The Standard - 2016 April 30 - Saturday

VOL. XXX  NO. 77  3 Sections 32 Pages P18  SATURDAY : APRIL 30, 2016  www.thestandard.com.ph  editorial@thestandard.com.ph

NBI NABS SECOND COMELEC HACKER

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DUTERTE TO OPEN BANK ACCOUNTS

By John Paolo Bencito and Rio N. Araja

AFTER denying the allegations for several days, presidential candidate Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte admitted Friday he had bank accounts at the BPI Julia Vargas branch in Pasig with “a little less than P211 million”— and said he would reveal the contents of the accounts Monday.

Duterte was responding to allegations from vice presidential candidate Senator Antonio Trillanes IV that he had P211 million in a BPI account that was not declared in his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth. “[I told them to] open it on Monday in front of Trillanes and [Duterte’s lawyer Salvador] Panelo,” said Duterte, the frontrunner in the presidential race. “Allow Panelo to explain first the legal ramifications.”

“I just want it proper. That’s the procedure.

You execute an affidavit, you accuse a person then the person, if he so desires, [will show you the account]. Definitely it’s less than [P211 million],” he added.

PDP-Laban spokeswoman Paolo Alvarez denied that Duterte had anything close to P211 million.

“We will show Senator Trillanes that his accounts are wrong,” Alvarez told radio dzMM. Calling Trillanes “the inventor of the week,” Alvarez added: “This is getting ridiculous by the day. Two days ago, Senator Trillanes accused Mayor Duterte of having an undeclared P211-million bank account. Today, he said the mayor’s accounts had P2.4 billion worth Next page

Open the accounts. Presidential candidate Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte explains to reporters that he is prepared to open his account in a bank in Pasig City if his accuser, Sen. Antonio Trillanes, executes a sworn statement specifying his charges. LINO SANTOS

Ex-Supreme Court chief justice Corona dies

By Rey E. Requejo

CORONA

FORMER Chief Justice Renato Corona died of a heart attack before dawn Friday.

He was 67.

The Palace, which had orchestrated his ouster by impeachment in 2012 and hounded him with tax evasion cases afterward, sent its condolences to Corona’s family.

The Supreme Court, which he served for a decade, ordered all courts to fly the flag at halfstaff starting Friday.

“Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno and the associate justices of the Supreme Court mourned the passing away of Corona, the

Court’s 23 rd chief justice,” the Court said in a statement.

Corona was appointed to the Court’s top post in 2012 by then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to replace Chief Justice Reynato Puno upon his retirement.

Before being appointed chief magistrate, Corona served as an associate justice for the Supreme Court from 2002 to 2010.

Corona was previously a law professor, private law practitioner and member of the Cabinet under two Presidents, Fidel V. Ramos, as presidential counsel, and Arroyo, as executive secretary, before being appointed to the high tribunal.

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GOVT TOLD TO ARREST RIDSDEL’S KILLERS

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SECOND COMELEC HACKER ARRESTED

By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan

THE National Bureau of Investigation agents arrested a second suspect in the hacking of the Commission on Elections website and the theft of a database of 57-million registered voters, a Comelec spokesman said Friday.

Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said the NBI’s Cybercrime Division arrested Jonel de Asis, 23, from his home in Muntinlupa City.

Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista said De Asis confessed to being the mastermind behind the hacking of the poll body’s website, but denied that he and his group created the wehaveyourdata.com website which made publicly available the database of personal information belonging to 57-million registered voters, including their home addresses, birthdays, relatives, fingerprints and even passport numbers.

Jimenez said De Asis also confessed that he and his fellow hackers decided to hack the website to prove that the Comelec website can easily be breached.

“I asked him if they had a plan for the elections, if there was a political angle to what they did, and he said no. He said he’s not even a registered voter,” Jimenez said in Filipino.

The NBI seized De Asis’ personal computer and mobile phone.

The first suspect, Paul Biteng, was arrested a week ago and admitted to the crime. He faces charges of illegal access to a computer system, data interference and misuse of devices under the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.

The NBI said it was still hunting down a third suspect.

Jimenez said the 340-gigabyte database that was stolen appeared to be old files and unlikely to affect the May 9 elections.

Jimenez said De Asis confessed that the da-

tabase that he had stolen were old files.

“We cannot still say if the database he stole is authentic, because even the hacker admitted that they targeted old data. They said they believed that if it is old data, it is no longer relevant,” Jimenez said.

He did not address the loss of privacy suffered by millions of voters, or the potential for identity theft and other crimes as a result of the data breach, however.

In March, Anonymous Philippines hacked the official Comelec website, defacing it with a message address to the poll body, demanding that they make sure the security features on the vote counting machines were activated on Election Day. Another group called “LulzSec” accessed the data on the poll body’s website and posted it online.

“A great lol to Commission on Elections, here’s your whoooooole database,” LulzSec Pilipinas said in a Facebook post.

The instance was the first major leak of election-related data by a hacker group in the Philippines.

Nabbed. Suspected Comeleaks hacker Jonel de Asis covers his face as officials of the National Bureau of Investigation’s Cybercrime Division presented him to the media after he was arrested on Friday for his admitted role in hacking the website of the Commission on Elections last March. DANNY PATA

Ex-Supreme...

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Corona earned his Bachelor of Laws degree at Ateneo Law School in 1974. In 1981, he was accepted to the Master of Laws program of the Harvard Law School.

In April 2011, Corona graduated summa cum laude from the University of Santo Tomas Graduate School with a degree of Doctor of Civil Law. Corona’s appointment to the top position in the Supreme Court was controversial because it was made despite an election period-ban on new appointments. The justices ruled, however, that appointments to the Court were not covered by such a ban.

In November 2011, the Su-

preme Court under Corona ordered the distribution of the 4,915-hectare Hacienda Luisita in Tarlac to farmers of the sugar estate owned by the family of President Benigno Aquino III. In a separate opinion, Corona argued for a lower compensation to the owners of the hacienda, based on the fair market value of the land in November 1989.

A month later, allies of President Aquino in the House of Representatives voted to impeach Corona over charges of hidden assets and partiality toward Arroyo.

After an impeachment trial— the first in judicial history—the Senate voted 20-3 in May 2012 to convict him for betrayal of public trust due to his failure to disclose all his properties in his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth.

Corona was then removed from

office and succeeded by Chief Justice Sereno.

In 2013, Senator Jinggoy Estrada revealed that senators who voted to convict Corona received P50 million in extra development funds from the Budget Department. While the Palace denied that these allocations were bribes, senators who voted to acquit Corona did not receive similar funding for their projects.

Corona’s ordeal did not stop with his ouster. In March 2014, the Justice department filed a case against him before the Court of Tax Appeals for allegedly evading taxes on P120.5 million in assets.

A few weeks after that, the Office of the Ombudsman filed a civil case for forfeiture of unexplained wealth amounting to P130.3 million and also cases of perjury and violation of the Code

of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials before the Sandiganbayan.

Corona vowed to clear his name and said he was the victim of “merciless persecution” by President Aquino.

He said the cases filed against him were expected, since they were the work of Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales and then Justice secretary Leila de Lima, both Aquino appointees and both witnesses against him during his impeachment trial.

“The harassment continues without letup. Malacañang and its attack dogs were not content with removing me from office. They have been filing all sorts of baseless and contrived cases against me and members of my family,” he said in January 2014. With Sandy Araneta, Vito Barcelo and Joel E. Zurbano

Duterte...

From A1 of transactions. What’s next? Mayor Duterte is behind the $81-million Bangladeshi bank heist? This is already the height of absurdity.”

Duterte added that he still wants Trillanes to execute an affidavit, but it was not clear if this would be a condition to letting BPI open his bank account for examination Monday.

The mayor defended himself against accusations that the accounts held illgotten wealth.

“I have an explanation for that. Not all politicians’ money is stolen money. Where did I steal? I’ve been mayor for 22 years. Have you seen any case?

Ask anybody in Davao if I was I in any transaction,” Duterte said.

In the same interview, Duterte confirmed that a staunch ally of Vice President Jejomar Binay—Cavite Gov. Jonvic Remulla—has thrown his support behind him instead.

“We have forged an alliance to support each other,” Duterte said.

Administration standard bearer Manuel Roxas II said Duterte should stop peddling lies about fighting corruption and likened him to Binay, who kept deflecting questions about his alleged ill-gotten wealth.

“Mayor Duterte, time’s up. Tell the truth,” Roxas said in a press briefing at the ruling Liberal Party’s Balay headquarters in Quezon City.

In the same press briefing, Roxas waved to members of the media another validation slip whom his staff deposited with $10, which turned out to be another joint dollar account by Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and daughter Sara Zimmerman Duterte.

In various interviews, Duterte claimed that he doesn’t have any dollar account and that he has faithfully declared everything in his SALN. “Are you toeing the line of Vice President Binay who kept on hiding from the truth? Who kept on deflecting issues on these bank accounts? Please tell the truth, Mayor Duterte. Our countrymen expects nothing but the whole truth and nothing else,” Roxas said.

The BPI dollar account, 002434200159-2071 was one of the seven bank accounts revealed by Trillanes recently.

Roxas said that upon checking the existence of Duterte’s alleged accounts, his staff was advised that he could not deposit pesos because the account was for dollars.

“His claim that he doesn’t have dollar accounts [is] a lie because it’s a dollar account and it’s under the name of Mayor Duterte,” Roxas said.

Roxas slammed Duterte, saying that the “waivers” whom his running mate Senator Alan Peter Cayetano peddled during the presidential debates were a farce.

“That’s only for press release. It’s useless,” Roxas said.

The Palace on Friday denied it was behind Trillanes’ expose.

“There is no truth to the allegations,” said Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr., in a text message.

Trillanes kept up the attack on Friday, saying he was validating reports that the mayor had undeclared properties as well.

He reiterated his challenge to Duterte to prove him wrong and show he did not have billions of pesos in bank transactions.

He also said the P211 million in the BPI account was just the tip of the iceberg. With Sandy Araneta

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Voters urged not to elect Duterte THE Commission on Human Rights warned voters Friday not to buy the promise of presidential aspirant Rodrigo Duterte to kill criminal suspects to curb criminality in the country.

The group slammed the Davao City mayor’s “irrational” claims that investigating his supposed links to various human rights violations would be a great “hindrance” in pursuing his fight against criminality.

“It’s very dangerous to promote the idea that a cabal or self-appointed vigilante can decide on who should or should not be killed in their respective villages or municipalities or cities or provinces or regions,” CHR Commissioner Roberto Eugenio Cadiz said.

“Who will be the members of these vigilante groups and how will they decide on who should be on their hit list?

“If you allow this to happen, who is to guarantee that no innocent lives will be sacrificed in this mad scramble to abolish criminality within X number of months?”

Cadiz made his statement even as human rights activists vowed not to allow Duterte to “negate our hard-won triumphs.”

At a news conference in Quezon City, Judy Pasimio of Lilak (Purple Action for Indigenous Women’s Rights) said they will not vote for Duterte since his presidency would only push back their gains.

“Filipino women have suffered so much political, social and economic marginalization in the past, but we have overcome these challenges and made significant advances in our fight for women’s rights—with men too who have stood with us in our struggles,” she said.

Promise. United Nationalist Alliance standard-bearer Jejomar Binay vows that Filipinos will have a better quality of life under his presidency if he wins this year’s elections.

Duterte biggest ad spender WITH 10 days remaining before the elections, leading presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte, who claims to be a “poor man,” turned out to be one of the biggest spenders on political ads, shelling out P408.67 million next to closest rival Senator Grace Poe with P429.74 million, the documents of a survey outfit showed.

Southern leg. Senator Grace Poe visited Guinobatan, Camalig, Daraga and Legazpi in Albay. Jay MoraleS

Marcos continues to get warm reception

VICE presidential candidate Ferdinand Marcos continues to get a warm reception as he was again warmly welcomed by the Bicolanos in Camarines Norte on Friday, his backers said Friday.

The political leaders allied with Gov. Edgardo Tallado hosted Marcos at the Bagasbas Lighthouse Hotel in Daet on Friday, and they were led by Vice Governor Jonah San Pedro who brought with him the majority of the mayors in the province for a meeting.

Thereafter, gubernatorial candidate Jesus Typoco, a member of the Nacionalista Party, organized a huge rally for Marcos at the city center. Typoco announced

that he was supporting Marcos because he believed in his track record and commitment to public service.

In his speech, Marcos thanked the whole of Camarines Norte for the rousing welcome. He said their warm reception was a classic example of what national unity could achieve for the country.

“Ipinapakita ninyo sa buong bansa kung paano ang pagkakaisa ay makakatulong upang pagandahin muli ang ating buhay,” Marcos said.

Four other vice presidential candidates are Bicolanos, but Marcos said running for a national position does not depend on a candidate’s ethnicity but his programs that will uplift the lives of the people.

The documents by Nielsen Media Survey obtained by The Standard showed all five presidential candidates had so far spent P1.61 billion in less than three months, or from Feb. 9 to April 27.

Nielsen based its survey on cost “in absolute figures” for national buys.

Contrary to the reports that opposition United Nationalist Alliance standard bearer Jejomar Binay had already maximized his 120-minute limit, Nielsen survey showed it was Poe that was near to breaching the 120-minute limit allocation for TV ads per network outfit at 106 minutes each placed on GMA 7 and ABS-CBN. Binay was well below the limit as he had only used 78.8 minutes on GMA 7, 68 minutes on ABSCBN and 71.8 minutes on TV 5.

Duterte had the widest reach, using up a total of 517.2 minutes in nine TV stations amounting to P408.67 million or 25 percent in total share of investment or SOI. Besides ABS-CBN and GMA 7, Duterte also placed ads on TV 5 and cable TV stations 2nd Avenue (RJTV), Basketball TV, ETC (SBN), Jack TV, Solar Sports and ABS-CBN Sports + Action.

Duterte was followed by Poe with 248.3 minutes in four TV stations amounting to P429.74 million, with an SOI at 27 per-

cent. She also placed ads on TV 5 and ANC. Binay has so far spent a total of P375.61 million with 361.5 minutes placed on 11 stations at 23 percent SOI. Binay was followed closely by the ruling Liberal Party standard bearer Manuel Roxas II with a total political spending of P358.39 million, and in only four TV stations representing 22 percent in SOI at 163.8 minutes.

People’s Reform Party presidential candidate Miriam Defensor Santiago had the least amount of TV ads placement at only P40 million for 20.5 minutes in ABSCBN and GMA 7 representing three percent in SOI. Duterte did not come out with TV ads in February but placed P104.83 million worth of ads in three stations in March and tripled the amount in April to P303.83 million to include six more stations, or a total of nine stations in April, which made him the “biggest political ads spender” this month.

It was during this month that Duterte was made the subject of the most controversial issues that hounded him, such as being tagged

by Binay as “Berdugong mamamatay tao ng mahihirap” and the rape joke that raised a howl from foreign governments and women’s groups. Christine F. Herrera

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Swift justice vs ASG sought

By Macon R. Araneta LEADERS of the mining industry demanded “swift and heavy” justice for the murder of former mining executive John Ridsdel at the hands of the Abu Sayyaf group even as a senator demanded that the Aquino administration step up intelligence operations against the bandit group.

“We are devastated by his senseless and grisly death at the hands of the Abu Sayyaf. John did not deserve such fate and we call on government to bring the perpetrators to justice; justice that is swift and heavy,” the Chamber of Mines of the Philippines said in a statement.

Ridsdel led a mining operation in Zamboanga del Norte and de-

cided to retire in the country. “despite the many risks to his safety, John loved the Philippines, choosing to retire in the country, appreciating its innate beauty and believing in its people. It is unfortunate, for all that John had given, he only encountered the darkest of what we have,” the Chamber lamented.

According to the Chamber,

Ridsdel’s murder must reawaken every Filipino’s commitment to help ensure peace and prosperity in Mindanao and the country.

This as it assured that stringent security measures are being implemented in the different mining operations around the country to keep workers, local and foreign, safe, including limiting travel to daytime and providing security escorts at critical areas.

“We condole with John’s family in this time of indescribable grief.

And we are one with all countries in condemning terrorism and will continue to raise our voices against acts that impede on our freedom and our divine right to life,” the Chamber ended.

The Chamber issued the statement as Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto demanded

that the government allocate a major portion of its P833-million intelligence fund allocation this year to find Abu Sayyaf “leaders and lairs.”

In addition to this intelligence kitty, there is a P702-million allocation for “confidential expenses” in this year’s national budget, which, according to Recto, can also be tapped in monitoring the terrorist group’s activities.

In all, there’s a P1.5-billion budget to fund intelligence-gathering activities against the notorious group’s “status and intentions,” Recto, a reelectionist, said.

Almost all of this year’s intelligence fund, he explained, is shared among three major recipients: The department of National defense—P246 million; the Philippine National Police—

P306 million; and the Office of the President—P250 million.

The dNd’s allocation is in turn distributed among the major armed services, while that of the OP can be used to fund intelligence-gathering projects on national security threats.

“In the arsenal of weapons against terror, the intelligence fund is very important. It can also be lethal,” said Recto, a shared candidate of the Liberal Party, Partido Galing at Puso, and the Miriam-Marcos ticket.

Recto said the Abu Sayyaf, due to its recent beheading of a Canadian citizen it had kidnapped for ransom, “is clearly a national security threat”, not only because of the barbarity of its crimes, “but also because of their potential to bring their war to urban areas.”

Roxas lawyer goes to Duterte

By Rio N. Araja FORMER defense secretary Avelino Cruz, who was earlier associated with the camp of Liberal Party presidential candidate Mar Roxas, has jumped ship and led a group of lawyers in declaring their support for the presidential bid of davao Mayor Rodrigo duterte.

Cruz, a leader of lawyers’ groups and incumbent president of the Asean Law Association, said he and his group of lawyers have arrived at a decision to support duterte’s bid after a review of his platform of governance.

“As lawyers, we are committed to the rule of law and justice for all. We believe that Mayor duterte, a former prosecutor himself, will uphold the rule of law, despite apprehensions expressed by some sectors that the contemplated iron fist against crime and corruption under a duterte administration, could lead to human rights abuses,” he said.

“We will help ensure that every vote for duterte is counted and the true will of the people is reflected in the results of the voting,” the statement read.

“We join the millions of Filipinos, fed up with corruption, crime and pervasive poverty, and are demanding for real change.

We believe duterte can achieve what we all want.

A government that can move the entire country along the path of lasting peace, economic growth and social harmony in the next six years,” said Cruz.

Unity in Mindoro. Vice presidential candidate Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. gets a ‘Solid North’ welcome from thousands of residents of Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro during his Unity Caravan visit to the province on Thursday.

Govt bonus to be tax free

By Gabrielle Binaday and Sandy Araneta

Teachers’ demand. Members of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers picketed the Commission on Elections on Friday to demand that the poll body implement the Election Service Reform Act, or Republic Act 10756, in the coming elections. LINO SANTOS

THE department of Budget and Management has issued the guidelines on the grant of the P31- billion mid-year bonus of government employees mandated under Executive Order No. 201.

According to Budget Secretary Florencio B. Abad, the majority of government employees will receive their bonus tax-free.

“Eight in every 10 civilian personnel will receive their mid-year bonus in full, or tax-free under Republic Act 10653, which provides that gross benefits such as the 13th month pay and other benefits not exceeding P82,000 shall be tax exempt,” Abad said.

“These means the majority of civilian personnel will take home their midyear bonus in full. They are the 970,943

civilian employees belonging to Salary Grades 1 to 16,” Abad added.

Executive Order No. 201 approved by President Benigno Aquino III on Feb. 19, 2016 provides that a mid-year bonus equivalent to one month basic salary as of May 15 shall be granted to all positions for civilian personnel as well as military and uniformed personnel.

Budget Circular 2016-3 provides the rules and regulations on the grant of said bonus to all civilian positions whether regular, casual, or contractual in nature, appointive or elective, full-time or part time, as well as MUP. The bonus shall be given not earlier than May 15, 2016.

Funding requirement for regular personnel of national government agencies shall be charged against MPBF based on the number of filled positions in the Government Manpower Information System as of April 30, 2016.

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Comelec to move precincts AFTER the bombing of six schools in Maguindanao, the Commission on Elections is likely to order the transfer of the polling precincts to other areas near the affected facility.

Comelec Commissioner Sheriff Abas noted since the schools have been damaged, there is a possibility that the commission en banc will issue an exemption to transfer the concerned polling precincts.

“The commission en banc will deliberate on the matter and immediately resolve where we can transfer the polling precincts,” he said.

Among the possible areas that they are looking to as alternative polling centers are private schools that are adjacent to the affected establishments.

“If you cannot use the precincts, or if it was burnt or bombed, we really have to transfer that. The en banc will order the transfer,” Abas added.

Aside from transferring the polling precincts, the poll body official said there was also a possibility that the Board of Election Inspectors would be replaced by members of the Philippine National Police.

“We have a process for that. If the teachers will refuse to serve as BEIs, most likely they will be substituted by PNP personnel,” he added.

On Wednesday, six schools in Sultan Mastura, Maguindanao were attacked by unknown assailants.

The schools are: Tapayan Central School, Dagurungan Elementary School, Tuka Elementary School, Darping Elementary School, Tareken Primary, and Simuay Seashore Elementary School.

With this, Abas said the Comelec—Committee on the Ban on Firearms and Security Personnel is evaluating whether the province should be placed under Comelec Control (Category 4).

“As far as I know, several municipalities in Maguindanao are already under Category 3, which is a combination of having intense political rivalry (Category 1) and presence of armed groups (Category 2),” he added. PNA

Courage and compassion. Presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte is welcomed by senatorial candidate Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez upon arrival at the Subic Bay International Airport in Olongapo City on Friday. VER NOVENO

ARMM raises record P144M in foreign aid

By Vito Barcelo THE Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao earned P144.2 million in development assistance from foreign and local sources, 96 percent of which came from Turkey, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Taiwan and Singapore.

ARMM Governor Mujiv Hataman said the P144.2 million, which amounted to P36 million annually, was generated over four years, a record feat in the more than 25 years of ARMM’s existence.

Hataman, who introduced various reforms in the regional government, said that before, the average annual generated resources of the ARMM-Manila Liaison Office reached just over P1 million coming from donations during Islam’s month-long Ramadan fasting period.

Under various reforms initiated by the Hataman administration, the ARMM-MLO has set up its Direct Community Services in 2012.

“The program links with Moro communities, with civil society groups, and with various government agencies, including the military and the police in Metro Manila,” Hataman said.

He said the money will be used to fund programs to benefit communities and constituents in the ARMM, which comprised

the provinces of Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi, and the cities of Lamitan and Marawi.

Among those funded by foreign assistance are the acquisition of dialysis machines, hospital beds, mammograms, cryostat machines, refrigerated centerifuge machine, operating room surgical equipment, ophthalmology sets, orthopedic equipment, gynecological instruments, personal computers and printers, and other medical equipment and instruments.

“A portion of the foreign donation went to Hajj or pilgrimage assistance and palm dates during Ramadan,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Department of Education in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao hired 562 teachers in the provinces of Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur.

Pacman now a heavyweight

Heavyweight. Philippine boxing icon Manny Pacquiao greets supporters during a campaign rally in Calamba, Laguna on Thursday. AFP PHOTO

BOXING legend Manny Pacquiao smiles as he soaks up the sounds of adoring fans screaming his name, their cheers heralding a new career as one of the Philippines’ most powerful politicians.

After winning his farewell fight against Tim Bradley, the eight-time world champion hit the campaign trail this week in a bid to secure a seat in the Senate when Filipinos go to the polls on May 9.

Pacquiao’s rise from desperate street kid to boxing superstar has made him one of the nation’s biggest heroes and, in a nation where celebrities often become lawmakers, he is effortlessly translating sporting success into the political ring.

Surveys show Pacquiao is virtually guaranteed to win a Senate seat and his journey through shanty towns near Manila, where he threw caps and other sou-

venirs to joyous fans holding life-sized posters of him, appeared more a victory lap than an effort to convince sceptical voters.

“I’m happy campaigning right now. So many people are shouting, cheering for me. I’m glad with the warm welcome in every rally. I really didn’t expect that,” Pacquiao told AFP on Thursday during a break from the festivities.

With constant speculation that another mega-bucks bout against American rival Floyd Mayweather might lure him out of retirement, Pacquiao insisted he was enjoying “retired life” and that he was not thinking about boxing at all.

“I’m now a full-time politician. I remember when I dedicated myself to be a boxer and become a champion. It’s my feeling right now,” he said.

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Preparations. Members of the Quezon City Police Department’s Civil Disturbance Management unit conduct an exercise for competition and as preparation for the Labor Day protests on May 1. MANNY PALMERO

Labor Day job fair to offer 167k posts

By Vito Barcelo More than 167,000 job vacancies will be available for jobseekers in 54 job fair venues nationwide on May 1, Labor Day, Labor Secretary rosalinda Baldoz said.

“The 54 job fairs will be simultaneous nationwide. These will be held in different venues in 17 regions under the overall supervision of the DoLe,” Baldoz said.

The 2016 Labor Day theme, “Kinabukasan Sigurado sa Disenteng Trabaho,” underscores the DoLe’s effort in developing the country’s top resource, our workers, and generating decent and productive jobs to secure a brighter future for the country, she said.

Baldoz said the 54 job fairs scheduled on May 1 will gather 1,112 employers, who will be bringing over 167,924 job vacancies. of the 167,924 jobs offered, 75,137, or 44.74 percent are for local; 92,257, or 54.94 percent are for overseas; and 530, or .32 percent are for government.

“These numbers are preliminary and may increase,” she added, noting that it is still a few days before May 1.

“As Labor Day approaches, the number of both participating employers and job vacancies are expected to increase, so job seekers of all types nationwide need to prepare to join the 54 job fairs,” Baldoz said.

The labor chief said the Labor Day fairs will be held in convenient venues that will enable job seekers to speed up their search for jobs and employers to fast-track their search for skilled and qualified personnel. of the 1,112 employers who will participate in the Labor Day Job Fair, 351 employers, or 38.6 percent are from region 3. This is followed by region 11 with 127 employers, or 17.98 percent, and region 1 with 160, or 14.27 percent.

