The Standard - 2016 March 9 - Wednesday

VOL. XXX NO. 28 3 Sections 32 Pages P18 wedNeSday : MaRCH 9, 2016 www.thestandard.com.ph editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Aquino buddy gets top DFA post

A2

hIgh court: Poe quAlIFIeD to ruN

By Rey E. Requejo and Macon Ramos-araneta

VOTING 9-6, the Supreme Court on Tuesday declared Senator Grace Poe as a qualified candidate for president in the May 9 elections, reversing the decision of the Commission on Elections to cancel her Certificate of Candidacy over questions about her citizenship and residency.

The Court’s decision to uphold Poe’s status as a natural-born citizen and to affirm that she satisfied the 10-year residency requirement to run for president frees the senator to concentrate on her campaign with 60 days until the elections.

“The Court, voting 9-6, granted the consolidated petitions for certiorari [of Senator Poe], finding that the Comelec gravely abused its discretion in rendering its assailed resolutions,” Court spokesman Theodore Te said in a press conference.

The nine justices who voted to grant Poe’s petitions against the Comelec ruling were Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, and Associate Justices Presbitero Velasco Jr., Diosdado Peralta, Lucas Bersamin, Jose Perez, Jose Mendoza, Marvic Leonen, Francis Jardeleza and Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa.

Those who voted to disqualify Poe were Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, Teresita LeonardoDe Castro, Arturo Brion, Mariano del Castillo, Bienvenido Reyes and Estela Perlas-Bernabe. Although Brion was on leave, he left his vote to deny Poe’s petitions.

Poe said she cried when she heard the news on the radio, while she was on her way to Liwasang Bonifacio for a celebration of International Women’s Day. The news broke just as her car stopped in front of Next page Quiapo Church.

‘It’s PNoy’s duty to campaign for bets’

A3

Teary-eyed. Presidential candidate Grace Poe joins the crowd celebrating International Women’s Day in Liwasang Bonifacio in Manila on Tuesday after learning of the favorable decision. Lino SanToS

Tribunal orders Comelec to give printed receipts the transparency and integrity of the May 9 elections.

THE Supreme Court on Tuesday Voting 14-0, the Court en ordered the Commission on Elec- banc granted the petition filed by tions to activate the vote verifica- former senator Richard Gordon tion feature of the vote counting seeking to compel the Comelec machines in compliance with the to enable the feature in the vote Automated Election Law to ensure counting machines to give voters a

By Rey E. Requejo

printed receipt as required by law.

Court spokesman Theodore Te made the announcement after the magistrates resolved the Gordon petition during an en banc session.

Te said Associate Justice Arturo Brion was unable to participate because he was on leave.

In his petition for mandamus, Gordon, who is also running for the Senate in this year’s elections said the poll body should implement Section 7 (e) of the Automated Election Law, which states that the Voter Verification Paper Audit Next page

w e d n e s d AY : M A R C H 9, 2 0 1 6

A2

news

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

IS threat ‘psychological warfare’ High court...

From A1

“The vendors there, whom I always see, [must have been] thinking why my eyes were puffy,” she said. “The news [item] ended when I arrived there [in front of the chuch], so [I thought] I should go down and give thanks.”

She added that the Supreme Court decision was a victory not only for foundlings, but all people who are poor and suffering.

“This is my mission—that the government should afford us protection and equality,” she said.

The Court struck down two separate decisions against Poe. The first, handed down by the Comelec’s First Division, was in response to petitions filed by former senator Francisco Tatad, De La Salle University professor Antonio Contreras and former University of the East law dean Amado Valdez, questioning her status as a natural-born citizen because she was a foundling.

The second, handed down by the Comelec’s Second Division, cancelled Poe’s Certificate of Candidacy after lawyer Estrella Elamparo challenged her claim to be a resident for the last 10 years.

Te said the decision and separate opinions, both concurring and dissenting, would be released within the week, after the justices decide who will write the majority decision.

In her memorandum to the Supreme Court last month, Poe, the frontrunner in the presidential race, asserted that she met the citizenship and residency requirements to run for president on May 9.

Poe said she did not commit material misrepresentation when she indicated in her CoC that she was a natural-born Filipino citizen and that she will be a resident of the Philippines for 10 years and 11 months by May 9, which is way beyond the 10-year residency requirement for presidential candidates prescribed in the 1987 Constitution.

She said the Comelec decision to cancel her CoC for president was “somewhat premeditated, and that bias and impartiality tainted the Comelec’s acts.”

Poe lamented how the Comelec “changed and manipulated at every turn” the rules of the game in deciding Poe’s case “to achieve the singular objective of denying due course to her CoC, and ultimately, removing her name from the official ballot.”

The senator said the Comelec denied her of her right to due

Tribunal...

From A1

Trail or VVPAT is one of the minimum systems capabilities of the automated election system and a major security feature of the vote counting machine.

Gordon said the VVPAT allows

process when it disregarded the overwhelming evidence proving that although a foundling, she is a natural-born citizen and that she has been a resident of the Philippines since May 24, 2005.

“The absence of an impartial tribunal is a denial of due process, and a denial of due process, constitutes grave abuse of discretion,” Poe said.

“Fueled, as they were, by arbitrariness and, at times, by apparent hostility, the Commission’s acts constitute grave abuse of discretion which, Senator Poe humbly submits, are correctible by the extraordinary writ of certiorari which only this honorable court can issue,” Poe said, in her memorandum.

On the issue of citizenship, Poe insisted that the Comelec abused its discretion when it ruled that she had the burden of proving her natural-born citizenship.

A foundling, Poe’s legal counsels said, is a natural-born Filipino citizen based on the generally acceptable principle of international law, which presumes foundlings to be naturalborn citizens of the country where they were found.

“As importantly, the burden to prove that petitioner is not a natural-born Filipino citizen rested on the private respondents, because petitioner is presumed by law to be qualified for the office for which she now seeks to run,” Poe’s lawyers said.

On the residency issue, the lawyers said the Comelec “acted whimsically and capriciously, ignored settled jurisprudence and disregarded the evidence on record” when it ruled that Poe made a false material representation as to the period of her residence before the May 9 polls.

“The Comelec had the positive duty to consider and weigh Sen. Poe’s evidence showing that she had reestablished her domicile of choice in the Philippines as early as 24 May 2005,” Poe’s legal team said.

“The Comelec’s refusal to perform this positive duty, and its gross inexcusable misappreciation of Senator Poe’s evidence, are questionably acts of grave abuse of discretion amounting to lack or excess of jurisdiction, which warrant setting aside the Comelec’s finding of fact on the issue of Senator Poe’s residence,” they added.

The lawyers also stressed that Poe “acted in good faith” as to the entry in her CoC regarding her residency and that there was no “deliberate intent” on her part to mislead the electorate.

Court records showed that

Poe began to settle permanently in the Philippines on May 24, 2005. After that, she enrolled her children in local schools in June 2005, purchased a property in late 2005, constructed her family home in Quezon City in early 2006, and sold their US property in 2006.

In her speech for International Women’s Day, Poe said the decision came at just the right time.

She said it takes compassion to address the many challenges that confront women today, including poverty and the impact of migration on their families.

Poe said 26 percent of Filipino women are poor. In other areas, the poverty incidence among women is even higher: 45 percent in Eastern Visayas and 55 percent in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

Should she win the presidency, Poe said she will ensure that women will have greater income and livelihood opportunities.

She said she will push for the strict enforcement of the Magna Carta for Women and the passage of the anti-discrimination bill.

Poe said women should not be limited because they have the ability to lead and change society.

Poe’s supporters breathed a sigh of relief over the Court’s decision.

Her spokesman, Valenzuela Mayor Rex Gatchalian, said Poe was grateful to the Supreme Court for deciding in her favor.

“This decision truly shows that our country’s laws protects all but most especially those who are downtrodden,” Gatchalian said in a text message to House reporters.

“Furthermore, this decision is a victory for our democracy because now our voters will truly have a fair elections where they will be allowed to choose from a complete list of candidates.

We are calling on our critics to move on and start focusing the discourse on what really matters to our people—platforms of governance,” Gatchalian said.

He said the Poe camp expects a surge in her ratings in the next surveys of voter preferences for president.

Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Neri Colmenares, a candidate for senator under Poe’s banner, said he was elated over the decision, saying it would give the people more choices for the presidency.

The lawyer for Tatad said they would appeal the Court’s decision.

“The Constitution was bastardized. The people will never

accept it. We will file a motion for reconsideration as soon as it becomes official,” said Manuelito Luna, the counsel for Tatad.

He said the decision was “a perfect recipe for chaos.”

Another petitioner De La Salle University professor Antonio Contreras, on the other hand, questioned the manner the Supreme Court reversed the earlier Comelec decision.

“I find it utterly irregular that the Supreme Court should issue a vote without releasing the decision,” DLSU professor Antonio Contreras said over a Facebook post Tuesday.

“This is a highly political move to benefit Poe. This is unprecedented,” he said.

Contreras said that with the Poe ruling would be a legacy of the Sereno-led court, her “decision by installment” is a “striptease way of dispensing Justice.”

“Being informed that you lost the vote but not of the basis. Is it on merits? Is it on a technicality,” he added.

The United Nationalist Alliance, on the other hand, said the decision would have no impact on the presidential campaign of its candidate, Vice President Jejomar Binay.

Binay’s spokesman, Rico Quicho, said the Court decision has no bearing in Binay’s campaign.

“The elections is about the candidate who is most qualified to alleviate the country’s poverty and not about who is the opponent,” Quicho said.

The elections are about who is most prepared to address the problem of poverty, and not who is most popular, he added.

“It is only Binay who can address the present predicament the country is facing,” he added.

The camp of administration candidate Manuel Roxas II also played down the decision on Poe. “We’ve always been prepared to run against Senator Poe,” said Rep. Barry Gutierrez. “We have been campaigning the past few months on the assumption that she was in the race.”

The Liberal Party spokesman congratulated Poe. “The Supreme Court has ruled, and we congratulate Senator Poe on their decision to let her run as president. We now welcome the verdict of the people come May,” he said.

In Malacañang, President Benigno Aquino III’s spokesman said they need to understand the decision of the Supreme Court before making a comment.

With Maricel V. Cruz, Vito Barcelo, Sandy Araneta and John Paolo Bencito

every voter to confirm whether or not the machine cast the vote correctly based on the choice of the voter, thereby ensuring the integrity of the elections.

He said the VVPAT is a “critical and indispensable” security feature of the automated voting machine, and one the Comelec must implement.

He added that the Comelec

must not be allowed to violate the law as it had done in the 2010 and 2013 elections.

Comelec chairman Andres Bautista earlier said the poll body decided against printing the receipts because it might be used for vote buying and that it would extend the voting period by six to seven hours.

The camp of presidential

candidate Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte welcomed the decision, saying it upheld the law on automated elections and would strengthen the credibility of the electoral process.

“This would allay fears of the people that their votes will not be counted properly,” said Duterte spokesman Peter Laviña.

With Rio N. Araja

By Christine F. Herrera

CLARK FREEPORT, Pampanga—Opposition United Nationalist Alliance vice presidential bet Senator Gregorio Honasan II on Tuesday dismissed as “mere psychological warfare” the claim of Moro Islamic Liberation Front Chairman Murad Ebrahim that the Islamic State aims to establish a stronghold in Mindanao.

Honasan, running mate of Vice President Jejomar Binay, said the Palace, and not the Armed Forces, should take the lead in reassuring the public.

“What the MILF is doing to us is a psywar.

Let’s just ignore them until we can analyze, confirm, validate and say that the MILF was right, but we are ready,” Honasan told reporters.

“The Palace should step in and check out on this report and reassure the public that the MILF claim was nothing but psywar,” Honasan said.

He said by keeping quiet, the Palace was giving credence to the MILF claim.

Honasan, a former rebel-soldier, said the MILF’s statement could not be taken as a valid warning.

He said the MILF was doing it to make it appear that the rebel group was still a force to reckon with.

“Otherwise, they [MILF] lose their leverage,” he said.

He said the MILF believes it also needs to flex its muscles to gain the respect of the next administration.

“In their minds, if we are not hardline now we might be marginalized again by the next administration,” Honasan said.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines [AFP] earlier played down Murad’s statement.

“We believe up to now that there is no direct verifiable and credible presence of any international groups within the area,” Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla, AFP spokesman, said.

Padilla also said the military was not inclined to believe that the frustration over the non-passage of the controversial Palace-drafted Bangsamoro Basic Law will trigger violence in Mindanao.

Honasan said he expected Murad to issue such a statement because the MILF was aggressively pushing for the passage of the BBL. “Of course, he has to say that because they were pushing for the BBL. You don’t expect them to be happy because the BBL is being dribbled in Congress,” he said.

“But then again if you look at it, it’s the duty of Congress to run this through exhaustive debate because it might violate the Constitution, it might disenfranchise the other communities, not only the Christians, but the lumad, who are located in the same area,” Honasan said.

New DFA chief named PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III has appointed his former Ateneo de Manila classmate Cabinet Secretary Jose Almendras as the new head of the Department of Foreign Affairs, Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma said Tuesday.

With the ad interim appointment, Almendras, who will turn 56 on March 12, replaced former Foreign Affairs chief Albert del Rosario, whose resignation took effect yesterday.

The 76-year-old del Rosario tendered his resignation last month, citing health problems.

Almendras, brother of Cebu Vice Governor Agnes Magpale, previously served as Energy secretary after being managing director of Ayala Corp. and chief executive officer of the Manila Water Co. Inc.

w e d n e s d AY : M A R C H 9, 2 0 1 6

A3

NEWS

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Binay camp says Roxas is lying THE camp of Vice President Jejomar Binay on Tuesday mocked Liberal Party standard bearer Mar Roxas II for ignoring that Binay reduced the poverty rate in Makati when he was mayor of that city.

Roxas had claimed that the poverty rate in Makati increased sharply during Binay’s term.

“According to official government data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, the number of poor residents dropped from 17,630 in 2000 to only 2,645 in 2012. That is a fact,” Binay’s spokesman Joey Salgado said.

He made his statement even as Binay on Tuesday said a vindictive government disrupts economic growth, citing Pampanga where the Aquino administration abandoned the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport project because it was named after the father of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Binay vowed that his administration would not be vindictive and would be a healing and unifying president.

“I want my administration to be a healing and unifying administration,” Binay said.

Salgado said the Department of Interior and Local Government under Roxas awarded Makati the Seal of Good Housekeeping for “performance, accountability, transparency and participation.”

“To win in the Silver Category, Makati met all the criteria set by the DILG,” Salgado said.

He said the public was now familiar with the Liberal Party’s lies.

“The LP has been very vocal in disavowing the use of mudslinging. They invoke how we campaign is how we govern so many times in the vain hope that the public will accept it as Gospel truth,” he said.

“It is a convenient way to evade talking about what matters most to the voters: their candidate’s track record of incompetence and ineptitude, the absence of a concrete plan to lift our people from poverty, and an unconquerable compassion deficit,” he said.

“The LP candidate [Roxas] also talked about Makati turning yellow.

Now that is fiction.

“He may wax optimistic about a jaundiced future for Makati, but here’s a reality check: Roxas ally and attack dog Ernesto Mercado told media, just a few meters from where Roxas stood, that it would be difficult for Roxas to defeat VP Binay in Makati. For once, Mercado told the truth.” Vito Barcelo

Ally claims it is Aquino’s duty to campaign for bets PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III is not violating the law by campaigning for the candidates of his Straight Path Coalition, a Palace ally said Tuesday.

Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr. said the President had the moral duty to campaign for his bets.

“President Aquino not only has the right but the moral obligation to campaign for his chosen candidates,” said Barzaga, a stalwart of the National Unity Party.

He made his statement after Senator Francis Escudero questioned Aquino’s role in presidential candidate Manuel Roxas II’s campaign sorties.

Escudero, the running mate of independent presidential candidate Grace Poe, earlier said he was disappointed that the President chose to be part of a partisan exercise instead of remaining neutral.

Barzaga disagreed with Escudero’s claim that the Constitution bars a sitting president from seeking another term to ensure he will not be able to use the government’s resources in campaigning.

Barzaga defended Aquino’s campaigning for his candidates for the May 9 elections, saying Aquino was merely endorsing the candidates he believed had the best qualities to

ensure the continuity of his program “The president cannot just sit on the fence while a bunch of politicians try to outbox each other in the national political arena. He has to be decisive, guiding voters towards the best path he believes the country should take after he steps down,” Barzaga said.

He said Aquino was not a member of the Judiciary whose members could not engage in partisan politics.

“It’s but natural for the President to endorse his anointed candidates to ensure the continuity of his programs,” Barzaga said. Maricel V. Cruz

Sortie in Pampanga. Presidential candidate Jejomar Binay vows to attend to the needs of indigenous people during his sortie in Mabalacat, Pampanga, on Tuesday.

Duterte misses meeting with patients PRESIDENTIAL bet Rodrigo Duterte was a no-show in a planned meeting with several indigent patients of the Philippine General Hospital in Manila on Tuesday afternoon.

The mayor of Davao City failed to catch up with his party at the PGH because of a previous meeting, said Omeng Maglangit, Senator Aquilino Pimentel III’s media relations officer.

But his running mate, vice presidential candidate Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, led the dialogue with the patients, which was part of the Duterte-Cayetano Ronda Serye listening tour.

“We have been seeing on TV that all Filipinos are covered by PhilHealth insurance, that there is zero-billing [in the hospitals] and

all hospitals are fully equipped,” Cayetano said.

“Now is your chance to speak out about your plight.”

Cayetano pledged to end corruption to help achieve universal health care and to enforce the anti-hospital deposit law.

“Because of disorder and corruption, there is also no systematic health-care services for the people,” Cayetano said.

“According to experts, six out of 10 Filipinos die without seeing a doctor. Private hospitals do not welcome poor patients because they do not have the money. They go to public hospitals that lack facilities.”

In a statement, Cayetano cited a 2014 Global Financial Integrity study showing the country’s economy was cheated of $132.9 billion or

over P6 trillion in illicit money outflows from corruption in the past five decades, incurring losses of over P357 billion yearly on the average.

If elected, he said, he would push for the full coverage of the Philippine Health Insurance Co. and full implementation of PhilHealth’s zero-billing services.

He also promised to build more tertiary hospitals in the countryside and enforce Republic Act 8344 or the Anti-Hospital Deposit Law. “Where the present government has failed on its promises, I will deliver,” Cayetano said.

“By cleansing the government of corruption, we will be able to provide our people with better and more social services and programs like the universal healthcare coverage.’’ rio n. araja

NOTICE XEROX.

It’s not just another word for copy.

XEROX is a registered trademark protected by law.

XEROX is a globally recognized registered trademark, and its unauthorized use without permission of the trademark holder, whether as a trademark or trade name, or as part of a trademark or trade name, is expressly forbidden by law. As a registered trademark, XEROX is also not a verb or common noun, and should therefore not be used to describe copying or copy services in general.

So please don’t use the word “XEROX” as another word for “copy”.

Sortie in Davao. Presidential candidate Manuel Roxas II greets the workers of a banana cooperative during his visit to Davao del Norte on Tuesday. SanDy araneta

Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. 9-7-3, Akasaka Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0052, Japan

W E D N E S D AY : M A R C H 9, 2 0 1 6

A4

NEWS

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Hacked funds found in PH DHAKA—Bangladesh’s central bank said Monday that part of almost $100 million allegedly stolen from a United States Federal Reserve account in New York last month has been recovered.

Suspected Chinese hackers stole the money from the foreign exchange account in the Federal Reserve Bank of New York on Feb. 5, according to a central bank official and media reports.

But the Federal Reserve Bank of New York said it found no evidence of any breach of its systems related to an account held there by Bangladesh’s central bank.

“To date, there is no evidence of any attempt to penetrate Federal Reserve systems in connection with the payments in question, and there is no evidence that any Fed systems were

compromised,” the New York Fed said in a statement.

The Bangladesh bank said the missing money was illegally transferred online to the Philippines and Sri Lanka, the central bank official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

“Part of the money hacked from Bangladesh Bank’s account in a bank in the United States has been recovered,” the bank said in a statement, without disclosing the amount found.

“Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit is in contact with the anti-money laundering authorities of the Phil-

ippines to track down and bring back rest of the money,” it added.

Various media reports claimed Chinese hackers stole S100 million from the Bangladesh Bank’s account with the New York Fed. Of the funds, $75 million was transferred to a bank in the Philippines and the rest to a Sri Lankan bank, the reporters suggested.

The central bank said the AntiMoney Laundering Council filed a case over the laundering of money and taken measures to freeze the bank accounts in question.

It said the World Bank, supported by its ‘forensic investigative team’ which is manned by a cyber expert, is also working with Bangladesh Bank to trace and recover the money.

Two Bangladesh Bank officials have already visited the Philippines

and held meetings with officials of the country’s central bank—the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas—for the recovery of the money.

According to the statement, the central bank will move to court once the AMLC completes its investigation and will tap the World Bank’s Stolen Assets Recovery Initiative, if necessary, to get the money back.

The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. earlier said it had already started investigating the claim that as much as $100 million of suspicious funds were remitted to three casinos’ bank accounts, according to a statement Wednesday.

The government agency expects the casinos, which it didn’t name, to submit their comments on the allegation this week. AFP, Bloomberg

Spreading light in the dark. People release sky-lanterns on the eve of International Women’s Day on March 7 to support women’s advocacies, particularly against discrimination and violence. AFP

Aquino hit over Filipinas’ suffering

By John Paolo Bencito THE plight of Filipina women workers worsened under the Aquino administration with those in the countryside suffering the brunt of his anti-women policies, the economic research group IBON Foundation said as it marked International Women’s Day on Tuesday.

“It has been more than a century since International Working Women’s Day was established as women workers were fighting against oppression and inequality, demanded better pay, shorter working hours and voting rights,” the group said.

“Today, Filipino women are still struggling for better pay and working conditions and a better future for the nation and their children,” they added.

Citing independent figures, IBON said that women working in agriculture made 13 percent less (P135.85) than their male counterparts (P156.32) in 2010 but this hardly improved in 2014 under President Benigno Aquino III with women making P166.92, or 12 percent less than the male wage of P190.47.

In the manufacturing sector, the wage gap between women and men even went up 7.3 percent from P296.36 to P319.75 in 2010 to 11 percent (Php323.34 versus Php363.45) in 2014.

The group said these wage distortions has only created further job insecurity and poor quality work and intensified the exploitation of women workers in the country today.

Taxi flag-down rates cut

By Darwin Amojelar and Rio N. Araja THE Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board reduced on Monday the flag-down rate of taxi cabs across the country by P10 from P40 to P30 effective March 19.

The agency approved the permanent reduction of the existing taxi fare nationwide (except in Cordillera Administrative Region) to P30 for the flag-down rate, P3.50 for every succeeding 300 meters and P3.50 for the waiting time per 90 seconds.

For airport taxis, the LTFRB ordered the permanent flagdown rate at P60 for the first

500 meters; P4 for every succeeding 500 meters after the first 500 meters; and P4 for every 90 seconds of waiting time.

On the other hand, the permanent flag-down rate of taxis in Baguio City will be P30, P2 for every succeeding 400 meters and P2 for every 60 seconds of waiting time.

The reduction for flag down rate will take effect 10 days from publication of the order in national dailies, even without calibration and resealing of the taxi-meter.

The new rates for the succeeding meters and the waiting time shall be effective upon calibration and resealing of the taxi-meter.

Another demolition.

Quezon City antiriot policemen clash with squatter residents in Barangay Culiat in Quezon City who were protesting the demolition of their homes. Several children were brought to hospital because of the clash.

MANNY PALMERO

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK w e d n e s d aY : M a r c h 9, 2 0 1 6

A5

NEWS

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Solon pushes airports’ upgrade Marcos ‘Unity Caravan’ rolls in Mindanao

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

By Maricel V. Cruz

Senatorial candidate and leyte rep. Martin romualdez on tuesday vowed to modernize the Subic Bay and Clark international airports to address the worsening air traffic congestion in Metro Manila should he win a Senate seat.

Romualdez, a lawyer and president of the Philippine Constitution Association, lamented that the two airports in Pampanga and Zambales failed to get a big boost from the government despite the perennial traffic congestion problem at Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

“Modernizing these two airports will be a compassionate act to decongest the air traffic problem in Metro Manila.

The improvements that could be done there by upgrading the facilities would translate to developments,” Romualdez, who ran unopposed in the last polls and former chair of the House committee on ethics and privileges, stressed.

“This [modernizing the airports] will further boost Pampanga and Zambales as one of the best tourist destinations in Luzon,” Romualdez, head of the House Independent Bloc and a three-term congressman who is running for the Senate under a platform anchored on compassionate governance, pointed out.

Romualdez whose key platform of governance focuses on improving jobs, health, education, agriculture and disaster preparedness recalled that the Subic International Airport was used as back-up airport for the delegates of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit during the time of the Ramos administration.

Romualdez reiterated his call for the country’s transport officials to expedite its action in addressing the horrible air traffic congestion at Naia.

“Many passengers have been experiencing scariest flight where aircrafts are asked to fly “overtime” or beyond flight schedules because of traffic congestion,” said 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.

Romualdez lamented that the Aquino administration’s ““analysis” leading to “paralysis” approach in handling projects and programs which should have improved the lives of the Filipino people.

Romualdez said worthy proposals that could have showed long-term and genuine malasakit (compassion) to ordinary people have not been implemented immediately.

“The government has failed to make progress because of too much details, tweaking, brainstorming, research and among others in making important decisions that would benefit the poor people,” Romualdez said.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

AFTER solidifying support from the “Solid North” voting block and other parts of Luzon through his “Unity Caravan,” vice presidential candidate Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. is set to court Mindanao voters this week.

Marcos will kick off today his Mindanao leg campaign sorties, anchored on his advocacy for national unity, with a motorcade around General Santos on Wednesday.

