The Standard - 2016 May 18 - Wednesday

VOL. XXX NO. 95 3 Sections 32 Pages P18 WEDNESDAY : MAY 18, 2016 www.thestandard.com.ph editorial@thestandard.com.ph

INC asks: Where did Marcos votes go?

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JOMA OFFERS TRUCE TO DUTERTE ADMIN

By Joyce Pangco Pañares

COMMUNIST Party of the Philippines founding chairman Jose Ma. Sison has offered an immediate mutual ceasefire with the incoming administration of Rodrigo Duterte as the leftists prepare to nominate members to join the new Cabinet.

Sison said Fidel Agcaoili, chief negotiator of the National Democratic Front, was already in Davao to iron out details with the Duterte camp.

“The CPP and NDF welcome the offer of the Cabinet posts from president-elect Duterte and thank him for showing trust and confidence. They will recommend the department secretaries who are motivated to serve the people, competent, honest and diligent. They are going to form a committee to scout and choose the nominees,” Sison told The Standard in an interview from Utrecht.

He said he himself does not want any government position.

Duterte earlier offered four Cabinet positions to the CPP, namely the departments of Agrarian Reform, Environment and Natural Resources, Labor and Employment, and Social Welfare and Development.

Sison said the original plan was for Duterte, his former student at the Lyceum University, to go to Europe before his inauguration on June 30, after which the self-exiled communist leader would return to the Philippines.

“But I don’t think Duterte has time to make that trip because he has so much work to do before his inauguration. Agcaoili is in Davao now to talk to Duterte,” he said.

“Emissaries are now laying the ground for the resumption of the peace negotiations. The negotiating panels will meet to discuss the release of political prisoners, the implementation of an immediate mutual ceasefire, and the plan to accelerate Next page the peace negotiations,” Sison added.

Piñol, Panelo, Villar named to Cabinet

By John Paolo Bencito A SPOKESMAN for incoming president Rodrigo Duterte confirmed Tuesday the addition of three more members of the new Cabinet.

Duterte tapped former North Cotabato governor Emmanuel Piñol to lead the Agriculture Department and named Las Piñas Rep. Mark Villar as Public Works and Highways secretary, said spokesman Salvador Panelo.

He also said former Bureau of Immigration chief Andrea Domingo would be tapped to head the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.

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Counter-offer. Communist Party of the Philippines head Jose Ma. Sison, shown in this file photo taken in Utrecht, The Netherlands, has

offered a mutual truce between communist rebels and the government of the Philippines, a day after president-in-waiting Rodrigo Duterte announced that he was setting aside four Cabinet positions for nominees of the CPP.

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INC: Where did our votes for Marcos go?

By Christine F. Herrera and Joel E. Zurbano

MEMBERS of the influential Iglesia ni Cristo expressed outrage Tuesday after their votes in Lamitan, Basilan vanished and Liberal Party vice presidential candidate Camarines Sur Rep. Leni Robredo bagged 100 percent of the votes, leaving her church-supported rival, Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr., with zero votes.

The church members lambasted President Benigno Aquino III and the ruling Liberals for allegedly “stealing” their votes, noting that the results in a clustered precinct at the Bohenge Elementary School in Lamitan City showed Robredo obtained all 595 votes while all of her contenders, including Marcos, got zero votes.

Robredo’s election lawyer, Romulo Macalintal, said he saw nothing wrong with his client garnering 100 percent of the votes.

“There is really a 100-percent voting for any candidate, like Robredo in some areas.

That happened in the past elections,” Macalintal said.

But the INC said it was impossible because it has three “locales (churches)” in the area.

INC member and former congressman Rodante Marcoleta, 1Sagip party-list nominee, said the church members were “indoctrinated to follow the church leadership’s decisions in absolute and unconditional obedience.”

Even the camp of Marcos could not believe that their poll watchers did not vote for Marcos.

Thousands of the INC members posted their outrage on Facebook that went viral.

Some of the posts were even calling for

Piñol...

From A1 Panelo also confirmed that efforts to recruit Carlos Dominguez, Duterte’s chief campaign fundraiser, as Finance chief had failed.

“It seems that Sonny Dominguez rejected the offer to be Duterte’s Finance secretary,” Panelo said in a a radio interview over dzMM. Panelo, who has been tapped to be the next press secretary, said Duterte ally Arthur Tugade and Perfecto Yasay both accepted offers to head the Transportation and Communications and Foreign Affairs departments, respectively.

Panelo said no Trade secretary has been chosen yet.

Piñol said Duterte’s order was for him to rid the corruption-laden Agriculture Department and its agencies of syndicates.

“His marching orders were very clear: Ensure available and affordable food for the Filipinos and “No Corruption in the DA,” Piñol said. “The task is gargantuan. It is not going to be easy to produce food for 105 million Filipinos.”

“While I did not lobby for the position, I would be lying if I said that I was not happy with the appointment,” he added.

Piñol is set to replace outgoing Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala, whose six-year

more mass actions such as barricading the office of the Commission on Elections.

The INC members particularly questioned where the votes for the churchendorsed tandem of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and Marcos went.

They said they believed the results of the votes were manipulated in favor of administration candidates Robredo and her running mate Manuel Roxas II. The INC members called the President and his government “traitors” for robbing them of the votes in favor of his anointed ones.

“The Comelec should explain this [the zero votes for Duterte and Marcos in Bohenge Elementary School in Lamitan City, Basilan]. Now, we are convinced that electoral cheating occurred in Visayas and Mindanao. Where did the votes of the Iglesia Ni Cristo go?” posted Randy Santos, an INC member.

The posts that went viral also saw print in Zamboanga Today in Zamboanga Peninsula.

“We have three locales here in Lamitan City, Basilan. Our votes for Senator Marcos and Duterte have vanished.

Please share this so everyone will become aware of the widespread poll cheating,” Santos said.

stint failed to deliver President Benigno Aquino III’s promise of rice self-sufficiency.

Piñol was the brains behind Duterte’s food security blueprint launched during the campaign.

Villar, who was reelected to represent Las Piñas, confirmed he had accepted Duterte’s offer to head the DPWH. “I confirm that presumptive president Rody Duterte asked me to be his DPWH secretary and after consulting with my family and constituents, I have decided to humbly accept his offer,” he said in a statement.

The Partido Demokratiko ng Pilipinas-Lakas ng Bayan, Duterte’s political party and the Nacionalista Party headed

by Villar patriarch former Senate president Manny Villar on Monday joined forces to create a coalition within Congress to push the legislative agenda of the president-in-waiting.

The signing of the “coalition for change agreement” was done after Duterte’s first press conference after the May 9 elections.

Despite the family’s real estate business, Villar said there was no conflict of interest in the DPWH post.

The Villar camp added that it has yet to decide who will replace him as the Las Piñas representative.

Former Defense chief Gilbert

JanLeander Metille posted: “How did they [Duterte and Marcos] get zero votes?

Didn’t you know that INC members [in Lamitan City] brave bullets just to worship?

It is impossible that they will not be united in voting for our candidates.”

“We cannot allow the theft of the votes of our people and the votes of INC. If no one will complain, nothing will be disclosed.

Let us tell the world of the mischief of the Aquino government, and of the treachery of Aquino,” Joel Arevalo Ramirez said.

For her part, Malou Billo Chavez said: “It looks like they want us to barricade Comelec once again. Just one signal to all of us and we will be there. We are into block voting, how come our candidates did not receive any votes at all? They are fooling the INC? Let’s see how good they are, even that Leni [Robredo].”

“This should be disclosed by the media.

It is impossible that our candidates will get zero votes. There is at least one INC member in the place so it is not possible that our candidates will have zero votes. Let us come up with a page that will broadcast the cheating,” Jacob Ascutia posted.