MMDA to launch website for no-contact policy

By Joel E. Zurbano The Metro Manila Development Authority will launch on May 3 a website on the No-Contact Apprehension Policy to allow motorists to check whether they have committed a traffic violation.

The website “Na-HuliCam Ka Ba?”is a viewable but not editable Google Spreadsheet online, that will contain data or an updated list of the revived traffic scheme on erring motorists.

The data will indicate the plate number of the vehicle apprehended under the No-Contact policy; its location, date, time when traffic violation was committed; and the action taken by the MMDA. MMDA chairman emerson Carlos said the agency has taken the initiative to publish the database online in response to the popular demand to provide motorists an easy and efficient way to verify if they have been cited for a traffic violation. he said the online database will facilitate the verification process by motorists on the traffic violations and assuage their fears that

they could have been wrongly cited for traffic infractions.

The policy was revived during the term of former MMDA chairman Francis Tolentino to apprehend over-speeding vehicles along major thoroughfares in the metropolis, including Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City.

The current MMDA leadership refined the policy when reimplemented last April 15, giving the motorists a chance to contest the traffic citation within the seven days upon receipt of a notice from the agency.

MMDA has conceptualized the scheme primarily to instill discipline among drivers on the road and for the latter to abide by the traffic rules and regulations.

It also aims to prevent corruption among traffic enforcers and help ease traffic buildup as physical contact between traffic personnel and erring drivers would be lessened.

More than 4,000 violations have so far been recorded since the nocontact apprehension scheme was launched.

Authorities nab shabu-sniffing couple in Malabon cemetery

By Jun David AuThorITIeS arrested a couple while in the act of sniffing shabu inside a public cemetery Friday morning in Malabon City.

Malabon Police Station Anti-Illegal Drugs Special operation Task Group investigator SPo2 redentor Mantala Jr. identified the arrested suspects as Nolie Dela Cruz, 47 and his livein partner Margie Pimo, 36 of Flovi 4 Paradise Village, Barangay Tonsuya.

The arrest was made

after they were seen by roving barangay watchmen roaming inside the Tugatog Cemetery in Barangay Tugatog while in possession of drug paraphernalia.

“Village watchmen have been observing the two’s suspicious actions for several weeks, coming to the cemetery at dawn. And then they were seen carrying drug paraphernalia.”

Barangay officials sought the assistance of elements of Police Community Precinct around 5:50 a.m., combined

forces of police and barangay officials led by Insp.

Joseph Gordoves arrested the couple while in the act of sniffing shabu.

Police recovered from the suspects a plastic transparent sachet containing undetermined quantity of suspected shabu and drug paraphernalia.

The couple will be charged for possession and use of illegal drugs under r.A 9165 otherwise known as the Comprehensive Dangerous Drug Act of 2002.

Handshake. MMDA chairman Emerson Carlos shakes the hand of Manila Water Solutions president Fernando La Cruz after they signed a memorandum of agreement promoting clean and safe drinking water for all. MANNY PALMERO

s at u r D aY : a p r i l 3 0 , 2 0 1 6

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NEWS

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Gunman kills activist, candidate’s supporter

By Ronald O. Reyes Tacloban city—an activist leader and supporter of a former priest running as governor in northern Samar province was shot dead early morning Friday in Palapag town.

Emil Go, 44, has been a known convenor in the province for militant group Bayan and human

rights organization Katungod since 1999.

Aside from being a government employee, Go was

also an active supporter of the candidacy of Monsignor Walter Cerbito, the resigned vicar general of the Diocese of Catarman, who is now running as independent gubernatorial candidate in the province for the May 9 elections.

“We condemn this latest extrajudicial killing. Local human rights groups are now looking into the motives for the murder of

one of our activist leaders,” said Renato Reyes Jr., Bayan national secretarygeneral.

Cerbito’s campaign also said it strongly condemned the brutal killing of Go. In an interview, Cerbito’s camp movement said “the fight of the people of Northern Samar will continue, as always” despite the murder of one

Trisikad. Local and foreign tourists enjoy riding this modified bicycle around Cebu City. DAVID CHAN

of its known supporters.

According to the group, the priest continues to hold house-to-house visit in every village in the 24 towns of the province.

A post-mortem from the Rural Health Unit of Palapag said Go suffered multiple gunshot wounds in the head, abdomen and upper extremities.

Police are still investigating the incident.

Abra group seeks to end poll terror, violence

By Dexter A. See BANGUED, Abra—The Abra Movement for Change has called on the political leaders/parties of the province to put an end to the culture of violence and terror campaign tactics but instead raise the level of elections to issues such as programs of government and projects aimed at alleviating the plight of the poor.

The non-government organization said the electorate of Abra is tired of the violence associated with the political season and is clamoring for change, one that would bring real development in the province.

“The contending political parties in the province must make their covenant of peace in front of the people of Abra so they will be beholden and be bounded by their promises,” the ABC said.

ABC has also revealed that it has commissioned an independent survey in Abra to get the pulse of voter awareness and preference in the province.

The survey conducted on April 8-9 covering Bangued, Bucay, Danglas, Dolores, La Paz, Langangilang, Lagayan and Manabo, and on April 15-16 on Penarubia, Pidigan, Pilar, San Isidro, San Juan, San Quintin, Tayum and Villaviciosa (16 municipalities) shows Vice President Jejomar Binay enjoying a wide lead of 42.6percent voter preference in the presidential race against Senator Grace Poe’s 27.5 percent, Rodrigo Duterte’s 18.6 percent, Mar Roxas’ 8.1 percent and Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago’s 3.2 percent.

Leading the congressional race in the lone district of Abra is JB Bernos with 52.8 percent while Marco Bautista has 33.9 percent, Joselito Bringas with 8.1 percent and Cecilia Luna with 5.2 percent.

In the gubernatorial race, Joy Bernos leads the field with 54.9 percent followed by Ruby Bersamin with 41.3 percent, Antonio Viernes with 2.4 percent and Robert Bustamante at 1.4 percent.

Aquino set to sign bill declaring Balete Pass a national shrine

By Maricel V. Cruz A BILL seeking to declare the historic Balete Pass in Sta. Fe, Nueva Vizcaya as a national shrine is now awaiting the signature of President Benigno Aquino III. Deputy Speaker and Nueva Vizcaya Lone District Rep. Carlos Padilla, principal author of the bill, said the Balete Pass symbolizes the gallant stand of Filipino soldiers and guerrilla fighters, together with the 25th Infantry Division of the United States Armed Forces of the Far East, against the Japanese forces during World War II. The House of Repre-

sentatives has transmitted to the Senate for action House Bill 844, embodying the proposal, as early as Oct. 20, 2014. The Senate approved the transmitted HB 844 without amendments on Feb. 2, 2016 before the congressional adjournment.

“This fierce battle drove the Japanese Army back to the north of Luzon,” said Padilla.

By virtue of Proclamation No. 653, Padilla said the Battle of Balete Pass is annually commemorated from May 10 to 13.

“This important part of our recent history is sym-

bolized by the Balete Pass Monument which stands as a landmark when entering the Cagayan Valley through Sta. Fe, Nueva Vizcaya. It is therefore fitting to declare the place as a national shrine as a tribute to gallant Filipinos and Americans who staked their lives in honor of freedom,” said Padilla.

The Balete Pass is in Barangay Tactac, Sta. Fe, Nueva Vizcaya and has an area of about 557,789 square meters.

The administration and maintenance of the Balete Pass National Shrine shall be under the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office.

Star factor. Actor Robin Padilla distributes relief goods to drought-stricken families in South Upi, Maguindanao. OMAR MANGORSI

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OPINION

ADELLE CHUA EDITOR

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

OPINION

HAIL TO THE CHAIR VICTOR AVECILLA

THE HOLLOW ARGUMENTS OF ESCUDERO, TRILLANES AND THEIR KIND

[ EDI TORI A L ]

ADULATION

RODRIGO Duterte is neither rock star nor religious icon, but a video circulating on social media shows supporters eagerly catching face towels which the Davao mayor had used to wipe the sweat off his face and neck and then thrown at the crowd.

If we go by poll surveys, Duterte will likely be the next president, breaking away from his rivals even after that galling pronouncement on rape which had angered many sectors. Duterte seems to bask in his lead, as seen in his brash statements before the “disappointed” business community—never mind the apparent jitters reflected by the peso and accusations that he has billions of pesos in undeclared bank transactions.

The mayor’s popularity is said to be a consequence of people’s desperation for meaningful change—always promised but never delivered by the leaders who make them. President Aquino specifically styled himself as a radical reformer who would lead the nation into the light after the dark days of his immediate predecessor.

Six years later, the tragic combination of incompetence and hubris of the Aquino administration has led Filipinos to a point where they are willing to gamble with a maverick politician like Duterte.

The gamble is accompanied by rabid defensiveness and cult-like following; any criticism of their candidate is met with almost-reflex attacks, most of which sound catchy but do not follow any logic. Case in point: the mayor’s followers are urging depositors of the bank to close their accounts.

What’s happening with Duterte may be an extreme case, but Filipinos have not been known for cold objectivity in choosing their leaders. On the contrary, they embrace their candidates not just with keen interest but with zeal, often confusing the real person with the larger-than-life image their handlers have created. The pious widow. The scion of heroes. The underdog.

The poor foundling. There are countless versions at the local levels.

Unfortunately, the practice persists, and promises to determine the results of the elections we are having in a little over a week from now.

A new cycle will then begin—the lionized leaders failing to live up to their promise, the people feeling that they’ve been shortchanged, and then clamoring for that word that does not seem to carry any meaning anymore: change.

THE PROMISE POWER POINT ELIZABETH ANGSIOCO CHANGE is coming! This is the promise to an angry people— people who are fed up with living lives that constantly become more difficult because of government corruption, inadequacy, and at times, inaction.

In 2010, the Filipino people lapped up “walang mahirap kung walang corrupt”. We were also fed up with corruption and

this slogan resonated with many of us. We were given hope. We believed that the best person to make this hope a reality was the only son of Ninoy and Cory Aquino—two respected icons of democracy.

Many of us thought that we should hand over the presidency to the reluctant candidate, Noynoy Aquino. After all, he did not seek the position and there was not even a shade of corruption attached to his name.

Best of all, he is an Aquino and at that time, it was more than enough. People trusted that within his six-year term, he and

his chosen ones would, if not end, bring corruption down to an insignificant level. We were wrong.

Corruption remains to be a major cancer our society suffers from. I will hastily add though, that PNoy’s administration did some things on this. They had the former Chief Justice impeached. They pursued cases against three elected senators.

In short, they ran after their political enemies, BUT coddled their friends.

PNoy is Mr. Friendship. If you are his friend, you are safe. How else should we

A9

At what cost do we want change?

interpret the fact that the Department of Transportation and Communications (DoTC) and Department of Agriculture (DA) secretaries are still in position despite all the problems they have given the people?

So PNoy ends his term not with a bang, but with the fact that ordinary people’s lives are harder. Poverty remains, but worse, people contend with more hardships.

In Metro Manila, because public transportation system is a mess, workers have to suffer four to six hours daily in horrible traffic. One-fourth of ordinary workers’ time is wasted, never to be recovered. Family life suffers, health maybe put at risk, time for other pursuits is gone.

Until very recently, ordinary people were victimized by “tanim-bala” in our one-of-the-worst-in-the-world international airport. Thousands of those whose lives were severely affected

by Super Typhoon “Yolanda” remain homeless. Our soldiers and other security forces die needlessly. Farmers’ crops die because of drought and they and their families go hungry.

No wonder, people are angry. No wonder, people want change.

Tired, disillusioned, and frustrated with a laid back administration led

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-

by a now-you-see-him-now-you-don’t president, people want a strong-willed, no-nonsense, “astig” leader. This is largely the reason why people do not buy Mar Roxas’ continuing “daang matuwid” campaign pitch. People want drastic change.

And here comes the gun-toting, gangster-type, macho Duterte saying, CHANGE is coming!

No doubt about it, Duterte is very good at this. He knows what the people want to hear and he gives it to us in a manner that entertains most and awes

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

some. Philippine politics has never had anyone like him. His brand of machismo makes former Erap Estrada, the former “goon” of Philippine politics, an angel.

Duterte says that with him, what you see is what you get. He does not pretend, he stresses. He makes no bones about his womanizing. He nonchalantly admitted during his speech as he declared his decision to seek the presidency, that he has several girlfriends.He needs them, because he is a man, he said.

Continued on A11

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

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

EVER since Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. took the lead in the latest surveys for the vice presidential derby, his rivals have been ganging up on him. From what they have been saying against Bongbong, it looks like they ran out of arguments to sustain their respective candidacies, and they are left with no other recourse but to brand Bongbong a continuation of the strongman administration of his father, President Ferdinand Marcos, In doing so, however, they conveniently omit any mention of their own political sins and shortcomings.

Take for instance Chiz Escudero, who said that opposing Bongbong will prevent a repetition of the abusive regime of President Marcos.

Really? Escudero forgot that his late father, Salvador Escudero, was part of that regime he considers abusive. His father was a Marcos minister and a rabid Marcos supporter even after Marcos stepped down as president in 1986. Up to his death, the elder Escudero continued to don the colors of the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (KBL), the Marcos political party, on whatever he wears.

Chiz Escudero conveniently forgot to mention that he is a member of the Nationalist People’s Coalition, the political party of Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco Jr., one of the most loyal allies of President Marcos, and the KBL leader in Central Luzon during the Martial Law era.

If Chiz Escudero considers the Marcos regime as abusive, then he has indicted his own father and the NPC. This shows he is politically dishonest about his criticism of Bongbong, and he probably thinks voters can be won by his patronizing speeches. Truth to tell, Escudero is a Marcos beneficiary who now conveniently attacks the Marcos name because he thinks its the popular thing to do. No wonder many journalists consider Chiz Escudero a slimy politician.

Antonio Trillanes IV is just as objectionable. Nothing important can be attributable to him as a senator, despite the numerous consultants he has in his office payroll. Although Trillanes wants to project the image of an upright government official, he abuses the perks of office because the number of his consultants exceed that which is allowed by law.

When he was still a soldier, Trillanes took an oath to defend the Constitution. Trillanes violated that oath when he joined the infamous mutiny in Makati purportedly organized by Senator Continued on A11 Rolando G. Estabillo Jojo A. Robles Ramonchito L. Tomeldan Chin Wong/Ray S. Eñano Francis Lagniton Joyce Pangco Pañares Adelle Chua Romel J. Mendez Roberto Cabrera

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

Emil P. Jurado Chairman Emeritus, Editiorial Board

S AT U R D AY : A P R I L 3 0 , 2 0 1 6

A8

OPINION

ADELLE CHUA EDITOR

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

OPINION

HAIL TO THE CHAIR VICTOR AVECILLA

THE HOLLOW ARGUMENTS OF ESCUDERO, TRILLANES AND THEIR KIND

[ EDI TORI A L ]

ADULATION

RODRIGO Duterte is neither rock star nor religious icon, but a video circulating on social media shows supporters eagerly catching face towels which the Davao mayor had used to wipe the sweat off his face and neck and then thrown at the crowd.

If we go by poll surveys, Duterte will likely be the next president, breaking away from his rivals even after that galling pronouncement on rape which had angered many sectors. Duterte seems to bask in his lead, as seen in his brash statements before the “disappointed” business community—never mind the apparent jitters reflected by the peso and accusations that he has billions of pesos in undeclared bank transactions.

The mayor’s popularity is said to be a consequence of people’s desperation for meaningful change—always promised but never delivered by the leaders who make them. President Aquino specifically styled himself as a radical reformer who would lead the nation into the light after the dark days of his immediate predecessor.

Six years later, the tragic combination of incompetence and hubris of the Aquino administration has led Filipinos to a point where they are willing to gamble with a maverick politician like Duterte.

The gamble is accompanied by rabid defensiveness and cult-like following; any criticism of their candidate is met with almost-reflex attacks, most of which sound catchy but do not follow any logic. Case in point: the mayor’s followers are urging depositors of the bank to close their accounts.

What’s happening with Duterte may be an extreme case, but Filipinos have not been known for cold objectivity in choosing their leaders. On the contrary, they embrace their candidates not just with keen interest but with zeal, often confusing the real person with the larger-than-life image their handlers have created. The pious widow. The scion of heroes. The underdog.

The poor foundling. There are countless versions at the local levels.

Unfortunately, the practice persists, and promises to determine the results of the elections we are having in a little over a week from now.

A new cycle will then begin—the lionized leaders failing to live up to their promise, the people feeling that they’ve been shortchanged, and then clamoring for that word that does not seem to carry any meaning anymore: change.

THE PROMISE POWER POINT ELIZABETH ANGSIOCO CHANGE is coming! This is the promise to an angry people— people who are fed up with living lives that constantly become more difficult because of government corruption, inadequacy, and at times, inaction.

In 2010, the Filipino people lapped up “walang mahirap kung walang corrupt”. We were also fed up with corruption and

this slogan resonated with many of us. We were given hope. We believed that the best person to make this hope a reality was the only son of Ninoy and Cory Aquino—two respected icons of democracy.

Many of us thought that we should hand over the presidency to the reluctant candidate, Noynoy Aquino. After all, he did not seek the position and there was not even a shade of corruption attached to his name.

Best of all, he is an Aquino and at that time, it was more than enough. People trusted that within his six-year term, he and

his chosen ones would, if not end, bring corruption down to an insignificant level. We were wrong.

Corruption remains to be a major cancer our society suffers from. I will hastily add though, that PNoy’s administration did some things on this. They had the former Chief Justice impeached. They pursued cases against three elected senators.

In short, they ran after their political enemies, BUT coddled their friends.

PNoy is Mr. Friendship. If you are his friend, you are safe. How else should we

A9

At what cost do we want change?

interpret the fact that the Department of Transportation and Communications (DoTC) and Department of Agriculture (DA) secretaries are still in position despite all the problems they have given the people?

So PNoy ends his term not with a bang, but with the fact that ordinary people’s lives are harder. Poverty remains, but worse, people contend with more hardships.

In Metro Manila, because public transportation system is a mess, workers have to suffer four to six hours daily in horrible traffic. One-fourth of ordinary workers’ time is wasted, never to be recovered. Family life suffers, health maybe put at risk, time for other pursuits is gone.

Until very recently, ordinary people were victimized by “tanim-bala” in our one-of-the-worst-in-the-world international airport. Thousands of those whose lives were severely affected

by Super Typhoon “Yolanda” remain homeless. Our soldiers and other security forces die needlessly. Farmers’ crops die because of drought and they and their families go hungry.

No wonder, people are angry. No wonder, people want change.

Tired, disillusioned, and frustrated with a laid back administration led

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-

by a now-you-see-him-now-you-don’t president, people want a strong-willed, no-nonsense, “astig” leader. This is largely the reason why people do not buy Mar Roxas’ continuing “daang matuwid” campaign pitch. People want drastic change.

And here comes the gun-toting, gangster-type, macho Duterte saying, CHANGE is coming!

No doubt about it, Duterte is very good at this. He knows what the people want to hear and he gives it to us in a manner that entertains most and awes

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

some. Philippine politics has never had anyone like him. His brand of machismo makes former Erap Estrada, the former “goon” of Philippine politics, an angel.

Duterte says that with him, what you see is what you get. He does not pretend, he stresses. He makes no bones about his womanizing. He nonchalantly admitted during his speech as he declared his decision to seek the presidency, that he has several girlfriends.He needs them, because he is a man, he said.

Continued on A11

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

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

EVER since Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. took the lead in the latest surveys for the vice presidential derby, his rivals have been ganging up on him. From what they have been saying against Bongbong, it looks like they ran out of arguments to sustain their respective candidacies, and they are left with no other recourse but to brand Bongbong a continuation of the strongman administration of his father, President Ferdinand Marcos, In doing so, however, they conveniently omit any mention of their own political sins and shortcomings.

Take for instance Chiz Escudero, who said that opposing Bongbong will prevent a repetition of the abusive regime of President Marcos.

Really? Escudero forgot that his late father, Salvador Escudero, was part of that regime he considers abusive. His father was a Marcos minister and a rabid Marcos supporter even after Marcos stepped down as president in 1986. Up to his death, the elder Escudero continued to don the colors of the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (KBL), the Marcos political party, on whatever he wears.

Chiz Escudero conveniently forgot to mention that he is a member of the Nationalist People’s Coalition, the political party of Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco Jr., one of the most loyal allies of President Marcos, and the KBL leader in Central Luzon during the Martial Law era.

If Chiz Escudero considers the Marcos regime as abusive, then he has indicted his own father and the NPC. This shows he is politically dishonest about his criticism of Bongbong, and he probably thinks voters can be won by his patronizing speeches. Truth to tell, Escudero is a Marcos beneficiary who now conveniently attacks the Marcos name because he thinks its the popular thing to do. No wonder many journalists consider Chiz Escudero a slimy politician.

Antonio Trillanes IV is just as objectionable. Nothing important can be attributable to him as a senator, despite the numerous consultants he has in his office payroll. Although Trillanes wants to project the image of an upright government official, he abuses the perks of office because the number of his consultants exceed that which is allowed by law.

When he was still a soldier, Trillanes took an oath to defend the Constitution. Trillanes violated that oath when he joined the infamous mutiny in Makati purportedly organized by Senator Continued on A11 Rolando G. Estabillo Jojo A. Robles Ramonchito L. Tomeldan Chin Wong/Ray S. Eñano Francis Lagniton Joyce Pangco Pañares Adelle Chua Romel J. Mendez Roberto Cabrera

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

Emil P. Jurado Chairman Emeritus, Editiorial Board

S AT U R D AY : A P R I L 3 0 , 2 0 1 6

A10

OPINION

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

JOLLIBEE’S ANOMALOUS FRANCHISING SYSTEM BACK­ BENCHER ROD P. KAPUNAN EVEN if this country observes free enterprise to promote the economy, those that strive to earn from their hard-earned investment also need some kind of protection. Such is even more necessary if the one doing business is paying a rather costly franchise fee. This we say because a franchise holder is vulnerable to the possible manipulation and even rigging practice by some unscrupulous and greedy franchisor like what the Jollibee Food Corp. is doing to one of its franchise holders, Prosperity Ventures Corp.

What Jollibee Food Corp., possibly in connivance and with the consent of its president Tony Tan Caktiong, did in granting franchise to Central Manila Food Corp. to allow it to operate and serve the same food products at the Naia I departure area to directly compete with the Prosperity Ventures Corp., the company that first secured a permit to operate a Jollibee outlet at the Naia since 1998.

The new franchise holder sells and serves the same food products offered by aggrieved Prosperity Ventures Corp. It believes Jollibee Food Corp. purposely granted franchise to Manila Central Food Corp. to ease it out of business. This is not borne out of ordinary and regular business competition, but a premeditated and malicious act because it appears to be orchestrated by the franchisor to purposely bankrupt the first franchisee until it folds out of business.

Jollibee Food Corp. cannot claim innocence or lack of knowledge that when it granted franchise to Manila Central Food Corp. to operate the same food and service in the area. It should have been guided by due diligence to protect the business that was first granted the franchise, and Prosperity Venture is entitled to that as a right accorded to a franchise holder. It

can never raise the defense that Central Manila Food Corp. is different from Prosperity Ventures Corp. on the ground that the franchise granted to it is to operate at the pre-departure area, while Prosperity Ventures is located at the arrival area. Such argument is nonsense because most of the customers are people working at the airport, or those who are welcoming passengers or sending off friends and relatives. They do not choose between the two Jollibee outlets.

If Jollibee Corp. wants to augment its franchise fees, it should have first offered the additional franchise to Prosperity Ventures Corp. based on the right of first refusal to operate an additional outlet. Franchisee Prosperity Ventures is en-

These are tuwid na daan and big business at work.

titled to that, provided the franchise cost remains reasonable. Aside from the complete lack of gratitude on the part of Jollibee Foods Corp. to acknowledge the effort of Prosperity Ventures Corp. in securing a permit to operate an outlet at the Naia, it granted Central Manila Food Corp. a franchise, without its knowledge, which made it to suspect of a collusion between Simon Wong and Jollibee Foods Corp. to maliciously ease out Property Ventures in the area because of reduced customers. This can be gleaned from the fact that there are four other Jollibee outlets at the Naia I, II and III operated by various corporations but suspected to be all owned

by Simon Wong.

The anomalous practice by Jollibee Foods Corp. is an indirect way

EAGLE EYES DEAN TONY LA VIÑA TAKING an original approach, Justice Arturo Brion includes in his dissent in the Poe disqualification decision a summary of the votes of the ruling majority that purportedly transpired within the Court’s veiled chambers. He discloses that of the nine members of the Court supporting the ponencia, four —among them, Justices Benjamin Caguioa, Francis Jardeleza, and Marvic Leonen, as well as Chief Justice Maria Lourdes P.A. Sereno herself—submitted their respective opinions to explain their own votes as reasons for supporting the majority opinion’s conclusions.

While they offered their respective views (particularly on Poe’s claimed natural-born citizen status, 10-year residency, and the Commission on Election’s conclusion of false representations), they fully concurred (by not qualifying their respective concurrences) with the ponencia’s basic reason in concluding that grave abuse of discretion attended the Comelec’s challenged rulings.

As to his specific objections to the ponencia’s discussion on substantive issues, Justice Brion points out that most, of the majority of those who voted against the inclusion of foundlings in the 1935 Constitution believed that the matter of their citizenship should be governed by statutory legislation because the cases of foundlings are too few to be included in the Constiof competing with its own outlet. Unfortunately, this method has opened a can of worms which is bad for our tourism industry and our business practice which amounts to something of a syndicated operation. Aside from competing with Prosperity Venture, Jollibee food service now operates at the pre-departure area of the Naia I under the name of Central Manila Food Corp. Jollibee Food Corp. also granted three more franchise to serve Jollibee products at the Naia II pre-departure area under the name of Pasay Centennial Restaurant Inc., at the arrival area under the name of Canteen Networks Inc., and at the Naia III, pre-departure area, under the name of Laughing Buddha Food Corp.

JUSTICE BRION’S DISSENT

tution. Thus, the principle of international law on foundlings is merely supportive of the primary reason that the matter should be governed by statute, or is a secondary reason to the majority’s decision not to include foundlings in Article IV, Section 1 of the 1935 Constitution. Additionally, Brion points out that both the text of the deliberations of the 1934 Constitutional Convention and the account of its member Jose Aruego do not disclose that the intent behind the non-inclusion of foundlings in Article IV, Section 1 of the 1935 Constitution was that they are deemed already included.