He is expected to be welcomed by politically influential families and groups, both incumbents and non-incumbents, who are backing his candidacy, and thousands of supporters.

Apart from General Santos, Marcos will

bring his “Unity Caravan” to Koronadal, South Cotabato, North Cotabato, Davao del Sur, and Zamboanga del Sur. Marcos already got the endorsement of leaders of the “Solid North” composed of Region 1 or the Ilocos Region (Pangasinan, La Union, Ilocos Sur, and Ilocos Norte), Region 2 or the Cagayan Valley (Cagayan, Isabela and Nueva Vizcaya) and Quirino, and the Cordillera Administrative Region.

He also had received warm welcome when he brought his “Unity Caravan” to Liberal Party-dominated Puerto Princesa, Palawan.

Political kingpins of the provinces of Laguna and Rizal, led by the Ynares family, have also thrown their support for the vice presidential bid of Marcos and his

call for national unity. The Ynares even declared that their province will forever be a “Marcos country”.

Political leaders of Manila, San Juan, Pasig and Mandaluyong City have also expressed their support for a Marcos candidacy.

Marcos vowed to push for the expansion of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (conditional cash transfer program) to increase its beneficiaries once elected vice president of the Philippines.

Marcos said the program is a direct concrete intervention that helps poor families and the government should enroll more households in the program as well as come up with other strategies in its anti-poverty campaign. With Joel Zurbano

Aussie aid. Australian Ambassador to the Philippines Amanda Gorely (center) tries her hand at traditional mat

weaving, assisted by an indigenous woman weaver during the trade fair and exhibit at SM Aura in Taguig City on Monday night. Gorely , who is joined by SM Malls president Anna Maria Garcia,right, on the eve of International Women’s Day in Taguig City, also announced grants to seven women-led MSMEs through the Australian Embassy’s Direct Aid Program. EY ACASIO

Asia’s defense, security top agenda in PH-US-Japan meet

By Francisco Tuyay A SENIoR US military official on Tuesday underscored the need for the Philippines, the United States and Japan to closely work together, particularly on defense and security aspects to ensure that peace and stability in region is preserved.

US 7 t h Fleet Commander Vice Admiral Joseph Aucoin made the statement in a “trilateral cooperation” meeting among Philippine Nav y and Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force held aboard USS Blue Ridge in Manila.

“The peace and stability in this region really depends on the unified efforts of our countries,” Aucoin said.

Leaders from each country voiced out their respective concerns relating to the tensions in the South China Sea and the impact on collective efforts to promote peace and stability in the region.

Aucoin commended participants in the meeting saying “This really is a tangible example of the unified commitment of our countries to the stability and security of this region.”

The USS Blue Ridge arrived in Manila on March 4 for a scheduled port call while the US John Stennis Strike Group composed of three destroyers and a cruiser were on patrol in the disputed West Philippine Sea. on March 2, Japan’s Minesweeper Division 51

also berthed in Manila for a three-day visit followed by the signing of a defense cooperation between Japan and the Philippines.

Japan’s Navy delegation is headed by Capt. Toshiro Takaiwa, is composed of two the Japanese Ship (JS) Uraga (Minesweeper Tender 463) and JS Takashima (Minesweeper Tender 603).

The USS Blue Ridge who is expected to depart Manila on Wednesday, the Stennis strike group winded-up its six-day freedom patrol in the South China Sea and transited into the Philippine Sea through the Luzon Strait.

The strike group monitored the presence of China’s People’s Liberation Army (Navy) ships

in the vicinity of Stennis while on patrol in the South China Sea, but both navies interacted in “bridge-to-bridge” between sailors were professional.

“Based on the bridge-tobridge communications USS Chung-Hoon had with the PLA[N] ships, it is clear that the Chinese Navy prides itself on professional communications and interactions,” said Commander Tom ogden, commanding officer of USS Chung-Hoon (DDG 93).

Chung Hoon was one of the two destroyers in the service of the Stennis strike group.

Rear Admiral Ronald Boxall, the strike group’s commander said he was not surprised by the interests of other countries in the strike group.

W E D N E S D AY : M A R C H 9, 2 0 1 6

A6

NEWS

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

PAF buys 2 more cargo planes De Lima denounced for unjust decision HARSH, inhumane, and unjust.

This was how Graham Chua Lim, secretary-general of the Basketball Association of the Philippines, described former Justice secretary and senatorial bet Leila de Lima, who had unduly reversed a department ruling that exiled Lim abroad despite the fact that he was born and raised in the Philippines.

Lim accused De Lima of conniving with his rivals in the industry to deny him entry back home. He blamed De Lima for his predicament after the former Justice chief reversed a DoJ ruling declaring him a “stateless” person in September 2010, one who may be allowed permanent residency in the Philippines.

Lim said he was forced into exile when De Lima issued Circular Number 058, which effectively reversed his status as a “stateless” person and declared him an undesirable alien. “[De Lima] came up with Circular Number 058 that was issued in October 2012 and implemented on May 15, 2013 against me in order to defend its decision [to] reverse my ‘stateless’ person status,” Lim said.

The DoJ Circular, he explained, ruled that he was an “undesirable alien” and therefore subject to deportation.

Lim stressed that the DoJ secretary has no power to reverse the Bureau of Immigration ruling that declared him a “stateless” person. He also said that the prescribed period had lapsed since more than two years had passed when the order declaring him “stateless” was issued.

“This Circular should apply only to cases that occurred beginning October 2012 and not to those people that were declared ‘stateless’ before then. In doing so, it acted retroactively in my case,” argued Lim. The sports patron said he could not understand the interest of De Lima in his case.

“I could not comprehend why De Lima would waste a lot of precious time to act harshly and inhumanely against my person in the form of an exile when I am simply an ordinary person who wishes to help uplift Philippine sports,” lamented Lim. Lim said that harassment and intimidation against his family has already taken its toll, as he had been unable to see his family for more than three years.

“My family has suffered long enough, struggling on how to make both ends meet in the Philippines while I have been hard up financially, emotionally and spiritually in a country that has remained alien to me until now.

I have been inhumanely forced to wander in a foreign country without any permanent residency and direction.”

By Florante S. Solmerin

OUTGOING Air Force chief Lieutenant General Jeffrey Delgado on Tuesday said two more second-hand C-130 “Hercules” cargo plane are set to be delivered, one this month and the other in September this year.

“These two C130s are refurbished and we bought them from the United States at a discounted price of P1.6 billion,” Delgado said.

He said the first Hercules will be arriving on March 15.

Delgado, a member of the Philippine Military Academy “Sandigan” Class 1982, will be stepping down from his position ahead of his mandatory retirement on March 20.

The general served as close-in security aide of presidential sister and TV host Kris Aquino during her mother’s presidency.

There is no official announcement yet from Malacañang or from the Armed Forces of the Philippines who would be his successor although the talk is that Deputy Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Edgar Fallorina (PMA “Matikas” Class ’83) has been “anointed” by President Benigno Aquino to re-

place Delgado.

Delgado will be handing over the PAF command to his successor on March 9 (today) in Andrews Airbase in Lipa City, Batangas.

Military spokesman Brigadier General Restituto Padilla confirmed that Fallorina would be the new PAF chief.

“General Fallorina is one of our most proficient helicopter pilots.

Most of his internal security operation campaign exposure was in Central Philipines where he eventually served in the area of Tacloban City, Leyte and Samar,” he said.

After two years as PAF chief, Delgado said that the command has more than doubled the number of operational aircrafts

from only 40 when he assumed his position.

“At the end of this year, PAF will be having more than 90 operational aircraft including our new acquisitions such as the supersonic FA-50 “Golden Eagle” lead-in jet fighters; Augusta 109, Bell 412 and UH-1D helicopters; and C295 fixed wing planes.

After retiring the obsolete F4 jets in its inventory, PAF has recently acquired 12 FA50s from a Korean Aerospace Inc. worth P18.9 billion. Two of the aircraft were already delivered and delivery of the rest will be completed next year.

The acquisition of the refurbished UH-1D helicopters cost P1.2 billion.

Jobseekers. Caloocan City residents troop to the Job Fair at City Hall, a project organized by Mayor Oscar Malapitan on Tuesday.

ANDREW RABULAN

‘Manila is prepared for any calamity’

By Joel E. Zurbano MANILA topped the list of vulnerable cities in the event a “Big One” or a major disaster strikes in Metro Manila, a study conducted by the Japan International Cooperation Agency showed.

But Mayor Joseph Estrada said his city is prepared for any calamity as the local government has come up with a contingency plans and disaster-readiness measure to prevent or lessen the number of casualty.

“The essence of disaster and crisis management is planning what to do, and how to execute these actions, even without knowing when all these preparations will be necessary,” said Estrada, addressing the 2,500 delegates who attended the 2nd Manila

Disaster and Crisis Management Conference in Pasay City.

The three-day event follows on the accomplishments of the 1st Conference held in October 2014 which delved on disaster preparedness, mitigation and immediate response. This year’s event equips participants with knowledge on how to rebuild communities after an onslaught of earthquakes, typhoons or other calamities.

“As our city rose from the bankruptcy, we invested heavily in equipment, machines and vehicles that can be used immediately when disaster strikes. Our plans also include the purchase of a long range public address system, weather forecasting system, a mobile command and control vehicle and more ambulances,” said Estrada.

Spruced up. Workers from Metropolitan Manila Development Authority

clean and repaint the traffic signage along C. M. Recto corner Morayta Street in Manila as part of the agency’s beautification campaign. ANDREW RABULAN

w e d n e s d ay : m a r c h 9, 2 0 1 6

A7

news

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Ex-governor, five others get 24 years for irregular vehicle buy

By Rio N. Araja THE Sandiganbayan has sentenced a former Davao del Sur governor and five others to a jail term of 24 years and four months for four counts of graft in connection with the irregular purchase of five service vehicles 13 years ago.

In a 17-page decision, the First Division found ex-governor Benjamin Bautista Jr., ex-accountant Richard Martel, ex-general services officer Allan Putong, ex-treasurer Abel Guiñares, ex-budget officer Victoria Mier, and provincial board member Edgar Gan guilty beyond reasonable of the offenses, also meting out an additional penalty of perpetual disqualification from holding public office in the future.

According to court informants, Bautista is running for vice mayor in one of the towns in Davao del Sur under the Liberal Party.

Martel, Guiñares, Mier and Gan were all members of the bids and awards committee that approved the vehicles’ purchase.

Associate Justice Rafael Lagos penned the decision with Associate Justices Efren de la Cruz and Rodolfo Ponferrada concurring.

Based on court records, the provincial officials authorized the purchase of two Toyota Hilux 4x4 pickups at P2.5 million on Jan. 24, 2003; a Mitsubishi L300 Exceed van at P878,919.50 on Feb. 18, 2003; a Ford Ranger XLT 4x4 pickup at P1 million on July 15, 2003, and a Ford Ranger XLT 4x4 at P1.218 million on July 21, 2003 in a span of six months.

“The evidence clearly point out that the five vehicles were purchased by the Province of Davao without any public bidding as Bautista and the Bids and Awards Committee chose the suppliers through direct purchase route,” the anti-graft court’s resolution read.

Abaca man. A man dries some abaca hemp in Barangay Tigbi, Tiwi, Albay.

Power firm to appeal court ruling on taxes TeaM Sual Corp., the company that operates the Sual Power Station, will appeal a local court decision ordering the company to pay the provincial government of Pangasinan P178 million in transfer taxes.

“With all due respect to the position of the provincial government—our valued partner in the development of Pangasinan—It is TeaM

Sual Corp.’s position that no transfer taxes are due in this particular instance since no transfer of real property was involved,” said Froilan

Gregory Romualdez III, head of External Affairs of TeaM Energy.

“We will take all the remedies available including the filing of a Motion for Reconsideration,” he added.

This was after the Regional Trial Court branch 37 had dismissed TeaM Sual’s petition to annul the

transfer tax assessment, which the provincial treasurer issued more than five years ago.

“Rest assured, TeaM Sual is a responsible corporate entity that settles its rightful tax obligations in a timely manner,” Romualdez stressed.

TeaM Sual Corp. is a top taxpayer in the region, consistently receiv-

ing awards from the BIR the past years.

The Sual Power Plant is the largest coal-fired power plant in the country with a generating capacity of 1,218 megawatts. It began its commercial operations in 1999 under a 25-year build-operate-transfer scheme with the National Power Corp.

Party-list group convenes 70 youth leaders, crafts agenda TACLoBAN CITy—Tingog Sinirangan Party-list convened around 70 youth leaders of Tacloban and Leyte to craft the youth agenda for Eastern Visayas.

Tingog-Kabataan, the youth arm of Tingog Sinirangan Partylist, organized youth Voice Forum 2016: Be Heard and Take Action on March 5 at the Invictus Community Center, Tacloban City.

“We want to know the youth’s thoughts, ideas and concerns so we can develop them into a concrete course of action. If the youth are part of the design, it is easy for them to be part of the implementation.

We want a youth agenda that truly reflects the young generation, thus it has to come from the youth,” said first nominee Jude Avorque Acidre.

Acidre also explained Tingog’s framework for positive youth development: “our three core strategies for youth development are learn, lead and live.

In learning, we want opportu-

nity for the youth for human, intellectual, moral and social development. In leading, we want to enhance and empower young people for leadership, for them to discover their leadership potentials and their heart for others. To live, we want the youth to flourish in a flourishing community,” the nominee explained.

He further emphasized: “We are not engaging the youth to deliver services, we engage the young generation so that they can help us help them make the best version of themselves.

We want the youth to contribute to the community. We’d like to shape young leaders who will serve as catalyst for social change and partners for regional development.”

During the forum, the participants formed issue groups: life and learning; leadership and politics; health and sexuality; and employment and entrepreneurship. Each group discussion was facilitated by the nominees of Tingog Sini-

Here’s what the young people need. Leyte youth leaders talk to the nominees of Tingog Sinirangan Party-list on the youth agenda. rangan. In the workshop, the groups were tasked to come up with proposals for youth development.

After the workshop, the proposals for youth programs were presented. Val de los Santos

of Philippine Junior JayceesTacloban explained that for life and learning, they propose an alternative classroom learning experience to help out of school youth, working students and the indigenous young people of

the region.

Quennie Jao of UPV Tacloban College Debate Society said that in terms of leadership and politics, youth representation is highly important. “We should educate the young people for

them to be able to participate in governance. our youth should be educated for them to attain their full potential. Since the youth is very inclined to technology, the best way to instill knowledge is to tap technology,” she explained.

According to a research conducted by the University of the Philippines Population Institute in 2014, the youth of the region are digitally wired.

There are 66 percent who own a cellular phone and 42 percent use the Internet, 35 percent have a social networking account, and 33.5 percent own an e-mail account.

For health and sexuality of the youth, Gabriela Echevarria of UPVTC Debate Society, highlighted the pressing issues on HIV-AIDS, teenage pregnancy, drug abuse and gender development. To address these issues, her group proposes stronger information dissemination to correct and curb misconceptions about HIV, rape, drug abuse and gender.

A8

ADELLE CHUA EDITOR W E D N E S D AY: M A R C H 9, 2 0 1 6

OPINION [ EDI TORI A L ]

THE BIGGEST VOTE BUYER DURING this election season, it would be political suicide for anyone running for office to speak out against the government’s P62-billion dole program, which gives poor families a monthly stipend if they keep their children in school.

A poll in February showed that despite criticism that the dole promotes political patronage and mendicancy, eight of 10 people said they would probably vote for a candidate who supported the CCT, also known as the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program or 4Ps. Only nine percent said they would probably not vote for such a candidate.

With figures like these, it is no surprise that not a single presidential candidate has spoken out against the many flaws of the dole program.

First, the program creates no jobs. In fact, because beneficiaries must be “the poorest of the poor,” one must be jobless to qualify for the dole.

Because of this, the CCT encourages a culture of dependence and mendicancy—and reinforces the counterproductive desire for easy money.

Would it not be wiser to spend the billions allotted to the CCT to create a jobs program that would enable the poor to become productive members of society instead of a drain on our limited resources and a burden to those among us who pay taxes?

Third, the program is open to abuse at so many levels, from the national government to local leaders. In its 2015 report, for example, the Commission on Audit found that as much as P1.6 billion never reached their intended beneficiaries, and that the Social Welfare Department’s lists of beneficiaries were “riddled with inaccuracies.”

It is a capital idea to encourage poor families to keep their children in school, but throwing money at them may not be the best way of achieving this goal. In fact, we have no idea what the poor families do with their stipends. How much of the money goes to basic necessities and how much of it is squandered on liquor, gambling and other counterproductive pursuits?

But the most germane concern about the CCT in an election year is that the program gives the party in power a massive campaign fund, enabling it to dangle stipends in front of poor voters who will suddenly see the wisdom of voting for the administration candidate.

Indeed, while poll officials say they are worried about the run-of-the-mill vote buying that normally mars our elections, they seem oblivious to the biggest vote buyer in town—the government itself, which is openly using the CCT to bribe voters into giving them six more years.

While it may be politically risky for a candidate to raise these issues so close to an election, an honest leader should address these flaws as soon as he—or she—is voted into office.

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-

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

MOMENTOUS LOWDOWN JOJO A. ROBLES

ONE day, two momentous political decisions.

The Supreme Court, the ultimate decider of controversies, had a very busy International Women’s Day. By allowing Senator Grace Poe to run for president in May, the high court sent a strong message that it will let the people decide the fate of the candidate who has been leading voter preference surveys for many months. And when the court ordered the Commission on Elections to provide receipts for Filipinos casting their votes, it was saying that the government agency supervising the political exercise should be more transparent in doing its job.

Of course, no one outside of the 15 members of the high court has seen the actual decisions yet.

And I am sure that when the rulings come out, ev-

eryone who has an interest in these two burning political issues will analyze them in the weeks to come.

But what’s clear at this point is that the court has decided to let the people (not their magistrates) determine who they want to lead them. And that it is not inclined to listen to the dire warnings of those who want a quicker election while sacrificing the need of the voters to be reassured that their choice of leaders has been clearly heard.

Taken together, the twin rulings indicate that the current court is not going to arrogate unto itself a job that belongs to the people itself. Nor will it allow a government agency like the Comelec to curtail the people’s right to be assured of a clean and honest election simply because it would delay the proceedings.

This is a populist court, for good or for ill. And that, by itself, is not necessarily a bad thing.

Surely, there is a lot of wisdom in keeping the

While the Supreme Court may know everything about the law, the people should know what’s best for them.

members of the Supreme Court sequestered in their hushed chambers, there to behold and contemplate only the majesty of the law. But there is also something to be said for a court that looks beyond the laws and sees the people that they are made for, as well.

As US Supreme Court Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor once said: “I realized that people had

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

an unreal image of me, that somehow I was a god on Mount Olympus. I decided that if I were going to make use of my role as a Supreme Court justice, it would be to inspire people to realize that, first, I was just like them and second, if I could do it, so could they.”

The two decisions announced yesterday, in my non-lawyerly view, were imbued with the tacit admission that while the court may know everything about the law, the people ultimately should know what’s best for them. And, in a democracy, that’s not such a bad idea. *** And like clockwork, the Aquino administration’s “peace partner” in Mindanao, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, is playing the ISIS card just because it didn’t get its Bangsamoro Basic Law. Boo-hoo.

“Now, after the nonpassage of the [BBL], we are quite concerned that [ISIS] can capitalize 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

W E D N E S D AY: M A R C H 9, 2 0 1 6

A10

OPINION

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

WILL THE DECISION MAKE GRACE WIN? TO THE POINT EMIL P. JURADO

SO, THE Supreme Court has said Mrs. Mary Grace Natividad Kelly Poe Llamanzares is qualified to run for president.

The decision comes despite the reservations of people who had argued against her qualifications on the basis of residency and citizenship issues. This, despite the fact that the letter of the Constitution says she is not qualified.

But the gods of Mount Olympus on Padre Faura have spoken—it’s final. It’s the rule of law, whether we like it or not, and we have to respect it.

The competition remains tight.

I believe the race for the presidency won’t change even with this Supreme Court decision. Many of us who believed that the Supreme Court as the final interpreter and arbiter of the fundamental law of the law may argue endlessly that she should not be qualified. But as I said, the justices have spoken, and that’s it.

As I said before, the decision on the Poe case will be the defining moment of the Sereno Court. It will show us what kind of justices we have.

Still, with this decision on Poe, the Constitution now becomes a mere scrap of paper. It tells us that

majority of the justices can now interpret the Constitution liberally, according to their biases and their emotions.

To me as, a lawyer and a journalist for the past 66 years, we have come to a point when justices of the Supreme Court can bow to pressure.

But while I am dismayed at the decision of the Supreme Court to declare Mrs. Llamanzares qualified to run for president, that’s not the end for those who believe otherwise. They can always file a motion for reconsideration. *** We now come to the question: Can Mrs. Llamanzares get elected as president?

Yes, she is popular and carries the name Poe, reminding the people that she is the daughter of the movie icon Fernando Poe Jr. She says she has a heart for the poor. But what FPJ legacy is she talking about when her late father appeared only in the movies?

And since our electorate cannot differentiate between the real and the reel, Mrs. Llamanzares is now as popular as she is.

Let’s see if the SC decision makes a difference come election day.

True, Mrs. Llamanzares is now the frontrunner, but surveys are just that —surveys.

I have witnessed elections from the time of Apo Pediong Quirino.

Surveys have been proven wrong on Election Day. What matters most in a presidential election is how a candidate can resonate with the poor. The masses constitute the bulk of the electorate.

I’m not saying here that Mrs. Llamanzares cannot win. But the elections will be a tight race.

For instance, there’s Vice President Jejomar Binay, who has a wellfunded grassroots polit-

TRUE MIGHT THE offices of Mighty Corporation sit on virtually all of two blocks in Makati. Many will not think too kindly of the business in which it is engaged—cigarettes—but as the sepia pictures hanging on the office walls attest, the corporation has been around for a very long time, starting just after the Spaniards left the Philippines and setting up office in Makati that was then wilderness. Many of the pictures in fact look like they are of the Wild West. This is one corporation that has gone beyond lip-service to social responsibility. It has made a difference in communities. I should know. Many of the parishes of the Archdiocese of Tuguegarao, of which I am a priest, have been helped immensely by the Wong Chu King Foundation.

The parish church of Iguig, Cagayan, sits on rolling hills overlooking the Cagayan River…a scenic spot, truly, that hardly ever got the care that a tourist destination should receive from government. Parish priests, particularly Fr. Roger Cortez, dotted the hills around the church with near life-size statues of the Stations of the Cross. During the Holy Week, the place teems with pilgrims and devotees. Most of the days, however, the church sits in solitariness amid glorious scenery.

But like much of our heritage from the Spanish era, the church was fast deteriorating, centuries having taken their toll. But it remained notable—flying buttresses rarely seen in Cagayan’s churches supporting its backside. Fr. Carlos Evangelista asked the foundation to assist in the restoration, and, thankfully, new trusses, a new roof and a new ceiling have been installed while preserving the integrity of ical machinery that can deliver his votes. Note that Binay’s poll survey ratings have not gone below 20 percent, his constituency base.

What this country needs is somebody who can hit the ground running once elected. We don’t need a neophyte.

The presidency is not an on-the-job training. Considering all the problems of the country, we cannot afford that.

Governance is multifaceted and should be tackled by somebody who has experience. I repeat, I have nothing against Mrs. Llamanzares, but I fear

PENSÉES FR. RANHILIO CALLANGAN AQUINO the church’s architecture.

Barangay Calaoagan in Piat, Cagayan is the northernmost barangay of Piat, the municipality of the Shrine of Our Lady of Piat, a basilica. The people of Calaoagan are farmers, but an unfinished water reservoir project made it necessary for the barangay folk to trek long distances for meager water supplies. Earlier the Wong Chu King Foundation contributed substantially to the upkeep of the Basilica—including its ability to host the frighteningly huge influx of pilgrims in July, the Feast of Our Lady of Piat. The parish priest, Fr. Othello Bartolome, setting aside misgivings about being considered “abusado,” brought the plight of the barangay folk to the foundation, as did Mayor Black Villacete. The foundation did not need much convincing, and soon a capacious water tank was constructed, and a reliable water system installed.

The municipality of Penablanca is the largest in the province. It is bounded on the right by the mighty Sierra Madre Mountain range—and then, the Pacific Ocean. For a very long time—up to the 1990s—it had barangays and settlements tucked into the interior, accessible only by the unpredictable and often raging river way. It took more than a strong horse and a stout heart for any parish priest to trek to the interior barangays for annual Masses. But Archbishop Sergio Utleg, who has set the example for all of us by spending days in the most

for the nation if it is to be headed by an inexperienced President.

So is Poe’s journey to Malacañang sure?

Of course not. Binay, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo “Du-Dirty” and administration candidate Manuel Roxas II may have to work harder in their campaign.

As they say, “It ain’t over until the fat lady sings. *** With this development, it’s the race for vice president that bears watching.

With the disqualification cases behind Mrs. Llamanzares, is Senator Chiz Escudero assured

remote of locations, celebrating Masses, administering confirmation and ministering to the people, decided that the interior barangays needed a parish— and so, he created one. But it is one thing to create a parish, another to provide it with the wherewithal to serve the local community—and the church that the Archbishop had designated as the parish church was big enough only for one hundred fifty persons. Once more, Archbishop Utleg prodded the parish priest, Fr. Hugo Aggabao, to call on mighty assistance, and the Foundation responded, not begrudgingly, but so willingly that its own engineers and supervisors took charge of construction.

Without much fanfare, Alex Wongchuking, a devout Catholic, and the members of his family, involved themselves in the recently concluded and highly acclaimed International Eucharistic Congress in Cebu.

In the Garden of Thanksgiving, there is a beautiful statue of the Agony in the Garden—a worthy meditation piece and object of devotion—a gift of the Foundation and its contribution to the success of the Congress.

