There are also some quarters who suggest Manila should go easy in its arbitral challenge to Beijing’s sweeping claim until a new president is sworn in after the May 9 elections. But why wait and give China more time to consolidate its claim as it is doing now? The Hague international arbitration court is expected to hand down a ruling in two or three months. If favorable to Manila, Beijing which refused to recognize The Hague Court jurisdiction has made known it won’t abide by the court’s ruling. But so what? Let China suffer the consequences of world opinion and perhaps trade sanctions by the international community who should have the gumption to impose it.

China with its strong economy dependent on its export manufacturing sector and oil imports could be brought down to its knees if it does not conform with international law. Like the Philippines, China is a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea which 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

F R I D AY: F E B R U A R Y 2 6 , 2 0 1 6

A8

OPINION

ADELLE CHUA EDITOR

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

OPINION

BACK CHANNEL ALEJANDRO DEL ROSARIO

MORE THAN A US-CHINA FACE-OFF

[ EDI TORI A L ]

ECONOMY REVISITED MUCH has taken place since 1986 when the Edsa revolution took place. From a nation mired in foreign debt and struggling with hyperinflation, it has metamorphosed into a service-oriented economy, fueled by remittances from migrant Filipino workers and revenues from business process outsourcing companies and tourism.

The manufacturing sector took a backseat. From being the second-biggest exporter after electronics prior to the people power uprising, the garment sector is now reduced to a minor player, unable to compete with cheap labor from Sri Lanka, Vietnam and China. Agriculture and mining, too, have failed to sustain their major contribution to the gross domestic product.

The country’s industrialization thrust during the last few years of the Marcos administration is now a forgotten policy. No major industrialization project was pursued by succeeding presidents after the 1986 political upheaval. The copper smelter and phosphate fertilizer projects in Leyte province, and cement industry expansion were the last to be established in the Philippines. The rest of the 11 industrial projects, like aluminum smelter, diesel engine manufacturing, heavy engineering industries and integrated steel complex, were abandoned.

Succeeding administrations failed to hire economic visionaries, or the likes of former ministers Cesar Virata, Roberto Ongpin and the late Geronimo Velasco, who could have provided the Philippines with a stronger industrial base.

Consumption now drives the economy, backed by a young population, remittances and the swelling labor market in the BPO sector. Shopping malls have proliferated to meet the demands of the growing population.

Metro Manila’s skyline has vastly changed, with several skyscrapers dominating financial and commercial centers. The property sector is booming, driven by the demand for condominium units and office spaces, mostly from BPO companies.

The Philippine economy is trying to rebuild and has succeeded to register respectable growth rates in the last few years, from its feeble state back in the mid-80s. But it still lacks the backbone to chart the recovery course. The lack of infrastructure is restraining full growth. Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr., one of the vice presidential candidates, ironically, reminded the public that there was nothing to celebrate in the Edsa revolution of 1986.

Many development projects, according to him, remained unfinished 30 years after his father was ousted in 1986. He cited the light rail transit project, which should be on its eighth stage by now.

The economy, indeed, has improved from a period when it declared a moratorium on foreign debt payments. The infrastructure lack, however, serves as the shackles that impede economic growth.

FACT-CHECKING NOYNOY LOWDOWN JOJO A. ROBLES FOR once, President Noynoy Aquino gave a speech without attacking Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. He had, after all, even bigger fish to fry.

Yesterday’s 30th people power anniversary was highlighted by a speech from Aquino, who ripped into the Marcoses, past and present. And hit himself and his family, too, in the process.

The breathtaking lies told by Aquino, when fact-checked, will

make your head spin. Let’s consider just some of the humongous whoppers he narrated in his speech, okay?

Early in Aquino’s speech, he claimed that Ferdinand Marcos’ administration was responsible for the ballooning of the national debt. According to Aquino, the national debt when Marcos assumed office in 1965 was P2.4 billion; by 1985, a year before he left, the national debt had reached P192.2 billion.

Only last week, the Freedom from Debt Coalition said basically that, when it comes to increasing the national debt, Aquino made Marcos look like a market vendor borrowing from the Indian “five-

six.” The “debt-addicted” Aquino administration, from 2011 to 2015, borrowed P4.16 trillion from domestic and foreign lenders, upping the national debt to P6.4 trillion in those five years alone, FDC said.

Now, if Aquino had made it his goal to surpass Marcos in building public infrastructure, I wouldn’t complain so much.

But according to former Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno, Aquino underspent P1 trillion in appropriated funds during the same five-year period—and half of all the money his administration borrowed, FDC’s Ed Tadem said, went to pay other outstanding debts.

A9

The breathtaking lies told by Aquino, when factchecked, will make your head spin.

Now, who borrowed more?

And who gave us a lot less, in the bargain?

Aquino also reiterated his claim that his administration is a “golden age of returning Filipino workers.” To my knowledge, Aquino has never presented any data, anywhere, to support this fantastic claim.

But according to Migrante International, the Philippine Overseas Workers Administration’s official data show that the number of OFWs deployed annually from 2010 to 2014 increased steadily from 1,470,826 to 1,844,710. On a daily basis, Migrante said, still citing POEA data, that from 4,018 departures in 2010, 6,092 were leaving by 2014—an increase of 50 percent.

Migrante said that the number of OFWs has increased so greatly

since Aquino took office that by 2012, “at least one-fourth of the country’s labor force has gone abroad to find work.”

According to the Department of Labor and Employment, there are now 12 million OFWs abroad. Migrante itself pegs the number of overseas Filipinos between 12 and 15 million, to include undocumented workers.

No, Aquino did not stop the “brain drain” that Marcos started, as he claimed.

Far from it—he was just lying, as usual. *** Moving to the contemporary Marcos, Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., Aqui-

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-

no said that the senator and his colleague, Senator Juan Ponce Enrile, conspired to make the passage of his pet Bangsamoro Basic Law impossible in the Senate, where the draft legislation didn’t even make it past interpellations. But what Aquino didn’t say was that, even in the Palacecontrolled House of Representatives, the BBL could not get passed, either.

Did he blame Speaker Feliciano Belmonte, who was seated right behind him when he made the speech? Of course not.

Then Aquino unleashed what he probably thought was his most potent weapon. He castigated the younger Marcos for

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

not apologizing for anything that he or his family had done in the past.

“The saying is true: The sins of the father must not be visited on the child. But this is what hurts: The offspring of the dictator could say that ‘my father made mistakes, we made mistakes; give us a chance to make amends.’

“Instead, this is what he said: ‘I am ready to say sorry if I knew what I have to be sorry for,’” Aquino said, quoting the younger Marcos. “If he doesn’t see the mistakes of his family, how can we be assured that he will not repeat them?”

Continued on A10

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

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

THE escalating tension in the South China Sea is not just about a face-off between superpower United States and a rising China. In his book, “Asia’s Cauldron,” author Robert Kaplan sees the simmering South China Sea situation a threat to the region’s peace and security and the flow of commerce vital to the well-being of the whole world.

Freedom of navigation ensures that trillions of dollars worth of commercial cargo, including oil tankers carrying crude oil from the Middle East to the rest of Asia. This is why the US wants its warships to conduct joint patrol with other Southeast Asian nations, according to Admiral Harry Harris of the US Pacific Command. Harris gave a briefing to Southeast Asian journalists at a US naval base in Hawaii where the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier was docked, providing a backdrop of America’s naval power and reach in the Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea. In its familiar twisted thinking and doublespeak, Beijing claims the US is militarizing the South China Sea. China started it all by imposing a nine-dash line that claimed nearly the entire SCS. China then reclaimed land from the sea to make artificial islands out of the protruding reefs, rocks and shoals to build military installations complete with an airstrip and a naval base to fortify its claim. The latest military flexing and show of strength was China’s deployment of surface-to-air missile systems and fighter jets in a disputed island in the Paracels claimed by Vietnam.

So, who’s militarizing the South China Sea? There are also some quarters who suggest Manila should go easy in its arbitral challenge to Beijing’s sweeping claim until a new president is sworn in after the May 9 elections. But why wait and give China more time to consolidate its claim as it is doing now? The Hague international arbitration court is expected to hand down a ruling in two or three months. If favorable to Manila, Beijing which refused to recognize The Hague Court jurisdiction has made known it won’t abide by the court’s ruling. But so what? Let China suffer the consequences of world opinion and perhaps trade sanctions by the international community who should have the gumption to impose it.

China with its strong economy dependent on its export manufacturing sector and oil imports could be brought down to its knees if it does not conform with international law. Like the Philippines, China is a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea which 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

F R I D AY: F E B R U A R Y 2 6 , 2 0 1 6

A10

OPINION lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

STAR SHINES PENSEES FR. RANHILIO CALLANGAN AQUINO I REFER to Estrella Elamparo, the lawyer who courageously challenged Grace Poe’s bid for the presidency, the deafening chorus of support for Poe-Llamanzares by noisy choristers.

She petitioned the Commission on Elections to disqualify her, and she gamely—and competently—faced the Supreme Court. She does not know whether the Memorandum she was directed to submit will be heeded. Neither do I. These days, it is not necessarily the better argument, nor the better reason, that prevails.

Often, recitals of facts are tedious, and it is not only lawyers who churn out boring chronologies of events and papers filed.

Many judges do much the same, making of their judgments an ordeal to read. In fact, when once the Philippine Judicial Academy invited the late Justice Isagani Cruz, distinguished for his inimitable prose, to lecture on “Literary Highlights in Supreme Court

All have a stake in the Constitution, something that should be true of us all.

Decisions,” he did not need plenty of time to refuse the invitation: Hardly any literary masterpieces would be found, he rued! Star is different: Her statement of facts is succinct and as complete as that data she had—the fruit of fastidious research—allowed.

Grace Poe acquired US citizenship by naturalization on Oct. 18, 2001. She returned to the Philippines in 2005 to re-establish, she claims, residence in her country. Significantly, Star points out, she opted to return not with a permanent resident’s visa or a returning former Filipino visa, but through the balikbayan program. When we move away from a concept of “intent” that requires that we divine the inner proceedings of another person’s mind and use the intriguing term to name a series of verifiable facts, as Ryle usefully suggests, then by opting not to return as a permanent resident, Poe did not intend to reside permanently here!

That is not all. When she applied for reacquisition of Philippine citizenship under the pro-

visions of the Dual Citizenship Act, she declared that she was “born to Filipino parents” because the beneficent provisions of the law apply only to naturalborn Filipinos. She knew that this was not so because she could not trace her parentage, but, relying on this misrepresentation, she obtained from the Bureau of Immigration an order granting her petition. “Ex injuria non oritur jus…No right will come from wrong-doing.” That is not a nicety of law, not a technicality about which legal scholars quibble. It is a principle of justice and of human decency!

But this was not the only misrepresentation. From 2006 to 2009, she made use of her US passport. One will be tempted to argue that she was entitled to do that, as she was a dual citizen.

But in the cases that the Supreme Court ruled on dual allegiance, it has repeatedly held that continued use of the passport of the State whose allegiance one has foresworn so that allegiance to the Philippines might not be divided, belies one’s purported repudiation of allegiance to a foreign sovereignty!

When she ran for senator, she declared that she had resided in the Philippines for six years and six months. This, despite the fact that the American ViceConsul attested, in a Certificate of Loss of Nationality, that Poe had expatriated herself on Oct. 21, 2010. It is a settled rule in international law that whether a person is a citizen of a country depends on the laws of such a country, as does the issue of whether or not she has lost nationality of the same country.

Of course, it is now well known that Ms. Poe claims that it was a “mistake” for her to have declared that she had resided in the Philippines for only six years and six months. Against this self-serving excuse, Star argues: first, she had the chance to correct the mistake earlier, if mistake indeed it was; she never did; second, she swore in the same certificate that all averments were true and correct.

She should be held to her oath.

In fact it takes some counting to declare six years and six months, rather than “from birth,” as some of her eager supporters suggest.

But she was specific—because she knew this was the truth.

Does Ms. Poe have to prove her citizenship? Star repeats the traditional distinction between “burden of proof ” and “burden of evidence,” but aside from that useful, if forgotten, distinction, this should be clear: When Ms. Poe admitted that she is a foundling, she concomitantly declared that her parentage and birth were unknown—because that is exactly the definition of a found-

A TOUGH BUT GENTLE MAVERICK MAYOR

DAVAO City Mayor Digong Duterte—standing tall in the center of the five candidates— benefitted the most from that historic first presidential debate which was held in Cagayan de Oro City last Sunday.

Tough and street-smart, he succeeded effortlessly in projecting the gentler side of his real personality when he laid out in short but clear sentences his views and practical solutions to the complex problems that ail the country.

It helped him a lot by not uttering a single word of profanity for two hours, and by refraining from his macho habit of making faces when he talked passionately of things he didn’t approve of. Neither did he waste time—as what other candidates did—in finding faults or in antagonizing any of his rivals.

Throughout the debate, he behaved as if he were everybody’s favorite politician.

He even showered with flattery the usually feisty lady senator from Iloilo and thus immediately disarmed and eventually charmed her.

Consequently, 41 percent of the netizen-viewers chose him as the most impressive among the presidential candidates, according to the social media poll results that a local newspaper released.

Of course, the results of that poll may easily be contradicted by another formal survey that professional pollsters could conduct from among all economic strata of listeners other than netizens.

His score already exceeded our expectations, but incredibly, another candidate beat him by grabbing the lion’s share of 52 percent while the rest of the candidates shared among them the remaining left-over 7 percent.

My senior citizen friends and I were immediately impressed by Mayor Digong’s opening statements promising to end criminality, illegal drugs and corruption in government within three to six months after assuming the presidency. That is before the end of this year!

We agree with him that no ling, and so it became incumbent upon her to prove that she possesses the qualifications of a candidate and is burdened by none of the disqualifications.

Now comes the Commission on Human Rights with its belated attempt to squeeze into the limelight. In the first place, it bade the Court accept its brief as “amicus curiae.” In this jurisdiction, under the Rules of Court, amici curiae are “invited” by the Court.

They do not ask to be invited.

And then it goes on to make the brazenly erroneous statement that there is an obligation “erga omnes” (the use of the Latinism from international law, obviously meant to lend “gravitas” to

Fact-checking... From A9 Rizal Park in August 2010. This, this day.

This, from the freshly-minted Chief Executive who started escalating tensions with China just two months into his term by never admitting to anything and not punishing anyone for the killing of Chinese tourists at the

from the President who never admitted that his government mishandled the response to typhoon Yolanda in 2013—and who therefore absolved all of his officials who bungled the relief and rehabilitation effort, that is still way beyond satisfactory to

This, from the man who never even apologized for sending 44 elite police commandos to their deaths in a suicide mission that he never took responsibility for. And who has never, ever admitted that he was wrong about anything in all his time as

FILIPINO PENSIONER HORACE TEMPLO place on earth would become economically wealthy unless its people live in peace and order. These things hinder economic growth and their elimination must be prioritized.

We also found his opening statement more understandable— and statistically measurable—than PNoy’s slogan “kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap,” the meaning of which still eludes us to this day even if we have repeatedly heard it in the past six years.

But we were a bit surprised when he did not open passionately with his advocacy on federalism as the more appropriate form of government for us. As he asserted later, it is a much better alternative to the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law in pursuing lasting peace in Mindanao.

In any case, he succeeded in revealing the gentler side of his personality.

Other than this revelation, Mayor Digong was his usual maverick self in voicing out his views and positions on issues that affect us ordinary citizens from killing criminals if warranted and in accordance with law to being supportive of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons’ choice to marry anyone.

His now pro-forma tongue-incheek replies to prying questions about his civil or marital status no longer offended or even surprised us. Wisely, he had opened up to us his private life before confirming his candidacy.

In fact, earlier on Feb. 19—a week before the 30th Anniversary of the Edsa People Power Revolution that ended the regime of President Ferdinand Marcos— the maverick mayor announced another one of his tough and controversial positions.

He would allow the burial of this hilarious posturing) to grant nationality. And even assuming that the CHR’s reference to international law is correct (which it is not!), there is a glaring non sequitur here: a state may grant its nationality by naturalization processes, with the result that the grantee is a naturalized, not a natural-born citizen. However, it has always been a principle of international law that whether a State grants its nationality or not is a matter of the sovereign decision of a State, in regard of which there can be no compulsion. In any event, it is clear that there is nothing in our laws, nor anything in the treaties to which we are party that makes of a foundling probably the most inept, incompetent and unfeeling person to ever hold that most important of jobs.

And if Aquino wanted to apologize for what his family did in the past, he can start with his grandfather and namesake, who was a Japanese collabora-

FM at the Libingan ng mga Bayani to begin “healing” the nation.

This he declared before FM’s daughter—Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos—and a big crowd of the Solid North in the temporary resting place of the former leader in Batac, Ilocos Norte.

Noting that FM’s “government programs and projects have stood the test of time,” he pointed out that his “dictatorship remains to be debated.”

These are things that no other presidential candidate would dare say publicly.

Perhaps, deep inside the mayor’s heart, he also idolizes FM. This he manifested by acknowledging that FM was “a great president and a hero” who “had the idealism” and “the vision for this country.”

A good, dutiful and obedient son, Mayor Duterte showed respect to someone his father honored and considered dear. As he admits, his father Vicente—who was governor of the undivided Davao from 1959 to 1965—used to be a Marcos loyalist “until the end.”

His mother Soledad, on the other hand, was a distinguished social worker who earned countless honors, awards and recognitions from local, national and international organizations. These qualified her inclusion in the 1980 publication of the World Who’s Who of Women of the International Biographical Center of Cambridge, England and in the American Geographical Institute-International Book of Honor in 1981.

Thus, while Mayor Digong was still a struggling assistant city fiscal at that time, Nanay Soling was clearly a legend already.

The maverick mayor from Davao City is now gradually revealing the different facets of his personality, and as my senior citizen friends all anticipate, he would eventually reveal himself as a human “Chiclets” chewing gum: tough on the outside but soft on the inside. In other words, tough but gentle.

Consequently, we expect a lot more from him.

ipso facto a natural-born citizen of the Philippines.

From what we know of Ms. Elamparo, she has no issue with Ms. Poe. Neither does Dean Amado Valdez. Neither does Kit Tatad. But all have a stake in the Constitution, something that should be true of us all. And disturbing indications notwithstanding, I continue to hope that the Supreme Court will defend the Constitution as it is written, not the constitution as some of the members of the Court would want it to be! rannie_aquino@sanbeda.edu.ph rannie_aquino@csu.edu.ph rannie_aquino@yahoo.com tor during World War II. But I guess having Ninoy and Cory in the next generation absolves the family from all that, right?

I don’t have the space, unfortunately, to fact-check Aquino’s entire speech. But these examples should give you, dear reader, an idea.

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OPINION lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

VIRTUAL REALITY TONY LOPEZ ABOUT 90 percent of those who were at Epifanio delos Santos Avenue yesterday to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Edsa People Power were not at the original revolution. Not President Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III, not Senator Bam Aquino who was barely 10 when the 1986 coup erupted, and indeed, not many of those who were at the commemoration. They were either too young, abroad or far away from the scene of 30 years ago to have influenced it.

The Cojuangco-Aquino family of BS Aquino III has appropriated Edsa People Power as if it were their brand, their franchise, their business. That’s a lot of BS. Corazon Cojuangco Aquino was in Cebu hiding in a convent during the first and most dangerous night of People Power, on Feb. 22, 1986. Her son was too engrossed with many other things to have participated, too. I was at People Power I as a foreign correspondent.

The Aquino family has been the biggest beneficiary of People Power. They were awarded two presidencies totaling 12 and a half years, more than enough compensation for what opposition leader Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. did in his political lifetime, which was to heckle and needle President Ferdinand Edralin Marcos Sr., during 17 of his 20-year presidency. Ninoy died from a military bullet in August 1983. And what did the people get for hav-

More... From A9 mandates a 200-mile exclusive economic zone for countries with coastal lines. China, whose nearest coast line Hainan is more than 800 nautical miles from the West Philippine Sea, grabbed the shoals and reefs within the country’s territorial waters.

Ocean waters rising The level of the world’s oceans has risen by four inches in the last century, according to a global study. The rise in sea

THE LIE OF EDSA ing two Aquino presidents?

In 1983, Cory had blamed Marcos for her husband’s assassination and launched a destabilization campaign. Upon United States prodding, the strongman was forced to call a snap election to end bring the crisis, in February 1986. Marcos was confident he would win the election. In 1982, the President still had the support of US President Ronald Reagan. The Philippine economy was stable, having weathered what could have been a crippling downturn. Basic services were in place. But Ninoy’s murder turned things upside down.

Sensing Marcos was very sick (he was, having undergone two kidney transplants), Ninoy Aquino attempted to return in 1983 and grab power from the President. The opposition senator was instead felled by a bullet at the airport tarmac.

The Aquino-Cojuangco family has no more right to claim Edsa as theirs than every Filipino, you and I. Their Edsa failed us, the people.

On the first day of Edsa I, Feb. 22, 1986, I was lucky to be both in Cebu, for Cory’s civil disobedience afternoon rally, and Manila, for the first night of Enrile’s breakaway coup. Enrile had no troops, just about two dozen RAM soldiers. His shock troops were us, foreign correspondents, numbering about 40.

Not many people know it but Edsa I was triggered by greed and was won by a lie. The crowds that massed on Edsa on Feb. 24, 1986, Monday, and Feb. 25, Tuesday, were there not to stage

a revolt but to hold a picnic.

June Keithley had announced on radio at 7 a.m. of Feb. 24 that the Marcoses had left. It was a lie. In their glee and feeling that finally it was all over, people trooped to Edsa to celebrate.

The greed arose from a Chinese forex trader who violated the peso-dollar trading band imposed by the then unofficial central bank, the Binondo Central Bank managed and headed by then Trade and Industry Secretary Roberto V. Ongpin.

Ongpin had the erring trader arrested and loaded into a van.

Unfortunately, the forex trader died. Unfortunately again, the trader happened to be a man of then-Armed Forces chief Fabian C. Ver. Angered, the dreaded military chief had 22 of Ongpin’s security men arrested. They were marching in full battle gear and dressed in SWAT uniform at about 4 a.m. inside Fort Bonifacio when arrested on Feb. 22, 1986, a Saturday.

At 11 a.m., at the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ongpin went looking for his security men. He called up then-Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile who was with the Club 365 at the Atrium in Makati. Enrile thought the arrest of the 22 Ongpin security men, who turned out to be RAM Boys of Col. Gringo Honasan, was part of the crackdown against the plot to oust Marcos.

The putsch was being planned

by Enrile and his RAM Boys.

The defense chief had grown disenchanted with Marcos, who was very ill following a botched kidney transplant three years earlier.