As a result, according to the dissenting opinion, the ponencia’s ruling thus does not only disregard the distinction of citizenship based on the father or the mother under the 1935 Constitution. It also misreads what the records signify and thereby unfairly treats the children of Filipino mothers under the 1935 Constitution who, although able to trace their Filipino parentage, must yield to the higher categorization accorded to foundlings who .do not enjoy similar roots.

On the issue of citizenship of a foundling, the dissent makes the following submissions: First, foundlings do not fall under any suspect class.

To support this theory, J. Brion advances the view that foundlings are not being treated differently on the basis of their race,

national origin, alienage, or religion. It is the lack of information on the circumstances of their birth because of their unknown parentage and the jus sanguinis standard of the Constitution itself, that exclude them from being considered as naturalborn citizens. They are not purposely treated unequally nor are they purposely rendered politically powerless; they are in fact recognized under binding treaties to have the right to be naturalized as Philippine citizens. All these take place because of distinctions that the Constitution itself made.

Second, the dissent notes that foundlings, however, may arguably be subject to intermediate scrutiny since their classification may give rise to recurring constitutional difficulties, i.e. qualification questions for other foundlings who are public officials or are seeking positions requiring Philippine citizenship.

Third, the Comelec did not also favorably entertain Poe’s view that the 1935 Constitution impliedly recognized a foundling to be included in its listing. Based on the reasons on the merits that are more lengthily discussed elsewhere in this Opinion, the Comelec— at the most—could have erred in its conclusions, but its reasoned approach, even assuming it to be erroneous, cannot amount to grave abuse of discretion as I have above spe-

cifically defined.

Lastly, the dissent argues that the Comelec did not recognize that the Philippines is bound under international law to recognize Poe as a naturalborn citizen; these treaties merely grant Poe the right to acquire a nationality.

This Comelec conclusion is largely a conclusion of law and is not baseless; in fact, it is based on the clear terms of the cited treaties to which the Philippines is a signatory and on the principles of international law. Thus, again, the Comelec committed no grave abuse of discretion in its ruling on this point.

As to the jurisdictional issue, the dissent submits that the Comelec’s power under Section 78 is quasijudicial in character. The Comelec, in concluding that Poe had known of her ineligibilities to run for president, noted that she is a highly educated woman with a competent legal team at the time she filled out her 2012 and 2015 certificates of candidacy. As a highly educated woman, she had the necessary acumen to read and understand the plain meaning of the law. I add that she is now after the highest post in the land where the understanding of the plain meaning of the law is extremely basic. The Comelec also found that Poe’s Petition for Reacquisition of Philippine citizenship before the BID deliberately misrepresented her status as Continued on A11

Aside from the fact, that this Simon Wong is a Singaporean, it is believed that he enjoys the favor of Jollibee Foods Corp. when it granted franchise to three other outlets without much ado, thereby suspecting that Jollibee Food Corp. is operating them directly if it sees the area as both lucrative and one that provides an assured market. In other words, in those areas where the market is lean, not assured or where the risk of losing is a possibility, it is the investment of its franchise holders that is put at risk which is definitely not good to any businessman relying to earn by the convenient way of securing a franchise from Jollibee Foods Corp.

This business arrangement that is being oper-

ated in the country’s premier airport terminals does not bode well for many of our local businessmen because right in their own backyard, they are being eased out of business or being denied the opportunity to do business in favor of an alien who is engaged in the subverted practice of monopoly. In fact, several complaints and protests have been lodged against Jollibee Food Corp. by Prosperity Ventures, but all were ignored by Tony Tan Caktiong, president and CEO, and by Rosemarie D. Caalam, vice president, Regional Business Unit of Jollibee Foods Corp. This has now caused Prosperity Ventures to speculate that maybe there is a “close understanding” between Jollibee Foods Corp. and

the authorities of the Manila International Airport Authority headed by Jose Honrado.

According columnist Jerry Yap, the KamagAnak Inc. is now deeply entrenched, doing a lucrative and cornered business. If the speculation is true, then we could well say that a kind of business syndicate is operating right inside our premier airports. This also explains why the food service and all items being sold by stores inside the terminals are expensive, and the victims are mostly our unwary but poor overseas Filipino workers.

This is another instance of how this hypocritical tuwid na daan runs the government in favor of big business. rpkapunan@gmail.com

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A11

OPINION

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

OBAMA’S ECONOMIC DISAPPOINTMENT

By Narayana Kocherlakota PRESIDENT Barack Obama thinks Americans don’t properly appreciate the benefits of his economic policies—a view he most recently expressed in an interview with the New York Times. Isolating the effects of any president’s policies is close to impossible. That said, it’s not hard to see why many people are disappointed with the performance of the economy during Obama’s time in office.

In January 2009, at the beginning of Obama’s first term, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office issued a 10-year forecast for the US economy, including such indicators as unemployment, gross domestic product, the budget deficit, gov-

ernment debt and interest rates. Here’s a table comparing the CBO’s expectations for the year 2015 to what has actually happened:

the Obama presidency, it had fallen to near historical averages by 2015.

Elsewhere, the story is less positive. Total income

The unemployment rate has come closest to expectations. Although it remained very high through much of

growth in the US has fallen well short of expectations, in both nominal and inflation-adjusted terms. And

Justice... From A10

The hollow... From A9

a former natural-born Philippine citizen, as it lists her adoptive parents to be her parents without qualifications. The Comelec also noted that Poe had been falsely representing her status as a Philippine citizen in various public documents.

All these involve a succession of falsities.

With respect to the required period of residency, the dissent finds that Poe deliberately falsely represented that she had been a resident of the Philippines for at least 10 years prior to the May 9, 2016 elections. Poe’s CoC when she ran for the Senate in the May 2013 national elections, however, shows that she then admitted that she had been residing in the Philippines for only six years and six months. Had she continued counting the period of her residence based on the information she provided in her 2012 CoC, she would have been three months short of the required Philippine residence of 10 years. Instead of adopting the same representation, her 2015 CoC shows that she has been residing in the Philippines from May 24, 2005, and has thus been residing in the Philippines for more than 10 years.

I may disagree with Justice Brion’s arguments and ultimate conclusion but definitely, like Justice Antonio Carpio’s opinion, the former’s dissent is powerful and well argued.

Gregorio Honasan, another military adventurist who is himself running for vice president. Under the statute books, what Trillanes did is treason. Being so, he has no moral ground to run for vice president. The fact that Trillanes doesn’t even have a presidential candidate running with him already speaks much about him.

Even if Honasan is also a mutineer like Trillanes, Honasan has less faults than Trillanes. At least, Honasan does not hire too many consultants at public expense.

Alan Peter Cayetano used to be the nice guy in the list of vice presidential candidates, until he decided to join the collective bashing of Bongbong. Like Bongbong (and Trillanes for that matter), Cayetano belongs to the Nacionalista Party.

Why is the NP fielding three opposing candidates for vice president? Perhaps the NP leadership under Manny Villar thinks that the multi-party system obtaining in the Constitution also

Facebook: tonylavs5 or Dean Tony La Viña Twitter: tonylavs

The promise... From A9 He has been seen kissing women during his campaign sorties and makes it appear like it is the most natural thing on earth. Duterte makes jokes about women and sex every time he speaks in public. He said that women should take back their philandering husbands, but when they have extra-marital affairs, husbands should separate from them.

He “joked” at the gang rape of Australian missionary saying that the mayor should have been first.

And the mayor is no other than Duterte himself.

He was tactless with the Mexican ambassador saying that nobody would want to go to Mexico because of the proliferation of drugs and crimes there. He castigated both the Australian and American

although Obama expressed pride in the recent decline in the federal budget deficit, it’s still much larger than the CBO forecast in 2009—as is the ratio of government debt to GDP. No number expresses the economy’s weakness better than the yield on the threemonth Treasury bill, which captures market expectations of what the Federal Reserve will do with interest rates over the next three months.

Instead of recovering to near five percent as the CBO predicted, the yield was close to zero.

Some would say this simply means the Fed is holding rates too low in its efforts to boost the economy. Yet growth remains inadequate, and inflation is still below the central bank’s target.

More likely, the low rates reflect the large amount on uncertainty among households and businesses—uncertainty that even the Fed’s extraordinarily loose monetary policy cannot completely dispel.

Who’s responsible for the underwhelming economic performance? Blaming the president alone would be a big mistake. Many actors were involved, including Congress, the Fed, the president’s administration and foreign governments. Technological developments may well have played a role, too.

What matters is how we respond. Should policy makers be satisfied, as though this were the best that America can do? At times in his interview, Obama seemed to suggest that he thought so. I strongly disagree. Bloomberg

means multi-candidates for the same elective office.

Anyway, as partymates in the NP, Cayetano and Bongbong are supposed to share ideals and principles, and are not supposed to criticize each other as they would their other opponents. By attacking Bongbong, Cayetano not only criticized his affiliation with the NP but criticized himself as well. After all, why should Cayetano remain a member of the NP if the NP has objectionable members like Bongbong? Why doesn’t Cayetano follow the example of Senator Aquilino Pimentel III? Because Pimentel believed that Senator Migs Zubiri cheated him (Pimentel) in a previous election, Pimentel refused to remain a member of the political party supporting Zubiri.

Leni Robredo, the administration candidate for vice president, has not been as vocal against Marcos as the others are, but she is still part of the anti-Bongbong cabal. As the anointed candidate of Malacañang, Leni is expected to do her share of the Marcos-

bashing required by President Benigno Aquino III. Her being a widow and her occasional use of the public bus to go to Bicol and back are insufficient credentials for seeking the second highest elective office in the land.

Despite being a virtual neophyte in elective public office, Robredo accepted the vice presidential draft under the administration party, even if she was only the second choice (after Grace Poe refused to settle for anything less than the presidency). Since Robredo lacks the political experience needed for high elective office, and considering that running under the administration party means being supported by a well-oiled national campaign machinery backed up by an endless source of campaign funds, critics accuse Robredo of being a political opportunist. It’s like getting elected vice president (a heartbeat away from the presidency) at the expense of the taxpayers.

By golly, that’s a deal other candidates for high public office can only dream of.

It was reported in the news that Samasa and Tugon, two former rival but now-defunct student political parties in the University of the Philippines in Diliman, have joined forces to oppose Bongbong. Big deal! Like Escudero, these two groups pretended to be anti-Marcos but ended up otherwise. In the 1980s, many Samasa alumni worked for Marcos allies like Ismael Mathay Jr. and Edgardo Angara. The following decade, many Tugon alumni joined Manny Villar’s NP, which campaigned for Bongbong when he ran for the Senate. Good grief!

Just recently, an anti-Marcos group accused Bongbong of graft, allegedly committed about a year ago. Why do they make these accusations now that Bongbong leads in the surveys? Obviously, this surprise move is politically motivated and designed to embarrass Bongbong and make him slide down in the surveys.

These are certainly desperate times for Escudero, Trillanes and their kind, and desperate times call for desperate measures.

ambassadors when they reacted against Duterte’s “rape joke.”

He told the Indian ambassador, in front of big business people and economists, that Indian nationals’ usurious practices, or what is commonly called five-six, burdens Filipinos.

Duterte seems to not like dealing with other countries but very ironically, he is willing to dialogue with China on the major issues concerning our territorial sovereignty. He says he wants to negotiate with China on the West Philippine Sea problem.

Duterte boasts of having killed people. He claims that he will continue killing “criminals” in favor of those victimized. He says he would not mind going to hell for as long as the people are in heaven.

Duterte promises change. He says he will kill people who will

not follow his rules. He must be obeyed or we risk disappearing from the face of the earth.

He said he will stop corruption and criminality in three to six months but refuses to lay down his plans to achieve this. People just have to believe him.

He says he will get rid of drugs and will kill his own children if anyone of them uses illegal substance.

He promises to dissolve Congress, the co-equal branch of government, if the legislature gives him problems.

Duterte is sure that he will be a dictator. He and he alone should decide the fate of more than 100-million Filipinos. He claims to be the only hope the people have.

Many people voted for PNoy out of sentimentality. Former President Cory Aquino just passed on that time. I understand

that people are frustrated and angry and Duterte presents himself as the complete opposite of this administration. Anger, however, should not prevent us from choosing carefully and correctly.

Duterte promises change. He is brutally frank about his style of leadership and the strongarm tactics he will use once in power. The president is the most powerful person in government, it gives me the creeps to think how someone like Duterte will use these powers. We cannot claim that we did not know.

I do not doubt that Duterte will deliver change as promised. But is this the change we want, and, at what cost? bethangsioco@gmail.com @bethangsioco on Twitter Elizabeth Angsioco on Facebook

A12

s at u r D aY : a p r i l 3 0 , 2 0 1 6

cesar barrioquinto EDITOR

Rescued lions to be flown to S. Africa LIMA—A planeload of 33 lions rescued from abuse in Peruvian and Colombian circuses will fly to South Africa Friday in what campaigners call the largest ever airlift of big cats.

The lions, with names such as Zeus and Shakira, were freed after the use of wild animals in circuses was outlawed in Peru in 2011 and Colombia in 2013.

They have been rounded up with the help of authorities by Animal Defenders International, an animal rights charity.

“It’s truly wonderful that these lions, after a lifetime of suffering and abuse in circuses, are going home to Africa,” said the president of ADI, Jan Creamer.

“All of the lions when they arrive from the circuses have health problems, parasites, disease,” she added.

“All of their lives they haven’t had enough food, so they have long-term malnutrition problems.”

In recent months spent in straw-lined cages in a refuge north of Lima, however, they have been well fed and are in generally good health, she said.

Twenty-four lions rescued in Peru will be driven from their temporary rescue center to Lima airport to be picked up by a cargo plane that is bringing another nine over from Colombia.

That contingent includes Shakira, named after the Colombian pop singer.

From one of 10 Peruvian circuses also comes “Ricardo, the one-eyed lion” and from another “Joseph, the almost-blind lion.”

Together, the 33 will take a 15-hour flight to South Africa in travel cages inside the plane chartered by ADI. They will arrive on Saturday in Johannesburg where they will be housed before being sent in October to the Emoya Big Cat Sanctuary in the north of the country.

“The lions will be in their natural habitat for the first time in their lives,” Creamer said.

“They should fit right into that habitat. It’s the best environment for them.” AFP

WORLD

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

El Niño drying up Asia as sister La Niña looms TEMERLOH, Malaysia—Withering drought and sizzling temperatures from El Niño have caused food and water shortages and ravaged farms across Asia, and experts warn of a double-whammy of possible flooding from its sibling, La Niña.

The current El Niño, which began last year, has been one of the strongest ever, leaving the Mekong River at its lowest level in decades, causing food-related unrest in the Philippines, and smothering vast regions in a months-long heat wave often topping 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).

Economic losses in Southeast Asia could top $10 billion, IHS Global Insight told AFP. The regional fever is expected to break by mid-year but fears are growing that an equally forceful La Niña will follow.

That could bring heavy rain to an already flood-prone region, exacerbating agricultural damage and leaving crops

vulnerable to disease and pests.

“The situation could become even worse if a La Niña event which often follows an El Niño strikes towards the end of this year,” Stephen O’Brien, UN under-secretarygeneral for humanitarian affairs and relief, said this week.

He said El Niño had already left 60 million people worldwide requiring “urgent assistance,” particularly in Africa.

Wilhemina Pelegrina, a Greenpeace campaigner on agriculture, said La Niña could be “devastating” for Asia, bringing possible “flooding and landslides that could affect food production.”

El Niño is triggered by periodic oceanic warming in the eastern Pacific Ocean that can trigger drought in some regions, heavy rain in others.

Much of Asia has been punished by a bone-dry heat wave marked by record-high temperatures, threatening the livelihoods of countless millions.

Vietnam, one of the world’s top rice exporters, has been particularly hard-hit by

its worst drought in a century.

In the economically vital Mekong Delta bread basket, the mighty river’s vastly reduced flow has left up to 50 percent of arable land affected by salt-water intrusion that harms crops and can damage farmland, said Le Anh Tuan, a professor of climate change at Can Tho University.

More than 500,000 people are short of drinking water, while hotels, schools and hospitals are struggling to maintain clean-water supplies.

Neighboring Thailand and Cambodia also are suffering, with vast areas short of water and Thai rice output curbed.

In Malaysia, the extreme weather has shrunk reservoirs, dried up agricultural lands, forced water rationing in some areas, and caused repeated school closures as a health precaution.

Fisherman Abdul Rafar Matarrh said his daily catch in central Malaysia’s Pahang River has been decimated as the normally broad river has shrunk to a third its size, leaving dead fish to rot in the dry bed. AFP

Dragon dance. A dragon dance is performed outside the Joss House Bay Tin Hau temple during celebrations for the Tin Hau Festival in Hong Kong on April 29, 2016.

Defense plan for S. Korea rapped

Wave rider. A surfer rides a wave on April 27, 2016, in Varazze where a strong wind hit the coast. AFP

BEIJING—China and Russia on Friday rapped US plans to put a missile defense system on the Korean peninsula, less than 24 hours after Pyongyang twice tested rockets thought to be capable of reaching American territory.

A series of missile tests and nuclear blasts by North Korea have pushed Seoul into talks with Washington about deploying the United States’ sophisticated Terminal High Altitude Area Defense System or THAAD, which fires projectiles to smash into enemy missiles.

Beijing fears that the presence of more US hardware on its doorstep

will further tip the balance of power in the Pacific towards Washington.

“We both are gravely concerned about the US’s likely deployment of the THAAD system in South Korea,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at a briefing with his visiting Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.

“The move goes beyond the actual defense needs of relevant countries,” Wang said.

“It will directly affect the strategic security of China and Russia respectively if it is deployed,” he added.

Lavrov condemned Washington for using the North’s tests as “an excuse, as a

pretext” to deploy what he called Washington’s “global anti-ballistic missile defense”.

This week’s North Korean rocket tests failed, but Pyongyang has now made three bids in two weeks to test-fly a Musudan missile, which is capable of striking US bases on the Pacific island of Guam.

“The current situation on the peninsula is indeed in a highly dangerous period,” Wang said.

He added that proper implementation of UN resolutions barring the North from developing any ballistic missile-related technology is key to bringing the country to the negotiating table. AFP

SATURDAY: APRIL 30, 2016

A13

SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

Langamin surprises Zaragosa NOEL Langamin shocked Rupert Zaragosa with a dominant start then warded off his fancied rival’s charge with clutch iron shots in afternoon play as he captured the 2016 Philippine Amateur Open Match Play Championship crown with a 3&2 victory at the Orchard Golf and Country Club in Dasmariñas, Cavite yesterday.

Langamin sustained top form coming off a 3&2 romp over Japanese Yuto Katsuragawa in the semis Thursday while pouncing on Zaragosa’s sputtering start to go 6-up in the first half of their marathon 36hole finale.

The Del Monte ace, 26, wavered a bit at resumption but held sway at the backside with superb iron game and gutsy pars to foil his multi-titled rival, who came into the title duel looking for a followup to his victory in the first MVPSF Visayas Regional Match Play in Cebu three weeks ago.

“This is my biggest win since helping Del Monte win the PAL Interclub crown (in 2011),” said Langamin, who turned in a mediocre 10th place finish in the 36hole stroke play elims then hacked out back-to-back 3&2 wins over Bobby Celestino and Jelbert Gamolo in the knockout phase before edging second seed Tom Kim of Korea, 1-up, in the quarters.

Korean Hwang Min Jeong likewise kept the momentum of a solid start, going 2-up after 18 holes in her title clash with Diana Araneta then unleashing a stronger finishing kick to fashion out a 4&2 win in the women’s side of the country’s premier match play event sponsored by the MVP Sports Foundation, Smart, PLDT, the Philippine Sports Commission and Metro Pacific Investments Corp.

Ilas cruises to 2-shot victory TEENER Bernice Olivarez-Ilas enhanced a promising golf career by bagging the ICTSI Beverly Place Challenge crown Friday, bucking a shaky start then holding off Sam Martirez with a 74 to win the duel of amateurs at the Beverly Place Golf Place in Mexico, Pampanga.

Ilas, 14, stumbled with a double bogey on the opening par-5 hole but regained her overnight threeshot lead over Martirez on a twoshot swing on No. 3 which she birdied from six feet then kept a safe distance from her The Country Club teammate by matching the latter’s lone birdie, pars and bogeys in the next 14 holes.

The La Salle-Zobel student, who won the Jungolf-The Junior Golf League tournament here last week, then capped another romp in a day of soaring scores at the flat but tricky par-71 layout with a birdie on the par-5 18th, her closing two-over card proving more

than enough to secure her biggest win in a young career.

She pooled a 54-hole 215 total and won by three over Martirez, who hardly cashed in on Ilas’ early fumble with a bogey on the third and fell by three again.

Still, The Masters Academy student pressed her bid at the back but just couldn’t set up birdie chances or sink a couple of makeable putts, also finishing with a 74 for a 218, marking the second time in the country’s ladies pro tour that the amateurs took the top two spots after Korean Hwang Min Jeong edged Princess Superal at Mt. Malarayat last year.

“I’m glad I played steady and was able to focus on my game,” said Ilas, who thus became the third amateur to win on the ICTSI Ladies Philippine Golf Tour. “We’re so lucky to be given this chance to play with the pros because it’s a different feeling and challenge playing against them.”

Chihiro Ikeda, tied with Martirez at second after 36 holes, never got back into the mix against her amateur rivals, making four bogeys in a five-hole stretch from No. 2 and limping home with a 78 to finish a far third at 222.

The former SEA Games gold medalists, however, took the top purse of P100,000 as the top pro in this third leg of the LPGT but remained winless into the fourth year of the circuit organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. and backed by Custom Clubmakers, adidas, KZG, Sharp, Summit Mineral Water, Srixon, Champion, TaylorMade and Pacsports.

Young Bernice Olivarez-Ilas raises her twin trophies after bagging the overall crown and the low amateur honors.

Anya Tanpinco, who pulled within one off Ikeda with a birdie on the seventh, failed to sustain her charge and faltered with back-to-back bogeys from No. 8, ending up with a 74 for joint fourth with Jayvie Agojo, who hobbled with a 77, and another TCC bet Mikha Fortuna, who carded a 75, at 224.

Coach E camp opens in 3 venues

Elite skills coach Ganon Baker (right) is shown lending his expertise to LA Clippers’ Chris Paul.

World-famous cage skills coach to hold Manila camp ELITE basketball trainer, motivational speaker and skills coach Ganon Baker is coming to Manila.

The world-famous coach will bring his sought-after training camp here and make it available to local basketball players who want to enhance their basketball skills in an extraordinary way – without going all the way to Florida.

Baker, who has also worked closely with Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Amar’e Stoudemire, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant and Vince Carter travels the world to conduct classes in camps similar to the one he will conduct in Manila for the very first time. His school called Elev8 is located in Florida and draws mainland and foreign basketball players and coaches to it.

The Manila camp will be called

The Ganon Baker Basketball Camp Manila 2016 and is being organized by local partner Eric Bañes, a certified skills coach and strength and conditioning specialist, who has himself trained at Ganon Baker’s high-performance Elev8 Sports Institute in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Bañes works with pro and collegiate teams locally.

Coaches Mon Jose and Aris Dimaunahan, who are athletes themselves, will assist Bañes and Ganon Baker in the Manila Camp. According to Bañes the Baker Camp in Manila is a breakthrough event for local basketball as local players can now avail of the much-acclaimed basketball program here and save on travel and lodging expenses to boot.

On its initial staging the Camp is targeting young players, boys

and girls, 12 to 18 years old. It is also open to amateur and professional coaches who want to learn special drills and game approaches that provide the winning edge in basketball, such as separation dribbling, shooting, and attacking. Following the same Elev8 curriculum, the camp will also focus on defensive techniques and conditioning.

“This is a rare opportunity for coaches and players to take advantage of because people spend thousands of dollars to go to Florida to learn these basketball lessons from the master himself. Now they can save on travel expenses, board and lodging and other incidentals because he is coming to Manila.

Training with Ganon Baker dramatically changes player performance and coaching approaches,” Bañes said.

The Ganon Baker Camp will be held at the Ronac Center along Ortigas Avenue, San Juan City from May 16 to 20, 1 to 4 p.m. Coaches are invited to observe the sessions for a fee. Players and coaches may register at step1bc@yahoo.com or call (0917) 809-0067 for more information.

Besides his Elev8 Camp, Ganon Baker also trains boys and girls for Nike Basketball and directs skills academies all over the world, including the Michael Jordan Brand Classics in Europe. He has also trained NBA and WNBA players such as James Harden, Jarryd Bayless, Tyson Chandler, Harrison Barnes, Grant Hill, Brandon Knight, Cleanthony Early, Johnny O’ Bryant, Scottie Wilbekin, Demya Walker, Angel McCoughtry, Natalie Novosel and many more.

EIGHT venues will host Coach E’s Summer Fundamental Camp, opening its doors to young and aspiring players who want to take their game to the next level.

Open to boys and girls four to 16 years old, the camp offers aspirants from key cities in San Juan, Mandaluyong, Pasig, Quezon City, Makati, and Alabang the chance to join the camp that gives a low coach-student ratio which will assure the participants’ more chances to learn.

Entry fee is P5,500 for eight sessions, inclusive of one set of uniform (jersey and shorts). Certificates will also be given to all participants while a one-day tournament culminates the summer program to be held on May 29 where students will be divided into teams.

Parents of those interested participants can call 6311195 /6684347. They can also contact mobile no. 09088846947 or email coachebasketball@ gmail.com In San Juan, classes will be opened at Mother Goose Nursery School and Greenhills West, on May 2.

Sessions at Mother Goose Nursery School will be every Monday and Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 12 noon and it will run until May 25.

Classes at Greenhills West will be every Monday and Wednesday from 2 to 4 p.m.

In Mandaluyong, the camp will be held at the Gatorade Hoops Center beginning May 3. The Tuesday and Friday classes are scheduled from 10 to 12 noon. This will run until May 25.

Valle Verde 2 will be the venue for those residing in Pasig as classes will open from May 2 to 26 every Monday and Thursday from 2 to 4 p.m.