Mighty Corporation has more mighty projects—and the Wongchuking Family would have preferred to be silent about its outreach to the larger community. But it was necessary for me, first, to tell the story of how one corporation can make a difference in people’s lives; second, that, with enough generosity, a tremendous difference can come about in people’s lives without having to tax the meager resources of state; third, there are people with mighty capabilities who, because of faith, are quite willing to do mighty deeds!

of winning? Not if one looks at the poll ratings of Senator Bongbong Marcos narrowing the gap.

Bongbong Marcos not only has the Solid North, some provinces of Central Luzon and Southern Tagalog, Eastern Visayas. He can also tap the Ilocanos in Mindanao.

Chiz cannot take things for granted. The name “Marcos” is still in the hearts and minds of people, no matter how some demonize it.

Note that even administration vice presidential candidate Leni Robredo says that it’s not Chiz who is the “man

to beat” but Bongbong Marcos. Those are prophetic words.

With the ratings of Alan Peter Cayetano, teammate of “DuDirty,” falling fast, the Davao mayor may even junk Cayetano in favor of Bongbong Marcos.

The Davao mayor had wanted the young Marcos to be his vice presidential candidate, until Cayetano started sticking to him like a leech.

The 2016 elections are really getting more interesting. With Mrs. Llamanzares getting qualified for the presidency, it’s now a fight Continued on A11

W E D N E S D AY: M A R C H 9, 2 0 1 6

A11

OPINION lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

IT’S PRESIDENT GRACE POE VIRTUAL REALITY TONY LOPEZ IN MY column of March 4, 2016, I said that the hottest publicly owned company is DoubleDragon Properties Corp.

In less than two years, the company’s stock price has risen more than 13-fold, from P2 per share in April 2014 when it conducted its IPO (initial public offering), to P26.80 as of March 4, an astonishing gain of 1,240 percent for its investors. The company was valued at P60 billion.

On Tuesday afternoon, DoubleDragon was worth P71.12 billion. It gained P11 billion in just two trading days, from P60 billion on the 4th to P71.12 billion on the 8th.

DoubleDragon’s founder and principal stockholder, Edgar “Injap” Sia II, owns 37 percent of the company. At DD’s market cap of P60 billion last Friday, Injap was worth P22.2 billion. At DD’s market cap of P71.12 billion as of Tuesday, Injap was worth P26.3 billion, a gain of P4.11 billion in two days or P2 billion per stock market trading day.

Will... From A10 among four—Mrs. Llamanzares, Binay, “DuDirty” and administration candidate Mar Roxas. Note that I’m not ruling our Mar, BS Aquino’s anointed one.

Considering the fact that BS Aquino may well land in jail when he steps down in June 30, and lose his immunity, BS Aquino will do anything, even cheat. That’s for certain as day follows night. *** There are reports that former Makati City Vice Mayor Ernesto Mercado has been seen playing at Royce Gambling Casino at Clark, at cockpits, and dur-

How many Filipinos add P2 billion to their net worth every day? *** On the political front, the Supreme Court, voting 9-6, allowed Senator Grace Poe to run for president of the Philippines in the May 9, 2016 presidential elections.

The decision made by an overwhelming two-thirds majority could mean two things —Grace Poe is a natural-born Filipino and she probably meets the ten-year residency required of candidates for president.

Note that the Supreme Court used the word “allowed” which implies the justices gave her the benefit of the doubt rather than made a decision based on the letter of applicable jurisprudence and the Constitution.

The high court decision is a game changer, to use a cliché.

It gives Poe tremendous moral boost and a distinct advantage over her opponents. The bandwagon effect of her judicial victory is considerable.

Even without the Supreme Court verdict, Poe already had natural advantages. At 47, she is the youngest of the presidential candidates. Her closest rivals are in their 70s (Jejomar Binay is 72 and Rodrigo Duterte, 70), a

disadvantage where in a country of 100 million people, half are below 25. She is hugely popular, being the adopted daughter of actor Fernando Poe Jr, who almost won the presidency in 2004 were it not for his lack of political skills. She is a woman and women are majority of voters and more discriminating than the men.

The Supreme Court ruling invests Poe a legitimacy not even her birth as a foundling could give her.

The senator did not fail to seize the day to parlay the meaning of her judicial triumph.

Holding back her tears and speaking in Filipino, Grace expressed her heartfelt thanks to the Filipino people “who did not lose hope and kept their faith in me and never stopped praying not only for me, but also, for justice.”

“I also thank the Supreme Court for giving due recognition to truth, justice and most important of all, protection of the oppressed among our people,” she added.

“There is now a window to give a chance to the poor and those at the margins of society.

There is now a real opportunity for genuine change. I will not

forget my ordeal. I will use it to unify our people, to join together, so that everyone, and not just a few, will better their lives,” Poe asserted. “This is a victory of the people, a victory for those who are oppressed and who suffer under the system. It is a victory for our women.”

The Supreme Court legitimizing Grace Poe’s run for the presidency is easily worth four million votes, 10 percent of those voting on election day.

She migrates from underdog status (because of Comelec’s disqualifying her, first, for not being a natural born Filipino, and second, for not having met the 10-year residency requirement) to nearly an unbeatable frontrunner.

Before Tuesday’s Supreme Court decision, the May 9 electoral battle was a tossup between Poe and Vice President Jejomar Binay.

In the BusinessWorld-Social Weather Stations survey of Feb. 5 to 7, 2016, Binay had grabbed 29 percent of possible electoral votes if elections were held during that period. Grace Poe had 24 percent—the same as Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte’s.

Back in December 2015, before Comelec disqualified

Poe, the senator tied with Binay for first place, with both enjoying an identical 26-percent voter preference. Binay and Poe were also tied for first in SWS’s Nov. 21, 2015 survey, at 21 percent.

In The Standard Poll conducted by pollster Junie Laylo Feb. 24 to March 1, 2016, Poe, Binay, and Duterte tied statistically for first place.

Poe enjoyed 26 percent (down from 29 percent in January), Duterte 24 percent (up from 20 percent), and Vice President Binay 23 percent(up from 22 percent).

“With Poe getting slight declines in vote share, Duterte gaining some points, and Binay and Roxas maintaining their vote support—the presidential race has become tighter,” this paper quoted Junie Laylo.

A 26-percent share of the vote, assuming a voter turnout of 40 million (80 percent) translates into 10.4 million votes, 1.2 million votes more than Binay’s 9.2 million votes (23 percent).

After the Supreme Court mandate, Grace Poe should easily garner more than 14 million votes, enough to swamp her rivals, and snatch the presidency.

ing the rally of administration candidates in Makati, wearing that yellow shirt that distinguishes those who are for and against BS Aquino.

The Senate should investigate this.

Mercado makes a mockery of the Witness Protection Program which requires that a vital witnesses should be confined in a safehouse for that purpose.

It seems, however, that Mercado is above the law, gallivanting with the bodyguards provided him by the Department of Justice.

The new secretary of justice has a lot of explaining to do to the Senate.

Momentous... From A9

this is just another of those “reversible jacket” ploys of the leaders of the long-running Muslim rebellion.

How so? Well, what Murad is basically saying is that, if clashes in Mindanao ensue, the MILF is not responsible—even if its own fighters will likely be involved.

That’s like the MILF saying that the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (who are actually interchangeable with Murad’s own troops), not the main rebel group, is behind the violence in rebel-held areas over the past few years.

ISIS, of course, will never be able to put up the stronghold that Murad says it will

build in Mindanao without the participation of MILF’s fighters. But I guess, in Murad’s mind, the MILF cannot be blamed if ISIS successfully exports its particularly condemnable brand of jihadism hereabouts simply because the Philippine government failed to deliver its desired BBL. What seems clear to me is that, as it was in Mamasapano last year, the MILF really cannot control even the fighters it claims are under its command. And that it will grasp any opportunity to reproach the government for not approving the BBL —even if it has to embrace ISIS to do that.

#FAILOCRACY

on this, because the sentiment of the people in the area is now very strong. The frustrations after the nonpassage of the law, they can capitalize on that,” MILF Chairman Murad Ebrahim told reporters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

And here I was, believing an earlier statement from the rebel group to the effect that it was not going to let the BBL’s non-passage in Congress lead to a breakdown in the peace and order situation in Mindanao.

Of course, Murad is talking about ISIS causing the violence this time—but I think

biznewsasia@gmaill.com

CHONG ARDIVILLA

we dn e s day : M a rc h 9 , 2 0 1 6

A12

sports sports@thestandard.com.ph

Warriors win; Cavs, Spurs fall The Golden State Warriors notched another milestone win in a season full of them on Monday as the teams reckoned most likely to challenge their NBA dominance—Cleveland and San Antonio—endured upset defeats.

One day after they were humbled by the lowly Lakers in Los Angeles, the Warriors rebounded with a 119-113 victory over the Orlando Magic to stretch their regularseason home winning streak to an NBA record 45 games.

The Warriors haven’t lost on their home floor in Oakland, California, since January 27, 2015, and improved on the record of 44 straight home triumphs set by the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls over the 1994-95 and 1995-96 seasons.

Stephen Curry scored 41 points.

With seven three-pointers he took his total for the season to 301 -- the first player in NBA history to hit more than 300 from beyond the arc.

Klay Thompson scored 27 points for Golden State, who overcame a season-high 24 turnovers.

The Magic tested Golden State’s resolve, closing within two points at 111-109 with 1:13 remaining.

But Thompson turned a broken play into his fifth three-pointer with 52.5 seconds left and the Warriors held on for the win.

The celebration that ensued was a far cry from the post-mortems being conducted by Cleveland and San Antonio.

LeBron James and the Cavaliers were shocked 106-103 by the short-handed Memphis Grizzlies in Cleveland.

San Antonio had their eight-game winning streak snapped as they

fell 99-91 to the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis.

Monta ellis scored 26 points, including 21 in the second half, and Paul George added 23 for the Pacers, who took advantage of the San Antonio’s early scoring struggles to take a double-digit lead, then thwarted the Spurs’ attempt to rally late.

Forwards Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge scored 23 points apiece for San Antonio. Australian Patty Mills contributed 17 off the bench, but the Spurs shot a seasonlow 35.4 percent.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich wasn’t on the sideline to see his team’s first defeat at Indiana since the 2006-07 season, missing the contest attending to a family medical matter.

“It was a rough night shooting for us,” said assistant coach ettore Messina, who filled in for Popovich.

“We were just not as sharp as we

could have been.” eastern Conference leaders Cleveland surely hoped for better in their last home game before a sixgame road trip. tony Allen returned from a knee injury to score a season-high 26 points for a Memphis team missing five regulars -- including their top trio of Marc Gasol, Mike Conley and Zach randolph.

The Cavaliers committed a season-high 25 turnovers, unable to apply any real pressure until the fourth quarter.

“I don’t care who you’re playing,” James said. “It could be my son’s little league team and you’re going to lose when you give up that many turnovers just from carelessness.”

Cleveland’s Kyrie Irving did have a chance to force overtime, but his three-pointer at the buzzer bounced off the back of the rim.

Russian athletics hit for doping violations WOrLd Anti-doping Agency (WAdA) officials expressed dismay Monday after watching a television documentary by German broadcaster Ard detailing continued violations by russia’s athletics program. “russia’s red Herrings,” contained new allegations suggesting malpractice by several people in the russian anti-doping system and alleges someone from the russian Anti-doping Agency (rUSAdA) gave advance warning to athletes of testing plans.

In addition, the report said an individual connected with the All-russian Athletics Federation (ArAF) was providing banned substances to athletes and that a coach that was sanctioned following WAdA’s report on the program is still operating as a coach in russia despite the ban.

WAdA said it will try to verify the allegation and confirm when the evidence for the report was collected.

“At a time when trust in sport is wafer thin, these troubling assertions will do little to reinforce confidence in the russian anti-doping system when clean athletes need it most,” said WAdA president Craig reedie. afp

US swim star Franklin unfazed by Zika threat Stephen Curry (no. 30 ) of the Golden State Warriors and C.J. Watson (no. 32) of the Orlando Magic go for a loose ball at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. afp

Ecuador football chief resigns tHe head of ecuador’s football federation, Luis Chiriboga, who is under house arrest in connection with the massive FIFA corruption scandal, will resign his post on tuesday, his lawyer said.

Attorney Juan Carlos Machuca, speaking on ecuadoran radio, said Monday that Chiriboga would submit his resignation to the board of the ecuadoran Football Federation (FeF).

Chiriboga, 65, who has led the organization for the past 18 years, has been under house arrest since december and his bank accounts have been frozen in the expanding investigation.

He is one of dozens of football executives across Latin America and around the world who have been implicated in the graft scandal that has rocked the world’s most popular sport. afp

‘Fastest’ rugby player eyes sprint stint in Rio AMerICAN rugby player Carlin Isles has launched an ambitious bid to represent the United States in two different sports at a single Olympic games after deciding to resurrect his sprinting career.

Isles—popularly known as “The Fastest Man In rugby” —took up the seven-a-side version of the sport in 2012 after failing to make the US Olympic team for the London Games.

The 26-year-old US international winger’s personal best for the 100m —a wind-assisted 10.12sec —would have been good enough for a semi-final place in the London Olympics four years ago.

Now Isles, who is virtually certain to be selected for the US Sevens squad for rio de Janeiro as rugby returns to the Olympics for the first time since 1924, is hoping to win a place in the American track and field contingent as well.

Isles told reporters at the US Olympic team media summit on Monday he will race the 60m at the US National Indoor championships in Portland, Oregon, this weekend as part of a bid to relaunch his sprinting career, skipping the Vancouver leg of the World rugby Sevens series which clashes with the meet.

Winning cheer. Gonzaga Bulldogs cheer-

leaders perform during the team’s semifinal game of the West Coast Conference Basketball tournament against the Brigham Young Cougars at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Gonzaga won 88-84. afp

UNIted States swimming star Missy Franklin on Monday shrugged off the possible threat posed by the Zika virus to athletes at August’s Olympics in rio de Janeiro as team officials outlined precautions to protect competitors.

Franklin, one of the stars of the 2012 London Olympics, said she was unfazed by the series of headlines emerging from Brazil in recent months, which has seen 1.5 million cases of the Zika virus since 2015.

The virus has been linked to a rise in microcephaly, in which an infected mother’s baby is born with an abnormally small head as well as the neurological disorder Guillain-Barre Syndrome.

Four-time Olympic gold medalist Franklin, however, said she was happy to place her trust in directives from the US Olympic Committee (USOC) and health authorities. afp

we dn e s day : M a rch 9 , 2 0 1 6

A13

sports sports@thestandard.com.ph

Ronda PH moves to Negros, Panay

Mindanao riders James Poalo Ferfas (left, sitting) and Ranlean Maglantay (right, sitting) are being assisted by Navy skipper Lloyd Lucien Reynante and LBC Ronda Pilipinas project director and LBC sports development chief Moe Chulani as they received helmets, riding shoes and other cycling gears courtesy of LBC, LBC Express, and MVP Sports Foundation.

PH golf aces battle tough foreign field TAGAYTAY – The local aces hope to measure up with a talent-laden foreign field, all upbeat of their chances in the rich ICTSI Champion Tour presented

by Champion and Taiwan LPGA which gets going Wednesday at Splendido Taal Golf Club here.

But LPGA Tour campaigner Cyna Rodriguez, Symetra Tour mainstays Dottie Ardina and Mia Piccio and amateur ace Princess Superal will not only be slugging it out with the leading players from the Taiwan LPGA and some the top bets from Thailand, Korea, Japan and Malaysia but also with the par-72 layout which is expected to bring out the best and the worst in them with the wind expected to come into play in the next three days.

“It was hot out there and the wind will surely be a factor,” said Superal, the former US Girls’ Junior champion tipped to contend for the championship but not in the money race in the $75,000 event sponsored by International Container Terminal Services, Inc. Hot on a seven-win run, including the Hong Kong Amateur Ladies Open and the Philippine Ladies Open early this year, the 19-year-old Superal, also winner of three local pro events, drew

Thai Saranporn Langkulgasettrin and Taiwanese Lee Tai-ling in the 8:40 a.m. flight on No. 1, hopeful of putting it all together right from the start for the needed momentum and confidence in the 54-hole tournament serving as the kickoff leg of the ICTSI Ladies Philippine Golf Tour and the fifth leg of Taiwan LPGA. Rodriguez, taking a break from the LPGA Tour where she had a not-so inspiring start of a joint 72nd finish in Bahamas and missed cut stints in Coates Golf Championship and Handa Women’s Australia Open, is also eyeing a good start with an early tee-time of 7:20 a.m., also on the first hole, in the company of Panuma Vitayakonkomol of Thailand and Taiwan’s Ching Huang.

San Beda reclaims general championship SAN Beda College reclaimed the general championship in the seniors’ division by edging back-toback titlist St. Benilde in one of the league’s closest races, while capturing a three-peat feat in the juniors’ side the NCAA’s Season 91.

The Lions amassed 632.5 points, barely beating the Blazers, general champions the last two seasons, by a mere five-point lead to clinch its fourth overall crown, all coming in the last six seasons.

San Beda raked in most of its points by topping men’s and women’s swimming, men’s taekwondo, women’s table tennis, lawn tennis and soft tennis and finishing second in basketball, women’s takewondo, men’s table tennis, football and women’s beach volley.

St. Benilde won in women’s taekwondo, badminton, men’s table tennis and women’s volleyball, while winding up runnerup in men’s and women’s swim-

ming, women’s table tennis and lawn tennis.

Arellano University duplicated its third-place finish last year by garnering 497.3 points, thanks to triumphs in football, chess and track and field.

Rounding up the Top 10 were Lyceum of the Phl U (376), Perpetual Help (365), Letran (347.8), Mapua (338.3), Emilio Aguinaldo (332.5), San Sebastian (320.5) and Jose Rizal (163.8). Peter Atencio

THE LBC Ronda Pilipinas 2016 continues its search for potential cycling talents when it moves to Negros Occidental and Panay Islands for the Visayas Leg that would unfold in Bago City and end in Roxas City from March 11 to 17.

Jan Paul Morales and his powerhouse NavyStandard Insurance team dominated the Mindanao Leg last month, but they are expected to have their hands full with competitions expected to get tougher in the Visayas.

Expected to steal some of the limelight from Morales and the big guns are Mindanao riders James Paolo Ferfas and Ranlean Maglantay, who captured the hearts of many after racing and representing the region despite being under-equipped and with a shoestring budget.

Ferfas, a 22-year-old rider from Marbel, South Cotabato, rode the race of his life and came out of nowhere to end up 10th overall while the 18-yearold Maglantay, the former’s neighbor, wound up in the Top 20.

And the pair did it with a limited budget, a tattered pair of non-racing rubber shoes, an old uniform and cheap and heavier bikes.

“We just want to race,” said Ferfas, who skipped high school due to poverty, in Filipino.

“This is a dream, racing in Ronda Pilipinas,” said Maglantay, who was disqualified at first due to technical issues, but was allowed to enter at the last minute thanks to the intercession of LBC Ronda project director Moe Chulani, whose decision paid off.

Coast Guard-Navy duel highlights regatta opener PHILIPPINE Coast guard and Philippine Navy engaged in a thrilling duel to highlight the well-attended opening leg of the PDBF-Cobra Energy Drink Dragon Boat Regatta held at the Manila Bay overlooking the Baywalk along Roxas Boulevard in Manila last Sunday.

Under a scorching summer sun and with defending overall champion Philippine Army taking a leave of absence, the Coast Guard and Navy paddlers figured in three keenly contested final clash of the event supported by Cobra.

Coast Guard drew first blood, narrowly winning the women’s 300-meter small boat finals in a time of one minute and 28.19 seconds, a shade of a second ahead of Navy, which took runner-up honors (1:28.95) while Rogue Pilipinas was third (1:38.35).

The Navy bets looked poised to even the score after they held the lead over their Coast Guard opponents up to the 250-meter in the mixed 300-meter standard championship, only to see the latter surge ahead in the last 50 meters of a riveting down-the-wire finale.

Coast Guard snatched the heartbreaking win by a whisker, checking in at 1:14.70 that relegated Navy to second place anew (1:14.95).

Blue Phoenix held its own in the early goings, but eventually wound

up third (1:18.75).

But the Seamen had the last word in ruling the men’s 300-meter standard in another thriller, checking in at 1:12.03 to hold off the Coast Guard rowers (1:12.25) in the series organized by the Philippine Dragon Boat Federation.

In an equally interesting battle for third place, Philippine Air Force edged the upset-conscious Bruins, a private club handled by former national coach Manny Maya, with a time of 1:13.16 to the latter’s 1:13.77 in the competition that drew a banner field of 49 teams.

“Cobra is always keen in partnering with the PDBF in all of its activities in promoting and popularizing dragon boat rowing in the country,” Dan Ong, Asia Brewery Inc. Category Manager, said. “The huge field in our first leg underscores this successful and thriving partnership.”

PDBF Marcia Cristobal thanked Cobra for its continuous support that has drawn a lot of serious enthusiasts to the exciting and growing sport.

“What we are witnessing here in this first leg of the regatta are the fruits of the PDBF and Cobra’s labors,” Cristobal noted of the close to 400 paddlers who turned the Baywalk into a lively weekend picnic ground even as they competed offshore.

Altas arrange winner-take-all duel with Chiefs THE University of Perpetual Help Altas needed an extra period to get past the Philippine Merchant Marine School Mariners, 62-58, last Sunday in the semifinals of the 12th Fr. Martin Cup Collegiate Open basketball tournament at

the Far Eastern University gym in Morayta, Manila.

Bright Akhuetie (13 points) scored two crucial baskets in the last two minutes and his heroics helped the Altas arrange a winnertake-all title showdown with the

Arellano University Chiefs.

The Chiefs, led by Jiovani Jalalon with 25 points, subdued the Manuel L. Quezon University Stallions, 77-73, to earn another finals appearance in the tournament.

Members of the Philippine Coast Guard team are shown with their trophy, together with PDBF president Marcia Cristobal (fourth from left) after ruling the women’s division of the PDBF-Cobra Dragon Boat Regatta first leg last Sunday.

W E D N E S D AY : M A R C H 9, 2 0 1 6

A14

SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

Republic of the Philippines CITY GOVERNMENT OF CAVITE INVITATION TO BID Lot No. 1

Project No.

Name of Project

ABC

2 016 - 4 2 H A U L I N G OF R E S I D U A L P10 , 0 0 0 , 0 0 0 . 0 0 WA S T E ( To t a l o f 2 0 , 0 0 0 c u . m . i n 6 m o n t h s) Fr o m M a t e r i a l R e c o v e r y Fa c i l i t y ( M R F )

Cost of Proposal Booklet P15 , 0 0 0 . 0 0

1.

The LGU-CITY GOVERNMENT OF CAVITE, through the,GENERAL SERVICES OFFICE ANNUAL BUDGET CY2016, Intends to apply the sum as indicated above being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for the above mentioned project.

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

2.

The LGU-CITY GOVERNMENT OF CAVlTE now invites bids for the above LOT Number. Delivery of Works required is 180 CALENDAR DAYS. Bidders should have completed similar contract to the project, 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.

3.

Bidding will be conducted through an 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 citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least seventy five percent (75%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines.

4.

Interested bidders may obtain further information from LGU-CITY GOVERNMENT OF CAVITE and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below during office hours from 8:00 a.m - 5:00 p.m.

5.

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 Bidding Documents in the amount indicated above.

It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhiIGEPS) and the website of the Procuring Entity, provided that bidders shall pay the fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids.

6.

The LGU-ClTY GOVERNMENT OF CAVlTE will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on March 10, 2016 - 2:00PM at the JULIAN C. MEDINA, JR. MEMORIAL HALL, CITY HALL BUILDING, SAMONTE PARK, SAN ROQUE, CAVITE CITY, which shall be open only to all interested parties who have purchased the Bidding Documents.

7.

BIDS MUST BE SUBMITTED SEPARATELY BY EACH LOT AND PROPERLY MARKED IN THE OUTER ENVELOPE.

8.

Bids must be delivered to the address below on or before 10:00 AM, March 15, 2016 at the BIDS & AWARDS COMMITTEE SECRETARIAT, CITY HALL BUILDING, SAMONTE PARK, SAN ROQUE, CAVITE CITY. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause.

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.

9.

The LGU-CITY GOVERNMENT OF CAVITE 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.

10. For further information, please refer to: Rommel S. Santos Head, BAC Secretariat City Hall Building Samonte Park San Roque, Cavite City Tel. 046-431-1652 cavitecitymis@yahoo.com Telefax: 046-431-1655

(SGD) ARCH. ALLISON B. SANTIAGO City Administrator (BAC Chairman) ( T S - M A R . 9 , 2 016)

Sharapova: I failed drug test LOS ANGELES —Five-time Grand Slam tennis champion Maria Sharapova said Monday she failed a dope test at the Australian Open, and isn’t sure what punishment she’ll face for her “huge mistake.”

The former world number one from Russia said a change in the World AntiDoping Agency’s banned list for 2016 led to an inadvertent violation, for which she will be “provisionally suspended” by the International Tennis Federation.

In a sign of what the affair could mean to Sharapova’s mass of money-spinning endorsements, US sportswear maker Nike said it was “saddened and surprised” by the news.

“We have decided to suspend our relationship with Maria while the investigation continues.”

Sharapova tested positive for Meldonium, a drug she said she had been taking since 2006 but was only added to the banned list this year.

“I did fail the test and I take full responsibility for it,” Sharapova said at a press conference at a downtown Los Angeles hotel.

“I made a huge mistake. I let my fans down. I let my sport down that I’ve been playing since the age of four that I love so deeply,” added Sharapova, her voice wavering.

“I know that with this, I face consequences and I don’t want to end my career this way—and I really hope I will be given another chance to play this game.”

The ITF confirmed in a statement

that Sharapova had tested positive on January 26 and had accepted the finding when she was notified on March 2.

“Ms Sharapova will be provisionally suspended with effect from 12 March, pending determination of the case,” the ITF said.