JPE had become wary of the palace cabal led by Ver and the First Lady, Mrs. Imelda Romualdez Marcos.

Enrile summoned his boys to his house on Morada Street, Dasmariñas Village. There they plotted their next moves. They decided to make a last stand at the armed forces headquarters, Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.

At 2 p.m., Enrile called then Vice Chief of Staff Lieut. Gen. Fidel V. Ramos. “Are you with us?”

JPE asked Eddie. “I am with you all the way,” the latter assured.

It was not until late in the evening that Saturday (Feb. 22) that Ramos actually joined the rebellion at Camp Aguinaldo. He had contacted his loyal PC-INP commanders, like Rene de Villa in Bicol, and Rodrigo Gutang in Cagayan de Oro and found to his dismay no troops could be readily airlifted to Manila to reinforce Enrile’s men, who were undermanned and under-armed.

Cory learned about the brewing rebellion at 4 p.m. the same Saturday in Cebu. She had led a destabilization and boycott rally there, which I covered.

After hearing about rumors of the Enrile defection, I went to the Mactan airport to book a flight to Manila. I landed in Manila shortly after 9 p.m. With Boy del Mundo of then UPI, I took a taxi to Camp Aguinaldo.

I was surprised to find the camp commander welcoming us with open arms. Enrile and Gringo had no troops at that time. Enrile had made a deal with Marcos—No shooting on

the first night. Also, foreign correspondents were to be allowed inside Camp Aguinaldo.

Inside the Defense Ministry headquarters, Enrile and Ramos were giving an extended press conference. I asked if Cory Aquino called them up. Enrile said yes. “What can I do for you?” she asked. “Nothing, just pray,” Enrile replied.

After Cory got the presidency, Namfrel made recount of the votes cast in the February snap election. The tally still showed Marcos was the real winner, not by two million votes, as canvassed by the Batasan, but by 800,000 votes as recounted by Namfrel.

In the Comelec-sanctioned official count, the legal and official winner was Marcos, by a margin of 1.7 million votes.

It was thought Marcos had cheated because his Solid North votes were transmitted very late to the tabulation center at the PICC. Two Namfrel volunteers were hanged in Ilocos. The Ilocano votes were enough to overwhelm Cory’s lead in Metro Manila and other places. The canvassers claimed Marcos was cheating and so led by the wife of a RAM major, walked out, as if on cue. The day before the celebrated incident, we, foreign correspondents, had been alerted about the planned walkout and to be there to cover it.

Cory Aquino didn’t have any participation in the four-day People Power revolt of Feb. 2225, 1986 or Edsa I.

level was attributed to climate change brought by melting ice glaciers in Artarctica and global warming due to the constant use of fossil fuel. The heating of the earth’s atmosphere also warms the oceans’ waters which raises the sea level. The effect of this phenomenom was shown in Hurricane Katrina’s sea surge which swept New Orleans and Super Typhoon “Yolanda” which devastated Leyte and parts of eastern Visayas.

Swollen seas and an underwater earthquake triggered a

tsunami that claimed more than 6,000 lives in the Thai resort of Phuket. The tsunami had a ripple effect pushing high sea levels against the coastlines of Indonesia, India and Maldives.

In Europe, the Italian city of Venice is slowly sinking with waist-high flood waters in 2008.

Portents of things to come can be seen in Metro Manila which experiences floodwaters whenever it rains. It’s more than a clogged drainage system but also the rising water in Manila Bay and Laguna lake.

Extra focus on Edsa With President Benigno Aquino III exiting soon in June, extra attention was showered on the 30th anniversary of the Edsa People Power Revolution this week. But more than that, could it be because another Marcos looms as vice president in the coming May 9 national elections?

With Aquino leading this year’s People Power commemoration, a museum at Camp Aguinaldo showcasing the horrors of martial law was also opened

to the public as a reminder of the Marcos dictatorship. Minority Floor Leader Senator Juan Ponce Enrile maintains it was a military coup that was hijacked

by People Power.

Aquino, in his keynote address at Edsa, said “I’m what I am because of martial law,” as he recalled how his family suffered starting with the incarceration of his father, Senator Benigno Aquino Jr. and their eventual exile in Boston. So he also blames his own six-year misrule on Marcos and martial law.

#FAILOCRACY

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SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

Pimentel tops rapid chess event

By Arman Armero

Republic of the Philippines

DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE

Roxas Boulevard Corner Pablo Ocampo, Sr. Street Manila 1004

InvItatIon to BId for the operatIon and MaIntenance ServIce for the power and UtIlIty SySteM of the departMent of fInance froM aprIl 2016 to deceMBer 2016 1.

The DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE (DOF), through the Government of the Philippines under the General Appropriations Act for CY 2016, intends to apply the sum of Four Million Five Hundred Thirty Thousand Six Hundred Fifty Four and 15/100 Pesos (PhP 4,530,654.15) being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for the Operation and Maintenance Service for the Power and Utility System of the DOF from April 2016 to December 2016 (the “Project”). Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.

2.

The DOF, through its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), now invites Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) registered contractors to apply for eligibility and to bid for the Operation and Maintenance Service for the Power and Utility System of the DOF from April 2016 to December 2016. Bidders should have completed, within three (3) years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the Project which is equivalent to at least fifty percent (50%) of the ABC for the Project. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II. Instructions to Bidders.

3.

Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using a non-discretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (R-IRR) of Republic Act (RA) No. 9184, otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”.

However, only those who have purchased the Bidding Documents shall be allowed to participate in the pre-bid conference and raise or submit written queries or clarifications.

4.

Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens, sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least sixty percent (60%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines, and to citizens or organizations of a country the laws or regulations of which grant similar rights or privileges to Filipino citizens, pursuant to RA 5183 and subject to Commonwealth Act 138.

Interested bidders may obtain further information from the BAC Secretariat and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below during office hours.

A complete set of the Bidding Documents may be acquired by interested Bidders on February 26, 2016 and shall be available at the BAC Secretariat, General Services Division, 7th Floor EDPC Building, BSP Complex, Pablo Ocampo, Sr. St. corner Roxas Boulevard, Manila, starting February 26, 2016 until March 16, 2016 upon payment of the non-refundable fee for the Bidding Documents, pursuant to the latest Guidelines issued by the GPPB, in the amount of Five Thousand Pesos (P5,000.00).

FINAL Standings Pimente, 8 points; Antonio, Ganzon, Macala, Cajeras, Nouri, Yap 7.5; Suelo, Dableo, Senador, Aquino, Salvador 7; Salcedo Ri., Salgados, Galan, Nolte, Roque M., Pascua, Tolentino, Salcedo Ra., Salubre, Lagudas, Severino, Laylo, Roque R., Garma, Turqueza, 6.5; Maghuyop, Andador, Sadia, Batcho, Magno, Elorta, Areque, Branzuela, ParonAUCTION SALE do, Libanan, ERRORS & Paraguya, SalACME PAWNSHOP OMISSIONS 1 Level Glorietta 3 Ayala, era, Rapanot, and its branches in In Classified Ads section Makati Mejalco Bldg., Buenavidez Bitoon, LlaSt., Legaspi Village, Makati must be brought to our and L & R Bldg., Pasay vanes, Roullo, Road, Makati auction sale Maamo, Ra05, 2016, 2:00 attention the very day the onpm March Alabang Town Center, nola, Mariano, Zapote Road, MJ advertisement is published. Alabang Holding Bldg., Almanza Las Montoya, SinCircle C G14, #17 We will not be responsible Piñas, Congressional Ave., Bahay angote, Leysa, D1, Quezon City at for any incorrect ads not Toro 2:30 pm. All items pawned Tapulgo 6.

October 31, 2015. Notary st

reported to us immediately.

The Bidding Documents may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the PhilGEPS and the website of the DOF, provided that the Bidders shall pay the non-refundable fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids.

6.

7.

SCHEDULE February 26, 2016 February 26, 2016 March 4, 2016, 10:00 am March 6, 2016 (Thru e-mail) March 9, 2016 March 16, 2016, 9:45 am March 16, 2016, 10:00 am

Bids must be delivered at the address provided below on or before March 16, 2016, 9:45 am. The bidders shall drop their duly accomplished eligibility requirements, technical and financial proposals in two (2) separate envelopes in the bid box located at the abovementioned address. All the Bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in the Instructions to Bid (ITB) Clause 18.

Invitation to Bid The Bids and Awards Committee of the Municipality of Limay invites registered contractors to apply for eligibility to bid of the following projects/contracts; Name of Project/Contract 1.

Bid opening shall be on the date indicated above at the DFG Conference Room, 4th Floor DOF Building. Bids will be opened in the presence of the Bidders’ representatives who choose to attend.

“LATE BIDS SHALL NOT BE ACCEPTED.” 8.

9.

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

NOTICE OF SPECIAL PUBLIC AUCTION The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), through its Disposal Committee, invites bidders to participate in the auction for the sale of the following: Description I te m N o.

1 1 Lot Assorted Dismantled Building Materials The schedule of activities is as follows: 1. Issuance of Bid Documents Starting date: 24 February 2016 Room 405, 4th Floor, Building A, BSP-SPC, East Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City 2. Inspection of Items for Auction Date/Time: 24 February 2016, 26 February 2016 and 29 February 2016 at 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.

3. Opening of Bids Date/Time: 01 March 2016 3/F Staff Dining Room at 2:00 p.m.

The BSP reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, to declare the bidding a failure, to annul the bidding process and to reject all bids at any given time prior to award of contract, without thereby incurring any liability to the bidders.

Furthermore, the BSP reserves the right to waive any minor defect or formality and to accept the proposal most advantageous to the Bank.

22 February 2016

(SGD) ROUENA L. ROSAL Chairperson ( T S - F E B . 2 4 , 2 5 & 2 6 , 2 016)

Duration

Approved Budget Cost(ABC)

Cost of Bid Doc’s.

Brgy.

Townsite, Limay, Bataan

General Fund

180 c.d.

37,652,562.00

25,000.00

Brgy.

Reformista, Limay, Bataan

General Fund

180 c.d.

5,226,185.10

6,000.00

3.

Construction of Road at Reyes Subdivision

Brgy.

Reformista, Limay, Bataan

General Fund

180 c.d.

14,157,293.25

15,000.00

Construction of Road to Duale Elementary School

Brgy. Duale, Limay, Bataan

General Fund

150 c.d.

3,002,549.63

5,000.00

Construction of Road at Brgy.

Kitang

Brgy. Kitang 1, Limay, Bataan

General Fund

120 c.d.

2,593,106.85

5,000.00

Construction of Road at East Bernabe Subdivision

Brgy. Saint Francis 1, Limay, Bataan

General Fund

120 c.d.

2,866,043.39

5,000.00

5.

6.

SECURITY PLANT COMPLEX (SPC) DISPOSAL COMMITTEE

Source of FUNDS

Construction of Drainage System at Baluyot Subdivision

4.

(SGD) GIL S. BELTRAN Undersecretary and DOF-BAC Chairperson

(TS-FEB. 26, 2016)

Extension of West Side & East Side Façade of Municipal Building with Architectural Finish

Location

2.

For further information, please refer to: Lilia R. Tan, Head - BAC Secretariat Department of Finance BAC Secretariat, General Services Division 7th Floor EDPC Building, BSP Complex P. Ocampo, Sr. Street corner Roxas Boulevard, Manila Telephone No.: 526-8475 Telefax No.: 525-4227 Email Address: ltan@dof.gov.ph/rramirez@dof.gov.ph

(TS-FEB. 26, 2016)

Republic of the Philippines Province of Bataan MUNICIPALITY OF LIMAY

The schedule of bidding activities is as follows:

ACTIVITIES Posting of Invitation to Bid Issuance and Availability of Bid Documents Pre-Bid Conference Request for Clarification Issuance of Supplemental Bid Bulletin Deadline for Submission of Bids Opening of Bids

Public

Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.

Bidders should have completed, within ten (10) years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the project. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the bidding documents, particularly, in section II, Instruction to Bidders.

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

Interested bidders may obtain further information from the BAC Secretariat of the Municipality of Limay and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below from 10:00am to 5:00pm.

A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested Bidders from the address below and upon payment of a nonrefundable fee for the Cost of Bidding Documents.

A Pre-Bid conference will be held at Multi-purpose Room, Ground Floor, Limay Municipal Building on March 04, 2016 at 9:00 A.M. Bids must be delivered to the BAC-Secretariat/TWG Office, 2nd Floor, Limay Municipal Building on or before March 18, 2016 until 1:00P.M.and to be opened at 2:00 P.M. of the same day at the Multi-purpose Room, Ground Floor, Limay Municipal Building. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB. Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders’ representatives who choose to attend at the address below. Late bids shall not be accepted.

Submission of Class “A” documents and Financial Statements at least seven(7) calendar days and the Technical documents(completed/on-going projects) at least fifteen(15) calendar days before the deadline for the submission of opening of bids.

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

For further information, please refer to: RONNIE LATANAFRANCIA BAC Secretariat/TWG – Office 2nd Floor, Limay Municipal Building, National Road, Brgy. Townsite Limay, Bataan (047)6138026 (SGD) ROMARIO C. PANANGUI BAC Chairman (TS FEB. 26, 2016)

GENERAL SANTOS CITY—International Master Joel Pimentel scored a win and a draw in the final two rounds to emerge as the uncontested champion in the individual rapid chess event of the Bobby D. Pacquiao Random Chess Festival 2016 at the SM City Mall here Thursday.

Pimentel outplayed fellow IM Ronald Dableo in the eighth round and agreed to an early standoff with Grandmaster Rogelio ‘Joey’ Antonio in the ninth and final round to bring his total to eight out of a possible nine points in the event and win the P60,000 cash prize.

Antonio, who had 7.5 points, took second place via a superior quotient over five other players with similar score.

The other 7.5 pointers were Rommel Ganzon, National Master Allan Macala, Jench Cajeras, Hamed Nouri and Kim Steven Yap, while Robert Suelo, IM Ronald Dableo and IM Emmanuel Senador, all with seven points each, complete the top ten finishers.

Pimentel, who manned the top board for eventual champion Elman 1 in last December’s Manny Pacquiao Random Chess tournament also held here, said the turning point of the championship for him was when he beat Dableo in the eighth round.

“Noong makalusot ako kay (UST) coach Dableo, doon na nga nagkaroon ng pag-asa na maging champion,” said the Bacolod native Pimentel, who is taking up Computer Application course in St. Benilde.

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SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

PSA cites San Andres PSA awardee. Kenneth San Andres (second rom left) displays the Philippine Sportswriters Association trophy he received during the Annual PSA Awards Night 2016 at the One Esplanade recently.

San Andres, who is backed by Kawasaki Philippines, Motul, Oakley, Troylee Design, Gopro Philippines, Leatt Neck Brace, Pro Taper, Bell Helmet, Polisport, Foilacar Industries, Kia Global, R33 Car Exchange, Xotics Carwash, Halrey, GCG Pipes, JBS Motorcycle Parts, JM Stickers and GM Mark Lapid, was cited by the PSA for clinching his eighth National Motorcycle Safety Sports Association Rider of the Year. The Valenzuela native, who is taking part in Round 2 of the NAMSSA Motocross Series on Sunday in Barangay Punturin, Valenzuela, is joined here by (from left) Philippine Olympic Committee president Peping Cojuangco Jr., Frank Elizalde, the Philippines’ former representative to the International Olympic Committee and NAMSSA president Macky Carapiet.

Warriors cool off Heat, 118 to 112 REIGNING league MVP Stephen Curry and guard Klay Thompson combined for 75 points as the Golden State Warriors rallied to beat Miami 118-112 for their 14th win in the last 15 games.

Curry finished with 42 points, seven assists and seven rebounds to lead Golden State’s offensive juggernaut which recently became the quickest team in NBA history to 50 wins.

“That’s Steph and Klay and that’s what they do,” said Warriors coach Steve Kerr.

“When they both do it on the same night that is when we are tough to beat.”

The Warriors lead the league in three point accuracy and nobody does it better than Curry. He tied an NBA record Wednesday with his 127th straight game with a three-pointer.

The milestone basket came on his first points of the contest in front of a crowd of 19,900 at Miami’s AmericanAirlines Arena. Curry can pass Atlanta Hawks forward Kyle Korver for the record with another three pointer when the Warriors visit Orlando on Thursday. AFP

Condes dead set on regaining world title

By Ronnie Nathanielsz

FORMER IBF minimum weight champion Florante “Little Pacquiao” Condes is dead set on regaining his world title and plans to begin with an impressive showing against promising Melvin “Gringo” Jerusalem in an eight-round undercard of the “Pinoy Pride 35” at the Waterfront Hotel and Casino in Cebu on Saturday.

Condes, who is now trained by former fighter turned trainer, manager and promoter Aljoe Jaro,

told The Standard he is determined to fight his way back to the top under Jaro, who has a way of turning

fighters into warriors in the ring.

Even Jaro believes that Condes is perfectly capable of regaining a world title.

He said Condes is in great shape and is hitting harder than ever and invited fight fans to see the change in “The Little Pacquiao,” who has a record on 27-9-1 with 23 knockouts against the unbeaten Jerusalem, whose record is 8-0 with 7 knockouts.

Ring announcer Rico Navarro said the undercard may well overshadow the main events and predicted they will be actionpacked.

Jerusalem is rated No. 1 by the Games andAmusements Board

and defeated Philippine minimum weight champion Crimso Omayao by a second-round TKO. And although he is far less experienced than Condes, he said he has no problems facing the former world champion.

Another all-out war is expected when Jeo “Santino” Santisima battles Marco “Singwancha” Demecillio in an eight-round bout at 123 pounds, with both fighters known for their aggressive styles.

Demecillo, the former Philippine super flyweight champion has a record of 21-4-1 with 16 knockouts, while Santisima has a record of 8-2 with 7 knockouts.

Crack teams join Tanduay beach volleyball tilt THE first leg of the 2016 Tanduay Beach Volleyball Invitational reels off on Saturday at the indoor and outdoor sand-courts of the Cantada Sports Center in Taguig City.

Open competition will be in both men’s and women’s divisions.

Heading the men’s competition is the crack team of Jade Becaldo and Hachaliah Gilbuena from Cebu City, while former leg winners Judy Caballejo and Coyah Abanto of the Philippine Air

Force are heading the women’s side.

Rep. Mikey Arroyo will hit the ceremonial ball that will start the year-long beach volleyball competition with the intention of developing beach volleyball in the country.

As in all Cantada Sports events, there are no entry fees and complimentary meals and drinks will be served to all participants, officials and guests. The volleyball event is conducted in close

coordination with the Philippine Volleyball Federation and officiating referees and judges are all PVF accredited.

PVF and Cantada Sports have always been developmental in their endeavor and never profit motivated.

Tanduay Rhum, headed by Lucio “Bong” Tan, Jr., continues to generously support the pioneering event in beach volleyball in the country and the Philippine Volleyball Federation.

Philracom requires more starting gate helpers

Lucio ‘Bong’ Tan, Jr.

AFTER some recent race-related incidents involving the starting gate, the Philippine Racing Commission passed a resolution requiring racing clubs to augment the number of starting gate helpers on duty.

Resolution 14-2016 requires that at least 25 properly-trained starting gate helpers be on hand for every race. Common practice has at least one starting gate helper for each horse participating in a race.

After an incident last month when horse Xen Young acted hostile in the gate after being accidentally hit with the metal end of a halter, as well as other similar incidents in the past, the Commission deemed it necessary to add more starting gate helpers for every race to avoid untoward occurrences.

Some horses, especially juveniles, balk at entering the gate and need more experienced handlers to guide them inside with minimal use of ap-

pliances such as rope, hammocks (duyan), or ear clamps.

It is expected that the presence of more helpers will hasten and ease the loading of horses into the gate and reduce the incidence of delays in start times.

“We need to find solutions for these common problems,” said Philracom Chairman Andrew A. Sanchez, “to prevent their recurrence, toward our goal of implementing better operational practices.”

Republic of the Philippines ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION San Miguel Avenue, Pasig City IN THE MATTER OF THE APPLICATION FOR APPROVAL OF THE FEED-IN TARIFF ALLOWANCE FOR CALENDAR YEAR 2016 PURSUANT TO THE GUIDELINES FOR THE COLLECTION OF THE FEEDIN TARIFF ALLOWANCE AND DISBURSEMENT OF THE FEED-IN TARIFF ALLOWANCE FUND, WITH PRAYER FOR PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY,

19. The Commission, in its letter dated 20 July 2015, favorably acted upon said request and gave TransCo until the end of October 2015 to file the said Application.

20. On 15 October 2015, TransCo, anticipating some delays in approval process – both internal and external, which will render it unable to file the application by end of October, requested for another fifteen(15)-day period within which to file the same or until 15 November 2015.

21. On 11 November 2015, TransCo again requested an additional fifteen (15) days from 15 November 2015 to file the application or for such longer period which the Commission deems sufficient for the purpose of completing all the pre-filing requirements.

22. On 10 December 2015, the ERC, in ERC Case No. 2014-109 RC, issued a Decision approving with finality the amount of Php0.0406/kWh as the 2015 FIT-All rate.

ERC CASE NO. 2015-216RC NATIONAL TRANSMISSION CORPORATION, Applicant. x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - x NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING TO ALL INTERESTED PARTIES: On 22 December 2015, Applicant National Transmission Corporation (TransCo) filed an Application for approval of the feed-in tariff allowance for calendar year 2016 pursuant to the guidelines for the collection of the feed-in tariff allowance and disbursement of the feed-in tariff allowance fund, with prayer for provisional authority.

In the said Application, TransCo alleged, among others, the following:

23.

Therefore, by and pursuant to the RE Law, Resolution No. 16 Series of 2010 (FIT Rules), as amended by Resolution No. 15 Series of 2012, in connection with the Guidelines and other pertinent laws, rules and regulations, this Application is submitted to the Commission for its due consideration of the herein applied for FIT-All Rate for the year 2016.

FEED-IN TARIFF ALLOWANCE 24. Applicant TransCo has computed a FIT-All Rate of PhP/kWh 0.1470 for 2016, determined using the formula provided in Section 1.3 of the Guidelines, as follows:

Where:

FD

is the estimated Total FIT Differential required for Year t+1 in PhP, and as further described in Section 1.4.1 of the Guidelines.

WCA

is the estimated Working Capital Allowance required for Year t+1 in PhP, and as further described in Section 1.4.2 of the Guidelines.

NATURE OF THE APPLICATION

AA

is the Administration Allowance to be implemented in Year t+1 in PhP, and as further described in Section 1.4.3 of the Guidelines.

2.