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SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

PMO-Negros Occidental/Banago/Bacolod-BREDCO PORT OF BANAGO, BACOLOD CITY

Telefax Nos. (034) 441-1225; 441-1041; Email Add: ppaul@globelines.com.ph

Invitation to Bid for 1.

Proposed Dredging of Danao Port Port of Danao, Escalante City, Negros Occidental

The Philippine Ports Authority, Port Management Office-Negros Occidental /Banago/ BacolodBREDCO, through the Corporate Budget of the Authority for CY 2016, intends to apply the sum of P29,577,969.12 being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for the Proposed Dredging of Danao Port, Port of Danao, Escalante City, Negros Occidental. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.

The Philippine Ports Authority, Port Management Office - Negros Occidental /Banago/ BacolodBREDCO now invites bids for the Proposed Dredging of Danao Port, Port of Danao, Escalante City, Negros Occidental. Completion of the Works is required for the project is One Hundred Fifty (150) Calendar Days.

Equipment Requirements: 1

unit

Self-propelled grab type dredger, min GW 450 tons; w/ a mechanically operated or electricallydriven crane of 60 tons capacity (min. ); 3.0 cu.m. cap multiple line heavy duty grab bucket and 350 cu.m. load capacity

-

Owned

or

Echo Sounder Total Station Pump boat

Required PCAB Registration

-

Owned Owned Owned/leased

:

Medium A – Ports, Harbor & Offshore Engineering

Bidding Documents

:

P 28,000.00 inclusive of VAT

Date and Time of Pre-Bidding Conference

:

May 5, 2016, 10:00am

Date and Time of Deadline of Submission of Bids

:

May 17, 2016, 10:00am

Date and Time of Opening of Bids

:

May 17, 2016, 10:30am

2.

By Jeric Lopez

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT VALLE VERDE COUNTRY CLUB, INC. P R O P R I E TA R Y MEMBERSHIP FEE CERTIFICATE NO. 3660 ISSUED TO MR. QUIRINO KEHYENG WAS LOST. ( T S - A P R . 16 , 2 3 , 3 0 , 2 016)

For the second time, Rain or Shine shoots for a berth Reid in the finals, while tion Commissioner’s San Miguel looks to Cup. live another another Still with a 2-1 seday as the power- ries lead, the Elasto houses resume their Painters get a second best-of-five semifi- chance to enter the nal war tomorrow in finals as they face the 2016 Philippine the Beermen again in Basketball Associa- Game 4 Sunday af-

Proposed Dredging of San Carlos Port Port of San Carlos, San Carlos City, Negros Occidental

The Philippine Ports Authority, Port Management Office-Negros Occidental /Banago/ BacolodBREDCO, through the Corporate Budget of the Authority for CY 2016, intends to apply the sum of P 27,981,650.93 being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for the Proposed Dredging of San Carlos Port, Port of San Carlos, San Carlos City, Negros Occidental.

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

BONIFACIO DRIVE, SOUTH HARBOR, PORT AREA, MANILA 1016, PHILIPPINES P.O, BOX 436, MANILA, PHILIPPINES TEL. No. (0632) 527-8356 FAX NO. (0632) 527-4855 HTTP://WWW.PPA.COM.PH

The Philippine Ports Authority, Port Management Office – Negros Occidental/Banago/BacolodBREDCO now invites bids for the Proposed Dredging of San Carlos Port, Port of San Carlos, San Carlos City, Negros Occidental. Completion of the Works is required for the project is One Hundred Fourteen (114) Calendar Days.

February 02, 2016

Equipment Requirements:

PPA ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER NO. _ _02 ___ - 2016

1 unit

Cutter Suction Dredger Machine with dredging depth of 1.5m to 10m, average discharge pipeline length of one (1) kilometer, minimum flow rate of 520 cubic per hour at 10% to 20% solid and equipped with dredging depth gauge

Required PCAB Registration

-

Owned

: Medium A – Ports, Harbor & Offshore Engineering

Bidding Documents

: P 28,000.00 inclusive of VAT

Date and Time of Pre-Bidding Conference

: May 5, 2016, 10:00am

Date and Time of Deadline of Submission of Bids

: May 17, 2016, 10:00am

Date and Time of Opening of Bids

: May 17, 2016, 10:30am

3.

Game Sunday (Semis, Game 4 - Smart Araneta Coliseum) 5 p.m. - San Miguel vs.

Rain or Shine

WILL the second time be lucky for the Elasto Painters or will the Beermen carry the momentum of their stunning Game 3 victory?

N OTIC E O F LO S S

Non-propelled grab type dredger, min GW 450 tons; w/ a mechanically operated crane of 60 tons capacity (min.) & 3.0 cu.m. cap. Multiple line heavy duty grab bucket; Two (2) unit non-propelled loading barge 200 cu.m. net load capacity; One (1) unit Tugboat 550hp 1 unit 2 units 1 unit

Beermen bringing in Reid in Game 4

Underdeck and Underwater Investigation Ports of Hinobaan and Himamaylan, Negros Occidental

The Philippine Ports Authority, Port Management Office-Negros Occidental /Banago/ BacolodBREDCO, through the Corporate Budget of the Authority for CY 2016, intends to apply the sum of P 5,976,938.02 being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for the Underdeck and Underwater Investigation, Ports of Hinobaan and Himamaylan, Negros Occidental. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.

The Philippine Ports Authority, Port Management Office – Negros Occidental/Banago/BacolodBREDCO now invites bids for the Underdeck and Underwater Investigation, Ports of Hinobaan and Himamaylan, Negros Occidental. Completion of the Works is required for the project is Sixty (60) Calendar Days.

Equipment Requirements: 10 set 4 units 4 units 8 units

Diving Equipment (Wet suit, mask, regulator, depth gauge, dive computer, dive booties, weight belt, fins, bouyancy compensator and other accessories) Motorized Banca (Including fuel, oil and operator) Underwater Video/ Recording Camera Underwater Flashlight

-

Owned

-

Owned/leased Owned Owned

Required PCAB Registration

:

Small B – Ports, Harbor & Offshore Engineering

Bidding Documents

:

P 5,600.00 inclusive of VAT

Date and Time of Pre-Bidding Conference

:

May 5, 2016, 10:00am

Date and Time of Deadline of Submission of Bids

:

May 17, 2016, 10:00am

Date and Time of Opening of Bids

:

May 17, 2016, 10:30am

TO SUBJECT

All Port Managers and Others Concerned Simplification of Requirements in the Issuance of Short-Term Lease Permits and Contracts of Lease Pursuant to the provisions of Article IV Section 6 (a) (ii) and b) (vii) of PD 857, as amended, and in order to ease up procedures in doing business at the ports, the following provisions under Article IV Section 8 and 15.1 of PPA AO 22-95 (Revised Guidelines on Real Estate Management) are hereby amended as follows: A. Application for Short Term Leases All short-term lease applications, with effectivity of up to one (1) year shall be processed by the PMO through the Real Estate Management System (REMS). However, lease applications for non-computerized ports shall continue to be processed manually.

A.1 New Lease Application 1. The prospective lessee shall submit the duly accomplished Lease Application Form with accompanying Customer Registration Form (CRF) and duly notarized Omnibus Undertaking (Sworn Affidavit), which may be downloaded from the PPA website. (Forms 1 and 2) 2. Upon receipt of the duly accomplished Lease Application Form with CRF and duly notarized Omnibus Undertaking (Sworn Affidavit), the PMO shall evaluate and process within five (5) working days the short–term lease proposal.

3. Upon approval, the Port Manager shall issue a Permit to Occupy (PTOc) to the Permittee, who in turn will sign the corresponding Terms and Conditions.

4. Copies of PTOcs by non-computerized ports must be furnished the Office of the AGM for Operations, Attention: Commercial Services Department.

B.

C.

Interested bidders may obtain further information from Philippine Ports Authority, Port Management Office – Negros Occidental/Banago/Bacolod-BREDCO and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below from 8:00am – 5:00pm.

D.

The Philippine Ports Authority, Port Management Office – Negros Occidental /Banago /BacolodBREDCO will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on the date stipulated below the corresponding project at Philippine Ports Authority, Port Management Office – Negros Occidental /Banago/Bacolod-BREDCO Conference Room, Port of Banago, Bacolod City, which shall be open only to all interested parties who have purchased the Bidding Documents.

Bids must be delivered to the address below on or before the date stipulated on each project at Philippine Ports Authority, Port Management Office – Negros Occidental/Banago/Bacolod-BREDCO, Port of Banago, Bacolod City. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18.

Bids will be opened on the date stipulated on each project in the presence of the bidders’ representatives who choose to attend at the address below. Late bids shall not be accepted.

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

For further information, please refer to: Maylene G. Arante Philippine Ports Authority, PMO – Neg. Occ./Banago/Bacolod-BREDCO Port of Banago, Bacolod City Tel No. 034-4411225 & 4411041 Fax No. 034-4411225

(TS-APR. 30, 2016)

Signed ARLYN A. CARAIG Chairperson BAC-Engineering Projects

1.

All medium and long term lease applications shall be processed accordingly as specified under Section 9 of PPA Administrative Order No. 22-95 (Revised Guidelines on Real Estate Management).

2.

The prospective lessee shall submit the duly accomplished Lease Application Form and duly notarized Omnibus Undertaking (Sworn Affidavit) together with the following documents:

3.

Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using non-discretionary pass/ fail criterion as specified in the Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act 9184 (RA 9184), otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act” which took effect on September 2, 2009.

A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased starting April 28, 2016 by interested Bidders from the address below and upon payment of a nonrefundable fee for the Bidding Documents as mentioned above for each project inclusive of 12% VAT and must present a valid PCAB License together with the Letter of Intent.

A.2 Renewal of Lease Application for renewal shall be filed thirty (30) days prior to the expiration of the PTOc together with the duly accomplished Lease Application Form with an updated CRF and duly notarized Omnibus Undertaking.

Application for Medium and Long-Term Leases

1.

2.

3.

Bidders must have an experience of having completed at least one (1) contract that is similar to the contract to be bid, and whose value must be at least 50% of the ABC.

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.

: :

Business Plan/Project Brief.

Architectural Plan/Layout Plan; and Secretary’s Certificate/Affidavit Authorizing Representative to enter into contract with the Authority

The deadline for submission of comparative offers or counter-proposals of medium or long-term lease proposals which undergo publicity requirements as specified under Section 9.2.3 of PPA AO 22-95, as amended by PPA AO 012010, shall be not more than fifteen (15) working days reckoned from the last date of publication (per PPA AO 01-2010).

Sworn Affidavit of Undertaking The prospective lessee shall execute a duly notarized Omnibus Undertaking (Form 2) and shall comply with the terms thereof otherwise the permit issued maybe revoked/ cancelled. The prospective lessee shall be fully responsible and accountable to all requirements prescribed by other government agencies.

Filing Fee Upon submission of the duly accomplished Lease Application Form together with the Omnibus Undertaking, the proponent shall pay the corresponding non-refundable filing fee either at the Terminal Management Office, Port Management Office or Head Office.

Type of Lease

Filing Fee

Short-term Lease Application (up to one year)

Php1,000.00 (plus 12% VAT)

Medium-term lease Application (up to five years) Php3,000.00 (plus 12% VAT) Long-term Lease Application (up to 25 years)

Php5,000.00 (plus 12% VAT)

E.

Penalty Clause Any false or misleading information and/or document supplied to support the lease application or which are inconsistent with the terms and conditions of the permit issued shall be a ground for any appropriate civil and/or administrative action against the lessee.

F. Repealing Clause All PPA orders, rules and regulations or issuances inconsistent herewith are hereby deemed modified, amended or otherwise revoked accordingly.

G. Effectivity This Order shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation and a copy filed with the University of the Philippines Law Center.

(SGD.) RAUL T. SANTOS Officer-In-Charge

(TS-APR. 30, 2016)

ternoon at 5 p.m.

Despite failing to move over to the big stage in its first shot in Game 3, Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao’s confidence isn’t shattered a bit.

“We just postponed our trip to the finals.

My feeling is we’ll get there,” said Guiao. “Actually, parang may twice-to-beat advantage pa rin naman kami ngayon.”

On the other hand, San Miguel coach Leo Austria is likewise in high spirits despite the Beermen’s import issue.

“I want to praise my players. They really want to win despite our situation,” said Austria. “What I want from them to continue is to just play our game and focus. We still have a chance and we’ll take it one game at a time.”

For Game 4 and onwards, the Beermen will be calling on a familiar face for them and for the Painters, AZ Reid, a former Best Import that gave San Miguel its Governors’ Cup title last season, is back to reinforce his squad against his former team.

Even without an import, San Miguel Beer once again flaunted its survival skills.

The Beermen rode Marcio Lassiter’s hot hand in Game 3 to avoid elimination and fight through with a 104-98 victory last Thursday night.

San Miguel, who parted ways with enigmatic import Tyler Wilkerson a few hours prior to Game 3 following an outburst after Game 2, drew 30 points from Lassiter, who caught fire at the right time.

Meanwhile, Alaska and Meralco are going hard at it against each other as they are currently in the middle of battle, as of this report, to see who gets a 2-1 upperhand in their own semis series.

S AT U R D AY : A P R I L 3 0 , 2 0 1 6

A15

SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

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

Day trails clubhouse leader Stuard

Haka dance. Maori Warriors perform prior to the Super Rugby match between the Waikato Chiefs of New Zealand and Coastal Sharks of South Africa at Yarrow Stadium in New Plymouth. AFP

La Salle, Ateneo face off today for all the marbles

By Peter Atencio

ALYSSA Valdez want to make her final game for the defending champion Ateneo Lady Eagles a memorable one.

She is expected to come up with another sterling performance when the Lady Eagles try to deny La Salle Lady Spikers a shot of their first crown in three years.

The Lady Eagles are all set for a deciding Game 3 showdown with the Lady Spikers at 3:30 p.m. today in the 78th University Athletic Association of the Philippines women’s volleyball finals.

Valdez, who scored an awe-inspiring 34 points in Game 2, said they will have to momentarily forget the euphoria of that 18-25, 26-28, 25-17, 25-16, 15-11 victory over the Lady Spikers last Wednesday.

“Pagbalik sa Saturday, kailangan kalimutan iyung win nu’ng Game 2. We just have to remember what we did right, ana-

lyze our mistakes, and fix things during training,” said Valdez, a three-time MVP awardee.

If the Lady Eagles pull it off, the Lady Eagles can claim their third straight crown.

Coach Tai Bundit is confident in the leadership role which Valdez provides for the team.

“I believe Alyssa can score. I tell her to spike it left, spike it right, then score,” Bundit said in halting English.

But the Lady Spikers are confident they can bounce back even after they squandered a two-set advantage in Game 2, en route to the heartbreaking loss.

“They (Lady Spikers) have two days to practice and adjust. On Saturday, they will

Integrity is non-negotiable INSIDE SPORTS RONNIE NATHANIELSZ THE steady decline in the number of fans who watch the games of the Philippine Basketball Association actually hurts many of us who have been involved with the league since its inception and enjoyed the fierce rivalry in the glory days of the Crispa Redmanizers and the Toyota Tamaraws and in more recent years, Ginebra San Miguel, Purefoods and San Miguel Beer.

The pain becomes even deeper when you switch on the TV and watch the UAAP women’s volleyball tournament or even the basketball competition, where the crowds far outnumber those who follow the PBA games in-venue.

Game 2 of the women’s volleyball finals at the Mall of Asia Arena on Wednesday had an attendance of well over 20,000 and with the series tied between Ateneo and La

Salle, we can expect an even larger audience for the sudden death playoff in Game 3 today.

There is nothing like a huge animated crowd to lift the spirits of the players and to fire up their competitive spirits already bristling with collegiate fervor.

While the PBA is a pro basketball league, which does indeed make a difference since it is anchored on brand loyalty and association with individual players, unlike the NBA which is built on the support of city-based fans and superstars, or the UAAP which underscores loyalty to one’s Alma Mater and rivalries between such exciting players as Alyssa Valdez of Ateneo and Mika Reyes of La Salle, whose apparent struggle for the attention if not affection of collegiate superstar Kiefer Ravena provides a sidelight that fills the pages of the entertainment section of media and helps fuel an added dimension of interest.

But what has obviously hurt the PBA in terms of attendance and the carryover effect on television ratings despite the excellent

coverage of TV 5, is the issue of integrity which isn’t helped any by the multiple ownership of teams by the two richest conglomeratesSan Miguel Corporation and the MVP Group of companies, who regrettably can’t seem to inherit the kind of rivalry generated by two obviously poorer teams in comparison Crispa and Toyota.

The questionable trades of the bigger franchise holders through friendly third party teams with at least one or two suspected of being dummies that are influenced by the big boys, further undermines the integrity of the PBA. The recent controversy surrounding the PBA board of governors’ decision to effectively exonerate the league’s marketing director, whose submission of patently falsified academic documents was glossed over when it is regarded as a crime under the law and punishable by imprisonment if the individual is found guilty.

But the PBA board ignored the transgression and while reportedly denying the concerned lady her perks over the past nine years

finish the job,” said La Salle sports director Nonong Calanog, after coach Ramil de Jesus declined an interview after the game.

The Lady Spikers actually appeared to have lost the momentum in the third set when star spiker Ara Galang left on a bum knee, but she is expected to be back in fighting form this time around.

“If you see the pattern (on Ateneo’s head-to-head this season), ‘di ba nanalo kami then natatalo kapag nakapag-adjust sila. Nanalo kami nakapag-adjust sila and hopefully makapag-adjust kami and there’s no more adjustments after that,” added Calanog.

Calanog said the players were silent after the game, refusing to discuss the setback, and their chance of winning Game 3 even when they emerged from the dugout, and headed for their shuttle.

“Parang they don’t want to. Parang they want to put this one year of hard work down the drain,” said Calanog. which were obviously substantial and making her start all over again, demonstrated an inglorious cover up, which we are certain any of the corporations that are members of the PBA would never tolerate.

To the credit of Alaska, it was the only team that had the courage to shun the importuning to go along with the rest, typical of an old boys’ club, and by so doing enhanced its standing in the public mind.

We could never understand let alone appreciate how such businessman-sportsman as Manny Pangilinan could allow his representatives in the board to go along with a patently immoral if not illegal decision. The PBA board cannot claim it’s their right since it’s a private association because as the esteemed commissioner and lawyer, the late Rudy Salud pointed out during his tenure, that while the PBA is a private association, it is imbued with public interest since it banks on public support for its survival.

The constant badgering of referees by team officials during games and the constant summons by table officials and even Com-

MIAMI—Jason Day was one of the early pace-setters but the world No. 1 still finished five strokes back of clubhouse leader Brian Stuard at the Zurich Classic in New Orleans on Thursday.

Australian star Day fired an opening round three-under 69 and is tied for 12th at the rain-hit PGA Tour event where play was delayed for nearly five hours Thursday.

Afternoon thunderstorms lashed the TPC Louisiana at Avondale course resulting in 78 players not being able to finish their first rounds. The opening round will resume early Friday morning and will be followed immediately by the second round.

Day drained a 59-foot birdie on the par-four 16th hole to post his fourth birdie of the day.

Day, who is playing this event for the fourth time, took a week off after finishing in a tie for 23rd at the RBC Heritage tournament. He hasn’t placed outside the top 25 in seven of his eight events this season, winning the Arnold Palmer and WGC-Match Play.

The most impressive opening round came from Stuard of the United States, who shot a bogey-free eight under 64 to take a one-shot lead over South Africa’s Retief Goosen.

The 33-year-old journeyman sunk eight birdies and no bogeys in a flawless display.

“It was a good day. Definitely had the putter working,” Stuard said. “I played pretty well tee to green but really made some putts.

“During the delay, I was just kind of killing time and then coming back out, it was a little bit different conditions.

The wind was a little bit different. But all in all, a good day.”

Stuard never looked back after notching three birdies in the first four holes, draining putts of 12, 33 and 23 feet. AFP

missioner Chito Narvasa himself during timeouts is never seen in the leading pro basketball leagues in the world.

One never ever saw former NBA Commissioner David Stern sit at courtside and talk to or admonish officials, neither does current Commissioner Adam Silver engage in this distressing practice.

If at all, the NBA will issue a brief statement after a review of the game tapes and the technical committee notices a discrepancy as in the recent Houston Rockets—Golden State Warriors game when the buzzer-beating basket

by James Harden was ruled—after the fact—as a charging foul which meant the basket should not have counted and the Warriors would have gone up, 3-0.

Despite this, nobody complained because the integrity and trust in the NBA is at an understandably high level unlike our own PBA. This pains many of us.

The one other damaging feature is the failure of crowd darlings Ginebra and Star Hotshots to advance to the semifinals at least.

The disruption in the teams has primarily been due to manage-

ment interference, with Ginebra and Star Hotshots seeing a rigodon of coaches whose philosophies were dramatically different.

Let’s face it, Ginebra enjoyed its best years under the renowned “Living Legend”playing coach Robert Jaworski, whose charisma and fiercely competitive neversay-die spirit fired the spirits of not only his players, but the imagination of the fans.

If the PBA is to survive and hopefully recover, the members of the board should have nothing to do with the hiring and firing of personnel, should stay away from interfering with the referees during games and allow the Commissioner to do his job as he sees fit and if the team owners are dissatisfied make a change, but never on the basis that he should be someone who is susceptible to the persuasive influence of team owners.

It’s time to return to the era of the late Leo Prieto and Rudy Salud, to whom integrity was non-negotiable and whatever they did was for the benefit of the league as a whole and not any single franchise holder. Those, indeed, were the glory days.

S AT U R DAY : A P R I L 3 0 , 2 0 16

A16

RIERA U. MALL ARI EDITOR

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

sports@thestandard.com.ph

SPORTS Isaiah Thomas (right) of the Boston Celtics tries to steal the ball away from Jeff Teague of the Atlanta Hawks in Game Six of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2016 NBA Playoffs at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. The Hawks won, 104-92. AFP

PH tracksters win 4 golds in Singapore

By Peter Atencio FILIPINO athletes Edgardo Alejan, Christopher Ulboc Jr., Mervin Guarte and Rosie Villarito won four golds, two silvers and a bronze in Day 1 on of the 78th Singapore Open Athletics’ meet at the Singapore National Stadium.

Alejan finished the men’s 400-meter run in 47.10 seconds, beating Mohamad Arif Zuhilmi Alet (48.56 seconds), according to results posted on the tournament’s official website.

His time, though, was outside his personal best, which was 46.89 seconds in the recent Philippine national Open.

Ulboc ruled the 3000-meter steeplechase in 9:36.23, almost a minute below the 8:52 which he submitted last year. Chilton Ong (10:01.87) and Tan Ching Qi(10:02.91 took the silver and bronze, respectively.

Guarte topped the men’s 1500 meter run in 4:02.72, which was more than 15 seconds behind the national record, which he established (3:47.65).

Villarito took the women’s javelin throw gold in 43.61 meters, with Assinke Nienke finishing second (31.48).

College of St. Benilde’s Juliam Reem settled for the silver in the men’s long jump, leaping 7.69 meters, and improving on his personal best of 7.6 in the Philippine National Games.

Hawks eliminate Celtics, arrange battle with Cavs LOS ANGELES—Paul Millsap had 17 points and eight rebounds as the Atlanta Hawks eliminated the Boston Celtics with a 104-92 win in game six of the first round playoff series Thursday.

Al Horford and Kent Bazemore each scored 15 points, Kyle Korver had 14 points and Jeff Teague added 11 for Atlanta, which led by as many as 28 points in the second half en route to its first playoff series win over Boston in nearly 60 years.

“We played well here before but couldn’t get it done,” Horford said. “Tonight we took care of business. The shots went down for me tonight.”

Atlanta will face the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round, which begins Monday at Quicken Loans Arena.

The Hawks lost all three meet-

Cage skills coach to hold camp in Manila TURN TO A13

ings with the Cavaliers during the regular season. Cleveland also swept Atlanta in four straight when the two teams met in last season’s NBA playoff semi-finals.

“We know it is going to be tough but we are looking forward to the matchup,” said Horford of facing the Cavs.

Isaiah Thomas had a double-double with 25 points and 10 assists to lead host Boston in front of a crowd of 18,600 at the Garden arena. Jae Crowder finished with 15 points and Marcus Smart and Jonas Jerebko each added 13 for the Celtics.

Boston shot 36 percent from the

field Thursday and was held to 38 percent shooting in the series.

“We should give the Hawks credit. They are a better team.

They proved it over six games,” said Boston coach Brad Stevens.

The Celtics fell behind 20-17 at the end of the first quarter and were limited to 27 percent shooting in the opening half.

Atlanta outscored the Celtics 39-26 in the third quarter and led 89-61 with 9:51 remaining, but the Celtics battled back to come within 96-86 with just under two minutes remaining in the fourth.

Meanwhile, the Golden State Warriors have given the Los Angeles Lakers permission to approach assistant coach Luke Walton for their vacant top job.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr confirmed that the reigning NBA

Beermen bringing in AZ Reid in Game 4 TURN TO A14

champions had told Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak they could meet Walton following their series win over the Houston Rockets on Wednesday.

“We told Mitch that he’s perfectly welcome to talk to Luke as soon as the series is over and we have a little break,” Kerr said.

Walton is a firm favorite with the Lakers having played on two NBA championship-winning teams during his nine seasons as a player in Los Angeles.

The 36-year-old filled in for Kerr earlier this season and led the Warriors to a 39-4 record as the Golden State coach recovered from back surgery.

Although the wins were credited to Kerr under NBA rules, Walton is seen as an up-and-coming coaching talent. AFP

SATURDAY: APRIL 30, 2016

RAY S. EÑANO EDITOR

RODERICK T. DELA CRUZ ASSISTANT EDITOR

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

BUSINESS

B1

New Labor regional office.

Labor Department Negros Island regional director Johnson Cañete (second from left) receives the symbolic key from Negros Occidental director Ponciano Ligutom during the turnover ceremonies for the new regional office in Pulantubig, Dumaguete City. Labor Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz (right), undersecretary Ciriaco Lagunzad III, Negros Oriental director Exequiel Sarcauga and other Labor officials witness the historic event.

