The Standard - 2016 May 08 - Sunday

VOL. XXX NO. 85 3 Sections 24 Pages P18 SUNDAY : MAY 8, 2016 www.thestandard.com.ph editorial@thestandard.com.ph

VICTORY AT HAND —MARCOS

A8

GRATEFUL RODY Duterte thanks the Filipinos, vows to change for the better

By Joel E. Zurbano

STICKING to his profanity-laden speaking style, presidential candidate Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte reminded hundreds of thousands of supporters of the failures of the Aquino administration and promised change for the better.

“To the Filipino people, thank you,” the 71-year-old Duterte told supporters at his mitin de avance

at the Quirino Grandstand at the Rizal Park in Manila.

“I do not claim any greatness. I

do not have extraordinary qualifications to be a great president. I am just an ordinary Filipino,” Duterte told a huge crowd that organizers claimed to reach 700,000.

“But I can stop corruption, criminality and drug trafficking. I have no patience for those.

There is no middle ground for those. I will kill you all, idiots,” he told a cheering crowd, which the police estimated at only 300,000.

Next page

A giant Philippine flag is borne by supporters of presidential candidate Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte during a mitin de avance at Rizal Park in Manila. About 500,000 are estimated to have joined the rally with another 350,000 rallying in Davao City. Inset shows Duterte endorsing the senatorial candidacy of Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez. REVOLI CORTEZ

QUEST FOR OLYMPIC GOLD

B8

COMPASSION FOR YOLANDA VICTIMS

By Ronald O. Reyes SURVIVORS of Typhoon ‘‘Yolanda,’’ the deadliest tropical cyclone to hit the Philippines that left more than 6,000 dead in November 2013, have underscored the need for leaders who will be able to respond quickly and with compassion in times of disasters.

For Lottie Salarda, a 26-year-

old award-winning journalist from Tacloban City, Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez showed leadership and “malasakit” even as his own family bore the brunt of the super typhoon.

Salarda said Romualdez, who is running for senator in the May 9 polls, was “the man who never left us after Yolanda.”

“He’s a man of few words, but he is doing his job,” Salarda said.

“The first district of Leyte is very lucky that they have this kind of leader who never left them during hard times, unlike other elected officials who never showed even their shadows after typhoon Yolanda. I just hope that he can serve other Filipinos, too,” she Next page added.

S U N D AY : M AY 8 , 2 0 1 6

A2

NEWS

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COMPASSION...

From A1 In her book “Humans of Haiyan: 24 stories; 24 Months After The Disaster,” Salarda recognized the efforts of Romualdez by dedicating the book to the solon.

“Of all the government officials, it was only in him that I saw sincerity in service that really reached the grassroots.

I felt his concern. It was genuine,” she said.

“His acts as a serving politician changed my old perception. He’s not that typical politician who is hungry for media mileage. He just served from the heart and this was noticed by the common people,” she wrote in her blog.

Salarda said two weeks after the super typhoon struck, she returned to Tacloban City and saw how Romualdez remained on the ground, helping the survivors.

“When I returned to Tacloban to check my cousins two weeks after, I still saw him and his staff doing relief operations and medical missions in communities whose access to medical services were limited,” she said.

Romualdez has pushed for several bills that ensured effective and efficient government response in Yolanda-hit areas, including measures seeking to provide tax incentives for the relief and rehabilitation of devastated communities covered by a state of calamity as well as appropriating P25 billion for the aid, relief, rehabilitation and livelihood services along with infrastructure support for Yolanda victims.

Fellow Yolanda survivor Thad Hinunangan also expressed support for Romualdez’s senatorial bid.

“I think he would be a good addition to the Senate,” said Hinunangan, who was then a third year student at the Romualdez-owned RTR Medical Foundation when Yolanda struck.

GRATEFUL...

From A1

“I am staking my life, honor and even the presidency. Mark my words, I will do it. When I say ‘stop,’ you better stop or I will really kill all of you criminals and corrupt officials,” he said.

Duterte also lambasted Senator Antonio Trillanes IV who continue to criticize his candidacy and his capability to become president.

“Trillanes is the ultimate mongrel. Didn’t he stage a rebellion, the fool. But when the tanks came, he surrendered. What kind of leader is that?” Duterte said of Trillanes, who admitted to have paid for television advertisements that criticized the Davao mayor.

He outlined the failures of the Aquino administration and cussed Liberal Party officials, including his rival Mar Roxas, for failing to uplift the lives of Filipinos.

“Sa inyong lahat, panahon na ninyong gumanti [To all of you I

FINAL RALLY. Supporters of presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte attend an election campaign rally ahead of the elections on May 7, 2016.

Duterte heads into final rallies of an extraordinary campaign as the shock favorite, but with rivals still having a chance to counter his populist tirades. AFP

PNOY UNITY CALL HOLLOW, SAYS VP The Binay camp said that Aquino should instead ensure that the election is free from

cheating, violence and intimidation.

The public should respect the

results of the elections as long as it was done in a clean and credible manner, said the Vice President’s communications director Joey Salgado.

“As long as the candidate wins in a clean election, we should respect the people’s judgment because that’s the essence of democracy,” Salgado said in a statement.

The Vice President continues the fight for a government that is not insensitive and inefficient, and truly serves the poor.

He said Aquino is now very anxious over Davao City Mayor

say it is your time to get even],” he said to thunderous applause.

The mitin de avance of the Duterte-Cayetano team started at 5 p.m. and was attended by thousands of their supporters.

Peter Laviña, Duterte’s spokesperson, said the venue was chosen after supporters of the tandem earlier called the gathering “Occupy Luneta.”

“Since the Tagumpay ng Bayan rally held for Cory in 1986, this would be the second time a rally of such political significance will be held at the historic park,” Laviña said.

“We aptly dubbed it Tagumpay ng Pagbabago because no less than the son of Cory is resisting and frustrating the people’s clamor for real change,” he added. “Truly ironic and tragic.”

As of 6 p.m., according to Chief Insp. Kimberly Molitas, chief information officer of the National Capital Region Police Office, the crowd estimate at the Quirino Grandstand was 300,000.

“We deployed teams as well as

explosive and ordnance division personnel and K9 teams for panelling. Continuous checkpoints are being conducted while foot and mobile patrol in the activity site are maximized,” said Molitas.

People from various parts of Metro Manila and various provinces came all the way from their localities to Luneta Park to throw their support behind the toughtalking Mindanao leader.

Singer Aiza Seguerra kicked off the program with a song calling for support to Duterte. Television personalities Kat de Santos and Jimmy Bondoc hosted the event.

On Friday, supporters criticized the administration over work on the grounds of Luneta Park, which they suspect was timed to sabotage the grand rally.

But Luneta Park’s planning department officer Rico Mendoza said the work had long been scheduled because it had been earlier laid on the site for a carnival “and now the grass can’t grow.”

He also claimed they did not

know about the political rally and denied that the work was meant to sabotage the event.

Duterte, 71, is a consistent frontrunner in various opinion surveys in the presidential race.

Meanwhile, Duterte’s spokesman Peter Tiu Lavina posted in his social media account that they continue receiving reports about a massive vote buying in Mindanao and Visayas.

“Voters are being paid not to vote for Duterte. The plan is to reduce Duterte’s vote so it can be easy to cheat, vulnerable to manipulation of transmission and canvassing. We also expect names of voters missing on Monday’s polling to disenfranchise our voters,” he said in his Facebook account.

“Our response to these schemes—accept the money and vote with your conscience. To resist harassment, let us group ourselves in family, clan or neighborhood brigades when we go to the polls,” Laviña added.

“Remember, in unity there is

By Vito Barcelo

WITH barely a day before the election, the camp of Vice President Jejomar Binay slammed President Benigno Aquino III’s call for unity and described it as hollow considering that Aquino has been hitting the rivals of Liberal Party bet Mar Roxas throughout the campaign.

Rodrigo Duterte’s continues surge in survey ratings that his bet, Roxas wants to forge alliance with Senator Grace Poe. Roxas, in a press conference, has asked for a dialogue with Poe to thwart a possible dictatorship under Duterte, who has been leading the voters’ opinion polls days before the May 9 election.

Salgado said that the real survey is on May 9, and expressed confidence that Binay, who captured the heart of most number of voters in the field, will win the election. strength. Let us pinpoint local LP (Liberal Party) ward leaders responsible for these vote buying. Also, tomorrow Sunday let us visit our polling centers to check, double check our names and specific cluster of precincts.

This way we would be able to make it easy on Monday. Let us also help our friends and neighbors in identifying their cluster of precincts.”

“On Monday, be sure that the oval that we will shade corresponds to the name of our candidates in the national and local elections. These are on the left, not the right, side before the name of the candidates.”

The Duterte camp earlier chided ruling party candidate Mar Roxas over his appeal for a dialogue with another candidate Senator Grace Poe, saying it is an admission that a victory by Duterte has virtually become inevitable.

“Only a man on the verge of defeat can issue such frantic calls,” said Leoncio Evasco Jr., Duterte’s national campaign manager.

S U N D AY : M AY 8 , 2 0 1 6

A3

NEWS

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MAY 9 POLL CAMPAIGN ENDS

THE campaign period for the May 9 elections ended on Saturday with presidential candidates holding simultaneous final rallies, called mitines de avance, in various places in Metro Manila which has more than 6.2 million voters.

Competence and experience. Vice President Jejomar Binay presents the slate of the United Nationalist Alliance, including (from left) senatorial bets Rey Langit, Manny Pacquiao, vice president bet Gregorio Honasan and senatorial candidate Jacel Kiram during their mitin de avance in Makati City.

Heart and compassion. Presidential candidate Senator Grace Poe and her running mate Senator Chiz Escudero light candles and pray with their senatorial bets during their last campaign rally at Plaza Miranda in Quiapo, Manila on Saturday. EY ACASIO

Leading presidential candidate Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte held simultaneous mitines de avance at the Rizal Park in Manila, which was attended by some 500,000 people, and Davao City with some 350,000 participants.

Duterte’s anti-establishment rhetoric and promises of quick fixes to deep-rooted problems have proved hypnotic for millions of Filipinos, and he heads into Monday’s election with an 11-percentage-point lead over his rivals, according to the latest survey.

Senator Grace Poe, the adopted daughter of a late movie star, and establishment bedrock Mar Roxas, are tied in second place. Vice President Jejomar Binay, the early favorite, has fallen to fourth place under the weight of a barrage of corruption allegations.

While Duterte, the longtime mayor of the southern city of Davao, is undeniably the favorite, he lacks the sophisticated political machinery of some of his rivals and is not guaranteed victory, according to Manila-based political analyst Earl Parreno.

Roxas, a US-educated investment banker who served as interior and transport secretaries in Aquino’s administration, is in the strongest position to challenge, Parreno, from the Institute of Political and Electoral Reforms, told AFP. Roxas can expect a boost of about five percentage points from the machinery of the Liberal Party, which can use its money and influence to get people into voting booths, according to Parreno.

“We also still have the undecided. It’s going to be a very, very close fight, a neck and neck fight, between Duterte and Roxas,” Parreno said.

Independent candidate Senator Grace Poe held her mitin de avance at the nearby Plaza Miranda, infront of the Quiapo Church where she also began her campaign in February.

The senator arrived with her husband, Neil Llamanzares and running mate Senator Francis Escudero, who came with his wife Heart Evangelista. Her adoptive mother, actress Susan Roces also attended the event.

Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago, on the other hand, held a street party at West Triangle in Quezon City.

Administration candidate Mar Roxas held his rally at the Quezon Memorial Circle in Quezon City where he called for national unity.

Roxas said he was confident he could beat Duterte in what he described as a battle between good and evil.

Roxas told supporters he was pressing on with his candidacy after Sen. Grace Poe declined his offer to unite and stop the Davao City mayor from placing the entire country under an iron-fisted rule.

Duterte has led by over 10 points over Roxas and Poe, who were statistically tied for second place in the last surveys before Monday’s vote.

At the same time, Malacañang Palace defended President Benigno Aquino III’s move explaining that he is just doing his “duty” by thinking the common interest of the people.

In a radio interview, Presidential Communication Undersecretary Manuel Quezon III said Aquino is compelled to call for alliances due to the “clamor” and “call” of the majority Filipinos against the “looming dictatorship” of PDP-Laban standard bearer Rodrigo Duterte.

COMELEC TO ENFORCE LIQUOR BAN MAY 8 & 9 THE Commission on Elections reminded both the public and the candidates that a liquor ban will take effect and campaigning will be prohibited starting on Sunday, May 8.

Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said that starting on May 8 until May 9, Election Day, selling, offering, buying, serving, or taking intoxicating liquor is prohibited under the Omnibus Election Code.

“Just keep yourselves safe, and be practical. That is two nights: the day before elections and Election Day,” he said.

Under the OEC, it is prohibited to offer, buy, serve or take intoxicating liquor on the day before the election or on Election Day. Those that may be exempted are hotels and other establishments

duly certified by the Department of Tourism as “tourist-oriented” and “habitually in the business of catering to foreign tourists” provided that they secure exemption from the poll body.

At the same time, Jimenez reminded candidates that campaign activities are already prohibited starting Sunday until Monday.

“The day before election, there should be no more campaigning,” he added. “The last day of campaigning is May 7.”

Republic Act 7166 states that the campaign period shall exclude the day before the day of the election.

Violating election laws is considered as an election offense, which carries the penalty of one to six years imprisonment, removal of right to vote, and disqualification to hold public office.

Liberal rally. Supporters of administration candidate Mar Roxas at the Liberal Party mitin de avance in the Quezon Memorial Circle in Quezon City. AFP PHOTO

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OPINION

EDITOR

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

OPINION

A5

PUTIN STRIKES A DEFIANT NOTE IN PALMYRA

By Leonid Bershidsky

[ EDI TORI A L ]

UNITY AT THE homestretch of the campaign leading up to tomorrow’s national and local elections, various candidates and their supporters have mouthed the word “unity” in varying degrees of sincerity.

For a while on Friday, for instance, it looked as though two presidential candidates would join forces to counter the lead of the survey frontrunner. They have, after all, acknowledged many months ago—when they were still exploring the viability of being allies—that they could both be agents of a so-called straight path, not necessarily confined to the incumbent’s version.

But it appears now that neither would give way, if at all such an act could still make a difference, this late.

Other candidates have promised to promote unity and heal the wounds that the bitter campaign, if not the past six years or several decades, has caused. We wonder how they can do this and project themselves superior to their opponents, still.

On social media and elsewhere, friendships and family relationships were tested by one’s preference for, or aversion to, a candidate. This has set apart this election from previous ones—disagreements and outright exchanges happen between and among those who know each other and don’t, also in varying degrees of conviction and rabidity.

Is unity at all possible in this diverse ocean of opinion?

That the elections will finally take place tomorrow brings some measure of relief.

At the least, the political posturing will end and the focus would be on ensuring that the results reflect the will of the people. The most difficult task would be after a winner has been chosen and the nation embarks on another six years—with whom, and how.

Unity is illusory. In this nation of more than a hundred million, and even more so with a leader who gets elected by just a plurality, it is impossible for people to agree on any single way the country can be run and who can do it best.

There will always be dissent and criticism. There will always be the disposition to assert oneself as morally and intellectually superior over others. There will be suspicions that people, whatever their lofty pronouncements, are ultimately just after their own interests.

We can, however, agree that the lack of tolerance for those who do not agree with us has greatly hampered our progress as a nation and given the impression that those who do not share our opinion are immediately our enemies who want to bring us down.

Tomorrow’s exercise will reinforce the fact that whomever we supported, if we supported anybody at all, we share the same fate as the rest with whom we agreed or disagreed. The best approximation of unity is to be vigilant at all times, hold the next set of leaders accountable for their actions or inaction, and engage the government as active citizens instead of commenting bitterly, and passively, from the sidelines.

THE NEXT PRESIDENT WITH relief we welcome tomorrow’s elections, if only to close the chapter of the bitter, sometimes hateful, campaign that has driven a wedge among Filipinos who all just love their country anyway.

As the focus shifts from the campaign to the election results and then to beginning the next administration at high noon on the last day of next month, here’s my wish list of the traits of the next president, whoever it turns out to be from among the five candidates and their respective backgrounds—and baggages.

Be the president of all.

The Philippines does not have the good fortune of having a

ADELLE CHUA

legitimate two-party system where each party nominates its bet to the top post. This has deprived us of a majority president for many years, and has left us to just contend with one elected through a plurality.

But an elected leader is exactly that, and after the inauguration, he or she must become the president of the entire country, with the responsibility for everybody whether or not they voted for him.

There must, therefore, no longer be a distinction that this person is an ally or that the next fellow comes from the opposing camp and has been critical of past actions.

Behave in a presidential manner within and outside of our borders.

We like a folksy demeanor, sure. We like leaders who are accessible and who do not take

It’s not the fate of the candidates we are deciding tomorrow —it’s ours.

themselves too seriously. On the right occasion, that is. At the end of the day, the presidency is a difficult job that requires making numerous decisions every day. We would totally understand if the president

would not be such a wisecrack. If he were, he would probably have another job—a stand-up comedian, an action star.

Likewise, before the international community, some restraint is in order. The president, head of state, chief executive is the face of the country. The only way we can get other countries to perceive us with respect and with no condescension whatsoever is that if our representative talks and acts in a manner befitting the office.

Be rational.

The presidency, they say, is a matter of destiny, and destiny may not follow logic or reason.

This is arguable, but what is certain is that a chief executive of a nation needs to have a good head on his or her shoulders. He must be

slow to provoke, and is deliberate and receptive to all sides of the story before making a decision for the good of the many. Sound bytes are captivating, sure, and they may be enough to stage a good campaign.

They are not enough to run a country. Every word that comes from the mouth of the president is policy, or an indication of policy. Policy has to be based on evidence and backed by research, not just uttered based on one’s mood at the moment.

Be hardworking.

It is a tough job, no doubt, to lead and manage a country of more than 100 million. There are numerous fires to be put out whether or not they are of the leader’s own doing.

There are equally pressing concerns.