Sharapova said she was cooperating with the ITF and did not yet know the extent of the sanctions she would face.

Her attorney, John Haggerty, said the positive test could carry a ban of up to four years, but that mitigating circumstances could see a lesser penalty.

Shamil Tarpishchev, head of the Russian tennis federation, told the TASS news agency he believed Sharapova would still have a chance to play at the Rio Olympics in August.

‘Very saddened’: WTA boss Sharapova, 28, burst onto the international scene as she giggled and grunted her way to the Wimbledon crown in 2004.

She won the US Open in 2006, the Australian Open in 2008 and the French Open in 2012 and 2014.

Her ferocity on the court, business acumen and glamorous looks have all combined to make her a marketing juggernaut and the overseer of such successful ventures as her Sugarpova line of candy. AFP

Republic of the Phillippines Department of Health National Capital Regional Office VALENZUELA MEDICAL CENTER BIDS AND AWARD COMMITTEE

Republic of the Phillippines Department of Health National Capital Regional Office VALENZUELA MEDICAL CENTER BIDS AND AWARD COMMITTEE

INVITATION TO BID

INVITATION TO APPLY FOR ELIGIBILITY AND TO BID

PUBLIC BIDDING NO.: VMC-2016-005

PROCUREMENT OF VARIOUS LABORATORY SUPPLIES CY 2016 (1ST SEMESTER)

Padrigal St., Karuhatan, Valenzuela City Telefax No. 294-4625 Email addressvmc_bac@yahoo.com

Padrigal St., Karuhatan, Valenzuela City Telefax No. 294-4625 Email addressvmc_bac@yahoo.com

The VALENZUELA MEDICAL CENTER invites all eligible bidders to bid on: DESCRIPTION

PROJECT ALLOCATION

Procurement of Various Sutures CY 2016

P 9,223,852.44

NON-REFUNDABLE FEE 1M -5M P5,000.00 5M up-10M- 10,000.00

The bidding documents shall be available to interested bidders at the BAC Secretariat, BAC Office, 2/F, VMC, Padrigal St., Karuhatan, Valenzuela City from 9:00AM to 3:00PM, starting March 8, 2016 upon payment of non-refundable fee as indicated above. Only those who have purchased the bidding documents shall be allowed to participate in the pre bid conference and raise or submit written queries (see revised IRR of RA 9184). The pre-bidding conference will be on March 17, 2016, 10:00 am at the Conference Room, 4/F, VMC Annex Bldg., Padrigal St., Karuhatan, Valenzuela City. Bid opening will be on March 29, 2016, 10:00AM at the 4/F, VMC Conference Room, Padrigal St., Karuhatan, Valenzuela City.

1.

FUNDING SOURCE: The Valenzuela Medical Center (VMC) through INCOME/GAA/GOP intends to apply the amount of Seventeen Million One Hundred and Seventy Two Thousand Three Hundred and Fifty One 30/100 Pesos Only (Php 17,172,351.30), being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) for the provision of public bidding for LABORATORY SUPPLIES CY 2016 1ST SEM . Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at Bid Opening.

2.

The Valenzuela Medical Center now invites sealed Bids from eligible Bidders for laboratory supplies cy 2016 (1st Semester) Re-bid. The description of an eligible Bidder is contained in Section II of the Bidding Documents’ ITB.

3.

Bid bond shall be in form of cash, cashier’s check or manager’s check equivalent to two percent (2%) of the approved budget of the contract.

Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using nondiscretionary pass/fail criteria as specified in the Implementing Rules and Regulations Parts A (IRR-A) of Republic Act No. 9184 (RA 9184), otherwise known as the Government Procurement Reform Act, and is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, 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 and 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 bidders who pass the eligibility check will be opened. The process for the eligibility check is described in Section II of the Bidding Documents, ITB. The Bidder with the lowest calculated bid (LCB) shall advance to the post-qualification stage in order to finally determine his responsiveness of the bid to the technical and financial requirements of the project. The contract shall then be awarded to the Lowest Calculated and Responsive Bidder (LCRB) who was determined as such during the post-qualification procedure.

4.

This invitation is also advertised with the Government Electronic Procurement System (G-EPS) at www.procurementservice.org and posted at the VMC BAC bulletin board.

Interested Bidders may obtain further information from Valenzuela Medical Center and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below from 9:00AM-4:00PM starting March 09, 2016 to March 30, 2016.

5.

A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested Bidders from the address below and upon payment of a non-refundable fee in the amount of Five Thousand Pesos Only (Php 5,000.00) (1M to 5M) Ten Thousand Pesos Only (Php 10,000.00) (5M to 10M) and Fifteen Thousand Pesos Only (Php15,000.00) (10M up). The method of payment will be in cash. The Bidding Documents shall be received personally by the prospective bidder or his authorized representative. It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the website of the Procuring Entity, provided that Bidders shall pay the nonrefundable fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids.

6.

Eligibility Check and Bid Opening will be on March 30, 2016. Bids will be opened in the presence of the Bidders’ representatives who choose to attend at the address below.

7.

Bids and eligibility requirements must be delivered to the address below on or before March 30, 2016, 9:00 AM, BAC Office. All bids must be accompanied by a Bid Security in the form of Cash, Manager’s Check or Cashier’s Check Bank Draft or Bank Guarantee of two (2%) percent of the total amount to bid. Late Bids shall not be accepted.

8.

The Valenzuela Medical Center reserves the right to accept or reject any Bid, and to annul the bidding process and reject all Bids at any time prior to the contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected Bidder or Bidders.

All particulars relative to bid evaluation and award of contract shall be governed by the provisions of R.A. 9184 otherwise known as the Government Procurement Reform Act. Bids received in excess of the Approved Budget of the Contract (ABC) shall be automatically rejected at bid opening. LATE BIDS SHALL NOT BE ACCEPTED. ALTERNATIVE BIDS SHALL BE REJECTED.

.

For inquiry, please call the BAC Secretariat Office at Telephone No. 294-4625

VALENZUELA MEDICAL CENTER RESERVES THE RIGHT TO 1) REVIEW ALL THE REQUIREMENTS; 2) REJECT ANY OR ALL BIDS; 3) CONFISCATE THE BID BOND AND/OR PURSUE APPROPRIATE LEGAL ACTION SHOULD A BIDDER BE FOUND TO HAVE VIOLATED R.A. 9184; 4) WAIVE ANY DEFECTS CONTAINED THEREIN; and/or 5) ACCEPT THE OFFER MOST ADVANTAGEOUS TO THE GOVERNMENT. ANY DECISION MADE BY THE VALENZUELA MEDICAL CENTER IS FINAL AND EXECUTORY. FURTHER, VALENZUELA MEDICAL CENTER ASSUMES NO OBLIGATION WHATSOEVER TO COMPENSATE OR INDEMNIFY THE BIDDER OR WINNING BIDDER. AS THE CASE MAY BE, FOR ANY EXPENSE OR LOSS THAT SAID PARTY (IES) MAY INCUR IN ITS PARTICIPATION IN THE PRE-BIDDING AND BIDDING PROCESS NOR DOES IT GUARANTEE THAT AN AWARD WILL BE MADE. (SGD) DONA D. SALMOS, RN, MAN Chairman, BAC (TS-MAR. 9, 2016)

(TS-MAR. 9, 2016)

(sgd.) DONA D. SALMOS, RN, MAN BAC Chairperson

New Letran coach keeps ties with NU JEFF Napa will hit two birds with one stone in the coming collegiate seasons of both the National Collegiate Athletic Association and the University Athletic Association of the Philippines basketball tournaments.

When he accepted his new job as head coach of the Letran Knights for the next three years, the 35-yearold Napa relinquished his position as mentor of the newly crowned UAAP junior champion National Bullpups to Chico Manabat.

But, Letran authorities were gracious with Napa, letting him keep his ties with NU by remaining as a consultant of the school’s junior basketball program.

“Nandu’n pa rin ako.

Hindi ako mawawala sa high school program.

Thankful ako at naintindihan nila ang situation ko sa Letran. Hindi nila ako pinagbawalan,” said Napa in an interview following a brief welcoming ceremony the Letran community accorded him yesterday at the school’s Intramuros campus.

Rector and president Fr. Clarence Marquez and athletic moderator Fr. Vic Calvo led the welcoming rites. Peter Atencio

Klitschko open to Rio stint WLADIMIR Klitschko, who won an Olympic gold medal in the super heavyweight division at the Atlanta Games in 1996, refused to rule out the possibility of competing in the Olympic Games again in Rio this year.

The British newspaper, The Guardian reported that the 39-year-old could take advantage of a new move by the International Boxing Alliance to open up its eligibility criteria to all existing professionals.

Klitschko has long stated his desire to return to the amateur code before retirement and will press his case following his world heavyweight heavyweight title rematch with Tyson Fury of Britain.

Klitschko previously expressed his desire to try to qualify for London 2012, but was ruled out by a combination of the current AIBA rules and the reluctance of the Ukrainian Boxing Federation. He would need to persuade the powers that be at AIBA to lift the age limit for fighters under its jurisdiction. He will be 43 by the time of the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, and AIBA’s upper limit currently stands at 40.

Ronnie Nathanielsz

W E D N E S D AY : M A R C H 9, 2 0 1 6

A15

SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

PH jins banking on crowd support

By Mavelle P. Durian

THE Philippine taekwondo team will be banking on the support of fellow Filipinos when it plunges into action in the Asian Taekwondo Championship Qualifier on April 16 and 17 at the Marriot Grand Ballroom Convention Center.

The kickfest is a qualifying tournament for the Rio De Janeiro Olympic Games in August this year.

“I hope Filipino fans and enthusiasts will be there to really cheer the team. That’s one thing we couldn’t have when we’re outside the country competing,” said taekwondo national coach Igor Mella as he appeared with the Filipino jins in the weekly Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum at Shakey’s restaurant in Malate to talk about the biggest event in local taekwondo this year.

Crowd support, according to Mella, will be a key factor when the PH taekwondo hopefuls shoot for berths in the Rio games.

“We didn’t have the benefit of crowd support when competing overseas,” said Mella in the public sports program presented by San Miguel Corporation, Accel, Shakey’s and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation.

“The national team indeed needs all the advantages it can get especially with countries now only allowed to send two male and two female athletes since the Olympics merged the different weight categories in taekwondo,” said Mella, who added they are still trying to determine the com-

position of the team that will play in the qualifier.

“We’ve not decided yet. We’re still finalizing and choosing from our hopefuls,” said Mella, adding the final submission of roster is set at the end of March.

Only gold and silver medalists in the qualifier will earn berths to the Rio Games set this August.

“So that means not even a semifinal stint is a guarantee of going to the Olympics. You really have to reach the finals and be assured a silver para makaOlympics ka,” said competition manager Raul Samson.

Samson said the Philippine Taekwondo Association has six athletes undergoing rigid training in the hopes of representing the country in next month’s qualifier, including multi-titled Pauline Lopez, who accompanied Mella and Samson in the weekly sports forum.

A gold-medal winner in the 28th Southeast Asian Games in Singapore last year and the Asian Youth Games in 2013, (TS-MAR. 5 & 8, 2016) Lopez said she arrived in the country from the US last January and has been training for the qualifier three times a day.

“It’s been rigid, it’s been tough,” Lopez said.

Samson said there are already countries which earned berths to Rio, such as Korea, China, Chinese Taipei, Iran, and those

LOTTO RESULTS

6/49 00-00-00-00-00-00 6/42 00-00-00-00-00-00 6 DIGITS 0-0-0-0-0-0 3 DIGITS 0-0-0 2 EZ2 0-0

JENNY ORTUOSTE

THE Philippine Racing Commission recently instituted the post-race drug testing of horses and set standards for the establishment of laboratory facilities.

Approved on Feb. 3, Resolution No. 16-16 provides technical specifications for Philracom’s laboratory set-up, as well as for sampling and postrace examination units that must be established within three months by the three racing clubs Manila Jockey Club, Philippine Racing Club, and Metro Manila Turf Club.

That would make compliance to this rule due around May. “The drug testing of horses will serve to protect the public interest,” said Philracom Chairman Andrew A. Sanchez.

He added that it is a requirement for membership in the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities, which Philracom has been pursuing for years.

Upon the implementation of drug testing as well as international quarantine protocols, the Asian Racing Federation, of which the Philippines is a member, will endorse the country’s bid for membership to IFHA. *** Racing fans can look forward to a speedsoaked weekend at the Philippine Racing Club, Inc.’s (PRCI) Santa Ana Park in Naic, Cavite, where two stakes races will be held.

On Saturday (Mar. 12), the 1,400-meter Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office 3YO Open with seven runners: Joseph Dyhengco’s Big Cat Drama (with jockey Patricio Dilema), Deemark International Trading’s Indianpana (Rodeo Fernandez), Herminio Esguerra’s World Famous (Jonathan Hernandez), Herma Farm and Stud’s Silhouette (Fernando Raquel Jr.), Jeci Lapus’s Tapped It (Mark Alvarez), Leonardo M. Javier Jr.’s Lollipop (Jordan Cordova), and J & J Manager’s Clear Time (Jesse Guce).

This being a set-weight handicap, filly Clear Time (TS-MAR. 5, 2016)

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST FOR THE BIDDING OF PROJECT NO: 2016-09

P0.0 M+

PROCUREMENT OF CONSTRUCTION PROJECT MONITORING SERVICES (CPM) FOR SOCIAL HOUSING FINANCE CORPORATION (SHFC)- HIGH DENSITY HOUSING (HDH) PROJECTS 1.

The Social Housing Finance Corporation (SHFC), through General Appropriations Act (GAA) of 2014 and 2015 intends to apply the sumof Forty Three Million Eight Hundred Sixty One Two Hundred Forty Four Pesos (Php43,861,244.00) being the Approved Budget for Contract (ABC) payment under the contract for Project No. 2016-09: Procurement of Construction Project Monitoring Services (CPM) for SHFC-HDH Projects:

Multi-titled taekwondo jin Pauline Lopez talks to sportswriters about her preparations for the coming Asian Taekwondo Championships during an appearance at the PSA Forum. She is joined here by competition manager Raul Samson and coach Igor Mella. LINO SANTOS

from Central Asia, which meant they will no longer send entries in the Manila qualifier.

“But we’re still expecting players from Southeast Asia, Thailand, and Central Asia,” Samson said.

The Olympic qualifier is the highlight tournament of the five-day taekwondo event the country is hosting from April 16 to 20.

On April 18, the Asian Taekwondo Poomsae Championship and Asian Taekwondo Para Open Championship will also be hosted by the Philippines, followed by the 22nd edition of the Asian Taekwondo Championship set April 19 and 20.

will carry 53 kgs. and the rest, all colts, 54.5 kgs.

In the trial race held Feb. 26, Silhouette with jockey Raquel finished three lengths ahead of Indianpana, clocking 1:20.6 for 1,300 meters. The other finishers were, in order: Indianpana, Tapped It, Lollipop, World Famous, Clean Time, Big Cat Drama, and Wolverine. *** On Sunday (Mar. 13), it’s the mile-long Philracom 2nd leg ImportLocal Challenge, with 12 entries: California Shine (50 kgs. with jockey RM Ubaldo), Eugenie (52, JA Guce); Holly Bear (53, JB Guce), Hot and Spicy (53, RG Fernandez), Love To Death (53, MA Alvarez), Lucky Nine (52, KB Abobo), Mabsoy (52, VR Dilema), Manalig Ka (54, FM Raquel Jr.), Our Angel’s Dream (51, CP Henson), Superv (52, JT Zarate), Tap Dance (55, JPA Guce), and Wowo Duck (50, JB Cordova). *** The New Philippine Jockeys Association, now led by Redentor de Leon as its president, will be staging its second charity footrace event on Apr. 24

at Santa Ana Park.

The first footrace was held on Jockeys Day last May 31, 2015 at Metroturf to raise funds for the NPJA’s Disabled Jockeys Fund, and is patterned after such charity events held by jockey communities abroad. It was highly successful and encouraged the jockeys to stage another one.

PRCI is one of the major sponsors this year, providing the venue and logistic support for the event. Individuals and corporate sponsors may back a jockey of their choice in the foot race for P5,000 each: the jockeys shall wear the sponsor’s choice of clothing—a shirt with a corporate logo or message, the sponsor’s name, or even a costume—giving the sponsor publicity mileage.

If you would like to sponsor a jockey in the footrace or donate to the Disabled Jockeys Fund, please contact the NPJA through their Facebook page. *** Facebook: Gogirl Racing, Twitter: @gogirlracing, Instagram: @jensdecember

Contract Duration (Mos.)

Cluster

Location

1 North

SJDM SJDM Valenzuela City Valenzuela City Malabon SJDM Valenzuela City

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

2 South

Parañaque Pasay Cavite

8. UMALPAS HC 9. St. HANNIBAL HOAI 10.CIUDAD DE STRIKE HOAI

3 Caloocan

Caloocan

11.HOPEVILLE HOAI 12.BLUE MEADOWS HOAI 13.AMC 14.GLORIAVILLE HOAI

CA SMP HOAI GUMAMELA HC MWACH Villa MAKABAYAN HOAI GPHOAI BENJAMIN Village 8 de Muzon HOAI 7. BSML HOAI

Total No. of Units

ABC (Million Pesos)

7,895

2,389

12 mos.

3,103

TOTAL

Php43,861.244.00

Drug testing of racehorses by May THE HOARSE WHISPERER

SOCIAL HOUSING FINANCE CORPORATION

P0.0 M+

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

2.

SHFC now calls for the submission of eligibility documents for: Project No. 2016:09:Procurement of Construction Project Monitoring Services (CPM) for the SHFC-HDH Projects Luzon

Project Location Objective

Outputs/Deliverables

Inspect, oversee and supervise the works and examine workmanship employed in the construction activities are carried out in accordance with the contract plans and specifications and the TOR 1. Periodic Reports as provided in the TOR 2. Detailed evaluation of the Contractor performance with recommended remedial actions to expedite the progress of construction project 3. Final Report per project detailing all activities undertaken

3.

The CPM1 must have the following minimum qualifications: A. The firm, corporation or partnershipmust provide a lead CPM who isLicensed Engineer (Structural, Sanitary and Electrical) or Architect; B. The Lead CPM must have at least five years of experience on construction project supervision or monitoring undertakings or similar or related to the nature of the complexity of the project to be bid; and C. The Lead CPM must have handled at least three (3) projects of this nature within the past five years and at least one (1) contract whose value must be at least fifty percent (50%) of the ABC to be bid.

4.

Interested consultant must submit their Curriculum Vitae of the Lead CPM for Structural, Sanitary and Electrical Engineer/Architect and Eligibility Documents on or before 17 March 2016 at 10:00 am (also the date of opening of eligibility documents) at 4th Floor Training Room, Banco De Oro Plaza, 8737 Paseo de Roxas, Makati City. Applications for eligibility will be evaluated based on a non-discretionary “pass/fail” criterion.

The required documents and criteria are provided in Section 24. Eligibility Requirements and Short Listing for Consulting Services of the Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act No. 9184 (RA 9184), otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act.”

5.

The BAC shall draw up the short list of consultants from those who have submitted Eligibility Documents and Curriculum Vitae of the Experts to be employed andhave been determined as eligible in accordance with the provisions of RA 9184 and its IRR. The short list shall consist of three (3) prospective bidders who will be allowed to purchase the Bidding Documents and are entitled to submit bids. The criteria and rating system for short listing are: Applicable experience1 Qualification of project leader& technical staff Current workload relative to capacity Total

6.

= = = =

30 % 50% 20 % 100 %

Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using non-discretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the IRR of RA 9184.

Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens, partnerships, or organizations with at least sixty percent (60%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines.

7.

The Procuring Entity shall evaluate bids using the Quality-Cost Based Evaluation/ Selection (QCBE/QCBS) procedure. Only bids whose Technical proposals pass the minimum technical evaluation score of Sixty percent (60%) shall have their Financial Proposals opened and evaluated. The Technical Proposal shall carry Sixty Percent (60%) weight in the evaluation.

The bidders shall be ranked in descending order based on the combined numerical ratings of their technical and financial proposals and identify the Highest Rated Bid. The criteria and rating system for the evaluation of bids shall be provided in the Instruction to Bidders (ITB).

8.

Contract duration is for twelve months (12) months upon receipt of Notice to Proceed unless other date is provided in the Notice To Proceed.

9.

Short Listed Bidders may purchase a complete set of Bidding Documents from 21 March 2016 until 04 April2016 at the address below, for a non-refundable fee of Twenty Five Thousand Pesos (P25,000.00) only. The fee for the Bidding Documents must be paid to the SHFC Cashier only. The cost of bidding documents shall correspond to the ABC range as indicated in the table below:

10. SHFC will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on 22 March 2016 at10:00am, at the SHFC Training Room, 4th Floor, BDO Plaza 8737 Paseo De Roxas, Makati City, which shall be open only to all short listed bidders who have purchased the Bidding Documents.

11. Bids must be delivered to the address below by or before 04 April 2016 at 10:00 am. All Bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18.

Bid opening shall be on 04 April 2016, 10:00 am, at the SHFC Board Room, 5th Floor, BDO Plaza 8737 Paseo De Roxas, Makati City. Bids will be opened in the presence of the Bidders’ representatives who choose to attend. Late bids shall not be accepted.

12. SHFC assumes no responsibility whatsoever to compensate or indemnify Bidders for any expenses incurred in the preparation of the bid. SHFC reserves the right to waive any or all formal requirements, and it shall likewise not be held liable for any defects or typographical errors in all documents received by the Bidder, which shall be presumed to have been read and understood by the bidders to be mere defects in form only.

13. SHFC reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, to annul the bidding process, and to reject a bid at any time prior to the contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

14. For further information, please communicate with: Joselito A. Cada Head, BAC Secretariat Social Housing Finance Corporation 6th Floor BDO Plaza, 8737 Paseo De Roxas Makati City Trunkline: 750-6337/46 loc. 732 Direct Line: 817-3168 procurement@shfcph.com

(TS-MAR. 9, 2016)

ANNICIA D. VILLAFUERTE Chairman, BAC

A16

Petron whips Cignal SOUPED-UP Petron needed a little time to heat up before cruising to a 19-25, 25-22, 25-21, 25-21 victory over Cignal in the 2016 PLDT Home Ultera Philippine Superliga Invitational Conference women’s volleyball tournament at The Arena in San Juan.

Seasoned Aiza Maizo-Pontillas caught fire down the stretch, while newcomers Cherry Nunag and CJ Rosario erected a stone-wall defense at the net to tow the Tri-Activ Spikers to their first win in this prestigious inter-club tourney bankrolled by Asics, Mikasa, Senoh, Mueller and Grand Sports with TV5 as official broadcast partner.

Maizo-Pontillas, a former University of Santo Tomas star, delivered 15 kills to finish with 18 points, while Mina Aganon and Maica Morada chipped in 11 and 10 markers, respectively, for Petron, which still looks like a solid contender despite losing the services of its three stars in Rachel Anne Daquis, Aby Marano and Dindin Manabat.

Nunag and Rosario—two new faces, who are manning the middle position—were also impressive as they threw a defensive blanket at the net in the deciding set, leaving the HD Spikers struggling to launch their attacks.

“I told them na adjustment lang muna tayo sa first set,” said Petron coach George Pascua, whose wards opened the match with numerous errors before making some key adjustments in the second and third sets.

W E D N E S DAY : M A R C H 9, 2 0 16 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

Fritz Joy Gallenero (right) of Cignal tries to score against Petron’s Aiza Maizo-Pontillas and Joy Rosario. ROMAN PROSPERO

Gin Kings, Aces attempt to keep win streaks going

By Jeric Lopez

A BATTLE of the heavyweights takes place as two rampaging teams collide Wednesday in the 2016 Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup. Winning streaks will be on the line as long-time rivals Alaska (31) and Barangay Ginebra (3-2) cross paths in a blockbuster main event at 7 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Prior to that, Mahindra (3-2) and Phoenix Fuel (1-3) face off at 4:15 p.m.

Both riding high on threegame winnings streaks following failed bids in their debut

Warriors win; Cavs, Spurs fall TURN TO A12

games, the Aces and the Gin Kings are both playing splendid basketball as of late, but only one of them can keep the ball rolling.

With import Shane Edwards providing a huge lift, Alaska, currently tied for second place with San Miguel Beer, is back to its winning ways and coach Alex Compton hopes the Aces can sustain their run.

“We’ve won three straight and I’m hoping we can keep it going,” said Compton. “It’s not gonna be easy though against Ginebra for sure.”

Ginebra coach Tim Cone expressed the same thought.

“We have Alaska coming up.

I hope we can continue our momentum,” he said.

The Aces routed Phoenix in their last game, 105-89, with Shane Edwards scoring 33, while the Gin Kings did the same thing to Mahindra, 10486, last week.

Should Alaska win, it will own sole possession of second spot and will move just halfa-game behind pace-setting Meralco for first.

Sharapova: I failed drug test TURN TO A14

Games Wednesday (Smart Araneta Coliseum) 4:15 p.m. - Phoenix vs. Mahindra 7 p.m. - Barangay Ginebra vs. Alaska

In the second game, Mahindra and Phoenix are both in need of wins.

Although it is experiencing moderate success this conference, the Enforcers haven’t been consistent and a win against the ailing Fuel Masters will put them in a better position to compete for a spot in the quarterfinals.

On the other hand, Phoenix has lost three straight after winning their initial assignment as a franchise.

WEDNESDAY: MARCH 9, 2016

RAY S. EÑANO EDITOR

RODERICK T. DELA CRUZ ASSISTANT EDITOR

business@thestandardtoday.com.ph extrastory2000@gmail.com

BUSINESS

B1

Firms return to capital market PSe comPoSite index Closing March 8, 2016

8000 8340 7880 7420 6960 6500

6,915.51 22.82

PeSo-dollar rate

Closing March 8, 2016 48.00 46.00 45.00

P46.955

44.00

CLOSE

43.00

HIGH P47.035 LOW P46.925 AVERAGE P46.955

By Jenniffer B. Austria

THE Securities and Exchange Commission en banc approved on Tuesday P124.2 billion worth of fund raising activities, signaling the return of listed companies to the capital markets.