TransCo filed the Application in its capacity as FIT-All Fund Administrator tasked with the establishment, management/administration and disbursement/settlement (thru the Trustee Bank) of the FIT-All Fund pursuant to ERC Resolution No. 15, Series of 2012 issued on 19 November 2012 and on the bases of relevant laws, rules and regulations.

DA

is the Disbursement Allowance to be implemented in Year t+1 in PhP, and as further described in Section 1.4.3 of the Guidelines.

5.

The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) and the National Renewable Energy Board (NREB) formulated the FIT System rules, which include: (a) priority connection to the grid for electricity generated from emerging renewable energy resources within the territory of the Philippines; (b) priority purchase and transmission of, and payment for, such electricity; (c) determination of the fixed tariff to be paid to electricity produced from each type of emerging renewable energy and the mandated number of years for the application of these rates; (d) the FIT to be set shall be applied to the emerging renewable energy to be used in compliance with the renewable portfolio standard.

6.

On 25 May 2009, the Department of Energy (DOE) issued the “Rules and Regulations Implementing Republic Act No. 9513” (RE-IRR) in compliance with Section 33 of the RE Law. Section 5 of the RE-IRR defines the FIT System as a “scheme that involves the obligation on the part of electric power industry participants to source electricity from RE generation at a guaranteed fixed price applicable for a given period of time, which shall in no case be less than twelve (12) years, to be determined by the ERC.” The same provision directed the promulgation of the FIT Rules by the ERC in consultation with the NREB. 7.

On 12 July 2010, the Commission issued “Resolution No. 16, Series of 2010” entitled “Resolution Adopting the Feed-in Tariff Rules” (FIT Rules) pursuant to Section 7 of the RE Law and Section 5 of the RE-IRR. 8.

The FIT Rules established the FIT System and is intended to regulate the method of establishing and approving the FIT and the Feed-in Tariff Allowance (FIT-All).

and

FNS

is the Forecast National Sales, in kWh, to be applied for Year as further described in Section 1.4.4.2 of the Guidelines.

T

is the year the application for setting the FIT-All is filed with the ERC.

t+1

is the year following t

t+1

25. Whenever Yeart+1(implementation year) is used in any formula in the present Application, the same shall refer to the year 2016. Correlatively, the Yeart+2 whenever used in any formula in this Application shall refer to the year 2017.

COMPONENTS OF THE FIT-ALL I. Forecast National Sales 26. The Forecast National Sales (FNS) is the denominator in the FITAll formula. The proposed level for 2016 is discussed first since it is best to present the determined value of the other FIT-All components in terms of PhP/ kWh, where this FNS is the kilowatt-hours (kWh) denominator.

42. At the same time, the principle of commercial and technical indivisibility of projects was observed, hence, the installation target could be exceeded if the last plant to complete the same renders the total beyond the target. This happened in the case of Solar.

Technology Biomass

B.

30. TransCo computed the projected 2015 level by increasing the historical 2014 level by the computed CAGR (2011-2014). Then, TransCo again computed for the rolling 3-year CAGR and so on.4 TransCo came up with the following Forecast National Electricity Sales for 2015-2016: Table 1. Forecast National Electricity Sales, kWh 2015 65,962,899,825

2016 68,380,633,362

31. The Total FIT Differential represents the difference between: (1) the forecast applicable FIT Rate for Yeart+1 that each Eligible RE Plant is forecasted to receive for each kWh delivered, and (2) the forecast applicable cost recovery rate as determined under the Guidelines, multiplied by the projected annual energy generation from Eligible RE Plant for yeart+1. In setting the FIT-All for Yeart+1, the FIT Differential is represented by the following formula:

2017 761,454

108,271 158,580 875,169 1,451,859

187,342 632,686 977,205 2,479,639

492,222 707,963 977,477 2,939,116

Forecast Applicable FIT Rate and Forecast FIT Revenue

45. Currently, the prevailing FIT Rates are based on the ERC Decision dated 27 July 2012 in ERC Case No. 2011-006 RM, ERC Resolution No. 6, series of 2016 for Solar FIT 2 and ERC Resolution No. 14, series of 2015 for Wind FIT 2.

46. Following the FIT Rules, the prevailing FIT Rates for 2015 are adjusted for inflation and foreign exchange for the adjusted 2016 rates, as shown in Table 3 below.9 However, inasmuch as the ERC has not issued FIT-eligible Certificate of Compliance under Solar FIT 2 and Wind FIT 2 as of October 2015, TransCo did not consider any adjustment of said rates for 2016.

Table 3. 2016 Adjusted FIT Rates, PhP/kWh Technology Biomass Hydro Solar FIT 1 FIT 2 Wind FIT 1 FIT 2

47.

FIT rates.

V(t0) = start value V(tn) = finish value tn-to =number of years

2016 682,407

44. Forecast Applicable FIT Rate refers to the prevailing ERCapproved and published schedule of rates in PhP/kWh for each emerging renewable energy technology, as degressed by the relevant degression rates, if applicable, and adjusted for Consumer Price Index (CPI) and Foreign Exchange (FOREX), in accordance with Section 2.10 of the FIT Rules.8

29. From the historical data sourced from the Philippine Power Statistics until 2014,3 TransCo computed for the compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of Electricity Sales for a 3-year period using the formula:

Where:

2014-2015 309,839

Hydropower Solar Wind Total

28. The FNS, in kWh, shall be equal to the latest available Electricity Sales as stated in the Philippine Power Statistics, excluding Utilities Own Use and Power Losses, or as otherwise certified by the DOE, and as adjusted by the historical growth rate published for the immediately preceding three (3) years.

11. Further, Section 2.2 of the FIT Rules provides that the Commission shall approve technology-specific FITs based on such FITs to be recommended by the NREB. Accordingly, on 16 May 2011, the NREB filed before the Commission its “Petition to Initiate Rule-Making for the Adoption of Feed-in Tariff” docketed as ERC Case No. 2011-006.

12. On 27 July 2012, the Commission issued its “Decision” in ERC Case No. 2011-006 and “Resolution No. 10, Series of 2012” entitled “Resolution Approving the Feed-in Tariff Rates”. In said Decision and Resolution, the Commission approved the following initial FIT Rates:

41. TransCo limited the determination of the FIT-All rate to include only Eligible RE capacities up to the installation targets set by the DOE as follows: 500 MW for Solar up to March 2016, 400 MW for Wind, 250 MW for Hydropower and 250 MW for Biomass.

27. The FNS refers to an estimated total kilowatt-hours of electricity billed to consumers who are supplied with electricity in all On-Grid areas in the Philippines for a given year.

9.

Under the FIT Rules, the FIT System guarantees all eligible renewable energy plants an entitlement to the applicable FITs for a period of twenty (20) years.1 10. The FIT-All is a uniform charge (in PhP/kWh) billed to all on-grid electricity consumers who are supplied with electricity through the distribution or transmission network. The FIT-All shall be established and set by the Commission on an annual basis and taking into account the following: the forecasted annual required revenue of the Eligible RE Plants; previous year’s over or under recoveries; administration costs; forecasted annual electricity sales and such other relevant factors to ensure that no stakeholder is allocated with additional risks in the implementation of the FITs.2

40. The 2017 projects were also considered, but only in the computation of the WCA, which requires the payout for year t+2, which in this case is 2017.

Table 2. Forecast Annual Renewable Energy Generation, MWh

is the Feed-in Tariff Allowance to be implemented in Year t+1 in PhP/ kWh, as provided for in the FIT Rules and the Guidelines.

4.

To achieve these state policies, Section 7 of the RE Law mandates the establishment of a Feed-in Tariff System (FIT System) for electricity produced from wind, solar, ocean, run-of-river hydropower, and biomass.

39. For Solar and Hydro plants, TransCo generally followed the projection of the RE Developers. For those without submission, the annual projection from DOE was used and the same seasonality indices as in the 2014-2015 Application were applied. (See Annexes “D” and “D-1” to “D-6, “D-11” to D-14”.)

DESCRIPTION FIT-All

3.

On 16 December 2008, R.A. No. 9513 entitled “An Act Promoting the Development, Utilization and Commercialization of Renewable Energy Resources and for other purposes” (RE Law) was enacted to (1) accelerate the exploration and development of renewable energy resources to achieve energy self-reliance by reducing the country’s dependence on fossil fuels and thereby minimize the country’s exposure to price fluctuations in the international markets; (2) increase the utilization of renewable energy by providing fiscal and non-fiscal incentives; (3) encourage the development and utilization of renewable energy resources as tools to effectively prevent or reduce harmful emissions and thereby balance the goals of economic growth and development with the protection of health and the environment; and (4)establish the necessary infrastructure and mechanism to carry out the mandates specified in the Act and other existing laws.

38. On the other hand, for some Biomass projects, TransCo noted some very high resulting annual capacity factor in the DOE projection. With the knowledge that most of these biomass plants do not have year round generation capability because of the availability of fuel, TransCo adjusted some of the forecast, more or less pegging the annual capacity factor to around 70%-72% for those that were shown to have very high levels. (See Annexes “D” and “D-15” to “D-19”.)

43. Based on the foregoing, the applicable Forecast Annual Renewable Energy Generation of Eligible RE Plants (kWh) for the years 2014-2015 (lumped),7 2016 and 2017 are as follows:

THE APPLICANT 1.

Applicant TransCo is a government instrumentality created pursuant to Republic Act (R.A.) No. 9136, otherwise known as the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001 (EPIRA), with principal office address at TransCo Main Building, Quezon Avenue corner BIR Road, Diliman, Quezon City, where it may be served with summons and other processes of this Honorable Commission.

projects, provided energy generation forecast that differed from the forecast presented by DOE, TransCo generally used the DOE data but followed the monthly seasonality culled from the forecast submission of the RE Developers. (See Annexes “D” and “D-7” to “D-10”.)

2015 Base FIT Rate 6.6300 5.9000

2016 Adjusted FIT-Rate 2014-2015 Entrant 2016 Entrant 7.0508 7.0508 6.4601 6.4601

9.6800 8.6900

9.9067 8.6900

8.5300 7.4000

8.9006 7.4000

8.6900

In addition, TransCo did not apply any degression for 2016 for all

48. The Total FIT Revenue appearing in the formula in Paragraph 32 is obtained by multiplying the Eligible RE generation per technology as in Table 2 by the corresponding appropriate FIT rates in Table 3. For 2017, which is required only for the computation of the Working Capital Allowance, the same Adjusted FIT-rates as 2016 were used. The resulting levels are given as follows: Table 4. Total FIT Revenue by Technology, in Pesos Technology Biomass Hydropower Solar Wind Total

C.

2014-2015 2,047,346,764 636,276,137 1,517,805,602 6,983,753,305 11,185,181,807

2016 4,811,520,857 1,210,251,660 5,685,348,771 7,969,444,430 19,676,565,718

2017 5,368,864,647 3,179,822,244 6,340,512,072 7,971,873,033 22,861,071,996

Forecast Cost Recovery Rate

49. The Forecast Cost Recovery Rate (FCRR) is the projected generation rate that the Eligible RE Plant would likely receive had it not been under the FIT System.

50. Under Section 1.4.1.2 of the Guidelines, the manner by which the FCRR is forecasted and applied to a particular Eligible RE Plant shall be based on whether or not the Eligible RE Plant operates in a Grid where the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) is operational or not.

51. Where WESM is operational, the FCRR for the Eligible RE Plant shall be equivalent to the average of the monthly system Ex-Ante Load Weighted Average Price (LWAP) of the WESM for the Luzon and Visayas Grids for the thirty-six (36) months immediately preceding the filing of the application for the setting of the FIT-All.

Where: DESCRIPTION

52. The FCRR to be applied for Eligible RE Plants where WESM is non-operational (Mindanao) shall be the weighted average of the generation cost of the Host Distribution Utility (Host DU) from all its other generation sources, excluding generation from any Eligible RE Plant-Non-WESM with a Renewable Energy Supply Agreement (RESA) with the Host DU, for the nearest twelve (12) months preceding the filing of the application for the setting of the FIT-All.

TECHNOLOGY

ERCAPPROVED FIT RATES (PhP/kWh)

ERC-APPROVED DEGRESSION RATES

Forecast RE Genx,t+1

is the Forecast RE Generation of Eligible RE Plantx (in kWh).

WIND

8.53

0.5% after year 2 from effectivity of FIT

BIOMASS

6.63

0.5% after year 2 from effectivity of FIT

Forecast FIT Ratex,t+1

SOLAR

9.68

6% after year 1 from effectivity of FIT

is FIT Rate, as degressed (if applicable) and adjusted for local inflation and foreign exchange (FOREX) as forecasted for year t+1, in PhP/kWh, that Eligible RE Plantxis forecasted to receive for each kWh delivered.

HYDRO

5.90

0.5% after year 2 from effectivity of FIT

Forecast Cost Recovery

is the applicable Forecast Cost Recovery Rate to be implemented in Year t+1 for Eligible RE Plantx, in PhP kWh.

54. TransCo further updated said submission by appending the May 2015 to August 2015 data sourced from the PEMC website.11

FDt-1 (over)/under

is the variance between the actual FIT Differential for year t-1 (Actual FD t-1) and the FIT Differential collected for year t-1 (Collected FDt-1). There is over recovery if Collected FD t-1> Actual FDt-1 and under recovery if Collected FD t-1 is < Actual FD t-1.

55. Consequently, TransCo came up with the following averages for Luzon and Visayas:

13. On 27 March 2015, the Commission issued Resolution No. 06, series of 2015 entitled “Resolution Adopting the New Solar Feed-In Tariff Rate” setting a new Solar FIT Rate of PhP8.69/kWh (herein referred to as “Solar FIT 2”). The Solar FIT 2 was issued as a result of the revised installation target for solar energy generation from 50 MW to 500 MW and shall be applied to new Solar Plants that have been commissioned after the effectivity of said Resolution and until 15 March 2016.

14. On 06 October 2015, the Commission likewise issued Resolution No. 14, series of 2015 also known as “Resolution Adopting the Wind Feed-in Tariff (Wind-FIT2) Rate” setting a new Wind FIT Rate of P7.40/kWh (herein referred to as “Wind FIT 2”). The Wind FIT 2 shall only be applied to three (3) wind power projects namely: San Lorenzo, Nabas and Pililia Power Projects which have already commenced commercial operations as certified by the DOE. 15. On 19 November 2012, the Commission issued “Resolution No. 15, Series of 2012” designating TransCo as the FIT-All Fund Administrator tasked with the establishment, management/ administration and disbursement/settlement (thru the Trustee Bank) of the FIT-All Fund.

16. The imposition, collection and disbursement of the FIT-All is further covered by the “Guidelines on the Collection of the Feed-in Tariff Allowance (FIT-All) and the Disbursement of the FIT-All Fund” (Guidelines) issued and approved by the Commission in its Resolution No. 24 dated 16 December 2013.

17. Under the FIT-All Guidelines, TransCo has to make an annual determination of the FIT-All rate and file its application with the Commissionnot later than end of July of each year for the FIT-All rate that will be implemented for the following year.

18. On 02 July 2015, TransCo, in its letter to the Commission, requested for an extension of ninety (90) days within which to file the application for the 2016 FIT-All Rate.

53. TransCo requested the Philippine Electricity Market Corporation (PEMC) for an update on the Load Weighted Average Price (LWAP) for the period January 2012 to April 201510 which the latter provided on 1 June 2015.

Table 5. Average LWAP, PhP/kWh

32. Alternatively, the formula in Paragraph 31 can be viewed or rewritten as:

Luzon

Visayas

5.5028

4.5278

56. For Mindanao, additional Host DUs were identified from the lineup of projects: Host DU

Forecast Annual Renewable Energy Generation 33. TransCo primarily used the most updated list of RE Projects that are projected to be eligible/already eligible under the FIT System in 2014-2017 onwards as provided by the DOE.5 34. With the list from DOE providing the best estimate of the entry of Eligible RE Plants, TransCo aims to be able to adequately provide for the corresponding payout requirements. However, the list does not in any way give preemptive right to the identified projects to be counted under the final FIT-eligible projects. Neither does it limit the payment of FITs to these projects once implemented.

35. The list includes projects that have already gone into Commercial Operation even prior to the January 2015 implementation of the FIT-All and are assumed to be Eligible RE Plants for the purpose of herein computation.

36. Where data were available from RE Developers/PEMC submissions, TransCo already put in the actual generation levels of operational RE plants.6 37.

Where the concerned RE Developers, particularly under the Wind

Plant Name

RE Developer

DASURECO

Tudaya 2 Hydroelectric Power Project

Hedcor Tudaya, Inc.

DASURECO

Digos Solar PV Power Project Phase 1

Enfinity Philippines Renewable Resources, Inc.

DASURECO

Digos Solar PV Power Project Phase 2

Enfinity Philippines Renewable Resources, Inc.

ZAMCELCO

Pasonanca Hydroelectric Power Project

Philcarbon, Inc.

MAGELCO

3.5 GEEC MW Biomass Cogeneration System

Green Earth Enersource Corporation

BUSECO

Manolo Fortich 1 HEP

Hedcor Bukidnon, Inc.

BUSECO

Manolo Fortich 2 HEP

Hedcor Bukidnon, Inc.

BUSECO

Kibawe Solar Power Project

Asian Green Energy Corporation

MORESCO II

Limbatangon Hydroelectric Power Project

Turbines Resources & Development Corp.

SOCOTECO II

Centrala Solar Power Project

NV Vogt Philippines Solar Energy One, Inc.

SOCOTECO II

GenSan Solar Power Project Phase II

Del Sol CGS, Inc.

57. TransCo adopted the Weighted Average Generation Charge of DASURECO in the amount of P4.7592 as determined by the Commission in ERC Case No. 2014-109 RC 58. For the other Host DUs, on 20 October 2015, TransCo requested the ERC for the weighted average generation cost data. In the meantime that said information has not been received, TransCo used figures from www. kuryente.org (save for DASURECO) as follows:12

at the 2016 level of PhP 1,054,099.95 from Paragraph 81.

Table 6. FCRR for Host DUs, PhP/kWh

71.

Combining the results and assumptions given in Paragraphs 68 to 70, the Forecast Annual Payout for 2017 is as follows:

Weighted Average Generation Cost DASURECO 4.7592 ZAMCELCO 3.9706 MAGELCO 2.7801 BUSECO 3.7339 MORESCO II 3.3684 SOCOTECO II 4.7054 Host DU

Table 11. 2017 Forecast Annual Payout, in Pesos

59. Multiplying the Forecast Annual Eligible RE Generation in Table 2 by the appropriate Forecast Cost Recovery Rates gives the following total FCRR in pesos: Table 7. Total Forecast Cost Revenue by Technology, in Pesos

Technology Biomass Hydropower Solar Wind Total

2014-2015 1,547,479,452 556,426,786 844,922,109 3,940,870,272 6,889,698,621

2016 3,548,498,598 927,734,772 3,093,934,257 5,180,613,653 12,750,781,280

2017 3,983,476,564 2,183,491,016 3,454,756,715 5,182,115,181 14,803,839,476

Similarly as in the FIT rate, the 2016 Forecast Cost Recovery Rate was used for 2017 since the same is merely intended for the determination of the Working Capital Allowance as discussed below.

60. 2015 Under-recoveries. The last term in the formula for FIT Differential is the amount of under-recovery or over-recovery of the FIT Differential.

61. By the end of 2015, it is estimated that the FIT-All Fund will have a deficit in terms of collection vis-à-vis payables of Php1,835,907,894.0813, hence, an under-recovery.

62. FIT Differential. Following the formula for FD in Paragraph 32 (first two terms), the total FCRR in Table 7 is subtracted from the FIT Revenue in Table 4 and yields the following for 2014-2017: Table 8. FIT Differential (without Under-recovery), in Pesos Technology Biomass Hydropower Solar Wind Total

2014-2015 499,867,312 79,849,350 672,883,492 3,042,883,032 4,295,483,186

2016 1,263,022,259 282,516,888 2,591,414,514 2,788,830,778 6,925,784,439

2017 1,385,388,084 996,331,227 2,885,755,357 2,789,757,852 8,057,232,521

The 2017 levels are shown only for the purpose of computing the WCA which is discussed below.

63.

The final FIT Differential for 2016 in P/kWh, inclusive of the under-recovery for 2015, is as follows: Table 9. FIT Differential (with Under-recovery), in Pesos

Particulars 2016 FD 2015 FD over(under) Total

Amount 6,925,784,439 1,835,907,894 8,761,692,333

P/kWh 0.1013 0.0268 0.1281

III. Working Capital Allowance 64.

The WCA is part of the FIT-All and serves as buffer to address any default or delay in the collection and/or remittance of the FIT-All and/or Actual Cost Recovery Revenue (ACRR) including, but not limited to, the following: i.

ii. iii.

65.

Variations between the actual and forecasted (a) RE Generation from Eligible RE Plants resulting from overand under- generation, (b) Annual National Sales and (c) applicable Forecast Cost Recovery Rates and Actual Cost Recovery Revenues; The timing difference of the collection and billing cycle for the FIT-All and Actual Cost Recovery Revenue; and Any other collection or payment shortfall.

The WCA amount for collection is expressed as:

2017 14,803,839,476 8,057,232,521 1,054,100 22,862,126,096

72.

The Guidelines further provide the use of a Factor Rate that will be multiplied to the Forecast Annual Payout for 2016.

73.

Pursuant to the Guidelines, the NREB recommended a formula for the Factor Rate in the 2014-2015 FIT-All Application. Using the same formula for this Application but with updated inputs yielded a factor rate of 5.5145%.14 74.

Further, the Guidelines define the WCA Ending Balance to be the balance of the WCA component account for the immediately preceding month prior to the month of filing. Given the deficiency in the fund balance to address even the FD, the WCA in fact has no balance. Truth to tell, the amounts TransCo used to augment the ACRR remittance of PEMC and the Disbursement Allowance it actually paid to LBP as trustee fee, given there was no specified amount in the 2014-2015 Application for the Disbursement Allowance, constitute negative fund balance. Thus, TransCo considered a WCA Ending Balance of –PhP 28,599,294.54, which represents the estimated deficiency for ACRR and DA by the end of 2015.

ALLEGATIONS IN SUPPORT OF THE PRAYER FOR PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY 87.

TransCorepleads the foregoing allegations insofar as they may be applicable.

88.

It is respectfully submitted that the computation of, as well as the data used by, TransCo are all in accordance with the FIT Rules and the Guidelines issued by the ERC. 89.