“I call on everyone now to show our true spirit of unity. We should hold rallies now, to protest the theft of our votes,” Mymy Alino Mariano said.

Macalintal played down the issue of cheating and lambasted the Marcos camp for accusing the administration of rigging the elections to favor Robredo, and challenged them to prove their allegations.

Last week, the Marcos camp discovered that a new script was uploaded to the Comelec’s transparency server, which resulted in the alteration of hash codes of the packet data.

Teodoro, who served under the Arroyo administration, asked for more time to consider a return to the department. ”I was surprised. I thought we would just meet and I would offer my congratulations. But then (Las Piñas representative) Mark Villar and I were offered the posts,” Teodoro told reporters.

“I answered that it’s not a decision I can make alone. I have to consult my family and a lot of commitments I had and have made, and I will have to come back to him with a decision,” he added.

In Davao City, many have sent feelers to the Duterte camp to get positions that are still up for grabs.

Political butterflies and tycoons who filled the hotels in the city congratulated Duterte on his victory.

Among those spotted were former Laguna governor ER Ejercito, outgoing Cavite Gov. Jonvic Remulla, outgoing senator Teofisto Guingona III, incoming Cavite Gov. Boying Remulla, former Cavite congressman Gilbert Remulla and former Ilocos Sur governor Chavit Singson.

On Monday, Duterte said he was planning to appoint former secretary Jesus Dureza as presidential adviser on the peace process, Silvestre Bello III as chief peace negotiator with the National

Democratic Front, Salvador Medialdea as executive secretary, and Peter Laurel as education secretary.

He said he wanted his running mate Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano to head either the Department of Foreign Affairs or the Department of Justice, but the latter is banned for a year from accepting executive posts after he lost the vice presidential race.

On Tuesday, the National Press Club said it looked forward to “better days” under the leadership of Duterte but also urged the incoming chief executive to reconsider his choice for press secretary.

“With his victory in the just concluded presidential election already a foregone conclusion and which is now merely a matter of formality by way of his inauguration several weeks from now, we join President Rody in his call for national unity,” said NPC president Paul Gutierrez of People’s Tonight.

“Criticism being thrown against President Rody this early by some quarters is unnecessary and undeserved. We urge our colleagues in the profession and the public to give him the so-called ‘100 days honeymoon period’ that have been accorded to all past presidents as a matter of courtesy,” Gutierrez added. With Sandy

Araneta

Joma...

From A1 Sison said once the mutual ceasefire is in effect, he will return to the Philippines.

Formal peace talks between the Aquino administration and the CPP-NDF collapsed in February 2011.

Talks could not resume because the communists have been demanding the reactivation of the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees which will give safe conduct pass to communist negotiators and political consultants.

The government earlier rejected the NDF’s proposal to draft a new Jasig list after the original one, stored in a very old floppy diskette, got corrupted and could no longer be retrieved.

A spokesman for the Duterte camp, Peter Laviña, took a more conciliatory tone toward the communists Tuesday after calling them “roadblocks to genuine change” on Sunday.

“We did not fire the opening shots.

We were merely reacting,” Laviña said, saying his Facebook post Sunday was to “put things in perspective” after the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) criticized Duterte’s economic plan as “a continuation of the neo-liberal poison imposed on the people by the Aquino regime.”

“I am truly sorry for these leftist groups which will be left out in the march of history with their dogma and belligerent styles and methods of work. They need to right their wrongs and stop becoming roadblocks to genuine change,” Laviña had said in his Facebook page.

But in an interview with Davao-based reporters, Laviña insisted that the Left “will have to mend their ways.”

“We cannot just hold a demonstration on every issue, nothing will happen, we need to join hands to address the problems in the country,” he added.

Bayan secretary-general Renato Reyes was also more conciliatory on Tuesday, acknowledging the offer of four Cabinet posts for the Left as “unprecedented and...very much welcome.”

Sison had earlier told The Standard that the “revolutionary forces” would consider Duterte’s offer and make recommendations that may include qualified persons who are not CPP members.

“The appointment of peace negotiators who are acceptable to the NDF also boosts chances of progress in the peace talks. A just and lasting peace entails serious economic and political reforms that address the roots of the armed conflict,” Reyes said.

“We offer our willingness to discuss these programs with the incoming Duterte government. We are glad that the next president has also publicly declared that he was a part of Bayan,” he added.

In a statement the CCP central command said Duterte’s rise to the presidency was a reflection of the “deepening and aggravating crisis of the semi-colonial and semi-feudal system.” It added that they welcomed Duterte’s openness to “attain a negotiated political settlement of the long-running civil war.”

The Palace on Tuesday said the offer of four major Cabinet posts to the communists was the prerogative of the next president.

“Every president exercises the prerogative to appoint Cabinet members who are deemed capable and trustworthy,” Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said during a press briefing in Malacañang.

“In exercising this power, the President must submit the appointees to the scrutiny of Congress through its Commission on Appointments, as provided by the Constitution,” said Coloma. With Sandy Araneta and John Paolo Bencito

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Ready. Volunteer canvassers of the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting at the Pope Pius Catholic Center in Manila raise flags to signify their readiness to start counting the votes as the PCCRV nears the end of its canvassing this week. DANNY PATA

Senate winners named Thursday THE Commission on Elections on Tuesday confirmed it will proclaim the winning senators and party-list candidates in this year’s elections on Thursday.

Comelec Commissioner Rowena Guanzon said Comelec sitting as the National Board of Canvassers will proclaim the 12 winning senators along with the newly elected party-list groups after more than a week of canvassing.

She made her statement even as two returning congressmen and three neophyte members of the incoming 17th Congress went to the House of Representatives on Monday morning to present their credentials.

Former Speaker Arnulfo Fuentebella of Camarines Sur, and Reps. Federico Sandoval II of Malabon City, Alberto Ungab

of Davao City, Manuel Jose Dalipe of second district of Zamboanga City and Johnny Pimentel of second district of Surigao del Sur, submitted to the Office of the House Secretary-General the original copies of their Certificates of Canvass of Votes and Proclamation issued by the Provincial City or District Board of Canvassers, together with their Oath of Office signed by duly authorized official.

In the 2013 Senatorial elections, the Comelec proclaimed senators on separate days: one day for the first six winners and another day for the seventh to 12th.

This year, the Comelec de-

cided to proclaim all senatorial candidates at the same time.

Guanzon said they are still expecting some Certificate of Canvass in some provinces until Wednesday.

House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte and Senate President Franklin Drilon would need to meet with the en banc before they could be proclaimed.

Both Liberal Party contenders Senate President Franklin Drilon and former Tesda director-general Joel Villanueva topped the senatorial race, the Comelec said.

Based on the canvassed voting result, the official and partial count showed that Drilon garnered 18,307,801 votes while Villanueva got 8,212,639

Smartmatic says memo unnecessary AN OFFICIAL of Smartmatic-Total Information said Tuesday that Comelec Commissioner Rowena Guanzon’s memorandum was unnecessary since the agency’s technical provider had no intention of leaving the Philippines.

While they respected Guanzon’s memo barring them from leaving the country, Smartmatic-TIM on voter education chief Karen Jimeno asked the Comelec if there was an actual “protocol for minor change,” and if so the agency should reveal them to the public.

“Smartmatic respects the memorandum of Commissioner Rowena Guanzon. But they also think it’s unnecessary because the

Smartmatic officials do not plan to leave the country,” Jimeno told the reporters.

Jimeno said before anyone could accuse Smartmatic of anything, particularly over the one who altered the cosmetic programming script, Marlon Garcia, the Comelec should focus on the facts if there were any protocols made.

“Before anyone alleges there’s a breach in protocol, I think what’s important here is, first, to look at whether there is a protocol for a minor change like a correction of a typographical error,” Jimeno said.