SEC commission secretary Armando Pan Jr. said the regulator approved the P72-billion preferred shares offering of conglomerate San Miguel Corp., the P50-billion bond offering of property developer Ayala Land Inc. and the P1.2-billion initial public offering of community mall builder Philippine Primark Properties Inc. Documents filed with SEC showed San Miguel would initially issue P30 billion worth of preferred shares this month, with the bal-

ance to be placed under shelf registration.

Ayala Land would initially issue P8 billion worth of bonds in April, with the remainder to be also placed under shelf registration.

San Miguel is raising P30 billion to refinance maturing US dollar-denominated obligations. It will offer 280 million shares with an oversubscription for 120 million shares at an offer price of P75 per share.

San Miguel hired eight banks to handle the transaction, including BDO Capital and & Investment Corp., China Bank Capital Corp., ING Bank, PNB Capital and Investments Corp., RCBC Capital Corp., SB Capital Investments Corp., Standard Chartered Bank and United Coconut Planters Bank.

The preferred shares will be listed in the Philippine Stock Exchange.

Ayala Land plans to raise P8 billion from the issuance of fixed-rate bonds to finance investments in Malaysia, acquisition of a 26-hectare property in Cebu and construction of various office, malls and residential projects.

The property firm appointed BPI Capital Corp. as the lead underwriter for the offering and BDO Capital, China Bank Capital, First Metro Investments Corp., PNB Capital and Investments Corp. as the joint underwriters.

The bonds will be listed in the Philippine Dealing & Exchange Corp.

Meanwhile, community mall developer Primark hopes to be the first company to conduct an IPO this year. The company plans to sell up to 704.46 million primary common shares at an offer price of P1.70 per share.

Proceeds from the share sale will be used to finance the rollout of more community malls across the country. It aims to open 25 to 30 malls every year until 2020. Its shares will be listed under the small, medium and emerging board of the PSE. Primark hired Unicapital as the sole issue manager and underwriter for the offering.

PSE earlier said it expected companies to postpone their fund raising activities in the second half of the year due to market volatility.

VOLUME 750.600M

P400.00-P620.00 LPG/11-kg tank P30.00-P39.32 Unleaded Gasoline

oPriceS il P

PH-Japan meeting.

The Philippines and the Japan Economic Cooperation Committees, or PhilJec, hold their 34th joint annual meeting in late February. The meeting aims to foster discussions on how both countries can expand trade and investments, and increase and expedite transfer of technology and other forms of economic exchange. Trade Secretary Adrian Cristobal (center) shakes hands with former ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Philippines to Asean Wilfrido Villacorta before the start of the meeting.

At right is PhilJec chairman Roberto Jose Castillo.

today

P19.25-P22.75 Diesel P34.55-P39.15 Kerosene Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Tuesday, March 7, 2016

F oreign e xchange r ate Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

46.8210

Japan

Yen

0.008816

0.4128

UK

Pound

1.426800

66.8042

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128811

6.0311

Switzerland

Franc

1.004924

47.0515

Canada

Dollar

0.753182

35.2647

Singapore

Dollar

0.725795

33.9824

Australia

Dollar

0.746600

34.9566

Bahrain

Dinar

2.658019

124.4511

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266766

12.4903

Brunei

Dollar

0.723170

33.8595

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000076

0.0036

Thailand

Baht

0.028233

1.3219

UAE

Dirham

0.272287

12.7487

Euro

Euro

1.101600

51.5780

Korea

Won

0.000834

0.0390

China

Yuan

0.153426

7.1836

India

Rupee

0.014930

0.6990

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.245098

11.4757

New Zealand

Dollar

0.679800

31.8289

Taiwan

Dollar

0.030660

1.4355 Source: PDS Bridge

Aquino set to auction $6.5b worth of infrastructure projects

By Ian Sayson THE Philippines plans to solicit bids for $6.5 billion worth of projects from roads to airports before President Benigno Aquino’s six-year term ends in June, seeking to leave his successor a robust pipeline of infrastructure deals.

Eleven projects, including a $2.6-billion highway and land reclamation, will be up for grabs in coming months, from a list of 50 deals that will be handed to the next administration, said Andre Palacios, 45, the new head of the agency overseeing big- ticket in-

frastructure projects.

“We already have a good number of investors who are pre-qualified as bidders, and they have put their money where their mouth is,” said Palacios, executive director of the Public-Private Partnership Center. On Tuesday he replaced Cosette Canilao, who resigned for family reasons.

“We are gift wrapping these projects for the next administration so they can hit the ground running,” Palacios said in an interview Monday in Manila.

Aquino has awarded 12 projects worth $4.2 billion since

2010, including the expansion and operation of a railway in Manila and a toll road connecting the provinces of Cavite and Laguna. The improvements aim to draw investors, who have identified poor infrastructure as a deterrent to putting money in the Philippines. All five politicians vying to succeed Aquino have pledged to make infrastructure a priority.

The infrastructure agency also will work with Congress to pass the PPP Act, which aims to minimize risks to investors, make joint ventures more transparent and create a contingent liabil-

ity fund for unexpected costs in cases where the state can’t meet its commitments, Palacios said.

Projects under the PPP are not included in the election ban on procurement starting this month. The elections and policy uncertainty after Aquino are among risks related to PPP projects, BMI Research said in a Dec. 2 note.

The 11 projects Aquino intends to bid out before stepping down are operation and maintenance of LRT Line 2 in Manila; Regional prison facilities, P50.18 billion; Davao Sasa Port modernization, P18.99 billion;

New Bohol Airport, P2.34 billion; Laguindingan airport operations, P14.62 billion; Davao airport, P40.57 billion; Bacolod airport, P20.26 billion; Iloilo airport operations, P30.40 billion; Laguna Lakeshore road/ dike project, P122.80 billion; Road Transport IT Infra project, P298 million; and Civil registry system information technology project, P1.59 billion.

“These projects are long overdue, urgently needed and will have a great impact on Filipinos,” Palacios said. “Every day of delay will inconvenience the public.” Bloomberg

WEDNESDAY: MARCH 9, 2016

B2

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

The STandard BuSineSS daily STockS review Tuesday, March 8, 2016

52 Weeks

Previous

High Low

STOCKS

7.88 75.3 124.4 107 56.5 2.49 4.2 17 30.45 2.6 890 1.01 100 1.46 30.5 91.5 137 361.2 57 180 1700 124 3.26

2.5 66 88.05 88.1 45.45 1.97 1.68 12.02 19.6 1.02 625 0.225 78 0.9 17.8 62 88.35 276 41 118.2 1200 59 2.65

AG Finance Asia United Bank Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. Bank of PI China Bank BDO Leasing & Fin. INc. Bright Kindle Resources COL Financial Eastwest Bank I-Remit Inc. Manulife Fin. Corp.

MEDCO Holdings Metrobank Natl. Reinsurance Corp.

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

47 5 1.46 2.36 15.3 148 20.6 85 36 65.8 2.97 4.14 21.5 21.6 11.96 9.13 11.8 31.8 109 20.75 15.3 9.4 0.98 241

35.9 1.11 1.01 1.86 7.92 32 15.32 20.2 10.08 29.15 1.5 1.5 10.72 9.55 9.04 6.02 8.86 20.2 71.5 13.86 13.24 5.34 0.395 173

79 3.95 4 74 33.9 90 13.26 293 5.25 12.98 15 7.03 3.4 4.5 6.3 7.34 238 3.28 0.315 2.18 2.65 234 5.28 1.3 2.17

34.1 2.3 1.63 33 23.35 17.3 5.88 250.2 3.87 8.45 10.04 3.03 1.95 1 4.02 5.9 161 1.55 0.138 1.02 2.09 152 4.28 0.640 1.2

Aboitiz Power Corp.

Agrinurture Inc. Alliance Tuna Intl Inc. Alsons Cons.

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

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

LBC Express Liberty Flour LMG Chemicals Mabuhay Vinyl Macay Holdings Manila Water Co. Inc. Maxs Group Megawide Mla. Elect. Co `A’ Pepsi-Cola Products Phil.

Petron Corporation Phinma Corporation Phoenix Petroleum Phils.

Phoenix Semiconductor Pryce Corp. `A’ RFM Corporation Roxas Holdings San Miguel’Pure Foods `B’ Splash Corporation Swift Foods, Inc. TKC Steel Corp.

Trans-Asia Oil Universal Robina Victorias Milling Vitarich Corp.

Vulcan Ind’l.

0.59 59.2 30.05 2.16 7.39 3.4 3.35 823.5 10.2 84 3.35 4.92 0.66 1455 7.5

0.44 48.1 20.85 1.6 6.62 0.23 0.23 634.5 7.390 12.8 2.6 2.26 0.152 837 5.3

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

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

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

Forum Pacific GT Capital House of Inv. IPM Holdings JG Summit Holdings Lopez Holdings Corp.

Lodestar Invt. Holdg.Corp.

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

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

10.5 1.99 1.75 41.4 5.6 5.59 1.44 1.97 1.48

6.74 0.65 1.2 30.05 3.36 4.96 0.79 1.1 0.97

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

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

SHARES 12,002,185 117,761,813 91,233,638 145,713,631 462,846,336 545,696,837 1,383,821,360

Close

High

Low

FINANCIAL 3.26 2.98 45.1 44.5 100.70 100.00 84.00 83.50 36.75 36.3 3.04 2.75 1.45 1.36 14.18 13.9 15.28 15.1 1.78 1.7 607.50 585.00 0.660 0.570 77.9 77.2 0.95 0.95 15.00 14.80 52.50 52.00 97.95 97.95 280 275 33.5 32.55 143.4 142.3 1310.00 1295.00 55.85 57.90 1.57 1.57 INDUSTRIAL 43.95 44 43.5 5.46 5.39 5.15 0.71 0.71 0.71 1.5 1.55 1.5 10.58 10.58 10.2 175.00 170.00 170.00 17.6 17.62 17.6 52 52 52 18.8 18.86 18.56 40.5 40.8 40 2.31 2.36 2.23 6.33 6.28 5.1 12.18 12.4 12.1 8.870 8.840 8.530 7.81 7.90 7.57 6.04 6.15 5.98 7.06 7.06 7.00 20 20.5 19.4 61.8 61.9 61.4 12.00 12.38 12.00 13.82 13.86 13.82 5.5 5.46 5.5 2.780 2.850 2.580 225.00 225.00 223.00 9.69 9.68 9.68 34.20 34.00 34.00 1.99 1.95 1.95 2.7 2.92 2.71 36.30 37.40 35.90 26.9 26.8 26.15 17.2 17.2 17.1 5.86 5.9 5.85 327.00 329.00 323.80 3.27 3.32 3.2 10.00 10.48 10.00 11.54 11.70 11.70 4.03 4.16 3.98 1.65 1.65 1.53 3.07 3.08 2.81 4.00 4.00 3.92 4.6 4.84 4.84 155 170 155.9 2.45 2.46 2.4 0.158 0.155 0.153 1.13 1.19 1.16 2.28 2.37 2.23 203.4 203.4 198.6 4.6 4.65 4.6 0.87 0.91 0.84 1.12 1.12 1.12 HOLDING FIRMS 0.335 0.335 0.330 60.15 60.30 59.85 15.46 15.48 15.18 1.15 1.15 0.98 6.20 6.20 6.02 0.255 0.255 0.255 0.255 0.255 0.250 720 725 710 7.72 7.75 7.62 13.14 13.20 12.86 5 5.1 4.72 4.80 4.80 4.71 0.213 0.211 0.211 1323 1353 1320 6.04 5.95 5.95 9.78 9.79 9.51 72.40 73.25 70.30 5.5 5.5 5.36 0.69 0.7 0.66 15.9 15.9 15.52 0.485 0.485 0.485 5.79 5.85 5.7 0.0300 0.0320 0.0300 2.010 2.010 1.970 76.00 77.00 74.70 901.50 927.00 884.50 1.16 1.18 1.14 0.75 0.75 0.75 169.100 173.500 168.000 0.3150 0.3100 0.3100 0.2040 0.2030 0.1980 0.295 0.285 0.285 PROPERTY 7.250 7.300 7.250 0.92 0.93 0.87 1.470 1.500 1.440 34.200 34.050 33.300 3.31 3.32 3.25 5.15 5.26 5.12 0.540 0.55 0.540 0.93 1.09 1.08 0.960 1.190 0.980 2.98 45.1 100.70 83.85 36.25 3.10 1.40 14.16 15.22 1.8 606.00 0.650 77.8 0.91 15.00 52.40 98 275 33.4 143.3 1300.00 57.40 1.54

Close

%

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

3.23 45.1 100.50 83.75 36.75 2.75 1.36 13.9 15.28 1.72 585.00 0.580 77.5 0.95 14.80 52.10 97.95 275 33.5 142.8 1295.00 56.50 1.57

8.39 0.00 -0.20 -0.12 1.38 -11.29 -2.86 -1.84 0.39 -4.44 -3.47 -10.77 -0.39 4.40 -1.33 -0.57 -0.05 0.00 0.30 -0.35 -0.38 -1.57 1.95

406,000 5,100 1,392,800 1,113,260 507,500 65,000 117,000 24,000 51,700 87,000 660 5,579,000 1,972,820 1,000 71,100 27,410 2,690 3,130 366,300 191,230 215 12,020 5,000

43.95 5.2 0.71 1.5 10.5 170.00 17.62 52 18.68 40 2.26 5.13 12.1 8.650 7.68 6.10 7.00 19.68 61.45 12.00 13.86 5.5 2.650 225.00 9.68 34.00 1.95 2.91 37.40 26.7 17.18 5.86 329.00 3.27 10.30 11.70 4.07 1.60 2.85 3.95 4.84 165 2.4 0.153 1.18 2.37 203 4.65 0.89 1.12

0.00 -4.76 0.00 0.00 -0.76 -2.86 0.11 0.00 -0.64 -1.23 -2.16 -18.96 -0.66 -2.48 -1.66 0.99 -0.85 -1.60 -0.57 0.00 0.29 0.00 -4.68 0.00 -0.10 -0.58 -2.01 7.78 3.03 -0.74 -0.12 0.00 0.61 0.00 3.00 1.39 0.99 -3.03 -7.17 -1.25 5.22 6.45 -2.04 -3.16 4.42 3.95 -0.20 1.09 2.30 0.00

1,355,900 969,500 285,000 943,000 400 30 164,400 10 194,300 79,700 2,269,000 19,094,200 105,400 4,617,100 2,172,500 12,831,100 736,300 5,083,800 337,940 8,500 5,000 1,223,500 6,625,000 485,070 800 100 5,000 22,000 5,400 227,500 183,400 14,900 152,760 226,000 18,097,500 400 799,000 1,371,000 1,094,000 1,416,000 429,000 100,570 321,000 5,330,000 32,000 7,651,000 936,320 16,000 17,062,000 45,000

0.335 60.10 15.28 1.15 6.20 0.255 0.255 725 7.64 12.98 5.1 4.71 0.211 1350 5.95 9.79 73.00 5.49 0.68 15.58 0.485 5.76 0.0310 1.990 77.00 927.00 1.16 0.75 168.000 0.3100 0.2030 0.285

0.00 -0.08 -1.16 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.69 -1.04 -1.22 2.00 -1.88 -0.94 2.04 -1.49 0.10 0.83 -0.18 -1.45 -2.01 0.00 -0.52 3.33 -1.00 1.32 2.83 0.00 0.00 -0.65 -1.59 -0.49 -3.39

60,000 1,189,980 7,278,200 9,000 3,100 40,000 560,000 143,870 1,895,900 4,850,500 6,100 14,000 130,000 541,455 800 2,937,200 1,562,120 3,715,800 161,000 4,296,600 110,000 22,405,700 34,500,000 800,000 675,290 225,860 657,000 6,000 80,610 1,710,000 380,000 10,000

7.270 0.88 1.460 33.700 3.29 5.26 0.540 1.08 1.000

0.28 -4.35 -0.68 -1.46 -0.60 2.14 0.00 16.13 4.17

389,800 967,000 398,000 6,399,100 1,596,000 64,900 5,429,000 34,000 463,000

144,185.00 36,114,094 -12,151,863.00

302,404.00 8,810.00 -22,700.00 -14,497,887.00 -836,861.50 -244,875.00 10,536,180 -4,474,104.00 -18,418.00 18,869,725.00 52,060.00

2,560,990.00 -215,920 -1,130,000.00 -2,483,473.00 -540,406.00 1,605,347.00 2,601,414.00 36,657,861.00 -589,171.00 -36,472,985.00 -583,906.00 0.00 -210,650.00 50,366,418.00

2,866,055.00 2,315,644.00 -6,782,960.00 -64,890.00 13,379,190.00 -211,250.00 -3,240.00 274,200.00 -79,100.00 -3,717,438.00

9,272,300.00 5,166,416.00 46,000.00 -26,400.00

39,382,238.50 49,448,968.00

-62,750.00 51,149,450.00 491,090.00 8,484,022.00 66,390.00 235,707,590.00 64,491,371.00 -4,857,241.00 -12,429,608.00 2,382,279.00 -40,300.00 -6,000,106.00 3,719,645.00

2,584,625.00 56,118,305.00 -278,950.00 -16,740.00 -200.00

52 Weeks

Previous

High Low

STOCKS

Close

0.201 0.69 10.96 0.97 0.305 2.22 2.1 1.8 8.4 5.94 0.180 0.470 0.72 8.54 31.8 2.29 4.9 21.35 1.06 1.62 8.59

0.083 0.415 2.4 0.83 0.188 1.15 1.42 1.27 3.1 4.13 0.090 0.290 0.39 2.69 22.15 1.6 3.1 15.08 0.69 0.83 5.73

Crown Equities Inc. Cyber Bay Corp.

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

Phil. Realty `A’ Primex Corp.

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

10.5 66 1.44 1.09 14.88 15.82 0.1430 5.06 99.1 12.3 2.6 7.67 2720 8.41 70.5 1.97 119.5 0.017 0.8200 2.2800 5.93 12.28 3.32 3.2 95.5 1 15.2

1.97 35.2 1 0.63 10.5 8.6 0.0770 2.95 56.1 10.14 1.6 4.8 1600 5.95 17.02 1.23 102.6 0.011 0.041 1.200 2.34 6.5 1.91 1.95 3.1 0.650 6

0.62 1.040 22.8 6.41 185 22.9 3486 0.760 2.28 46.05 90.1

0.335 0.37 14.54 3 79 4.39 2748 0.435 1.2 31.45 60.55

11.6 0.85 2.95 10 0.490 1.9

7.59 0.63 1.71 5 0.315 1.14

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

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

Discovery World DFNN Inc. Globe Telecom GMA Network Inc. Grand Plaza Hotel Harbor Star I.C.T.S.I. IP E-Game Ventures Inc. Island Info ISM Communications Jackstones Leisure & Resorts Liberty Telecom Macroasia Corp.

Manila Broadcasting Manila Bulletin Melco Crown Metro Retail MG Holdings NOW Corp.

Pacific Online Sys. Corp.

PAL Holdings Inc. Phil. Seven Corp.

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

SSI Group STI Holdings Transpacific Broadcast Travellers Waterfront Phils.

Yehey

0.0098 5.45 17.24 25 0.330 1.19 1.62 9.5 4.2 0.48 0.420 0.440 0.022 0.023 8.2 49.2 4.27 1.030 3.06 7.67 12.88 10.42 0.040 420 9 0.016

0.0043 1.72 6.47 9.43 0.236 0.85 0.77 5.99 1.17 0.305 0.2130 0.2160 0.013 0.014 3.240 18.96 2.11 0.365 1.54 5.4 7.26 2.27 0.015 115.9 3.67 0.0100

Abra Mining Apex `A’ Atlas Cons. `A’ Atok-Big Wedge `A’ Basic Energy Corp.

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

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

TA Petroleum United Paragon

70 525 515 8.21 111 1047

33 500 480 5.88 101 1011

84.8

75

1.34

1

ABS-CBN Holdings Corp.

Ayala Corp. Pref ‘B2’ GLOBE PREF P GMA Holdings Inc. MWIDE PREF PF Pref 2 PNX PREF 3B SMC Preferred C SMC Preferred D SMC Preferred E SMC Preferred F Swift Pref

6.98

0.8900 LR Warrant Alterra Capital Makati Fin. Corp.

Italpinas Xurpas

15

3.5

12.88

5.95

130.7

105.6 First Metro ETF

High

VALUE 455,459,009.51 1,610,175,087.313 1,766,104,230.79 856,138,382.23 1,292,895,369.70 317,854,540.949 6,378,760,569.09

FINANCIAL 1,515.98 (down) 2.26 INDUSTRIAL 11,448.73 (down) 4.13 HOLDING FIRMS 6,795.23 (up) 62.45 PROPERTY 2,829.65 (down)13.08 SERVICES 1,389.13 (up) 2.69 MINING & OIL 11,394.94 (up) 279.04 PSEI 6,915.51 (up) 22.82 All Shares Index 4,004.43 (up) 9.19 Gainers: 86; Losers: 96; Unchanged: 43; Total: 225

Close

0.119 0.435 31.9 0.830 0.150 1.00 1.55 1.28 4.46 3.85 0.090 0.2250 0.445 8.47 27.50 1.48 3.12 21.10 0.83 1.030 4.550

0.119 0.119 0.119 0.485 0.435 0.480 34.65 31.9 34.65 0.830 0.830 0.830 0.165 0.165 0.165 0.99 0.92 0.94 1.57 1.54 1.57 1.27 1.25 1.25 3.73 3.68 3.73 3.91 3.81 3.87 0.091 0.090 0.090 0.2260 0.2250 0.2250 0.435 0.425 0.425 8.49 8.49 8.49 27.95 27.40 27.50 1.5 1.46 1.5 3.12 3.08 3.12 21.30 21.00 21.20 0.86 0.82 0.86 1.080 1.010 1.010 4.540 4.430 4.500 SERVICES 6.77 6.78 6.71 6.75 55.35 55.4 54.55 54.6 1.17 1.17 1.17 1.17 0.490 0.495 0.485 0.485 11.16 10.6 10.6 10.6 4.80 4.90 4.75 4.79 0.0550 0.0630 0.0550 0.0610 3.1 3.17 3.08 3.15 86.8 86.9 85.85 86.85 9.9 9.9 9.9 9.9 1.59 1.51 1.51 1.51 6.30 6.35 6.26 6.26 1715 1715 1701 1710 6.65 6.67 6.55 6.59 21.35 18.26 18.26 18.26 1.25 1.20 1.20 1.20 61.75 62.1 60.7 61 0.0092 0.0100 0.0099 0.0100 0.205 0.213 0.200 0.207 1.2400 1.2800 1.2100 1.2700 2.1 2.15 2.06 2.15 7.71 7.73 7.70 7.70 4.19 4.20 4.15 4.19 2.61 2.65 2.58 2.65 17.84 19.00 19.00 19.00 0.580 0.520 0.520 0.520 2.42 2.5 2.24 2.35 3.74 3.80 3.60 3.65 0.270 0.275 0.260 0.275 0.860 0.960 0.880 0.890 17 17.12 17 17.12 4.91 4.70 4.70 4.70 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 21.00 21.85 20.80 21.75 1730.00 1775.00 1707.00 1750.00 0.435 0.460 0.440 0.440 0.920 0.920 0.850 0.870 33.90 34.00 33.70 34.00 64.75 64.95 64.75 64.95 6.02 6.44 6.05 6.11 3.34 3.35 3.21 3.23 0.500 0.520 0.500 0.510 1.7 1.69 1.48 1.69 3.8 3.81 3.75 3.78 0.330 0.320 0.320 0.320 4.930 4.930 4.670 4.920 MINING & OIL 0.0045 0.0046 0.0044 0.0046 2.09 2.20 2.09 2.16 4.29 4.58 4.21 4.53 12.80 12.80 12.20 12.80 0.245 0.236 0.236 0.236 0.61 0.67 0.62 0.65 0.430 0.435 0.430 0.430 7.38 7.64 7.34 7.38 0.790 0.850 0.770 0.790 0.285 0.295 0.285 0.295 0.300 0.310 0.300 0.305 0.315 0.330 0.315 0.330 0.0120 0.0130 0.0120 0.0130 0.013 0.014 0.013 0.014 2.35 2.47 2.2 2.25 5.7 6.07 5.76 5.85 2.81 2.86 2.71 2.79 0.5400 0.5400 0.5400 0.5400 1.2400 1.3000 1.2500 1.2800 3.54 3.55 3.54 3.54 6.09 6.53 6.13 6.50 1.70 1.85 1.75 1.85 0.0120 0.0120 0.0110 0.0120 126.60 129.00 126.70 128.00 2.34 2.54 2.36 2.43 0.0082 0.0073 0.0073 0.0073 PREFERRED 54.8 55.3 54.05 54.05 530 530 530 530 522 527 527 527 6.48 6.49 6.49 6.49 109 111 111 111 1025 1020 1016 1017 108.7 107 107 107 80.05 81 80.05 81 76.5 76.6 76.5 76.5 76.5 76.9 76.5 76.7 77 77.3 77 77 1.87 1.99 1.99 1.99 WARRANTS & BONDS 2.790 2.800 2.560 2.560 SME 3.7 3.7 3.54 3.7 3.1 3.2 3 3.1 2.65 3.24 2.65 3.08 15.7 16.08 15.7 16 EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 112.7 113.2 111.5 112.8

T op g ainerS STOCKS

Low

%

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

0.00 10.34 8.62 0.00 10.00 -6.00 1.29 -2.34 -16.37 0.52 0.00 0.00 -4.49 0.24 0.00 1.35 0.00 0.47 3.61 -1.94 -1.10

130,000 31,420,000 4,913,000 200,000 30,000 9,750,000 38,061,000 188,000 5,000 13,872,000 190,000 370,000 70,000 8,000 2,064,800 218,000 33,000 10,402,700 6,689,000 3,008,000 8,310,000

-0.30 -1.36 0.00 -1.02 -5.02 -0.21 10.91 1.61 0.06 0.00 -5.03 -0.63 -0.29 -0.90 -14.47 -4.00 -1.21 8.70 0.98 2.42 2.38 -0.13 0.00 1.53 6.50 -10.34 -2.89 -2.41 1.85 3.49 0.71 -4.28 0.00 3.57 1.16 1.15 -5.43 0.29 0.31 1.50 -3.29 2.00 -0.59 0.53 -3.03 -0.20

46,100 17,770 7,000 440,000 400 2,973,000 3,449,860.00 295,420,000 -88,440.00 161,000 365,660 9,565,644.50 3,300 7,000 400,800 13,970.00 66,110 -34,056,460.00 99,900 300 1,000 780,320 17,116,372.00 5,000,000 9,900.00 18,520,000 38,240.00 2,338,000 4,000 64,200 -30,860.00 331,000 -25,140.00 210,000 -67,750.00 200 7,000 26,380,000 7,005,720.00 1,597,000 957,900.00 360,000 46,839,000 514,990.00 12,700 5,000 10 -1,000.00 572,000 1,382,290.00 377,175 184,381,420.00 840,000 40,522,000 380,880.00 531,400 -4,613,760.00 1,868,580 -45,450,142.00 2,003,000 -19,220.00 5,292,000 328,550.00 5,302,000 -5,000.00 12,000 1,421,000 -1,126,260.00 200,000 23,000

2.22 3.35 5.59 0.00 -3.67 6.56 0.00 0.00 0.00 3.51 1.67 4.76 8.33 7.69 -4.26 2.63 -0.71 0.00 3.23 0.00 6.73 8.82 0.00 1.11 3.85 -10.98

262,000,000 293,000 -220,000.00 293,000 -220,000.00 2,800 30,000 3,656,000 -32,500.00 700,000 20,400 74,409,000 -9,086,210.00 20,000 96,400,000 10,730,000 -642,000.00 24,700,000 11,300,000 1,664,000 9,042,200 9,759,410.00 44,000 2,810.00 40,000 84,000 10,000 15,161,300 -19,523,603.00 4,854,000 -565,450.00 27,500,000 412,350 -33,020,280.00 731,000 -62,700.00 1,000,000

-1.37 0.00 0.96 0.15 1.83 -0.78 -1.56 1.19 0.00 0.26 0.00 6.42

372,880 1,050 100 7,600 1,000 860 2,510 14,900 63,850 17,180 163,950 4,000

-8.24

411,000

26,000.00

0.00 0.00 16.23 1.91

5,000 800 4,407,000 4,141,900

-10,680.00 -39,530.00 19,610,668.00

0.09

4,970

-82,344.00

-522,100.00 8,290,385.00

-3,598,110.00 196,250.00 13,375,220.00

32,236,185.00 13,250.00 15,400.00 -1,923,110.00 -4,640.00 1,298,850.00

-1,356,405.00 -49,324.00

770,000.00

T op L oSerS Close (P)

Change (%)

STOCKS

Close (P)

Change (%)

Italpinas

3.08

16.23

Da Vinci Capital

5.13

-18.96

City & Land Dev.