The issues have long histories, deep causes and far-reaching prospects.

And then, of course, there must be personal and family time to balance and provide relief from the madness.

Ordinary people sometimes feel like 24 hours are not enough to accomplish all the things they want to get done. Presidents who take their jobs seriously, especially because they themselves sought out the office—nobody put a gun to their head to make them run—would recognize the great demands of the job and would put in as many hours as possible working and learning and improving.

Be humble and be secure.

It is easy to get intoxicated with the perks of the office. Imagine the vast powers of the executive. One will have six years

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to determine the direction of the country.

Imagine, too, the discretion that comes with it. Think of the way your subordinates will say “yes” to whatever it is you would say.

But what leader wants to surround himself with yes-men? Insecure ones, that’s who.

Our next president must be secure enough to acknowledge that he does not know everything and that there are people out there who are better than he is, on certain specific areas. He or she will not have issues hiring smart team members.

They will pose no threat to him even as they may occasionally disagree with him or even shoot down his ideas.

Finally, be the president of our children and our children’s children.

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The president that we will elect tomorrow will not just be our president. Because of the consequences of the decisions he or she will make, he will determine to a large extent the kind of world that the next generations will live in. And so we pose the question back to ourselves: What scenario do we want our children to have? What kind of choices will be available to them? How much will they be able to live up to their potential? What would be the quality of their lives?

We’re in for a challenging next few weeks. Let’s stay tuned. It’s not the fate of the candidates we are deciding tomorrow— it’s ours.

THE writer Peter Pomerantsev has described Russia as a “post-modern dictatorship.”

President Vladimir Putin and his friends vividly illustrated that description this week when the famed orchestra of St. Petersburg’s Mariinsky Theater played a concert at Palmyra, the archaeological site that Russian-backed Syrian troops liberated from the Islamic State in late March.

Not long before the ruins of this once vast city were retaken, Putin had announced a Russian pullback from Syria, claiming that the military mission had been accomplished.

Yet Thursday’s concert sent an important message about Russia’s intentions in Syria: It showed Putin claiming credit for Assad’s recent success, demonstrated to the world that his forces had not really withdrawn and signaled that any peace will be made on Russian terms.

Valery Gergiev, the Mariinsky conductor and a longtime Putin supporter who backed the Russian onslaught in Ukraine in 2014, delivered that foreign policy message just by showing up. He played a similar concert in Tskhinvali, the capital of breakaway South Ossetia, in August 2008—less than two weeks after the Russian army claimed the region for “the Russian world,” as Putin’s supporters call it. By playing in a main square damaged by Georgian fire, Gergiev formalized the takeover. It remains a de facto Russian colony, with subsidies from Moscow forming the basis of its economy.

That the episode has now been reenacted in Syria is in itself a powerful message of support for Assad, whom the US and its allies want out. Putin reinforced that message, addressing the orchestra and its audience via video link. “I consider it as a sign of gratitude, remembrance and hope,” he said of the concert.

The concert was also used to send a subtler kind of message to Putin’s domestic constituency and anyone brave enough to criticize his crony capitalist regime: that he is unapologetic about Russia’s domestic course and that he stands by his friends and their business practices. In a stunning reenactment of the late Russian cellist Mstislav Rostropovich’s performance of Bach music by the Berlin Wall in November 1989, the cellist Sergei Roldugin made an appearance at the concert to play the quadrille from Rodion Shchedrin’s opera “Not Love Alone.”

Roldugin is a technically accomplished musician with plenty of solo experience.

So there was, at first glance, nothing out of the ordinary about his appearance with the Mariinsky orchestra, where he was principal cello in the 1980s and which he has on occasion conducted. Yet Roldugin has recently been in the news: An article about his suspicious offshore business dealings was one of the earliest parts of the massive Panama Papers investigation, which has already resulted in scandals and resignations in several countries.

Putin has rarely responded to allegations of cronyism or corruption, but in Roldugin’s case he has been highly vocal. He states that the cellist is merely a minority shareholder who spends nearly all the money he makes on valuable musical instruments, which he brings to Russia. “The more such people we have, the better,” Putin said. “I am proud

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OPINION

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OPINION

A5

PUTIN STRIKES A DEFIANT NOTE IN PALMYRA

By Leonid Bershidsky

[ EDI TORI A L ]

UNITY AT THE homestretch of the campaign leading up to tomorrow’s national and local elections, various candidates and their supporters have mouthed the word “unity” in varying degrees of sincerity.

For a while on Friday, for instance, it looked as though two presidential candidates would join forces to counter the lead of the survey frontrunner. They have, after all, acknowledged many months ago—when they were still exploring the viability of being allies—that they could both be agents of a so-called straight path, not necessarily confined to the incumbent’s version.

But it appears now that neither would give way, if at all such an act could still make a difference, this late.

Other candidates have promised to promote unity and heal the wounds that the bitter campaign, if not the past six years or several decades, has caused. We wonder how they can do this and project themselves superior to their opponents, still.

On social media and elsewhere, friendships and family relationships were tested by one’s preference for, or aversion to, a candidate. This has set apart this election from previous ones—disagreements and outright exchanges happen between and among those who know each other and don’t, also in varying degrees of conviction and rabidity.

Is unity at all possible in this diverse ocean of opinion?

That the elections will finally take place tomorrow brings some measure of relief.

At the least, the political posturing will end and the focus would be on ensuring that the results reflect the will of the people. The most difficult task would be after a winner has been chosen and the nation embarks on another six years—with whom, and how.

Unity is illusory. In this nation of more than a hundred million, and even more so with a leader who gets elected by just a plurality, it is impossible for people to agree on any single way the country can be run and who can do it best.

There will always be dissent and criticism. There will always be the disposition to assert oneself as morally and intellectually superior over others. There will be suspicions that people, whatever their lofty pronouncements, are ultimately just after their own interests.

We can, however, agree that the lack of tolerance for those who do not agree with us has greatly hampered our progress as a nation and given the impression that those who do not share our opinion are immediately our enemies who want to bring us down.

Tomorrow’s exercise will reinforce the fact that whomever we supported, if we supported anybody at all, we share the same fate as the rest with whom we agreed or disagreed. The best approximation of unity is to be vigilant at all times, hold the next set of leaders accountable for their actions or inaction, and engage the government as active citizens instead of commenting bitterly, and passively, from the sidelines.

THE NEXT PRESIDENT WITH relief we welcome tomorrow’s elections, if only to close the chapter of the bitter, sometimes hateful, campaign that has driven a wedge among Filipinos who all just love their country anyway.

As the focus shifts from the campaign to the election results and then to beginning the next administration at high noon on the last day of next month, here’s my wish list of the traits of the next president, whoever it turns out to be from among the five candidates and their respective backgrounds—and baggages.

Be the president of all.

The Philippines does not have the good fortune of having a

ADELLE CHUA

legitimate two-party system where each party nominates its bet to the top post. This has deprived us of a majority president for many years, and has left us to just contend with one elected through a plurality.

But an elected leader is exactly that, and after the inauguration, he or she must become the president of the entire country, with the responsibility for everybody whether or not they voted for him.

There must, therefore, no longer be a distinction that this person is an ally or that the next fellow comes from the opposing camp and has been critical of past actions.

Behave in a presidential manner within and outside of our borders.

We like a folksy demeanor, sure. We like leaders who are accessible and who do not take

It’s not the fate of the candidates we are deciding tomorrow —it’s ours.

themselves too seriously. On the right occasion, that is. At the end of the day, the presidency is a difficult job that requires making numerous decisions every day. We would totally understand if the president

would not be such a wisecrack. If he were, he would probably have another job—a stand-up comedian, an action star.

Likewise, before the international community, some restraint is in order. The president, head of state, chief executive is the face of the country. The only way we can get other countries to perceive us with respect and with no condescension whatsoever is that if our representative talks and acts in a manner befitting the office.

Be rational.

The presidency, they say, is a matter of destiny, and destiny may not follow logic or reason.

This is arguable, but what is certain is that a chief executive of a nation needs to have a good head on his or her shoulders. He must be

slow to provoke, and is deliberate and receptive to all sides of the story before making a decision for the good of the many. Sound bytes are captivating, sure, and they may be enough to stage a good campaign.

They are not enough to run a country. Every word that comes from the mouth of the president is policy, or an indication of policy. Policy has to be based on evidence and backed by research, not just uttered based on one’s mood at the moment.

Be hardworking.

It is a tough job, no doubt, to lead and manage a country of more than 100 million. There are numerous fires to be put out whether or not they are of the leader’s own doing.

There are equally pressing concerns.

The issues have long histories, deep causes and far-reaching prospects.

And then, of course, there must be personal and family time to balance and provide relief from the madness.

Ordinary people sometimes feel like 24 hours are not enough to accomplish all the things they want to get done. Presidents who take their jobs seriously, especially because they themselves sought out the office—nobody put a gun to their head to make them run—would recognize the great demands of the job and would put in as many hours as possible working and learning and improving.

Be humble and be secure.

It is easy to get intoxicated with the perks of the office. Imagine the vast powers of the executive. One will have six years

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to determine the direction of the country.

Imagine, too, the discretion that comes with it. Think of the way your subordinates will say “yes” to whatever it is you would say.

But what leader wants to surround himself with yes-men? Insecure ones, that’s who.

Our next president must be secure enough to acknowledge that he does not know everything and that there are people out there who are better than he is, on certain specific areas. He or she will not have issues hiring smart team members.

They will pose no threat to him even as they may occasionally disagree with him or even shoot down his ideas.

Finally, be the president of our children and our children’s children.

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The president that we will elect tomorrow will not just be our president. Because of the consequences of the decisions he or she will make, he will determine to a large extent the kind of world that the next generations will live in. And so we pose the question back to ourselves: What scenario do we want our children to have? What kind of choices will be available to them? How much will they be able to live up to their potential? What would be the quality of their lives?

We’re in for a challenging next few weeks. Let’s stay tuned. It’s not the fate of the candidates we are deciding tomorrow— it’s ours.

THE writer Peter Pomerantsev has described Russia as a “post-modern dictatorship.”

President Vladimir Putin and his friends vividly illustrated that description this week when the famed orchestra of St. Petersburg’s Mariinsky Theater played a concert at Palmyra, the archaeological site that Russian-backed Syrian troops liberated from the Islamic State in late March.

Not long before the ruins of this once vast city were retaken, Putin had announced a Russian pullback from Syria, claiming that the military mission had been accomplished.

Yet Thursday’s concert sent an important message about Russia’s intentions in Syria: It showed Putin claiming credit for Assad’s recent success, demonstrated to the world that his forces had not really withdrawn and signaled that any peace will be made on Russian terms.

Valery Gergiev, the Mariinsky conductor and a longtime Putin supporter who backed the Russian onslaught in Ukraine in 2014, delivered that foreign policy message just by showing up. He played a similar concert in Tskhinvali, the capital of breakaway South Ossetia, in August 2008—less than two weeks after the Russian army claimed the region for “the Russian world,” as Putin’s supporters call it. By playing in a main square damaged by Georgian fire, Gergiev formalized the takeover. It remains a de facto Russian colony, with subsidies from Moscow forming the basis of its economy.

That the episode has now been reenacted in Syria is in itself a powerful message of support for Assad, whom the US and its allies want out. Putin reinforced that message, addressing the orchestra and its audience via video link. “I consider it as a sign of gratitude, remembrance and hope,” he said of the concert.

The concert was also used to send a subtler kind of message to Putin’s domestic constituency and anyone brave enough to criticize his crony capitalist regime: that he is unapologetic about Russia’s domestic course and that he stands by his friends and their business practices. In a stunning reenactment of the late Russian cellist Mstislav Rostropovich’s performance of Bach music by the Berlin Wall in November 1989, the cellist Sergei Roldugin made an appearance at the concert to play the quadrille from Rodion Shchedrin’s opera “Not Love Alone.”

Roldugin is a technically accomplished musician with plenty of solo experience.

So there was, at first glance, nothing out of the ordinary about his appearance with the Mariinsky orchestra, where he was principal cello in the 1980s and which he has on occasion conducted. Yet Roldugin has recently been in the news: An article about his suspicious offshore business dealings was one of the earliest parts of the massive Panama Papers investigation, which has already resulted in scandals and resignations in several countries.

Putin has rarely responded to allegations of cronyism or corruption, but in Roldugin’s case he has been highly vocal. He states that the cellist is merely a minority shareholder who spends nearly all the money he makes on valuable musical instruments, which he brings to Russia. “The more such people we have, the better,” Putin said. “I am proud

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A6

OPINION

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TRUMP WON THE STAND-UP COMPETITION

By Leonid Bershidsky DONALD Trump’s triumph in the race for the Republican nomination is no reason to stop seeing his act as stand-up comedy.

Perhaps his remarkable run, however it ends, is a harbinger of things to come, and future races may well be won by the person with the best stand-up routine.

Don Waisanen of the Baruch College School of Public Affairs, who has devoted himself to the study of political humor, wrote in a 2013 article that until the 1990s, “by and large, the public thought politicians were supposed to be serious.”

From the 1990s through the present, comedy and politics have become inseparable, with candidates like Arnold Schwarzenegger announcing their gubernatorial ambitions on The Tonight Show, and figures like Sarah Palin paradoxically both being mocked by and interjecting themselves into programs like Saturday Night Live. This evolving trend of what some have termed infotainment continues unabated

through popular programs like The Daily Show.

Trump raised the stakes. As I watched his performances in the primaries—each to a fuller house than the previous one—I often felt as though I were at a performance

by French comedian Dieudonne M’Bala M’Bala, a black convicted anti-Semite whose shows run to enthusiastic crowds unless they’re shut down by the authorities. At any moment, I expected Trump to perform the quenelle gesture, the Dieudonne-created salute that went viral among French anti-establishment, politically incorrect types. Dieudonne is banned from entering the UK, just as Trump would have been had the UK parliament heeded a petition that garnered over 500,000 signatures.

Like Dieudonne, Trump is a bit of an evil clown. Oftentimes he’s been too stringent, or too hateful, to be funny. Yet he improvised in the same way between rehearsed punchlines, came up with comic labels for his rivals (“low-energy Jeb,” “little Marco,” “lyin’ Ted”), wasn’t above joking about

genitals, and was always fishing for a laugh. In Indiana, after hearing Ted Cruz attack his old target, Carrier Air Conditioners, for moving its production lines to Mexico, he did a superb imitation of a child who doesn’t want to share his favorite toy: “Carrier’s my baby! I want to do the number on Carrier, folks!”

These performances got better as Trump campaigned. Now, professionals feel the urge to assess him as one of their own.

“Comedy isn’t pretty, it’s ugly,” Michael Blackman, a comedian in southern California, wrote.

“And that just so happens to be Trump’s defining characteristic.” I suspect the digs at him from other professionals aren’t just about his politics: They also reflect displeasure at being upstaged.

Trump has beaten a field of rivals so unfunny they could have been selected for that quality.

Introspective, increasingly desperate Jeb Bush; angry, blustering Chris Christie; lethargic Ben Carson; earnest Marco Rubio; sermonizing Cruz; boringly down-to-earth

John Kasich—none of them could make voters laugh. Rubio tried some low comedy to taunt Trump, and it contributed heavily to his loss. The public picked the funniest man; so what if he was maybe a little racist, slightly misogynist, not always coherent, less than consistent?

As Waisanen laid out in this 2013 paper, comedy has severe limitations as a political vehicle.

Debate can become trivialized and the politician able to avoid presenting any evidence for his claims. It also favors caricature and oversimplification; complex information or policy nuances don’t lend themselves to ready punchlines.

Comedy loves negativity and is bored by consensus or solution-seeking.

And it’s highly distortive; it works best when reality is exaggerated for effect.

Trump’s campaign has exhibited all these tendencies. He has oversimplified and trivialized debates, he’s been misunderstood, he has shocked with his negativity, he has bragged and exaggerated— and been called on it. And he still

A DAY OF HELL IN ALEPPO

By Ameer Alhalbi ALEPPO, Syria—I honestly think that the war in Syria will never end. I have been photographing the war in my native Aleppo for three years now.

Last Thursday was one of the most hellish days that my city has endured.

I took the images of the toddler rescue in the Al-Kalasa residential district, controlled by the rebels and besieged by regime forces. When the air raid struck, I was some hundred meters away, with the civil defense vehicles. I ran toward the point of impact to shoot with my camera.

When an airstrike hits here, it’s usually the neighbors who are the first to help the wounded. Rescue workers from the civil defense, many of whom have been trained in Turkey, take over once they arrive on the scene. That’s how it happened last Thursday as well.

When we got there, a woman was crying for help from inside the damaged apartment building. She, her husband and their baby were trapped in what was left of their secondfloor apartment and had no way of getting down.

The rescue operation got under way very quickly. The civil defense forces put a ladder to their apartment, to get the baby boy down first. Although their apartment was demolished, somehow the threesome wasn’t hurt. I shot the rescue of the boy and the family reunited. I don’t know what happened to them afterward, I have no idea who they are.

Last Thursday was a horrible day in Aleppo and the past week has been one of the worst that this wounded city has seen. Since the start of the regime offensive on

Residents evacuated after the airstrikes. AFP

April 22, more than 250 civilians have been killed in the bombings.

The shelling of Aleppo throughout the war has left it without any kind of life. There are no restaurants, no cafés, no places of leisure and no trace of the rich cultural life that thrived in the country’s second city before this war. I’d say that Aleppo is one of the most dangerous cities in the world.

It’s hard to work as a pho-

tographer in Syria, it’s a dangerous profession. First, because you have to be in the thick of the action to get the best shots. But also, because many people are bothered by photographers and sometimes lash out at them. Last year, in the Al-Fardous neighborhood, a photographer had his camera broken by men who became enraged thinking he was photographing women.

Like everyone else, I’ve

been personally affected by the fighting. I was wounded by two bullets in April 2012. My father has been wounded, as has my cousin.

Many of my friends have left for Turkey and then on to Germany. Last year, I, too thought about leaving, but eventually dropped the idea, stayed and continued working. I want to show the outside world the suffering being endured by the Syrian people. AFP

won with his own party, because his perceived failings were native to the genre.