“What is the protocol? Where is it contained?” Sara Susanne D. Fabunan

Sara Susanne D. Fabunan and Maricel V. Cruz

Palace: Binay’s claim on budget not true MALACAÑANG on Tuesday said Vice President Jejomar Binay’s allegation that only 16 percent of the national budget was left for the next administration was not true.

“Allegations of the government’s ‘mad rush to spend during the election season’ leaving the incoming administration with ‘only 16 percent of the National Budget’ are untrue and without factual basis,” Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. told reporters.

“These statements only reflect a lack of knowledge and under-

standing on how the national budget is actually spent.”

Coloma said the Aquino administration had always adhered to the principles of sound fiscal management in handling the people’s funds and would pass on to the incoming administration a financially stable national coffers.

Binay said the incoming administration of presumptive President Rodrigo Duterte would be taking over with only 16 percent or P496 billion of the P3.002-trillion national budget to work with

after its predecessor went on a “rushed spending binge,” leaving the new government little room to pursue its priority programs.

Binay said the rushed spending during the Aquino administration’s last months in office would affect Duterte’s ability to pursue his priorities.

“The Aquino administration’s mad rush to spend during the election season has left the incoming administration of… Rodrigo Duterte little room to work on during its first year,” Binay’s spokesman Rico Quicho said. Sandy Araneta

Audit report. Comelec Commissioner Rowena Guanzon shows reporters the national tally sheet and consolidated audit report on overseas voting and local absentee voting at the Philippine International Convention Center. LINO SANTOS

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43 fishers caught poaching

By Florante S. Solmerin A TOTAL of 43 Chinese and Vietnamese poachers were apprehended at two separate locations off northern Luzon on Monday and Thursday last week, authorities announced Tuesday.

First to be caught were the Chinese fishing vessels Shen Lia Cheng, with its 12 crewmen, and Shen Kou with 13 crewmen which were flying Philippine flags as they were fishing in waters between Sabtang and Balintang islands, said Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Undersecretary Asis Perez.

Perez said a joint patrol team of BFAR and the Coast Guard, on board BFAR patrol vessels MCS 3010 and MM Patrol Boat 3049, interdicted and boarded the fishing boats because they were flying an inverted Philippine flag.

The Chinese tried to explain their presence in Philippine waters by saying they were just passing through but they could not explain why they were flying an inverted Philippine flag and did not have documents for the right of safe passage.

Perez said further checks showed the two fishing vessels are registered with the People’s Republic of China and were subsequently escorted to Basco, Batanes for processing.

Eighteen Vietnamese, on the other hand, were caught illegally fishing in the waters of Calayan on Thursday.

“They were caught red-handed poaching in our waters by our vigilant Coast Guard personnel and our men brought the erring vessels to Port Irene,” Perez said.

The Vietnamese vessels were found to contain almost four tons of frozen fish, mostly tuna—estimated at 15 kilograms each, based on the report of BFAR Region 2 Director Milagros Morales.

Morales said the poachers could not speak English but “through signs, we were able to ascertain from them that they have been fishing in Calayan Island for not less than 10 days.”

Perez said the owners of the apprehended vessels are liable for a fine of $1 million for poaching.

“The crew and the vessels will be released upon payment of a fine. If the owners cannot pay the fine, the vessels will be confiscated by the Philippine government as indemnity,” Perez said.

“We would probably refurbish them and award them to deserving fisherfolk cooperatives here in Cagayan,” he added.

Sprucing up the House. A worker drills the driveway of the House of Representatives in Batasan Hills, Quezon City prior to a reblocking ahead of the proclamation of president-apparent Rodrigo Duterte on May 25. MANNY PALMERO

Villar richest senator with P3.5b

By Macon Ramos-Araneta ALREADY the wealthiest among the 24 senators, Senator Cynthia Villar, wife of former Senate President Manny Villar, got richer by over a billion pesos last year while Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero became the poorest, according to their 2015 statement of assets, liabilities and net worth.

Villar, who was elected senator in 2013, remains the only billionaire in the Upper Chamber. She was also the richest lawmaker during her term in the House of Representatives.

Based on her 2015 SALN, the senator has a net worth of P3.5 billion pesos in 2015 from P1.983 billion net worth in 2014. She had no liabilities stated in her SALN as of December 31, 2015.

Under her assets in the 2015 SALN are “real properties” amounting to P4,588,619, shares of stocks amounting to P2,249,716,143 and other real and personal properties amounting to P1,246,260,718, or a total of P3,500,565,480.00.

The Villar family is involved in real estate. Among their listed firms are Starmalls Inc. and Vista Land & Lifescapes

Inc., the country’s largest homebuilder, which is into horizontal, condominium, office space, and retail space development.

It also operates the Swiss-inspired Crosswinds hotel in Tagaytay.

The former Senate president belonged to the Filipino billionaires in Forbes’ 2015 List of Richest Persons in the World.

At the other end of the wealth spectrum was Escudero who dislodged Senator Antonio Trillanes IV as the poorest senator based on his 2014 SALN. Escudero got poorer by hundreds of thousands of pesos as his net worth declined from P6.049 million in 2014 to P5.847 million last year with no liabilities.

His SALN declaration did not include the assets and liabilities of his wife, actress Heart Evangelista. There were attached documents detailing the assets and liabilities of Evangelista.

Trillanes IV, who was the poorest in 2014 with P5.549 million net worth, got richer by more than P400,000 when his net worth increased to P5.984 million last year, or a 7.2-percent increase.

A far second from Villar is Senator Ralph Recto, who got a fresh mandate in the Senate in the last election. Recto has

a net worth of P531 million followed by Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. with P211 million.

Occupying the fourth, fifth and sixth are Senators Jinggoy Estrada, P193,162,258.78; Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., P173,394,137.77 and Senator Juan Ponce Enrile: P122,118,754.00.

The three stand trial for plunder charges before the Sandiganbayan as they were accused of getting huge kickbacks from their own pork barrel which they alleged channeled to the fake non-government organizations put up by scam brains Janet LimNapoles.

Estrada and Revilla have been detained at the PNP Custodian Center in Camp Crame while Enrile is out on bail.

Senator Sonny Angara was the seventh richest with P118,268,372.00 net worth, followed by Senator Teofisto Guingona III with P103,886,695.00 and Senator Sergio Osmena III with P90,525,000.00.

Both Guingona and Osmeña failed to get reelected.

Senator Grace Poe, who lost in the justconcluded presidential race, had a net worth of P89,118,760.00 , a slight drop from the P89.46 million she declared in 2014.

2 Pinoys pardoned in Oman

By Vito Barcelo

Protect us from lead. Children and their parents join the Ecowaste Coalition in

demanding for lead-safe school supplies to prevent exposure to lead, which can cause intellectual disabilities and other ailments. MAnny PALMERO

TWO Filipino overseas workers in Oman, convicted and imprisoned for criminal offenses, have been granted royal pardons on the occasion of the Isra Wal Miraj, the Department of Foreign Affairs said.

“Philippine Embassy in Muscat was informed by the Sultanate of Oman that His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said has pardoned two Filipinos convicted and serving their

respective sentences for criminal offenses,” the DFA said in a statement.

The Isra Wnd Mi’raj is an Islamic religious celebration marking the physical and spiritual journey that Muhammad, took during a single night around the year 621.

In the Isra part of the journey, Muhammad travels on the steed Buraq to “the farthest mosque” where he leads other prophets in prayer.

He then ascends to heaven in the Mi’raj

journey where he speaks to God, who gives Muhammad instructions to take back to the faithful regarding the details of prayer. This remembrance of this journey is one of the most significant events in the Islamic calendar.