On this basis, TransCo most respectfully moves for the immediate issuance of a “Provisional Authority” pursuant to Rule 14, Section 17 3 of the ERC Rules of Practice and Procedures to allow applicant TransCo to timely implement the FIT-All Rate of PhP/kWh 0.1025 effective January 2016 without prejudice to the final and actual rate pending the final disposition of its present Application.

90.

The grant of a Provisional Authority will allow TransCo to perform its duties to make a timely payment of the FIT Rate to RE Developers to which they are entitled thereby allowing their continued operations.

91.

In support of the foregoing allegations in this Application, including those for the issuance of the provisional authority, TransCohereby submits the Judicial Affidavit of Ms. Dinna O. Dizon, Manager of Compliance Monitoring Department (CMD).18 92.

Applicant Transco prays for the Commission to: a.

Pending hearing on the merits of the present Application, provisional authority to collect the FIT-ALL of PhP/kWh 0.1025 effective January 2016 billing period be issued;

b.

The Collection Agents – DUs, RES and NGCP be directed to bill, collect and remit the FIT-All to the FIT-All Fund as provided in the FIT-All Guidelines;

c.

PEMC and the Host DUs be directed to remit the CRR to the FIT-All Fund as provided in the FIT-All Guidelines;

d.

The Factor Rate resulting from an updating of inputs in the recommended formula by the NREB under the 20142015 FIT-All Application (ERC Case No. 2014-109RC) be approved and applied in the computation of the WCA and the FIT-All Rate for 2016;

e.

After due notice and hearing, a permanent approval for Applicant TransCo be granted to implement the FIT-All Rate for 2016 of PhP/kWh 0.1025, computed for RE Projects with at least nomination from DOE for eligibility under the FIT system, or in the alternative, such other amount as may be found by the Commission to be consistent with the FIT-All Guidelines and on the basis of new and updated information not heretofore available to the Applicant at the time of the filing of the present application;

f.

TransCo be exempt from payment of permit/supervision fees, if any.

g.

Other reliefs as may be just and equitable under the premises are likewise most respectfully prayed for.

Table 12. Determination of the WCA Ending Balance, in Pesos Forecast CRR Receivable (Sept 2015-Dec 2015)

3,837,875,248.49

Expected CRR Collection (99.27% Collection Efficiency)

3,810,015,943.94 27,859,304.54

Estimated Uncollected CRR Add: 2015 Disbursement Allowance

739,990.00 28,599,294.54

WCA Deficiency

75.

From the given information, the combined buffer required for 2016, which is equivalent to the 2017 requirement multiplied by the Factor Rate less the WCA ending balance, is PhP1,289,339,613 derived as: Table 13. Determination of WCA, in Pesos

Technology Forecast Annual Payout x Factor Rate Equals: Portion of Annual Payout Less: WCA Ending Balance (Year n) Working Capital Allowance WCA PhP/kWh

2016 19,677,619,818 5.5145% 1,085,129,553 (28,599,295) 1,289,339,613 0.0189

2017 22,862,126,096 5.5145% 1,260,740,318

76.

The table provides the corresponding PhP/kWh level of the WCA for 2016, which is PhP/kWh 0.0189.

IV. Administration and Disbursement Allowance

The Commission has set the application for jurisdictional hearing, expository presentation, pre-trial conference and evidentiary hearing on the following dates and venues:

77.

As provided for in Section 2.5 of the FIT Rules, the FIT- All shall also take into account the Applicant’s administration costs, to defray expenses of the Administrator in connection with the performance of its functions as FIT All Fund Administrator (Administration Allowance).

78.

For the year 2016, TransCo again proposes an Administration Allowance of zero (0).

79.

A similar fee may be imposed by the designated Trustee of the FIT-All Fund in accordance with the Trust Agreement approved by the ERC, to defray standard administrative costs in establishing and managing the actual collection and disbursements of the FIT-All Fund and all other monetary collections authorized by the FIT Rules (Disbursement Allowance).

80.

From the Trust Agreement entered into by Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP)-Trust and TransCo on 03 March 201515 and approved by the ERC, TransCo shall pay a fixed fee of P720,000 per annum plus some variable components.

81.

Based on TransCo’s estimates of fund balances which will be the major basis of the variable component that is the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas supervision fee, the Disbursement Allowance or the service fee of LBP for 2016 is PhP1,054,099.95.16

DATE

TIME

VENUE

08 March 2016 (Tuesday)

Two o’ clock in the afternoon (2:00 P.M.)

ERC Hearing Room 15th Floor, Pacific Center Building, San Miguel Avenue, Pasig City

Jurisdictional Hearing and Expository Presentation

15 March 2016 (Tuesday)

Two o’ clock in the afternoon (2:00 P.M.)

ERC Visayas Field Office, St. Mary’s Drive, Banilad, Cebu City

Expository Presentation

5 April 2016 (Tuesday)

Ten o’ clock in the morning (10:00 A.M.)

ERC Mindanao Field Office, Mintrade Building, Monteverde Avenue corner Sales Street, Davao City

Expository Presentation

20 April 2016 (Wednesday)

Ten o’ clock in the morning (10:00 A.M.)

ERC Hearing Room 15th Floor, Pacific Center Building, San Miguel Avenue, Pasig City

V. FIT-ALL RATE FOR 2016 82.

Applying the above components to the formula for FIT-All, we have the following, in PhP/kWh:

Where: WCAt+1

Is the Working Capital Allowance to be funded during Year t+1

Forecast Annual Payout t+2

Is the projected amount of payables out of the FIT-All Fund for year t+2 consisting of forecasted Total FIT Revenues, forecasted Administration Allowance and forecasted Disbursement Allowance for Year t+2. The forecasted Total FIT Revenues for Year t+2is the sum of the product of the Forecast RE Generation of Eligible RE Plant x for Year t+2 multiplied by the appropriate FIT Ratex for Year t+2. The forecasted Administration Allowance for Year t+2is the Administration Allowance for Year t+1, less any non-recurring expenditures such as those relating to the initial filing of the FIT-All, adjusted for forecast CPI for Year t+2. The forecasted Disbursement Allowance for Year t+2 is the projected level of payment to the Trustee Bank in Year t+2.

WCA Ending Balance t

Is the ending balance of the Working Capital Allowance account in Year t including any interest income earned in the WCA account and all other component accounts of the FIT-All Fund; if this is not available at the time of filing, the ending balance for the month immediately preceding the month of filing, subject to updating by the ERC of the actual ending balance of the WCA account in Year t if it shall become available prior to the issuance of its Decision on the FIT-All application.

Is the factor rate approved by the ERC, upon recommendation of the NREB, reflective of funding requirements of the FIT-All Fund, adjusted by (i) a period factor based on the billing and collection cycle of the Collection Agents as described in the Guidelines; and (ii) the collection efficiencies of Collection Agents. Data for the initial year shall be sourced from PSALM for its collection of the Universal Charge. Data for succeeding years shall be based on FIT-All historical collection efficiency rate.

Factor Rate

66.

From the foregoing, it may be gleaned that an initial Forecast Annual Payout for the year 2017 needs to be determined since it is envisioned that buffer requirements for the following year should be collected and built up during the current year. Hence, aside from the 2016 levels for Forecast Cost Recovery Revenue, FD, AA and DA, the 2017 projected levels were also established.

67.

For the purpose of computing the WCA, the Forecast Cost Recovery Rates used by TransCo for 2017 are the same level as the 2016.

The same holds for the FIT Rates.

68.

Summarizing Table7 and Table 8, we have the following inputs in computing the Forecast Annual Payout for 2017: Table 10. 2017 Forecast Cost Recovery Revenue and FIT Differential, in Pesos

Technology

Biomass Hydropower Solar Wind Total

FORECAST COST RECOVERY REVENUE

3,983,476,564 2,183,491,016 3,454,756,715 5,182,115,181 14,803,839,476

FIT DIFFERENTIAL

1,385,388,084 996,331,227 2,885,755,357 2,789,757,852 8,057,232,521

69.

The projected AA for 2016 in the meantime is set to zero (0) for the purpose of computing the WCA. 70.

Particulars Forecast Cost Recovery Revenue FIT Differential Administration Allowance Disbursement Allowance Total Annual Payout

balance. Hence, TransCo submits that a separate application would no longer be necessary.

The proposed trustee fee/ Disbursement Allowance is estimated

83.

In more detail, the components and result of the FIT-All calculation may be summarized in the following table: Table 14. Summary of 2016 FIT-All Rate Computation

COMPONENTS FD WCA AA DA Total FNS, kWh FIT-All, Php/kWh

Amount (Php) Rate (P/kWh) Share 8,761,692,333 0.1281 87.16% 1,289,339,613 0.0189 12.83% 0.0000 0.00% 1,054,100 0.0000 0.01% 10,052,086,045 68,380,633,362 0.1470

84.

However, TransCo would like to present some additional computations that show the 2016 FIT-All at different categories of FIT-eligible/candidate RE Projects: Table15. Incremental Movement of the 2016 FIT-All for Different RE Plant/Project Categories With FIT COC With Payment As of October Increase/ Total (Decrease) 5, 2015

With COE Increase/ (Decrease)

With Nomination

Pre-trial Conference and Evidentiary Hearing

All persons who have an interest in the subject matter of the proceeding may become a party by filing, at least five (5) days prior to the initial hearing and subject to the requirements in the ERC’s Rules of Practice and Procedure, a verified petition with the Commission giving the docket number and title of the proceeding and stating: (1) the petitioner’s name and address; (2) the nature of petitioner’s interest in the subject matter of the proceeding, and the way and manner in which such interest is affected by the issues involved in the proceeding; and (3) a statement of the relief desired.

All other persons who may want their views known to the Commission with respect to the subject matter of the proceeding may file their opposition to the application or comment thereon at any stage of the proceeding before the applicant concludes the presentation of its evidence. No particular form of opposition or comment is required, but the document, letter or writing should contain the name and address of such person and a concise statement of the opposition or comment and the grounds relied upon.

All such persons who wish to have a copy of the application may request from the applicant that they be furnished with the same, prior to the date of the initial hearing. The applicant is hereby directed to furnish all those making such request with copies of the application and its attachments, subject to the reimbursement of reasonable photocopying costs. Any such person may likewise examine the application and other pertinent records filed with the Commission during standard office hours.

WITNESS, the Honorable Chairman, JOSE VICENTE B. SALAZAR, and the Honorable Commissioners, ALFREDO J. NON, GLORIA VICTORIA C. YAP-TARUC, JOSEFINA PATRICIA A. MAGPALE-ASIRIT, and GERONIMO D. STA. ANA, Energy Regulatory Commission, this 2nd day of February, 2016 at Pasig City.

DOE List

Total

Increase/ (Decrease)

Total

Increase/ (Decrease)

MW MWH

345.92 807,951

69.64 172,651

415.56 980,602

259.00 626,073

674.56 1,606,675

32.00 153,032

706.56 1,759,707

463.84 719,933

1,170.39 2,479,639

FIT-ALL Rate, P/kWh

0.0566

0.0038

0.0605

0.0373

0.0978

0.0047

0.1025

0.0445

0.1470

Total

FIT COC - Certificate of Compliance Issued by the ERC COE - Certificate of Endorsement issued by the DOE Nomination (for FIT Eligibility) - Issued by the DOE

ATTY. NATHAN J. MARASIGAN Chief of Staff Office of the Chairman and CEO LS: ICG/ARG/APV NPH 2015-216RC

1

A more detailed table of the FIT-All calculation above and a listing of RE Plants/Projects per category are provided in Annexes “Q” and “R”, respectively.

85.

In view of the Commission’s Decision in ERC Case No. 2014109 RC limiting the forecast RE generation included in the computation of the FIT-All to those RE plants with COEs, TransCo opted to recommend and seek the Honorable Commission’s approval of a FIT-All rate lower than the total computed level of PhP/kWh 0.1470. As can be gleaned from Table 15, the computed 2016 FIT-All rate covering RE Projects with at least nomination from DOE as of end of October 2015 for the FIT system is PhP/kWh 0.1025.

These projects already have ongoing construction and have reached at least 80% electromechanical completion, thus, are almost sure to operate within the period under consideration, if not already operating to date. It is TransCo’s judgment that the two (2) additional plants on top of RE projects with COE will likely complete the requirement for FIT eligibility within the period, thus, qualify to be counted in the instant Application.

86.

Finally, TransCo wishes to manifest that while it was directed by the Honorable Commission in ERC Case No. 2014-109 RC to file a separate application for a revised FIT-All to cover the 2015 under-recoveries, the same have been incorporated in the instant Application, consistent with the Guidelines. As discussed in item II. Total FIT Differential above, (over)/under recovery is already incorporated in the formula of the FIT Differential and as such is already captured in the determination of the FIT-All Rate for 2016.

Further, the estimated under-recovery for the Actual Cost Recovery Revenue and provision for Disbursement Allowance are made part of the WCA ending

2 3 4 5

6

7 8 9 10

11 12

13 14 15 16 17

18

Section 4, FIT Rules.

Section 2.5, FIT Rules.

T h e D O E M e m o r a n d u m d a t e d 21 J u l y 2 015 p r o v i d i n g f o r t h e E l e c t r i c i t y a n d S a l e s C o n s u m p t i o n , i n M W h (2 0 0 3 t o 2 014) i s a t t a c h e d h e r e t o a s A n n e x “A” t o “A - 1” t o f o r m a n i n t e g r a l p a r t h e r e o f.

T h e F N S c o m p u t a t i o n f o r 2 015 - 2 016 i s a t t a c h e d h e r e t o a s A n n e x “ B ” t o f o r m a n i n t e g r a l p a r t h e r e o f.

T h e D O E l e t t e r d a t e d 2 3 S e p t e m b e r 2 015 p r o v i d i n g “A d d i t i o n a l I n p u t s f o r t h e F i l i n g o f t h e 2 016 F I TA l l A p p l i c a t i o n ”, i n c l u d i n g i t s a t t a c h m e n t s , a r e a t t a c h e d h e r e t o a s A n n e x e s “ C ” t o “ C - 12 ”, t o f o r m i n t e g r a l p a r t s h e r e o f.

The table on the summar y of actual generation, forecast generation and capacity factor per RE developer with heading “ List of FIT Eligible Renewable Energy Developer with Submission on Actual & U p d a t e d G e n e r a t i o n (2 014 t o 2 016) ” (a n d i t s a t t a c h m e n t s) i s a t t a c h e d h e r e t o a s A n n e x “ D ” t o “ D 19 ” t o f o r m a n i n t e g r a l p a r t h e r e o f.

T h e 2 014 a n d 2 015 l e v e l s a r e a m i x o f a c t u a l a n d f o r e c a s t v a l u e s .

S e c t i o n 1. 4 .1.1, G u i d e l i n e s .

D e t a i l s o f c o m p u t a t i o n o f t h e 2 016 a d j u s t e d F I T r a t e s i s h e r e t o a t t a c h e d a s A n n e x “ E ” a n d m a d e a n i n t e g r a l p a r t h e r e o f.

T h e P E M C l e t t e r d a t e d 01 J u n e 2 015 o n t h e “ D a t a o n L o a d W e i g h t e d Av e r a g e P r i c e ( LWA P) f o r L u z o n a n d V i s a y a s ”, i n c l u d i n g a c o m p u t e r p r i n t o u t o f t h e d a t a i n t h e C D s u b m i t t e d i s a t t a c h e d h e r e t o a s A n n e x e s “ F ” t o “ F - 1” t o f o r m a n i n t e g r a l p a r t h e r e o f.

P r i n t - o u t s o f t h e M o n t h l y S u m m a r y R e p o r t f o r M a y, J u n e , J u l y a n d A u g u s t 2 015 f r o m P E M C w e b s i t e (w w w.w e s m . p h ) a r e h e r e t o a t t a c h e d a s A n n e x e s “ G ” t o “ G - 3 ” t o f o r m a n i n t e g r a l p a r t h e r e o f P r i n t o u t s o f M A G E LC O E f f e c t i v e R a t e f o r R e s i d e n t i a l C u s t o m e r f o r t h e p e r i o d A p r i l 2 013 t o M a r c h 2 014 , Z A M C E LC O E f f e c t i v e R a t e f o r R e s i d e n t i a l C u s t o m e r f o r t h e p e r i o d M a r c h 2 013 t o F e b r u a r y 2 014 , B U S E C O E f f e c t i v e R a t e f o r R e s i d e n t i a l C u s t o m e r f o r t h e p e r i o d M a r c h 2 014 t o F e b r u a r y 2 015 , M O R E S C O I I E f f e c t i v e R a t e f o r R e s i d e n t i a l C u s t o m e r f o r t h e p e r i o d F e b r u a r y 2 012 t o D e c e m b e r 2 013 a n d S O C OT E C O I I E f f e c t i v e R a t e f o r R e s i d e n t i a l C u s t o m e r f o r t h e p e r i o d M a y 2 013 t o J u n e 2 014 f r o m t h e w e b s i t e w w w. k u r y e n t e . o r g a r e a t t a c h e d h e r e t o a s A n n e x e s “ H ” t o “ H - 11”, “ I ” t o “ I - 11”, “J ” t o “J - 11”, “ K ” t o “ K- 11”, a n d “ L” t o “ L - 11”, r e s p e c t i v e l y, t o f o r m i n t e g r a l p a r t s h e r e o f.

Ta b l e s h o w i n g t h e d e t a i l s o f c o m p u t a t i o n o f t h e 2 015 F I T D i f f e r e n t i a l d e f i c i e n c y i s h e r e t o a t t a c h e d a s A n n e x “ M ” a n d m a d e a n i n t e g r a l p a r t h e r e o f.

Fa c t o r R a t e c o m p u t a t i o n u s i n g t h e f o r m u l a r e c o m m e n d e d b y N R E B i n i t s R e s o l u t i o n N o . 3 S e r i e s o f 2 014 i s a t t a c h e d h e r e t o a s A n n e x “ N ” t o f o r m a n i n t e g r a l p a r t h e r e o f.

C o p y o f t h e Tr u s t A g r e e m e n t d a t e d 0 3 M a r c h 2 015 i s h e r e t o a t t a c h e d a s A n n e x “ O ” t o “ O - 2 3 ” a n d m a d e a n i n t e g r a l p a r t h e r e o f.

Details of computation of the proposed DA is hereto at tached as Annex “P” and made an integral p a r t h e r e o f. “ Section 3. Action on the Motion. - Motions for provisional authorit y or interim relief may be acted upon with or without hearing. The Commission shall act on the motion on the basis of the allegations o f t h e a p p l i c a t i o n o r p e t i t i o n a n d s u p p o r t i n g d o c u m e n t s a n d o t h e r e v i d e n c e s (s i c) t h a t a p p l i c a n t o r petitioner has submit ted and the c omments or opposition f iled by any interested person, if there be a n y.”

A c o p y o f t h e J u d i c i a l A f f i d a v i t o f M s . D i n n a O. D i z o n i s a t t a c h e d h e r e t o a s A n n e x “ S ” t o f o r m a n i n t e g r a l p a r t h e r e o f. ( T S - F E B 19 / 2 6 , 2 016)

F R I DAY : F E B R U A R Y 2 6 , 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

Morales nears Ronda title Navy rider Joel Calderon is doused with a pale of water during the Mindanao Leg’s Individual Time Trial Stage 4 of the LBC Ronda Pilipinas 2016.

Mahindra, GlobalPort, NLEX eye 3rd PBA wins

By Jeric Lopez

TEAMS tied for second place all return to action with an aim of keeping their spot in the upper half as the 2016 Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup continues.

The Mahindra Enforcers and the NLEX Road Warriors, both at 2-1, duke it out at 4:15 p.m. to open the show at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Friday.

The two will go different paths following this encounter with one keeping its place and the other dropping down the middle.

In the main attraction, the GlobalPort Batang Pier, the other team which holds a 2-1 card, battle Philippine Cup Champion San Miguel Beermen (0-1) at 7 p.m. in

a featured clash of semifinalists from last conference.

The Enforcers, the Road Warriors and the Batang Pier are in a three-way logjam for second place and the results of the games will shake up the standings.

All three squads are coming off impressive victories in previous assignments.

On the other hand, the Beermen made a sluggish debut as they lost their initial game. They will look for their first win against a tough

Batang Pier squad. forcers are on a colGames Friday GlobalPort is on a lision course and (Smart Araneta Coliseum) winning roll. It won the victor of their 4:15 p.m. - Mahindra vs. NLEX back-to-back games 7 p.m. - San Miguel vs. GlobalPort tiff will be assured after dropping its of remaining at secfirst match. ond place regardless of the result Its last victory came at the ex- of the second game between the pense of Talk ‘N Text, 108-101, last Batang Pier and the Beermen.

Friday. The win gave the Batang Both the coaches of NLEX and Pier more confidence.

Mahindra are pleased with their “Nagkaka-amuyan kami ng teams’ respective starts and they’re maayos and we’re improving pa,” both keen on continuing what they’ve said GlobalPort coach Pido Jaren- started as their squads face off. cio. “Target naming makuha ei“The boys are stepping up. We ther No. 1 or No. 2 para twice-to- want to win more games early on beat. Kaya sana we’ll continue pa.” and they’re showing that desire NLEX downed Star, 106-99, so far,” said NLEX coach Boyet last Saturday in Binan, Laguna, Fernandez.” while the Enforcers were actually “We just need to keep our menthe ones who dealt San Miguel its tal toughness. That’s what’s giving opening loss with a 102-96 victory us these wins. Ituloy lang namin the same day. iyon in our next game,” said MahiThe Road Warriors and the En- ndra coach Chito Victolero.

Luisita leads defending champ Canlubang by 8 CLARK, Angeles—Luisita Golf Club rode on the sterling efforts of rookies Jingy Tuason and Chito Laureta to take an eight-point lead over defending champion Canlubang in the 30th Philippine Airlines Senior Interclub golf team championships.

The Tarlac-based squad collected 146 points at the Mountainview course, the tougher of two courses utilized for the event.

Tuason, 55, made only one birdie,

but stayed out of trouble to score the best round of three-over par 75, good for 51 points.

The 56-year-old Laureta, on the other hand, had a roller-coaster round of three birdies against three bogeys and two double bogeys for 50 points.

Philippine Sports Commission Chairman Richie Garcia was the other scorer with 45 points. Pepot Iñigo’s 43 points did not count.

Luisita non-playing captain Jeric Hechanova said they are happy to be leading, “but there are three more rounds left.”

Canlubang, which mauled Luisita by 17 points last year in Cebu City, started with 138 points, its campaign hurt by a two-point infraction slapped against Abe Avena.

Avena made a long par-putt on the third hole with the aid of an umbrella.

“I didn’t notice the caddie who held the umbrella,” said Avena who nevertheless posted the team’s best score – 47 points.