If the best comedian wins, Hillary Clinton is in some danger despite her big lead in the polls. Her attempts at comedy on the stump have been disastrous. There was the story she told about training a dog to bark when Republicans lie— but the clip that Trump used against her later was one of her barking like a dog at the end of her anecdote. There was also the “cringeworthy” routine with New York Mayor Bill de Blasio that contained a riff on “colored people’s time”—a joke that even President Barack Obama criticized as one white people shouldn’t make.

If Clinton wins the election, it will be at least in part because the US public hasn’t been won over to the idea that comedic talents are sufficient qualification for America’s highest office. If she loses, then next time around both parties will think twice before backing a candidate who fails to get a laugh. Bloomberg

PUTIN... From A5 that I have such friends.”

Putin’s explanation of Roldugin’s business activities raised more questions than it answered. More money was funneled through the musician’s firms than would be necessary to buy the world’s most extensive collection of old violins and cellos. Yet no other information was forthcoming from the Kremlin or from Roldugin himself.

Now, clearly with Putin’s blessing, the cellist surfaced in the most public situation possible—at the daring Palmyra show. He played his heart out, letting Putin’s detractors know that the Russian president would keep scornfully ignoring them.

Rolling all these messages into a classical music concert at an ancient site was almost itself a work of art. Its purpose was to assert Russia’s unapologetic might and disdain for Western opinion. The international press couldn’t ignore it. It was an unqualified success.

What, however, does it say about the country that staged it, except that its leader stands by his friends and allies, no matter who they might be and in what they might be involved?

Pomerantsev put it best: If the USSR, or today’s North Korea, were “classic” or “hard” totalitarian regimes that rely on their own institutions and narratives, from the politburo to scientific socialism, 21st century Russia takes a much more “postmodern” approach to control. Postmodern in the sense that it uses many of the techniques associated with postmodern art and philosophy: pastiches of other’s narratives, simulacra (i.e. fake) institutions, and a “society of spectacle” with no substance.

In Palmyra, the spectacle was great and the messaging unmistakable. Putin’s Russia follows its own rules, whether in Syria or at home. Bloomberg

s u n D AY : m AY 8 , 2 0 1 6

A7

NEWS

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

15 dead in poll violence A cAndidAte for mayor in Mindanao was shot dead on Saturday, police said, bringing to at least 15 the number of people killed in violence related to national elections.

The Philippines has a long tradition of political violence—fueled by lax gun laws, politicians with private armies and corrupt law enforcement agencies—and dozens of people are killed each election campaign.

In the latest incident, unknown gunmen broke into the home of politician Armando Ceballos in a mountainous town in the southern Philippines at dawn Saturday

and shot him dead, a provincial police spokesman said.

“The killers wore bonnets... as of now we are treating this as an election-related case,” the spokesman, Chief Superintendent Surki Serenas, told AFP by telephone.

Ceballos was one of two candidates standing for mayor of Lantapan, a remote town about 840 kilometers (520 miles) south of

Manila. His opponent is the incumbent vice mayor.

In the far southwestern island of Puerto Princesa, gateway to some of the Philippines’ most popular holiday destinations, two supporters of the local mayor were stabbed to death at a campaign sortie late on Thursday, police said.

The two men were part of a motorbike convoy in support of Puerto Princesa City Mayor Lucilo Bayron, who is stumping to retain his seat, police investigator Earl Torres told AFP on Saturday.

The attackers were not identified, though the Bayron camp blamed supporters of his rival.

There had been 14 deaths in 26 “validated election-related incidents” of violence between Jan. 10 and May 5, national police said in a statement. It was not clear whether the Puerto Princesa deaths were included in the list.

In the country’s deadliest single incident of political violence on record, 58 people were massacred in 2009 as gunmen allegedly belonging to a local warlord in the southern Philippines attacked a group of people to stop a rival filing his election candidacy.

Thirty-two of the victims

were journalists covering the contest, making the attack the deadliest ever recorded against media professionals.

Twenty-eight members of the Ampatuan clan accused of orchestrating the killings are on trial for the massacre, but one of them is running for mayor in the family’s home territory after the trial court allowed him to post bail.

About 18,000 posts are being contested in Monday’s elections, from the president down to the village councilor level.

More than 70 people were killed in violence related to the 2013 mid-term elections. AFP

CandidateS Urged to eMbark on poSt-poll CleanUp A WASTE and pollution watchdog dared poll candidates to go out of the streets on May 10 and take the lead in removing campaign materials and salvaging whatever can be reused or recycled.

“Candidates must show their sense of environmental responsibility and sportsmanship by taking the initiative of clearing the streets of campaign materials regardless of the poll results,” said Aileen Lucero, coordinator, EcoWaste Coalition.

“We appeal to all candidates and their supporters to dedicate May 10 for the much-needed post-campaign cleanup,” she pleaded.

“Cleaning up after the ruthless and wasteful electoral campaign is a good way to put the political bitterness behind us and usher in peace and reconciliation, especially among divided families and communities,” she noted.

While pushing for immediate post-campaign cleanup, the EcoWaste Coalition cautioned the candidates and their throng of volunteers, as well as government cleaners, against the polluting practice of dumping or burning the discarded materials. open dumping and open burning, which are unlawful under r.A. 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, will only turn a largely solid waste problem into a chemical problem, the group warned.

Both open dumping and open burning can lead to the discharge of nasty chemical pollutants into the air, water and soil, which can harm human health and the environment, the group said.

Burning chlorinated materials such as plastic campaign posters will cause the formation and release of health-damaging dioxins and furans, which are among the most toxic man-made chemical poisons, the group warned.

PROVINCIAL SORTIE. Hundreds of passengers troop to a transport terminal to catch bus units that will take them to the provinces to cast their vote on election day on Monday. MANNY PALMERO

Frontload SUCS’ bUdget, palaCe told SEnATor ralph recto on Saturday called for the full and prompt release of the P3.64 billion that the Senate had added to the 2016 budget of 114 state universities and colleges (SUCs). recto said the additional allocation, meant for new buildings, equipment and other capital expenditures, should be exempt from the underspending which had hounded public expenditures since 2010.

The combined budget of the SUCs was originally pegged by Malacañang at P43.76 billion but the Senate, on the initiative of recto and Senators Loren Legarda and Pia Cayetano raised it to P47.41 billion, the amount stated in the General Appropriations Act for 2016. recto said he is calling for the full release of the P3.64 billion “because the administrative practice is to put congressional amendments on hold until additional documents are submitted by the recipient agency.”

The reelectionist senator said agency budgets “should be treated as a whole; there is no point in

segregating congressional amendments, and subjecting them to a later release date.”

But if the funds have been released by the Department of Budget and Management, “then SUCs must see to it that the projects for which they are meant are now being implemented,” said recto, a common candidate of the Liberal Party, Partido Galing at Puso, and the Miriam-Marcos tandem.

The senator explained that the P3.6 billion in additional funds for SUCs are all in the nature of capital outlays, “to address building, equipment, and laboratory backlogs.”

By regional distribution, SUCs in Central Luzon, Ilocos, Cagayan Valley and Cordillera regions will get an additional P572 million.

Those in Southern Tagalog, MiMaroPa and Bicol regions will get P459 million more.

In the Visayas, the additional allocation is P506 million, while Mindanao SUCs will share P805 million in additional funds.

Senator ralpH reCto

The budget of Metro Manila SUCs has been raised by P1.3 billion, but this includes augmentation for all campuses in the University of the Philippines System outside of Diliman and Manila.

While the SUCs will not get an equal amount each, the Senate, recto said, made sure that all of the schools will get an additional budget.

“Some schools get P30 million, while some, like Mindanao State

University-Iligan Institute of Technology, whose budget was raised by P120 million, will get more,” recto said. “next year, it will be turn of other SUCs to get higher funding,” he said.

There were 1.68 million students in public “higher educational institutions” during the 2014-2015 academic year, a count which included enrollees in tertiary schools run by local governments. recto said government can afford to waive tuition and school fees in SUCs “by just spending another P9 billion and make public college free.”

He said the total amount of matriculation paid by state college and university students in the academic year that just ended was about P14 billion “but government spent some P5 billion in scholarship and financial aid grants, so the net need is about P5 billion.”

Thus, government will only have to shell out P9.1 billion—or equivalent to its water, power and gasoline expenses in six months—to make public colleges tuition-free, recto said.

A8 ROXAS BID FOR TALKS WITH POE DRAWS FLAK THE Duterte camp chided Mar Roxas’ appeal for a dialogue “anytime and anywhere” with Grace Poe saying it is an admission that a victory by Mayor Rodrigo Duterte has virtually become inevitable.

“Only a man on the verge of defeat can issue such frantic calls,” said Leoncio Evasco Jr., Duterte’s national campaign manager.

A man who cannot accept defeat in a clean and honest election, Evasco said, is now trying to subvert the sovereign will of the people by calling on the very rival he tried to eliminate to rally behind him and prevent Mayor Duterte from winning the presidency.

Roxas’ call for alliance with his lady presidential rival is also synonymous to conceding that his kind is being repudiated by the people.

“It also further unmasks the true character of the Aquino regime—one in the face of debacle will abandon ship and run like headless chicken,” he added.

According to Evasco, a call for unity with Grace Poe is the ultimate insult to the Filipino people and a final act of betrayal.

He added that Roxas’ appeal reaffirms the Duterte camp’s conviction that the Aquino-Roxas clique will hold on to that power to preserve the interests of oligarchy that they represent.

“They want Grace Poe to concede and give way to him [Roxas] so that their ilk will continue their exploitative reign,” said Evasco adding that President Benigno Aquino III is brokering the deal.

The people, he said, is gathering strength by the day, by the hour and by the minute as all Filipinos head to election on May 9.

“The unity that we envision is the unity of the Filipino people who are demanding change.

Change not only in the presidency but meaningful and radical change in leadership,” Evasco said.

“The unity we want is the unity of the people and their leaders. Only Mayor Rodrigo Duterte can unite the Filipino people.”

Evasco added that a united nation will make it difficult for the oligarch to again rule and reign over the Filipinos.

SUNDAY: MAY 8, 2016

NEWS editorial@thestandard.com.ph

MARCOS: I WILL WIN

By Joel E. Zurbano

VICE presidential aspirant Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Saturday said he sees a clear victory in tomorrow’s general elections as he continues getting supports from various religious organizations, political parties and influential political families.

Marcos made the announcement after visiting Bacoor, Cavite in Luzon, Tacloban in Visayas and Davao in Mindanao in just a single day.

The senator started his Friday with a mammoth campaign rally in Bacoor and then proceeded to Tacloban City for a show of force with over 10,000 supporters, and then flew to Davao City to meet

multi-sectoral leaders.

Marcos declared that with the kind of support he has been getting from all over the country, he can see victory in the polls.

“I am elated by the recent endorsement of El Shaddai and other religious groups,” Marcos said. The Iglesia ni Cristo had earlier formally announced its support for Marcos and re-

ports said even the Jesus is Lord Movement have thrown their support behind him.

Marcos has also been endorsed by various political groups such as the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats, National Unity Party and the United Bohol Opposition, among many others.

Various transport groups such as the Pasang Masda, Fejodap, Liga ng Transportasyon at Operators ng Pilipinas, UV Express likewise endorsed his candidacy.

Several influential political families have openly come out to endorse Marcos’ candidacy, with no less than the Ynareses of Rizal, the Estradas of Manila, Gomez of San Juan, Aguilar-Villars of Las Piñas, Eusebios of Pasig, Cojuangcos of Pangasinan, Dys of Isabela, Singsons of Ilocos Sur,

Remullas of Cavite, Ortegas of La Union, Teveses of Bacolod, Yaps of Tarlac, among others.

Political rivals are likewise finding common ground with their endorsement of Marcos.

Among the political rivals who have expressed their support behind the candidacy of Marcos were those in Abra, Pangasinan, Ormoc City in Leyte, La Union, Cavite, Rizal, Davao, Tarlac as well as several Mindanao kingpins.

Party-list organizations such as the Guardians Brotherhood, Abakada, OFW CIS, Puwersa ng Partidong Atleta (PBA), Partido Bayan ang Bida (PBB) and a host of other retired generals, coconut farmers and sugar barons have cut across political barriers to support Marcos.

TEAM MARCOS. Vice presidential candidate Senator Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. greets supporters at the Trabajo Market in Sampaloc, Manila on the last day of campaigning Saturday.

HOSPITAL’S CLOSURE DAMPENS MOTHER’S DAY

By Maricel V. Cruz

READY TO DEPLOY. Hundreds of policemen gather at the PNP headquarters in Quezon City for deployment to the provinces days before the May 9 elections. MANNY PALMERO

MILITANT lawmakers on Saturday denounced President Benigno Aquino III and its “Daang Matuwid” health policy regime of privatization that made public hospital services inaccessible to mothers highlighted by the Department of Health’s closure of the Fabella Maternity Hospital.

Gabriela party-list Rep. Emmi de Jesus said President Aquino was proven to be a heartless and insensitive president.

De Jesus also took the DoH to task, stating that there can be no justification for the closure and forcible cannibalization of remaining functions of the world’s largest maternity hospital into several health units.

“It is an outrage that for the past six years, amid the spike in mater-

nal deaths the Aquino government continues to prioritize selling off hospitals to private investors,” De Jesus said.

Instead of defending Fabella and assuring the daily load of 2,000 poor mothers basic maternity and birthing services, the DoH is keen on defending the eviction notice from the landowners Home Guarantee Commission, the agency that gave the hospital until June 9th to leave, De Jesus said.

The Gabriela solon said this will further jack up Aquino’s already embarrassing hikes in maternal and infant deaths and morbidity and failures to meet health development goals.

For his part, Bayan Muna partylist Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate described the Aquino administration’s imminent closure of the Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital Medical

Center as “akin to further strangulation of the country’s maternity health care system.”

“The pending closure of the Fabella Hospital, a national, major public maternity institution, is a clear violation of our people’s the right to health, particularly of the indigent patients. It is another painful blow to our poor people who are already suffering the brunt of our already dismal and inadequate public health care system,” Zarate said.

In the past years, Zarate said the Aquino administration even “allowed the further deterioration of Fabella despite the dire need of our poor pregnant mothers for free healthcare.”

“The deterioration of Fabella and other hospitals is done on purpose: it intends to pull the plug on public services,” Zarate stressed.

SUNDAY: MAY 8, 2016

BUSINESS

Roderick T. dela Cruz EDITOR

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

B1

AMERICAN FIRM WANTS TO CHANGE PH CLASSROOMS A SOFTWARE company headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah aims to change Philippine classrooms by introducing a cloud-based learning management system that reduces the use of blackboards and paperbacks.

Instructure Inc., a software-asa-service technology company established by two graduate students of Brigham Young University in Utah in 2008, is now in talks with public and private schools in the Philippines to try out Canvas LMS, used by some of the best schools in the world.

“Local market conditions in the Philippines are a big reason for Canvas being here and Canvas being able to help. We care deeply about education. We care deeply about the impact that Canvas makes to students, teachers and institutions.

We believe that it is something important and powerful not just for Harvard University in the United States, but to all universities and schools, of all sizes, throughout Asia-

Pacific including the Philippines,” Instructure sales director in AsiaPacific Troy Martin tells journalists over dinner at Manila Peninsula Hotel in Makati City.

Canvas is a cloud-based LMS that allows teachers and students to experience education like never before, adopting the power of modern technologies in learning such as applications, video chat, movies, graphics, slides and photos, instead of just books and paperbacks. It can be accessed by teachers and students anytime through any computer, tablet or mobile device, according to Martin, who is based in Sydney.

The platform facilitates easy integration of content, applications, tools and services where students can also share inputs and

participate in discussions.

“With this advancement, we’ve seen the ‘thinning of the walls’ of the classrooms over the years— engaging a larger, authentic community in the process,” Martin says.

“We are built for the cloud. One of the benefits of being based in the cloud is that we are able to access data and deliver data to our customers in ways that they would not experience previously.

Every interaction is measured and monitored. An individual teacher is able to see how the class is performing. Canvas is built for collaboration, with ability to share content to a global resource,” he says.

“We are now actively speaking with potential customers in the Philippines. We are now in a position to serve the Philippine education system,” says Martin.

Canvas is now used by some of the top schools in Hong Kong and Singapore, he says.

TURN TO B3

Instructure regional director Julian Yballe (left) and director for Asia-Pacific sales Troy Martin

Creating wonderful moments with your kids in the digital world Being a mom in today’s digital world is a big challenge. With the kids usually glued to their computer screens, tablets or smartphones playing Clash Royale, chatting with friends on Viber, posting selfies on Instagram, or updating their status on Facebook, where can family bonding come in?

The internet and digital devices are already an integral part of the lives of many Filipinos so instead of allowing technology to deter you from creating wonderful moments with your kids, take advantage of this opportunity to foster a healthy relationship with the young ones.

Here are some things you can do with your kids to make the most out of online technology: 1. Connect via Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc – Tweens and teenagers value their online relationships, thus, keeping them away from social media may only result in conflict or rebellion. In moderation, such interactions would be good to adolescent development. Show them your support and love by doing simple things such as “liking” a post or dropping a message or two on their social media accounts but without being overbearing or embarrassing.

2. Take time to play and learn – Get in on the fun and play video and other interactive games with them and while doing so, you may give your children a lesson or two on the value of sportsmanship, co-

operation, perseverance, patience, among other things.

3. Watch YouTube videos together - Kids love YouTube for good reason.

This video-sharing website practically has all kinds of materials under the sun that would appeal to any type of viewer. But if you leave the children to browse on their own, it’s likely that they might stumble on inappropriate content. Watching YouTube together allows you to ensure that they only access safe videos and gives you a chance to understand and appreciate the things that catch their attention.

However, since you cannot be with your kids all the time as they navigate through the web and socialize online, there should also be a way to educate them on the responsible use of technology, be it through gadgets, website browsing, or interacting via social media platforms. This is to remind them to behave appropriately both online and offline and to be careful of cyberbullying and cybercrimes.