1.08

16.13

Keppel Properties

3.73

-16.37

Boulevard Holdings

0.0610

10.91

Grand Plaza Hotel

18.26

-14.47

Cyber Bay Corp.

0.480

10.34

BDO Leasing & Fin. INc.

2.75

-11.29

Ever Gotesco

0.165

10.00

United Paragon

0.0073

-10.98

PhilexPetroleum

1.85

8.82

MEDCO Holdings

0.580

-10.77

IP E-Game Ventures Inc.

0.0100

8.70

Manila Bulletin

0.520

-10.34

Double Dragon

34.65

8.62

LR Warrant

2.560

-8.24

AG Finance

3.23

8.39

Pryce Corp. `A'

2.85

-7.17

Manila Mining `A'

0.0130

8.33

Global-Estate

0.94

-6.00

WEDNESDAY: MARCH 9, 2016

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

B3

Market climbs; Philex, SMIC up STOCKS rebounded Tuesday, led by mining issues amid the rise in metal prices in the world market, bucking the downtrend in regional equities.

The Philippine Stock Exchange index, the 30-company benchmark, gained 22 points, or 0.3 percent, to close at 6,915.51. Despite the rise, the bellwether was still down 0.5 percent since the start of the year.

The heavier index, representing all shares, rose 9 points, or 0.2 percent, to settle at 4,004.43, on a value turnover of P6.4 billion.

Losers outnumbered gainers, 96 to 86, while 43 issues were unchanged.

Mining stocks rose Tuesday, as gold advanced 0.2 percent to $1,270.35 an ounce, headed for its highest close in more than a year.

The precious metal last week entered a bull market—commonly defined as a 20-percent advance from the most recent low—and platinum and palladium followed suit Monday.

Philex Mining Corp. jumped 6.7 percent to P6.50, while Atlas Consolidated Mining Corp. advanced 6 percent to P4.53. Lepanto Consolidated Mining Co. “B” shares rose 4.8 percent to P0.33.

DoubleDragon Properties Corp. emerged as the biggest gainer among the 20 most active stocks, as it climbed 8.6 percent to P34.65. Petron Corp. rose 3 percent to P10.30, while SM Investments Corp. added 2.8 percent to close at P927.

Meanwhile, Asian equities dropped with US and European stock index futures, while oil retreated as data showed Japan’s economy and Chinese exports are shrinking.

Profit-takers made the most of the latest surge in prices that has come on the back of upbeat US data and hopes that China will ramp up its efforts to kickstart the world’s number two economy.

Figures from Beijing showed exports dived more than a quarter on-year in February, while imports were almost 14 percent off, far worse than forecasts in a Bloomberg survey.

The numbers are the latest to highlight weakness in the economy, although officials pointed out that they were skewed by the Chinese New Year holiday that saw factories shut down for a week.

The timing of Chinese New Year is based on the lunar calendar, and shifts every year.

However, Frederic Neumann, co-head of Asian economic research at HSBC Holdings in Hong Kong, said: “Exports got pummelled again in February, highlighting the downturn in global demand.

“It’s easy to blame Chinese New Year distortions, but there is a much deeper malaise that is becoming apparent in the numbers,” Neumann said. With AFP

Eaton’s new center. Power management company Eaton opens a human resource services center in the Philippines that will provide HR services to Eaton’s manufacturing, administrative and sales facilities in Asia Pacific and the rest of the world. Shown cutting the ribbon during the inauguration of the Eaton facility at First Philippine Industrial Park in Batangas are (from left) Eaton human resources services-Asia Pacific director Lisa Shen, Eaton director and former country manager Alan dela Cruz, Eaton director and former country manager, Philippine Economic Zone Authority director general Lilia De Lima and Eaton corporate HR director-Asia Pacific Jennifer Lou.

ATI investing P3.8b in Manila, Batangas

By Jenniffer Austria

PORT operator Asian Terminals Inc. said Tuesday it will invest P3.8 billion in 2016 primarily to improve port operations in Manila and Batangas.

The company said the amount was a part of the P8-billion, three-year capital expenditure program that started in 2015.

ATI said in a regulatory filing it would continuously optimize its ports in Manila and Batangas for containerized cargo, noncontainerized cargo and passenger handling to keep the vital gateway port facilities competitive and responsive to market demands.

The company said it would focus on upgrading the capacity of Batangas, which was being positioned as the future growth for both the domestic passenger and roll-on/roll-off segments and the international container cargo business.

“As a forward-looking company, ATI keeps its eyes open for more business growth drivers, including exploring new port operations locally or overseas, given the right opportunity,” ATI said.

The port operator saw net income in 2015 fall 7 percent to P1.76 billion from P1.9 billion in 2014, as revenues slowed 1.1 percent to P8.14 billion from P8.24 billion a year ago.

Port authorities’ share in revenues in 2015 declined 14.9 percent year-on-year.

ATI said revenues from South Harbor’s international containerized cargo went down by 1.3 percent, on lower container volume. However, revenues of South Habor’s non-containerized cargo increased 14.7 percent.

Revenues from Batangas Container Terminal and Port of Batangas climbed 57.5 percent and 15.9 percent, respectively.

Cost and expenses in 2015 increased 3.3 percent to P3.73 billion billion from P3.59 billion billion in 2014.

ATI said last month the online terminal appointment booking system or the government’s innovative solution to boost Philippine supply-chain lifted the company’s port operations.

The port operator said it was handling more truck transactions with quicker truck turnaround time since implementing the system in October last year, thereby facilitating faster flow of commodities to the market.

From processing around 800 trucks in a 12-hour shift prior to TABS, ATI said Manila South Harbor was now servicing over 1,000 trucks on the average, for over 20-percent increase in production.

B4 New air traffic controls on track

AFTER more than five years of delay, the Japanese-funded communication, navigation and surveillance system of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines will be operational by the end of 2016.

“We’re looking at commissioning operationalization by end of the year, all infrastructure should be done by July,” Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya told reporters.

As of January 31, the total physical accomplishment of the P13.27billion new Communications, Navigation and Surveillance/Air Traffic Management Systems Development Project was 81.7 percent.

The project is scheduled to be completed in December 2016. The CNS/ATM project installation was supposed to be completed in June 2013.

Abaya said the project would increase runway capacity to more than 50 aircraft per hour from the current 40 aircraft per hour The project in May 2011 was suspended after the Commission on Audit discovered a duplication of the new Manila Area Control System that the Department of Transportation and Communications obtained.

Earlier, the Transportation Department awarded the two work packages to Sumitomo-Thales Joint Venture. The contract of the first package was signed on November 17, 2010 and the second package on April 27, 2011.

The first package entails the design and construction of the ATM Center and ATM Automation System, as well as the final integration of the whole CNS/ATM system.

The second package involves the design and construction of a surveillance and communication system.

The CNS/ATM project aims to enhance safety, reliability and efficiency of air traffic and airspace systems in the Philippines. The existing air traffic control systems, navigation, communications and surveillance equipment in the country fall short of the required number, are aging and suffer from limitations.

The project will provide solutions to the shortcomings of the current terrestial-based CNS system, including limitations in very high frequency radio and radar coverage and advanced air traffic management system that will enable flexible air route selection in response to possible changes in weather or traffic and airspace conditions. Darwin G. Amojelar

Clark Green City. Bases Conversion and Development Authority president and chief executive Arnel Paciano Casanova (second from right)

and Japan Overseas Infrastructure Investment Corp. for Transport and Urban Development president and chief executive Takuma Hatano (third from right) seal the deal with a handshake after signing the agreement establishing a joint venture company to draw up the detailed design of Clark Green City. With them are Japan Ambassador to the Philippines Kazuhide Ishikawa (left) and BCDA chairperson Ma. Aurora Geotina-Garcia.

Bronzeoak completes four new solar plants

By Alena Mae S. Flores

FOUR new solar farms with a combined power generating capacity of 98 megawatts in the Visayas have been completed by Bronzeoak Philippines and its partners ahead of the March 16 feed-in tariff availment deadline set by the Energy Department.

Bronzeoak Philippines said in a statement all four plants were fully tested by transmission operator National Grid Corp. of the Philippines, and registered with the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market and approved for full power export.

“As required by DoE and NGCP, all four plants can be independently verified by the grid system operator as operating and exporting power from each and

every one of its power generating inverters, all well before the March 15 deadline to avail of the feed-in tariff mechanism,” the company said.

The first of the four plants to meet all the requirements is the 18-MW solar farm in Bais City, Negros Oriental owned by Monte Solar Energy Inc., or Montesol, a partnership between Bronzeoak and Ayala unit AC Energy Holdings Inc.

It is located near the CebuNegros undersea cable and helps meet the rapidly growing daytime power requirements of Dumaguete City and Cebu.

The Montesol solar power plant is expected to supply approximately 45,000 homes with electricity generated from over 67,000 solar photovoltaic modules. Montesol’s 18-MW plant is the first phase of the targeted total of 50 MW to be completed by the joint venture.

The next three plants, totaling 80 MW in Negros Occidental, are owned by Negros Island Solar Power Inc., a joint venture between Bronzeoak, Macquarie managed Philippine Investment Alliance for Infrastructure, or PINAI Fund, and Dutch pension fund manager APG. The three plants, with a capac-

ity 18 MW and 14 MW, respectively, in La Carlota City and 48 MW located in the municipality of Manapla, also met all the requirements of the department and National Grid. They are currently providing daytime power to seven million people in Negros Occidental and Panay’s four provinces.

Negros Island Solar Power is a special purpose vehicle for the La Carlota and Manapla solar plants on Negros island. The power plants are expected to supply approximately 200,000 homes with electricity generated from over 300,000 solar photovoltaic modules.

The new batch of 80 MW is the second venture between Bronzeoak and the PINAI Fund, after 45-MW Sacasol plant in San Carlos City started operations in 2014.

ICTSI’s recurring net income slightly rose to $174.7m in 2015

By Darwin G. Amojelar INTERNATIONAL Container Terminal Services Inc. said on Tuesday recurring net income rose one percent to $174.7 million in 2015 from $172.6 million in 2014.

The country’s biggest port operator said net profit amounted to $58.5 million last year, down 68 percent from $182 million in 2014.

ICTSI blamed the decline in net income last year to non-recurring

charges totaling $116.2 million, composed principally of impairment charges of subsidiaries.

Gross revenues from port operations dropped one percent to $1.05 billion last year from $1.06 billion in 2014.

The slight decline in revenues was mainly due to unfavorable container volume mix, lower storage revenues and ancillary services, and the negative foreign exchange translation impact of the Brazilian Reais at Tecon Suape S.A in Recife, Brazil, the

euro at Madagascar International Container Terminal Services Ltd. in Toamasina, Madagascar, the Mexican peso at CMSA in Manzanillo, Mexico and the Philippine peso at various Philippine terminals.

ICTSI’s revenues were adversely affected by the discontinued vessel calls by two major shipping lines as a result of a labor disruption at ICTSI Oregon, Inc. in Portland, Oregon, US and weaker short-sea trade and reduced vessel calls at Baltic Container

Terminal in Gdynia, Poland.

ICTSI handled consolidated volume of 7.78 million twentyfoot equivalent units last year, five percent more than the 7.44 million TEUs handled in 2014.

The increase in volume was mainly due to the continuing volume ramp-up at Contecon Manzanillo S.A. in Manzanillo, Mexico and Operadora Portuaria Centroamericana, S.A. de C.V. in Puerto Cortes, Honduras.

Excluding the volume from the new terminal in Iraq, organic

volume increased three percent.

ICTSI spent $353.3 million last year, 67 percent of the original $530-million capital expenditure budget.

The capital expenditure was mainly for the completion of development at the company’s new container terminals in Mexico, Honduras and Iraq; capacity expansion in its terminal operation in Manila; and to start the development of the new terminals in Democratic Republic of Congo and Australia.

W E D N E S D AY : M A R C H 9, 2 0 1 6

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

B5

Credit grabber “MY GRANDFATHER once told me that there were two kinds of people; those who do the work and those who take the credit.

He told me to try to be in the first group; there was much less competition.” This quote is attributed to the late Indira Gandhi, a powerful figure whose place in history is solidly cemented being the first and so far only female Prime Minister of India.

Perhaps the yellow army followers should be reminded of Gandhi’s words because their standard bearer seems to be taking credit for the boom that’s happening in the business process outsourcing industry, claiming that he “started and expanded this BPO sector” when he was still the chief of the Trade Department. Of course, we now all know that this claim has been disputed—more like repudiated actually—by an acknowledged BPO industry pioneer who said it was actually former president Gloria Arroyo who made the industry grow.

Of course, we now all know that Mar Roxas’ claim that he “started” the BPO industry in the Philippines is laughable because records would show that way back in 1992, the BPO sector saw its inception when Accenture put up the first global resource center in the Philippines with Frank Holz at the helm. Mar Roxas was certainly not Trade secretary then, not even when other companies started putting up multinational BPOs in the country during the time of Fidel Ramos as president.

Roxas, in case his memory needs to be jogged a little, served as Trade chief only in 2000 under the Cabinet of then-President Joseph Estrada and even his tenure was short lived because he left his post when the Estrada ship showed signs of sinking. He was reappointed by Arroyo though, but resigned in December 2003 if we are not mistaken, in preparation for an eventual run in the Senate. So how he can claim credit for the boom in the BPO sector really makes us shake our heads in wonder.

But then again, no surprise there because the idea has been firmly planted in his head by his friend and patron President BS Aquino who kept on harping about Mar being the “father of the business process outsourcing industry in the Philippines”—a claim seconded by Palace mouthpieces.

What’s that quote again about a lie being repeated enough becoming truth? Isn’t that attributed to Hitler propagandist Joseph Goebbels?

MVP at PMA Philippine Business for Social Progress and Philex Mining Corp. chairman Manny Pangilinan was at the Philippine Military Academy graduation exercises in Baguio to give a talk before PMA cadets about “Leadership in the Corporate Perspective.”

MVP reminded the future military officers that “all of us are called upon and challenged to service, to use our effort and talents for nation-building. Businessmen are no different from scientists, farmers, laborers, or men and women in arms from this duty of improving people’s lives,” he said, adding that his companies reflect this fundamental concern for growth and welfare.

••• 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!

Digital benefits. ePLDT and subsidiaries ABM Global Solutions, CuroTeknika, ePDS and IPC join the 2016 League of Municipalities of the Philippines General Assembly and Mayors’ Forum held at the Marriot Hotel Convention Center in a bid to share the benefits of digital transformation to local government units. Shown (from left) are LMP officers Mayor Leonardo Javier Jr. of Javier, Leyte and LMP national president; Pasay City Mayor Antonino Calixto; Leslie Ann Rubiano, chief of staff of Pasay Rep. Emi Calixto-Rubiano; and PLDT senior relationship manager Jojo Alonzo.

ING: Interest rate to stay unchanged

By Julito G. Rada

The Monetary Board, the policy-setting body of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, is expected to maintain the current policy stance when it meets this month due to a prevailing low inflation environment, an economist of the Dutch bank ING said Tuesday.

“The low February inflation rate widens further BSP’s leeway to respond to challenges as economic activity is relatively favorable,” ING Bank Manila senior economist Joey Cuyegkeng said in a report.

He said El Niño or the dry spell’s impact on agriculture, had been reported to be more modest than expected and key agriculture sites were partially spared from the intense dry spell.

He said typhoons in the second half of 2015 raised water levels in major dams and allowed ir-

rigation in agricultural areas in northern Philippines, a reason for food inflation remaining low or moderating.

“We continue to believe that BSP will keep policy setting steady in the first half although the implementation of IRC [interest rate corridor] could be an opportunity,” he said.

The Monetary Board will conduct its second meeting for the year on March 23, 2016.

Cuyegkeng said the lowerthan-expected February inflation expanded Bangko Sentral’s lee-

way to further support economic activity. February inflation further decelerated to 0.9 percent from 1.3 percent in January. It was also significantly lower than 2.5 percent a year ago.

The figure brought the inflation average in the first two months of 2016 to 1.1 percent, well below the government’s official target range of 2 percent to 4 percent this year.

Cuyegkeng, however, noted upside risks to inflation and possibly renewed market volatility if the FOMC of the US signals a tighter stance.

“There is no compelling reason to ease or tighten at this time even with expectations of gradually rising inflation over the policy horizon,” he said.

He said transport fares were expected to ease further this month. He said lower transport fares might prevail for most of the year but the condition would depend on a collective decision of oil producers.

Negros rural bank closed; 2 Jade Bank owners convicted of estafa THE Monetary Board, the policy-making body of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, placed another Negros Oriental-based rural bank under the custody of Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp. on March 3 due to unhealthy financial condition, the fourth bank closed this year.

Rural Bank of Basay (Negros Oriental) Inc. is a single-unit bank located along Perdices Street in Dumaguete City.

“Notice is hereby given that the Monetary Board, in its Resolution No. 370.A dated March 3, 2016, decided to prohibit the Rural Bank of Basay (Negros Oriental) Inc. from doing business in the Philippines and to place its

assets and affairs under receivership pursuant to Section 30 of Republic Act No. 7653 [The New Central Bank Act)],” Bangko Sentral said in a circular posted on its Web site.

“The Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp. has been designated as receiver of the aforementioned rural bank,” it said.

Latest available records showed that Rural Bank of Basay as of Dec. 31, 2015 had 83 accounts with total deposit liabilities of P135,117.88, all of which are insured.

The board earlier closed down three rural banks based in the provinces due to unsound financial status. These were Rural

Bank of Villaviciosa (Abra) Inc. on Jan. 7, Cebu-based Lapu-Lapu Rural Bank Inc. on Jan. 28 and Rural Bank of Bayawan, also in Negros Oriental, on Feb. 24.

The Court of Appeals, meanwhile, affirmed the earlier conviction of two bank owners for the crime of estafa, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said Tuesday.

The appellate court upheld the decision of the Regional Trial Court-Manila Branch 15 for convicting two bank owners for the crime of estafa for authorizing payments to a fictitious security agency and depositing such proceeds to their bank accounts.

The appellate court sentenced Luis Co and his son, Alvin Mil-

ton Co, the former president and assistant vice president, respectively, of Jade Progressive Savings and Mortgage Bank (Jade Bank), to suffer imprisonment of four years and two months to 20 years.

The appellate court also affirmed, in a decision on Dec. 22, 2015, the trial court’s order for the two bank owners to indemnify Jade Bank, its depositors and creditors and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas the sum of P3,032,909.00, plus legal interest from the filing of the complaint until fully paid, and costs.

Bangko Sentral, during its investigation, uncovered payments authorized by Luis

Co and Alvin Milton Co for P3,032,909.00 supposedly for services rendered by a fictitious security agency. The former accountant of the bank testified in court that she witnessed accused Luis and Alvin Co open the bank accounts where the checks were deposited.

“The appellate court found that Luis and Alvin Co’s contentions cannot stand against the overwhelming evidence of the prosecution indicating a joint criminal design between them.

That is, both Luis and Alvin Co conspired to facilitate the unlawful release of Jade Bank’s funds,” the bank regulator said.

Julito G. Rada

WEDNESDAY: MARCH 9, 2016

B6 NGCP set to upgrade power lines in Panay

By Alena Mae S. Flores THE Energy Regulatory Commission approved the application of National Grid Corp. of the Philippines to construct new transmission towers that can withstand strong typhoons in northern Panay.

NGCP, which operates the country’s power grids, filed an application with ERC to upgrade the Panitan-Nabas 138-kilovolt transmission line, which would involve the construction of new structures.

ERC said that based on the perusal of evidence filed by NGCP, the upgrading of the Panitan-Nabas 138 kV line would cost P933.77 million. The project was expected to redound to the benefit of consumers in terms of continuous, efficient and reliable power supply.

The project is also expected to improve the reliability of the Panitan-Nabas 138 kV transmission line which suffered catastrophic damage from the onslaught of super typhoon Yolanda in November 2013, it said.

“It is clear that the wind velocities carried by super typhoon Yolanda were greater than the design wind velocity used in the transmission lines, thus constituting the main cause of the tower toppling,” NGCP said in its application.

The project would involve the construction of 123 new steel towers and structures, in conformity with the required design standards for 138-kV lines. The structures will provide more reliable clearances between overhead lines and nearby vegetation.

New transmission towers are to be constructed in place of toppled structures. The new towers are to be built at new sites to enable the construction of new foundations.

“However, additional rightsof-way may be required, as other towers shall be located at new sites to be able to construct new foundations,” NGCP said.

NGCP cited the need to immediately complete the upgrading of the Panitan-Nabas 138-kV line to minimize exposure to fault along the temporary by-pass lines and avoid load curtailment at the Panitan substation.

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

Japan firms keen on Clark Green City

By Othel V. Campos

JAPANESE companies on Tuesday expressed interest to invest in Clark Green City, a 9,450-hectare project spearheaded by state-run Bases Conversion and Development Authority in Tarlac province.

A delegation of Japanese executives expressed their intention to invest in the project, as BCDA and Japan Overseas Infrastructure Investment Corp. for Transport and Urban Development, or Join, signed a joint venture agreement for a detailed master plan of the green city.

BCDA and Join signed the agreement at the launching of the Clark Green City project during the NXCities Philippines International Conference at Shangri-La Hotel in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.

“Big Japanese companies have expressed

interest on how they can participate together with Join,” said BCDA president and chief executive Arnel Paciano Casanova.

Join chief executive Takuma Hatano confirmed that most of the 20 Japanese companies comprising the delegation were interested to take part in the Clark Green City development that could take at least 30 years.

Join is an equity-funder on the lookout for various investment opportunities in Asia.

With $1-trillion capitalization, Join exports infrastructure and businesses to countries with whom it has bilateral ties.

Casanova said by 2030, Join’s capital was expected to balloon to 30 trillion yen.

“We want to capture that kind of investment and then there is also deliberate decision coming from the Japanese government to encourage Japanese businesses to come to the Philippines,” he said.

Unlike Japan International Cooperation Authority, which is an overseas development assistance funder, Join is Japanese government-owned corporation that offers equity partnership.

Under the agreement, Join will own 55 percent of the joint venture, with BCDA taking on the minority share of 45 percent.

“This means that Japan is willing to share risk allocation with BCDA. Financial burden for BCDA will be lesser,” Casanova said.

The first project of the joint venture is the crafting of a detailed masterplan for the green city that is estimated to cost $2 million.

Casanova said a detailed master plan would lead to the creation of employment and education opportunities through the development of new industries, logistics, innovation, information and communication technology, that would be complemented through setting up of educational institutions, hospitals and mixed-used commercial and residential developments.