The embassy in Oman, led by Ambassador Narciso Castañeda, is already working for the early repatriation of the two Filipino workers, the DFA said without identifying the pardoned convicts.

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Death penalty revival bucked

A PLAn by Philippine president-elect Rodrigo Duterte to restore the death penalty faces strong opposition, including from the dominant Roman Catholic Church, officials and analysts said Tuesday.

The tough-talking politician vowed Monday to introduce executions by hanging after he takes office on June 30 as part of a ruthless law-and-order crackdown that would also include ordering military snipers to kill suspected criminals.

After putting to death seven convicted criminals by lethal injection in 1999-2000, the Philippines abolished the death penalty in 2006 following stiff opposition from the Catholic Church, the religion of 80 percent of Filipinos.

“As people of faith, we do not adhere to capital punishment because we do not have the right to judge who should live and who should die,” said Fr. Lito Jopson, head of the Catholic bishops’ communications office.

Duterte’s landslide May 9 election victory does not sway the bishops’ stance, Jopson told AFP. “It is not based on popularity... but rather on complete moral principles of the Catholic faith and faith demands we respect all persons’ human dignity,” Jopson said.

Duterte said he would ask Congress to reintroduce capital punishment for drug trafficking, rape, murder, robbery and kidnapping-for-ransom, among other offenses.

While many newly elected members of Congress have joined Duterte’s ruling coalition, passing such a law is by no means assured, political science professor Javad Heydarian of Manila’s De La Salle University told AFP. “Duterte at this point has tremendous political capital and crime-busting is the centerpiece of his campaign,” Heydarian said.

“But he will face major pushback by human rights groups, the Catholic Church and likely... the outgoing President [Benigno Aquino], who once described his successor as a dictator in the making,” the professor added.

The plan itself is opposed by the Commission on Human Rights, an independent government body which Duterte cannot abolish and whose current officials he cannot replace. It reviews proposed legislation affecting civil liberties.

“We will do our best to lobby against the reimposition of the death penalty,” said Banuar Falcon, chief of the commission’s international division.

Leni Robredo, who is leading the nearly completed electoral count for vice president, also said Tuesday she opposes capital punishment. AFP

Protest artwork. Youth leaders show an artwork portraying a student leader during a rally in a renewed move to remind president-elect Rodrigo Duterte and lawmakers that the youth have the right to free education. MANNY PALMERO

Duterte inaugural in Davao? plans afoot

By John Paolo Bencito DAVAO City may host for the first time a presidential inauguration amid plans floated by the camp of president-elect Rodrigo Duterte that he will take his oath of office on June 30, 2016 in the city that he has served for 27 years as local chief executive.

“The inaugural committee will be composed of people known to the mayor in Davao,” Peter Laviña, Duterte’s spokesperson told Davao-based reporters.

Laviña, who earlier described the mayor’s inauguration as “simple and frugal,” said that the transition team will likewise “rely on the volunteers who helped” the mayor during the campaign.

Lavinña added that the transition team may have “to deal with the Malacañang protocol office” and the other agencies involved in the inauguration.

Duterte will end his last term as mayor of Davao City and hand over the post to his daughter, Sara Duterte-Carpio, scheduled to be held on June 29, a day before the president’s oathtaking.

In previous campaign sorties, Duterte expressed his intention to stay in Davao as he doesn’t want to stay in the Malacañan Palace that is filled with “ghosts.”

“I’m not yet accustomed. Give me even just plywood or fiberglass and I’ll be okay. I don’t want to sleep there. All the ghosts who pass through the Philippines are there,” Duterte said.

Seven presidential inaugurations have been held at the Quirino Grandstand in the Luneta, namely, Quirino (1949), Magsaysay (1953), Garcia (1957), Macapagal (1961), Marcos (1965, 1969, 1981), Ramos (1992) and Aquino III (2010).

Presidents Estrada and Arroyo only delivered their inaugural addresses there. Estrada and Arroyo were the only presidents to

take the oath of office and inaugural addresses in two different locations.

Other presidents, namely Aguinaldo and Estrada, were inaugurated at the Barasoain Church in Malolos, Bulacan; Quezon, Laurel and Roxas were inaugurated in front of the Legislative Building; and Aquino in Club Filipino, Greenhills, San Juan, Metro Manila.

Marcos was inaugurated at the Maharlika Hall, Malacañan Palace in 1986. Arroyo first took her oath as president at the Edsa Shrine in Quezon City. Osmeña, who assumed the presidency upon the death of his predecessor Manuel L. Quezon, took his oath of office in Washington D.C. Quirino and Garcia took the oath of office in the Malacañan Palace.

Palace takes up cudgels for Sandigan appointees

By Sandy Araneta MALACAñAnG on Tuesday defended President Benigno Aquino III on his appointment of two justices to the Sandiganbayan, now being questioned by the Integrated Bar of the Philippines.

“From the onset of this administration, President Aquino has ensured that all his actions are compliant with the 1987 Constitution and all of the laws of the land,” Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said at a press briefing in Malacañang.

“Although we have yet to see the reported petition of the In-

tegrated Bar of the Philippines questioning the appointment to the Sandiganbayan of two justices, we wish to emphasize that the appointments complied with the Constitution and existing laws, as well as the requirements of the Judicial and Bar Council JBC,” said Coloma.

“In fact, the justices who were appointed took their oath of office before justices of the Supreme Court, including Chief Justice [Maria Lourdes] Sereno who is also the Chair of the JBC,” said Coloma.

The IBP on Tuesday asked the Supreme Court to nullify the appointments of two Sandiganbayan justices who were among

those selected by President Aquino to fill in new posts in the anti-graft court.

In its petition, the IBP, which is the national organization of lawyers in the Philippines and the mandatory bar association for Filipino lawyers, said Aquino committed culpable violation of the 1987 Constitution and grave abuse of discretion when he appointed Associate Justices Geraldine Faith Econg and Michael Frederick Musngi.

Joining the IBP in the petition were five judges and candidates who were shortlisted for one of the six posts but were not selected. They are: Philip Aguinaldo, Muntinlupa RTC Branch 207;

Reynaldo Alhambra, Manila RTC Branch 53; Danilo Cruz, presiding judge of Pasig RTC Branch 152; Benjamin Pozon, presiding judge of Makati RTC Branch 139; and Salvador Timbang, presiding judge of Las Piñas RTC Branch 253.

The petitioners accused Aquino of violating Section 9, Article VII of the Constitution when he did not appoint anyone from the shortlist submitted by the Judicial and Bar Council for the 16th associate justice post, and instead picked two appointees—Econg and Musngi—from the shortlist for the 21st associate justice post to fill in both the 16th and 21st posts.

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

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NEWS

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

OTS nabs US citizen over bullets Arrest order out on Caparas over tax evasion

By Rio N. Araja THE Court of Tax Appeals ordered on Tuesday the arrest of movie director Carlo J. Caparas for a new set of tax evasion cases filed against him by the Department of Justice in April for nonfiling of his income tax return from 2008 to 2009.

In two separate orders, the Second Division issued a warrant of arrest for Caparas for violation of Section 255 of the National Internal Revenue Code.

“After personally examining and evaluating the Information, the documents attached thereto and the records of preliminary investigation, the Court finds probable cause for the issuance of a warrant of arrest against the accused,” the order read.

Both orders were penned

by Associate Justices Juanito Castañeda Jr., Caesar Casanova and Amelia CotangcoManalastas.

A P20,000 bail is recommended for each of the two counts of tax evasion, or a total of P40,000.

Earlier, Caparas refused to enter plea of not guilty in tax evasion case Last April, the Department of Justice reversed the dismissal of Caparas’ tax charges after the reversal of a resolution of Prosecutor General Claro Arellano that dismissed the complaint filed by the Bureau of Internal Revenue against the film director.