One of the ways your children can receive such guidance is through the Digital Thumbprint Program (DTP) which Globe Telecom is doing in partnership with Optus of Australia and Singtel of Singapore.

By nominating your child’s high school to be a recipient of the DTP workshops, your child and his/her schoolmates would be taught how to make safe and responsible choices in their online activities and be equipped with the knowledge and tools to protect themselves online.

Because Globe is committed to improv-

ing the quality of education and digital citizenship for a #WonderfulPH, nominated high schools just need to set aside at least 45 minutes of a class so that Globe Digital Thumbprint ambassadors can conduct the workshops for free. The workshops deal with three topics: Digital Insight to help students discern proper online behavior; Digital Impact which tackles issues on technology’s effect on students’ social activities, and Digital Ambition to

equip students with skills on how to use technology to achieve life goals.

To nominate a school for DTP, simply fill up this form http://glbe.co/DTPNomination or email bridgecom@globe.com. ph. The Globe Citizenship team will use this information to contact the school directly to arrange a schedule with them for the DTP workshops starting June 2016.

For additional questions on DTP, you may email bridgecom@globe.com.ph.

SUNDAY: MAY 8, 2016

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

LAS VEGAS DOCTOR RAISES AWARENESS ON COLON CANCER

By Alena Mae S. Flores

NOEL Fajardo, a Las Vegas-based gastroenterologist, has visited the Philippines recently to raise awareness on colon cancer and its early prevention.

Fajardo, a graduate of the University of the Philippines College of Medicine in 1997, says early detection and prevention of colon cancer can save lives.

Fajardo finished his residency and chief residency at Mount Sinai School of Medicine Affiliate in New York.

After his residency, he specialized in Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Rochester, Minnesota, where he also holds an advanced Fellowship Degree in Gastrointestinal Motility.

He was also a former clinical instructor at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine.

Fajardo has been a leading advocate for the diagnosis and treatment of hepatitis among the Asian-American and Pacific Island communities throughout the United States.

He has also promoted and organized multiple large-scale regional screening and benefit events.

Fajardo says that at age 50, there is a risk of colon cancer which can be detected by colonoscopy.

“The idea is prevention. The growing cancer prevention drastically reduces the rates of

colon cancer by 60 to 90 percent…

It’s just appropriate that we bring the colon cancer awareness here in the Philippines,” he says.

He says colon cancer, based on studies, is related to genetics and is more prevalent among women.

He cites the case of late president Corazon Aquino, who died of colon cancer.

“If you family is at risk of colon cancer, you get colonoscopy screening 10 years before age 50,” Fajardo says.

He says colonoscopy is not a covered service in the Philippines.

He says screening is “the first step to being healthy.”

“My advocacy is to tell people that there is a test that can save lives,” Fajardo says.

He says colonoscopy costs from P3,000 to as high as P50,000, depending on where the procedure is done.

The government, he says, plays an important role in helping bring down the cost to ensure that Filipinos have a chance at battling colon cancer.

“Colon is one of the most curable cancers. It’s not a death sentence. It’s getting the diagnosis and getting the treatment early,” Fajardo says.

He says the government has already started on certain preventive medicine, “and it’s just a matter of expanding the scope.”

“Preventive medicine saves more than dealing with the disease itself,” he says.

Fajardo opened the first independent endoscopy center in Clark County in 2008.

Las Vegas made the national news for a hepatitis outbreak in 2008 caused by the unsafe and unhygienic actions of a local

endoscopy center.

Despite the permanent closure of the practice,with its owner now serving a life sentence, independent endoscopy centers continue to endure the stigma of Las Vegas being unsafe.

But in the face of public fear with new, more stringent, regulations, Fajardo chose to expand his successful gastroenterology practice and include an endoscopy center.

Fajardo wants to assure all southern Nevadans and his own patients they will be safe in a facility that surpasses the topmost standards.

While the regulatory compliance process is long and difficult, Fajardo says Las Vegas Endoscopy is in complete compliance with every regulation.

The Las Vegas Gastroenterology also introduces advanced technology to the community.

LVE is the first and the only Endoscopy Center in Las Vegas to offer the endochoice fuse – full spectrum endoscopy.

The innovative scope provides a panoramic 330-degree field of view, compared to the 170-degree field of a traditional endoscope.

The endochoice fuse has been shown to be 69-percent more effective at detecting adenomas (benign tumors in epithelial tissue) than a traditional endoscope.

Fajardo’s research interests include disorders of the bowel associated with spinal cord injury and experimental treatment of other neuropathic gastrointestinal disorders. The results of his research have been presented at national and international meetings.

Dr. Noel Fajardo

HOW TO BECOME A FILIPINO BUTLER WITH a goal of making premier guest service the new institutional standard in the Philippines, the Asian School of Hospitality Arts teams up with Magnums Butler Academy to hold the 7-Star Service Training for Butlers on May 16 to 20.

An extensive program on professional luxury butler service, the workshop will be spearheaded

by MBA’s renowned principal trainer and director Josephine Ive. As a foremost authority and as UK’s first female butler to the British Royals, Ive’s professional track record includes training butlers from all over the world for 30 years now.

For the upcoming workshop, Ive will share her wide expertise on various subjects related to taking hospitality service standards in various industry settings to the next level.

Participants will be thoroughly engaged in a five-day handson training workshop that will cover the following key topics: personal development skills, basic guest interaction skills (etiquette, manners and protocol); guest awareness and cultural skills; communication skills; basic guest care skills (packing, unpacking and wardrobe management).

Josephine Ive demonstrates an example of 7-star service training to student Syd Luna.

Topics also include table setting and food service skills (butler style food service); beverage service skills (wine and beverage service and basic mixology); basic specialist advise skills; and guest suite skills.

“The term butler has moved forward, it has gained much publicity. Butler service has grown into many different avenues these days, not just in hotels, not just in private households, not just in luxury yachts or the cruise ships,

and the private individuals who still look for butlers,” Ive saus.

“I have a soft spot for Filipinos because they got a service heart. It is not difficult for them to give good, respectful service. It’s very natural, and that around the world there are many Filipino butlers. There are a lot of other potentials for them out there.

The competency levels [of Filipinos] are very high, they study well and they are very attentive and really want to give utmost service,” she says.

Among Magnums’ recent butler service graduates is Lenie Sanchez, hotel manager of The Orange Place Hotels. “This experience has broadened my perspectives about the profession and service excellence. Ms. Ive’s straightforward mentoring lectures have brought forth a lot of new ideas which I, as a hotel manager, can develop into effective practical approaches that I can apply in orienting or re-training our hotel staff,” she says.

Syd Kristian Michael Luna, operations manager of Misibis Bay Resort, describes his training experience at Magnums relevant, useful and motivational for all luxury service providers.

“I joined the workshop to get a better understanding about the concept of butler service, what a butler is, what it should be and the practical applications that can be derived from the training. It’s really an eye-opening experience, like how simple, little details have become missing in our daily lives because lifestyles have drastically become fast-paced. This challenged me, and motivated me at the same time to always do my best in serving our guests, from the heart.

I also really like Ms. Ive’s talk on

how butlers need to think outside the box, to always have the ‘mental switch’ on to be able to anticipate the needs and wants of guests,” he says.

Trina Patricia Tabora, Club Millesime manager, acknowledges the program for presenting the various aspects of the profession along with refreshing insights. “Even for those like me who are in the industry for many years, the training highlighted the importance of taking care of the little details to level up guest service. Also the day-to-day activities like courteously speaking to guests, the proper body language, factors that need to be carefully considered to really polish and enhance the caliber of guest service.

I will definitely take my Seven Star Butler Training with me as this will contribute to a more meaningful and satisfying professional career and personal well-being not only for me but to the rest of Sofitel hotel staff,” she says.

Other successful graduates of 7-Star Service program are the hospitality delegates from The Manila Hotel, Sofitel, Fuego Hotels, Misibis Bay Resort, Manila Diamond Hotel, Solaire Resorts and Casino and City Of Dreams.

SUNDAY: MAY 8, 2016

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

AMERICAN FIRM... FROM B1 “When we talk to institutions in the Philippines, they talk about the business of education, the changing face of education and increased competition. Part of that increasing competition is needing to provide enhanced students’ experience. They are looking for competitive advantage. They are competing not only with other universities in the Philippines, but they are also competing on a regional basis. When we look at what the future of education looks like in the Philippines and further in the region, that competition for students will be very much driven by technology and impact of technology,” says Martin.

Being cloud-based, Canvas requires constant access to the Internet. The platform allows teachers to build courses, share tutorials including Youtube videos, record or upload audio and video messages, add slides, notify students of important updates and events through a calendar feature, chat with students anytime through web conferencing, allow collaboration with students, create assignments, undertake quizzes or tests, allow students to submit assignments online, assess or grade assignments or tests at half the time through a speedgrader app and gain insights into the performance of the whole class through analytics.

Students also have a portal where they can respond, react to teacher’s and classmates’ inputs and collaborate with one another.

BYU graduate students Brian Whitmer and Devlin Daley established Instructure in 2008, with an initial funding from Mozy founder Josh Coates, who now serves as Instructure chief executive. The company launched Canvas LMS in 2011.

“Since 2011, the business has been growing substantially. We now have over 2,000 customers in over 35 countries and 10 million active users on Canvas platform,” Martin says. He says a single customer can be as large as an entire school district in the US. “Canvas works for K-12, vocational education and higher education,” he says. “It is 100-percent native cloud. Unlike some of the learning technologies that institutions were used to in the past, Canvas was built with modern foundation. It was built for the cloud.”

Martin says Instructure now has more than 750 employees, with offices in Salt Lake City, London, Sao Paolo, Sydney and Hong Kong.

The company posted a 59-percent growth in revenue in the first quarter of 2016, as it welcomed its 2,000th customer and realized meaningful improvements in margins on a year-on-year basis.

Among its newest customers are the University of CaliforniaDavis, Regional School District 18 in Connecticut, Dunlap School District 323 in Illinois, University of Copenhagen in Denmark, Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands and University of Adelaide in Australia.

Other well-known customers are Harvard University, University of California-Berkeley, California Community Colleges, Stanford Business School, Cisco

Networking Academy, Juilliard School of Music, University of Washington, Columbia Business School, Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, SIM-University in Singapore, University of Auckland in New Zealand, SCEGGS Darlinghurst in Sydney and Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.

“We believe that Canvas should be accessible to a wide range of educational institutions.

Our market in Asia-Pacific generally includes universities, both public and private, vocational institutions, and K-12, both public and private,” says Martin.

Canvas offers a glimpse of the future of education.

“Canvas demonstrates how open technologies and modern technologies can really be used in terms of best practice in educational environment. It is the approach we have taken that we think is the future of education.

That’s why when you look at the US, whole school districts have taken up Canvas, as well as large institutions. They recognize this is the technology platform, the ecosystem platform that they can use to really engage students with technology,” says Martin.

On how customers assess the success of Canvas platform, Martin says: “We have an extremely high retention rate with Canvas. That is the number one way of measuring the success of Canvas in the longer term.”

Martin says Instructure does not claim that the Canvas technology directly improves students’ academic performance. “We believe that it is not technology that improves students’ outcomes.

It is the ability of schools or institutions to engage students and faculty more with that technology and how that has the potential to lead to improved student outcomes.”

He says while Instructure does not necessarily promote paperless education, schools and students can save on cost of papers and ink used in printing assignments.

“Think of Canvas as a catalyst for institutions to make sure students are skilled for the future.

This is really about helping schools communicate with students in a way by using technologies that students are familiar with, and actually get a great educational experience with technology, rather than just entertainment experience,” he says.

Martin says while Instructure aims to get both public and private schools as customers, the experience in Australia is that private schools tend to embrace the Canvas platform earlier than public institutions do, given the available resources.

He denies that Canvas is costprohibitive, saying it is actually transparent in terms of pricing.

Canvas is an annual upfront subscription, based on the number of students in an institution, he says, without disclosing actual figures.

Martin says as the Philippines adopts the K-12 program, local schools can adopt the Canvas platform as a springboard for the future. “We believe in IT’s ability to spring education forward,” he says.

Roderick T. dela Cruz

The winning team composed of app developers and programmers introduce their space app Trypo Sense Puncture censor.

YOUNG FILIPINOS COMPETE TO DEVELOP OUTER SPACE APPS Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. has recently hosted the Manila leg of the nationwide run of the 2016 NASA Space Apps Challenge at PLDT Innolab in Mandaluyong City to support the country’s vision of a space program and develop creative solutions for outer space explorations by local app developers and programmers.

Forty university students, app developers and programmers participated in the three-day challenge to create digital solutions from categories including technology, aeronautics, space station, solar system, Earth and journey to Mars.

NASA Space Apps Challenge is an international event, simultaneously held at 121 cities in 55 countries, 99 of which are located outside the United States.

The local winner of every leg of the space apps challenge will have a chance to be included among the roster of global winners to be chosen by National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

With amateurs and experts collaborating in order to come up with the best app ideas, finding digital solutions proved to be an enjoyable challenge – one that enables an individual to think outside the box, embodying a unique quality.

Mithi Sevilla, a robotics enthusiast from Nanica.io, discussed the possibilities of their solutions as she gave examples of ongoing projects that may inspire participants in creating their own apps. One such project includes ArduSat, which is a miniature cube micro satellite launched in 2012 composed of the open-source hardware Arduino that uses the same program as that of Diwata-1, which was launched in March this year.

“Arduino is a rapid electronic prototyping platform. It’s so popular because it can be easily used by beginners. But at the same time, it is technical enough for advanced shooters,” Sevilla said. “And because it has open-source software and hardware, it encourages exploration and can be modified.”

Taking the path towards a digital transformation, PLDT supports the continuous exploration of new technologies, seeing potential in the

PLDT has always given its utmost support in the continuous propagation of information technology through practical display of innovative ideas.

growth of digital innovations that people coming from different parts of the country has the ingenuity to create.

Ten teams competed to design solutions viable for NASA with the solution developed by a team of app developers and programmers, consisting of Emerson Benoza, Robin Salazar and Adrian Vergel Viar, were hailed as the winning project.

Their project Trypo Sense Puncture sensor allows astronauts to detect and pinpoint pressure changes and punctures on space suits and equipment for them to immediately repair the problem. Their project creates a sensor network that detects punctures on inanimate objects such as spacesuits or for the international space stations.

Emerson Benoza, an electronics and communications engineer, shared his thoughts for their team’s plan, discussing certain limitations that are foreseeable in the process.

“Even if we have the particular technology we need, there’s still a problem with reliability and

repeatability,” Benoza said. “That’s what we needed in order to reach the particular aims we have for our ideas – we needed to think of the problem to the solution we are trying to create.”

PLDT technology specialist Pet Arnaldo talked about the role of PLDT Innolab as it becomes an avenue in finding the next big idea, which may eventually inspire the creation of future products and services. “PLDT has always given its utmost support in the continuous propagation of information technology through practical display of innovative ideas,” Arnaldo said. “In partnering with the Mobile IT 4 Youth, PLDT enables these certain communities to succeed. Their achievement in creating these various innovations also speaks of a wider success, especially for PLDT, which ultimately becomes a home of these truly inspired new technologies.”

PLDT ICT research and development vice president Joselito Limjap recognized the importance of new innovation. “PLDT Innolab has always recognized the growth of technology,” Limjap said. “By partnering with these organizations that bring in innovative ideas, we are continuously fueling the sparks of creativity in light of taking progressive steps towards a digital pivot.”

Despite being the only Southeast Asian country without a space program, Filipinos have always found ways to be non-conformists by creating a mindset that is always forward-looking. Aiming to finally create contributions when it comes to digital space innovations, cofounder of Mobile IT 4 Youth Wilson Censon took an opportunity to spearhead the NASA Space Apps Challenge in the Philippines.

Heading the organization which is based in Nueva Ecija, Censon understood the consequences of having taken such a leap in order for the project to finally be realized.

Censon spoke of timing as a factor in weighing his decision to move the project forward. “It’s about time that we gain interest and become curious about how things happen in space – how they work and ultimately, how we could make it better,” Censon said.

“PLDT is very supportive and hopefully we will be known for the potentials of the space programs that the IT industry aims to give,” Censon said.

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WORLD

FOREST FIRE CUTS CANADA OIL YIELD

FLYING COLORS. A Russian soldier waves his national flag while others fly the Syrian national flag as they attend a music concert in the ancient theatre of Syria’s ravaged city of Palmyra on Friday, after Syrian troops backed by Russian air strikes and special forces on the ground recaptured the UNESCO world heritage site from Islamic State group fighters in March. AFP

PANAMA FINANCIAL HUB IMAGE MARRED PANAMA’S reputation as a world-class financial hub is being torn apart from the double scandals of the Panama Papers and now the US designating one of its most prominent families as top money launderers for drug cartels.

‘‘This is like a magnitude-10 earthquake for Panama’s economic system and society, but it shouldn’t be a surprise,’’ said Miguel Antonio Bernal, a professor in constitutional law at the University of Panama. ‘‘The country’s image has been damaged by these scandals,’’ said Francisco

Bustamante, who used to work for the Inter-American Development Bank.

They and other analysts believe that, far from putting the scandals behind it, Panama could see them grow in the weeks and months ahead, subjecting the Central American nation to further international scrutiny

and spooking investors.

The US announcement this week declaring members and associates of the Wakeds, a prominent family of Lebanese descent, to be among ‘‘the world’s most significant drug money launderers and criminal facilitators’’ was a bad blow on top of the Panama Papers revelations that emerged a month ago.

The US Treasury Department froze the US assets of Nidal Ahmed Waked Ha-

tum and Abdul Mohamed Waked Fares and those of many of their businesses, which span real estate, luxury shops, hotels, a bank, media and duty-free outlets.

Colombia arrested Waked Hatum on Wednesday and said it would extradite him to the United States, where he faces money laundering and bank fraud charges.