PH remittances less vulnerable PSe comPoSite

index

Closing April 29, 2016

8300 7840 7380 6920 6460 6000

7,159.29 3.27

PeSo-dollar rate

Closing April 29, 2016 48.00 46.00 45.00

P46.890

44.00

CLOSE

43.00

HIGH P46.780 LOW P46.970 AVERAGE P46.887 VOLUME 672.300M

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

o

il P PriceS today

P19.25-P22.75 Diesel P34.55-P39.15 Kerosene Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Friday, April 29, 2016

F oreign e xchange r ate Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

46.7730

Japan

Yen

0.009252

0.4327

UK

Pound

1.461200

68.3447

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128909

6.0295

Switzerland

Franc

1.034875

48.4042

Canada

Dollar

0.796813

37.2693

Singapore

Dollar

0.743494

34.7754

Australia

Dollar

0.762500

35.6644

Bahrain

Dinar

2.654210

124.1454

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266745

12.4765

Brunei

Dollar

0.740741

34.6467

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000076

0.0036

Thailand

Baht

0.028580

1.3368

UAE

Dirham

0.272287

12.7357

Euro

Euro

1.135500

53.1107

Korea

Won

0.000880

0.0412

China

Yuan

0.154371

7.2204

India

Rupee

0.015062

0.7045

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.257069

12.0239

New Zealand

Dollar

0.695600

32.5353

Taiwan

Dollar

0.031050

1.4523 Source: PDS Bridge

By Julito G. Rada

GLOBAL debt watcher Fitch Ratings said remittance inflows in the Philippines are less vulnerable to the slowing growth in Middle East countries because migrant Filipino workers are not solely concentrated in that region.

Fitch said in a report Friday reduced growth and capital spending among oil producers in the Middle East might trim employment opportunities for foreign workers from Asian countries, especially in construction.

It said the risk of lower demand for foreign workers in the Middle East was significant, but has, so far, hardly materialized in the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Vietnam.

“Remittances as a relatively stable source of foreign-currency receipts generally strengthens the external balances of the receiving country. At the same time, countries whose external accounts depend on remittance inflows would be vulnerable if this source of foreign currency were disrupted,” Fitch said.

“This is especially true if coupled with a high level of worker concentration in certain countries.

In this light, Fitch believes Sri Lanka is especially vulnerable to such disruptions, while Pakistan and Bangladesh are also relatively exposed,” Fitch said.

Fitch said remittance inflows in the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Vietnam were particularly strong relative to the size of their economies. It said the growth of remittance inflows was slowing in some of these countries, but the absolute amount remained large and significant.

Fitch said remittance inflows from workers abroad remained strong in Asia, while dropping significantly in some other regions.

Latest data from Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas showed that money sent home by migrant Filipinos in February 2016 grew 9.1 per-

cent to $2.11 billion from $1.935 billion a year ago, the fastest in eight months, due mainly to the sustained demand for local skilled workers abroad.

The amount brought cash remittances in the first two months to $4.133 billion, up 6.2 percent from $3.89 billion a year ago.

Most cash remittances came from the United States, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, Canada, Japan and Qatar.

Personal remittances, which include non-cash items, expanded 9 percent in February to $2.33 billion from $2.14 billion on year, also an eight-month high. The figure brought personal remittances in the first two months to $4.56 billion, up 6.1 percent from $4.3 billion a year ago.

Peso declines against dollar amid May election jitters THE closed lower Friday its biggest monthly drop since August as investors seek shelter in the dollar amid uncertainty over the outcome of the nation’s presidential elections on May 9.

Government bonds were set for their worst rout in a year as investor concern deepened after recent opinion polls showed candidates with no track record in business or economics widened their lead over contenders that analysts have said would best steer the Philippine economy.

“There’s already a big component of the upcoming elections in the behavior of our foreignexchange market,” Elfren Antonio Sarte, president of Robinsons Bank, a unit of JG Summit Holdings, said by phone. “The peso will

continue to fluctuate.”

The peso fell to 46.89 Friday from 46.77 the other day and was down nearly 2 percent from this month, prices from the Bankers Association of the Philippines show. That would be its largest monthly decline since it slid 2.1 percent in August and the worst performance in Asia.

Yields on five-year sovereign peso-denominated bonds jumped 12 basis points Friday to 3.92 percent, and up from 3.46 percent at the end of March, according to fixing prices from the Philippine Dealing & Exchange Corp. The 43 basis point increase in April is the biggest in a year.

Opinion polls have showed Rodrigo Duterte, the controversial

Davao city mayor who made inflammatory remarks on rape and extra-judicial killing, widened his lead in the presidential race.

“We sensed local market participants have indeed become more worried of the prospect of a Duterte presidency. If these locals are getting more concerned, this could translate to more significant worries among foreign investors,” Euben Paracuelles, economist at Nomura Holdings Inc. in Singapore, said in a note. “We think a rising likelihood of a Duterte win could add to expectations of an adverse market reaction.”

Duterte’s spokesman has sought to calm market jitters by saying uncertainty usually arises in the weeks before an election, and it will be

“business as usual” should the mayor be elected president. The frontrunner will provide businesses the “right and proper atmosphere” to prosper without sacrificing the welfare of the people, Peter Lavina said in a statement Tuesday.

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Amando Tetangco on Thursday said he did not expect any major developments that would necessitate a shift in the central bank’s policy stance.

The monetary authority will continue to monitor possible inflation pressures to ensure price stability conducive to a balanced and sustainable economic growth. He forecast April inflation to be in a range of 0.7 percent to 1.5 percent year-on-year.

SATURDAY: APRIL 30, 2016

B2

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

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

52 Weeks

Previous

High Low 7.88 75.3 124.4 107 56.5 2.49 4.2 17 30.45 0.92 2.6 1.01 100 1.46 30.5 91.5 137 80 361.2 57 180 1700 124 3.26

2.5 66 88.05 88.1 45.45 1.97 1.68 12.02 19.6 0.74 1.02 0.225 78 0.9 17.8 62 88.35 52 276 41 118.2 1200 59 2.65

47 5 1.46 2.36 15.3 148 20.6 125 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 4 74 33.9 90 13.26 293 0.62 5 5.25 12.98 6.75 15 7.03 3.4 4.5 6.3 1450 3.28 0.315 2.18 2.65 234 5.28 1.3 2.17

35.9 1.11 1.01 1.86 7.92 32 15.32 62.5 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 1.63 33 23.35 17.3 5.88 250.2 0.335 3.37 3.87 8.45 3 10.04 3.03 1.95 1 4.02 801 1.55 0.138 1.02 2.09 152 4.28 0.640 1.2

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 76 6.5 5.29 9.25 0.85 17.3 5.53 0.0670 2.31 1.61 84.9 3.5 974 1.66 1.39 390 156 0.710 0.435 0.510

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 49.55 3.43 3 4.84 0.59 12 4.2 0.030 1.23 0.550 59.3 1.5 751 1.13 0.93 170 80 0.211 0.179 0.310

10.5 26.95 1.99 1.75 0.375 41.4 5.6 5.59

6.74 12 0.65 1.2 0.192 30.05 3.36 4.96

STOCKS

High

Low

FINANCIAL 2.99 2.89 45.6 45.3 100.00 98.80 90.80 90.20 38.5 38.4 3.00 2.98 1.60 1.57 14 14 16 15.3 0.7 0.7 1.69 1.69 0.610 0.590 82.7 81.15 0.99 0.99 14.60 14.52 52.20 51.20 102.9 102 310 310 266.2 266.2 31.9 30.95 170.3 168 1400.00 1380.00 58.00 57.70 1.53 1.5 INDUSTRIAL Aboitiz Power Corp.

44.4 44.95 44.4 Agrinurture Inc. 4.52 4.63 4.35 Alliance Tuna Intl Inc. 0.78 0.8 0.76 Alsons Cons.

1.37 1.43 1.37 Asiabest Group 14.68 14.5 13 C. Azuc De Tarlac 190.00 238.60 230.00 Century Food 18.9 18.92 18.84 Chemphil 135 135.1 135 Conc. Aggr. ‘A’ 202 200 190 Cirtek Holdings (Chips) 17.9 18 17.84 Concepcion 42.2 48.3 48 Crown Asia 2.28 2.3 2.25 Da Vinci Capital 4.9 5.4 4.9 Del Monte 11.06 11.1 10.94 DNL Industries Inc. 9.150 9.210 9.000 Emperador 8.00 8.03 7.92 Energy Devt. Corp. (EDC) 5.86 5.89 5.72 EEI 7.40 7.46 7.19 First Gen Corp.

20.6 20.6 20.25 First Holdings ‘A’ 68.75 68.7 66 Ginebra San Miguel Inc. 14.98 15.00 13.90 Holcim Philippines Inc. 14.00 14.04 14.00 Integ. Micro-Electronics 5.58 5.73 5.58 Ionics Inc 2.360 2.400 2.310 Jollibee Foods Corp.

230.00 229.60 222.80 Mabuhay Vinyl 3.6 4 3.53 Macay Holdings 40.00 39.00 38.00 Manila Water Co. Inc. 27.85 27.85 27.55 Maxs Group 21 21.2 20.3 Megawide 6.33 6.32 6.3 Mla. Elect. Co `A’ 340.20 345.00 340.00 MG Holdings 0.280 0.290 0.280 Panasonic Mfg Phil. Corp. 4.29 4.25 4.25 Pepsi-Cola Products Phil. 3.77 3.82 3.7 Petron Corporation 10.68 10.80 10.60 Phil H2O 3.17 3.16 3.16 Phinma Corporation 11.58 11.64 11.60 Phoenix Petroleum Phils. 4.78 4.78 4.65 Phoenix Semiconductor 1.60 1.59 1.55 Pryce Corp. `A’ 2.69 2.83 2.68 RFM Corporation 4.21 4.21 4.15 San Miguel ‘Pure Foods `A’ 210 208 201.2 Splash Corporation 2.7 2.7 2.6 Swift Foods, Inc. 0.155 0.155 0.153 TKC Steel Corp.

1.20 1.26 1.20 Trans-Asia Oil 2.55 2.60 2.52 Universal Robina 208.8 209 207.4 Victorias Milling 4.8 4.89 4.89 Vitarich Corp.

0.92 0.92 0.86 Vulcan Ind’l.

1.43 1.42 1.30 HOLDING FIRMS Abacus Cons. `A’ 0.365 0.380 0.340 Aboitiz Equity 67.00 67.00 66.10 Alliance Global Inc. 14.50 14.78 14.50 Anglo Holdings A 1.15 1.15 1.13 Anscor `A’ 6.05 6.07 6.04 ATN Holdings A 0.390 0.405 0.380 ATN Holdings B 0.385 0.390 0.375 Ayala Corp `A’ 772 771.5 760 Cosco Capital 7.97 8 7.9 DMCI Holdings 12.36 12.48 12.24 F&J Prince ‘A’ 5.19 5.15 5.15 Filinvest Dev. Corp.

5.45 5.45 5.30 Forum Pacific 0.234 0.224 0.222 GT Capital 1367 1376 1362 JG Summit Holdings 81.50 82.85 80.45 Jolliville Holdings 4.9 4.9 4.9 Keppel Holdings `A’ 6.29 5.7 5.3 Lopez Holdings Corp.

7.31 7.31 7.18 Lodestar Invt. Holdg.Corp. 0.7 0.74 0.68 LT Group 15.3 15.4 15.16 Metro Pacific Inv. Corp. 5.95 5.9 5.79 Pacifica `A’ 0.0340 0.0340 0.0330 Prime Media Hldg 1.600 1.640 1.410 Prime Orion 1.870 1.880 1.820 San Miguel Corp `A’ 66.30 67.00 65.00 Seafront `A’ 2.14 2.22 2.14 SM Investments Inc. 946.00 950.00 942.00 Solid Group Inc. 1.16 1.16 1.13 South China Res. Inc. 0.83 0.97 0.78 Transgrid 196.00 190.00 190.00 Top Frontier 139.800 140.000 130.200 Unioil Res. & Hldgs 0.3450 0.3550 0.3200 Wellex Industries 0.1960 0.1920 0.1860 Zeus Holdings 0.285 0.280 0.280 PROPERTY 8990 HLDG 7.550 7.990 7.500 Anchor Land Holdings Inc. 7.12 7.54 7.54 A. Brown Co., Inc. 1.09 1.16 1.03 Araneta Prop `A’ 2.460 2.520 2.220 Arthaland Corp.

0.270 0.280 0.250 Ayala Land `B’ 34.250 34.650 34.100 Belle Corp. `A’ 3.04 3.06 3.02 Cebu Holdings 5.1 5.1 5.1 AG Finance Asia United Bank Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. Bank of PI China Bank BDO Leasing & Fin. INc. Bright Kindle Resources COL Financial Eastwest Bank First Abacus I-Remit Inc. MEDCO Holdings Metrobank Natl. Reinsurance Corp.

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

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

Close

SHARES 10,540,858 87,150,888 107,580,081 142,553,513 289,828,218 445,261,831 1,085,784,446

3.02 45.6 99.50 90.70 38.4 2.92 1.61 14 15.94 0.7 1.69 0.610 82.75 0.96 14.60 52.20 102.9 310 310 31.85 168.3 1405.00 57.70 1.53

Close

%

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

2.95 45.6 100.00 90.50 38.5 2.98 1.59 14 15.32 0.7 1.69 0.600 81.25 0.99 14.52 51.20 102.9 310 266.2 31 170 1380.00 57.70 1.5

-2.32 0.00 0.50 -0.22 0.26 2.05 -1.24 0.00 -3.89 0.00 0.00 -1.64 -1.81 3.13 -0.55 -1.92 0.00 0.00 -14.13 -2.67 1.01 -1.78 0.00 -1.96

115,000 17,600 2,867,870 2,046,290 15,300 15,000 252,000 2,400 558,000 5,000 12,000 573,000 1,661,970 5,000 446,200 90,910 5,240 80 210 354,400 969,280 285 31,790 180,000

44.9 4.48 0.8 1.41 14.18 238.60 18.9 135 191 17.84 48 2.29 5.14 10.94 9.000 7.94 5.89 7.25 20.25 66.6 15.00 14.04 5.7 2.310 229.60 3.99 38.00 27.75 21.1 6.3 343.00 0.285 4.25 3.71 10.66 3.16 11.60 4.73 1.55 2.71 4.18 205 2.6 0.153 1.20 2.55 208.4 4.89 0.88 1.31

1.13 -0.88 2.56 2.92 -3.41 25.58 0.00 0.00 -5.45 -0.34 13.74 0.44 4.90 -1.08 -1.64 -0.75 0.51 -2.03 -1.70 -3.13 0.13 0.29 2.15 -2.12 -0.17 10.83 -5.00 -0.36 0.48 -0.47 0.82 1.79 -0.93 -1.59 -0.19 -0.32 0.17 -1.05 -3.13 0.74 -0.71 -2.38 -3.70 -1.29 0.00 0.00 -0.19 1.88 -4.35 -8.39

3,148,300 756,000 15,000 2,591,000 8,400 400 73,800 20 1,910 135,900 1,000 409,000 629,000 25,700 12,192,300 6,835,000 6,941,900 321,500 2,694,200 162,010 9,100 21,000 128,700 1,085,000 379,870 79,000 5,100 674,800 343,600 122,700 117,680 220,000 3,000 167,000 1,221,300 2,000 19,000 503,000 336,000 13,245,000 101,000 7,020 751,000 2,540,000 4,000 2,319,000 1,918,320 1,000 16,265,000 7,497,000

0.340 66.40 14.50 1.13 6.04 0.380 0.375 771 7.94 12.48 5.15 5.45 0.222 1367 81.50 4.9 5.3 7.31 0.69 15.4 5.8 0.0330 1.620 1.870 67.00 2.14 944.00 1.15 0.79 190.00 140.000 0.3200 0.1920 0.280

-6.85 -0.90 0.00 -0.17 -2.56 -2.60 -0.13 -0.38 0.97 -0.77 0.00 -5.13 0.00 0.00 0.00 -15.74 0.00 -1.43 0.65 -2.52 -2.94 1.25 0.00 1.06 0.00 -0.21 -0.86 -4.82 -3.06 0.14 -7.25 -2.04 -1.75

17,630,000 1,285,640 15,045,900 51,000 42,900 7,580,000 2,410,000 212,740 1,248,500 4,063,800 14,200 375,000 70,000 94,175 2,174,830 8,000 2,000 3,712,000 119,000 2,215,200 29,242,900 4,800,000 59,000 1,509,000 363,960 15,000 196,960 485,000 54,000 500 10,690 11,550,000 400,000 160,000

7.990 7.54 1.15 2.280 0.260 34.650 3.04 5.1

5.83 5.90 5.50 -7.32 -3.70 1.17 0.00 0.00

220,800 100 10,818,000 4,949,000 1,010,000 9,887,000 1,306,000 60,000

232,550.00 -34,773,825 89,832,896.00 14,900.00 1,400.00 79,750.00 -48,000.00 -32,274,019.00 -6,361,164.00 -2,160,541.00

342,995 32,771,725.00 -35,774.00 108,019,055.00 999,260.00 725,258.00

45,200.00 1,032,680.00 28,715,108.00 -1,442,624.00 1,414,779.00 -19,259,625.00 -4,138,207.50 149,800.00 454,524.00 -10,040.00 -10,908,712.00 8,192,365.00 -652,060.00 126,000.00 4,978,198.00

3,722,706.00 -139,200.00 15,600.00 -230,350.00 371,960.00 205,502.00

-152,400.00 -22,939,294.00 765,790.00

1,631,211.00 -23,951,520.00 -48,560.00 15,919,680.00 305,731.00 1,289,554.00 104,255.00 -45,404,090.00 -9,031,152.50 12,298,760.00 22,856,430.00 14,941,871.00 -7,900.00 -11,114,912.00 49,063,055.00

-233,590.00 -89,700.00

52 Weeks

Previous

High Low

STOCKS

83,683,615.00 1,169,320.00

High

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

1.85 0.00 0.00 -3.57 -1.08 0.00 2.41 0.00 -3.68 5.56 0.00 0.53 -2.35 -1.92 -5.08 0.00 0.37 -1.27 -1.29 -1.09 4.65 0.00 0.00

1,141,000 9,000 2,000 10,810,000 1,260,000 647,500 123,000 1,689,000 31,669,000 398,000 18,000 28,212,000 220,000 50,000 1,443,000 600 1,344,400 55,000 49,000 12,256,400 10,122,000 825,000 10,436,000

10.5 66 1.44 1.09 14.88 28.5 15.82 0.1430 5.06 99.1 12.3 2.6 7.67 4 2720 8.41 70.5 1.97 119.5 7 5.8 12.5 0.017

1.97 35.2 1 0.63 10.5 18.2 8.6 0.0770 2.95 56.1 10.14 1.6 4.8 2.58 1600 5.95 17.02 1.23 102.6 3.01 4 8.72 0.011

0.8200 2.2800 5.93 12.28 3.32 1 15.2

0.041 1.200 2.34 6.5 1.91 0.650 6

1.040 22.8 6.41 185 22.9 3486 0.760 2.28 46.05 90.1

0.37 14.54 3 79 4.39 2748 0.435 1.2 31.45 60.55

11.6 0.85 10 1.9

7.59 0.63 5 1.14

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

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

Discovery World DFNN Inc. Easy Call “Common” Globe Telecom GMA Network Inc. Grand Plaza Hotel Harbor Star I.C.T.S.I. Imperial Res. `A’ Imperial Res. `B’ IPeople Inc. `A’ IP E-Game Ventures Inc. IPM Holdings Island Info ISM Communications Jackstones Leisure & Resorts Liberty Telecom Manila Bulletin Melco Crown Metro Retail 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 Travellers Yehey

0.00 0.00 -2.40 0.00 -1.86 0.18 -0.70 7.41 -0.98 -0.22 -1.77 6.02 -0.28 -1.36 -0.27 -1.47 0.00 -0.86 1.88 -17.36 -13.46 4.17 1.01 -1.03 -6.33 -4.35 -1.80 0.00 -1.54 0.00 -0.43 -0.26 -0.31 0.00 0.00 2.86 -0.42 0.94 -2.30 0.00 -1.47 0.39 -1.11 -1.79 0.00 -0.29 2.46

47,200 41,030 8,000 1,057,000 4,400 200 1,367,000 -1,501,500.00 59,150,000 2,800.00 38,000 305,940 10,287,495.50 2,400 18,000 125,200 311,181.00 8,000 75,715 15,105,530.00 78,000 22,300 1,668,000 435,180 -2,556,767.00 1,442,900 2,500 -137,528.00 500 1,000,000 537,000 146,060,000 3,940,250.00 17,221,000 -361,010.00 1,000 65,400 153,230.00 89,000 -3,840.00 13,000 23,602,000 23,275,690.00 405,000 -7,640.00 8,144,000 809,840.00 1,000,400 11,000 160 11,484.00 97,200 -37,570.00 242,555 17,727,825.00 1,180,000 5,743,000 486,500.00 5,030,000 -57,862,990.00 1,789,240 372,751.00 691,500 12,580.00 4,172,000 -179,000.00 340,000 12,000.00 363,000 -81,640.00 132,400 -59,400.00

0.0098 5.45 17.24 0.330 12.7 12.8 1.19 1.62 9.5 4.2 0.48 0.420 0.440 0.022 0.023 8.2 49.2 4.27 1.030 3.06 0.020 7.67 12.88 10.42 0.040 420 9

0.0043 1.72 6.47 0.236 6.5 5.11 0.85 0.77 5.99 1.17 0.305 0.2130 0.2160 0.013 0.014 3.240 18.96 2.11 0.365 1.54 0.012 5.4 7.26 2.27 0.015 115.9 3.67

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

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

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

TA Petroleum

0.00 0.49 -0.48 0.00 -10.16 -8.44 -2.82 0.00 -1.43 2.20 0.00 2.04 1.96 0.00 0.00 0.50 2.11 -1.15 -8.06 0.00 5.43 2.63 3.50 4.07 0.00 -0.78 24.57

97,000,000 159,000 -88,200.00 369,000 -57,620.00 590,000 209,200 57,300 -47,621.00 734,000 1,041,000 -393,660.00 26,500 -76,510.00 44,508,000 -238,610.00 310,000 132,550,000 11,080,000 183,800.00 61,500,000 13,100,000 263,000 -132,850.00 2,409,700 -3,704,962.00 276,000 38,400.00 48,000 28,000 3,000,000 1,000 4,662,700 -974,585.00 5,835,000 78,180.00 53,700,000 2,400.00 147,430 -10,219,701.00 11,568,000 -725,650.00

70 525 118 120 12.28 1047 78.95

33 500 101 101.5 6.5 1011 74.5

ABS-CBN Holdings Corp.

Ayala Corp. Pref ‘B2’ First Gen F First Gen G Leisure and Resort PF Pref 2 SMC Preferred B SMC Preferred D SMC Preferred E SMC Preferred G SMC Preferred H SMC Preferred I

1.75 0.00 -6.67 0.00 -1.82 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 -0.66

689,630 4,800 30 1,000 4,402,000 15,050 29,930 1,000 1,790 8,270 190,430 80,890

8,164,975.00

-3.74 -0.47 -0.66 -1.20

109,000 52,000 180,000 2,523,200

-4,450.00 -18,848,682.00

-0.34

4,850

2,352.00

15

3.5

Alterra Capital Makati Fin. Corp.

Italpinas Xurpas

12.88

5.95

130.7

105.6 First Metro ETF

0.56 0.540 0.550 0.96 0.96 0.96 1.000 1.000 1.000 0.138 0.135 0.135 0.465 0.455 0.460 39 38.1 39 0.850 0.830 0.850 1.01 0.99 1.01 1.90 1.81 1.83 1.34 1.26 1.33 4.50 4.50 4.50 3.81 3.72 3.77 0.084 0.083 0.083 0.2550 0.2550 0.2550 0.580 0.550 0.560 28.00 28.00 28.00 27.25 26.80 27.10 1.6 1.56 1.56 3.1 3.04 3.06 22.80 22.40 22.65 0.91 0.86 0.9 1.050 1.080 1.020 4.800 4.740 4.800 SERVICES 7.4 7.44 7.27 7.4 56.6 57 56.5 56.6 1.25 1.25 1.22 1.22 0.570 0.580 0.570 0.570 11.8 11.8 11.58 11.58 28.45 28.5 28.5 28.5 4.29 4.31 4.18 4.26 0.0540 0.0600 0.0550 0.0580 3.06 3.06 3.02 3.03 89.2 89.4 88.9 89 9.6 9.55 9.43 9.43 1.66 1.76 1.66 1.76 7.20 7.18 7.05 7.18 2.95 2.94 2.91 2.91 2200 2220 2176 2194 6.80 6.81 6.70 6.70 24.05 24.05 24.05 24.05 1.16 1.17 1.13 1.15 63.8 65 63.8 65 24.20 27.90 19.20 20.00 260 290 199 225 11.52 12 12 12 0.0099 0.0100 0.0100 0.0100 9.70 9.65 9.51 9.60 0.395 0.405 0.365 0.370 2.3000 2.4400 2.2000 2.2000 2.22 2.18 2.18 2.18 7.70 7.74 7.70 7.70 3.90 3.91 3.83 3.84 0.580 0.590 0.580 0.580 2.31 2.35 2.23 2.3 3.90 3.89 3.80 3.89 3.200 3.290 3.130 3.190 17.6 17.6 17 17.6 4.90 4.90 4.90 4.90 111.80 115.00 108.00 115.00 23.60 23.60 22.75 23.50 1701.00 1725.00 1704.00 1717.00 0.435 0.430 0.420 0.425 0.870 0.870 0.850 0.870 40.80 40.80 40.10 40.20 76.70 77.70 76.65 77.00 6.28 6.30 6.20 6.21 3.35 3.43 3.29 3.29 0.610 0.610 0.590 0.610 3.39 3.42 3.37 3.38 5.280 5.410 5.250 5.410 MINING & OIL 0.0041 0.0042 0.0040 0.0041 2.04 2.10 2.05 2.05 4.20 4.20 4.10 4.18 0.250 0.250 0.245 0.250 9.2500 9.98 8.31 8.3100 9.0100 9.9900 8.2400 8.2500 0.71 0.72 0.69 0.69 0.530 0.530 0.510 0.530 8.40 8.45 8.06 8.28 0.910 0.990 0.910 0.930 0.295 0.295 0.290 0.295 0.245 0.265 0.250 0.250 0.255 0.270 0.255 0.260 0.0120 0.0130 0.0120 0.0120 0.0130 0.0140 0.0130 0.0130 2 2.08 2 2.01 5.21 5.46 5.23 5.32 2.6 2.6 2.53 2.57 0.6200 0.6200 0.5700 0.5700 1.2900 1.3000 1.2800 1.2900 0.0092 0.0097 0.0092 0.0097 3.90 3.80 3.90 3.90 5.71 5.95 5.84 5.91 2.21 2.47 2.22 2.30 0.0120 0.0120 0.0120 0.0120 128.00 128.50 126.80 127.00 2.89 3.94 3 3.6 PREFERRED 57 58 56.1 58 530 530 530 530 116.9 109.1 109.1 109.1 116 116 116 116 1.1 1.1 1.07 1.08 1020 1020 1020 1020 77.5 77.5 77.15 77.5 76 76 76 76 77 77 77 77 77 77 77 77 75.5 75.5 75.25 75.5 75.5 75.5 75 75 SME 4.28 4.46 4.12 4.12 4.25 4.23 4.17 4.23 3.02 3.15 3 3 16.7 16.76 16.5 16.5 EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 118 118 117 117.6

%

Century Property 0.540 City & Land Dev. 0.96 Cityland Dev. `A’ 1.000 Crown Equities Inc. 0.140 Cyber Bay Corp.