“We believe in the veracity and reliability of the sworn BIRV statements and certifications because they have been made and issued by the very government instrumentality that is tasked with the collection of taxes in the regular course of performing its functions,” the Justice department’s resolution read.

By Joel E. Zurbano

AIRPORT authorities intercepted seven empty bullet shells of different calibers from an American tourist at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport-Terminal 1 last Monday.

The foreigner, Allan George Alexander of Phoenix, Arizona, was temporarily placed under arrest by members of the Aviation Security Group after personnel of the Office for Transportation Security found the empty shells inside his black trolley bag while passing through the x-ray machine at the departure area.

Authorities took pictures of the x-ray monitor showing the image of the empty shells

as proof to avoid suspicions of bullet-planting scheme.

During interrogation, Alexander explained to Avsegroup investigators that the empty shells were collections of his son.

“I am so sorry for my mistake to keep these empty bullets,” Alexander told the authorities.

Later, the Avsegroup allowed the foreigner to board his China Southern Airlines flight CZ-398 bound for

Guangzhou, China.

“The items [empty shells] were confiscated while the subject passenger was allowed to board his scheduled flight,” the Avsegroup said in a statement.

Since November, airport authorities detained more than 50 passengers carrying bullets in their bags at Naia Terminals 1, 2 and 3 amid the growing controversy over the alleged bullet-planting scheme involving some erring personnel.

Avsegroup public information officer Chief Insp. Samuel Hojilla said they continue to apprehend people despite the installation of disposal booths or cubicles served as passengers’ luggage checking station before entering security screening checkpoints.

He added the cubicle dubbed as the “Last Look Booth” would help passengers dispose of items the airport authorities prohibit such as gun, bullets, knives and other deadly weapons.

Senator Ralph Recto recently proposed that the next administration should install a presidential action and complaint center at the Naia to assist passengers victimized by the so-called bulletplanting extortion scheme.

Recto came up with following the arrest of a septuagenarian couple, who allegedly became the latest victim of the scam at the Naia Terminal 1.

Authorities detained and placed under investigation Salvacion and Esteban Cortabista who were caught car-

rying a live bullet while they were about to board a flight to Los Angeles last month.

The couplewere able to get past the initial x-ray scanning counter but they were prevented upon reaching the second and final checking at the departure area after members of the OTS found a bullet of a .38 caliber pistol inside their hand-carry bag.

Relatives of the couple claimed that some airport personnel demanded money amounting to P50,000 in exchange of their release and avoid flight delays.

But airport policemen said the couple initially admitted owning the live ammunition but when their relatives and members of the media arrived at the scene, they denied owning the prohibited item.

Bracing for La Niña. Crewmen of the Department of Public Works and Highways’ flood control unit start dredging canals along Pasong Tamo

extension in Makati City in preparation for the rainy season which according to the weather bureau will bring more rain due to La Niña. DANNY PATA

Brace for Saturday traffic Lawyer in hijacking case disbarred in QC, motorists warned By Rey E. Requejo THE Metro Manila Development Authority on Tuesday advised commuters and motorists to brace for traffic in some parts of Quezon City due to the closure of the Quezon Avenue-Roosevelt Avenue intersection beginning this Saturday.

In its advisory, the MMDA stated that the closure will give way to the ongoing construction of Skyway Stage 3, one of the priority projects of the government under its Private-Public Partnership program, aimed to ease traffic in Metro Manila and nearby provinces.

Left-turning motorists from Roosevelt to Quezon Avenue may take the U-turn slot in front of Maxima.

“Roosevelt Avenue has become an alternate route for vehicles from the northern side of Araneta Avenue because of the Skyway Stage 3

project. This has resulted to an increase in left-turning traffic [average increase in the number of vehicles at 6,000 daily] and gridlock in the area,” the MMDA said.

“As such, traffic lights in the area will be in flashing mode and the u-turn slot will be opened for affected vehicles going to Epifanio de los Santos Avenue while the Skyway Stage 3 project is ongoing,” the agency added.

The Skyway 3 is supposed to be finished by December 2017 but because of the delay, the project will be completed by April 2018.

MMDA chairman Emerson Carlos said the Skyway 3 project is included in the list of government’s long-term solution to the worsening traffic problem in Metro Manila. Joel E. Zurbano

THE Supreme Court has exhorted Bar passers who are scheduled to take their oath on June 16 to take the lawyer’s code of ethics by heart.

The SC made the appeal as it ordered the disbarment of a lawyer for gross misconduct and violation of the Code of Professional Responsibility for his involvement in a hijacking incident in 2010.

In an en banc decision, the tribunal found merit in the complaint filed by Cobalt Resources Inc. accusing Ronald C. Aguado of involvement in hijacking and falsification of documents.

The SC ordered that Aguado’s name stricken off the roll of attorneys after finding him guilty of gross dishonesty.

“A lawyer shall not engage in unlawful, dishonest, immoral or deceitful conduct” and that “[a] lawyer shall not counsel or abet activities aimed at defiance of the law or at lessening confidence in the legal system,” the deci-

sion said, referring to the Canon 1 of the lawyer’s code of ethics.

The case stemmed from the administrative complaint filed by CRI against Aguado before the Integrated Bar of the Philippines.

The IBP Commission on Bar Discipline found Aguado “liable for unlawful, dishonest, immoral, and deceitful conduct in falsifying the ID and mission order showing him as the Legal Consultant and the Assistant Team leader” of the Presidential AntiSmuggling Group (PASG), which allegedly hijacked the CRI delivery van “loaded with cellular phones worth P1.3 million” on March 5, 2010.

But the IBP-CBD “deferred the issue of Aguado’s purported participation in the alleged hijacking incident as the issue pertained to a judicial function.” The IBP Board of Governors “adopted and approved the report of the CBD,” which suspended Aguado only for two years.

CRI filed a motion for reconsideration, pleading for Aguado’s disbarment, but the

IBP Board of Governors denied it.

This prompted CRI to file a petition for review before the high court seeking for the imposition against Aguado of penalty of disbarment for falsification of a PASG mission order and ID and for his involvement in the hijacking of the CRI delivery van and its cargo.

“Clearly, Aguado committed the act complained of as it was established that he was in possession of a falsified ID showing him as a legal consultant of the PASG and mission order identifying him as the assistant team leader of the anti-smuggling operation,” the SC ruled.

“From the foregoing, it can be clearly deduced that Atty. Aguado had participation in the crime as charged in the complaint, from the planning stage up to its execution. These falsified documents found in his possession, as certified by the PASG, were used to facilitate the commission of the crime.” It stressed that Atty.

Aguada failed to rebut the allegations as he “presented no other convincing evidence to support his denial of the crime,” it said.

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news

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Comelec lauds cops, soldiers for poll duty CAmP OLIvAS, P a m p a n g a —T h e Northern Luzon Command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police in Central Luzon were commended on monday for their contribution in the holding of peaceful, honest and orderly national election last may 9.

Lawyer Emmanuel Ignacio, assistant regional director of the Comelec in Central Luzon, cited the perseverance of by the men and women of the AFP and PRO 3 to ensure the safety of the polls.

Without the help of the soldiers and police officers of the army soldiers led by major General Angelito de Leon, commander of the 7 ID of the army and Chief Supt. Rudy Lacatin of the PRO 3, the election in the region would not have been peaceful.

Lacadin deployed 8,500 police officers in the 41,305 precincts in the region assisted by additional 700 soldiers from the Nolcom who served as security forces for the vote counting machines and against armed groups.

Ignacio awarded medals to De Leon, Lacadin and William Beltran, regional director of Public Information Agency.

Kneeling carabao. A man rides a kneeling carabao on the streets of Pulilan, Bulacan. DANNY PATA

Bataan priest dies in road accident on way to Mass HERMOSA, Bataan—A priest on the way to hold Mass died after the tricycle he was driving tilted while passing over mounds of sand in Barangay Saba here Sunday.