Once completed within a year, the detailed master plan of Clark Green City will also serve as the blueprint from which all infrastructure designs will be based.

The 9,450-hectare Clark Green City is envisioned to be the country’s first smart, green and disaster-resilient metropolis.

Agriculture assistance. Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala shakes hands with recipients of various agricultural and fishery assistance who attended the Ulat ng Bayan of the Department of Agriculture in Region XII. Saranggani and South Cotabato are among the provinces in Mindanao that received interventions. Close to P2.5 billion in agri infrastructures and other projects, were distributed to organized farm groups and associations during the event attended by more than 4,000 farmers, fishers and other stakeholders at the Saranggani provincial gymnasium.

Cebu Pacific celebrates 20th year, offers P1 seat sale to 34 routes LEADING budget carrier Cebu Pacific celebrated 20 years of service Tuesday, with its trademark P1 seat sale to 34 domestic and several international destinations.

The seat sale runs from March 8 to 10, 2016 or until seats last, for travel from July 1, 2016 to March 31, 2017.

CEB launched its first daily flights to Cebu on March 8, 1996.

It has since then flown over 120 million passengers on its extensive network and lowest yearround fares.

“Throughout our 20 years of operations, the Filipino people

have witnessed Cebu Pacific grow from serving one route, to successfully expanding our flight network to over 90 routes on 64 destinations – spanning Asia, Australia, the Middle East, and the USA,” said CEB president and chief executive Lance Gokongwei.

“Today, we mark this milestone by thanking every Juan who flew, is flying and will fly with CEB. We look forward to enabling more adventures, more reunions and more opportunities for you,” Gokongwei said.

The P1 seats are up for grabs on

all of CEB’s Philippine destinations: Bacolod, Boracay (Caticlan), Busuanga (Coron), Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, Camiguin, Cauayan (Isabela), Cebu, Clark, Cotabato, Davao, Dipolog, Dumaguete, General Santos, Iloilo, Kalibo, Legaspi, Laoag, Manila, Naga, Ozamiz, Pagadian, Puerto Princesa, Roxas, San Jose (Mindoro), Siargao, Surigao, Tacloban, Tagbilaran, Tandag, TawiTawi, Tuguegarao, Virac and Zamboanga.

CEB operates flights from six hubs in Manila, Cebu, Davao, Clark, Iloilo and Kalibo, making

inter-island travel fast and affordable.

The P1 seats are also available on the following international destinations: Bangkok, Bali, Beijing, Brunei, Busan, Doha, Dubai, Fukuoka, Guangzhou, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, Hong Kong, Incheon (Seoul),Jakarta, Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Lumpur, Kuwait, Macau, Nagoya, Osaka, Phuket, Riyadh, Shanghai, Siem Reap, Singapore, Taipei, Tokyo (Narita) and Xiamen.

Meanwhile, passengers can book all-inclusive fares to Guam

for as low as P1,499 and to Sydney, Australia for as low as P4,999.

The airline is slated to launch direct flights from Manila to Guam, its first US destination, on March 15, 2016.

Cebu Pacific’s 57-strong fleet is comprised of 8 Airbus A319, 35 Airbus A320, 6 Airbus A330, and 8 ATR 72-500 aircraft.

It is one of the most modern aircraft fleets in the world. Between 2016 and 2021, CEB expects delivery of three more brand-new Airbus A320, 30 Airbus A321neo and 16 ATR 72-600 aircraft.

W E D N E S D AY : M A R C H 9, 2 0 1 6

WORLD

CESAR BARRIOQUINTO EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

B7

South Korea unveils new sanctions on North Korea

Premiere. Actor Rob Riley (2nd L) and guests pose as they arrive for the premiere of the film ‘The Perfect Match” in Hollywood, California–––. AFP

Probers still to explain case of Flight MH370 KUALA LUMPUR—Investigators probing what happened to flight MH370 said Tuesday the cause of the plane’s disappearance remained a mystery as its second anniversary passed with no end in sight for the devastated next-of-kin.

The Malaysia-led international team of aviation experts set up to investigate the disappearance issued an annual progress report, but the brief statement contained no new insights into what caused the Malaysia Airlines jet to vanish.

“To date, the MH370 wreckage has still not been found despite the continuing search in the south Indian Ocean,” said the statement.

It was the second straight year that the team of investigators, which includes seven representatives from the likes of the US National Transportation Safety Board and its counterparts, had nothing to offer.

Malaysia and Australia, however, said they remained optimistic

that the painstaking search for an Indian Ocean crash site would find something that could lead to the recovery of MH370’s flight data recorders, and eventually reveal what caused the plane’s disappearance.

“The current search operation is expected to be completed later this year, and we remain hopeful that MH370 will be found,” Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said in a statement.

If nothing turns up by the time the scheduled search ends, Malaysia, Australia and China will meet “to determine the way forward”, he added, without elaborating.

The jet vanished on March 8, 2014, en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 passengers and

crew on board, mostly Chinese and Malaysian nationals.

Authorities believe the Boeing 777 flew far out over the remote southern Indian Ocean and went down.

A wing fragment later confirmed to be from MH370 was found on an island thousands of kilometers from the search area last July.

It was the first proof the plane went down, but brought authorities no closer to finding a crash site.

The three nations have already indicated they will end the biggest and most expensive search effort in history if its high-tech scanning of a designated swathe of sea floor comes up empty.

The search zone is expected to be fully scoured within a few months.

Australian Transport Minister Darren Chester echoed Najib’s hope that the search can eventually “give answers to the world, in particular the families of missing loved ones”.

Next-of-kin, struggling for closure in the tragedy, have pleaded for the quest to be expanded and continued until there are results.

In Beijing, at least 20 Chinese relatives gathered at a major Buddhist temple to pray and read out a statement appealing for an open-ended search.

“Since MH370 disappeared, we family members have suffered day and night, with each day passing like a year. Our longing for our loved ones aboard the plane grows every day,” the statement read.

Theories to explain the disappearance include a possible mechanical or structural failure, a hijacking or terror plot, or rogue pilot action.

Many families accuse the airline and Malaysian government of letting the plane slip away through a bungled response, withholding information on what happened and treating grieving relatives insensitively, charges that are denied. AFP

SEOUL—South Korea on Tuesday accused North Korea of hacking the smartphones of government officials, and unveiled new sanctions on Pyongyang over its recent nuclear test and long-range rocket launch.

The National Intelligence Service—the South’s spy agency— said the North had stolen phone numbers and texts from the phones of dozens of key officials between late February and early March.

North Korean hackers also sent phishing emails to employees of two provincial railway operators in an attempt to steal passwords that could have allowed a cyber-attack on rail traffic control systems, the agency said in a statement.

“North Korea has been mounting a series of attacks against our cyberspace” following its nuclear test on January 6, the statement said, adding that they appeared to have been preparation for a major cyber assault on South Korea’s banking network.

“If left unchecked, it would have resulted in major financial chaos, such as paralysis of Internet banking systems and unwanted transfers of deposits,” it said.

Seoul has blamed North Korean hackers for a series of past cyberattacks on military institutions, banks, government agencies, TV broadcasters and media websites as well as a nuclear power plant.

The United States also said the North was behind a damaging cyber-attack on Sony’s Hollywood film unit over its controversial North Korea-themed satirical film “The Interview” in 2014.

The NIS revelations came as Seoul unveiled a series of fresh unilateral sanctions against Pyongyang and asked citizens to boycott North Korean restaurants abroad.

The new measures blacklisted scores of North Korean individuals and entities and banned any vessels previously docked in North Korean ports from South Korean waters.

They follow the tough sanctions adopted by the UN Security Council last week and—though largely symbolic given the lack of North-South economic ties—are likely to prompt an angry response from Pyongyang. AFP

21 militants killed in Pakistan offensive ISLAMABAD—Pakistan said Tuesday it had killed 21 militants in air strikes and ground operations that began overnight in a northwest border region where it is carrying out an offensive to clear Taliban strongholds Military spokesman Asim Bajwa said the strikes, which took place in the Shawal Valley of North Waziristan tribal district, began Monday night and continued into Tuesday.

“Ops continue. Imp heights & passes along Pak-Afgn Bdr secured. Valley’s sanitization in progress,” he said on Twitter.

He later posted photographs of soldiers fanning out in a forested

area and a ruined building engulfed in smoke.

It was not possible to confirm how many people were killed in the offensive, nor whether they were indeed combatants, as journalists are denied access to the conflict zone.

Pakistan began its operation to clear Taliban and Al-Qaeda strongholds in North Waziristan in 2014, and claims to have killed more than 3,750 militants since then with no civilian casualties.

But critics and rights activists say there is no transparency around the offensive and no clear end in sight.

In late February the army said it was entering the final phase of the

operation, but offered no further details.

Meanwhile, the toll from a deadly Taliban suicide bombing on a court complex in northwest Pakistan rose Tuesday after a victim died overnight, officials said.

“The death toll from yesterday’s blast has risen to 18 as one civilian succumbed to his injuries while two injured are in critical condition,” Tariq Hassan, a senior local administration official, told AFP. The attack occurred Monday in Shabqadar town and was claimed by the Pakistani Taliban’s Jamat-ulAhrar faction, which said it was to avenge the hanging of Islamist assassin Mumtaz Qadri. AFP

Attempt. Belarussian cooks make a giant potato pancake (2 meters

diameter) as they try to establish a Guinness world record during the Shrovetide celebration in a tourist complex at the village of Sula, some 55 km southwest of Minsk, on March 7, 2016. AFP

W E D N E S D AY : M A R C H 9, 2 0 1 6

B8 Half-staff for flags ordered for Reagan LOS ANGELES—US President Barack Obama ordered flags lowered to half-staff Monday at the White House and all federal buildings as the funeral arrangements for former first lady Nancy Reagan were announced.

Reagan, who died Sunday at age 94, will be buried in a private ceremony at 11:00 am (1900 GMT) on Friday beside her husband, former president Ronald Reagan, at his presidential library overlooking Simi Valley, California.

She will “lie in repose” on Wednesday and Thursday at the presidential library and members of the public will be able to pay their respects at that time, the library said.

“As first lady of the United States, Nancy Reagan served the people of this great nation with grace and humility,” a spokeswoman for the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation said in a statement.

“She has been an inspiration to all of us who worked for her at the [foundation] and she will be deeply missed. The Reagan family, our foundation and this country have lost a treasured soul.”

A fierce protector of her husband and his political legacy, Reagan had outsize influence during her White House years from 1981 to 1989.

The White House late Monday announced that Michelle Obama would attend the service.

“First Lady Michelle Obama will be attending Mrs. Reagan’s funeral,” a White House official said.

In a statement on Sunday, the president and first lady praised Reagan’s “proud example” in a statement Sunday, saying she redefined the role of first lady.

Reagan, the 40th US president, suffered from Alzheimer’s disease after leaving the White House and went into a long decline, cared for by his wife until his death in 2004.

The Obamas highlighted Nancy Reagan’s advocacy “on behalf of millions of families going through the depleting, aching reality of Alzheimer’s.”

As a “mark of respect” for the former B-movie actress, Obama ordered that flags be flown at halfstaff at federal buildings, military posts, US naval vessels and diplomatic missions until sunset of the day she is buried. AFP

CESAR BARRIOQUINTO EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

WORLD US strike kills at least 150 fighters in Somalia WASHINGTON—An American air strike on a Shebab training camp in Somalia killed more than 150 fighters planning an imminent attack on forces from the United States and its regional allies, the Pentagon said Monday.

In attendance. Actress Ali Landry attends EMA & Sierra Club present ‘Ready For 100: Green Leaders’ at AU FUDGE on February 16, 2016, in West Hollywood, California. AFP

While the US military regularly conducts operations targeting the Al-Qaeda-linked fighters in Somalia, Saturday’s raid had a greater toll than all previous such US strikes combined.

The raids, which began in 2003, had killed between 113 and 136 militants before the latest operation, according to the New America foundation.

Captain Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, said the strike on Camp Raso killed the fighters as they were completing “training for a large-scale attack.”

Warplanes and unmanned drones were used in the strike, about 195 kilometers north of Mogadishu.

“We know they were going to be departing the camp and they posed an imminent threat to US and [African Union] forces,” Davis said, noting that as many as 200 fighters had been using the camp.

The US military has a small and secretive presence in Somalia, with a defense official estimating the current number of American troops in the country on an adviseand-assist mission at 150.

After a relative calm in the Somali capital, the Shebab have ramped up its attacks in recent months, taking advantage of the apathy of the African Union’s AMISOM mission and the weakness of Somalia’s central government.

Davis said the group had neared the completion of specialist training to conduct “offensive operations,” declining to provide further details on the assault the fighters were allegedly planning.

“Their removal will degrade alShebab’s ability to meet the group’s objectives in Somalia, which in-

cludes recruiting new members, establishing bases and planning attacks on US and AMISOM forces there,” he said.

The training camp had been under surveillance for some time ahead of the strike.

“There was a sense that the operational phase was about to happen,” Davis said.

Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said the strike was carried out in “self defense,” but he did not provide any detail on the threat the fighters may have posed.

Shebab fighters have claimed responsibility for a string of recent attacks, including a twin bombing at a busy restaurant in the Somali city of Baidoa last month.

Also Monday, six people were wounded when a laptop bomb exploded at an airport in Somalia, police said, the second such attack in recent weeks targeting passenger aircraft.

The bomb exploded at a checkpoint in the small central town of Beledweyne, some 200 miles (325 kilometers) north of the capital Mogadishu, where last month Shebab insurgents claimed responsibility for a bomb attack which ripped a hole in a passenger plane shortly after takeoff.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the latest blast, which took place at a checking area where security screening is carried out before cargo and bags are loaded onto planes.

On January 15, Shebab fighters overran a military outpost in ElAdde, southern Somalia, manned by up to 200 Kenyan soldiers deployed as part of the African Union peace-enforcement mission, AMISOM. AFP

Israel defends spurning of Obama invitation to visit JERUSALEM—Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office on Tuesday defended his decision to turn down an invitation to the White House that sparked controversy hours before Vice President Joe Biden arrives for talks.

The White House said on Monday that it was “surprised” Netanyahu spurned President Barack Obama’s invitation for talks later this month and said it had first learned of it through news reports.

It had offered to host Netanyahu on March 18 during a planned visit by the premier for the annual conference of the pro-Israel lobby group AIPAC. But Netanyahu’s office said he had wanted to avoid interfering in US presidential primary elections currently taking place and would not be traveling to Washington but would address AIPAC by satellite link.

It said Israeli ambassador Ron

Dermer had told the White House on Friday that there was “a good chance” Netanyahu would not be visiting Washington and that a final decision would be taken on Monday.

“On Monday, news reports suggested that the PM would not be traveling to Washington and erroneously stated that the president was unwilling to meet with the PM,” the statement said.

“The (prime minister’s office)

immediately corrected the erroneous news reports and officially informed the administration that the PM would not be coming to Washington.

“The PM is looking forward to the visit of VP Biden and discussing how we can meet the many challenges facing the region.”

On Monday in Washington, an Obama aide said the Israeli government had requested a meeting to take place on March 17 or 18, and

the White House had responded selecting the latter date two weeks ago.

“We were looking forward to hosting the bilateral meeting, and we were surprised to first learn via media reports that the prime minister, rather than accept our invitation, opted to cancel his visit,” said National Security Council spokesman Ned Price.

“Reports that we were not able to accommodate the prime minister’s schedule are false.” AFP

W E D N E S D AY : M A R C H 9, 2 0 1 6

TATUM ANCHETA EDITOR

BING PAREL

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

BERNADETTE LUNAS WRITER

life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

H oME & L I v ING

LIFE

C1

PIFS 2016 hIghlIghTS ThE FuTuRE OF FIlIPInO DESIgn

Product of More Than A Chair

F

ilipino designs and local talents will once again take centerstage in the upcoming Philippine International Furniture Show, an annual furniture and furnishings exhibition, from March 11 to 13 at the SMX Convention Center in Manila.

A talented roster of designers and manufacturers will present well-curated collections for the home that marry inspiration, form and function.

“PIFS may not be the largest furniture exhibition on the circuit, but it certainly is the most exciting, offering a variety of products,” shares Eduardo Zuluaga, overall event chairman of PIFS. “This is not a show where you will find rows of the same thing produced by different companies. Our exhibitors, naturally, have their own style. This is a show where individuality and creativity reigns,” he adds.

In addition to highlighting local talents through the exhibition, the PIFS also serves a more noteworthy purpose. The country’s most important furniture manufacturing

Accent Chair from Stonesets International

associations – the Cebu Furniture Industries Foundation Inc., the Chamber of Furniture Industries of the Philippines, and the Pampanga Furniture Industries Foundation – have organized an ongoing educational program for their members.

The educational program brings international experts, who will share their knowledge of the current global industry, to the Philippines. It is developed by industry members in support of their partners to further existing projects, nourish creativity and entrepreneurship, and most importantly encourage the sustainability of design in the country.

This program will see world-renowned speakers and global experts share their insights and business experiences. This year, Daniel Levine of Avant Guide Institute, a leading trend specialist based in New York, will address the industry on the subject of global preferences. Through his participative presentations, the members will be able to identify how their products could be further developed to meet upcoming market requirements.

In the past, the speakers included leading product designers and innovators Karim Rashid and Paola Navonne, interior designers Nathan Turner and Mary McDonald (of Million Dollar Decorator fame), as well as marketing and trend professional Michelle Lamb (founder and director of TrendCurve).

“We are very excited for this year’s event.

We see PIFS as the Filipino Collection. It is where we show the world, and our colleagues at home, how we interpret the latest industry trends, and in many cases, take the lead in design innovation,” adds Zuluaga.

For the first time this year, PIFS will also be held alongside Interior & Design Manila (IDM) 2016.

IDM 2016 will bring together the top brands in fixtures, fittings and furnishings at Interior Design Plus. The event will also showcase the newest concepts and ideas by 10 select professional interior designers in the Interior Design Excellence Award Pavilion. And finally, it will host a twoday Continuing Professional Development Conference for Philippine Institute of Interior Design members.

For more information on PIFS and the upcoming three-day exhibition, visit www.pifs.ph or email info@pifs.ph.

Louis by Vito Selma

Tubigon Upholstered Hanging Lamp from Hacienda Crafts

Durian Daybed

by Locsin International

Product of Ann Pamintuan Cara-boo by Vito Selma

From More Than A Chair

W E D N E S D AY : M A R C H 9, 2 0 1 6

C2

LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

My First Blessing exquisite baptismal dress for baby girls

@LIFEatStandard

Baptismal gown for little boys

PICTURE PERFECT: BABIES’ FASHIONABLE FIRSTS AT SM

M

oms or dad, lolos and lolas and other relatives always find themselves excited at anticipating the firsts in their darling baby’s growth: first laugh, first smile, first word (this could even turn into a battle royale between mom and dad who will have conflicting claims), first step, first tooth and other milestones.

Every first in a child’s growth is always a source of wonder and worthy to be cherished and remembered, which is why these milestones should be recorded and documented for the time when these little tykes turn into young ladies or gents. Of course, these memorable firsts will become even more picture perfect if babies are fashionably dressed – and this can easily be accomplished with SM Babies’ line of Babies’ Fashion Firsts.

My First Blessing has adorable baptismal gowns of silk, satin and lace, while My First Party’s outfits will make baby step out in style for his or her first special occasion.

For active toddlers, there is My First Playsuit that make for stylish outfits during playtime or when traveling.

Check out the collection at the Children’s Wear – Babies Section in all SM Stores nationwide. Be updated with what’s new for your baby through SM Babies Facebook and Instagram accounts.

Pink spaghetti strap dress with a bow

Fun floral dress for her first party

It’s never too early to be fashionable

A cute nautical outfit for a little boy’s first party

My First Playsuit

Playtime can be fashionably fun

Extra fun with comfy clothes

SAFEtY CHECkS to MAkE SuRE REpLACEMENt LpG tANkS ARE pRopERLY INStALLED

Weight checks using calibrated portable weighing scales ensure customers’ value for money

Most households in the country rely on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for their cooking needs, which is why aside from choosing a reliable supplier, it is also important to make sure replacement tanks are properly and safely installed to prevent leaks and other accidents that could trigger a fire or other accidents. Additionally, household owners should see to it that the kitchen area where the LPG tank is located is well ventilated.

Leading LPG solutions provider Solane – whose Hatid-Bahay service provides prompt and hassle-free delivery by courteous and

well-trained riders – shares the following 7-point safety check to help ensure worryfree and reliable hours of cooking.

1. Environment. Cylinders must be in a well-ventilated area, away from sources of ignition.

2. O-ring. The rubber O-ring inside the valve should be free from scratches or cracks.

3. Regulator. This should be in good condition and replaced every three years.

4. Regulator and valve connection.

The riders must inspect the regulator

to see if it is securely connected to the cylinder valve.

5. Hose. This must be in good condition and replaced every two years.

6. Hose connection. Check the metal clamps used to attach the hose to the regulator and appliance.

7. Flame quality. The burner should produce a blue flame.

Solane customers can order via the HatidBahay Hotline at 887-5555, or www.solane.com.ph.

W E D N E S D AY : M A R C H 9, 2 0 1 6

LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

Summer is the perfect time to go on adventures together

@LIFEatStandard

Let’s Go, Summer!

Let’s Go, summer!

Liv.e SimpLy

F

By LIv esteBan

unny how, the closer we are to something, the greater grows the impatient itch to get to it.

Take, for instance, these last few months, or mere weeks, of school left before summer vacation kicks in. I’m sitting here, practically chomping at the bit, exercising extreme self-control to prevent myself from screaming, “Come on, sweet vacay, bring it on!”

(I am realizing just now, with a start, that I’ve actually been measuring my days by the school calendar of my kids.

When did that happen, and does that happen to you, too? I can’t even tell you how fidgety I get thinking of school vacation just around the corner... and I haven’t been a student for eons. Strange, that! Or maybe not, if you’re a parent of school-age kids, for whom overseeing homework and making last-minute trips to the bookstore to buy required project supplies are all par for the course in the day’s routines). But I digress, so let’s get back on track.

Two words: Summer. Vacation.

Are you, like me, one of those people whose huge grins reflect pure joy at not having to go through a pile-up of cars filled with other anxious parents struggling to get their kids to school on time despite the traffic snarl? The ones who welcome each day with barelyrepressed chants of “No homework to oversee today! No project supplies to buy! No sandwiches to pack for recess!” The ones who – after gleefully celebrating freedom from homework deadlines, PTA meetings and school programs – sit down, realize we face two entire months of having the kiddos in our faces 24/7, and say, “Okay, now what?”

It’s an important question to ask, actually. Because summer vacation needs to be filled with activities for the kids as well, lest they glue their faces to their gadgets till we say “Time to turn that off!”… which is their cue to turn to us and say, “Mom, I’m bored.” (By the way, those three words are banned from my house. My kids know that if

they say that, they’re going to be whooshed away into a whole flurry of activity that will make them rue the day they dared to imagine they were bored).

Seriously, though, vacation also gives us a great excuse to take the time to enjoy a little rest and recreation with our miniature versions before they turn into adults who’d rather spend the day with their friends than hang out with us. And so I highly recommend coming up with a master list of Things to Do This Summer. I’ve come up with mine, and I’ll share with you if you’ll share yours with me, too. (After all, two – or two hundred – heads are better than one, right?)

1. Explore games from your childhood Introduce your kids to the wonder of low-tech games, the ones they probably never even heard of. Teach them to throw their rubber flip-flop at a recycled can in a game of Kick the Can. Show them you can still let those legs work by playing “stepno-step-yes” (the local version of hopscotch). Pick a couple of gumamela flowers, crush them with a stone from the garden, mix with dishwashing soap, and blow bubbles from twisted-wire bubble canes. And as you introduce them to the pleasures of these “old-time” games, don’t forget to regale them with stories from your childhood.

I promise you – and mind, my conviction comes from experience – that they’ll listen raptly to your trip down memory lane with openmouthed amazement.

2. Go on an adventure together Go on a weekend road-trip to a faraway town or visit a nearby restaurant that you and your child have never been to before.

Distance doesn’t matter; discovery does. Be tourists and snap photos and ask questions. Fill your hearts with the delight of exploring a new place together.

3. Learn something new together It could be rock-climbing, it could be white-water rafting, it could be crocheting, it could be baking, it could be planting a vegetable garden.

It could be wildly adventurous or comfortably tame, anything really, as long as it’s something you and your child agree you’d like to learn together. Granted, some activities might earn an eye-roll or a groan (as much from your kid as from you), but in case that happens, a small

C3

amount of cajoling should do the trick. A moment spent wheedling or being wheedled is a tiny price to pay for the joy of learning something new together… and best of all, you can discover you suck at it and it’ll still be totally worth it because you did it together!

4. Be crafty Buy a pair of cheap white sneakers and design them with fabric paint.

Collect photos of past vacations and make a shared scrapbook.

Draw with old crayons on a few sheets of sandpaper, turn that over an old t-shirt and iron the back of the sandpaper then watch your newly-designed t-shirt come to life. Pablo Picasso said, “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” Well, here’s a great way to jog that sleeping artist in us while supporting the existing one in our child. Art is so much fun because there’s no way to make a mistake. Even the imperfections are perfect!

5. Show and Tell Bridge the generation gap with the fun of Show and Tell. Trade stories: tell your kid about your childhood exploits and listen to him tell you about his. Listen to her favorite bands then let her listen to yours. Laugh over the corny expressions you and your friends used as kids and ask her to explain the slang expressions they use these days (bonus: you’ll actually understand their conversations with their friends instead of wondering where they learned to speak Greek). Then as you trade these “Your time vs. my time” stories, you’ll happily discover that some things are blessedly immune from generation gaps: music heals and celebrates, whether it’s our Sting or their Beyonce.

Emotional support and encouragement will always be fortifying, whether it’s expressed as “awesome” (your words) or “sick” (theirs).