0.465 Double Dragon 39 Empire East Land 0.830 Global-Estate 1.01 Filinvest Land,Inc. 1.90 Interport `A’ 1.26 Keppel Properties 4.50 Megaworld 3.75 MRC Allied Ind. 0.085 Phil. Estates Corp.

0.2600 Phil. Realty `A’ 0.590 Phil. Tob. Flue Cur & Redry 28.00 Robinson’s Land `B’ 27.00 Rockwell 1.58 Shang Properties Inc. 3.1 SM Prime Holdings 22.90 Sta. Lucia Land Inc. 0.86 Suntrust Home Dev. Inc. 1.050 Vista Land & Lifescapes 4.800

STOCKS

FINANCIAL 1,592.30 (down) 4.16 INDUSTRIAL 11,795.94 (down) 2.75 HOLDING FIRMS 7,074.99 (down) 19.14 PROPERTY 2,945.92 (up) 5.56 SERVICES 1,473.46 (up) 5.54 MINING & OIL 10,809.23 (up) 69.57 PSEI 7,159.29 (down) 3.27 All Shares Index 4,245.89 (down) 1.96 Gainers: 61; Losers: 114; Unchanged: 55; Total: 230

Close

0.79 1.1 0.97 0.083 0.415 2.4 0.83 1.15 1.42 1.27 3.1 4.13 0.090 0.290 0.39 23 22.15 1.6 3.1 15.08 0.69 0.83 5.73

T op g ainerS VALUE 833,644,239.642 1,112,113,667.18 1,322,841,344.96 972,709,565.69 1,588,539,138.66 202,842,330.508 6,076,204,884.242

Low

1.44 1.97 1.48 0.201 0.69 10.96 0.97 2.22 2.1 1.8 8.4 5.94 0.180 0.470 0.72 27 31.8 2.29 4.9 21.35 1.06 1.62 8.59

1,249,050.00 116,060.00 -633,290.00

Close

40,800.00 3,226,425.00 -830.00 -97,000.00 -29,197,500.00 -13,300.00 6,494,280.00

-6,410,660.00 27,080.00 6,516,675.00 -83,000.00 -549,350.00

-14,657,400.00

375,000.00

T op L oSerS Close (P)

Change (%)

STOCKS

Close (P)

Change (%)

C. Azuc De Tarlac

238.60

25.58

Imperial Res. `A'

20.00

TA Petroleum

3.6

24.57

Keppel Holdings `A'

5.3

-17.36 -15.74

Concepcion

48

13.74

PSE Inc.

266.2

-14.13

Mabuhay Vinyl

3.99

10.83

Imperial Res. `B'

225

-13.46

Boulevard Holdings

0.0580

7.41

Benguet Corp `A'

8.3100

-10.16 -8.44

Discovery World

1.76

6.02

Benguet Corp `B'

8.2500

Anchor Land Holdings Inc.

7.54

5.90

Vulcan Ind'l.

1.31

-8.39

8990 HLDG

7.990

5.83

Omico

0.5700

-8.06

Interport `A'

1.33

5.56

Araneta Prop `A'

2.280

-7.32

A. Brown Co., Inc.

1.15

5.50

Unioil Res. & Hldgs

0.3200

-7.25

SATURDAY: APRIL 30, 2016

B3

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

Market declines; Aboitiz, ALI rise STOCKS fell for a sixth day, following overnight losses on Wall Street and as investors stayed on the sidelines amid uncertainty over the outcome of the Philippine presidential elections on May 9.

The Philippine Stock Exchange index, the 30-company benchmark, shed 3 points to close at 7,159.29 Friday. Despite the loss, the bellwether was still up 3 percent since the start of the year.

The heavier index, representing all shares, also dropped 1 point to settle at 4,245.89, on a value turnover of P6 billion.

Losers outnumbered gainers, 114 to 61, while 55 issues were unchanged.

Seven of the 20 most active stocks ended in the green, led by property developer Ayala Land Inc., which rose 1.2 percent to P34.65, and Aboitiz Power Corp., which gained 1.1 percent to P44.90. Security Bank Corp. added 1 percent to close at P170.

Meanwhile, Asian stocks mostly fell Friday following losses in New York while concerns about the global outlook were reinforced after data showed the US economy grew at its slowest pace for two years in the first quarter.

Investors were still coming to terms with the Bank of Japan’s decision not to boost its stimulus, with the yen at 18-month highs against the dollar, while analysts warned central banks’ weapons were becoming less effective.

Hong Kong was 1.3 percent lower in the afternoon while Seoul closed 0.3 percent down.

Shanghai ended off 0.3 percent, although Sydney rose 0.5 percent.

Taipei slipped 1.1 percent after figures showed the island’s economy shrank in the first three months, prolonging a recession that started last year, as its key export sector dived.

The US Commerce Department said Thursday that the world’s number one economy grew 0.5 percent in JanuaryMarch, almost half the pace expected, and the worst reading since 2014 as consumer spending sputtered. With Bloomberg, AFP

BSU speaker.

SteelAsia Manufacturing Corp. president Benjamin Yao addresses graduates of Bulacan State University and cites the importance of passion-driven existence. SteelAsia, the country’s largest rebar manufacturer, employs 61 graduates of BSU. Shown with Yao (center) are (from left) BSU officials Victoria Valenzuela, Felicidad Ellogo, Romy Inasoria, Gualberto Magdaroag Jr., Cecilia Gascon, Cecilia Geronimo, Danilo Hilario and Ricardo Capule.

Filinvest upbeat on power business

By Alena Mae S. Flores

FILINVEST Development Corp., the holding company of the Gotianun family, expressed optimism over its growth prospects this year as it prepares for the opening of a 405-megawatt coal plant in Misamis Oriental province in the second quarter.

“We are excited this year as we expect to start commissioning the first unit of our 3 x 135 MW coal plant in Misamis Oriental in the second quarter of 2016 while the remaining units will follow within the year,” FDC president and chief executive Josephine GotianunYap said in a statement.

FDC reported a 13-percent growth in net income in 2015 to P7 billion.

“With the addition of 405 MW of much

needed power to the Mindanao grid, we look forward to partnering with the region in accelerating growth,” Gotianun-Yap said.

The company generated P49.3 billion in revenues last year, with 43 percent coming from real estate business units Filinvest Land Inc. and Filinvest Alabang Inc. FDC and Filinvest Land recently won the bid for the privatization of the former Mimosa Leisure Estate and signed the lease agreement with Clark Development Corp.

EastWest Bank contributed 37 percent of revenues while FDC Utilities Inc., the group’s power subsidiary, made a significant contribution at 13 percent.

FDC Utilities recognized revenues from its independent power producer administrator contracts, including 40 MW from the Unified Leyte and 100 MW from Apo 1 and 2 geothermal power plants.

The balance of last year’s revenues came from the sugar and hotel businesses.

Gotianun-Yap said the company was focused on amplifying its portfolio in

growth areas of the economy. She said the last three years marked a period of major investments.

Among the company’s investments were the branch-store expansion of EastWest, which grew to 433 at the end of 2015 from 265 branches in 2011, increasing the gross leasable space at Filinvest Land, which doubled from 2009 levels and the upcoming commissioning of the 405-MW coal plant in Mindanao.

“These investing activities are all reasons why the net income, albeit growing steadily, has not kept pace with the increase in revenues. Full-year revenues from these investments will be felt in the succeeding years,” she said.

FDC ended 2015 with total assets of P419.5 billion, up 22 percent over 2014. Stockholder’s equity at year-end was at P97.1 billion or up 8 percent over the previous year.

FDC also announced the issuance of dividends amounting to P0.0516 per share for a total pay out of P481 million, or equivalent to a pay out rate of 11 percent.

2Go Travel taps Globe solution to facilitate mobile phone payments

By Darwin G. Amojelar SHIPPING company 2Go Travel said Friday it teamed up with a subsidiary of Globe Telecom to enable customers to pay using mobile phones as point-of-sale units.

2Go Travel said it tapped Globe Business, the enterprise ICT arm of Globe Telecom, to acquire Globe Charge, an innovative solution that transforms mobile phones into point-of-sale card terminals that accept debit and credit card payments.

Globe Charge harnesses the integration of a smartphone and

an innovative mobile card reader into a mobile point-of-sale unit, empowering enterprise and small and medium enterprises customers with a convenient payment device and eliminating the need for traditional and more expensive card terminals.

With Globe Charge, 2Go Travel can now accept credit card payments from customers, further growing its customer base, increasing its revenues, and sustaining its position in the market as an innovative company which constantly seeks to provide efficient and hassle-free service.

“Globe Business really is a great partner for us,” 2Go Travel senior vice president Stephen Tagud said.

“We want to make traveling as smooth as possible for our customers and with Globe Charge, this makes payments options much easier and more accessible for a lot of them,” he said.

Globe Business senior advisory for enterprise and IT enabled services group Mike Frausing thanked 2Go Travel for the trust and confidence in Globe for expanding payment capabilities through Globe Charge.

“As the leading ICT enabler in

the Philippines, Globe Business provides customers with the right technology, infrastructure, and know-how to help them focus on their business,” Frausing said.

Globe saw its net income jump 23 percent in 2015 to P16.5 billion from P13.4 billion it booked in 2014.

The growth in profit was supported by one-time gains coming from the sale of a 51-percent equity stake in Yondu Inc. and the acquisition of a 98.6-percent stake in Bayan Telecommunications Inc. Globe’s core net income, which

excludes the impact of non-recurring charges, including onetime gains and accelerated depreciation charges, foreign exchange and mark-to-market charges, also grew 4 percent to P15.1 billion from P14.5 billion in 2014.

Excluding Bayan’s results, Globe’s net income and core net income jumped 22 percent and 5 percent, respectively from 2014, the company said.

Globe said it recorded consolidated service revenues of P113.7 billion last year, or 15 percent higher than the previous record of P99 billion in 2014.

SATURDAY: APRIL 30, 2016

B4

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

IN BRIEF Higher Roxas profit ROXAS Holdings Inc., a unit of Hong Kong-based First Pacific Co. Ltd., expects net income in 2016 to surge to P235.52 million from just P18.5 million a year ago on higher revenues from its sugar and ethanol businesses.

Roxas Holdings said in a filing with the Philippine Stock Exchange it saw revenues jumping 23 percent to P10.1 billion in 2016 from P8.2 billion in 2015.

“The projection assumes that the company’s ethanol business will continue to grow with the acquisition of San Carlos Bioethanol Inc. in May 2015. Expected ethanol production also increased due to planned higher capacity utilization.

The sugar revenue will be maintained with minimal increase compared to prior years,” Roxas Holdings said.

The sugar and biothenol company is in the process of raising as much as P1.19 billion through a stock rights offering.

The company plans to issue 266.387 million shares to existing shareholders at the final price of P4.19 apiece.

Shareholders as of record date May 4, 2016 are entitled to subscribe to one right share for every 4.33 stocks owned.

Jenniffer B. Austria

Aggreko opens depot AGGREKO, the global leader in fasttrack mobile power generation rental, is set to open its first depot and service center in the country in Laguna this month in a bid to meet the country’s power supply requirements.

Aggreko, which has presence in over 200 countries, said the opening of the depot “will allow us to be even more responsive to our valued clients in the Philippines.”

The depot, located at in Trans Ocean Cabuyao Yard, is set to be formally opened on May 17.

“The Philippines is now hailed as one of the best economies in Asia but one of the main areas the country needs to improve on is in providing fast and reliable power to industry and consumers,” said Aggreko Energy Rental Solutions country manager Maximino Montenegro.

Aggreko is taking the lead in deploying thousands of megawatts in power to augment the thinning supply of electricity, which has reached critical levels in key cities in the Philippines.

Alena Mae S. Flores

EEI pursues more local infra projects

By Jenniffer B. Austria

EEI Corp., the construction arm of the Yuchengco family, said it plans to be more aggressive in pursuing large infrastructure projects in the country amid the current unfavorable developments in the Middle East.

EEI said in a regulatory filing it was intensifying its pursuit of large infrastructure, power and industrial projects in other industries in the Asia-Pacific region, especially in the domestic market in light of the unfavorable developments in its joint venture in Saudi Arabia.

The company cited falling oil prices, which could result in a slowdown of construction activities in the petrochemical industry.

EEI said it expected a robust

performance in its domestic operations driven by buildings, large infrastructure and industrial projects in its pipeline.

“It foresees this to continue in the short to medium term, especially from high probability prospects that were being pursued as at the end of 2015. There is also optimism in the prospects and business opportunities outside the Philippines and the [Saudi Arabia], and the fruition of the development works being un-

dertaken by its subsidiaries,” it added.

EEI’s unworked portion of existing contracts amounted to P45.4 billion as of end 2015, comprising of P36.2 billion in domestic projects and P9.2 billion in overseas jobs.

EEI in joint venture with Hyundai Rotem Co. of Korea in February bagged the engineering, procurement and construction of the P63-billion Mass Rail Transit Line 7 project.

The new railway system will connect Quezon City to San Jose, Bulacan, through a 22.8-kilometer commuter rail line.

Meanwhile, EEI noted an increase in the electro-mechanical and infrastructure projects it had contracted over the last few years.

“It is expected that there will be more projects in these seg-

ments in the medium term and the company continues to gear up to ensure its readiness to take on more of these types of work,” EEI said.

EEI said unit Equipment Engineers Inc. had several joint venture projects in the works, and its first significant investment, along with two Japanese companies, was expected to materialize by the second quarter of 2016.

EEI Construction and Marine Inc. expect to win more projects in the petrochemical sector, especially on plant expansions and upgrades, and new depots across the Philippines. Unit Gulf Asia International Corp. is also exploring new markets and job categories, especially in Asia.

Share price of EEI on Friday closed declined 2 percent to P7.25.

Govt debt hits P5.89b THE government’s outstanding debt

rose 1.9 percent to P5.89 trillion at the end of the end of March this year from 5.78 trillion year-on-year, Treasury data show Friday.

The debt was almost unchanged month-on-month from P5.94 trillion at the end of February this year.

Domestic debt at the end of March 2016 slightly declined on year to P3.841 trillion and was P8.88 billion lower than P3.85 trillion recorded in end-February.

Domestic debt accounted for almost 65 percent of the total outstanding government debt as of end March.

Foreign debt climbed 6.5 percent to P2.057 trillion in end-March from P1.932 trillion on year. It was P32.81 billion lower than the end-February 2016 level.

Meanwhile, national guaranteed debt in March rose 6.5 percent to P442.84 billion from P415.707 billion a year ago.

The government plans to borrow less this year and slash the debt stock to a record low of 41.8 percent of the economy from 44.8 percent in 2015.

The debt stock was at a high of 68.5 percent of the economy a decade ago before falling to below 50 percent since 2013. Gabrielle Binaday

Dental convention set PARTICIPANTS to the forthcoming

107th Annual Convention of the Philippine Dental Association to be held May 25 to 30, 2016 at the SMX Convention Center, Seashell Drive, Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City can look forward to an enriching and fruitful experience.

Convention organizers have been mobilizing their resources and coordinating with stakeholders to ensure that the nitty-gritty of the preparations are spelled out.

Dr. Jesus Tumaneng, a two time former PDA past president and general chairman of the forthcoming convention, said preparations were in full swing in all aspects of the convention ,themed “Professional Excellence for Global Competitiveness” from the scientific sessions to the trade exhibits.

The heart of the convention—the scientific sessions—will be hosted by the General and Specialty Affiliates of the PDA.

BPI Foundation summit. BPI Foundation gathers thought-leaders, practitioners, policy makers and business leaders from across the

region in this year’s Financial Inclusion Summit on April 28, 2016 at the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas headquarters. The summit is a private-sector led initiative organized by the BPI Foundation in partnership with ASKI Global and hosted by the Bangko Sentral. Shown during a break in the summit are (from left) Faye Corcuera, executive director, BPI Foundation; Cezar Consing, Bank of the Philippine Islands president; Bangko Sentral Gov. Amando Tetangco Jr.; Rolando Victoria, ASKI Philippines president; and Irma Cosico, ASKI Global chief executive.

Ayala, Metro Pacific offer beep card to 3 bus operators

By Darwin G. Amojelar AF Payments Inc., a consortium led by Ayala Corp. and Metro Pacific Investments Corp., has teamed up with three bus operators to accept payments through beep card, or reloadable contactless smart card.

AF Payments said it teamed up with Froehlich Tours, HM Transport and Citylink Coach Services for its first venture into buses serving commuters within Metro Manila.

The partnership covers the Trinoma to Makati and SM North EDSA to SM Megamall for

Froehlich Tours; Airport Loop for HM Transport; and Eastwood City, Uptown Bonifacio, San Lorenzo Place, McKinley Hill and Newport City for Citylink Coach Services.

“We are delighted to have forged partnerships with leading bus operators to offer the beep card to their riders. This is an important milestone for AF Payments and a welcome development for commuters who have long wished for a truly convenient travel card for journeys within the Metro area,” AF Payments president and chief executive Peter Maher said.

AF Payments is currently testing the new system across all partner bus operators. It plans to bring the system online in the near future.

“As soon as we go live, the 1.75 million beep cards in circulation will be accepted on those buses displaying the beep acceptance mark,” Maher said.

AF Payments called on other bus operators in the city to join the service and enjoy the many benefits of cashless ticketing, including considerable savings on operational expenses associated with ticket issuance and fare collection.

The beep card is the new contactless payment solution developed to make the payment process more convenient across all three rail lines as it allows seamless transfers from one rail to another.

The beep card uses a more powerful chip-based system and will serve as an electronic payment solution for day-to-day payments.

Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. earlier said the beep card would be rolled out in the second quarter at the North Luzon Expressway and Manila-Cavie Expressway.

S AT U R D AY : A P R I L 3 0 , 2 0 1 6

JOEL D. L ACSAMANA EDITOR jdlacsamana@gmail.com

B5

PROPERTY Setting up a beachhead.

‘Polarized market’? Real estate pundits say the issue of a bubble depends on the location of the development, and the targeted customer.

PH REAL ESTATE

‘SHOWS THE MONEY’ IN 2015

A

fter years away from Boracay’s crowded beaches, ever-crystal blue waters, and bucolic sunsets, it was a respite for The Standard to visit the island recently.

Clearly, property developers have been busy in the country’s number one tourist destination, with steady planeloads of of Japanese, Korean, European, and North American tourists mingling with sun-hungry Filipinos from Manila, who have been gravitating this summer to what has been named as the world’s best island by Travel + Leisure magazine in 2014.

AmerIllya Heng, CEO of D Prime, is one of these property developers. She is building a 750-unit project on two hectares of land in the island. She offers buyers 50 percent in-house financing, a move which can allow buyers to skirt any loan-tovalue requirements banks might put on a mortgage, although she expects most will pay cash.

Heng, who claimed her project is seeing a lot of investor interest, plans to offer mostly around 52-square-meter (560 square foot) furnished units, at slightly more expensive prices than many similarly-sized units in nearby Singapore, one of the world’s most expensive property markets.

Heng emphasized that her units aren’t going to be as utilitarian as many Singapore properties, claiming they will offer Santorini-style design, referring to the Greek island known for blue-capped, white-washed buildings.

What bubble?

If Heng’s optimism about the Philippine property market is any gauge, then fears of a possible real estate bubble in the economy are over-sold.

“At this point in time, we don’t see any clear evidence of an asset bubble in the economy,” Amando Tetangco, governor of the BSP, told The Standard in December.

“We have required the banks to conduct stress tests on their real estate exposures,” he said, adding that individual banks will be contacted as the “need dictates.”

Others think whether there might be a problem depends on the location and the target customer.

Overall, “the market is very polarized,” said Alexander Karolik Shlaen, an economist and CEO of Panache Management, a luxury brands and real estate investment advisor. “[In the luxury segment], competition is so tough, they

Turn to B6

Class within reach.

Fractional ownership is an innovative shared-ownership concept that allows families and friends to co-own a property. In the last few years, people have invested in time-share properties, which allows them to make use of a vacation home during a set number of days within a year.

Tagô – which means “hidden” in Filipino – is Mañosa’s ode to the Filipino’s desire for a weekend “hideaway” to escape the frenetic pace of city living. The subdivision is a mountain retreat, along Bonifacio Drive, just off the busy Aguinaldo Highway. Interested homeowners can approach Mañosa Properties with a group of family and/or friends who they would like to, and are comfortable to co-own and share a vacation home with. Mañosa & Co. Inc. designed each home following the tenets of their illustrious founder, and champion of contemporary Filipino architecture, Francisco “Bobby” Mañosa. The homes take inspiration from the Pinoy classic bahay-kubo, with an airyopen plan design and indigenous elements that are friendly to the environment.

B6

S AT U R D AY : A P R I L 3 0 , 2 0 1 6

JOEL D. L ACSAMANA EDITOR

PROPERTY PROPERTY maannaa@ @ggm maaiill..ccoom m jjddllaaccssaam

JOEL D. L ACSAMANA EDITOR

B7

Old Man River. DATEM Water Inc. (DWI), a subsidiary of Philippine construction company DATEM Inc., recently lent its support to the 2016 Aklan Climate Change Summit. The one-day event, which drew over 250 participants from local government units (LGU’s), the academe, student and youth leaders, government agencies and environmental non-profit organizations, was Aklan’s response to the Paris Climate Change Conference. Speakers tackled the state of the environment in the Philippines, and sustainable initiatives which LGU’s can implement.

Datem is working on plans to provide potable water to water distributors and water waste management systems outside of Metro Manila, by tapping the Aklan river. “Sustainability is at the core of DATEM Water—from our business model, our technology, and through the causes we choose to sponsor,” said DWI President Morris Agoncillo.

PH Real Estate...

From B5 need to sell high-end stories,” he said. For example, the Azure condominium in Paranaque city, southeast of the capital Manila, is offering a beach club house designed by Paris Hilton, while a Trump Tower is going up in Manila’s Makati area.

“But if you go to the periphery, it’s under-built,” Shlaen added, saying he sees a lot of demand there, both for end-users and foreign investors. “There are not enough condos in the provinces, while Manila is saturated,” he said.

“Under-built is good; under-built works” The country’s biggest real estate players are ostensibly skewed towards the “under-built” school of thought. And they have been rewarded handsomely for their foresight, and aggressiveness in 2015.

Online real estate portal Lamudi Philippines recently listed down and analyzed the performance indicator of the country’s top real estate developers last year, based on their respective income reports.

The overall financial trend was good for largely all real estate companies.

Ayala Land Inc. (ALI) emerged at the top of the totem pole, at Php17.6 billion, 19 percent higher from the real estate giant’s 2014 figure of Php14.8 billion.

The jump in profit was attributed to ALI’s diverse offering of residential and commercial products, especially its master-planned estates all over the country. ALI also amplified its presence in key growth centers and introduced three new integrated mixed-use estates in 2015.

Megaworld Corp. also came in strong, with a net income of 10.58 percent from 2014’s Php9.40 billion. The company breached the Php10 billion mark in net core income for 2015, at Php10.40 billion.

Megaworld launched five integrated townships in 2015, marking a total of 20 integrated township developments across the country. Adding to the company’s success is the exponential growth of their rental business, especially BPO offices, for the last five years.

Megaworld Chief Finance Officer Francis Canuto told The Standard they are confident they will reach the Php11 billion target by end of the year.

Federal Land of the GT Capital conglomerate recorded an Php8 billion profit for 2015, a 5 percent growth versus their Php7 billion in 2014. The company says it will continue to push its presence in the property industry with strong focus on residential development.

“We eye high-end and middle-income projects for Federal Land and Horizon Land, whichever is best suited for our present land bank,” Federal Land chairman Alfred V. Ty said.

Manny Villar–led Vista Land and Lifes-

capes Inc. announced a 14 percent yield growth in 2015 with earnings amounting to Php7.2 billion from Php6.3 billion in 2014 as it combined the income of recently acquired Starmalls Inc. The bulk of Vista Land’s 2015 profit, though, was earned by the Vista Land real estate group. Alone, it secured a 10 percent profit growth from their Php6.3 billion earnings for 2015. The company said that its Communities Philippines brand contributed almost half or 44 percent of the said revenues, followed by the Camella brand (12 percent), Vista Residences (12 percent), Starmalls (10 percent), Crown Asia (5 percent), and Brittany (4 percent).

Filinvest Land Inc. of listed conglomerate Filinvest Development Corp. recorded a Php5.10 billion profit for the full year 2015, from Php4.61 billion in 2014. Revenues from rental assets alone increased to Php2.95 billion in 2015, 12 percent higher than the Php2.63 billion reported a year earlier. Filinvest operates 14 buildings in Northgate Cyberzone in Alabang and one building along EDSA in Mandaluyong, which according to Filinvest, all of which are fully occupied.

At Php5.1 billion, SM Development Corporation, the residential division of SM Prime, clinched an 8 percent growth from their Php4.7 billion reported in 2014 despite flat revenues. But this real estate sales figure is just 31 percent of the consolidated revenue of SM Prime, which recorded a 54 percent yearon-year uptick to Php28.3 billion for 2015.