The victim, Rev. Fr. Joel Jimenez, 57, parish priest for almost five years at the Holy Trinity Church in Barangay Balsik, this town, was rushed to the Bataan Peninsula medical Center

in Dinalupihan, Bataan but he died at the Intensive Care Unit at 12:21 a.m. monday.

“One of the tires of the tricycle came off due to the mounds of sand. Father Joel was thrown off balance,”

parish coordinator Nardito Tolentino said.

The priest was alone in the tricycle when the accident happened.

Bishop Ruperto Santos of the Diocese of Balanga announced the death of Father Joel.

Tolentino said the priest left the Holy Trinity Church at past 5 a.m.

Sunday to hold mass at

the nearby village of Saba when he met the accident.

Father Joel, who was from San Ramon in Dinalupihan, was ordained to the priesthood on Dec. 10, 1983.

He was one of the children of an Army colonel father and a mother who was elementary school principal.

The parents were both dead.

One of his brothers is also a priest in Bataan.

Father Joel was assigned in various parishes under the Diocese of Balanga before his assignment in Balsik.

His remains will stay at the Balsik Church until Friday and to be transferred at the Saint Joseph Cathedral in Balanga City on Saturday.

Interment follows after the 8 a.m. mass at the cathedral on may 23.

Albay’s education program to be expanded nationwide LEGAZPI CITY—The Albay governor who has been elected to represent the province’s second district in Congress later this year is preparing education bills for the Filipino youth.

Gov. Joey Salceda said his priority bills include the National Higher Education Contribution System for Private Tertiary schools, scholarships in state colleges and universities, and the establishment of Special Trust Funds of P20 billion each for business incubation, arts and culture, basic research and development,

technology diffusion and extension and international tourism marketing.

He is also preparing to file for the cityhood of Daraga town, site of the Bicol International Airport in his district, among others.

NHECS will be an expanded version of the Albay Higher Education Contribution System which has enabled nearly 40,000 poor youths to earn college or vocational education.

Salceda is also credited for transforming Albay from an economically depressed

province ravaged often by disaster, to a vibrant local economy and a global standard model in disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation.

Albay has also made significant strides in health, education, tourism and the DRR/CCA. Salceda also vowed to support Camarines Sur 3rd District Rep. Leni Robredo as vice president. “I’m willing to help her if she asks me. We need direct access to Bicolandia. Leni is a voice for Bicol,” he stressed.

Tourists. Local and foreign visitors take pictures with the famous Chocolate Hills in Bohol as background. OMAR MANGORSI

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

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OPINION

ADELLE CHUA EDITOR

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

OPINION

BACK CHANNEL ALEJANDRO DEL ROSARIO

CALALANG BOARD GETS SC NOD

[ EDI TORI A L ]

COMELEC ASSURANCES INSUFFICIENT ALLEGATIONS of election irregularities are easy to dismiss when they come from a losing candidate, but when university professors with no clear political biases say something is rotten, we need to pay attention.

This, in fact, was what professors Antonio Contreras of De La Salle University and Rogelio Quevedo of the University of the Philippines said of the recently concluded automated elections, citing two simple, verifiable facts that strongly suggest that the poll results were being manipulated to produce a certain result.

Fact 1: Some time after the polls closed on May 9, a technician from the Commission on Elections IT service provider, Smartmatic, introduced a new script into the automated election system (AES).

Fact 2: Following the introduction of the new script, the one-million vote margin enjoyed by vice presidential candidate Ferdinand Marcos Jr. over administration candidate Rep. Leni Robredo steadily diminished, as the latter posted strong gains that were manifested in a straight, linear pattern.

That new code had been introduced into the system is indisputable. There is evidence of it, not only in the altered hash code or checksum, but also in the admission by Smartmatic project manager Marlon Garcia that he uploaded the new script, ostensibly to correct a typographical error in names with the Spanish “ñ” character.

The linear pattern in which Robredo’s votes piled up after the new script was introduced is also verifiable—as Contreras pointed out.

A straight linear increase is not normal, Contreras said, especially when the election results were being transmitted from many areas in no particular order.

“There should have been an up and down [movement, with] spikes depending on the areas coming in but in the vice presidential race, there was only one line upwards and then after the 80-percent transmission rate, Senator [Ferdinand] Marcos [Jr. slowed down] in a linear [way] that was really abnormal,” Contreras said.

It was during the hours after the script was introduced that Marcos’ one-million vote lead was overtaken, the two professors said.

Another disturbing pattern emerged, with data showing that Marcos’ lead was dwindling by 40,000 votes for every one percent that was transmitted after the 80 percent mark, Contreras said.

The beneficiary of the abnormal data in the elections results was clearly administration candidate Robredo, Contreras said. “It is obviously Robredo because she was the one who took the lead shortly after the hash codes were changed.”

None of this, of course, is proof positive of cheating. Without further investigation, it is impossible to conclude that there was even a causal relationship between Fact 1 and Fact 2. But the disturbing patterns observed by the two university professors demand at the very least that the Comelec agree to an independent, forensic examination of the automated election system that will reveal much more, including a history of changes made to the system. This, and not the mere assurances of the Comelec or its partner in the quick count, the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting, is the only way to put to rest suspicions that the election was rigged, and that the will of the people had been subverted.

NOT NOYNOY LOWDOWN JOJO A. ROBLES I REMEMBER very well how the fanboys and fangirls of Noynoy Aquino, in the early days of his newly minted administration, regularly taunted the critics of their idol. “Why don’t you become president first?” was one of their regular self-righteous putdowns.

These days, the favorite

pastime of the orphaned Yellows (especially those identified with Mar Roxas) is to cut down the nominees of president-inwaiting Rodrigo Duterte, whose initial choices for his Cabinet are routinely dismissed for their supposed lack of brain power, track record or loyalty. Like most endeavors of the adherents of the soon-to-be-shut down Daang Matuwid, this one has quickly degenerated into an exercise in hypocrisy.

If we follow the Yellow

logic—a phrase that is often a contradiction in terms —then we must accept that Aquino chose only the best and the brightest for his Cabinet when the opportunity was given to him. This is a thoroughly laughable statement.

We all know that Aquino raided his very short list of close friends to fill up his original Cabinet. And then he held on to these largely nondescript, non-performing people—often defending them in public when they

A9

I’m willing to give Duterte and his men a chance before judging them.

ran afoul of the law or the citizenry—until the bitter end.

But no amount of official embroidery was able to improve the short resumes of most members of the Aquino Cabinet, whose ranks were filled with the denizens of the so-called “KKK.” Their lack of preparation, rapacious cupidity and totally underwhelming performance overall, over six years, was often quickly exposed, anyway.

Because they will soon return to the anonymity from which they oozed up, I feel no need to mention their

names here. Besides, there is simply no space in one column to name them all—unless they turn up soon in court, to face the charges that they richly deserve.

Now, if you accept that Duterte is also “doing a Noynoy” by appointing people he personally knows and trusts, you must also admit that the incoming president has had a much longer and infinitely more productive prior stint in government than Aquino when he

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

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

assumed the presidency. Because Duterte has been mayor of the fourth-largest city of this country, for the most part of the last three decades, he has a much wider pool of talent to choose his Cabinet from. Remember that Aquino was basically a political nobody on his own before he took over in Malacañang, something that was clearly reflected in his choices for his official family—people from his small circle of Ateneo buddies,

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

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Congress smoking-break partners and various official minders and hangers-on from the Cory years who paid a little more attention to her underachieving, diffident son.

To be sure, some of Duterte’s choices are controversial and unusual, including some who are thoroughly unpalatable to me, personally. But I’m willing to give Duterte and his men a chance before judging them.