And hugs, given in whatever language, are universally heartwarming and precious.

6. Do summer cleaning together Because it’s a great way to get physically fit (all that scrubbing and bending

and dusting!) and get the house spick and span at the same time.

Plus they get to learn life lessons in home management and cleanliness maintenance as well.

Win-win! Hooray!

7. Chill together Go to the bookstore and get yourselves a new book. Have a mani/ pedi with her. Drive to the top three burger joints with him and check if the taste-test ratings of friends were spot on. Lounge on garden chairs sipping iced tea or do a televisionseries marathon while snacking on popcorn. Learn how wonderful it can be to simply be with each other.

There are tons of other activities that you can surely think of. Though my list is in no way exhaustive, as

we wade through the hot summer days with our kids, I’m pretty sure we’ll all discover even more things to do together. It doesn’t really matter exactly what we do together, as long as we’re finding time to spend with each other in relaxed, joyful, stress-free moments.

Because it’s really all about making the most of the opportunity to spend summer moments together, creating memories that we and our kids can look back on one day with a smile… and share forward with the next generations to come.

Follow me on Twitter @LivE_LiveSimply. Like my page, follow all my articles, and send me feedback at Facebook/liv.esimplywithLiv.

W E D N E S D AY : M A R C H 9, 2 0 1 6

C4

LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

The Abbasi Hotel in Esfahan

top 10 reAsons WHy irAn sHould be your next design destinAtion 2. nAqsH-e JAHAn squAre, esfAHAn

CaleidosCope World

by CAl tAVerA

H

onestly, this title should say a MILLION reasons why you should go pick Iran for your next trip but unfortunately, my column isn’t long enough to cover all of them.

A few months ago, I was fortunate enough to visit this country. The stars aligned for this one and I was able to take a couple of weeks off for a mini vacation in November.

When I told people that I would be traveling to Iran, I received mixed but strong reactions. Some thought it was an amazing and rare opportunity. The other group was worried for me and I even heard someone label it as “thug city.”

I must credit the people who organized it for us because if you were to ask me about the experience, it was truly one of the most memorable vacations I’ve had. For those two weeks, we tried our best to cover several places of interest in the three cities of Esfahan, Shiraz and Tehran. Here are some of the highlights you should check out:

1. AbbAsi Hotel, esfAHAn

This is one of the oldest hotels in the world. After eight years of construction, the hotel was ready for operations by the end of 1345.

Make sure to visit the Chehelsotoun Hall which is adorned with artworks inspired from the Qajar and Safavids periods.

This is one of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites, built between 1598 and 1629. It commands a space of 89,600 square meters. Aside from the mosques found in the square, it hosts the Imperial bazaar which is one of the oldest and biggest bazaars in the Middle East with parts of the institution going back to over a thousand years. Shopping in the midst of all that history and culture! Now, that’s something you don’t do every day.

3. Āli qĀpu, esfAHAn

This grand palace in the Naqsh-e Jahan Square is also home to what I consider one of the prettiest spaces in the entire trip – the Persian historical musical room and their beautiful cutout Muqarnas. It is built from the humble mud and baked bricks and combined with vaulted ceilings that are gorgeously decorated with carved stucco to assist with the acoustical requirements of the area.

4. nAgAsH-e-JAHAn trAditionAl bAnquet HAll, esfAHAn

For some nourishment, we visited this traditional restaurant that is filled with takhts, which are daybeds instead of the usual chairs and, tables. It is walking distance from the large bazaar and decorated with stained glass and tiles from floor to ceiling, transporting us guests to the Qajar dynasty.

5. VAnk CAtHedrAl, esfAHAn

This Armenian Orthodox Vank Cathedral is another UNESCO World Heritage Site completed between 1655-1664. In the Armenian language, Vank means “monastery.”

The interiors are filled with paintings inspired by both the Old and New Testaments and created by Armenian masters and three monks.

6. kHAJu bridge, teHrAn

This 400-year-old bridge serves as one of the significant examples of Iranian architecture during the Safavid cultural influence.

7. neCropolis, sHirAz

Necropolis or Naqsh-e Rustam is the burial place of the great Achaemenid kings: Darius II, Artaxerxes I, Darius I, and Xerxes I. The oldest relief dates all the way to 1000 B.C.

8. persepolis, sHirAz

I got to visit these ruins which gave me a glimpse of the Achaemenid style of architecture. It is filled with ruins dating back to 515 B.C., but the remaining elements helped visitors envision just how wealthy the previous kings were. It was burned down during Alexander the Great’s time and declared a World Heritage Site in 1979.

The columnist at Chehelsotoun Hall, Abbasi Hotel

9. golestAn pAlACe, teHrAn

From the 18th to the early 20th century, the palace was where the royal Qajar family resided. Aside from the Āli Qāpu in Esfahan, this was another pretty palace to visit. Stained glass windows and mirrors can be appreciated in many of the structures here, but do take time to visit the building of wind towers (Emarat-e-Badgir) and prepare to be overwhelmed by the beauty inside.

Naqsh-e Jahan Square, Esfahan

10. tAbiAt bridge, teHrAn

The largest pedestrian bridge in Iran was designed by young architect Leila Araghian and won various awards. It connects two parks in Tehran.

For comments and topic suggestions, please email me at caltavera@gmail. com. For my personal adventures, follow my Instagram @cal_tavera.

Vank Cathedral in Esfahan

wEDnES DAy : m A RcH 9, 2016

SHOWBITZ

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

comedians Kiray, Vice ganda, and Tetay performed a musical comedy skit honoring the late film and television director

T

C5

Vice ganda and Karla Estrada at Himlayang pilipino

WEnn DERamas laID TO REsT

he remains of director Wenn Daramas were laid to rest Sunday afternoon, March 6, at Himlayang Pilipino.

Paying their final respects to the veteran director were his family, friends, and colleagues, including Vice Ganda, Claudine Barretto, Gladys Reyes, Ricky Davao, Candy Pangilinan, BB Gandanghari, Karla Estrada, and ABS-CBN executives Charo Santos-Concio and Malou Santos.

Before the director’s remains were brought to his final resting place, a Mass was held at ABSCBN’s Dolphy Theater.

The network executives and employees, together with Deramas’ loved ones and industry colleagues also paid tribute to the director in a necrological service Saturday night, March 5.

Titled Paalam, Direk Wenn: Thank You for the Love and Laughter, the program was filled

with lots of laughter and hilarious anecdotes about the late director. Some of his closest friends, including Star Cinema’s Roxy Liquigan, comedians Candy Pangilinan, Atak Arana, Eagle Riggs, and John Sweet Lapus, and directors Andoy Ranay and Don Cuaresma hosted the tribute.

The service included a skit featuring Wonder Woman, the director’s favorite fictional superhero, and moving performances

by Jude Michael and Mr. Pure Energy Gary Valenciano.

Deramas’ best friend Atet Manalo, friend and colleague Mel Del Rosario, and kids Gab and Raffy also recalled how the late director was as friend and father.

Vice Ganda, who worked Deramas in the blockbusters Beauty and the Bestie, The Amazing Praybeyt Benjamin, and Sisterakas capped off the necrological service with a fun musical skit with comedians Kiray and Tetay.

Ricky Davao, claudine Barretto, and candy pangilinan

gary Valenciano

Jude michael

Desiree del Valle

mel Del Rosario

nikki Valdez

olivia lamasan

AnggE In cRITIcAl conDITIon In HoSpITAl

Angge or cornelia lee in real life

ABS-CBN News reported that Cornelia Lee, a talent coordinator more popularly known as Angge, was rushed to the Cardinal Santos Medical Center in San Juan Saturday evening due to chest pains.

Actress Sylvia Sanchez spoke with ABS-CBN News’ MJ Felipe on Lee’s condition. Sanchez said Lee was watching a movie with her niece and secretary when she suddenly complained of chest pains and started frothing at the mouth.

In other reports, her niece and secretary were able to bring her to the hospital in an ambulance but was declared dead on arrival. But she was revived after 15 minutes.

“Lumalaban si Tita Angge kasi --actually dumating siya dito sa ospital na dead on arrival tapos ni-revive siya dito. After 15 minutes ay bumalik iyong pulso niya, but still very critical siya. And for the next two hours

kaya kailangan talaga bantayan siya,” Sanchez said.

Sanchez then asked for prayers for Lee. “Matigas na matigas siya dito dumating pero ngayon lumambot na, nagkakulay na kaya kailangan talaga namin ang dasal ninyong lahat,” she added.

Angge’s condition remains very uncertain. Her family requests everyone to pray for ABS-CBN’s talent coordinator and talent manager.

C6

wEDnES DAy : m A RcH 9, 2016

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

SHOWBITZ isahred @ gmail.com

Brandon Routh in ‘Lost In The Pacific’

TImEly anD RElEvanT pOlITIcal DRama

hile many and Wright’s Golden of us were Globe® award for Best trying to Actor and Actress, rewIThOuT spectively, in a Televikeep track wang2 of our presidential sion Drama, this wicked nIckIE wang candidates, waiting for political thriller has it all their next blunders, of - government corrupcourse, a general ention, plenty of intrigue, tertainment channel stories of back-stabbing announced that it’s airing all new and some political killing. It’s very episodes of the fourth season of timely and relevant, indeed. It culthe award-winning political dra- minated its third season with tenma that penetrates the shadowy sions rising between Francis and world of greed, sex and corrup- Claire with the latter declaring that tion in modern Washington D.C. she intends to leave the first.

Called House of Cards, which The fourth season, meanwhile, is an adaptation of a 1990 British perfectly blends with the previous political drama of the same title, season picking up immediately afit examines the ruthless and cun- ter the events following its finale. ning, Francis Underwood (Kevin Claire leaves D.C. for Dallas, inSpacey) and his wife Claire (Robin tending to run for Congress in her Wright) as they stop at nothing to home district. Frank desperately conquer everything. Francis has seeks to get Claire back by his side risen from House Majority Whip as he loses ground in key primary to President of the United States of states and to shut down all negative America. His wife Claire, on the (but rather true) publicities surother hand, plays the dutiful wife rounding their marriage. with her own political ambitions.

He convinces her to return to his Honored as one of the American side after promising not to sabotage Film Institute’s TV Programs of her campaign in Texas, but he later the Year for 2013, and has earned publicly endorses Celia Jones (Lisa several accolades including Spacey Gay Hamilton) at the State of the

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

ANSWER FOR PREVIOUS PUZZLE

1 5 9 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 22 24

ACROSS Goose or loon Helm position Laissez- — Cellist — Ma Huff and puff “Lou Grant” star Wool suppliers Ready to eat Hard sell, maybe More bold License What i.e. means

Brandon Routh in“Lost in the Pacific”

chinese actress Zhang yuqi

MARCH 9, 2016

Robin wright (right) with Kevin Spacey in a scene from the House of cards season premiere

w

The high-flying and non-stop thrilling action movie Lost in the Pacific stars Superman’s Brandon Routh aboard on the maiden flight of a giant, luxury aircraft called The Titanic in the Sky. Unfortunately, just like its historical ocean counterpart, the plane hits an abandoned aircraft carrier on its first voyage and its pilot, played by Chinese actress Zhang Yuqi, must try to land on an island in the middle of the Pacific.

Directed by Vincent Zhou, Lost in the Pacific is China’s first English language sci-fi action and boasts an impressive production crew including visual effects supervisor Bruce Jones (The Italian Job, Star Trek), art director Ian Bailie (Atonement, Pride and Prejudice) and Stareast Digital Lab and Venture 3D. Scott Winig is director of photography.

It was clear that the Chinese production pulled out all the stops with international actors that also includes Oscar nominees Kami Asgar and Sean McCormack for the sound editing, and Academy Award winner Mark Paterson for the final sound mixing of the movie.

Lost in the Pacific is a futuristic riveting sci-fi thriller following a group of passengers stranded on a remote island in the Pacific Ocean after their luxury airliner makes an emergency landing. To make matters worse, as they try their best to survive and figure out a way to get the plane back in the air, they soon learn the island has been overrun with strange mutated creatures that take passengers off, one by one.

Once in the air again, the two surviving military personnel set course for a secret military base. Little do they know, they’ve taken a sinister stowaway along for a ride. Routh plays a mysterious chef of the plane where Zhang Yuqi takes on the seat of the plane’s pilot. Zhang Yuqi, was recently voted “the most beautiful Asian face and has earned her fame in the world of cinema for her roles in the Chinese box office hits A Hope (CJ7) and White Deer Plain.

Director Zhou enthused, “We are excited to be working with Arclight Films on the recent launch of Lost

(2 wds.)

26 Donne’s “done” 27 Tags 30 Bloodcurdling 35 Toughen up 36 Wavy-bladed dagger 37 Eggnog time 38 Dog days in Dijon 39 Went weak in the knees 42 Seek excitement 43 Number of Muses

45 Coil of hair 46 Divert 48 Jeering 50 More intimate 51 Beyond the horizon 52 Horse’s bedding 54 Fiasco 58 Vikings, often 62 Writer — Jong 63 Fracture finder (hyph.)

65 Eight, in combos 66 Mount jewels, e.g.

67 Not much, to Juan 68 History question 69 Outmoded 70 Portent 71 Too curious DOWN 1 Toodle-oos 2 Keokuk’s state 3 Deli loaves 4 Spy’s file 5 Thinks the same 6 Places to hibernate 7 Sixth sense 8 Dueler’s sword 9 Speed demon’s cry 10 Common pill 11 — — for keeps

Union address weeks later to block Claire’s congressional bid.

RTL CBS Asia Entertainment couldn’t have picked any better play dates for the critically-acclaimed series because as we all know, like in the Philippines, Americans are also keeping a close eye on the personalities who are trying to win votes in their presidential election.

All 13 episodes of the fourth season of House of Cards premiered with a “watchathon” on March 5, the same day as the release of the series in the U.S. The TV marathon also had an encore the following day, Sunday, March 6 starting at 8:00 a.m.

“RTL CBS Entertainment HD is the only place where fans can see the new season of House of Cards,” said Jonas Engwall, CEO, RTL CBS Asia Entertainment Network, who joined the members of the media in the exclusive preview of the drama series last week.

“Delivering all 13 episodes in high-definition, back-to-back, localized with subtitles on the same day as the U.S., we guarantee audiences in the region a great viewing experience,” the executive added.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2016

12 Get dizzy 13 Whodunit name 21 Doesn’t do much 23 They wrote in runes 25 Crowds 27 Mortgages 28 Prank 29 Good, to Pedro 31 Ape a pig 32 Counterfeit 33 Rent 34 Tribal adviser 36 Zen riddle 40 Spin 41 The One-L Lama 44 Blots out 47 Defeat badly (2 wds.)

49 False front 50 Kindergarten staple 53 Hint 54 Like a bass 55 Humorist — Bombeck 56 Apron parts 57 World’s fair 59 Yodeler’s answer 60 AAA suggestions 61 Walkman brand 64 CD- —

in the Pacific. Huace film studio will be our main domestic distributor in China, and it will be the first Chinese movie to be distributed by its own distribution department.

Huace is the second largest public company in the entertainment industry in China and has been developing a successful model for distribution and looks forward to the film’s release later this year.”

“With complex character relationships, dark, mysterious creatures all in groundbreaking 3D with top-of-the-line visual effects and a celebrated team both in front of and behind the camera, the film has all the makings of a worldwide box office hit,” said Ying Ye of Arclight Films, the company representing worldwide rights on Lost in the Pacific outside of China. Ye is also an executive producer on the film.

“I am thrilled to be working with such an amazingly talented cast and the exceptional team behind-thescenes on Lost in the Pacific,” said Zhou. “We will bring an adventure of monumental proportions to audiences all over the world that will keep them on the edge of their seats until the very end, and even after they leave the theatre. A film like Lost in the Pacific has all the makings of an international success story on a global scale. Buyers from all territories see enormous potential in Lost in the Pacific.”

Lost in the Pacific opens March 16 in cinemas from Pioneer Films.

wEDnES DAy : m A RcH 9, 2016

SHOWBITZ

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

C7

MIllIOns shOw lOvE fOR ‘fPJ’s Ang PRObInsyAnO’ In PAnAgbEngA

T

he cast of the country’s no.1 primetime series FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano joined the festivities in this year’s Panagbenga Festival and expressed their gratitude to over two million spectators for the success of the hit show .

Bringing fun to the event were Coco Martin, Maja Salvador, Xymon Pineda, and Pepe Herrera who joined the festival’s grand float parade.

Around 30,000 supporters also flocked to the Burnham Lake Drive to watch the series’ cast who entertained them with special performances.

Martin, meanwhile, visited and bonded with the residents of Barangay Irisan.

As the scenes get more thrilling in the Coco-starred series,

Cardo (Coco) successfully saved Trina (Anne Curtis) from the hands of the rebels led by Roberto (Nonie Buencamino).

To protect Trina though, Cardo lets Trina stay in their house until they find out why Roberto is plotting revenge against Trina’s step-father Michael (Christopher De Leon). Now that they are living under one roof, will Cardo and Trina get even closer to each other? What other dangers should Cardo prepare for?

FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano airs weeknights on ABS-CBN. For more information about the program, visit the official social networking site of Dreamscape Entertainment Television at Facebook.com/DreamscapePH, Twitter.com/DreamscapePH, and Instagram.com/DreamscapePH.

coco martin shake hands with a local

coco martin with child actor Onyok

fPJ’s films helped Grace to be proficient in Tagalog Julia montes as Kara (left) and Sara (right) in the afternoon soap “Doble Kara”

Julia continues to lure Sam The tension between Sara and Kara (Julia Montes) is getting more intense in the hit Kapamilya series Doble Kara now that Sara is using Kara’s boyfriend Sebastian (Sam Milby) to get even with her twin sister.

Kara had told their parents Ishmael (Ariel Rivera) and Laura (Mylene Dizon) that Sara received money from Lucille (Car-

mina Villarroel), which led to the twin sisters’ heated confrontation.

Angry that their parents are once again on Kara’s side, Sara rushed to Sebastian for comfort. It was all part of Sara’s plan, though, to lure him and destroy his relationship with Kara.

Will Sara succeed with her plans? How can Kara and Sebastian protect their relationship

from Sara?

Doble Kara airs Monday to Friday, after It’s Showtime on ABSCBN Kapamilya Gold. For more information about the program, visit the official social networking site of Dreamscape Entertainment Television at Facebook. com/DreamscapePH, Twitter. com/DreamscapePH, and Instagram.com/DreamscapePH.

Jc IS myX’S EyE cAnDy fOR mARcH

Hunk actor and mainstay of You’re My Home charms his way into your homes through your favorite music channel this month of March.

Get to spend time with him each week via “Mellow Myx” until March 12, “Pinoy Myx” (March 13-19) and “My Myx” (March 20-26).

JC is not just an actor but he sings and dances too. Back in July last year, JC performed with fellow hunk actors Matteo Guidicelli and Daniel Matsunaga in the Dreamboys concert. He is also one of the featured artists in onemusic.ph.

For more of JC and Myx, log on to www.myxph.com and watch Myx on Sky Cable Channel 2 . Also, be part of the Myx Music Awards 2016 by casting your votes. Voting ends on March 13.

Jc de Vera is this month’s myX celebrity VJ

During the debate on Feb. 21 in Cagayan de Oro, among all the presidential aspirants, Senator Grace Poe emerged as the candidate who was very proficient in Tagalog.

Poe said she learned the language while watching the films of her late adoptive father, Fernando Poe, Jr. In this aspect, she and her running mate, Senator Chiz Escudero, are very compatible. Escudero also speaks flawless Tagalog.

“Pareho kaming nanonood ng mga pelikula ni FPJ. Pareho kaming nagmamahal sa wika natin.

Pareho kaming nag-aral sa UP,” Grace said.

When she was just a little girl, FPJ tutored her on how to speak in

Tagalog properly.

Her father is proud to be a Filipino and loves the language that was why he helped to propagate it.

Thanks to his films and he did.

That is why Poe is against the plan of the Commission on Higher Education to remove Filipino as a subject in the college curriculum.

“Hindi po ako sang-ayon diyan sapagkat ang ating wika ay basehan ng ating kultura, basehan ng ating pagmamahal sa ating bansa,” Grace emphasized.

“Ano na lang ang kaibahan natin sa iba kung wala tayong sariling wika na ipinagmamalaki? Okay magaling tayong mag-Ingles, importante rin iyan, pero mas mahalaga ay marunong tayong magsalita ng sariling atin,” the senator added.

Heart made chiz believe in forever

When the students in San Fernando, La Union asked Senator Chiz Escudero if he believes in forever in love during a consultation with students and barangay officials, the senator was very candid.

“Noong una hindi,” he said. “Pero nung nakilala ko si Heart, naniwala na ako sa forever.”

Escudero had been married before he met Heart Evangelista. His marriage was annulled eventually and he married Heart in 2014.

He told the students that forever would not be not easy to achieve.

Partners should work together for it, then nurture it.

“Ang forever, dapat ipaglaban, hawakan at huwag bitiwan. Dahil hindi ganon kadali yon. Pipiglas yon, papalag at susubukan kumawala.

Dapat nandun ka, sigurado ka sa

sarili mo at kailanman huwag kang bibitiw,” the senator said.

Chiz and Heart have been married for a year, and everyone knows that things were not very easy at first.

It was only last year that Heart’s parents accepted Chiz as their daughter’s life partner, and now they are supporting him in his bid to become the next vice president of the country.

As a role model for the youth, the senator was able to compare love life with the struggle to get a good education and land a decent job.

“Sa anong bagay man, pag-ibig man, ambisyon man, pag-aaral man, trabaho man o pamilya man. Pareho pa rin ang batayan, pareho pa rin ang prinsipyo na dapat gamitin kaugnay noon,” Escudero shared.

wEDnES DAy : m A RcH 9, 2016

C8

ISAH V. RED EDITOR isahred @ gmail.com

SHOWBITZ MaRIan RIvERa-DanTEs InspIREs MORE FIlIpInas ISAH V. RED

marian Rivera-Dantes shows off her incredible post-pregnancy figure

A

s the face of the country’s leading herbal slimming tea, Biofitea, GMA Network’s primetime queen, Marian Rivera-Dantes serves as an inspiration to millions of Filipinas here and across the seas.

After months of pregnancy, the showbiz industry and her fans have looked forward to seeing her again on her shows. The nation cannot deny the expectations as to how the FHM’s sexiest will look like after she gave birth to her cute little Letizia.

The wait is over and Marian never fails to surprise her fans when she showcased her sexier figure after pregnancy.

The noticeable slim figure during and even after pregnancy further shows how Marian Rivera-Dantes has been taking good care of her body. She was able to maintain her figure without compromising her baby’s health.

Above all, she proved that staying sexy is another way of giving importance to health and oneself.

Her gorgeous looks, enviable figure and unwavering confidence truly inspire Filipinas especially mothers that they can still maintain and enjoy slimmer figure even after pregnancy. These traits made her a perfect fit as Biofitea endorser.

Biofitea embraced Marian RiveraDantes as brand endorser for two years now. Biofitea is the leading herbal slimming tea in the country manufactured by Diamond Laboratories Inc., one of the leading lo-

cal medium sized health care companies in the Philippines. It is made from premium Senna Herb that has laxative properties, which flush out food before its unwanted calories and fats are absorbed by the body. As a result, it helps reduce weight and promote cleaner and healthier digestion. It is all natural, thus, no worries of certain side-effects.

Regular consumption will help achieve ‘Tyan na Flat’ like Marian’s and gain more confidence and enjoy more what life has to offer.

Diamond Laboratories Inc. is grateful to have Marian as Biofitea endorser and be able to witness the journey from marriage to motherhood. Her charm and remarkable influence to every Filipinas is what DLI uphold and wanted to communicate to Biofitea users.

Marian Rivera-Dantes is now back in track in her weekend show Sunday Pinasaya and will have her morning weekday talk show in April.

Fans will also expect her comeback on the primetime block with as ‘inang reyna’ in the much awaited remake of Encantandia.

This summer, fans and Biofitea users can expect to see series of ads and other campaign materials across different media.

For more details about Biofitea, visit www.facebook.com/Biofitea or call (02) 932 7555 loc 113.

KApuSo StARS DElIgHt fAnS In pAnAgbEngA fEStIVAl Kapuso fans in Baguio were treated to a wonderful weekend as their favorite GMA stars drove to the City of Pines to add color to the Panagbenga Festival on Feb. 26 and 28.

Around 4,000 people flocked to SM City Baguio Event Center on Febr. 26 to share the love brought by the stars of afternoon drama series Wish I May. The Kapuso Mall Show became an extended Valentine’s Day celebration as Bianca Umali and Miguel Tanfelix—known as “BiGuel”—showcased their blossoming love team amid the wild cheers of the audience. Adding excitement to the show were their co-stars Ashley Ortega and Prince Villanueva.

After witnessing the vibrant Panagbenga Grand Float Parade in the morning, Baguio residents and tourists gathered at SM City Baguio on Feb. 28 to be part of the Kapuso Fiesta.

Lead stars of GMA’s two highrating primetime shows mesmerized the pack of almost 5,000 people. Little Nanay’s Tinay, played by

“because of you” cast Joyce ching, Valerie concepcion and gabby concepcion “little nanay” stars mark Herras, Kris bernal and Hiro peralta

Kris Bernal, and co-stars Mark Herras and Hiro Peralta entertained the crowd.

Meanwhile, Because of You leading man Gabby Concepcion had the audience swooning as Boss Yummy serenaded them.

Joining Gabby were Kapuso actresses Valerie Concepcion and

Joyce Ching.

The Panagbenga or Baguio Flower Festival is the biggest fiesta celebration in the Philippine Summer Capital. GMA Network never fails to take part of this annual festivity as part of its thrust of bringing fans closer to their favorite Kapuso stars and programs.

(from left) prince Villanueva, Ashley ortega, bianca umali and miguel tanfelix