Meanwhile, the Panama Papers revelations about how many of the world’s wealthy shoved assets into

offshore entities look set to deepen.

A US-based journalists’ collective that has been poring over the 11.5 million documents plundered from the servers of a secretive Panamanian law firm is to release many of them online on Monday.

And the US government and European countries are stepping up measures against countries seen to be ‘‘havens’’ for tax avoiders and money-launderers. AFP

THE Alberta forest fire has forced Canadian oil producers to slash output by one million barrels a day, dealing a fresh blow to the oil-dependent economy, analysts said Friday.

The immense fire ravaging the area around Fort McMurray, the center of the country’s massive oil sands deposits, has sent tens of thousands of workers and their families fleeing and compelled the producers in the region to shut down operations.

The production cuts correspond to about a quarter of the country’s entire production, and a third of Alberta’s, and mean a loss of tens of millions of dollars per day in income.

The fire disaster adds another blow to the economy after the crash in the price of oil, Canada’s principal export. ‘‘It is now estimated that up to one million barrels a day of Canadian production has been taken offline,’’ said oil analyst Matt Smith of ClipperData.

An estimated 100,000 people have been evacuated from Fort McMurray, a city built up on the oil sands mining industry.

Suncor, which produces more than 400,000 barrels a day in the area, has closed its principal operations north of Fort McMurray.

Shell Canada, with 250,00 barrels a day of production in Albian, 95 kilometers (55 miles) north of Fort McMurray, has also shut production.

Mark Ward, the chief executive of Syncrude, said that the group had completely shut down operations north of the city.

AFP

MONEY LAUNDERER GETS 20 YEARS

MUSLIM LEADER. Newly elected London Mayor Sadiq Khan (foreground) addresses

the media following his election victory at City Hall in central London on Saturday.

London became the first European Union capital with a Muslim mayor Friday as Khan won the election that saw his opposition Labour party suffer nationwide setbacks. AFP

THE founder of an online underworld bank that allegedly laundered billions of dollars for criminals was sentenced Friday to 20 years in prison.

Arthur Budovsky, 42, had pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to commit money laundering on January 29, three days before the scheduled start of his trial in New York.

He was also ordered to pay a $500,000 fine by US District Judge Denise L. Cote, who noted that Budovsky did not express any ‘‘genuine remorse’’. ‘‘The significant sentence handed down today shows that money laundering through the use of vir-

tual currencies is still money laundering, and that online crime is still crime,’’ Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell for the Justice Department’s Criminal Division said in a statement. ‘‘Liberty Reserve founder Arthur Budovsky ran a digital currency empire built expressly to facilitate money laundering on a massive scale for criminals around the globe,» US Attorney Preet Bharara for the Southern District of New York was quoted as saying.

Prosecutors said Costa Rica-based Liberty Reserve operated an alternative digital currency that helped cyber criminals around the

world distribute, store and launder the proceeds of illegal activity.

The company was a «financial hub» for Ponzi scheme operators, credit card traffickers, identity thieves, hackers and other criminals, authorities said.

The system became operational in 2005. By the time it was shut down in 2013, Liberty Reserve had more than 5.5 million user accounts, including more than 600,000 in the United States, the US Department of Justice said.

Overall, it had processed more than 78 million financial transactions with a combined value of more than $8 billion. AFP

S U N D AY : M AY 8 , 2 0 1 6

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WORLD editorial@thestandard.com.ph

ISRAEL RAIDS GAZA OVER ROCKET FIRE ISRAELI aircraft hit two Hamas targets in Gaza early Saturday in response to rocket fire, the army said, as the worst flare-up of violence since a 2014 war entered a fourth day.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the rocket launch and most such fire since 2014 has been carried out by fringe Islamist groups but Israel holds Hamas responsible for all such attacks. ‘‘Earlier today (Saturday)... a rocket was fired from the Gaza Strip at southern Israel,’’ the army said in a statement. ‘‘In response... aircraft targeted two Hamas terror infrastructures in the southern Gaza Strip.’’

Hamas security sources said the retaliatory raid hit two brickworks in the southern city of Khan Yunis, causing damage but no casualties.

But witnesses said two missiles hit a base of Hamas’s military wing east of the city,

causing significant damage.

It was the fourth

day of the worst violence across the border since the 50-day war between Israel and Hamas which left 2,251 Palestinians and 73 Israelis dead in 2014.

Mortar fire by Palestinian militants, and

Israeli air strikes and shelling have raised concerns for the future of an informal truce that has held since the conflict ended.

An Israeli tank round killed a Palestinian woman when it hit

her home east of Khan Yunis on Thursday.

Since Wednesday, Hamas and other militant groups have fired at least 12 mortar rounds at Israeli forces searching along the border and short

distances inside Gaza for infiltration tunnels leading into Israel.

Such tunnels were among the most feared weapons of Hamas fighters during the 2014 conflict and one was uncovered by the

army on Thursday.

Hamas’s Gaza leader, Ismail Haniya, said on Friday that the group was ‘‘not calling for a new war’’, but would not accept Israeli incursions into Palestinian territory. AFP

A CALL FOR PEACE. Professor Aaron Ciechanover from Israel, Nobel laureate for Chemistry, Dr. Sir Richard Roberts from Britain, Nobel laureate for Medecine, Chairman of the board of directors of the International Peace Foundation Uwe Morawetz, Chairman of the Advisory Board of the International Peace Foundation Prince Alfred of Liechtenstein and Professor Finn Kydland from Norway, Nobel laureate for Economics lead a press conference at a hotel in Beijing on Saturday. A group of Nobel laureates recently returned from North Korea called for increased dialog and eased sanctions, as the country’s ruling party gathered to anoint its leader. NICOLAS ASFOURI

B6

S U N D AY : M AY 8 , 2 0 1 6

SPORTS

REUEL VIDAL EDITOR

sports@thestandard.com.ph

By Peter Atencio

AFTER the La Salle Lady Spikers won five straight games in the second round, members of the team knew that they will make it to the finals of the 78th University Athletic Association of the Philippines women’s volleyball tournament.

Mary Joy Baron, one of the team’s mainstays knew the finals was coming their way, and stepped up her game along with the rest of the veterans.

“Ang dami kong natutunan. Una, ang daming talo.

Tapos, nagkaroon kami ng mga panalong madadali,” said Baron, the Lady Spikers’ 5’11 middle blocker.

Another junior spiker, Kim Dy, also felt this and did her part, and eventually claimed the Finals MVP honors.

For head coach Ramil De Jesus, winning the crown was a proud moment for the team especially after what it has gone through in the previous season.

“Ang tagal naming inantay ito. Very proud ako sa mga seniors,” he said.

De Jesus spoke his thoughts last week, a few minutes after the Lady Spikers held their ground with a big defensive wall in the

DLSU LADY SPIKERS REGAIN UAAP GLORY

fourth set to put away the defending champion Ateneo Lady Eagles, 19-25, 25-21 25-15, 25-15, at the Araneta Coliseum.

The Lady Spikers needed a year to prepare after they bowed the Lady Eagles in season 77.

To get the team ready for a big comeback this year, de Jesus needed to trust one of the team’s leaders, Kim Fajardo.

He eventually got Fajardo to be the skipper the Lady Spikers in Season 78.

In giving Fajardo such a big responsibility, he had the goal of regaining the proud team’s lost glory.

This was after La Salle experienced two years of futility against the Alyssa Valdez-led Lady Eagles.

“After season 77, nakita nila kung gaano kasakit ang pagkatalo. Kaya this year, pinaghandaan namin ito,” said de Jesus.

Season 77 was a painful

Ateneo De Manila University Lady Eagles’ star spiker Alyssa Valdez is foiled at the net by a double block by De La Salle University’ Kim Fajardo (18) and Mika Reyes. PETER ATENCIO

De La Salle University Lady Spiker Mary Joy Baron (left) elevates to attempt a quick attack from a set by teammate Kim Fajardo before the Ateneo blockers can come to the net. PETER ATENCIO

and frustrating one for La Salle even if they reached the finals.

It became a big concern with players hit by injuries.

This included one their aces Ara Galang, who suffered an ACL injury before the end of Season 77 Final Four.

Then, there’s Desiree Cheng, who was also out because of a knee injury she sustained late last year.

On the other hand, Fajardo’s presence became the glue that kept

the team together. “‘Yung mga attacks ko sa game siguro nasa isip ko talaga na kailangan kong maka-point,” said Fajardo as she contributed point for the team. Her contributions helped Fajardo lead her team to a ninth title overall.

In Game 3 of the finals, not only were the veterans having their shining moment. There were junior players who kept providing points as well.

Dy, dedicating her game

to five teammates who are graduating this season, proved to be one of the Lady Eagles’ headaches, and this earned her the Finals MVP honors.

The 5’10” Dy made 17 points, with 16 of it on attacks, and La Salle found itself taking a decisive 9-2 edge.

That was when she combined for blocks twice with Mary Joy Baron, and then another one with Mika Reyes.

Blocks from Dy and Cyd Demecillo off Jhoanna Maraguinot and Alyssa Valdez proved fatal for the Lady Eagles.

The Lady Spikers were able to move away and take a 10-point edge, 14-4 in the ensuing play.

Valdez hit 34 points when she led the Lady Eagles 1825, 26-28, 25-17, 25-16, 15-11 win over the Lady Spikers.

In Game 1, La Salle had little trouble pulling off a 25-22, 25-22, 25-21 win over Ateneo, which took the crown the last two years.

So far, La Salle claimed its ninth championship under coach Ramil de Jesus, and after they last held it following a three-peat from 2010-2012.

Valdez, playing her final year for Ateneo, showed the way again for the Lady Eagles, dishing out 31 points, with 30 off her attacks during the 102 minute showdown before a crowd of 22,848.

With her imposing presence, the Lady Eagles quickly took a 10-2 edge in the first set, with Jia Morado capping Ateneo’s scoring run with an ace.

In the second set, Dy scored twice off blocks on Amy Ahomiro while Kim Fajardo added an ace to give La Salle a 16-10 spread.

Blocks by Demecillo and Dy in the third saw La Salle moving away, 14-9.

De Jesus said the players learned from their mistakes from Game 2, and this helped them win the championship.

“Sabi ko sa kanila, matuto tayo dito. Ayun, sumunod sila sa game plan,” said de Jesus after he finally broke his silence from their terrible loss.

The Lady Spikers dedicated their title conquest to five graduating teammates led by Mika Reyes, Mika Esperanza, Carol Ann Cerveza, Ara Galang and Cyd Demecillo.

THOMPSON IN NO RUSH MAKE A MARK IN PBA

By Homer Vidal BARANGAY Ginebra rookie combo guard Earl Scottie Thompson is in no rush to make a mark in the Philippine Basketball Association.

After all he’s just 22 years old but already has enough experience to know that things have a way of falling into place at the right time.

And he knows this from experience. Despite a stellar high school career he had to come off the bench as a sixth man with the Perpetual Help Altas. He averaged six points, four rebounds and two assists in his rookie season in the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

It wasn’t long though before he made his mark in the league. By 2014 he was already the league Most Valuable Player with averages of 26 points and ten rebounds per game as he led the Altas to the Final Four.

Thompson was born to be a basketball player. He traces his American lineage from his great-grandfather. But it was his father who gave him the name Scottie from National Basketball Association legend Scottie Pippen who held establish the Chicago Bulls dynasty with Michael Jordan.

Thompson was already a varsity player during his elementary years. But it was

only in his senior year in high school when he gained national recognition after he stood out in the Palarong Pambansa representing Region XI. He played so well he was chosen to the Nike Elite Camp. Ironically he didn’t get any scholarship offers except from Perpetual Help which he eagerly accepted.

After a standout collegiate career Thompson was recruited to play for the national team that ruled the 2015 Southeast Asian Games and 2015 SEABA Championship in Singapore.

And just before making it to the big league Thompson suited up for the Hapee Fresh Fighters in the PBA D-League.

He teamed up with fellow college standouts Troy Rosario, Baser Amer, Garvo Lanete and Chris Newsome.

He played so well that he led the Fresh Fighters to their first ever PBA D-League title in 2015. Because of his outstanding play Thompson was drafted high in the 2015 PBA draft as the fifth overall pick

by Barangay Ginebra.

Thompson has not been getting the minutes to showcase his talent because of the guardheavy lineup of Ginebra.

But he’s in no rush. After all he’s just starting his PBA career and he’s savvy enough to realize that given time things have a way of working out for the best in the end.

Earl Scottie Thompson is in no rush because he knows that things have a way of working out for the best in the end.

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SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

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To Mikee, “no matter how dedicated and serious you are as an athlete, what really matters is the attitude behind it which is what we are trying to spread. What I can say is that as human beings we always have to strive to get better and better. For all our athletes, who have already qualified for the Olympics, we ask them to elevate their game at this point because we don’t want to have an attitude of going into the Olympics saying we have arrived here so we are okay. That’s not the point. That is why we try to give a lot of importance to the athletes.

That’s why we are here to try to get everybody excited about the Olympic Games. A lot of the performance will come from the support that we show them and give them.”

She also believes that “to specify and say a gold medal may come from this specific sport (in reference to boxing), in my very own personal experience would be unfair because no one would have ever thought of me as a possible gold medalist in the Asian Games and yet it came. Even I was surprised but it happened. We want our athletes on their journey to Rio with that mindset and in their hearts knowing that if they give their all, they can be the first Filipino gold medalist.”

To the head of TV 5 Sports, the talented and hard-working Patricia Bermudez Hizon, she and her colleagues inspired by the leadership of the eminent businessman-sportsman and legendary supporter of Philippine sports Manny Pangilinan, feel “absolutely honored to be the Olympic network.”

“We will focus on the value of sports, carrying the country’s colors. The idea is to teach values of pushing sports in the service of humanity,” Hizon said, pointing out that “when there is so much confusion in the world and sometimes violence that happens in different corners of the world, you have to push the values of Olympism. We are also set to inspire the nation to support our athletes who will be fighting for that elusive gold medal.

Our commitment shows value of sports as part of nation building, which has been a constant theme of Manny Pangilinan.”

Bermudez Hizon announced there will be 16 hours of coverage on free TV alone, daily, alongside Aksiyon TV and Cignal, whose vast reach will bring the Olympic telecast to the farthest corners of our country.

She cited Mikee Cojuangco Jaworski, who “has helped us educate people because our role is not just to cover the

games but to make our people watch and learn and expand their knowledge about the athletes and their mission to reach out to all corners of the country…in teaching the values of Olympism, informing people about our athletes, the Olympics and the games and to unify the country behind the quest for gold.”

However, that quest is becoming increasingly more difficult to accomplish as Romasanta pointed out.

“What we have experienced is, it’s getting more difficult to make it to the Olympics. The bar is so high. We need to keep up with the developments.

We hope to have more than 11 qualifiers. We are very happy and surprised to have new faces such as those in table tennis and taekwondo. Everybody was surprised compared to how it was before,” Romasanta said.

Kirstie Alora, who captured a silver medal at the recent Asian Taekwondo Championships and qualified for the Olympics in the 67-kilogram category, is quietly confident of at least winning a medal in Rio. The 26-year-old, who looks much younger said while wining a gold medal in Rio “is most difficult, her target is to win a medal.

“I’m not going for the sake of going to the

my category .”

Alora is grateful for the support from the Philippine Sports Commission, the Philippine Olympic Committee, her National Sports Association, PLDT and Smart, which are two of the major sponsors of the Olympic coverage.

An even bigger surprise was the achievement of UAAP table tennis standout Ian “Yan Yan” Lariba of La Salle, who earned what was described as “a golden ticket” to Rio when she nailed the last slot in the Asia Olympic Qualifiers in Hong Kong and wrote her name into the history of Philippine Olympic competition as the very first Filipino Olympian in table tennis. uanoom “Qualifying for the Olympics is really a privilege and an honor which is slowly sinking in,” said the 22-year-old, who clinched the final Olympic slot in a do-or-die match against Indonesia’s Lilis Indriani, winning handily in straight sets 11-6, 11-2, 11-8 and 11-5.”

“It’s all about attitude and character, particularly in training. All the victories and trophies will not come if you do not value a good work ethic,” Lariba said. “You simply have to demonstrate determination and perseverance. “ Lariba welcomes this

Backed by the best fans in the world, the Gilas Pilipinas team, led by coach Chot Reys, answered the collective cry of a nation and made it to the World Cup in Spain by finishing second to mighty Iran.

recent years we seem to be making a comeback.

We have some problems with some players not being eligible but I think though, we have a good program. I think we can put up a competitive team. I’m very happy we gained one of the 3 qualifying slots for the final qualifier to make it to the Olympics. It gives you some kind of an edge.”

This is like the last FIBA Asia World Cup qualifiers held in Manila, where the Gilas Pilipinas team, led by coach Chot Reys, an-

Just to make it to the Olympics—good luck to our boys. We will put up an honorable and competitive team.”

TV 5 is the host broadcaster for the qualifying tournament and according to Bermudez Hizon, it also means “we are actually the ones who are producing and sending that feed to the rest of the world. With MVP’s vision of helping sports particularly basketball we are doing our best to support our Gilas national team.”

Sienna Olaso, who is in charge of the Cignal

TV Olympic and FIBA qualifiers programming, enumerated details of the telecast layout.

For the Olympics, Cignal will be the official pay-per-view broadcaster on two channels.

Hyper and /Hyper HD will, according to Olaso, “carry basketball and volleyball while two other channels Rio 1 will telecast athletics and aquatic sports and Rio 2, boxing, wrestling and other contact sports.”

“Cignal has a very affordable prepaid, postpaid offer for as low as P100 load,” said Olaso.

“It’s already a big task

to give subscribers fresh news.”

This will be done by a production team, headed by one of the best television directors and producers in Asia, Pedrito “Dong” Capinpuyan who, we gather, will be assisted by the widely experienced Edgar Reyes, who for years was part of the NBN 4 team that covered several Olympic, Asian and Southeast Asian Games.

As Cojuangco Jaworski said, we hope the Philippines will enjoy more God-given moments. It is something Filipinos devoutly wish for.