Continued on A11

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

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

THE long-drawn boardroom battle over the lucrative King King mines in Compostela Valley is over. In a decision handed down March 9, the Supreme Court ruled the Nadecor group headed by Conrado Calalang and Roberto Romulo are the duly elected board as it dismissed the suit filed by the rival Jose Ricafort faction. The other members of the Calalang-Romulo board are Alfredo Ayala, John Engle, Kevin Belmonte, Michael Regino, Marcelo Mendoza, Leocadio Nicorreda and Rebecca de Guzman.

In their complaint filed with the Regional Trial Court, the Ricafort family claimed “they had no knowledge or prior notice and were thus unable to attend and participate in the annual stockholders meeting.” But the facts of the intra-corporate legal issue presented to the high court proved otherwise.

In ruling against the Ricafort family, the high court said the petitioners have no cause of action against the respondents as their complaint involves an election contest in the National Development Corporation. Jose G. Ricafort was in possession of a valid and irrevocable proxy form signed by the petitioners representing the Ricafort bloc when he attended the annual board meeting.

Raymond Ricafort further attested in an affidavit that his father, Jose G. Ricafort is the true and beneficial owner of the shares of stocks in their name in a Nominee Agreement dated Aug. 15, 2011.

The Toronto (Canada) Stock Exchange-listed St. Augustine Gold and Copper Ltd. has a major stake in the King King mine project.

With the resolution of the case, it is expected that the development and exploration of gold and copper-rich King King mines by Nadecor will go full blast.

The mining industry is one of the underdeveloped sectors which, if exploited to the hilt, could help spur the country’s economic growth.

Campaign against fake cigarettes In a concerted campaign against the proliferation of counterfeit cigarette brands in the market, government authorities recently raided retail outlets in Quezon City, Nueva Ecija, Cebu and Zamboanga.

National Bureau of Investigation operatives raided several stores of merchants selling fake Mighty brand cigarette. NBI agents arrested six people in a series of raids in Nueva Ecija, Cebu and Zamboanga and confiscated boxes of counterfeit branded cigarettes.

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

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

Emil P. Jurado Chairman Emeritus, Editiorial Board

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

A8

OPINION

ADELLE CHUA EDITOR

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

OPINION

BACK CHANNEL ALEJANDRO DEL ROSARIO

CALALANG BOARD GETS SC NOD

[ EDI TORI A L ]

COMELEC ASSURANCES INSUFFICIENT ALLEGATIONS of election irregularities are easy to dismiss when they come from a losing candidate, but when university professors with no clear political biases say something is rotten, we need to pay attention.

This, in fact, was what professors Antonio Contreras of De La Salle University and Rogelio Quevedo of the University of the Philippines said of the recently concluded automated elections, citing two simple, verifiable facts that strongly suggest that the poll results were being manipulated to produce a certain result.

Fact 1: Some time after the polls closed on May 9, a technician from the Commission on Elections IT service provider, Smartmatic, introduced a new script into the automated election system (AES).

Fact 2: Following the introduction of the new script, the one-million vote margin enjoyed by vice presidential candidate Ferdinand Marcos Jr. over administration candidate Rep. Leni Robredo steadily diminished, as the latter posted strong gains that were manifested in a straight, linear pattern.

That new code had been introduced into the system is indisputable. There is evidence of it, not only in the altered hash code or checksum, but also in the admission by Smartmatic project manager Marlon Garcia that he uploaded the new script, ostensibly to correct a typographical error in names with the Spanish “ñ” character.

The linear pattern in which Robredo’s votes piled up after the new script was introduced is also verifiable—as Contreras pointed out.

A straight linear increase is not normal, Contreras said, especially when the election results were being transmitted from many areas in no particular order.

“There should have been an up and down [movement, with] spikes depending on the areas coming in but in the vice presidential race, there was only one line upwards and then after the 80-percent transmission rate, Senator [Ferdinand] Marcos [Jr. slowed down] in a linear [way] that was really abnormal,” Contreras said.

It was during the hours after the script was introduced that Marcos’ one-million vote lead was overtaken, the two professors said.

Another disturbing pattern emerged, with data showing that Marcos’ lead was dwindling by 40,000 votes for every one percent that was transmitted after the 80 percent mark, Contreras said.

The beneficiary of the abnormal data in the elections results was clearly administration candidate Robredo, Contreras said. “It is obviously Robredo because she was the one who took the lead shortly after the hash codes were changed.”

None of this, of course, is proof positive of cheating. Without further investigation, it is impossible to conclude that there was even a causal relationship between Fact 1 and Fact 2. But the disturbing patterns observed by the two university professors demand at the very least that the Comelec agree to an independent, forensic examination of the automated election system that will reveal much more, including a history of changes made to the system. This, and not the mere assurances of the Comelec or its partner in the quick count, the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting, is the only way to put to rest suspicions that the election was rigged, and that the will of the people had been subverted.

NOT NOYNOY LOWDOWN JOJO A. ROBLES I REMEMBER very well how the fanboys and fangirls of Noynoy Aquino, in the early days of his newly minted administration, regularly taunted the critics of their idol. “Why don’t you become president first?” was one of their regular self-righteous putdowns.

These days, the favorite

pastime of the orphaned Yellows (especially those identified with Mar Roxas) is to cut down the nominees of president-inwaiting Rodrigo Duterte, whose initial choices for his Cabinet are routinely dismissed for their supposed lack of brain power, track record or loyalty. Like most endeavors of the adherents of the soon-to-be-shut down Daang Matuwid, this one has quickly degenerated into an exercise in hypocrisy.

If we follow the Yellow

logic—a phrase that is often a contradiction in terms —then we must accept that Aquino chose only the best and the brightest for his Cabinet when the opportunity was given to him. This is a thoroughly laughable statement.

We all know that Aquino raided his very short list of close friends to fill up his original Cabinet. And then he held on to these largely nondescript, non-performing people—often defending them in public when they

A9

I’m willing to give Duterte and his men a chance before judging them.

ran afoul of the law or the citizenry—until the bitter end.

But no amount of official embroidery was able to improve the short resumes of most members of the Aquino Cabinet, whose ranks were filled with the denizens of the so-called “KKK.” Their lack of preparation, rapacious cupidity and totally underwhelming performance overall, over six years, was often quickly exposed, anyway.

Because they will soon return to the anonymity from which they oozed up, I feel no need to mention their

names here. Besides, there is simply no space in one column to name them all—unless they turn up soon in court, to face the charges that they richly deserve.

Now, if you accept that Duterte is also “doing a Noynoy” by appointing people he personally knows and trusts, you must also admit that the incoming president has had a much longer and infinitely more productive prior stint in government than Aquino when he

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

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

assumed the presidency. Because Duterte has been mayor of the fourth-largest city of this country, for the most part of the last three decades, he has a much wider pool of talent to choose his Cabinet from. Remember that Aquino was basically a political nobody on his own before he took over in Malacañang, something that was clearly reflected in his choices for his official family—people from his small circle of Ateneo buddies,

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

MST ONLINE

can be accessed at: www.manilastandardtoday.com

MEMBER

PPI

Philippine Press Institute The National Association of Philippine Newspapers

Congress smoking-break partners and various official minders and hangers-on from the Cory years who paid a little more attention to her underachieving, diffident son.

To be sure, some of Duterte’s choices are controversial and unusual, including some who are thoroughly unpalatable to me, personally. But I’m willing to give Duterte and his men a chance before judging them.