Dave Hernandez finished badly with 46 points after making the turn at one-over par while Mari Hechanova rounded out Canlubang’s scoring with 45 points.

Tony Olives, who replaced Rene Unson at the last minute, failed to count with 43 points.

MANOLO FORTICH, Bukidnon— Jan Paul Morales of Navy-Standard Insurance ruled the 21.7-kilometer Individual Time Trial Stage Four Thursday to virtually top the Mindanao Leg of the LBC Ronda Pilipinas 2016 with still a stage to go at the scenic Dahilayan Forest Park here.

The 30-year-old Morales overtook eight riders, including teammates and closest pursuers Lloyd Lucien Reynante and Ronald Oranza in capturing the stage with a clocking of 48 minutes and 26.69 seconds.

He also claimed his second straight stage triumph since he took the Stage 3 criterium in Cagayan de Oro last Tuesday.

Morales also secured his sixth lap win in six Ronda editions and second ITT victory after he ruled the penultimate stage in Baguio City last year.

After four stages, Morales has pulled away for good and amassed 49 points, 14 ahead of Oranza with 35.

Morales will need only to finish in the fifth and final stage, a criterium, on Saturday in Malaybalay, Bukidnon to officially crown himself champion.

“It just need to play it safe,” said Morales, a native of Calumpang, Marikina.

It was also a stage built for Morales, a time trial specialist, who is a long-time member of the national team. “It’s my specialty.”

Joel Calderon, another Navy rider, ended up second in 48:33.63, while Oranza third in 49:33.13.

Navy’s El Joshua Carino, Team LBC-MVPSF’s Ronnilon Quita, and Navy’s Deniel Ven Carino ended up at fourth to sixth places with clockings of 50:17.03, 50:17.77 and 50:43.51, respectively.

Reynante, Navy’s team skipper who was flagged off second to last ahead of Morales, had a bad day and wound up seventh in the stage in 50:45.63, sending him skidding from second to third overall with 33 points.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

B1

FRIDAY: FEBRUARY 26, 2016

RAY S. EÑANO EDITOR

RODERICK T. DELA CRUZ ASSISTANT EDITOR

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

BUSINESS

EITI award. Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima (second from right) receives the Chair’s Award from Extractives Industries Transparency Initiative chair Clare Short (right) at the Lima Convention Center. EITI is a global initiative the Philippines has joined to shed light on extractives through a multi-stakeholder approach consisting of business, government, and civil society. The Philippines is recognized for having exemplified how EITI reports can maximize impact, translating data collected into real governance reforms on the ground.

Young population set to sustain PH growth

By Julito G. Rada

THE Philippines’ large and young population will keep the economy growing faster than its Asian neighbors over the next 25 years, a Singaporean bank said Thursday.

DBS Bank of Singapore said in a report that within the Asian region, the Philippines and India would benefit the most from their large working-age populations.

“The proportion of those of working age in the total population is peaking in many countries as we speak—or indeed peaked a couple of years ago.

This share will fall sharply in the coming years throughout most of Asia, Japan, Europe and the US,” DBS said.

DBS, citing data from the Unit-

ed Nations, said sharp population growth declines were already being seen in China, Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore and would likely continue for another 25 years.

“Within Asia, only India and the Philippines will be spared, though Indonesia’s working age share should at least remain stable for another decade,” DBS said.

The median age in the Philippines is estimated at 23 years, or just half of Japan’s 47 years, data showed.

Bangko Sentral Governor

Amando Tetangco Jr. earlier said the Philippines was entering a demographic window, a period when a significant portion of the population was of working age.

“Studies have shown that countries that have entered this have enjoyed an average GDP growth rate of 7.3 percent within the first 10 years of their entry to the window. Together with the economy’s strong fundamentals and investments in human capital, we expect the country’s entry to the demographic window to help accelerate growth in 2016 and succeeding years,” Tetangco said earlier.

DBS said there was a clear link between working age population and economic growth. “The implications for potential growth are clear. If population growth is falling and the population is getting older at the same time,

it must mean that the growth in working age population is falling even faster than the total. And it’s the latter that matters to potential GDP growth because, well, it’s the working age guys and gals who go to work everyday,” the Singaporean bank said.

According to the latest (2015) revision to the United Nations’ World Population Prospects, China’s population growth fell to a mere 0.5 percent in 2015 from 1.25 percent in 1996 and 1.9 percent in 1990.

“US population growth is barely faster than China’s, having dropped to 0.75 percent in 2015 from 1.25 percent in 2000. Especially notable is Japan, where population growth fell below 0.5 percent in 1990, below zero in 2010 and is currently running at a rate of negative 0.2 percent per year,” the bank said.

Ayala’s QualiMed opening 4 new hospitals in 1 half st

By Jenniffer B. Austria QUALIMED Hospital, a network of healthcare facilities owned and operated by Ayala Land Inc. and Batangasbased Mercado General Hospital Inc., is set to open four new facilities in the first half of 2016.

These are QualiMed Hospital in Altaraza San Jose Del Monte, Quezon City, which is set to open in the first quarter of 2016; QualiMed Hospital in Nuvali, Sta. Rosa, Laguna; QualiMed Clinic in Cebu IT Park, Cebu City; and QualiMed Clinic in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City. The last three facilities

will open in the second quarter.

QualiMed in Bulacan is a 100bed general hospital located at the Altaraza Town Center in San Jose Del Monte.

Ayala Land Capital Corp. head Alfonso Javier Reyes said QualiMed Hospital in San Jose Del Monte would have the quality service, ambience and medical capabilities of a premier city hospital, but at a more affordable price point.

“The presence of QualiMed Hospital will support the comprehensive and sustainable lifestyle offerings in the Altaraza estate and will greatly benefit the surrounding community

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

as well,” Reyes said.

QualiMed president and chief executive Edwin Mercado said there was a large underserved segment in Bulacan in terms of quantity and quality of healthcare services.

“With the entry of QualiMed in San Jose Del Monte, we aim to provide affordable, accessible and appropriate healthcare to the communities in Bulacan and its adjacent towns,” Mercado said.

Facilities under the QualiMed that are currently operational are QualiMed Clinic in TriNoma Mall, Quezon City; QualiMed Surgery Center in Manila; QualiMed Clinic

in Fairview Terraces in Novaliches, Quezon City; QualiMed Hospital in Iloilo City; QualiMed Clinic in McKinley Exchange Corporate Center, Makati; and QualiMed Clinic in UP Town Center, Quezon City.

QualiMed Hospital has comprehensive capabilities for inpatient and outpatient healthcare. Inpatient services include admission in wards or private rooms, and intensive care facilities for adult and pediatric/ neonatal patients. The operating room and pharmacy are available for both outpatient and inpatient services.

PSe comPoSite index Closing February 24, 2016

8000 8340 7880 7420 6960 6500

6,769.26 50.06

PeSo-dollar rate

Closing February 24, 2016 48.00 46.00 45.00

P47.620

44.00

CLOSE

43.00

HIGH P47.610 LOW P47.715 AVERAGE P47.677 VOLUME 529.800M

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 Wednesday, February 24, 2016

F oreign e xchange r ate Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

47.6230

Japan

Yen

0.008923

0.4249

UK

Pound

1.401400

66.7389

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128705

6.1293

Switzerland

Franc

1.008369

48.0216

Canada

Dollar

0.726639

34.6047

Singapore

Dollar

0.711491

33.8833

Australia

Dollar

0.720877

34.3303

Bahrain

Dinar

2.656748

126.5223

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266702

12.7011

Brunei

Dollar

0.708968

33.7632

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000075

0.0036

Thailand

Baht

0.027997

1.3333

UAE

Dirham

0.272264

12.9660

Euro

Euro

1.101800

52.4710

Korea

Won

0.000813

0.0387

China

Yuan

0.153224

7.2970

India

Rupee

0.014587

0.6947

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.238209

11.3442

New Zealand

Dollar

0.665912

31.7127

Taiwan

Dollar

0.030066

1.4318 Source: PDS Bridge

FRIDAY: FEBRUARY 26, 2016

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Ayala seeks ruling on coal loan

By Alena Mae S. Flores

AC ENERGY Holdings Corp., the energy arm of Ayala Corp., is seeking clarification from Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas on a $1-billion loan for the 660-megawatt coal plant expansion project in Mariveles, Bataan.

AC Energy and its partners signed an agreement with five local banks in December for the 70-percent financing of the expansion project, which is estimated to cost over $1 billion.

“A couple of weeks ago, there

Motorbike makers set sales target of 500,000

was a statement from BSP where they will exempt dollar loans that require BSP approval for power projects. So we’re seeking clarification,” AC Energy president and chief executive John Eric Francia said.

“Hopefully, that could streamline our process if that is clarified… that would save us a few months,” Francia said.

Francia earlier said the 660MW project was expected to be completed by 2019.

He said a second 660-MW unit was also on the drawing board, but there were no firm plans yet.

“We will start with the first 660-MW unit first. It is estimated to cost over $1 billion,” Francia said.

GNPower Mariveles Coal Plant Ltd., which is 20-percent controlled by AC Energy, owns the existing 600-MW coal-fired power plant in Mariveles, Bataan.

Francia earlier said the planned expansion would have the same shareholders as the existing Mariveles plant. GNPower Mariveles is presently owned by Sithe Global Power (Blackstone Group), Power Partners Ltd. Co. and AC Energy.

The company already signed deals with electric cooperatives for the output of the planned

expansion, although Francia did not disclose details.

Francia said the company was nearing its 1,000-MW installed capacity generation target for 2016. The company presently has 700 MW of power generating capacity.

Its projects include a 50-percent interest in South Luzon Thermal Energy Corp.’s 270MW coal-fired power plant in Calaca, Batangas and an 80-percent stake in the development of a 540-MW MW coal-fired power plant of GNPower Kauswagan Ltd. Co. in Kauswagan, Lanao Del Norte.

GNPower Kauswagan is estimated to cost around $1 billion to construct which will be funded by both debt and equity.

The plant, consisting of four units of 135 MW each in Baran-

gay Libertad and Tacub in the municipality of Kauswagan, is expected to be in full operation by 2017.

GNPower Kauswagan tapped Shanghai Electric Power Construction Co., a subsidiary of Power Construction Corporation of China, for the engineering, procurement and construction of the Mindanao project.

Shanghai Electric will also put up the coal plant expansion in Bataan.

AC Energy also assembled 133 MW of wind farm capacity, the second largest in the country, which includes the Northwind Power Development Corp.’s 52MW wind farm in Bangui, Ilocos Norte and the 81-MW wind farm of the North Luzon Renewable Energy Corp. in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte.

By Othel V. Campos A GROUP of motorcycle assemblers is looking at boosting annual sales to 500,000 units in 2016, driven by increasing demand for cheaper mode of mobility.

The Chamber of Assemblers and Manufacturers of Motorcycles in the Philippines said the Philippines had emerged as one of the top five countries in Asia with increasing usage of motorcycles.

“There is no downward trend as far as motorcycle sales and development is concerned. In 2015, we sold 386,000 units. However, we would also want to address safety issues that comes along when one buys a motorcycle,” newly-installed CHAMMP president Juan Enrico Quisumbing said during the induction of new officers in Makati, City.

Quisumbing said the local industry needed to keep up with world standards for motorcycle.

“We need to be in step to have the regulations in place for quality and safety concerns,” he said.

The group seeks to improve per capita ownership of motorcycles in the Philippines, which is currently at 1 motorcycle per 5 people.

CHAMMP sales in 2015 represented 40 percent of total sales of 1 million units in the country.

Japan-made motorcycles still dominated the industry with at least 60-percent market share last year.

About 75 percent to 80 percent of CHAMMP sales were recorded in the provinces where road infrastructure was not as developed as those in the cities.

The nine-company CHAMMP assembles China-made motorcycles in the Philippines.

CHAMPP was a splinter group that broke away four years ago from Motorcycle Development Program Participants Association, which is composed of Japanese players.

It aims grow its market share to 50 percent in the next few years by building stronger, more reliable brands.

Afreight international certification. SGS, the world’s leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company, grants Afreight Phils. Inc. and AsiaFreight Logistics the ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management System certification. Afreight managing director and Asiafreight Logistics president Alfonso Santiago (center) holds the certificate given by SGS.

135-MW power plant in Batangas doubles output SOUTH Luzon Thermal Energy Corp. started the commercial operation of the second 135-megawatt unit of a coalfired power plant in Calaca, Batangas, doubling the capacity of the project and providing additional power to the Luzon grid.

South Luzon Thermal, a joint venture between Trans-Asia Oil and Energy Development Corp. of the Phinma Group and AC Energy Holdings Inc. of Ayala Corp., said the second unit was now in full operation.

The power plant in Calaca utilizes clean coal or circulating fluidized bed technology to reduce emissions and minimize environmental impact.

South Luzon Thermal said in a statement construction of the second unit was completed in the second half of 2015. It was synchronized to Luzon power grid on Aug. 15 last year and passed reliability and performance tests early this year.

The first unit started operation on April 24, 2015 and achieved gross generation out-

put of 553.8 gigawatt-hours by the end of 2015. The unit is currently under annual preventive maintenance.

South Luzon invested P23 billion in the 270-MW project.

The coal plant will operate as a baseload power facility and will sell its entire capacity to TransAsia through a 15-year power purchase agreement.

The coal plant, located in Barangay Puting Bato West, utilizes coal from Semirara Mining Corp.’s coal mines in Antique and from Indonesian coal sup-

pliers.

South Luzon Thermal said it was also studying putting up another 600-MW coal-fired power plant as a part of the expansion of the 270-MW coal plant.

The 600-MW expansion project received an approval from the Energy Department to conduct the grid impact study for the proposed project.

The grid impact study will determine the capability of the grid to absorb the new power capacity. Alena Mae S. Flores

FRIDAY: FEBRUARY 26, 2016

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

Marcos pa rin?

IT’S been 30 years since the Edsa People Power revolution but the condition of majority of Filipinos has gone from bad to worse. Edsa today has become synonymous with infernal traffic, no thanks to the inaction from this government that finds it more convenient—and definitely much easier—to blame its predecessor/s for all the things that people suffer today.

During the 30th anniversary rites, President BS Aquino merely did a repeat of an old tired refrain that people have been hearing in these six years of his reign. But isn’t it about time to face the reality as well that three decades since then, poverty has become even worse, with the agriculture sector still in the doldrums, criminality still high and smuggling—particularly of agriculture products—now more rampant than ever?

Don’t believe us? Then believe the latest UN statistics that says the value of smuggled agri items spiked during the term of President BS by almost P200 billion in the first four years of this administration. According to the report, among the most smuggled goods include rice, pork, sugar, chicken, onion, and garlic—all key products—resulting in more poverty for the farmers and those engaged in the industry. This smuggling has become a “pestilence,” in the words of Sinag chairman Rosendo So. Sinag, or Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura—has accused the government of “killing the farmers, local producers and growers,” blasting it for its “lack of heart and compassion.” We can bet the easy answer of this administration would be, “Eh buhay pa naman kayo, di ba? [You’re still alive, right?]”

Of course, National Food Authority administrator Renan Dalisay scoffed at the statistics by the UN, saying his agency had its own figures. A big ha-ha! On that one—why would the UN fudge its numbers, as Senator Cynthia Villar, chair of the Senate committee on food and agriculture, pointed out. Dalisay even bandied about his conversation with Customs commissioner Bert Lina who reportedly claimed that rice smuggling (compared to sugar and other products) has been much diminished. Really, now – but smuggling is still rampant, right? Nevertheless, where are the figures to refute the UN report?

Senator Villar summed it up: NFA will deny the UN statistics “kasi government. They cannot accept the truth; they cannot accept the fact.”

Yellow apologists of course will harp on the gift of democracy, that we are better off today because we are free to express our opinions and why dissent is alive. But how come today, 30 years after, the people seem more polarized than ever?

It’s all very well to look back at history past but if we remain fixated with the past—which seems to be what this administration is doing—we will never be able to move forward to that promise of a future imbued with peace, progress and prosperity. Those who want more of the same BS under this dispensation of course only have to choose the yellow candidate this May. ••• For comments, reactions, photos, stories and related concerns, readers may email to happyhourtoday2012@yahoo.com. You may also visit and like our Facebook page https://www.facebook. com/happyhourmanilastandard. We’d be very happy to hear from you. Cheers!

February inflation likely rose to 1.4%

By Gabrielle H. Binaday

INFLATION rate is expected to pick up slightly to 1.4 percent in February from 1.3 percent in January, following the adverse impact of the El Niño dry spell, the Finance Department said Thursday.

Finance undersecretary and chief economist Gil Beltran said in an economic bulletin inflation this month might have been 0.1 percentage point higher than in the previous month, but slower than 2.5 percent in February 2015.

“Consumer prices may rise, on average, by 1.4 percent for the month of February, slightly higher than that posted last month but lower than in the same month last year,” Beltran said.

“Low rise in prices may be attributed to the continued depression in oil prices,” he said.

Power rate this month fell 16 percent to P9.14 per kilowatthour from a year ago, but was 5 percent higher than in January.

Electricity rate also declined in the past months, on lower generation charges, but slightly rebounded recently, following the decision of major oil-producing countries to freeze petroleum production.

Beltran said there could still be risks to stable consumer prices as the El Niño dry spell was expected to affect the supply side.

“Currently, threats to price stability will come from the supply side. For example, the dry spell may diminish fish catch and yield in fisheries,” he said.

Beltran said the Agriculture Department should adopt innovative strategies such as cloud seeding and expanding irrigation network to offset the adverse effect of dr y spell.

Beltran said these measures would “avoid harvest shortfalls that could raise prices.”

He said the benign inflation outlook would enable the central bank to maintain its monetary stance and sustain rapid economic growth.

Portugal-Asean relations. The Embassy of the Republic of the Philippines in Lisbon, Portugal

assumes the chairmanship of the Asean Committee Lisbon Portugal from the Indonesian Embassy in Lisbon.

Shown is Ambassador Mulya Wirana (right) of Indonesia presenting the chairman’s report for the period of July-December 2015 to Ambassador Philippe Lhuillier of the Philippines (left). Witnessing the turn-over of the report is Ambassador Krairawee Sirikul of Thailand. Under his chairmanship, Ambassador Lhuillier seeks to pursue activities to engage high-level officials of the Portuguese government to enhance Portugal’s relations with Asean.

Grab asks govt to lift ban on motorcycle service in Metro Manila

By Darwin G. Amojelar A GLOBAL transport service company has asked the govern-

ment to allow GrabBike as a new mode of public transportation to solve traffic congestion in Metro Manila.

“GrabBike is eager to restart its full operations to help both the commuters and the bikers.

We have always pushed forward solutions that will help solve traffic congestion while providing the public with safer modes of transportation,” Grab country marketing head Khirz Lim said.

Lim said the company was

committed to providing safe transportation to passengers.

“We have stringent processes in place to make sure our high safety standards are met by our bikers. Every GrabBiker and passenger will have personal protective equipment like helmets and facemarks to make sure they operate safely. In addition to the equipment, all rides are ensured for both bikers and passengers,” Lim said.

Lim also said the company was inviting the public to support GrabBikers’ campaign for safe, reliable and convenient motorcycle transport by trying GrabBike for free with the use of

the promo code ‘Freedom.’

Grab’s statement came after the Land Transportation and Regulatory Board issued an order stopping the use of bikes and motorcycles as a mode of public transportation.

Grab is only accredited by the government to offer transport network vehicles using a digital platform technology pursuant to Department Order No. 2015011.

The order did not cover the operation of a GrabBike through the use of an Internetbased technology platform to facilitate a pre-arranged transportation for passengers using

bikes or motorcycles.

LTFRB suspended the offering of bikes and motorcycles as public transportation mode due to safety issues.

According to the World Health Organization’s 2015 road safety report, 1.25 million people died globally due to road accidents, with motorcyclists comprising 23 percent of deaths.

The WHO report also said that more than half or 53 percent of those who died in road accidents in the Philippines were motorcycle riders.

Despite the implementation of the helmet law in the country, motorcycles have the highest

fatality accident rate in Metro Manila from January to November 2015, according to statistics compiled by Metropolitan Manila Development Authority’s Metro Manila accident recording and analysis system database.

The MMARAS database also showed that of the 696 road fatalities recorded in that period, 236 were due to motorcycle accidents.

The database also recorded a total of 166,883 vehicles involved in road accidents in Metro Manila, with motorcycles coming in second with 18,482, next to private cars (81,837).

FRIDAY: FEBRUARY 26, 2016

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Brazil’s rating reduced to junk RIO DE JANEIRO—Moody’s became the third big agency to cut Brazil’s credit rating to junk Wednesday, citing mounting debt and political instability in Latin America’s biggest country.

Cutting the credit rating by two notches to Ba2, Moody’s said Brazil suffered a “low growth environment,” worsening debt, and “challenging political dynamics.”

Junk status had already been given by Fitch and S&P. Moody’s also said that it was giving the seventh biggest economy in the world a negative outlook, possibly heralding further downgrades.

“The negative outlook reflects the view that risks are skewed toward an even slower consolidation and recovery, or further shocks emerging, which creates uncertainty over the magnitude of deterioration of Brazil’s debt profile over the rating horizon,” Moody’s said.

Brazil is in deep recession after years of growth led by high prices and strong Chinese demand for its oil, iron ore, soya and other commodities—a boom that is now firmly over. In addition, Brazil is crippled politically by gridlock in Congress and a protracted battle to impeach President Dilma Rousseff.

Brazil’s economy shrank by more than three percent last year, and the International Monetary Fund is now predicting a 3.5-percent contraction this year.

Earlier this month, Brazil’s inflation rate rose to a 12-year high of 10.71 percent.

The government said that despite the rating agencies’ gloomy assessment, Brazil was working to get spending under control, increase revenues and enact reforms leading to “the recovery of the Brazilian economy in the medium term.”

Although Moody’s was the last of the big agencies to strip Brazil of its investment grade rating, it had already warned that the move was likely, lessening the impact on markets Wednesday.

About mid way through trading, the Sao Paulo stock market was down 2.91 percent.

“The downgrade will have no additional impact from an economics point of view,” said Silvio Campos Neto, at Tendencias consulting in Sao Paulo. “It was not a surprise. The economic conditions are already quite negative in Brazil.”

Neto said Brazil would not escape the economic doldrums for at least two or three years.

Rousseff’s political troubles, a huge corruption scandal and the failing economy have fueled deep dissatisfaction with her and her leftist Workers’ Party. AFP

World economy vulnerable—IMF WASHINGTON—The International Monetary Fund warned Wednesday that the world economy is “highly vulnerable” and called for new mechanisms to protect the most vulnerable countries.