Republic of the Philippines Office of the President

PHILIPPINE DRUG ENFORCEMENT AGENCY BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE PDEA Bldg., NIA Northside Road, National Government Center, Barangay Pinyahan Quezon City 1100, Philippines www.pdea.gov.ph

INVITATION TO BID ACQUISITION OF MESSING SERVICES FOR DEOBC 16-09 Bid Ref. No. 2016-14 The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), through its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) with office address at NIA Northside Road, National Government Center, Quezon City intends to apply the amount of Four Million Ninety Three Thousand Eight Hundred Pesos Only (P 4,093,800.00) being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) for the ACQUISITION OF MESSING SERVICES FOR DEOBC 16-09 under Annual Procurement Plan (APP) for CY 2016; Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at the Bid opening and late bids shall not be accepted.

1.

The PDEA - BAC now invites PhilGEPS registered providers for the ACQUISITION OF MESSING SERVICES FOR DEOBC 16-09.

2.

A prospective bidder should have completed within the last Three (3) years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, at least one (1) single contract of similar nature amounting to at least 50% of the ABC for the said projects.

(From left to right) Sports5 Head, Ms. Patricia Bermudez-Hizon; IOC Represenatative to the Philippines, Ms. Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski; IOC Honorary Member, Mr. Franciso Elizalde and Olympic Qualifier (Table Tennis) Ian Lariba.

3.

Open competitive bidding will be conducted using non-discretionary “pass/fail” criteria as specified in the Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act 9184, otherwise known as “Government Procurement Act”. All particulars relative to this bidding including Eligibility Checking, Bid Security, Evaluation and Post Qualification Procedures and Award of Contract shall be governed by R.A. 9184 and its Revised IRR.

Olympics, so I am targeting a medal,” Alora said. “The most competitive opponents are from South Korea and China although in the last Olympics, (London 2012) the gold medal winner in my weight category was from Serbia.”

Her dedication is translated into training three times a day while her key to winning a medal is “to focus in training more on speed and stamina because this is what I need because of my height my opponents have an advantage. ” Her game-plan is simple. “If I engage at once then it’s a good chance to earn a point. This is my first time. I’ll try my best.

I don’t know whether this will be my last or I’ll have a second chance. I’m 26 years old but I’m trying to get a medal where there are, according to my coaches, 16 entries in

4.

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

unique opportunity to show the world that in table tennis, the Philippines “can be competitive.”

Unquestionably, the Olympic fever will resonate when the FIBA Qualifying tournament in basketball opens at the Mall of Asia Arena because no matter what the disadvantages in height and heft, the innate skill and fighting heart of the Filipino have seen success in recent years under a well-thought-out and meticulously planned development program under the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas, under its president in Pangilinan and hard-working executive director Sonny Barrios, the former PBA Commissioner.

“We are just another ambitious team that never quite made it since the 1972 Munich Olympics,” said Elizalde, who made it clear that “in

swered the collective cry of a nation and made it to the World Cup in Spain by finishing second to mighty Iran in a fiercely competitive tournament, where even China failed to make it.

“The biggest problem is France,” said Elizalde of the French, who are rated No. 3 in the world rankings of FIBA, behind the United States and Spain and have several NBA players in their roster.

But Elizalde, like millions of Filipinos believes that “if we can get by France we have a shot at qualifying, who knows? Should we make it to the Rio Olympics, it will be very hard but at least against other Asian and South American teams we can make it. I see things positively. We are on the right track.

The Invitation to Bid and Checklist of Requirements may be downloaded from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and PDEA Website at www.pdea.gov.ph. The complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested Bidders upon payment of nonrefundable fee indicated below. The Bidding Documents shall be received personally by the prospective Bidder or his duly authorized representative upon presentation of proper identification of document.

For purpose of having a legal personality to raise or submit written queries or clarification in the PreBid Conference relative to these bid projects, Bidder must first pay the non-refundable fee for the Bidding Documents on or before the date of Pre-Bid Conference.

5.

The Schedule of Bid Activities shall be as follows: NOMENCLATURE

VENUE

BAC Secretariat c/o Ms. Ria Samson 1. SALE & ISSUANCE of Bid PDEA Compound, NIA Documents Northside Road, National Government Center, 1100 Quezon City 2

PRE-BID CONFERENCE (open only to parties who have acquired bid documents)

3. SUBMISSION and OPENING OF BIDS

Conference Room, PDEA Compound, NIA Northside Road, National Government Center, 1100 Quezon City

DATE/TIME 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM only, Mondays to Fridays, starting May 2, 2016 Php 5,000.00 May 12, 2016 1:00 PM May 24, 2016 1:00 PM

6.

Interested bidders may obtain further information from the BAC Secretariat c/o Ms. Ria C. Samson at the PDEA Compound, NIA Northside Road, National Government Center, Quezon City from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM only, Mondays to Fridays starting May 2, 2016, 2016 at Tel No. (632) 920-8082.

However, any queries relative to the contents of the bid documents and the project requirements can only be made by bidders who purchased the bid documents not later than Ten (10) days prior to the Submission and Opening of Bids

7.

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

(Sgd) ASEC. RENE M. ORBE Deputy Director General for Administration Chairman, Bids and Awards Committee

(TS-MAY 8, 2016)

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RIERA U. MALLARI EDITOR sports@thestandard.com.ph

SPORTS

QUEST FOR OLYMPIC GOLD IS ROCKY, TOUGH The Olympic fever will resonate when the FIBA Qualifying tournament in basketball opens at the Mall of Asia Arena.

By Ronnie Nathanielsz

THE Philippines’ quest for its first Olympic gold medal, judging by the assessment of our sports leaders, is getting harder and harder and while millions of Filipinos will watch the extensive coverage of TV5, the Official Philippine Broadcaster of the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games and its many ancillary platforms programmed to provide the most formidable coverage of the games, the question uppermost in the minds of sports fans is—do we have a chance to win our first gold medal?

We’ve come tantalizingly close in the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan and the 2006 Olympics in Atlanta.

Anthony Villanueva lost a painful battle for gold in a controversial loss to Russia’s Stanislav Stepashkin in 1964 and tiny Onyok Velasco dropped a heartbreaker to strongly built Daniel Petrov, in which the final tally of 19-6 in favor of the Bulgarian was hardly reflective of the closeness of the fight in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

So far, we have two worthy representatives who have qualified for the boxing competition in Rio 2016, while the president of the Alliance of Boxing Associations in the

Philippines in Ricky Vargas and executive director Ed Picson are hopeful that at least two more male boxers and talented female boxer Nesthy Petecio, who was a victim of a bum decision in the last Asian Qualifying Championships in China, where she lost to five-time world champion Mary Kom of India, will make it in either of the two remaining qualifiers in Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan.

Most Filipinos, banking on the history of being on the fringe of gold medal success in the Olympic Games, continue to hope for a breakthrough in Rio, especially if the international governing body AIBA—the Alliance of International Boxing Asso-

ciations is able to somehow push through with the idea of its President, Dr. Wu Kuo Ching, to allow professional boxers to compete in Rio. Now retired eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao has expressed his desire to compete in Rio should AIBA president Dr. Wu ching-kuo succeed in his desire to have professionals participate for the first time in the Olympics and in fact met with the ring icon in Doha, Qatar and invited him to compete. He offered Pacquiao a wild card entry which would seed him directly into the actual competition without having to go through any of the qualifying tournaments.

But while the ABAP has reserved a slot for Pacquiao in the event Dr. Wu is successful in his efforts to have the AIBA constitution amended in a special congress later this month to allow pros to compete in the Olympics and the International Olympic Committee gives its blessings to the plan, some of our top sports officials believe it’s an uphill battle.

Philippine Olympic Committee first vice president Joey Romasanta, in answer to a question by The Standard at the recent press conference hosted by TV 5, said: “I don’t know how AIBA is going to do it because the qualifying rules

were set two years ago and the current group of qualifiers will qualify under those rules. But then again, AIBA is trying its best to make boxing as interesting as possible, but I really don’t know how they are going to do it in terms of pro boxers qualifying.”

Romasanta hopes that in boxing, the quest for gold succeeds.

“Our boxers have trained long and hard they have been fully supported by ABAP president Ricky Vargas,” he said.

The boxers trained at the famed ALA Gym in Cebu, a hotbed of boxing, even as he expressed the hope that the country can have more boxers both male and female qualify in the last two events in Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan.

ABAP executive director Ed Picson said that the Dodong Donaire, the father/ trainer of five-division world champion Nonito Donaire, has agreed to help train the boxers and actually spent three days with them at the ALA Gym. “I am very optimistic about the chances of Nesthy Petecio,” said Picson, an opinion shared by Dodong Donaire and Edmund Villamor, ALA’s trainer of the longest-reigning Filipino world champion, WBO light flyweight king Donnie Nietes.

Petecio will be among three female boxers competing in the World Women’s Championships, which begin on May 19. Petecio, Josie Gabuco and Irish Magno are set to leave on the 16th.

Longtime IOC representative Frank Elizalde made it clear he is not against professionals participating in the Olympics.

“But they (other sports) compete in the course of the entire year, while in boxing there is a total division between amateurs and pros in boxing,” said Elizalde, who has since relinquished his position, which has seen the charming and articulate Mikee Cojuangco Jaworski, wife of Dodot Jaworski, son of Philippine basketball icon Robert Jaworski and daughter of POC president Jose “Peping” Cojuangco. succeed him.

“This is like changing the rules in the middle of the game.

You have to get the pros into it when you have some poor guy trying to qualify by participating in some many tournaments etc. Then all of a sudden, they throw a world champ in there.

It’s like going to a party. I can see them changing the rules and setting up a tournament for qualification in theTokyo Olympics in 2020. Manny will be barred because of his age because the age limit is 40 and he

will be over 40 at the time of the Tokyo Olympics,” he said.

Elizalde, like most Filipinos said: “I’d love to have him there. Dr. Wu would love to have him there. Let him figure it out.”

Cojuangco Jaworski provided a different and refreshing insight into the issue of an Olympic gold, where most Filipinos are convinced that boxing gives us the best chance.

When we referred to her stunning—and unexpected gold-medal victory in the final event in the equestrian competition at the 2002 Asian Games, when “nobody gave us a chance,” Mikee told The Standard: “It really was a God-given moment. As an athlete we know how hard we work towards a gold. We work tirelessly, sacrificing a lot of things when we are competing. We bring everything—everything else is a blessing. Is it my time? Am I doing and giving enough? Is that enough to win the prize?

Our athletes who have qualified will taste this kind of victory. We try to support them to get to the standard that they can also achieve victory in the Olympics. I am praying for them to have this kind of success. Definitely, we hope we have many more Godgiven moments in Rio.” TURN TO B7

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TATUm ANCHETA EDITOR

BING PAREL

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

BERNADETTE LUNAS

life @ thestandard.com .ph

WRITER

@LIfEatStandard

S U NDAY L If E

LIFE

A nEW STAnDARD Of bEAuTy WITh DR. KAyCEE REyES by bIng PAREl PhOTOS by STAR SAbROSO

Bubut de los Santos, owner of Tie Me Up Buttercup and her assistant demonstrates new ways on how to wrap gifts The lobby of Luminisce Skin & Laser Clinic at Bonifacio Global City

“W

hat you see on your skin is only just a reflection of your inner health, but that is not everything,” says Dr. Kristina “Kaycee” Cuevas Reyes.

We were in her cozy office at Luminisce Skin Innovations, a boutique clinic located at Bonifacio Global City in Taguig. I first heard about Luminisce from a colleague and got interested in the holistic approach it takes to beauty. For one to look good, one must be well – meaning real beauty is not based on having a flawless look. Instead, it’s having the kind of confidence that is based on having good health and leading a balanced life. In short, being literally beautiful inside and out.

“As we age, everything changes. Even the facial structure and the architecture of the body changes,” explains the doctor, pointing to certain areas in the face where the fat can accumulate – like below the eyes for instance – which makes the appearance of eye bags more prominent.

For many working moms (especially those like me who is fast approaching her “golden year”), the stress at work, the late nights and the demands of motherhood can take their toll on the body, the face and the skin, making it quite a challenge to maintain a healthy lifestyle and being confident that one looks her best.

As the doctor explains, the goal at Luminisce is to help a patient achieve overall health by providing premium and innovative skin care services. And by innovative, we mean the use of state-of-the-art technology complemented with a tailor fit program

Different sizes of laser handpieces

of services that starts with a careful and meticulous examination of one’s medical history, lifestyle, and the conditions at work.

According to Dr. Kaycee, the holistic approach to wellness took root when she worked for former Health Secretary Jaime Galvez Tan (whom she describes as her mentor) in a traditional medicine clinic where she was exposed to acupuncture and various alternative treatments such as pranic healing, reiki healing, herbal medicine and even yoga and meditation.

“I saw how effective traditional medicine could become if combined with evidencebased medicine, which got me into thinking that I wanted to practice this kind of medicine in the future,” she shares.

The path was opened when an opportunity came to go to London where Dr. Kaycee pursued a diploma in dermatology, obtained a Master of Science in Clinical Dermatology at King’s College and the St. John’s Institute of Dermatology at Guy’s & St. Thomas Hospital. The experience in London convinced her that dermatology is not simply about treating skin conditions, but looking at the internal health of a patient.

The Fotona 4D

The London training was followed by a fellowship at the National Skin Centre in Singapore where she got to use laser technology for skin diseases, then off to Bangkok to study the aesthetic side of dermatology.

“After Bangkok, I went to India to study about hair, then to Malaysia to learn about fillers (injectables) because there are different techniques,” she shares.

The young doctor believes that one cannot claim to know about lasers or aesthetics or skin treatments after residency in a hospital.

“You have to study them,” she says.

This thorough preparation and the endless thirst for learning about new techniques and innovations in technology is perhaps a major reason why Luminisce is becoming a byword among many, with a growing clientele of celebrities and ordinary people – moms included – who want to take care of themselves and feel confident in the fact that they look beautiful inside and out.

An innovative equipment in the beauty arsenal of Luminisce is the non-surgical Fotona 4D facelift laser machine that can significantly reduce prominent “nasolabial fold” (skin fold running from the nose to the corner of the mouth or what we know as

Real beauty is not based on having a flawless look; it is having the kind of confidence based on having good health and leading a balanced life.

smile lines), wrinkles and sagging skin.

The Thermalift treatment, which lasts for one hour and 45 minutes, works the way fillers and botox do without the pain of injection as it makes use of safe radio frequency pulses from a special tip that create grids on the skin, transferring heat in sections (from the dermis to the epidermis) that encourage the reformation of collagen and results in tighter and firmer skin over time. Since it is nonsurgical, there is no downtime, with patients able to resume their work after treatment.

“Not all lasers are created equal,” the doctor says, explaining that the Fotona 4D can also effectively reduce snoring by 90 percent with three to four sessions, remove leg and facial veins, do hair removal as well as suctions.

One thing that has resonated well with patients is the fact that while the clinic offers innovative procedures, it has diverse medical services that involve alternative and natural therapies with individual programs suited to one’s specific needs – from simple facials to slimming and beauty procedures aimed at achieving optimum health and beauty that radiates from within.

And since it is Mother’s Day today, every mom owes it to herself to start thinking of ways to become healthier, look good, and live well.

Luminisce Skin & Laser Clinic is located at 2/F Mercury Drug Building (across St. Luke’s Medical Center-Global City, 32nd Street Corner 4th Avenue, Bonifacio Global City. Taguig. Visit www.luminisce.com or call 5118500, 09778044601 or 09159794661 for inquiries or to set appointments.

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LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

No toUghEr job thAN bEINg A mom

Carotid artery By tatum ancheta

“It is not until you become a mother that your judgment slowly turns to compassion and understanding.”

– Erma Bombeck

“W

hat?!” I shrieked on the other side of the phone when I asked my mom how many we were already when she was my age. At 34, she already had four kids – me and my three brothers – and there I was on the other line staring at my dog trying to lick his butt.

“A mother” – that is something I, at age 34 – have no idea how to be, aside from being a mom to my dog, or to the many creative millennials I worked with for years as supervisor in the Creatives department. Being a “real” mother is not something I have on my resumé and I can’t even begin to imagine how I would be when the time comes that I will have my own child.

My mom is the eldest among seven children, and she was not just a mom to her kids; she was also “Mommy Grace” to all my cousins, and now, even to her grandkids.

I have been living away from home for 21 years and as I look back at the many ways that my mom was to me, I realized how much she had to endure. When I was in college, she used to go back and forth every week between our province and Manila to visit me, give my allowance and bring me food from home. When my dad lost his job and they were struggling to put me to college, my mom did all that she could to find ways to pay my college tuition and to fund my stay in Manila. That, and she still had to endure the toil of raising three growing boys back home.

Matiyaga, mapagbigay, matiisin – these are usually the words you’d hear people say about my mom and I can only wish that I can be half of that. I have always been a good kid when it comes to school and work, but I am not a saint and I have done so much to make my mom worry and be weary but she never complained. Even when you see pain in her eyes caused by me or my brothers, she would choose not to say anything. “Ang anak, kayang tiisin ang magulang, ngunit ang magulang ay hindi kailanman kayang tiisin ang anak,” so the saying goes, and I think I would always hear this from my lola or my aunts when they talk about their own kids, especially if the kids did something wrong.

Mother, mom, mama, mommy, nanay, inay, inang – among many other names, are what we call the special women in our lives who nurtured us to be the person we are today. To the many mothers that I know, they all tell me that birthing their babies doesn’t come with a leaflet on how to be a mother. They just become one and in a way discover many aspects of themselves during the process.

For some, it can be the most difficult journey they ever faced in life as it is both rewarding, and challenging. While we all go through childhood and puberty, our mothers also

Writer Bernadette Lunas with mom Delia on a pre-Valentine's Day date (right)

My Mommy Grace and I when I was less than a year old and a more recent photo last Christmas 2015

Lifestyle photographer Star Sabroso with his mom Beth

(Top) Associate editor Bing Parel with Papa Lenin, Mama Jo, and brother Rommel; (bottom) Bing's sister Fatima (left), and Mama Jo during Christmas of 2014

become part of the process and while we discover facets of our personalities, she also discovers some about herself.