Robinsons Land Corp. disclosed an unaudited consolidated net income of Php5.70 billion, 20 percent up year-on-year from Php4.73 billion. Sales went up 16 percent to Php19.73 billion, mostly driven by the double-digit growth of all its business segments led by Gokongwei-led company’s office buildings.

No way to go but up Not all property developers were lucky to experience the upsurge of profit for 2015.

Shang Properties and Rockwell Land reported flat performances. Shang grew from Php2.7 billion to Php2.8 billion, primarily due to higher condominium sales and rental revenue, while Rockwell Land maintained their Php1.6 billion 2014 profit.

Century Properties revealed that its net income dropped to Php1.519 billion in 2015, down 29.6 percent from Php2.158 billion in 2014. The upscale property developer noted a substantial decrease in sales because of projects that were turned over in 2015 and prior years. There were also fewer project launches in 2015 and the company focused on turning over, completion, and collection, said Teresita Fucanan Yu, Century Properties’ vice-president for corporate communications.

Drawing a bead on health infra. GoldQuest Premiere Resources, Inc., a new player in the property game, recently unveiled The Biopolis, an 11-storey project that will feature a mixed-use development housing health and wellness medical facilities along Diosdado Macapagal Avenue at the Mall of Asia Complex (MOA). GoldQuest embarked on the project to satisfy the needs of a growing sector that has become more and more health conscious through the years. The project, which was topped-off recently, has a total floor area of 32,019.52 square meters, and will reportedly have health services and wellness facilities, as well as a garden and jogging path. Dining, retail and commercial spaces have also been planned. “We realized that an infrastructure that caters specifically to health and wellness locators is one market that is yet untapped,” said Sharina Tiu, GoldQuest business development manager. GoldQuest manages Akari Lighting and Technologies, a local lighting and electrical technology brand.

Recio puts stamp on Stratford. Picar Development is currently touting the

74-hectares Stratford Residences along Kalayaan Avenue in Makati City as the tallest residential tower in the Philippines. Known for groundbreaking projects in prime locations, Picar is building up the 1.3-hectare development as a benchmark for new trends in lifestyle, culinary innovations, and global hospitality. Renowned architect Jose Pedro Recio, the man behind Rchitects Inc., was tapped by Picar to beef up the edifice’s structural engineering, while interior designers Ivy and Cynthia Almario of Atelier Almario worked their magic to provide functional luxury to the project.

Chill spot in Kapitolyo. Rockwell Primaries is doubling efforts to finish its first high-rise and integrated vertical development in Kapitolyo, Pasig City. The Vantage will have two high-rise towers with a mix of studio, one, two and three-bedroom formats, ranging from 29 sqm to 91 sqm. It will also have relaxing landscaping with terraces, a courtyard and a boardwalk, as well as swimming pools. And of course, the bustling ‘chill hangout’ district of Kapitolyo will be just around the corner, with its trendy dining places, spacious malls and upbeat cafes. The Vantage will be turned over by 2020.

s at u r d ay : a p r i l 3 0 , 2 0 1 6

Special report

life and realty

edgardo s. tugade Supplement eDItOR

advertise@thestandard.com.ph

B7

Bacolod, davao, cebu

among creBa’s ‘trending cities’ By edgardo S. tugade

The Chamber of Real estate Brokers Associations Inc. early this year announced that three Southern cities made it to the Top 9 “trending cities” for the most likely urban locations for township developments by real estate firms. The three southern cities are Bacolod, Davao and Cebu.

Bacolod placed 6th on the list. “In mid-2015, Lamudi [a website that “helps individuals … to find their ideal home, land or commercial property … by providing the most

relevant information in the market”] data showed that Bacolod had become among the most popular cities among online property hunters. In fact, real estate giant Mega-

Shopping south of Manila

By cosette Vasquez

2015 was a banner year for the Philippines. In a way, the country saw unprecedented growth.

Much infrastructure was built and more and more investors came to the country. The Filipinos’ spending power also increased, enabling them to invest in properties and of course, spend money on leisure activities as well. The increase in the economy also brought about outsourcing offices. All of these prove that the rise in the economy is greatly interrelated with the real-estate industry.

An article from My Property PH gives us a peek into the

developments that Filipinos should expect in the year 2016.

Ayala Land Last year, Ayala Land reportedly spent up to P90 billion to make way for better projects in 2016 in line with their six-year plan. Ayala Land chief finance officer, Jaime Ysmael, recently announced that this year will see the launch of new malls, hotels and even offices as the company’s main focus shifts from ownership to leasing income.

It plans to extend its portfolio in places such as Cagayan De Oro, Bacolod, Makati, Quezon City, Cebu and Nuvali.

Ayala is also the top bidder for the new Integrated Transport System-

world announced in late 2015 that it was building two integrated townships in the city (the 50-hectare Northill Gateway and the 34-hectare The Upper east), while Ayala Land has sealed an agreement with the provincial government of Negros Occidental to build the mixeduse Capitol Central,” CReBA said.

Davao ranked 7th. CReBA said the city “remains southern Philippines’ economic and business center, and one of the most searched cities in the Lamudi website in 2015. Its population is projected to balloon to 1.83 million by 2020.

THe recent years have seen the birth of baby metropolises not just in Luzon, but in several areas in Visayas and Mindanao.

With commerce, of course, comes the people’s need for convenient living in the middle of it all.

The boom in residential developments has been steady for the past two years, and contributing to the consistency are the real estate developments in Visayas and Mindanao.

CEBU The Ayala group is aggressively trying to corner the bustling city of Cebu, displaying its full range of offerings from the economical Avida line to Ayala Land Premier. Its most basic offering is the Avida Towers Riala, located at the Cebu IT Park.

The project sells in the mid-P2-million mark, with turnovers expected as early as March 2017.

A step up is Alveo’s Sedona Park, which sits in a 1,200 square meter lot along Leyte Loop, “a prime residential enclave within the Cebu Business Park”. Also in the mix is Solinea, offered from P2.8M-P6.4M. The top of the line, however, is Ayala Land Premier’s 1016 Residences, which is directly connected to the exclusive City Sports Club Cebu. Cuts are larger at 98-220 square meters, and are available at P10M upwards.

For those who still opt for houses and lots, Ayala Land Premier has a seaside development in Liloan, Cebu. Lots are offered at a minimum of 405 square meters, starting from P6.8M. Others who prefer more economical options can also consider Camella Homes developments in Cebu. They have a total of 10 around the province in Carcar, Talisay, Talamban, Guadalupe, and Mactan.

ILOILO Iloilo also has its share of developments,

Cebu City was Top 8. It “is one of Tholons’ [a “full-service strategic advisory firm for global outsourcing and investments”] Top 10 outsourcing destinations in the world (and second in the Philippines behind Metro Manila). According to CB Richard ellis Philippines, exciting expansions and

new developments are coming in over the next few years. In 2015 alone, two new large malls opened in the city, SM Seaside City Cebu and Robinsons Galleria Cebu. SM Seaside alone has an area of 10-15 hectares devoted to commercial development, similar to the e-com office towers in the [Mall of Asia] complex, while Robinsons Galleria will have entire floors dedicated to BPO offices.

The other cities listed were Cavite (1), Quezon City (2), Makati (3), Taguig (4), Pasay (5) and Muntinlupa (9).

South project which will be built near the Manila-Cavite expressway which begins this August.

Megaworld Megaworld announced last year that they will launch more projects in 2016, including its newest integrated, master-planned townships in Iloilo, Bacolod and San Fernando. They recently started building their new shopping center in Iloilo called the Festive Walk Mall situated in the Iloilo Business Park. It is expected to become the longest avenue for shopping, dining and leisure when it is completed late this year. Southwoods Mall of Southwoods City, Laguna, is also set to open this year.

Robinsons Land Robinson’s Land recorded a higher income in 2015 than in al the other years and their capital expenditure of P17 billion has

Livin’ it up in Vis-Min By renee fopalan

Davao is also consistently among the most searched by online property hunters, and the sixth and third most searched city by property hunters based in the United States and Saudi Arabia, respectively, according to Lamudi data.”

starting with Avida Towers Atria. Units start at P2M up, and will be ready for turnover in 2017. Meanwhile, the Avida Storeys Atria is slated to be turned over in 2017, offering larger units for at least P4M. Megaworld is also in Iloilo, offering lots in its Forbes Hill subdivision. Only 197 lots were made available in the 15-hectare property promising a backdrop of sugarcane plantations. The development is also just 10 minutes from University of St. La Salle and 15 minutes from the new Bacolod-Silay Airport.

Camella is also in the province with a total of six developments starting from P1.4M each.

CAGAYAN DE ORO Vista Land seemed to have had a head start in CDO, with the Camella brand already having eight house and lot developments in the province. The Ayala group, however, is following suit, first with Avida Towers Aspira. The development is available for as low at P2M to upwards of P9M for a three bedroom, bi-level unit with turnover starting in 2018. Ayala Land Premier, meanwhile, also entered the market with Alegria Hills, which offers a 360° view of Cagayan de Oro City and the Macajalar Bay. Lots are also large, starting from 377 to 1123 square meters.

DAVAO Malls, hotels, and condos are abound in busy Davao, but that hasn’t stopped developers from building. DMCI is offering its signature mix of mid and high rise condos with Verdon Parc. One bedroom units start at P2.3M to P6.7M for a 72-square meter, two-bedroom unit.

Ayala Land, meanwhile, offers Avida Towers Davao, along with Alveo’s Abreeza Place and Abreeza Residences. Megaworld Suntrust is selling Tower 2 of its One Lakeshore Drive project in the heart of the Davao Park District, as its first tower has already sold out.

Artist’s perspective of Festive Walk Mall

been spent on malls, office buildings and hotels, while 25 percent will later be invested in residential units. They have also set aside funds for land acquisition.

Robinson’s Land is targeting to open 10 new malls in areas out-

side of Metro Manila by 2017. It aims to open five malls in Cebu City, Iligan City, Tagum City in Davao Del Norte and General Trias.

With these developments, truly the best is yet to come.

Auspicious living communities

by Century Properties How does a living space become auspicious?

By luck? By the prevailing environment?

Or a combination of such concepts? For Century Properties, the secret to ideal living spaces can be found in the right blend of a good location and the natural elements that attract good luck. So when you’re looking for auspicious, look no further than Century Properties’ Acqua Private Residences, Azure Urban Resort Residences, and The Residences at Commonwealth.

Locations are centers of activity Consider the locations: Mandaluyong, Bicutan, and Commonwealth. All three locales are already centers of activity, whether commercial, educational, or religious. The fact that they are thriving communities already promises would-be residents a number of good living possibilities.

Acqua is at the border of two great cities— Makati and Mandaluyong—that offer great advantages to the urban dweller. Azure, meanwhile, is located at the crossroads of the South Luzon Expressway and Bicutan, Parañaque, easily accessible via skyway or the ground level highway. It is also right next to a major commercial complex.

Commonwealth by Century finds itself at the center of a property boom in Quezon City.

Here, offices and other commercial centers are rising, opening up opportunities for a property’s value appreciation and bringing the conveniences of daily living closer.

Water as a central element Water is a pervading element in all three.

Acqua, by its name alone and location, is a water-oriented development. With a regenerating river right across it, and waterfalls a central part of its amenity aesthetic, the rhythm and flow of water provides a soothing backdrop to the convergence of Acqua residents.

Acqua Private Residences

The beach at the Azure brings into harmony urban living and a laidback daily lifestyle.

Its promise of a daily escape is enough to recharge any urban dweller already weary from the city’s enervating bustle.

The central amenity of a naturescape at Commonwealth is highlighted by three water features: a reflecting pond, a rapid pool, and its very own water falls. With each water feature set at varying degrees of energy, dwellers are sure to find something that is right for their mood or inclinations.

A naturescape highlighted by water features dominate The Residences at Commonwealth’s central amenity spaces.

Luck, by design Acqua’s architecture is designed to step up towards the eastern direction, acclaimed by feng shui experts as auspicious. Its completed towers Niagara and Sutherland are in the direction of the Prosperity Star and the Wisdom Star, respectively.

The beach at the Azure brings into harmony urban living and a laidback daily lifestyle.

The Niagara Tower has its own skypark on the roof which allows residents to take in 360-degree views of the city.

It takes more than luck to find an ideal place to live these days. You will do well to consider options that bring possibilities for life’s essentials. Visit www.century-properties. com for information.

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TATUM ANCHETA EDITOR

BiNG pAREl

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

BERNADETTE lUNAS

life @ thestandard.com .ph

WRITER

@liFEatStandard

p op CU lT U RE

LIFE

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HAnD A pIECE Of yOuR HEART AT THE SHAngRI-LA

By WEIzEL guLfAn

Shangri-La Plaza launched a bigger Craft Mania that offers free workshops and a lifestyle bazaar from Shangri-La Plaza’s tenants at the East and Grand Atrium on April 22 to 24 and April 29 to May 1

S

ummer break is here and with it comes overly active bored kids and exasperated adults. What better way to exhaust your child’s energy than to get him to tap into his inner art-genius by bringing him to a crafts workshop? As a bonus, it can even be a bonding experience for both of you!

The Shangri-La is offering a series of craft workshops, tutorials and demos this summer that caters to kids and the young at heart.

Dubbed as Craft Mania 2016, the Shang will be holding the arts and crafts workshop until May 1, with an earlier workshop held at the East Atrium last April 23 and 24.

Most of the workshops, such as those on different calligraphy styles, watercolor, and creative coloring techniques, will be free. Kids can join the Stamp Calligraphy Card-Making just in time for the Mother’s Day celebration.

The adults choice are the more challenging workshops, such as the Kaleidolines Workshops and Polymer Clay Molding Workshop which is pretty useful for anyone who is interested in learning a new skill.

Get old-school creative this summer and get your hands active and tap into your inner creativity as Shang presents this year’s Craft Mania as part of its 25th anniversary celebration.

This year’s Craft Mania is bigger and more exciting. Aside from the extension of the event to two weekends, there was also an Arts and Crafts Bazaar that complemented the earlier workshops. Guests can still head to the Grand Atrium where participating brands from the mall, along with specialized arts and crafts

merchandisers will be selling their products until May 1 in support of the workshops.

What sets Craft Mania apart from other workshops offered in the Metro is that the tools are readily available in the mall, which makes the replication of every demonstrated art as quick and easy as possible. The materials and tools to acquire new skills are also available in Shang’s retail partners: Build City, Hobbes & Landes, National Book Store, Ogalala, Powerbooks, Scribe Writing Essentials and Tie Me Up Buttercup. Independent sellers are also joining the bazaar, and these include as Art Nebula PH, Caboodle Box, Craft Department, DoItYourSelf Stained Glass, Everything Calligraphy, La Pomme Home, Pens Galore PH, Plume Anciennel, Sunday Paper Co. and The Best Impressions.

This summer, remember what it is like to create with your hands outside of the aid from apps, consoles and track-pads – and experience the fulfillment of channeling your creative energy into something tangible and even worthy to give as gifts.

The power of thought comes alive at the Craft Mania at the Shangri-La as they allow us to play with our imagination and tug at our hearts by creating an avenue that will make us recall who our real life inspirations are, and who we have been meaning to send something meaningful to but haven’t figured out what to give.

Well, when you give what you have made, you share a piece of your heart. That is something no one can put a tag price on.

Fozzy Castro-Dayrit conducts calligraphy workshops at Shangri-La Plaza’s Craft Mania

Bubut de los Santos, owner of Tie Me Up Buttercup and her assistant demonstrates new ways on how to wrap gifts

Paola Esteron and Anina Rubio created murals during the launch, which is currently exhibited at the Craft Mania

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LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

We long to be at peace with ourselves, with our sexuality, with our life choices, with our flaws and scars (emotional or physical, real or imagined)

@liFEatStandard

Scene queens will always remember those years with fondness and bittersweet nostalgia

ScEnE qUEEnS AnD hipSTER boiS

A once-Avid clubber looks bAck At the rise And fAll of gAy clubbing culture And AnAlyzes whAt hAs tAken its plAce in this four-pArt essAy. (lAST oF FoUR pARTS)

THE GIST

T

By ED BIADO

he hipster boi doesn’t adapt and conform and assert his existence because the nu-cosmos never gave him a reason to. And that’s why he stays there. For all of its unreality and deception, he stays there because it feels like home.

He may be alone on his bed on a Saturday night typing on a keyboard or swiping on a phone, but he knows that he’s not really alone. He believes that other bois just like him are doing the exact same thing at the exact same time. That, to him, is comforting because as his favorite Stephen Chbosky quote goes, “And in that moment, I swear we were infinite.”

Ah, the things we tell ourselves just for some semblance of peace.

Distilling all these layers down to their most basic forms, we find the one thing that all bois across subsets, eras and generations have in common: We are simply ultimately looking for peace. We long to be at peace with ourselves, with our sexuality, with our life choices, with our flaws and scars (emotional or physical, real or imagined), with the way we look, with the size of our penises, with the very fabric of our being.

We each take our own unique road to get to that elusive state of peace, but our motivations cannot be more alike. The fantasies are utterly identical. The dream, in all its high-definition vividness, is seen from different sets of eyes as facsimiles of one another.

We also each have our own customized detours and pit stops to distract us from the worry, if not fear, that we may never get there. Bois who are just starting to explore have the endless possibilities of their smartphones. On the other hand, bois who have been around the block had The Scene.

Operative word: Had. Now that The Scene is almost just a distant memory, where does that leave us?

Well, we’re older now. Some of us are wiser.

The desire to shamelessly parade ourselves has diminished. We’re done partying.

After all, our entire twenties were a blur of dance floors, Madonnathons, Kyliethons, Mariahtons, sweaty bodies grinding up against each other, an overdose of vodkabased cocktails and the occasional blue pill.

Or was it pink? Like I said, it was a blur.

Somewhere down the road, we learned the finesse of the obscure art of restraint. And this is something that is easily observable: Look

The Perks Of Being A Wallflower, based on the Stephen Chbosky novel of the same name, is hailed THE hipster film of 2012

at how bois in their thirties dress. You’ll see plain shirts and boat shoes in muted colors.

Their clothes are no longer bold and flashy.

Their chests, while still probably chiseled, are no longer glistening and exposed for all to see.

Contrary to what our cosmetic surgeons are telling us, we learned the hard way that we cannot turn back or at the very least freeze time. All we can hope for is for gravity to go easy on us and not rob us of our barely-there youth too quickly.

We also learned that one cannot live in a fantasy. Sooner or later, reality will kick in and it has to be faced head-on – not avoided, not denied, not swept under the rug. We know this now and are begrudgingly coming to terms with it.

Maybe we don’t feel as sad and alone as we did before anymore. Or maybe our pains and heartaches have become more manageable. Perhaps we really did gain scraps of wisdom and have begun to see things differently, with a wider perspective, backed by experience, failures, victories big and small, a bombardment of all kinds of emotions. Could it be that we’re finally validated that we no longer need to grasp at straws just to feel something? Anything?

What’s certain is that our priorities have changed. Getting massively sloshed (and maybe a little bit drugged up) every

We don't have the stamina, metabolism and effortlessly prominent obliques of a 22- yearold anymore

weekend is no longer on the agenda. We don’t have the stamina, metabolism and effortlessly prominent obliques of a 22year-old anymore.

Oh God, I’m not 22 anymore!

I’m turning into a real adult and outgrowing a lot of the things that I used to deem important and representative of myself. Some of the most revered truths of my twenties now seem trivial.

Inconsequential, even. Come to think of it, I’ve actually really changed so much.

Whether it’s for the better or for the worse is up for debate.

While I don’t particularly yearn for it, of course, there are times that I miss The Scene, especially when I hear a song associated with that time in my life. But that era has ended and there’s no going back. I can only look back on my (probably distorted) version of the good old days, start conversations with “Hey, remember the time...?” and smile to myself because of the feeling that I was lucky enough to have been part of something rare, amazing and incredible – at least for a fleeting moment.

Scene queens will always remember those years with fondness and bittersweet nostalgia. There are those who continue to hang on to the struggling remnants of that glorious era and attempt to save what’s left

of it. Some may even try to recreate it, bring it back. But they can’t. No one can. The cosmos – that place, that dance floor, that intersection in Malate, that club anthem which everybody knew the lyrics to, that feeling – only existed in our imagination.

We know in our heart of hearts that it was nothing but our collective fantasy that somehow became real when we most needed it. But the truth is, we don’t need it anymore. We’ve stopped needing it the moment we realized that we’ve only been dreaming.

So the least that some of us can do is honor the dream, pay homage to the fantasy –The Scene – by writing a heartfelt essay about it, even if said essay really is a tad too hyperbolic for its own good. After all, once a scene queen...

To read the first part of the series visit: www.thestandard.com.ph/lifestyle/pop-culture/203251/ scene-queens-and-hipster-bois.

For part two, check out: www.thestandard.com.ph/lifestyle/pop-culture/203677/ scene-queens-and-hipster-bois.

For part three, visit: www.thestandard.com.ph/lifestyle/pop-culture/204158/ scene-queens-and-hipster-bois.html

I’m @EdBiado on Twitter and Instagram

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LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

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MILLEnnIALS wAnT knowLEDgEAbLE, REFoRM-MInDED LEADERS Student leaderS Share viewS on the upcoming national electionS

“K

nowledgeable” and with a “critical understanding of state affairs” in different sectors are two important traits that define Filipino millennials’ ideal leader.

At the recently concluded “Millennial Talk Series: Who is your leader” forum hosted by Far Eastern University Public Policy Center, 40 student leaders shared their thoughts on the qualities that they wanted to see in a Filipino leader.

Fifty percent of the participants, who hail from five different universities, said they want a leader who is intelligent, dedicated and responsible.

The students explained that knowledge and understanding of the Constitution are essential requirements – taking into account that there are many ways to define intelligence such as educational background and experience.

It is also important for the student participants that reforms and laws are applied equally to all sectors of society nationwide.

On the other hand, the forum participants want the next leader to address issues concerning education.

Majority said that reforming the country’s educational system and making it more accessible will help make people become better informed and empower them to make better decisions in the future.

Far Eastern University president Dr. Michael Alba explains the academe’s role in influencing and encouraging students to participate in national issues such as electing leaders to public office

Student leaders share their thoughts on the qualities that they wanted to see in a Filipino leader during the 'Millennial Talk Series: Who is your leader?' forum hosted by Far Eastern University Public Policy Center

Other issues that concerned the students are environmental sustainability, poverty alleviation, affordable health services, cultural conservation and climate resilience.

Moderator of the discussion and dean of FEU Institute of Law Atty. Melencio Sta. Maria delved into other topics such as their reasons for voting and their sources of information when getting to know the presidential candidates.

Majority of the participants said that the act of voting is an expression of their right and their contribution to the country as Filipino citizens. They added that they would like to be part of history and influence change in the government.

Being citizens of the Internet, millennials revealed that they obtain initial information about the candidates from social media. They clarified, however, that they verify these information through researching, cross checking with other forms of media and by consulting with a trusted advisor or mentor.

Data from the Commission of Elections show that millennials or those 17 to 34 years old comprise nearly half, or 24.73 million, of the 54.36 million registered voters for the 2016 general election on May 9.

Recognizing this, the FEU-PPC is encouraging students to participate in discussions on national issues.

“By providing avenues for discussion, such as the Millennial Talk Series, we hope to have a deeper understanding of the issues that matter most to their generation and their basis of choosing their next leader,” explained FEU president Dr. Michael Alba.

Dr. Alba added, “This activity is part of FEU’s civic engagement initiative, preparing our students to be upstanding members of the community and especially of a democratic society.”

The schools that participated in the forum were Colegio de San Juan de Letran, Jose Rizal University, Philippine Women’s University, University of Santo Tomas and Far Eastern University.

Toys for the Big Boys: Toy collecting, the pros, and [a few] cons

#CoffeeWithKAi

By Kai MagsanoC The child in us never really goes away, and this comes out in the things that give us joy. “…when we kill the child in us, we are no longer.” – Paulo Freire

A Ferdie's Batman vs Superman action figures

dulting. The Urban Dictionary defines it as “to do grown up things and hold responsibilities… or anything else that makes one think of grown ups.”

But what is it really to be a grown up?

Does it mean we stop doing things that gave us joy as children? We all know we can’t allow this to happen, since the only really joyful and carefree time we had in our lives, we had as kids. I’m sure I don’t just speak for myself when I say I would do everything to bring that feeling back.

I am 36 years old, a single parent to a 14-year-old, and Barbie dolls give me joy. Each time I pass by a toy store, I feel

a dire need to go inside and check out their Barbie display. I especially love the collectible ones: The recreation of vintage dolls, the tie-ups with brands (loved Herve Leger and Kate Spade), and their Dolls of the World line.

Seeing a toy store without going in – whether I come out with a purchase or not – kills me. It’s like seeing a bookstore without going in. The dolls to me are the same way stationery and journals are for me: Do I need them? No… not always.

Do they make me happy? Absolutely and inexplicably! And when I have them, I just need to see them, and I am already happy.

“Ma’am, for your daughter?” the sales clerk would often ask me. “No, for me,” I would say. In the beginning, I would be shy to say so, thinking it made me look childish and weird. Then I realized that there’s nothing wrong with being weird, and that I actually belong to a cool tribe of dorks who are around my age and older, who love toys as much as I do, and who are the most fun to be around.

According to nationalpsychologist. com, in the 1700s and 1800s, aristocratic collectors who searched for artifacts would place their collections in a display cabinet.

And this cabinet was actually a show of the collector’s power and wealth. In Continued on C4

C4

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LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

Toys for the...

From C3

today’s lingo, we call this “bragging rights.”

After all, thanks to them, museums have displays. (Until today, collectors still use display cabinets, too.)

According to the same website, people collect for the following reasons: For investment, if they intend to sell their collections later in life For their social life, since they get to meet people in the same circles For preserving the past, for their love of history and sentimental value For the quest, if they enjoy the search or the hunt For filling the void, because the items they collect simply make them happy I spoke with two men who are heavily into toy collecting. One is my younger brother, whose passion for toys takes him travelling; the other is a fellow journalist, who is a toughie in the industry but whom I often bump into in toy events and toy shopping venues.