In a report on economic challenges ahead of the Shanghai meeting of finance chiefs of the powerful Group of 20 economies, the global crisis lender said world growth had slowed and could be derailed by market turbulence, the oil price crash and geopolitical conflicts.

“The global recovery has weakened further amid increasing financial turbulence and falling asset prices,” the IMF said.

“Strong policy responses both at national and multilateral levels are needed to contain risks and propel the global economy to a more prosperous path.”

The report, to be presented to the finance ministers and central bank chiefs of the G20 leading economies meeting in Shanghai on Friday and Saturday, said the Fund expects to lower its forecast for world growth in 2016, barely six weeks after making its most

recent estimate of 3.4 percent.

“Global activity has slowed unexpectedly at the end of 2015, and it has weakened further in early 2016 amid falling asset prices,” the report said.

How countries should react to the threats to growth will be the main agenda in the Shanghai talks. The IMF is urging countries to boost fiscal stimulus and to push through reforms in order to increase demand.

It said central banks, including the US Federal Reserve, need to keep monetary policy accommodative to be sure tighter financial conditions do not stifle growth momentum.

However, the Fund stressed, “to avoid over-reliance on mone-

tary policy, near-term fiscal policy should support the recovery where appropriate and provided there is fiscal space, focusing on investment.”

Besides the shocks to the world economy from China’s slowdown and the crash in commodity prices, the IMF said geopolitical issues like the Syrian refugee crisis and the rising infections in Latin America from the Zika virus pose economic threats.

For countries shouldering the biggest burden of those crises, and countries otherwise fit but left vulnerable by the commodities downturn, the IMF said the world’s financial safety net—which includes the Fund’s own programs—could be enhanced. With AFP

This picture taken on February 24, 2016 shows job seekers looking at job postings at a recruitment fair in Qingdao, in China’s eastern Shandong province. Job fairs are being held across the country to recruit workers returning after the Lunar New Year break. Finance ministers from the world’s top 20 economies meet in Shanghai from Friday with the global economy assailed on multiple fronts from China’s slowing growth to weak commodity prices, and disagreements between them on how best to face the challenges. AFP

Beijing surpasses New York as billionaire capital BEIJING—Beijing has surpassed New York City to become the “billionaire capital of the world” with 100 resident billionaires to the US business and cultural capital’s 95, a survey showed.

The number of Beijing billionaires rose by 32 from last year, while New York’s tally rose by just four, according to the Hurun Report, a China-based publisher of luxury magazines and compiler of an annual list of the country’s richest people.

Moscow came in third, with 66 billionaires.

“Despite its own slowdown and falling stock markets, China minted more new billionaires than any other country in the world last year, mainly on the back of new listings,” said Rupert Hoogewerf, its chairman and chief researcher.

Different lists of the world’s wealthiest, including Forbes, Bloomberg and Hurun, produce different results based on varying methodologies.

Last year, Greater China surpassed the US to become home to the largest population of billion-

aires in the world, Hurun said in a previous October report.

Its new figures, released Wednesday, said that the region is now home to 568 billionaires—90 more than last year— with a combined net worth of $1.4 trillion, a sum comparable to the GDP of Australia.

Just over 40 percent of the world’s billionaires under 40 reside in China, the report added.

In comparison, 535 billionaires call the US home—two fewer than last year.

China’s richest man, real es-

tate and entertainment magnate Wang Jianlin, ranked 21st on Hurun’s list of the world’s richest people with a net worth of $26 billion, behind the likes of Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and investor Warren Buffett.

Other Chinese billionaires on the list include Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba, and the heads of tech giants Tencent and Baidu, as well as the chief executives of leading beverage producer Wahaha and electronics company Xiaomi.

AFP

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‘Migrant crisis puts EU survival at stake’ VIENNA—Austria warned Wednesday that the European Union’s survival was at stake as it pressed Balkan states to reduce the influx of migrants while Greece threatened not to cooperate with future agreements on the crisis if the burden was not fairly shared among member states.

Further undermining the bloc’s hopes to get a grip on the situation, Hungary meanwhile announced a referendum on Brussels’ troubled scheme to share out migrants among the 28-nation group via mandatory quotas.

“We have to reduce the influx now. This is a question of survival for the EU,” Austrian Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner said after talks in Vienna with countries on the well-trodden west Balkans route north from Greece.

Greece, a main entry point for migrants and where thousands of Afghans have been held up at the border with Macedonia, angrily protested at being excluded from the ministerial meeting, underscoring the deep rifts within the EU. “Greece will no longer agree to any deal if the burdens and responsibilities are not shared proportionally,” Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras told the Greek parliament, vowing “We will not allow our country to turn into a warehouse of souls.”

A joint statement from the Vienna talks said that after hundreds of thousands of people trekked through the Balkans last year, many ending up in Germany, Sweden and also Austria, the inflow must be “massively reduced”.

The talks come after figures showed more than 110,000 people arriving in Greece and Italy so far this year alone—with 413 perishing in the attempt—following more than one million arrivals in 2015.

Amnesty International hit out at Europe’s “shameful” response, saying most EU countries had “simply decided that the protection of their borders is more important than the protection of the rights of refugees”.

Vienna has come under fire for organizing Wednesday’s talks and for imposing daily limits on the number of migrants who can apply for asylum in Austria or transit to other countries. AFP

WORLD US, China agree on UN North Korea resolution WASHINGTON—The United States and China have agreed on a UN resolution on North Korea’s nuclear “provocations,” the White House announced Wednesday, with diplomats saying it would include fresh sanctions and could go to a Security Council vote soon.

Present. Model Emily Ratajkowski attends the Global Green USA’s

13th Annual Pre-Oscar Party at the Mr. C Beverly Hills Hotel on February 24, 2016, in Beverly Hills, California. AFP

Diplomats at the UN headquarters in New York said Washington and Beijing, Pyongyang’s main backer, had agreed on a draft resolution that contained “very tough measures.”

The United States circulated the draft text to the other three permanent council members—Britain, France and Russia—on Wednesday and was set to formally present it to the full 15-member council soon, said the diplomats who asked not to be named.

The negotiations on the draft resolution began six weeks ago after North Korea carried out its fourth nuclear test on January 6, claiming it had successfully developed a thermonuclear device.

During a meeting at the White House Wednesday, US National Security Advisor Susan Rice and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi agreed “on the importance of a strong and united international response to North Korea’s provocations, including through a UN Security Council resolution that goes beyond previous resolutions,” said a statement from National Security Council spokesman Ned Price.

“They agreed that they will not accept North Korea as a nuclear weapons state,” added the statement.

Underscoring the importance that the US placed on the negotiations, the statement said that President Barack Obama dropped in on the meeting.

The announcement came despite a substantial and very public disagreement between the US and China on the best way to handle North Korea.

China wants its reclusive neigh-

bor to halt its nuclear weapons program and return to six-party international talks, but it has insisted that dialogue is the only way to curb Pyongyang’s behavior.

The biggest obstacle to the talks, it argues, is Washington’s stubborn insistence that it will not sit down with North Korea until the country takes steps towards denuclearization.

Washington, on the other hand, insists that China, which is one of Pyongyang’s biggest trading partners, should pressure the intransigent country into behaving better.

Beijing, however, fears that too much pressure could trigger the collapse of the pariah regime, creating a political and humanitarian crisis on its border and removing a buffer against US troops currently stationed in South Korea.

“There were a significant number of blockage points” between the United States and China, a Security Council diplomat said, adding that now “there is agreement.”

“There is good progress on the resolution and we are hopeful that there will be an adoption in the coming days,” the diplomat said.

One diplomat described the draft resolution as a “significantly substantive text”, while another said it contained “a large number of very tough measures,” as well as names to be added to the sanctions black list.

However, it stopped short of the strongest measures proposed by the United States, which had met with strong resistance from China.

The council has imposed four sets of sanctions on North Korea since it first tested an atomic device in 2006. AFP

Anger in Hong Kong over Chinese TV subtitles row HONG KONG—A Hong Kong TV station has been flooded with complaints after they subtitled a program in a Chinese script associated with the mainland, reflecting the deep-seated fears that Beijing is eroding the city’s identity.

Hong Kong uses a different version of Chinese script and is fiercely defensive over both its written and spoken language.

The city uses “traditional

Chinese”, a more complex set of characters, whereas “simplified Chinese” is more popular across the border.

The vast majority of Hong Kong residents also speak Cantonese as their first language, not Mandarin as on the mainland.

Language has become an increasingly sensitive issue as concern grows that Beijing is trying to stamp out the culture in the semiautonomous city.

There are fears Cantonese is being sidelined in schools to make way for Mandarin under pressure from the authorities.

On Monday, the local news channel TVB used simplified Chinese in the subtitles to a Mandarin news program, triggering a flood of complaints.

“As of the end of yesterday, the latest complaint figure was over 13,000,” a spokeswoman for the Office of the Communications

Authority told AFP Thursday, with no detail immediately available on the nature of the complaints.

TVB defended the move, saying it would “better serve different audience needs,” and said simplified Chinese would only be used in the subtitles for its Mandarin newscasts, not its Cantonese newscasts.

Critics laid into the pro-establishment channel, already unpop-

ular with the city’s youth and prodemocracy advocates who dub it “CCTVB”, a pun on the official Chinese broadcaster CCTV. “Simplified characters are only viewed and written by the illiterate”, said one comment on the Apple Daily website.

“TVB indeed seemed to have done something unnecessary or even stupid,” said another on the South China Morning Post’s site. AFP

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Pressure builds as the deadline for the ceasefire in Syria nears

Ship runs aground in frozen Antartica

DAMASCUS—Pressure was building on Syria’s warring parties to abide by a partial ceasefire brokered by Moscow and Washington as the UN discussed a draft resolution that would endorse the agreement due to take effect Saturday.

SYDNEY—A ferocious blizzard was Thursday hampering attempts to rescue 68 expeditioners and crew stranded on Australia’s flagship icebreaker Aurora Australis after it broke its mooring and ran aground in frozen Antarctica.

The Australian Antarctic Division said the incident happened on Wednesday when the ship was on a resupply mission to the Mawson Station, with gales of more than 130 kilometers per hour whipping the base.

“A total of 68 expeditioners and crew are on board, and all remain safe and well,” it said, adding that the icebreaker ran aground at West Arm in Horseshoe Harbour.

Australian Antarctic Division director Nick Gales said they would only be transferred the short distance to Mawson when conditions improved.

“They will remain on the ship until conditions ease and it’s safe to move them over to Mawson Station,” he said. “We’re thinking that conditions are going to ease overnight.”

The blizzard conditions have been hindering a full assessment of the ship but the division said there was a breach in the hull “into a space that is usually flooded with ballast water”.

“This breach has occurred in an area of the ship that poses no risk to the stability of the vessel or of fuel leaking into the environment,” it said.

“Attempts to refloat the vessel will occur when the weather conditions ease. It will take a minimum of three days for the ship’s crew to complete a full assessment of the ship once the vessel is afloat again.”

The Aurora’s grounding means it will not be able to pick up 30 expeditioners waiting for it at another Australian research base, Davis, who were due to join the ship for the voyage back to Australia.

The AAD said the US Antarctic program had offered assistance and was flying in a LC130 aircraft to get them to the Casey Station where a bigger plane can land in the coming days to transport them out. AFP

The 15 members of the Security Council hope to adopt the text on Friday when UN envoy Staffan de Mistura reports on the efforts to silence the guns and revive the peace talks.

Russia and the United States have set a deadline of midnight Damascus time (2200 GMT) Friday for the “cessation of hostilities” between President Bashar al-Assad’s regime and non-jihadist rebel forces.

The deal—which excludes the

Islamic State group and other Sunni extremists—marks the biggest diplomatic push yet to help end the five-year conflict in Syria which has claimed more than 270,000 lives and displaced more than half of the population.

But US President Barack Obama sounded a note of caution on Wednesday.

“We are very cautious about raising expectations on this,” Obama said in the Oval Office, where he was hosting Jordan’s King Abdullah II.

“The situation on the ground is difficult” he said. “But we have seen modest progress over the course of the last week or so with respect to humanitarian access to populations that are threatened.”

Russia and the United States are on opposing sides of the conflict, with Moscow backing Assad and Washington supporting the opposition, but the two powers have been making a concerted push for the ceasefire to be respected.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said Russian

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Scout Reyes Street, corner Panay Avenue, Quezon City Tel No. (02) 374-3987 Fax. No. (02) 374-2505

Invitation to Bid For the WATERPROOFING AND RE-PAINTING OF THE NORTH WING – NTA MAIN BUILDING, SCOUT REYES STREET COR. PANAY AVENUE, QUEZON CITY (PB 2016-04)

Invitation to Bidfor the Supply, Delivery, Installation and Commissioning of Laboratory Equipment (Batch 2) for the Project: Capability Enhancement for Quality Assurance (PB 2016-05) The NATIONAL TOBACCO ADMINISTRATION (NTA), through itsCorporate Operating Budget for CY 2016, intends to apply the sum of PhP11,918,000.00, being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC), for the project: “Supply, Delivery, Installation and Commissioning of Laboratory Equipment(Batch 2) for the Project: Capability Enhancement for Quality Assurance”, (PB 2016-05), brokendown by lots, Lot 1 – PhP1,300,000.00; Lot 2 – PhP3,500,000.00; Lot 3 – PhP820,000.00; Lot 4 – PhP738,000.00, Lot 5 – PhP265,000.00, and Lot 6 – PhP5,295,000.00. Bids received in excess of the ABC for each lot shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.

military action to continue against IS, which seized control of large parts of Syria and Iraq in 2014, the Al-Qaeda affiliated Al-Nusra and other jihadist groups.

Syria’s army said it will exclude the bastion of Daraya near Damascus from the ceasefire because rebel forces there included jihadists.

The Russian defence ministry said it was in talks with rebel groups in five Syrian provinces—Hama, Homs, Latakia, Damascus and Daraa—on implementing the deal. AFP

Republic of the Philippines DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

NATIONAL TOBACCO ADMINISTRATION

1.

and US officials would meet in coming days to form a task force to monitor implementation of the ceasefire.

The Kremlin said Assad had assured President Vladimir Putin of “the readiness of the Syrian government to facilitate the establishment of a ceasefire”.

Putin and Assad also “stressed the importance of continuing an uncompromising fight” against IS, Al-Nusra Front and “other terrorist groups,” the Kremlin said.

The agreement allows

1.

The NATIONAL TOBACCO ADMINISTRATION (NTA), through itsCorporate Operating Budget for CY 2016, intends to apply the sum ofPhP352,798.49, being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC), to payments under the contract for WATERPROOFING AND RE-PAINTING OF THE NORTH WING – NTA MAIN BUILDING, Scout Reyes Street corner Panaya Avenue, Quezon City (PB 2016-04). Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.

2.

The NTA now invites bids for the Supply, Delivery, Installation and Commissioning of Laboratory Equipment. Delivery of the Goods is required for a period of 120 days. Bidders should have completed, within five (5) years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the Project.

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

2.

The NTA now invites bids for the supply of labor and materials for the waterproofing and re-painting of the North Wing of the NTA Main Building. Delivery of Works is required for a period of 25 working days. Bidders should have completed, within ten (10) years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the Project. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II. Instructions to Bidders.

3.

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

3.

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

4.

(i) Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least sixty percent (60%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines, and to citizens or organizations of a country the laws or regulations of which grant similar rights or privileges to Filipino citizens, pursuant to RA 5183 and subject to Commonwealth Act 138.

(i)

Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least seventy-five percent (75%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines, and to citizens or organizations of a country, the laws or regulations of which grant similar rights or privileges to Filipino citizens, pursuant to RA 5183 and subject to Commonwealth Act 138.

(ii) Bidding is open to all interested bidders, whether local or foreign, subject to the conditions for eligibility provided in the IRR of RA 9184.

(ii)

Bidding is open to all interested bidders, whether local or foreign, subject to the conditions for eligibility provided in the IRR of RA 9184.

Interested bidders may obtain further information from the NTA and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below during working days from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.

4.

A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested Bidders onFebruary 26, 2016 to March 18, 2016 from the address below and upon payment of a nonrefundable fee for the Bidding Documents in the following amounts: Lot 1 – PhP5,000.00; Lot 2 – PhP5,000.00; Lot 3 – PhP1,000.00; Lot 4 – PhP1,000.00; Lot 5 – PhP500.00; and Lot 6 – PhP10,000.00 It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the website of the NTA, provided that Bidders shall pay the nonrefundable fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids.

5.

The NTA will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on March 07, 2016, 10:00a.m. at the 3rd Floor NTA Building, Cors. Scout Reyes Street and Panay Avenue, Quezon City, which shall be open only to all interested parties who have purchased the Bidding Documents.

6.

Bids must be delivered to the address below on or before March 21, 2016, 10:00 a.m.,at the 3rd Floor NTA Building, Cors. Scout Reyes Street and Panay Avenue, Quezon City All Bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in the Bidding Documents.

Interested bidders may obtain further information from the NTA and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below during working days from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.

A complete set of Bidding Documents may be acquired by interested Bidders from February 26, 2016 to March 18, 2016, from the address below and upon payment of a nonrefundable fee for the Bidding Documents in the amount of PhP500.00.

It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the website of the NTA, provided that Bidders shall pay the nonrefundable fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids.

5.

The NTA will hold a Pre-Bid Conference onMarch 07, 2016, 2:00 p.m., at the 3rd Floor NTA Building, Cors. Scout Reyes Street and Panay Avenue, Quezon City, which shall be open only to all interested parties who have purchased the Bidding Documents.

6.

Bids must be delivered to the address below on or before March 21, 2016. All Bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in the Bidding Documents.

Bid opening shall be on March 21, 2016, at 2:00 p.m., at the 3rd Floor NTA Building, Cors. Scout Reyes Street and Panay Avenue, Quezon City. Bids will be opened in the presence of the Bidders’ representatives who choose to attend at the address below. Late bids shall not be accepted.

Bid opening shall be onMarch 21, 2016, 10:00 a.m. at the 3rd Floor NTA Building, Cors. Scout Reyes Street and Panay Avenue, Quezon City. Bids will be opened in the presence of the Bidders’ representatives, who choose to attend at the address below. Late bids shall not be accepted.

7.

7.

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

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

8.

For further information, please refer to:

8.

For further information, please refer to: CRISTINA C. LOPEZ, DBA National Tobacco Administration Cors. Scout Reyes Street and Panay Avenue, Quezon City Tel No. 372 3188; cclnta@yahoo.com Fax No. 373 2095 Website Address:nta.da.gov.ph

(SGD) CRISTINA C. LOPEZ, DBA Chairman, NTA-BAC

CRISTINA C. LOPEZ, DBA National Tobacco Administration Cors. Scout Reyes Street and Panay Avenue, Quezon City Tel No. 372 3188; cclnta@yahoo.com Fax No. 373 2095 Website Address:nta.da.gov.ph

(TS-FEB. 26, 2016)

(SGD) CRISTINA C. LOPEZ, DBA Chairman, NTA-BAC

(TS-FEB. 26, 2016)

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MOTORING mst.daydesk@gmail.com

RAMON L. TOMELDAN EDITOR

B7

Passat’s day out in anilao

Text and photos by Dino Ray V. Directo III

To prove the overall performance of its latest version, volkswagen philippines organized a ride and drive event with select members of the motoring media. ‘This is an opportunity for you guys to experience luxury the volkswagen way,” says Franz Decleodt, vW marketing man.

The men from Wolfsburg prepared five units of the recently launched flagship model, the Passat. The 400 kilometer drive kicked off at the VW showroom at the Bonifacio Global City and snaked through the scenic route of Cavite and Batangas up to the exclusive La Chevrerie Resort and Spa in Anilao, Batangas.

“The twisty and uphill roads, plus some stretches of pavement test the feel of the suspension, comfort and smoothness of the diesel engine of this latest Passat,” adds Klaus Schadewald, VW PH’s Chief Operating Adviser, who drove to Anilao as the convoy sweeper.

For the first day of the event, this writer was in car number 6 with Brian Afuang of the Businessworld and Ira Panganiban of Wheels Magazine. We were behind the wheel of the top tier version, the 2.0 TSI DSG Busi-

ness Edition, which comes with a Turbocharged Stratified Injection engine mated to a six-speed DSG (Direct Shift Gearbox).

With a maximum power output of 220 PS in the 4,500-6,200 RPM range, and maximum torque of 350 Nm in the 1,5004,400 RPM’s, this luxury sedan can scratch the pavement and attack fast corners with relative ease due to the car’s Adaptive Chassis Control with Drive Profile Selection. We took delight in the large luggage compartment which has a volume of 586 to 1,152 liters and a 60:40 folding rear seat backrest and center armrest load-through hatch.

The Passat’s rear compartment is large enough to accommodate bulky scuba diving gears; golf bags; and luggage for that out of town journey with friends and family. The luggage compartment also comes with its own

12-volt socket, so batteries for underwater cameras and lights could be charged even while in transit.

As for the passengers, the generous headroom (989 and 964 mm in the front and rear, respectively) and legroom (1,045 and 973 mm) provided comfort throughout the trip. The rear seats with extended leg support enhanced the comfort of the rear passengers.

The Passat’s occupants also enjoyed a quieter ride, what with the reduced noise characteristics of the 3-Zone Climatronic Air Conditioning System, which features improved acoustic properties of the heater/air conditioning unit, the configuration of the air distribution and blower control according to the driving profile, broad air nozzles, and a special mix of materials. Indeed, all the occupants heard were the music of their iPods or Smartphones emanating from the 8-speaker Audio System connected to the Discover Pro premium infotainment system, Passat’s latest in radio and navigation systems highlighted by a larger screen size, expanded connectivity, expanded range of functions, and significantly operated computation performance.

The Discover Pro combined with the Active Info Display central digital instrument cluster that features configurable graphic panels (e.g. for displaying navigation and driving assistance functions, consumption and range) offered to drivers an even more extensive sense of control in all aspects of the ride and drive experience.

The new Passat, the 8th generation of Volkswagen’s oldest active product brand, under which has been sold 22 million units worldwide since the first rollout in 1973, is designed and produced from Volkswagen in Germany straight to Volkswagen Philippines’ showrooms. It’s engineered and designed as the ideal executive car, complete with luxury appointments such as LED premium headlights and taillights with light scenes, 18” alloy wheels, 12-way electric front ergoComfort seats, rear view camera, park distance control, and “Keyless-Go” Entry.

The Passat Highline 2.0 TSI DSG is priced at P2,253,000 while the 2.0 TSI DSG Business Edition sells at P2,759.000, with available exterior/interior color combinations Crimson Red/St. Tropez, Oryx White or Iridium Grey Metallic/Titanium Black, and Deep Black Pearl or Black Oak Brown/Natural Brown.