Being a “mom” is indeed one of the toughest jobs in the world, as proven by one of the best Mother’s Day campaigns I’ve seen – the “World’s Toughest Job” campaign from Mullen Lowe and American Greetings in 2014, which earned them 25 million-plus views and still counting. The company posted an ad looking to fill a Director of Operations position and got people in an online interview. The job required more than 135 hours of work a week, on call 24/7, no benefits, no compensation, skills needed are the ability to stand for long periods of hours, lift heavy stuff, work without sleep, and as added skill – candidates should have a degree in medicine, finance, and culinary arts.

“That’s very insane!” “That’s inhumane!” “That’s almost cruel. A very very sick twisted joke!” exclaimed all the applicants. But the interviewer said that billions actually hold this position – they’re our moms.

Today is Mother’s Day. Call your mom, and tell her thank you and how much you appreciate her, bring her out on a date, send her flowers, give her boxes of gifts. Whichever way you choose to show how much you love her, do so, ‘cuz after all that they’ve gone through and they’ve given to us, this is the only way we can repay them.

To all the moms out there, “Good job, mom! And Happy Mother’s Day.” For comments, and topic suggestions, you may email me at tatum@thestandard.com.ph. For my crazy life’s adventures follow me at @tatumancheta on Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat.

Layout artist Rex Perzeus Sardinia with his mom Cely

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LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

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mAkE YoUr mAmA pAmpErED oday is mommy’s special day. And while a heartfelt “Happy mother’s Day” greeting and a kiss on her cheek are sweet, it wouldn’t hurt to give the special woman in our life her much-deserved gift in the form of a relaxing weekend complete with pampering treats and a scrumptious feast.

delectable dinneR With motheR Let your mother take her apron off and bring her to Marriott Hotel Manila’s Marriott Cafe for a bountiful dinner at P2,650 net or a Sunday brunch at P2,800 net featuring a wide array of delectable fares this Mother’s Day. Start off the meal with cold cuts and cheese. Follow it up with fresh gambas, sushi, sashimi, noodles and dim sums. Partake of pastas and grilled meat options. And if mom loves Filipino food, there are bulalo and kare-kare dishes that guarantee a nostalgic experience in every bite. The buffet also features a teppanyaki station, US Prime ribeye, foie gras and sustainable seafood choice served on ice. End the meal on a sweet note with a variety of pastries, a chocolate fountain, halo-halo, gelato, crepe and more.

Marriott Manila aims to spoil mothers on their special day with glamorous treats up for grabs. Diners this Sunday will get a chance to bring home luxe prizes from Michael Kors, Tory Burch, Bobbi Brown and Contours PH. For inquiries and reservations, call (02) 988-9999 or visit www.manilamarriott.com.

Relaxing tReats foR mommy Make mom feel like a true queen when you treat her to an all-around beauty and pampering experience at the Araneta Center as the leisure destination celebrates Mother’s Day with World of Wellness for Moms featuring health and wellness activities.

Hundreds of moms will get to start their Sunday on a healthy note as they dance their way to fitness at the Gateway Food Park where Jill Ngo teaches jazz funk and belly dancing, while the Zumba session is courtesy of Regine Tolentino.

Free registration starts at 5:30 a.m.

After sweating it out, visit the Rustan’s Gourmet Food Fair at Gateway Mall Activity Area for healthy and sumptuous treats. At 3:00 p.m., PhilHealth representatives will hold a Health and Wellness Talk at the Ali Mall Activity Area.

Surprise mom with a hair makeover at Menage Salon, a manicure and pedicure session at Nail-a-holics, a facial treatment at Demcare Luxe, and body waxing at Lay Bare, all of which are located on the fourth floor of Gateway Mall.

End your mom’s special day with another treat by letting her indulge in her choice of spa services at Menage Salon and Mont Albo Massage Hut at Manhattan Parkway, as well as Fashion and Beyond Nail Spa at Manhattan Parkview. All aforementioned establishments are located within the Araneta Center complex.

For more event updates and promos from Araneta Center, visit its official website at www.aranetacenter.net.

WondeRful gifts foR WondeRmoms Our moms may not be able to fly but they’re always there at a moment’s notice whenever we need her.

This time, take your very own “wondermom” to one of The Discovery Leisure Company’s hotels in Makati, Ortigas, Tagaytay, Boracay or Palawan where wonderful treats await her.

Discovery Primea, located in the heart of Makati’s Central Business District, offers its Wondermom room package until May 9. For as low as P13,486 net, mom gets to enjoy an overnight stay, gourmet breakfast for two at Restaurant Tapenade, a 60-minute Terazi Signature Massage at Terazi Spa and a complimentary gym class, among other amenities on offer in the hotel.

Those who live closer to the northern metro may head over to Discovery Suites in Ortigas where mama can relax overnight for P5,500 net and be treated to a buffet breakfast for two, a box of pralines at turndown and P1,000 net worth of Food and Beverage credits.

Escape the scorching heat of the metro and whisk mom away to Discovery Country Suites where she can enjoy the cool Tagaytay breeze, let her hair down in a Deluxe Suite, break her fast at Verbena Country Breakfast, indulge in a 30-minute head or back massage, enjoy wine and cheese at sundown, and receive a special gift and surprise turndown amenity.

Discovery Shores Boracay and Club Paradise in Coron, Palawan, on the other hand, offer dining delights for the whole family. Sands Restaurant is offering its Brick Oven Roasted Chicken at 10 percent off, as well as a round of gin or tequila-based Craft Cocktails for the whole family that spends P3,000. Club Paradise is serving up mouth-watering favorites at the Mother’s Day Dinner Buffet, available at P1,407 net, wherein all mothers are treated to a complimentary Red Berry Cheesecake and two Island Mojitos for the price of one.

Visit www.discoveryhotels-resorts.com for more information on the properties and their promos.

S U N D AY : m AY 8 , 2 0 1 6

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LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

Exhibit set-up with Ang Kiukok paintings as background

@LIFEatStandard

One of my favorite pieces, Sabong by Eduardo Castrillo

on a HiGHer sTaTe oF eXPression #INTHEMOMENT

By Francis de Leon

T

o my dear readers, I have a confession to make. I have been feeling deeply emotional lately. Who would not be? I had a grand time of my life!

After exploring the city and spending a relaxing weekend with my beloved family at The Henry Hotel – a charming enclave in the heart of bustling Manila. Then it was followed by a visit to the beautiful province of Ilocos Sur to explore with good friends the inspiring sights (and energy) of the Heritage City of Vigan. As I was writing this Sunday’s column, I found myself contemplating on the many wonderful moments that left a big impression in my heart. Now that I am back to my daily grind, I cannot help but miss the deep connection and meaningful encounters I have gained. During my long leisure break, I have discovered a completely new perspective on the simple joys of life and the meaningful ties that bind us.

“That’s separation anxiety,” expressed my good friend while sporting a contagious smile on her face. Yes, I am currently experiencing a psychological condition of anxiety due to separation from a place and people with whom I have gained a strong emotional attachment. Suffice it to say, my recent trip was an experience filled with profound joy that I cannot really entirely express through words.

On the other hand, I reckoned on connecting this Sunday’s column with the subject of Expressionism.

Just recently, I attended an exhibit opening over a lavish cocktails organized by Leon Gallery. They have beautifully curated a selection of some of the most exciting paintings and sculptures by

renowned masters who changed the course of Philippine art.

The exhibition was entitled, “A Masterful Mix” which centers on Philippine modern art.

The launch event was also a mix of ingenuity. Emphasizing on masterful craftsmanship, third generation jeweler Janina Dizon also presented a special collection of her exquisite jewelry line. La Maison Deco brought to the cocktail opening sought-after home accent pieces by design brand Fornasetti. Authentecite Inc. displayed a lavish set of highly coveted fashion accessories.

Essentially, Leon Gallery sheds light to the contributions of the modernist movement in the expansion of the themes focused on by local artists of that time.

When it was introduced in 1928, people considered modern art as a disruption. Presently, Philippine modern art receives strong support from local art institutions and patrons (this columnist included) thanks to the visionary spirit of our artists and the support of collectors who believed in their movement.

A pivotal piece in the exhibit is the “Saeta XXVII” by Fernando Zobel. This work from 1957 is part of Zobel›s seminal series “Saeta” where he painted these iconic lines with the use of a syringe. This piece was part of a major exhibition on Zobel by the Philippine Art Gallery in 1957.

Another notable artwork in the collection is the “View of Manila.”

This piece is a large, imposing oil on wood by Federico Alcuaz.

The artist has been conferred the order of National Artist and this piece is from his noteworthy landscape series.

One that will excite art enthusiasts is Vicente Manansala’s “Prayer Before Meal.” This quintessential cubist painting by the artist was also part of the exhibition in the Ayala Museum. And was in the catalogue during the exhibition on the artist.

According to the Leon Gallery, Expressionism is purely a subjective style of painting. For the expressionist, the objective is to evoke emotions and suggest moods rather than give an accurate representation of subjects. In this

Jaime Ponce de Leon and Christian Aguilar (son of National Artist Federico Aguilar Alcuaz) with a View of Manila by Alcuaz in the background

Derek Flores, Jia Estrella, Chef Michelle Tomacruz and Tedrick Yau

Ann and Rene Puno

Rock Robins of La Maison Deco, Dennis Robles of Authentecite Inc., exhibition curator Jing Palad and Janina Dizon of Janina for Jul Dizon

Candy Dizon with daughter Jacqueline

Tonico Manahan and Dindi Gallardo

Aga and Charlene Muhlach

style of technique, you will notice distortion of images that emphasizes the painter’s gestures, the intensity at which he strikes the surface with a brush or a palette knife, all to heighten the emotional experience as one encounters the work.

This was spot-on: Expressionism as described by the current state

of being. For this columnist, if I cannot entirely express joy, I will definitely find time to learn how to paint it.

Levity aside, with my heightened appreciation of modern Philippine art, one can only dare to dream of turning disruption into a beautiful work of art.

Carlo Calma and Jay Yao Campos

Follow me on Twitter or Instagram @francis_deleon8 or email deleon_francis@yahoo.com.

(For more information, please contact Leon Gallery at +6328562781 or info@leon-gallery.com.

Like or follow @LeonGalleryMakati on Facebook and Instagram.)

SunDAy : m Ay 8, 2016

SHOWBITZ isahred @ gmail.com

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

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GmA news pillars Vicky morales, Arnold Clavio, Jessica Soho, mike Enriquez, mel Tiangco, and Howie Severino lead the network’s coverage of the 2016 elections

G

GMA NEws AND PublIc AffAIRs’ ElEksyON 2016

MA News and Public Affairs promises to bring the most trusted, most innovative and most in-depth coverage of Eleksyon 2016, tapping all of its platforms to deliver a blow by blow account of one of the most hotly contested Presidential elections in Philippine history.

GMA’s special coverage on May 9 and 10 will utilize the latest technology in broadcast news reportage today, including immersive graphics, 360-degree video cameras, and live drone footage.

GMA News pillars Mel Tiangco, Mike Enriquez, Vicky Morales, Arnold Clavio, Howie Severino, and Jessica Soho – as well as anchors Pia Arcangel, Jiggy Manicad, Kara David, Ivan Mayrina, Rhea Santos and Connie Sison – will lead the Eleksyon 2016 coverage, providing insights and analysis in the spirit of Serbisyong Totoo.

Joining them in covering this much an-

ticipated event are more than 100 GMA News reporters and stringers, DZBB reporters, as well as more than 300 members of the RGMA provincial coverage teams from various strategic points throughout Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

Meanwhile, GMA News Online will deliver real-time Eleksyon 2016 updates, including up-to-the-minute partial and unofficial results for all positions in the national and local elections up to the clustered precinct level, accessible in all platforms and devices.

Using enabling technologies developed

by GMA New Media, Inc., GMA News Online also offers “Smart Search,” which will make it faster and easier for site visitors to find results by candidate, place or position.

A 360-degree stream coverage of the GMA Eleksyon 2016 Headquarters is also made available for netizens who want to have a

virtual tour of the Kapuso election hub.

Both the GMA News and Public Affairs social media teams will be in full force on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Instagram, Viber, FireChat and Snapchat.

The GMA-Facebook “Para po sa Bayan” Jeepney goes back on the road as well. Voters are invited to board this jeep to voice out their opinions, questions, and express their aspirations for the next administration.

Overseas, the Eleksyon 2016 coverage will be simulcast via GMA Pinoy TV, GMA Life TV and GMA News TV International.

The Eleksyon 2016 coverage is backed

by GMA’s election partners from various sectors—Commission on Elections (COMELEC), Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT), Smart Communications, Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI), Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ), Inquirer.net, Catholic

Media Network (CMN), Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL), University of the Philippines, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila University, De La Salle University, Pontifical University of Santo Tomas, AMA Education System, Waze, Viber Philippines, Youth Vote Philippines, Philippine Entertainment Portal (PEP), Chamber of Commerce of the Philippine Islands (CCPI) and the Philippine Bar Association.

On television, radio, online, social media and via mobile, expect GMA to be the Philippines’ undisputed news authority this election. This is how the leading broadcast network reaffirms its “Dapat Tama” advocacy once again—helping the nation make the right choices for a better future by mounting the most credible election coverage possible.

Father and daughter team up for multi-million life insurance heist

Vince Vaughn and Hailee Steinfeld play father and daughter who are out of options and out of time in the crime thriller Term Life.

Directed by Peter Billingsley (who served as executive producer of Marvel’s Iron Man), Term Life is based on the graphic novel by A.J. Lieberman and Nick Thornborrow about an unscrupulous criminal Nick Barrow (Vaughn) who takes out a million dollar life insurance policy making his daughter Cate (Steinfeld), his sole beneficiary. With the underworld organization trailing his every step to prevent him from receiving his payout, he must outwit them and protect his daughter at all times until the policy takes effect.

Vaughn, who is widely known for his raunchy, R-rated comedy movies, takes a turn for the dramatic and gritty in “Term Life” where his character Nick is running from the mob and nowhere to go, decides to finally make amends with his daughter, Cate. “The story’s unpredictable. It takes turns, and things happen that you don’t see from studio films, both with who lives, who dies, and what takes place. On another level, I think it’s honest and real to the psy-

“Term Life” is a father-daughter crime thriller starring Vince Vaughn and Hailee Steinfeld

In the movie, Hailee Steinfeld plays a precocious daughter named Cate

chology of what goes on with divorce and children and parents, the hurt and resentment. There’s a lot of honest stuff where that’s concerned. It’s very interesting. My character kind of plans crimes, he’s not a guy who’s executing crimes. He has a skill set of being able to look at locations and deduct what would be a good way to rob it. he then sells that off to people who would take that job. It’s a strange situation where he has the capacity to care about his daughter but

out of rehab and she’ll get unexpected phone calls from her hoping that she’s doing well, and she’s not. That’s the absolutely biggest let down for anyone let alone your daughter. Things like that build her character in terms of strength and independence.”

Term Life opens May 25 in cinemas and will be released locally by Pioneer Films.

Click for the trailer link here: https:// youtu.be/WLxdAgV8wOg

just kind of goes to what’s comfortable, to where he feels confident. So he’s watching her and keeping an eye on her, but not really engaging or getting involved. She really doesn’t know that he exists; she’s unaware of his presence,” explains Vaughn.

Steinfeld, one of today’s fast rising actresses describes her role in Term Life as a typical teenager but also old-school.

“She’s raised herself. She is who she is because of herself. Her mom is in and

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SunDAy : m Ay 8, 2016

SHOWBITZ

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

KApuSo gIVES AljuR AbREnICA AnotHER CHAnCE Aljur Abrenica

shTIcks JOsEph pETER GOnzalEs

After not doing a major soap opera for quite some time, Aljur Abrenica is back on the prime time scene via Once Again where he shares stellar billing with Janine Gutierrez. It’s really inconceivable considering that he had a tiff with GMA two years ago when he wanted his contract with the network terminated.

“Well, it’s all water under the bridge now,” he says. “I’m happy to headline a huge soap like this one after two years. Of course, I’m grateful to the management for giving me the project. It’s exciting because I have a new leading lady in the person of Janine.

The story line is about reincarnation which I think is interesting so I’m keeping my fingers

crossed that the viewing public will support it!”

Some think that the title of his new soap is somehow reflective of his present state with his mother studio.

“You mean once again, as in like a second chance? Well, I see it more of a second coming actually.

When you say second chance, it’s as if you asked for it. But with second coming, it’s like nothing happened, right?”

The handsome Kapuso believes that the issue between him and GMA before was an enlightening learning experience.

“That’s true! I don’t see it as something negative. It was a normal misunderstanding between the network and its artist. Just like a child and a parent. It happens.

“What’s important is I was able to make my point. I aired my side and it was good GMA understood where I was coming from. That for me is vital. Just like in a family, a dialogue is needed to settle disputes. This is what happened between me and GMA.” Asked what valuable lessons he learned from the experience, Aljur avers, “Oh, because of that, I was able to know myself better, what I

want and otherwise. Now I know what to do especially when it comes to handling my career. I know in my heart that I want to stay long in the industry and accomplish more in the coming days. I want to have a valuable contribution to the industry through the continuous honing of my craft. It’s fulfilling on my part to entertain the public and share with them the talents that I’ve got!” ******** It’s no issue for Derrick Monasterio if this early, some quarters also get excited seeing his hunky side apart from his matinee idol image. The 21-year-old star has no qualms doing topless scenes in his presently airing afternoon soap titled Hanggang Makita Kang Muli opposite Bea Binene.

“Honestly, I see it as a bonus if some people regard me as sexy. It just shows that at this stage, I can be flexible in my image. I can be that cutesy yet, sexy on screen. I guess that will lead to versatility, right? So it’s just fine with me.”

He recently appeared in a music video along with Sara Polverini and fans expected he will go a bit sexy in there but they were disap-

pointed because he didn’t.

“Well, that’s what I’m saying.