They are, quite literally, toy soldiers.

Ferdie's X-Men action figures

Randy MagsanoC,

Consumer and commercial insights manager, 31 years old I started my main/biggest collection December of 2008. I found a really nice and cheap Transformers Animated Voyager Class Optimus Prime action figure on clearance sale in TriNoma.

Before I knew it, I was literally hunting other lines of Transformers action figures, meeting up with collectors disposing their hard-to-find or cheap stuff, lining up at distribution events in malls, bidding on auctions on eBay, having stuff shipped via Amazon, spending whole weekends in Greenhills, and so on.

While I consider myself 95 percent retired from collecting Transformers, I have quite a lot of Hasbro, Takara, and some Sonokong Transformers, covering stuff from the series which I loved most, Beast Wars to Beast Machines, to the most recent iterations of the modern Classics/Universe/Generations/ Combiner Wars line.

Nowadays, I’m more into superarticulated 6-inch figures from several lines, most notably S.H. Figuarts, UltraAct, Figma, MAFEX, Marvel Legends, and recently DC Icons. I collect figures from different series and properties like Super Sentai, Dragonball, Marvel, DC, Star Wars, Ultraman and a lot of other anime. I’m also a major Pokemon and Nintendo Amiibo junkie.

I get some stuff from typical retail (Toy Kingdom, Toys R Us, department stores). Most I preorder or reserve from hobby shops in Greenhills or from other online sellers.

I appreciate the beauty and appeal of figures the same way I appreciate the coolness of some really good artwork or painting. In my case, it’s all art – it appeals to my aesthetic senses and inspires or motivates me the same way a good piece of art does.

You look and hold the figure, experiment with its articulation and accessories, pose it (or transform it), and marvel at its beauty. You also marvel at how well a figure could physically represent this character you’ve watched in live action or in animation. You take pictures to capture beautiful moments of expression.

The downside to toy collecting, besides the spending, is that it has always been looked down upon as a hobby or passion which is

Randy's Piccolo and Super Saiyan Goku from 'Dragonball Z'

Randy's playful and pizza-loving Spiderman

Randy's Wolverine, posed perfectly with his motorcycle

they give you. You need to be aware of this positive energy that collecting feeds you, otherwise it will be nothing more than and not much different from just “buying stuff ” or “wasting money.”

3. Live within your means.

FeRdie aboga,

only acceptable if you are aged 10 and below or something.

Besides that, space becomes a real problem.

You will often find yourself thinking and struggling to find more physical space in your life which will accommodate your collection. This problem is especially true for people like me who like to open and touch, hold, and display their figures.

My most precious purchase is one of my latest buys: a Soul of Chogokin x SHFiguarts Hulkbuster (from the movie Avengers: Age of Ultron) figure. It’s the most beautiful and maybe most expensive thing I have ever spent on that is not a phone or laptop or car.

Randy’s tips for aspiring toy collectors:

1. Respect yourself, your interests, as well as other collectors and their interests. This applies in general and when you happen to have dealings or transactions with likeminded folks.

2. Love your figures and be aware of and acknowledge the enjoyment and happiness

Journalist, 46 years old I started with toy collecting about four or five years ago. I saw an Alex Ross interpretation of Green Lantern. I bought it for P800.

He got sad so I began looking for his Superfriends: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and the Flash.

I didn’t have these as a child. Now that I have the means, [buying toys] became my “vice.”

I collect mostly 6” to 7” scale models: Marvel Legends and DC Universe. I have a few strays: Kotobukiya ArtFX and Marvel Select. My toys are mostly DC, Avengers, and my favorite, X-Men. Part of the thrill is the hunt. There are toy shops in Greenhills and Megamall. Some you have to hunt during toy cons (there’s a big one coming this June). There are also toy groups on Facebook where you can buy, sell, or swap.

There are several groups I’m in, like Pinoy Bargain Toys, Marvel Legends Philippines, Marvel Philippines Trading, Pinoy Articulated Figure Group and Pinoy BAF, DC Universe Philippines, among others.

Toy collecting allows me to relive my childhood. I get that out of my DC collections; taking pictures of my X-Men and Avengers teams based on my memory of how they were drawn and painted in comic books I borrowed from a friend in college.

Toy collecting is also an experience I share with my nine-year-old daughter, Andie. I bring her with me in toy cons. Of course, she buys other stuff but she knows the names of the superheroes I have in my collection.

The only downside I see in toy collecting are trades gone bad. Some fight, some get

Ferdie's Green Lantern

duped, although I have not experienced it for myself. My dilemma is always whether to buy a toy or not. It can be addicting.

The most precious part of my collections are the customs I got from Filipino artists Eddie Grayce, Myke dela Paz, and DWorx.

Ferdie’s tips for aspiring toy collectors:

1. Patience is a virtue. Don’t buy on impulse. You may find something better and more affordable later on.

2. Research. There are knock offs that some sellers pass off as genuine. Go to toy groups. The community will give you the best advice and the admins will protect you from abusive sellers.

3. Make friends but do not be too trusting.

Avoid agreeing to shipping when it comes to purchase. Ask the admins if they know the seller before making any deposit. Ask all the details, read their posts. If it says WYSIWYG, then what you see is what you get.

4. Enjoy your collection. Protect them.

Keep them clean. You can try talking to them. They might talk back.

SAt uRDAy : A pRIl 3 0, 2016

SHOWBITZ

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

blazing fast. An actual speed test of SMARt ltE -A using a Samsung phone shows an internet speed as high as 212mbps

B

C5

SMARt’s public Affairs head, Mon Isberto (3rd from left) tests the ltE-A speed with engineers in Boracay

MObIlE gaMEs anD vIDEOs aT bREaknEck spEEDs

igger, faster, better.

This is how unrivaled mobile services leader Smart Communications is changing the way Filipinos are enjoying their favorite apps, games and videos on their smartphone as it launched the country’s first LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) service in the world-renowned island of Boracay in Aklan.

Using a capability called “carrier aggregation” which combines two or more radio frequency bands in order to deliver bigger bandwidth and faster data speeds, Smart’s LTE-A services has posted speeds of up to 260 Mbps, allowing users to download and upload huge files in seconds, stream movies and music seamlessly, and play their favorite games on their LTE-A capable smartphones without any hiccup.

“This is like being able to put together two or more separate highways in order to create a wider highway through which vehicular traffic can flow more freely and at a much faster rate,” explained Joachim Horn, PLDT and Smart chief technology and information advisor.

“With the introduction of our LTE-Advanced service, the next stage of development of 4th generation of mobile technology, Smart is again at the technology forefront, setting the bar higher for mobile service “This is a milestone for Filipinos, whose lives are meaningfully changed for the better

by Smart’s mobile innovations and services,” said Smart Wireless Consumer Operations Head Kat Luna-Abelarde at the launch.

“Today, Smart has brought the future of mobile internet experience here and we can’t wait to bring it to the rest of the country and deliver a fundamental shift in our lifestyle and the way we pursue our passions, connect, and celebrate life-defining moments with our family and loved-ones,” said Abelarde.

Smart’s launch of its LTE-A service goes hand in hand with Smart’s push for a richer mobile experience through super-sized data and compelling device offers, that enable more Filipinos to enjoy the widest breadth of digital content that only the country’s largest network can provide.

“This is also linked directly to Smart Videofor-All initiative. Here is where technology clearly improves our products and services, particularly video and viewing apps.”

Since the start of the year, Smart launched the country’s hottest device deals such as the P888 handset with free data and load rebates and, even more recently, the P888 Pocket Wifi – making it easier for Filipinos to discover the reallife benefits of online connectivity.

To deliver a super-sized data experience to subscribers, Smart also double its data offer for Big Bytes 50, which now comes with 700MB – up from the previous 350MB – for surfing and streaming plus 650MB for YouTube, YouTube Gaming and iflix – valid for 3 days, still at P50.

The Smart exec also hinted on future groundbreaking advancement. “We are excited with the many ways we can change the lives of Filipinos. And we can’t wait to announce many exciting things that we are cooking up with our world-leading partners,” she concluded.

Beauty queen and event host MJ lastimosa together with plDt & Smart Chief technology & Information Advisor Joachim Horn

iphOTO

Actor Victor Basa enjoys the VR powered by Smart’s ltE-A

g.s.M. blue blueniversity cup winners Now on its 9th year, the GSM Blueniversity Skills Showdown has become a highly anticipated event for all Hotel and Restaurant Management (HRM) students across the country.

For its 2016 leg, students were treated to a whole day of topics on current trends in mixology, responsible drinking and service of alcohol.

Winners in the bartending competition received cash prizes. the overall winner of the Flairtending category will be sent by GSM to represent the philippines in an international competition later this year.

Smart Communications team joined by the officials from its technology partners Samsung and Huawei during a ceremonial toast to the deployment of the country’s first ever Smart ltE-Advanced service in Boracay island

From left, GSM Blue Assistant Brand Manager Winchie tobias, Gold awardee students all from lyceum of the philippines university – Alexis Cabugao, John Caballes, Charmaine Dela paz, Noel Reyes, and GSM Group Brand Manager Marvin Dancel.

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SAt uRDAy : A pRIl 3 0, 2016

SHOWBITZ

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

WHo WIll WIn MISS touRISM pHIlIppInES 2016 ?

S

ome 42 confidently beautiful Filipinas from all over the country are vying for the title of Miss Tourism Philippines 2016. The winner will be an ambassador that will help propagate and develop tourism through fostering relationship with different provinces and cities in the country.

The pageant aims to showcase the heritage and culture of the local destinations to appreciate and explore the beauty of the country side.

Miss Philippines Tourism 2016 Director Francisco “Gareth” Blanco, Jr. and producer Amelia Abarquez said they are proud to welcome the growing number of participating provinces, cities and municipalities in the tourism-oriented contest proving their belief in the value and importance of the pageant’s advocacy and giving their full support by sending their best representatives.

Miss Tourism Philippines 2016 will culminate in a spectacular cor-

onation night on May 28 at Theater for Performing Arts, Resorts World with a delayed telecast on ABS CBN Channel 2 on June 2 The 42 candidates of Miss Tourism Philippines are: Katherine Joy Ruiz (Abucay, Bataan), Dyan Shane Magabo (Antipolo), Dominique Batan (Bataan), Hige Keziah Maligay (Cagayan de Oro City), Sandra Ann Goldstein (Cainta-Rizal), Claudette Arsanique (Calamba City), Charlene Baera (Candelaria, Quezon), Jean Tumang (Capas, Tarlac), Estephanie Delgado (Carmona, Cavite), Ethel Abellanosa (Cebu City), Shenna Mae Zaldivar (Dapitan City), Ruth Charlene Cheng (Fil-Chinese Community), Thea Faith Nortez (Guiguinto, Bulacan), Krizsa Nicollite Serquina (Ibaan, Batangas), Arlene Guillermo (Las Pinas City), Marjorien Moster (Lipa City), Jane Sotomayor (Makati City), Paola Bianca Bagaforo (Manila), Aeriel Bartolome (Marikina

City), Marlyn Guinto (Marila, Bulacan), Quennie Marie Orbeta (Muntinlupa City), Sarah Gabriel (Nueva Ecija), Michelle Carcido (Padre Garcia, Batangas), Azmen Razul (Palawan), Patricia Kay Arabaca (Pampanga), Sharyl Diana Catchillar (Pangasinan), Joana Espiritu (Pasay City), Maria Paula Adda Prose (Piat, Cagayan Valley), Aviella Jarahnelle Napiza (Pila, Laguna), Shanon Tampon (Quezon City), Karen Grace Atienza (Rodriguez, Rizal), Donna Maestro (Romblon), Casey Esguerra (Rosario, Batangas), Angela Templo (San Mateo, Rizal), Jovylyn Mateo (Sorsogon), Xyla Bayudang (Tabuk City, Kalinga), Edna Dublin Mantile (Tacloban City), Czerina Kim Hernandez (Taysan, Batangas), Krystelle Mhae Ignacio (Tarlac City), Jenny Rose Llorin (Tayabas, Quezon), Dale Ivory Lee (Valenzuela City) and Chryzia Mhea Cantalejo (Zambales). – Eton B. Concepcion

Reigning queens of Miss tourism philippines

this year’s batch of young Filipinas vying for the Miss tourism philippines crown

Search for Misters of Filipinas 2016 The males are not to be left out in the world of beauty competitions as the makers of the Misters of Filipinas search opened applications for this year’s edition in the distaff side of women’s beauty contest.

Prime Events Productions Philippines Foundation Inc (PEPPS), organizer of Misters of Filipinas, recently made the formal announcement for the 2016 search at the House Manila, Remington Hotel in Pasay City.

past winners of Misters with pEppS president Mr. Carlo Galang (fourth from right)

cROsswORD puzzlE

answer PreVIOUs PUZZLe

ACROSS 1 Blacktop 5 Spud 10 Brief upturn 14 Egyptian god 15 Get used to 16 Import vehicle 17 Univ. marchers 18 Like a corset 19 Fr. miss 20 Scaring the horse 22 Legendary

24 Narrow inlet 25 Boulder st.

26 Lenses of an insect eye 29 Sturdy shoes 33 Divert 34 Backyard swing 36 Suffix for forfeit 37 Keystone Konstable 38 Presses 39 Wolf Man player

40 Pierre’s here 41 Creatures of habit?

42 Buy 44 Mice and marmots 47 Liszt compositions 48 Burma neighbor 49 Floor cleaner 50 Slander 53 Trade 58 Not up yet 59 “Goodnight” girl 61 Actress — Falco 62 “Fish Magic” artist 63 Brother’s daughter 64 Tree house?

65 Blondie’s shrieks 66 Injured at Pamplona 67 Plumbing joints DOWN 1 Golf scores 2 Up above 3 Overrule 4 Concert extras 5 Leg bones 6 Soon, to a poet 7 Wood-finishing oil 8 Prior to 9 Coyotes’ kin (2 wds.)

10 Panda fodder 11 Temporary slowdown 12 Laid off

At stake at Misters of Filipinas 2016 are five major titles namely, Mister International Philippines, Manhunt International Philippines, Man of the Year Philippines, Man of the World Philippines and Mister Globe Philippines, a new addition to the annual PEPPS male search. PEPPS President and CEO Carlo Morris Galang said that this year’s edition aims to showcase the organization’s One Pageant, One Team and One Advocacy goal, not just to achieve a status of glamour and influence, but more importantly, to gain respect, high reputation and esteem.

Reigning Misters of Filipinas titleholders Man of the Year Philippines 2015 Karan Singhdole, Misters of Filipinas 2015 1st Runner-up AR dela Serna, Misters

SATURDAY, APRIL 30, 2016

13 Spotted, as a horse 21 Long-tailed flier 23 Sitcom ET 25 Toe woes 26 Hindu rope-climber 27 BP mergee 28 Golden oldie “Stupid —” 30 Got crowned 31 Male honeybee 32 Emails 34 Tie a turkey 35 Smoke-detector output 38 Chanting 42 Ancient colonnade 43 Scout’s shelter (2 wds.)

45 “Forgets” a letter 46 Remind too often 47 Moderated 50 Fashion 51 Having the knowhow 52 Scallion kin 53 Dodge a Dodge 54 Almost never 55 — fixe 56 Belgian river 57 Takes home 60 “Road” movie locale

of Filipinas 2014 1st Runner-up Nicko dela Cruz, Mister Asia Philippines 2014 Christian Mark Galang and Manhunt Philippines 2015 Don McGyver Cochico were on hand to promote the launching, which also had a fashion show, Midsummer Night, featuring the collections of Resorts World Manila, Outkast Paradigm, San Diego Fab, Xioti Chiu, Jacob Casem, Bobby Galang, Santino Rivera and Olan Roque.

In recent years, Philippine representatives brought honor to the country having captured the Mister International and Manhunt International pageants with June Macasaet’s victory in Bangkok, Thailand in 2012 for the former and Mariano Flormata, Jr., aka Neil Perez, who emerged winner

Manhunt philippines 2015 Don McGyver Cochico

in the latter in Seoul, Korea in 2015. –EBC

SAt uRDAy : A pRIl 3 0, 2016

SHOWBITZ

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

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GMA WoRlDWIDE CElEBRAtES 20tH yEAR

G

MA Worldwide, Inc. (GWI), a wholly owned subsidiary of GMA Network, is celebrating its 20th anniversary, marking two decades of showcasing GMA programs to the ASEAN region and beyond.

GWI is off to a rousing start this year as it scored another victory with its sale of two toprated Kapuso programs, Ang Dalawang Mrs. Real and My Destiny’s program formats to a Mexican production company, Altavision Producciones, following its groundbreaking sale of Munting Heredera’s rights to Telefilm Atlantico.

“All the popular telenovelas that aired in the Philippines were produced in Mexico,” explains Roxanne J. Barcelona, vice president of GWI and an expert in program acquisition and syndication. “It makes us proud knowing that viewers in that part of the world will finally get to watch some of our very own productions.”

With 20 years of being in the content distribution and syndication business, GWI has become a force to reckon with in the inter-

GMA Worldwide Vice president Roxanne Barcelona in GWI’s booth at the recent Hong Kong Filmart

national content market, creating new and exciting opportunities for GMA programs and artists.

GWI recently concluded another successful exhibition at the prestigious MIPTV, the world’s most established TV and digital content market and the largest gathering of entertainment industry professionals held yearly in

“Ang Dalawang Mrs. Real” lead stars Maricel Soriano, Dingdong Dantes and lovi poe

Cannes.

This year’s MIPTV attracted nearly 11,000 delegates representing 100 countries, 1,620 production companies, 4,000 buyers, and 1,700 exhibiting companies including GWI. In this event, ongoing Kapuso programs Because of You, Hanggang Makita Kang Muli, The Mil-

‘poor Señorita’ visits Cooking Diva’s house Expect the poor señorita today in Cooking Diva’s house. Will the haughty Rita Villon intimidate Regine Velasquez-Alcasid?

It will be interesting to watch the two divas, face to face. Will Songbird have enough guts and gumption to even out the fierce and feisty ex-CEO of Señorita Scents?

Joining the fun are the villainous tandem of Tita Deborah (Snooky Serna) and Piper (Valeen Montenegro).

It will definitely be a riotous Saturday morning with the characters of Poor Señorita in the house of Songbird a.k.a. Cooking Diva this morning on GMA Network, after Maynila.

“Sarap Diva” host Regine Velasquez joined by “poor Señorita” cast members

ABS-CBN’S ‘pilipinas 2016’ presidential debate posts 40.6% rating Weekend (11.5 percent), Vampire Ang Daddy Ko (13.5 percent), Ismol Family (16.4 percent), and the 2018 Oppo PBA Commissioner’s Cup (3.9 percent).

With a town hall format, ABSCBN’s debate allowed Vice President Jejomar Binay, Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, Senator Grace Poe, and former Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas to answer questions on their platforms and stand on the most urgent issues facing the nation.

lionaire’s Wife, Poor Señorita, and particularly Ang Dalawang Mrs. Real and My Destiny captured the attention of foreign buyers.

In 2015, GWI sold a total of 4,003 program hours to other countries such as Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, Thailand, Myanmar, Nigeria, Hawaii, Kenya and Zambia,

significantly increasing its annual sales by 34 percent.

Truly at the top of its game, GWI is committed to bringing GMA’s content to more territories around the world, while further strengthening its presence in areas where the Kapuso brand continues to thrive.

Mitch Valdes in ‘Art 2 Art’

presidential candidates Jejomar Binay, Miriam Defensor Santiago, Rodrigo Duterte, Grace poe and Mar Roxas

More Filipinos nationwide watched the five presidential candidates face off for the last time in ABS-CBN’s Presidential Town Hall Debate on April 24, which posted a whopping national TV rating of 40.6 percent – the highest among the presidential debates in the Commission on Elections’ PiliPinas 2016 presidential debate series – according to Kantar Media.

ABS-CBN’s debate, held at the Phinma University of Pangasinan and moderated by Karen Davila and Tony Velasquez, outshined competing programs 24 Oras

My Destiny stars Carla Abellana and tom Rodriguez

The Presidential Town Hall Debate, organized by the COMELEC, KBP, ABS-CBN, and Manila Bulletin, was aired over multiple media platforms – ABSCBN on free TV, ANC, the ABSCBN News Channel ch. 27 on cable TV, DZMM TeleRadyo on digital television (ABS-CBN TVplus) and SKYcable ch. 26, DZMM 630 on AM radio, and online via livestreaming at news. abs-cbn.com, iwantv.com.ph, and mb.com.ph. Filipinos also got to watch it on their mobile devices via ABS-CBNmobile.

Multi-faceted Mitch Valdes is the guest in the May 8 episode of Art 2 Art, airing 3:30 to 4 p.m. on radio via DZRH (666 khz on the AM band), on cable television via RHTV (Channel 18 on Cignal Cable) and online through DZRH Live Streaming.

Mitch tells Art 2 Art host Lisa Macuja how she has navigated the entertainment industry for almost five decades, having appeared on stage, television and film. Though probably more known as a comedian, with such TV credits as Oras ng Ligaya, Super Laff-in, Champoy and UFO, she has also showed her dramatic ability in films such as Oro Plata Mata and Bulaklak sa City Jail and her musical prowess in the title role of jazz queen Katy Dela Cruz in the acclaimed Katy.

As a long-time stalwart of the Organisasyon ng Pilipinong Mang-aawit (OPM), Mitch has also championed artists’ rights and helped raise socio-political awareness among her peers in the creative industry.

Art 2 Art kicks off the month of May with film director Cesar Buendia on May 1. Buendia recounts how he transitioned from being talent manager and scriptwriter into a filmmaker,

with socially relevant films such as IDOL: Pag-asa ng Bayan, Padre de Pamilya and Agawan Base as his credits.

Buendia’s most recent work is Diyos-Diyosan, a timely film starring Princess Punzalan and John Prats that touches on faith, politics and materialism.

Meanwhile, on May 15, Art 2 Art welcomes visual artist Inna Vitasa. Describing herself as a self-taught artist, Vitasa pursued her passion for the arts after being encouraged by the late National Artist Cesar Legaspi for whom she worked as an accountant.

Since then, she has held exhibit showcasing her favored subjects of flowers and butterflies and lately, her flower pickers series.

Art 2 Art completes the month of May with an interview with National Artist Alice Reyes and a tribute to National Artist Jose Ma. Zaragoza with Loudette Zaragoza-Banson as a resource person.

Art 2 Art is produced by the Manila Broadcasting Company.

For inquiries, please e-mail art2artdzrh@gmail.com. On Facebook, check out the account Ballerina ng Bayan for updates on Art 2 Art episodes.

“Art 2 Art” host lisa Macuja with guest Mitch Valdes

saT urday : a pril 3 0, 2016

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isaH V. rEd EDITOR NiCKiE WaNG WRITER

isahred @ gmail.com

SHOWBITZ JaDInE In a lIghT ROmanTIc fIlm ISAH V. RED

T

he love team known among fans as JaDine (short for James and Nadine) is back in the light, feel good summer movie produced by their mother studio for Viva Films. The film is called This Time and it opens in theaters nationwide on May 4.

In the last shooting day for the film, James Reid recounted how he and loveteammate Nadine Lustre have been very excited to go back to starring in a movie after working for months for the nightly series On The Wings of Love on ABS-CBN. According to the two, they missed acting for a movie. This Time, compared to Diary ng Panget, Talk Back and You’re Dead, and Hopeless Romantic, even OTWOL, is very light.

The movie, directed by Nuel Naval from a screenplay by Mel del Rosario is about Cocoy (James), a granddaddy’s boy, and his close friend of Ava (Nadine).

The two only meet during summer.

Del Rosario said that film shows how the central characters hold on to their relationship even if they are miles away from each other.

James says, “I guess this movie, it’s more focused on the love, the relationship. It goes deeper into relationships like long distance relationship. I can’t say it’s more mature ’coz its very light. So easy to watch. Kissing scenes? Let’s see.

We can’t beat ‘OTWOL.’” Nadine agrees with James, “Well, this time, super light po siya, as in.

Ang na-experience ko p o

rito, lahat ng eksena, well, coming from ‘OTWOL’ din kasi, so, parang from Diary… to Talk Back… and Hopeless…, ang intensity pataas po siya nang pataas. Dito, hindi.

Kasi nga po summer movie siya, so, parang gusto po natin na sobrang light lang siya and GP lang.”

JaDine was in Saga, Japan for five days.

Important scenes for the movie were shot there. While working, the two enjoyed the sights as well. Nadine confessed that it was her first time to see the famous Japanesy cherry blossoms, “I was very happy for Nadine. It’s her first time to see cherry blossoms. It’s my second time. It’s been her dream since she was a kid, so, I was very happy for her,” James recalls.

Apart from the cherry blossoms experience, the two were featured in show on a news channel.

James says, “We went to eat right after the interview and it was airing on TV and then I looked and I go like ‘wait, are we in the Philippines?’ We were really surprised.”

The two says they have not discovered anything new about each other. They say they are very comfortable as screen

James reid and Nadine lustre, otherwise known as Jadine, star in a romantic summer movie entitled “This Time”

partners (even in real life since they have admitted that they are now a couple).

If there’s something Nadine discovered about James, “Marunong pala siyang magplantsa!”

The two are not affected by what the media have been calling rivalry among love teams. James says the business needs healthy competition. “It’s definitely a necessity,” he adds.

JaDine says they are lucky they have loyal and amazing fans that have propelled them to be the no.1 love team in the entertainment industry.

“Well, I guess we have the fans to thank for that. When they say we’re number one ’coz we have a lot of projects right now, very successful TV show, everything’s going really well, it doesn’t mean we’re better. We just have amazing fans,” James says.

JaDine followers are very supportive, in fact even before This Time opens nationwide on May 4, there are several block screenings scheduled across the country. The film premieres on May 3.

JaDine will be in the US and Canada for JaDine Love Concert on May 12. They will be away for a month.

James will celebrate his birthday on May 11. There are no definite plans on how he will spend the special day and Nadine has not bought her gift for her boyfriend.

“Wala naman po kasi siyang gusto,” Nadine says evasively.

With JaDine in This Time are Al Tantay, Freddie Webb, Nova Villa, Ronnie Lazaro, Candy Pangilinan and Viva artists Yam Concepcion, Donnalyn Bartolome, Issa Pressman at Bret Jackson.