Camping is more fun with Rhino Racks RHINO Racks line of tent system is a brilliantly designed, easy to operate, roll out awning that will shade the side of your vehicle in a matter of minutes. Get your family and friends to explore the great outdoors while being protected from the elements with Rhino Rack’s tent awning system.

Designed and engineered for ease of use, the tent system can be set up and packed away in easily without the hassle making it the perfect solution to protect you and your family from the elements. Stored in its own heavy duty PVC bag, the Rhino Racks Awning system comes complete with all the gear you need to set it up including telescopic poles, guy ropes and pegs. The solid frame con-

sists of anodized aluminum and corrosion resistant hardware, so it won’t rust. Rhino Racks Awning system is a quick and easy solution which was tested in extreme conditions from rain, snow and the hot UV rays of the sun. So whether you are an avid camper, Traveler or Tradesman the Awning tent system is a must have accessory when camping out.

If you’re gearing up for that camping weekend, bird photography, outdoors photography session or bike trailing, check out the tent system of Rhino Racks at the Outdoors Club at the Ground Floor of the Banco de Oro Bldg. 2, Ortigas Avenue, West Greenhills, San Juan, beside the Segafredo Zanetti Café, with Tel. numbers 744-6367.

Petron offers ‘dawn of justice’ toy collection MARKET leader Petron Corporation offers motorists another exciting reward for the best day ever with a new set of Limited Edition Collectibles. Created exclusively for Petron, theBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Gadget Collection consists of four character gadgets, namely: • The Batman USB Hub has a coiled USB cable at the bottom compartment to connect to a laptop or PC. Two USB ports at the back can be used to connect peripherals such as a flash drive, keyboard or mouse. (It is not recommended for charging devices.)

• The Armored Batman Lamp lights up when a button is pressed and activates a recording with Batman saying, “Tell me, do you bleed?”

To turn off the light, you press the same button as the second spiel plays, “You will.”

• The Superman Digital Clock displays the date and time, and is adjustable via the set and mode buttons. This device is ready to use, as it has one set of batteries as part of the package.

• The Wonder Woman Multi-Charger has a coiled power plug at the bottom compartment, which you can connect to a laptop/computer. It comes with four different cable chargers for both iOS and Android devices.

Fuel up with any Petron Euro-4 gasoline or diesel fuel with Tri-Activ benefits to avail of this promo. Every P500 single or accumulated purchase entitles you to purchase one Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice gadget collectible for only Php200. The promo will run from February 25 to March 31, 2016, at over 420 participating Petron stations nationwide.

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RAMON L. TOMELDAN EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

motoring Honda

Pilot COMES OFF

THE wRapS Text and photos by Dino Ray V. Directo III

Honda Cars Philippines Inc unveiled early this week its third generation midsize crossover-SUV Honda Pilot. With Honda officials in attendance led by its President and GM Toshio Kuwahara, the new Pilot offers more interior space, a more powerful 3.5-liter direct Injection i-VTEC V6 engine with Variable Cylinder Management; advanced technologies such as the Intelligent Variable Torque Management and Intelligent Traction Management; plus a host of premium features and amenities.

“This SUv has earned several awards since its formal introduction to the global market at last year’s Chicago International Auto Show. Honda will level up the crossover segment with the new Pilot,” says Kuwahara.

Designed and developed in the United States by Honda r&D Americas Inc, the redesigned SUv has a sleeker front end accentuated

by distinctive character lines and an aggressive new face. The LeD Projector Type Headlight with Signature LeD Daytime running Lights, and LeD tail lights as well as new 18-inch alloy wheels compliment the Pilot’s modern and commanding look.

The cabin boasts an abundant use of high-quality soft-touch material, posh black leather, and

ambient lighting. For audio and entertainment, Honda’s latest thinking for advanced technology is incorporated in its eight-inch Touch-screen Display Audio interface powered by a new Android based operating system and more powerful processor. Advanced features, such as Bluetooth, HDMI, USB Connectivity and 7 Speakers also fully extend to the front-line quality of the cockpit’s numerous functions.

For the rear passengers, there is a 9-inch entertainment System with DvD and HDMI capability available for in-transit entertainment needs. A 10-way Power Seat with memory for the driver and a 4-way Power Seat for the passenger are available. All these features make riding the new Pilot’s commodious cabin a true contempo-

rary experience.

The Pilot retains its exclusive eight-passenger seating configuration with a 60:40 split second row seat that allows maximum passenger comfort.

Designed with versatile utility in mind, the new Pilot carries an additional 3 inches overall length to provide more cargo flexibility for different hauling needs without compromising the third-row seating capability. A Flexible Cargo Management System features a two-position cargo lid that permits item storage in a lower compartment, adjustable to provide higher cargo space.

For its premium safety features, the Pilot was awarded the 2016 Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) Top Safety Pick. This third generation Pilot boasts of the

Advance Compatibility engineering (ACe) body structure, and Honda SeNSING, which makes the Pilot the second Honda vehicle in the country to exhibit this system following the Legend luxury sedan.

The Advance Compatibility engineering (ACe) body structure not only absorbs and disperses the energy of a frontal collision, but also protects the occupants with the efficient ultra-high strength door ring design both from frontal and side impacts.

The new Pilot comes in three color hues, with the White Diamond Pearl as a special color requiring an additional P20,000.

The Pilot will fly off Honda’s network of dealers nationwide starting March and it retails for P3,380 Million.

Shell Eco-marathon sets flag-off rites

Over 100 student teams from all across Asia, Middle east and Africa will gather in the Philippines for a unique four-day event to showcase, test and drive their self-built, fuel-efficient vehicles.

The Shell eco-marathon Asia will be held for the third and final time in Manila this year on March 3. A flag-off ceremony will be held on March 4 at the historic rizal Park, with a closing ceremony and awards presentation on March 6 at Manila Hotel.

The Shell eco-marathon began in 1939 at a Shell research laboratory in the United States as a friendly wager between scientists to see who could get the most miles per gallon from their vehicle. The modern format of the competition began in 1985 in France.

In April 2007, the Shell ecomarathon Americas event was launched in the United States, and in 2010, the inaugural Shell eco-marathon Asia was held in Malaysia until 2013. Since 2014,

the event has been held in the Philippines.

Student teams are challenged to stretch the boundaries of fuel efficiency in a real- world urban environment, and winners are determined by the mileage achieved on a liter of fuel rather

than speed. Last year’s competition saw Team virgin from Sakonnakhon Technical College in Thailand drive 1,572 km on a litre of ethanol— the approximate distance between Manila and Ho Chi Minh City.

Competing on home soil this

Filipino students fly the Philippine colors at the opening of the Shell Ecomarathon Asia in Manila last year. The Philippine contingent is the largest among the participating countries within the region this year.

year are 28 teams from the Philippines’ top schools and engineering colleges—the largest contingent among the 17 participating countries from across the region.

The Philippine schools are: City of Bogo Science and Arts Academy, De La Salle University, Far eastern University Institute of Technology, University of San Carlos, Malayan Colleges Laguna, New era University, Mindanao State University–Iligan Institute of Technology, National University, Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, Polytechnic University of the Philippines–Manila, Central Colleges of the Philippines, Don Bosco Technical College–Mandaluyong, Cebu Institute of Technology–University, University of Mindanao, University of the Philippines–Diliman, Technological Institute of the Philippines–Quezon City and Manila, University of the east, and University of Santo Tomas.

Student teams may partici-

pate in either Prototype or Urban Concept vehicle categories of the competition. The Prototype category will see student teams entering cars of the future – streamlined vehicles focused on maximising fuel efficiency through innovative design elements, such as drag reduction.

The Urban Concept category meanwhile will focus on fuel-efficient vehicles that are closer in appearance to the mainstream, higher-mileage cars seen on the roads today.

For both Prototype and Urban Concept categories, teams may enter vehicles using any of the following energy types—gasoline, diesel, alternative gasoline (ethanol 100), alternative diesel (Shell Gas-to-Liquid or fatty acid methyl ester), battery electric or hydrogen fuel cell. results for the electrically powered vehicles are measured in kilometers per kilowatt hour (km/kWh), and in kilometers per litre (km/l) for the other energy types.

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TATUM ANCHETA EDITOR

BING PAREL

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

BERNADETTE LUNAS

life @ thestandard.com .ph

WRITER

@LIFEatStandard

ST Y L E & BE AU T Y

LIFE

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VACATION IN STYLE WITH MARKS & SPENCER’S SWIMWEAR COLLECTION

Mix-and-match with a nautical swimwear and contemporary floral cover-up design

Pair up with this bikini and white button down cover-up for that sexy summer appeal

M

arks & Spencer is slowly trying to gain appeal for the younger market as it racks up on pieces with a younger and energetic vibe. This season, it unveiled stylishly vibrant pieces perfect for a summer getaway.

Whether you’re gearing for a lovely sunset cruise or soaking up the sun in your favorite beach spot, Marks & Spencer’s Swimwear collection has standout and ontrend ensembles to tickle your fancy.

Inspired by exotic islands and nautical notes, the collection presents figure flattering curves for women who enjoy frolicking under the summer sun. From chic one-piece swimsuits to sexy two-piece ensembles, slick kimonos, cover-ups, and flowy dresses, there is something for your day and night activities.

Certain types of swimwear fit specific personalities, but when choosing, also think about your body shapes to get the right fit. If you have a body like Beyoncé’s whose curves highlight is on the hips and thighs, balance proportion by highlighting your upper part; a plunging neckline would do the trick. Choose from M&S vibrant

Go nautical with a stripe one-piece suit from M&S swimwear collection

The new M&S summer collection features pieces for different kinds of body types

Marks & Spencer is available in leading malls nationwide.

PHOTOS BY CYRUS PANGANIBAN; STYLING BY SIDNEY YAP; MAKEUP BY ALLEN ROSALES; AIR STYLING BY JHANE CASIMINA; MODELED BY KSENIA OF ELITE MODELS; SHOT ON LOCATION AT DUSIT THANI MANILA IN MAKATI CITY

colored bikini tops and avoid the thick lined bottoms as they will only draw much attention to what you don’t want to show. If your problem is the same as Penelope Cruz’s character in Zoolander, Valentina – who can’t make it to the world of high fashion because of her voluminous breasts – then you need a little bit of top support.

M&S summer collection offers bikini tops with underwires in them. A little support for the well endowed!

Now if you’re as curvy as Kim K, show off that hourglass shape and go for asymmetrical suits that accentuate your curves or do some color blocking with high waist bottoms and boxy tops. If you want to take attention away from your mid-part and hide that extra cup of rice you had from last Chinese New Year (oh please, admit it!) then go for highwaisted bikinis, a one-piece suit, or a tankini top.

M&S also plays up some colorful feminine dresses that you can wear everyday as the hotter season beckons. If you’re more into pants, the collection also offers lightweight pants on trendy prints.

Check out the racks as early as now and update your wardrobe for the scorching summer.

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LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

EAU THERMALE AVÈNE INTRODUCES HYDRATING MAKEUP REMOVER TO FILIPINO WOMEN

O

Eau Thermale Avène’s New Formula Micellar Lotion

n social media and online sites, there seems to be a proliferation of how-to videos on putting on makeup. While it does enhance facial features and makes one glow when one leaves the house, it is not a secret to anyone that makeup can cause skin damage and further adds to skin aging, especially if not properly removed by the end of the day.

According to a research done by US organization Skin Deep, an average woman’s use of 12 different products everyday contains about 170 ingredients that can cause more harm than good to the skin especially if aftercare regimen is not practiced.

A recent event hosted by international skincare brand Eau Thermale Avène featured the use of makeup with international makeup artist Chuchie Ledesma leading the makeup lessons, with highlight on proper skin regimen before, during and after application.

Eau Thermale Avène, the leading dermocosmetic brand in Europe, is deeply rooted in dermatology and hydrotherapy with 260 years of expertise in managing all skin types.

Its products are supported by more than 300 clinical studies resulting in high quality skincare products available for customers all over the world. The highlighted product during the event is the new formulation of its Micellar Lotion.

Eau Thermale Avène’s New Formula Micellar Lotion is a top-of-the-line makeup remover that captures skin impurities like a magnet, perfect in removing even hard-toremove waterproof and long-lasting cosmetic products applied on the face, eyes and lips.

It is important to have a proper skin regimen before, during and after application of your daily makeup

“Beauty comes naturally, that’s why most people make beauty an investment,” says Harry Tsai, the general manager of Karihome Inc., Avène products distributor in the Philippines. “Filipino women should do the same. The application of cosmetic products can enhance their facial feature. But at the end of the day, they need to remove all these heavy makeup and make sure that they allow their skin to breathe,” he adds.

The Micellar Lotion contains 93 percent Avène Thermale Spring Water, the water compound that is a signature to most of Avène’s products. This water is “infused with trace elements and silicates, achieving a perfectly balanced mineral composition ideal for sensitive skin.” The effect of the product soothes and softens the

skin, and restores its natural balance. Medically proven to contain healing properties and anti-free radicals, and also known to be non-irritating and noninflammatory, the product is suitable for those prone to allergic reactions, burning, stinging, itching and tingling sensations.

Micellar Lotion is a gentle norinse cleanser, toner and makeup remover in one. “Many women in the Philippines are finding new and effective ways to look their best, and what better way to match this than by introducing a makeup remover that is powerful enough to get rid of the strongest ingredients found in cosmetics?” says Tsai. With this product, Filipino women who have sensitive skin can still wear their favorite makeup without worry of skin irritation after washing it.

“Cosmetic products give more benefits to women on top of an improved facial feature. For some, this could be a way to be more presentable when talking to clients; to others, this could be as simple as feeling more confident about themselves,” explains Tsai.

“However, Filipinas should bear in mind that real beauty emanates from within; beauty will always be what’s under those heavy makeups – and we’ll help them improve their features in the most natural way,” he ends.

Avene Micellar Lotion sells for P735 and is available in select Watsons and Mercury Drug stores. For more details, visit Avène’s Facebook page at EauThermaleAvenePH.

The new Summer Classics collection allows airflow for a cooling summer wear and its cloth and structure doesn’t cling to the skin

GIORDANO LAUNCHES SUMMER CLASSICSC OLLECTION

T

Giordano enables you to stock up with linen wear with its easy- style Summer Classics collection

his summer, clothes will once again become thinner as we transition from the love month towards a hotter tropical breeze. So throw those leather jackets and thick knitted wools in the closet and welcome cool linens back for your everyday wear.

Linen clothes usually are irreplaceable for summer wear mostly because of the cooling properties the cloth has. It allows more airflow and its stiff structure doesn’t cling to the skin.

Classic brand Giordano enables you to stock up with linen wear with its easystyle Summer Classics collection. Light, breathable and functional fabric highlights its latest collection. Whether you’re up for a walk in the park, a stroll in the mall, alfresco brunch with your friends, or simply just going to work for a casual workday – Giordano’s summer offering provides all-around adaptable pieces for a cooler summer breeze. The fabric used for the collections is blended with cotton for added comfort.

Linen shirts are available in breathable silhouettes perfectly paired with versatile cuts of shorts and pants. Dominating hues for the season are fresh colors and neutrals for a refreshing summer staple. Get rid of your favorite dark clothes especially black as the color traps heat in, making your body feel warm – not advisable for summer.

“Summer is one of the most anticipated seasons, and the goal behind this year’s Summer Classics Collection is to help people enjoy their chosen activities by making hot days bearable with chic casual staples that are refreshing, practical and very versatile,” says Giordano Philippines vice president for Merchandising Rochelle Tan. “We want everyone to maximize the summer by providing easy-to-wear stylish pieces perfect for every activity.”

Another collection to watch out for this April is Giordano’s cheerful and energetic One World: One Love tees designed by international artists.

Keep up to date with this collection by following GiordanoPhilippines on Facebook.

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LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

FASHION FOR A PURPOSE Bags made of scrap denims empower disadvantaged women

BY BERNADETTE LUNAS

I

n an era of The True Cost and the burgeoning brands selling ethically made apparel items, people are becoming more concerned about the way their clothes are manufactured.

“When you buy things and they’re made by young children who are not being paid properly or whose working times are not good, you kind of have second thoughts on why you’re buying all these expensive items when the people who are making them are not making much,” observes Susan Bautista-Afan, Central Fundraising director of ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation.

It goes without saying that there is a growing collective consciousness among consumers to make better choices that would benefit a larger cause, and it spills over the fashion industry. Bautista-Afan further notes that the younger lot are leading the pack of the more vigilant shoppers.

“I think the millennials and the Z generation are more conscious about the environment and about their being part of the sustainability in the world,” she opines.

“I think they do want to buy items, clothing, accessories from retailers that are not only conscious about making money but also about helping people and the environment around them.”

Global Japanese clothing brand Uniqlo aims to be one of those brands. Apart from its commitment to provide high-quality casual apparel, the fashion label says it’s also devoted to giving back to the community.

A fortunate partnership In 2015, Uniqlo Philippines approached Bautista-Afan and her ALKFI team to ask for help in distributing lightly used clothes donated to Uniqlo stores nationwide.

The donation came from the brand’s special recycling campaign called “10 Million Ways to HELP.” However, ALKFI had a better idea.

“The ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation gave us a great idea of upcycling the scrap fabric from our (pants) alteration service,” shares Uniqlo Philippines chief operations officer Katsumi Kubota.

The said pieces of fabric were previously thrown away as trash until Uniqlo and ALKFI signed a memorandum of agreement in October 2015 that would put the unusable scrap to good use and provide economic opportunity to disadvantaged women from families relocated by ALKFI to a community in Calauan, Laguna.

“Through the ‘Upcycling Project,’ we supply the fabric and they (ALKFI) have these talented women who make these nice beautiful bags,” says Kubota.

Uniqlo also donated sewing machines and provided technical support by bringing in their takumi (sewing experts) to teach the women how to neatly sew bags that pass Uniqlo’s standards.

Since the beginning of their operations in December last year, the women in Calauan have already made more than 300 bags from the 1000 initially planned.

Uniqlo buys back the upcycled denim tote bags for P220 each, which will then be distributed to consumers as novelty items during Uniqlo Philippines’ events.

The two partners are looking forward to selling these bags; however, the production depends on the scrap fabric Uniqlo can collect from its current 27 stores across the country.

“We have to have more scrap pieces to be able to sell these bags. Which means we are still depending on how many denim jeans we can sell,” explains Kubota.

A great opportunity Rebecca Paunalan, a 40-year-old mother of four, is one of the 30 women in Calauan who sews the scrap denim fabric into functional tote bags.

At present, Rebecca takes home P250 a day from the project, which according to her is a big financial help to her family. “It’s really beneficial for us especially in Calauan since the opportunities to earn there are limited,” she says in the vernacular.

Kubota is likewise pleased to be able to help the people ALKFI is helping.

“Through our Upcycling Project, we hope to restore the dignity among people and the environment, even in a small way.”

From trash to tote bags. From left: ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation officer-in-charge Leah Bautista, ALKFI Central Fundraising director Susan Bautista-Afan, ALKFI chairperson Gina Lopez, and Uniqlo Philippines chief operations officer Katsumi Kubota show the upcycled denim bags made by the women in Bayan ni Juan community in Calauan, Laguna

Uniqlo donates lightly used clothes through its special recycling campaign called '10 Million Ways to HELP'

Uniqlo donates scrap pieces of denim fabric collected from their pants alteration service which the women in Calauan sew together to become functional tote bags

Gina Lopez says the upcycled denim tote bags are 'cute'

SHOPPING GALORE AT ARANETA CENTER’S GREAT LEAP YEAR SALE Shoppers are going to leap with joy at the fantastic shopping opportunities offered at the Araneta Center’s The Great Leap Year Sale, with huge discounts in shops jam-packed with sale items until February 29!

Dubbed as a “shoppers’ paradise,” Araneta Center offers a diverse array of brand names with products of excellent quality in numerous shopping outlets located at Ali Mall, Gateway Mall and New Farmers Plaza.

From fashion finds for men and women to accessories to bags and luggage, shoes, watches, jewelry to personal care and other items, shoppers can shop till they drop for fabulous finds with prices up to 70 percent off ! Don’t miss out on Araneta Center’s awesome sale!

Follow Araneta Center’s social media accounts at www.facebook.com/AranetaCenter on Facebook, @AranetaCenter on Twitter, and @thearanetacenter on Instagram for updates.

F R I D AY : F E B R U A R Y 2 6 , 2 0 1 6

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LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

ALL ABOUT THAT BASE

N

POP-UP BEAUTY

BY JIGS MAYUGA

ot everyone needs foundation. There, I said it. Coming from a makeup artist, this may come as a shock to some women. In this age of HD video and photography where every image is scrutinized and criticized, somehow less does translate to more when it comes to choosing the right base for your skin.

Yes, not everyone is blessed with even-toned, blemish-free, pore-less skin and there are days when wearing a full face of makeup is necessary to feel good about yourself. But on good skin

NARS Velvet Matte Skin Tint, Central Square

days, you don’t really need to use your full coverage foundation, especially in this humid Manila weather and the possibility of being photographed in bad lighting.

Women nowadays are learning to embrace the beauty of bare skin with some makeup tweaks and tricks here and there to enhance, not cover up the face. Here are some of the newest bases available for you to try, from skin caring serums with a hint of coverage, sheer tints and cream foundations that leave skin dewy, not cakey.

M.A.C. Lightful C 2in1 Tint and Serum with Radiance Booster, Glorietta M∙A∙C’s newest innovation comes in a unique dualchamber bottle that holds two potent formulas, a treatment serum and a brightening tint. Both formulas target a variety of skin concerns, from dark spots and dehydration to uneven skin tone, all with the help of the Lightful Radiance Booster, composed of cucumber extract, apple extract, Baikal skullcap extract and vitamin C to help brighten skin. It also moisturizes the skin and offers a light tint for those who want just a hint of coverage. In two weeks it promises to even out skin tone and reduce the appearance of dark spots. It comes in five shades from light to dark deep.

This skin tint from NARS delivers soft-matte perfection and protection. Its oil-free formula delivers NARS’ signature natural-looking finish and shine control with the skincare benefits of an allin-one treatment. NARS’ innovative Velvet Illusion Complex technology creates a soft-focus effect with a soft-touch feel. Transparent Blurring Powders instantly enhance the look of skin by helping to blur imperfections and even the tone. Skin doesn’t look flat, masked, or chalky. Delivers sheer-to-medium coverage that lasts comfortably through the day. In nine shades, from the lightest ivory to the deepest mahogany, which offer soft-matte coverage for every skin tone.