There is variety in my screen appearances. It’s not all the time I’ll be seen topless.”

Meanwhile, the appealing lad is proud of his new screen pairing with Bea in Hanggang Makita Kang Muli.

“We get along very well. In fact, we support each other when it comes to highly dramatic scenes.

We’re happy that the program is getting good ratings and feedbacks as well from the viewing public,” ends Derrick.

Derrick monasterio

Kitchen Cousins return to save America’s most desperate kitchens Kitchen Cousins Anthony Carrino and John Colaneri are back, and this time, instead of high-profile celebrities and clients, they’re lending their substantial kitchenbuilding chops to regular, average Joes across the United States.

We had the opportunity to sit down and have a brief interview with the two charismatic cousins, who are on a whirlwind nine-day tour to meet up and engage with their Southeast Asian fans in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and Manila, about their latest show on cable television, America’s Most Desperate Kitchens.

According to the two, America’s Most Desperate Kitchens takes a

step away from Kitchen Cousins, a show that covered the exploits of the cousins’ Brunelleschi Construction company, to being a show “about helping homeowners, rather than rich and influential clients.”

In each episode, the cousins select one kitchen to transform, out of a pool of hilarious video submissions from desperate homeowners across the United States.

In addition to this, America’s Most Desperate Kitchens distinguishes itself from the standard, run-of-the-mill kitchen-conversion show by having an overall “happy, positive vibe,” with the reasoning being that “there is too much negativity on TV nowadays,”

cROsswORD puzzlE

answer PreVIOUs PUZZLe ACROSS 1 Spring 5 Scarab, to Pharaoh 11 Antenna user 17 Wooden’s sch.

21 Opera box 22 Really fancy 23 Go softly 24 A grand 25 Dwarf buffalo 26 Minerva, at the Parthenon 27 Emits vapor 28 James — Jones 29 Kirk’s command to Scotty (2 wds.)

31 Steel plow inventor 33 Mixed thoroughly 35 Coach 36 “That Girl” star 37 Paddock youngsters 38 HP wares 41 Cousteau’s domain 42 — — worms

43 44 48 50 51 52 53 54 55 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 68 69 70 71 72

History book verb Jeweled coronet Mandrake’s sidekick Galvanizes Cousins of “um” Emulated Gallup Mr. Goldfinger Char Albion, now MD employer Tax pros Opposite of neoSpeaker’s spot Designer label Yale alumnus Makes taffy Everest descriptor Wind about Drilling experts Slow pitch Is, to Fritz On the lam Stiff and sore Half-star movie

SUNDAY, MAY 8, 2016

73 Kind of farm 74 Pear throwaway 75 Kind of pony or pooch (var.)

78 Labor org.

79 Codgers’ queries 80 Lantern fuel 84 Foxes’ dates 85 Cleopatra’s jewelry 87 Long for 88 Groaner, maybe 89 The basics 90 Feathers 91 Bedding plant 92 Mississippi mud 93 Tijuana “Mrs.” 94 Chilling out 95 Swiss capital (var.)

96 Monsieur’s daughter 97 Boards 99 Sturm — Drang 100 Like the beach 101 Bill squelcher 102 Nervous tree?

103 License plate 104 Mountain folk of Asia 105 It may be decorated 106 Mdse.

107 Sentimental 109 Baldwin and Guinness 110 Kiwi language 112 Cordial 115 Look embarrassed 116 Jazz’s “— — Blues” 120 Green-egg layers 121 Freak out (2 wds.)

123 This second (2 wds.)

125 Muffin spread 126 Mayberry kid 127 Not digital 128 Figure out 129 El — (ocean current) 130 Mach 2 fliers 131 Night flight (hyph.)

132 Lease signer

133 Crackle DOWN 1 Crowbar end 2 Dame — Chaplin 3 Borodin prince 4 Pounced 5 Plug add-on 6 Falling star 7 Lead down the aisle 8 Fibbed, plus 9 Urn homophone 10 Afternoon affair (2 wds.)

11 Back to normal 12 The N in TNT 13 “Graf —” 14 Airport info 15 Small bands 16 Physicist Nikola — 17 Piece of cutlery 18 African lake 19 Traditional tales 20 Year-end word 30 Wild shrub 32 Mythical archer 34 “Crocodile Rock” name 36 Tropical fruit 37 Winner of a sprint 38 Set down 39 Twosome 40 Overexert 42 Movies 43 Snowiest 45 “Java” trumpeter (2 wds.)

46 Dislodge 47 Lit incense to 49 That guy’s 50 Oud’s companions 51 Waifs 52 Wrestler’s coup 54 Brackish 55 Panhandle 56 Museum contents 59 Rudely assertive

according to Colaneri.

Pressed for advice on Filipino kitchens, however, the cousins responded by saying that “if space is at a premium, you have to prioritize what you use the kitchen for … form follows function,” Carrino said. As for beating the combined summer and kitchen heat, the cousins advised kitchen owners to prioritize ventilation, so as to avoid the heat being confined in a small, cramped space.

America’s Most Desperate Kitchens, which premiered on April 26, airs every Tuesday at 8:00 p.m. on HGTV, on SkyCable Ch 88 (SD)/ Ch 246 (HD), Destiny Cable Ch 88, Cignal Ch 101. – Jao Gavino 60 61 63 64 65 67 68 70 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 85 86 87 90 91 92 94 95 96 98 100 101 103 104 105 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 122 124

Ad — (wing it) View from an oasis Ancient Scots Slangy motorcycle Leslie of “Gigi” Schmoozes Prairie Feel uneasy Beavers’ business Sighs of relief Halt Volcanic California peak Pride Pitch tents Montevideo locale Bastille Day season Loggins or Rogers Novel closer (var.)

Canceled Walks in HS math Turtle-to-be Football gain — capita Hangs fire Make a lap Where it’s at Kind of graph (2 wds.)

Boat for cars Mystifies Hires a lawyer Raging, as a storm Seat of power Inelegant solution Peregrine Diner freebie Steel or pewter Brainy bunch They’ll curl your hair Many August people Rascals Go cold turkey Digestive juice Rocker — Jett Dutra of golf Comic-strip hyena Belt holder Gob of bubblegum Casual wear

Kitchen cousins Anthony Carrino and john Colaneri

SunDAy : m Ay 8, 2016

SHOWBITZ

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

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ABS-CBn SuPPORTS mOVES TO ImPROVE wORkInG COnDITIOnS

Chef Tatung takes readers to a gastronomic journey in his new book entitled “Philippine Cookery: From Heart to Platter”

Chef Tatung launches book

Michael Giovan Sarthou III, popularly known as Chef Tatung answers the question, How do you cook Filipino food?

Get the book published by ABSCBN Publishing, Philippine Cookery: From Heart to Platter and there Chef Tatung provides the answers in 10 fascinating chapters that delve into the flavors, ingredients, techniques that constitute a Philippine-based cuisine.

Chef Tatung takes the readers on a journey through time, space, and memory via photographs, recipes, stories, and practical advice. The result is offering a road map for them to discover their own love for cooking.

One of the country’s most notable culinary figures, Chef Tatung,

shares his cooking expertise on Food Network and has been featured in all major food magazines in the Philippines as well as in foreign lifestyle magazines.

He is one of only two Manilabased chefs invited to speak at Madrid Fusión Manila 2016, the first and only Asian edition of the most important gastronomy congress in the world held annually in Spain.

Philippine Cookery: From Heart to Platter was launched on April 25 at Aruga Hotel. The event featured sumptuous meals prepared

by Chef Tatung himself.

The book is now available at National Boookstore and Fully Booked stores nationwide for only P595. 00.

API managing Director mark yambot,Chef Sandy Daza, Food magazine Editor-in-Chief nana Ozaeta, Chef Tatung, Ige Ramos, Angelo Comsti, and API President Ernie Lopez

ABS-CBN has always championed and supported any development, whether initiated by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) or not, that ensures the health and wellbeing of its workers and talents. Over the years, the management asserts, it has been implementing relevant improvements in the working conditions of our Kapamilyas and providing benefits beyond what is required by law, because we believe it is the right thing to do.

This year, the network is committed to rolling out significant moves to improve the working conditions of its workers and talents. These are changes that are lasting and that take into consideration the constraints and realities of the industry.

ABS-CBN is not against improving the working conditions

Gerald Anderson and Arci muñoz

action of the world’s top boxers, visit mysky.com.ph/canelo or text SUBSCRIBE <space> ACCOUNT NUMBER to 23662. The CaneloKhan pay-per-view is priced at P199 for both high definition (SD) and standard definition (SD) viewing.

Meanwhile, SKYcable and Destiny Cable subscribers who are huge fans of local movies are in for a big surprise as the critically acclaimed Star Cinema rom-com Always Be My Maybe top-billed by Gerald Anderson and Arci Muñoz becomes available for pay-per-view until May 28.

Get access to the three-day and HD viewing of Always Be My Maybe by texting SUBSCRIBE followed by the 9-digit account number to 23662. The pay-per-view is priced at P199 for SD and HD viewing.

Also set to make you laugh and giddy are successful MMFF 2015 entries airing back-to-back on pay-per-view are the well-loved rom-com Walang Forever starring Jennylyn Mercado and Jericho

data that would help them understand the TV industry. In that same meeting, DOLE announced it would conduct site visits in the first week of May and draft a Department Order in the second week of May - which would then be presented to industry stakeholders for comment.

So it comes as a complete surprise that DOLE would mandate changes without completing consultations.

ABS-CBN maintains that due process must be followed to ensure that the agreement will be beneficial for industry workers and talents and viable for the industry. In view of this and since the validity of the advisory is questionable, ABS-CBN is constrained to seek a temporary restraining order from the Regional Trial Courts of Quezon City.

Join Chris Tiu in another amazing science adventures It’s going to be another hour of amazing science adventures with Chris Tiu, James & Roadfill of Moymoy Palaboy and rising Kapuso star Gabbi Garcia in today’s episode of I-Bilib (Sunday morning, GMA 7).

One of the experiments the group will prove is if you can create an electromagnet for a ninja to climb a steel wall. The group calls this mega experiment as “magnetic ninja.”

Another thing they will show is if a popsicle stick could be turned into a boomerang. And if it could be, then how is it possible? Watch the show’s “popsicle boomerang experiment.”

Prepare for a “visual illusion” using a magical S-staff that guest Victor Belo will

Sky showcases Pinoy blockbusters and world-class match Every member of the family can rejoice with a string of hit Pinoy movies plus a world-class boxing event this May on SKY. Quenching sports fans thirst for action is the much-awaited match of Mexico’s Saul “Canelo” Alvarez vs. Britain’s Amir Khan live, commercial-free, and in high definition a day before the highly anticipated elections, at 9 a.m. today.

To be part of the blow-by-blow

of everyone in the industry, but believes that any meaningful change must factor in the ideas and opinions of stakeholders and field experts for it to protect both the welfare of our workers and the sustainability of the industry. For this to happen, a crucial process would be in-depth consultations with all parties.

But this did not happen when the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) suddenly issued a labor advisory defining the working conditions in the movie and television industry despite the ongoing meetings with broadcast management and workers.

The day that the DOLE issued the advisory was the same day (April 26) it hurriedly met with broadcast management representatives – a meeting attended only by ABS-CBN – to request

Rosales and the thriller Buy Now Die Later starring Vhong Navarro, Alex Gonzaga, Rayver Cruz, and John Lapus.

Catch the unlimited three-day and HD viewing offer until May 28 by texting SUBSCRIBE followed by the 9-digit account number to 23662. It is priced at P199 for SD and HD viewing.

Free movies await SKYcable prepaid subscribers and SKYdirect subscribers this month as horror flick fans can get their fix via a free marathon of “Shake, Rattle, and Roll,” as parts 12 to 15 of the widely successful hit Filipino horror franchise airs back-to-back until May 31. Available load balance until May 31 is needed to successfully watch the free movie marathon. For more information on this thrilling offer and more, text APPLY<space>NAME to 23662 for SKYcable Prepaid, or text 23668 for SKYdirect.

Don’t miss all these premium and world-class TV offerings this summer with the family only on SKY.

Chris Tiu demonstrates a magic trick together with James & Roadfill of moymoy Palaboy and rising kapuso star Gabbi Garcia

show the I-Bilibers.

Find out the various Life Hacks using a hair dryer. It’s going to be fun.

Also, those who are afraid of the subject mathematics, there’s one quick and easy multiplication

trick that Chris Tiu will show you in “magic of 9.”

Discover many things in the world of science with the I-Bilib group every Sunday morning on GMA 7.

iPhOTO

Pretty lass from Perpetual bags Miss Daragang Magayon 2016 Crown Lyra Velchez, 19 years old incoming BS Tourism senior at university of Perpetual Help System Dalta (uPHSD) Las Pinas City was crowned miss Daragang magayon 2016 during the finals of provincial beauty pageant on April 29 at Albay Astrodome in Legazpi City.

Here the newly crowned Daragang magayon is with Albay Governor Joey Salceda, Senator Chiz Escudero and wife Heart Evangelista, Tweety De Leon, and Glenda Ong Bongao Velchez is a native of Tabaco City. She went home with P200,000.00 in cash.

She was also named miss Telegenic, miss LCC mall and miss Belo. She is also the miss university 2015 (uPHSD) and Reigning miss nCAA 2015.

s unday : m ay 8, 2016

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IsaH V. REd EDITOR nICKIE WanG WRITER

isahred @ gmail.com

SHOWBITZ RIca PERalEjO On lIfE, caREER anD MOThERhOOD By nIckIE Wang

F

ormer actress Rica Peralejo, shot to fame as a child star in the defunct youth-oriented show Ang TV and as one of the most sought-after daring stars in the early 2000 with a string of sexy films like Dos Ekis, Hibla, Balahibong Pusa, and Tatarin, to name a few, is now taking an entirely different route.

Regarded as a sex symbol of her generation, Rica’s capacity for playing innocent in the face of overwhelming innuendoes gave her an instant spot in every man’s wildest dreams and imagination. But that was before, now, as a celebrity host and motivational blogger, Rica has enjoyed enough life experiences to share some words of wisdom with the rest of us.

“The truth is, ever since I started in show business it was not my intention to be popular. It’s an afterthought that popularity has a prize. I just wanted to act and sing. I wanted to learn how to hone the skills that I have. Apparently, I got into TV then after that I became popular – something I was not prepared for. So even the popularity was shocking to me,” the 35-year-old Rica told The Standard.

We had a smooth stroll down memory lane when we met with the former actress for a casual chat while she was having a photo shoot for GSK, a leading researchbased pharmaceutical company she endorses. She talked about her fondest memories with her Ang TV

“Expert mom” Rica Peralejo is also known for her online persona as mrs. Bo

The former actress in a photoshoot for GsK

co-stars and how her relationship with them gave her some sense of belongingness. Then, we shifted to her. “All of those years are memorable especially getting to grow up with Jolina (Magdangal), Roselle (Nava), Cheska (Garcia) and Guila (Alvarez). The fun I had was so pure because I was still a kid. It was an adulterated kind of fun,” she recalled.

She still meets with them up until today and finds it amusing that she has this kind of history with the people she worked with when she was still a kid.

“And it’s interesting that now, apart from our childhood stories, we can also share our experiences as mothers.”

Motherhood changes everything

Rica’s personal life has also gone from strength to strength with her tying the knot with Christian pastor Joseph Bonifacio in 2010. Four years later, the couple welcomed their first child together when Rica gave birth to son Nathaniel. Gushing over motherhood, she said, “It has opened up a whole new life for me. It gave a new direction, focus and purpose, if you will.”

That being said, Rica might be narrowing her focus when it comes to work. Although she is not closing her doors on showbiz for good, she now prefers having a private life more.

“When I had the opportunity to be a little more private than my old life, I embraced it so much. Now, the problem that I keep on telling my manager is that I don’t know if I’m ready to be a public figure again,” she said laughing.

Obviously, she is happy living a life out

Rica Peralejo-Bonifacio with son nathaniel

of the spotlight. But her becoming a private I always had someone to receive me even if person has a much deeper meaning.

I did something wrong. And that’s how I’d “It’s a part of who I am now. I cannot like to be for my children.” turn back time so people will not know me.

One of the most important roles that her I want quality life, which means, making mom plays in her life is that of teacher and family life my main priority,” Rica asserted. counselor. Like most people her age, her Her having a child flips the game from mother is the person she can go to for a “about her and her husband” to “about good lesson in life. She also is the one perwhat she can create in a home” and what son who she feels close enough to tell some her responsibiliof her biggest joys ties are as a parent. and pains.

And there’s no betA number of ter way to pattern The enduring thing about Rica’s blog posts her being a mother talk about how my mom is that she’s other than the way her mother has her own mother been through a always there. It’s her nurtured her and lot saying that she presence. I think that is wants her mother her siblings.

She considers her know that she something that I am able to mother as an “Exappreciates every pert Mom,” who is drop of tear that to give to my son and her source of motishe shed for her. vation and who con- would like to give to all of It’s sincere display stantly reminder of how she respects my [future] children. what unconditional the influence that —Rica Peralejo, mother her mother has love truly means.

As a teenager, Rica had on her life. and gSk endorser revealed that she had “The endurgone to a stage when ing thing about my she was extremely mom is that she’s hardheaded.

She always there. It’s her also admitted that she had done a few things presence. I think that is something that I am in the past that caused disagreements be- able to give to my son and would like to give tween her and her mother. to all of my [future] children,” she said.

“Before there was no acknowledgment As an “Expert Mom,” she has created a of how wrong I was, we just shut it off and safe space through her blog where women forget it,” Rica relating to how she and her with children can talk about their kids, mom used to deal with their disagreement. about themselves and about life in general.

“But now that I am a mom myself, I make She has created a community where she it a point to tell to her, just to satisfy her welcomes other people’s suggestions and at and to communicate with her, that I know the same time give them advices. It’s a wellI was wrong.” meaning effort, which obviously stems di“I’m okay now, I’m what I am because of rectly from what she has learned from her her. I always had a home to come home to. own mother.

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