THE BODY SHOP Fresh Nude Foundation, Megamall Everyday is a good skin day with Fresh Nude Foundation from The Body Shop. Enriched with English rose water and aloe vera, this hydrating formula leaves skin feeling fresh and comfortable throughout the day. It also contains SPF 15 to help protect your skin.

With a semi-matte finish, each of these 16 nature-inspired shades mimics the look of fresh-faced natural skin with a nude glow. You can also use the shade-adjusting drops (sold separately) to either lighten or darken your foundation depending on the condition of your skin, whether you’ve just gotten back from a sunny beach holiday with a tan or a winter getaway where skin may look pale.

INGLOT Cream Foundation, Glorietta It is a subtle cream foundation that provides even yet natural coverage. With a matte finish gives the skin a dewy appearance because of the added illuminators in the formula. Vitamin E, peptides, and special polyesters are combined with a unique silicone and gel base to keep all skin types bright and fresh. This foundation is also suitable for use with airbrush makeup equipment. Comes in 41 shades for every skin tone and color.

MAX FACTOR Miracle Match Foundation, SM Makati Miracle Match Foundation cleverly balances medium coverage with a translucent finish for a look that gives a beautifully blurred effect and nourishes with hydration at the same time. Added to the formula are light reflecting particles to reduce and soften the appearance of skin imperfections. Pat McGrath, global creative director of Max Factor Cosmetics and world-renowned makeup artist, claims, “Max Factor Miracle Match is a fantastic foundation; it gives flawless looking beautiful skin. And that’s the beginning of any glamour transformation – good skin!” Available in 18 shades that cover a global skin-tone spectrum.

Follow me on Instagram and Twitter @jigsmayuga

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BOycE AvENuE

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American band Boyce Avenue

sAys ‘HEllO MANIlA’ AgAIN

By Nickie Wang

W

hen you suddenly hear your favorite song given a rock acoustic treatment and actually sounds better than the original version, you must be hearing Boyce Avenue performing.

Typically armed with just an acoustic guitar, cajón (box drum) and a keyboard, YouTube’s most followed band has been known for its stripped-down rendition of radio-friendly songs. But at the concert at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Tuesday, the trio showcased not just what they are known for, they also delighted thousands of concertgoers with what they do best – stage an electrifying show with nothing but musical explosion.

Case in point, when the band, composed of brothers Alejandro, Daniel, and Fabian Manzano, performed Adele’s massively popular song “Hello,” the audience was brought to an adrenal-

J

ized state. Although they were familiar with the song, Alejandro’s rich and soulful vocals and his brothers’ incredible guitar flair, made the single sounded as good as Adele’s version if not uniquely better (at least to the ears of rock acoustic fanatics).

The band’s frontman visibly perked up the crowd when he hollered, “Mahal namin kayo.”

That shoutout alone made the audience forget that they waited for more than an hour (or make it more than two hours) if we were to discount Savannah Outenand At Sunset’s performances as the concert’s front acts.

Alejandro, the youngest member of Boyce Avenue, kept the audience connected with the band all throughout the show by telling them how the band appreciates their Filipino fans.

“I’d like to introduce you to my brother Favian, my name is Alejandro and here’s my other brother Daniel. Together, with you, we are Boyce Avenue. We first played here in 2009. It was

the first time we played outside the US. Thousands showed up. It was amazing,” said the 29-yearold musician.

Then he asked, “Who among you discovered us through YouTube? We do a lot of acoustic on our YouTube channel. I hope you don’t mind us playing some acoustics tonight.”

As expected, their 90-minute show featured covers of familiar songs like Kings of Leon’s “Use Somebody,” Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud,” Avicii’s “Wake Me Up,” Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car,” Bruno Mars’s “Locked Out Of Heaven” and Shawn Mendes’s “Stitches.”

Every number was well received including originals such as “Be Somebody,” “Cinderella,” “Imperfect Me,” and “Pick Yourself Back Up Again,” which are all part of an EP they’re currently promoting.

At the encore, Alejandro went back onstage alone. With his guitar slung over his shoulder he conversed with the crowd that suddenly packed the front side

Boyce Avenue in concert at the Smart Araneta Coliseum

of the stage, “We are not done quite yet, I hope you don’t mind if I will play some songs back to back. Just you and me just promise that you’ll sing with me.”

He performed an acoustic medley before calling his brothers back out with him and blasted the stage with their final number.

The trio embarked on a five-city

tour in various parts of the country playing hits and songs culled from their latest album, and Manila was their first pit stop. They also visited Cagayan De Oro, Cebu, Bacolod and Baguio.

The concert, which is Boyce Avenue’s fifth visit in the country, is part of the ongoing Be Somebody world tour.

HABITAT’s WOMEN BuIlD fOR THE sEcOND TIME

PMorgan Chase & Co. women employees built homes to celebrate Valentine’s Day festivities by taking part in Habitat for Humanity Philippines’ Women Build in Stonewell, Sto Tomas, Batangas, on Feb. 13.

More than 50 women volunteers took part in constructing homes for families in need of decent and affordable homes.

The volunteers were exposed to various build activities such as land excavation, gravel bedding, wall panel drilling, and cement mixing and pouring. The build experience, which the women voluntarily signed up for under JP Morgan’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program, enabled them to become more empowered to participate in nation building from the grassroots.

“We hope to continue to partner with Habitat in helping, not just promote our CSR initiatives, but also actually make a

JPMorgan Chase & Co. women employee volunteers at Sto. Tomas, Batangas for the Habitat for Humanity Philippines

difference in the lives of others by doing good works,” says Kristine Aquino, JPMorgan Chase &Co’s Senior Team member for Quality Control Billing – Corporate Investment Bank.

“Aside from just building homes, we’ll look into more community development activities such as house painting and dona-

tion drives to help in the sustainability of the communities.”

The Habitat Philippines Women Build volunteer work is another show of heart that proves that women can also do the heavy lifting and share the love for our fellow Filipinos.

“Habitat’s Women Build initiative here in the Philippines is gaining recognition among

our society and has been able to empower women to do and build more to help better the lives of Filipino families who simply need a home to live in,” Charlie Ayco, Habitat’s Managing director and CEO said.

“We are overjoyed and very thankful that JPMorgan continues to partner with us in building communities and transforming lives,” Ayco added.

Habitat for Humanity’s Women Build originated in the early 1990’s in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA, wherein it encouraged women to help make a difference by building homes and communities. The initiative continues to seek to provide an environment in which women can feel comfortable learning construction skills that they might not otherwise have the opportunity to learn. Globally, over 1,400 homes have since been completed by Women Build volunteers.

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SHOWBITZ

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

PEOPLE ¼

are talking about

¼

are not talking about

THE BOY FROM CORDILLERA

ALMA MORENO

It looks like the former actress prefers to ride on other issues just to further her own intentions. Out of nowhere she suddenly opposed Manny Paquiao’s stand on same sex marriage as if she didn’t watch her own interview with Karen Davila. We guess she will do everything just improve her ranking in the surveys even if it meant changing her views on issues she doesn’t even understand.

Remember when the entire online world was hit by the “Alex from Target” bomb, or the picture of young goodlooking American lad who works from a supermarket circulated online?

Well, the Philippines now has its Alex via “The Boy from Cordillera” who is also known as the “Carrot Man.” The lad suddenly became an Internet sensation with netizens comparing the “random guy” who probably works in a carrot farm to celebrities like JM de Guzman, Hero Angeles and even to Lee Min Ho and Vic Zhou. Talk about breaking the Internet without efforts.

FEBRUARY 26, 2016 KIM CHIU

BALANG

Speaking of breaking the Internet, there’s this young boy who probably makes a lot of local celebrities green with envy. While most of them have appeared on the show as just part of the audience, 7-year-old Balang has just made his third appearance on the hit talk show hosted by Ellen DeGeneres to show off his dance moves.

BOX-OFFICE ENTERTAINMENT AWARDS

JADINE

A full house concert at the Big Dome, a top-rating show and countless endorsements, these are just few of the reasons why James Reid and Nadine Lustre are considered the brightest loveteam from the Kapamilya lot. Their stars shine even brighter when the two admitted that they are lovers in real life.

Though this announcement looks more of a promo, it elicited mixed and countless reactions from people and Internet trolls making them busy all week following the couple’s every move.

The Box-Office Entertainment Awards of Guillermo Mendoza Memorial Scholarship Foundation has just released the list of awardees this year. The jurors deliberated with data gathered mostly from the Internet. What’s even hilarious is that the award-giving body seemed to be indecisive announcing at least two winners per category. Obviously, the people behind the Box-Office Entertainment Awards didn’t want to draw flak from fans of rival stars and networks.

Box office Queen and King AiAi delas Alas and Vic Sotto

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

ANSWER FOR PREVIOUS PUZZLE

ACROSS 22 Make changes to 1 On the fritz 24 Staying power 6 Bwana, in India 28 Third man in the 11 NASA ring counterpart 30 Put in order 14 Animal that 31 1 or 2 hisses 32 Surprise attacks 15 Ooze out 33 With all one’s 16 Geol. formation heart 17 Hero’s award 37 High dudgeon 18 Rock climber’s aid 38 Greets the day 19 Opposite of cheer 39 Minuscule 20 Tiant or Aparicio 40 More corpulent

The chinita star speaks out on the persistent issue that suggests she went under the knife to enhance her looks. Saying she’s all-natural, Kim posted a photo on Instagram to finally put this rumor to rest. But her intention didn’t really work to her favor because instead of people believing her claim, they just became more convinced that she really had some procedures done.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2016

21 Et, for Hans 43 Diva’s accolade 23 Ration out 45 Ph.D. exams 24 Take it all off 46 Less cloudy 25 Coronet 47 Place to learn 26 Farewell 50 Wine servers 27 Halfway 51 Canape toppers 28 Delta maker 52 Spill the beans 29 They’re easily 53 Historian’s word bruised 54 Major oil hub 31 Fakes out, on the 57 Gung-ho 62 “The One I Love” rink 33 Newspaper type group 34 Gnome 63 Us, to Pogo 35 Flood barrier 64 Lofty capital 36 Century units 65 Six-pointers 38 Pow! 66 Eats sparingly 41 Leaf juncture 67 Not get renewed 42 Peaked DOWN 43 Biceps builder 1 Eur. airline 44 Narrow inlet 2 Dark brew 46 JFK watchdog 3 Mattress extra 47 Separate 4 Ms. Thurman 48 Like a canary of “Gattaca” 49 Quark habitats 5 Adds up 50 Potters’ supplies 6 Tintype hue 52 Cellar, briefly 7 Poles’ connector 55 Verse lead-in 8 Rough shelter 56 Grant foe 9 Bachelor’s last 58 “—, Magoo, m’boy words (2 wds.) . . .”

10 Fund-raiser 59 Space between 11 Hearth residue 12 Excalibur’s holder 60 Hairpin curve 13 Battery’s “+” end 61 Funny

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LIKE MOTHER, LIKE DAUGHTER The 16-year-old daughter of one of the most beautiful faces in show business in the 1980s has been tagged as the “Next Phenomenal Teen Star.”

Sofia Romualdez, eldest daughter of Cristina “Kring-Kring” Gonzales-Romualdez, has been turning heads, particularly talent agents, directors, producers, and photographers. She has many offers to endorse TV commercials and the big TV networks are fighting for her attention.

The Assumption College student is very beautiful. “Fresh face, she looks like a half breed. Very elegant, she can be Miss Universe. I believe she will make it to the headlines very soon,” said director Gorio Vicuna.

Because of the attention Sofia is getting, the proud mom is also being noticed, again. Reports say Cristina looks like Sofia’s older sister, not aging since her heyday in showbiz. Her timeless beauty is unbelievable. She is 50 years old. She looks 25.

“I know the best beauty secret!

And I don’t want to keep it a secret,” reveals Kring-Kring.

Her secret is an effective, painless, gentle, and no-downtime laser treatment, an alternative to traditional skin resurfacing and surgical face lifts. ClearTight Laser is a state-of-

the-art, non-ablative treatment that improves fine lines and wrinkles, and the appearance of small veins and redness caused by vascularity.

It is gentle enough to treat areas that are typically too sensitive for other lasers, such as the delicate skin around the eyes, forehead, mouth, neck, chest, hands, elbows, knees and underarms.

“ClearTight delivers photo acoustic shockwaves to the target area through high laser intensities in nanosecond pulses. It stimulates the collagen under the skin that tightens the skin of the face and neck,” says Dr. Jean Marquez, founder of The Skin Specialist.

ClearTight Laser is ideal in achieving a refreshed overall rejuvenation and tightening without the need for surgery. Its unique hand-piece can treat hard-to-reach areas that traditional ablative lasers can’t. ClearTight heats beneath the skin to reduce pain or discomfort.

No wonder Cristina looks like Sofia’s sister. Experience her beauty secret at The Skin Specialist, Ground Floor ESNA Building, 30 Timog Avenue, Quezon City. Visit www. theskinspecialist.com.ph or call 3748087 / 09178101319.

Cristina Gonzales-Romualdez with daughter Sofia

TNT SHOWERS LRT 2 PASSENGERS WITH VALENTINE’S DAY TREATS

1:43’s Yuki Sakamoto gives flowers to commuters last Feb. 14 and invites them TNT’s Super Panalo Day on Feb. 26 at MOA Arena with TNT Katropas Robin Padilla, Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza among others

GMA BLOOD DRIVE YIELDS 1,580 BLOOD BAGS

PRC Director of National Blood Services Dr Christie Monina Nalupta, GMAKF EVP and COO Mel C Tiangco and PRC-Quezon City Chapter Chairman Dr Hermogenes D Jarin at the ceremonial turnover

There was no such thing as lonely Hearts’ Day for Katropas at the LRT 2 Cubao Station on Valentine’s Day as TNT showered them with treats and special offers.

TNT Katropas were greeted with flowers, chocolates, and even a serenade from 1:43 Band on the special day, making the love and kilig felt all over the station. Aside from that, TNT also announced special perks to show TNT subscribers the love not only on Valentine’s Day and beyond.

Especially made from Alden and Maine super fans, TNT launched the Alden & Maine Load or AM15.

Through this, no Katropa will be left behind on anything Alden and

O

n Feb. 10, GMA Network employees and their families, along with hundreds of their fellow Kapuso nationwide took part in the 8th Kapuso Bloodletting Day, yielding a total of 1,580 (711,000 cc) blood bags.

The blood drive held at the GMA Network Center in Quezon City produced 208 blood bags (93,600 cc), while the regional bloodletting activity produced 1,372 (617,400 cc) blood bags.

Director of National Blood Services for the Philippine Red Cross, Dr. Christie Monina Nalupta, expressed her utmost gratitude to GMA Kapuso Foundation as well as GMA employees for being part of the activity and helping spread awareness on the benefits of blood donation, not just for the beneficiaries, but also to the donors themselves. She commended them for their generosity and highlighted

Maine with its unlitext to all networks; 60 minutes of calls to TNT, Smart, and Sun; and 100MB of mobile data that can be used to any of their favorite apps like Facebook, Viber, Twitter, Clash of Clans, and Dubsmash, among others. And to make the deal even sweeter, all these are available for only P15 with one-day validity. To enjoy the AM15, just text AM15 to 4545.

And if that’s not enough, TNT also announced its biggest event for katropas nationwide to date: the TNT Super Panalo Day, where all

subscribers can watch TNT endorsers like Robin Padilla and the phenomenal love team of Alden and Maine live at the SM Mall of Asia Arena on Feb. 26. To get tickets, TNT subcribers only have to load TNT promos at designated booth at the Smart Tower lobby, 6799 Ayala Avenue, Makati City starting February 15.

To know more, follow TNT’s official social media accounts at Facebook (www.facebook. com/TalkNText) and Twitter (@ TalkNText).

The Boys of 1:43 with TNT’s Jac Bocalan, Trade Marketing Head for Smart; Miriam Choa, TNT Brand Head; and Kat Luna Aberlarde, FVP and Head of Smart’s Wireless Consumer Division

the fact that their participation also influences more people to donate to the cause.

GMA Kapuso Foundation EVP and COO Mel C. Tiangco recalled how the project began with the Network’s top management looking for a public service initiative in which the employees could take part.

“This bloodletting drive was the result of the Network’s vision of manifesting its promise of Serbisyong Totoo right here at home – by instilling it in the heart of our employees,” says Tiangco. “This activity not only addresses their welfare, since blood donation promotes a healthy lifestyle, but it also serves to provide them with the opportunity to help firsthand.”

“This may not increase your salaries, but it will definitely earn you points in heaven,” she added.

The Kapuso Bloodletting Day is an annual project of GMA’s Corpo-

rate Affairs Division, in cooperation with the Network’s socio-civic arm, GMA Kapuso Foundation and GMA Regional TV, in partnership with the Philippine Red Cross. GMA Regional TV’s stations in Ilocos, Dagupan, Naga, Cebu, Iloilo, Bacolod, Cagayan de Oro, Davao and General Santos also participate through simultaneous bloodletting events in their respective areas.

In addition to these efforts in promoting volunteerism through blood donation is the GMA Kapuso Foundation’s Sagip Dugtong Buhay Bloodletting Project, which has been running for 20 years now.

In partnership with the Philippine Red Cross, Ever Gotesco Malls and Go Tong Foundation, 1,942 blood bags (873, 900 cc) were collected through the bloodletting event on Feb. 13 at t Ever Gotesco Mall, Commonwealth Center.

F RIDAY : F EBRUA RY 26, 2016

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ISAH V. RED EDITOR isahred @ gmail.com

SHOWBITZ

ABS-CBN executives Kane Errol Choa, Laurenti Dyogi, Ging Reyes, Cory Vidanes, and Carlo Katigbak with PACE members led by its president Marco Polo

PINOY MEDIA CONGRESS INSPIRES YOUNG COMMUNICATORS ISAH V. RED

A

lmost a thousand mass communication students from all over the Philippines learned the latest trends and issues in media and communication straight from the industry experts at the ABS-CBN Corporation’s 10th Pinoy Media Congress at St. Mary’s College, Quezon City last week.

ABS-CBN President and CEO Carlo Katigbak reminded the delegates from as far as Cagayan State

Students gained understanding of the field they are about to enter as they learned how to cover politicians during the election season, what makes local teleseryes click among audiences here and abroad, how to save and strengthen the local film industry, and how to create and distribute content based on the audiences’ behavior from ABS-CBN executives Ging Reyes, Marielle Catbagan, Rowena Paraan, Evelyn Raymundo, Leo Katigbak, Ronald Arguelles, Olivia Lamasan, and Vivian Tin. They also saw how media can bring empowerment to people through using sports to promote Pinoy excellence, by using technology to promote Filipino talent and creativity, by using media’s reach

Over 900 students from different parts of the Philippines participated in this year’s PMC

University in the north and UP Mindanao in the south, to never lose their fire and idealism.

The Kapamilya network’s president also said during his talk that as aspiring media practitioners, students should always be mindful of the product they are putting out for the public, whether be it in social media, print, or broadcast.

“Hold on to your idealism. May that be the fuel that drives your passion for the mission to build a better country and create a better world,” he said.

Katigbak headline the distinguished speakers who shared their experience and gave inspiration in the event organized by ABS-CBN and the Philippine Association of Communication Educators (PACE) for the tenth year. This year, the theme was “Media: Empowering and Inspiring a Nation.”

in starting an advocacy, and by upholding positive values in programs to strengthen Filipino families from resource speakers Dino Laurena, Dennis Lim, Gina Lopez, Ginny Monteagudo-Ocampo, also of ABS-CBN. The delegates were also moved by the journey and success stories of ABS-CBN senior news correspondent Doris Bigornia, ABS-CBN sports correspondent and ANC anchor Gretchen Ho, and Chicken Pork Adobo content creators Lloyd Cadena, Rod Marmol, Dominic Dimagmaliw, and Natalia UyChan who shared with the students how hardwork, passion, creativity, and purpose brought them to a fulfilling career in media.

Then, after learning about the current and future trends and practices in the industry, the students had a dialogue with the ABS-CBN officers

led by Katigbak, COO for Broadcast Cory Vidanes, and News head Ging Reyes. Here, the delegates were able to directly ask the leaders of the Kapamilya Network on issues and matters about the leading media and entertainment organization in the country.

The resounding message from the executives was all about sacrifice, integrity, critical-thinking, and learning to tell stories that are not only good to tell, but inspiring and empowering not only to the students, but something to apply with their families.

Aside from lessons in media life, the delegates also took home with them happy memories as Kapamilya artists Jana Agoncillo, Ketchup Eusebio, and Sylvia Sanchez of the well-loved show Ningning, And I Love You star Julia Baretto, and Oh My G! actress Janella Salvador provided entertainment with the group Hashtags from It’s Showtime. Some of them also attended the Chicken Pork Adobo bootcamp for aspiring online creators and film screening of restored classic films Kakabakaba Ka Ba? and Sana Maulit Muli held inside the ABS-CBN compound on the last day of PMC. For its noble objective of preparing the next generation of mass communicators to ensure the bright future of the media industry, the PMC has already been honored with Awards of Excellence from the Public Relations Society of the Philippines’ Anvil Awards in 2008 and the International Association of Business Communicators Philippines’ Philippine Quill Awards in 2007. Yet, even after 10 PMCs, and now, almost 8,000 students served, ABS-CBN Integrated Corporate Communications head Kane Errol Choa said the network remains tireless in its advocacy for the youth and the media industry.

“Every year we cherish the opportunity to touch base with the brightest communication students in the country, and pass on to them everything we know. But more than shape excellent communicators we hope to help mold loving, responsible, and patriotic citizens. Through every PMC, we hope to impart to them the value of public service, in the hope that just like ABSCBN, no matter how big or great they become, they will never forget to serve their country,” he said.

Volleyball player turned news and sports correspondent Gretchen Ho talks about her transition from athlete to media personality

ABS-CBN Integrated News head Ging Reyes

Katigbak delivered the keynote speech at the PMC Year 10

ABS-CBN senior news correspondent Doris Bigornia shares with students how it is to be a journalist embedded in a political campaign

ABS-CBN Digital Media Division digital media services head Dennis Lim talks about the network’s multichannel online network Chicken Pork Adobo

ABS-CBN Film Restoration and Special Projects head Leo Katigbak explains how ABS-CBN is preserving and restoring classic Filipino films

Jana Agoncillo leads the prayer at PMC 10. Behind her are business unit head Ginny Ocampo and her co-stars in Ningning, Sylvia Sanchez and Ketchup Eusebio

Leng Raymundo discussed how ABS-CBN programs gained popularity even among foreign audience

Gina Lopez talks about the advocacies of ABS-CBN that have made a difference in communities all over the nation