Continued on A11

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

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

THE long-drawn boardroom battle over the lucrative King King mines in Compostela Valley is over. In a decision handed down March 9, the Supreme Court ruled the Nadecor group headed by Conrado Calalang and Roberto Romulo are the duly elected board as it dismissed the suit filed by the rival Jose Ricafort faction. The other members of the Calalang-Romulo board are Alfredo Ayala, John Engle, Kevin Belmonte, Michael Regino, Marcelo Mendoza, Leocadio Nicorreda and Rebecca de Guzman.

In their complaint filed with the Regional Trial Court, the Ricafort family claimed “they had no knowledge or prior notice and were thus unable to attend and participate in the annual stockholders meeting.” But the facts of the intra-corporate legal issue presented to the high court proved otherwise.

In ruling against the Ricafort family, the high court said the petitioners have no cause of action against the respondents as their complaint involves an election contest in the National Development Corporation. Jose G. Ricafort was in possession of a valid and irrevocable proxy form signed by the petitioners representing the Ricafort bloc when he attended the annual board meeting.

Raymond Ricafort further attested in an affidavit that his father, Jose G. Ricafort is the true and beneficial owner of the shares of stocks in their name in a Nominee Agreement dated Aug. 15, 2011.

The Toronto (Canada) Stock Exchange-listed St. Augustine Gold and Copper Ltd. has a major stake in the King King mine project.

With the resolution of the case, it is expected that the development and exploration of gold and copper-rich King King mines by Nadecor will go full blast.

The mining industry is one of the underdeveloped sectors which, if exploited to the hilt, could help spur the country’s economic growth.

Campaign against fake cigarettes In a concerted campaign against the proliferation of counterfeit cigarette brands in the market, government authorities recently raided retail outlets in Quezon City, Nueva Ecija, Cebu and Zamboanga.

National Bureau of Investigation operatives raided several stores of merchants selling fake Mighty brand cigarette. NBI agents arrested six people in a series of raids in Nueva Ecija, Cebu and Zamboanga and confiscated boxes of counterfeit branded cigarettes.

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

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

Emil P. Jurado Chairman Emeritus, Editiorial Board

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

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OPINION

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

WILL HE OR WON’T HE? TO THE POINT EMIL P. JURADO

SO FAR, presumptive President Rodrigo Roa Duterte has been getting positive responses from the public, especially the business community about what he will do when he assumes his post.

His call for reconciliation, healing political wounds and unity resonates with the nation.

We have been divided by the Aquino administration in so many ways.

I have always said that the nation cannot move forward and meet our worsening problems unless we are united.

The eight-point agenda enunciated by incoming Finance Secretary Carlos “Sonny” Dominguez has gained the support of the business community and even foreign institutions. This augurs well for the country. We must preserve the sound economic fundamentals achieved under BS Aquino and former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

But while I believe that Duterte’s critics need to support the new president, I maintain that his first year will be a rough ride.

He has vowed to end criminality, trafficking of illegal drugs, and corruption within three to six months. Are these even doable?

Many people like former Philippine National Police Chief and Senator Panfilo Lacson say this is impossible unless Duterte proclaims martial law or a revolutionary government. The big question now is, will he or won’t he?

Duterte’s plan to declare a smoking ban and a curfew for minors is laudable. But his promise to have criminals, illegal drug traffickers and corrupt public officials killed is easier said than done.

In my early years as a journalist, I covered the police beat in Manila, and I know that police

chiefs worth their salt know who the members of syndicates are, and even where they live. At times, the police themselves get involved in crime. They tolerate them so long as these are not committed in their jurisdiction.

The proliferation of illegal drug laboratories and drug pushers within a community is another thing. According to crime statistics, within Metro Manila alone, over 95 percent of the barangays already have drug abusers and addicts. Nationwide, the number is at 65 percent.

Santa Banana, that’s a big problem that cannot be resolved within 6 months or even a year!

The fact that the much-feared Mexican drug cartel, the Sinaloa, is already operating in the Philippines is a grave concern. The Philippines is already known as a transshipment point of drugs from West Africa to other countries. This is how deep-rooted the problem of illegal drugs is.

Duterte may have to declare martial law or a revolutionary government to achieve his promises.

While Duterte’s focus is on the termination of illegal drug laboratories and trafficking, he must realize that it’s just half the problem. There’s also the rehabilitation of drug addicts to make them productive members of society.

I used to be vice president of DARE Foundation, and I know that the drug problem will continue to exist unless drug abusers get rehabilitated. The government cannot do it alone. Duterte must

DUTERTE’S STRONGMAN RULE BEGINS FORTY-FIVE days before being sworn in as the 16th president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Roa Duterte (RRD) seems to have hit the ground running.

President-elect Rody has named his key cabinet members, lined up the next leaders of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police (PNP), and offered power sharing with the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP, which by the way, is no longer outlawed) with four crucial cabinet departments—Agrarian Reform (DAR), Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Labor (DoLE), and Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

These departments impact on the landowning class (Hacienda Luisita will be cut up finally and the CPP can enforce it with its New People’s Army regulars numbering from 6,000 to 9,000), on the oligarchy (the biggest employers and owners of the country’s biggest enterprises), and on the poor (the DSWD dispenses P60 billion in cash to the poor yearly).

DAR is agrarian or land which means agriculture and agriculture is where majority of the workforce is and harbors the poorest Filipinos (the farmers and fishermen). Thanks to corruption and inadequate infra, agriculture is the poorest performing sector of the economy. That’s why hunger is rampant and since food is 55 percent of the poor’s budget, it is why we have had severe and growing poverty.

DENR means mining and (environmental) clearances for major business projects. With its permits system, corruption is the norm and there is so much mining, including by the Chinese, that is illegal. DENR can spell also have private business get into drug rehabilitation. *** Corruption? I cannot believe this problem can be solved in a short time. It is endemic in our system of government, like political patronage.

Santa Banana, Duterte must kill every politician in government and even those who contributed to his election. In one way or another, at some point in their lives, politicians get involved in graft and corruption. Many politicians I know have quit politics because of our kind of

VIRTUAL REALITY TONY LOPEZ the difference between a power shortage and a power surplus (thanks to delayed or prompt clearances and energy development contracts). And energy is 20 percent of production cost.

Labor is 15 percent of production cost. The communists will handle that, too. You will hear a crescendo of demands for no “endo” (end of contracts or workers rotated every five months), higher wages, unionized workers, guaranteed employment, and profit and management sharing. There could be restiveness on the labor front as the oligarchy will of course resist such demands.

So the communists will intervene in 35 percent of production costs (energy plus labor).

A third, or 32 percent, are taxes.

Digong says he will lower taxes for the low income and increase those of the high income, again the oligarchs (he probably means the rich must pay more in taxes and avoid tax avoidance).

Thankfully, the level-headed and sensible management wizard Carlos “Sonny” Dominguez, probably the next Finance chief, could balance things out.

I hope you won’t see a deja vu of the Cory Aquino-era (19861992) internecine infighting between the right represented

by Finance Secretary Jaime Ongpin and the left represented

by Executive Secretary Joker Arroyo and Labor Secretary Bobbit Sanchez. It created a power vacuum that triggered seven coup attempts against Cory and the suicide of Ongpin.

elections—money, indeed, is the bottomline.

Santa Banana, Duterte must have to kill everybody at Customs since even the security guards are corrupted.

The police themselves who will follow the “kill” order of Duterte themselves have been corrupted, and so are top officials of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Duterte, having been a fiscal and a city mayor, must know this.

Graft and corruption can only be minimized by strict implementation of the law. It can never be eradicated.

In China, those found

Meanwhile, President Digong will ban many things—smoking in public places, drinking outside homes and outside allowable hours, drunken driving, speeding along the main metropolitan highway Edsa (violators will be stripped naked in front of media), and minors loitering at wee hours (their parents will be arrested by the police).

Also banned are red tape and discourtesy in government (bureaucrats must smile always and should at least buy a cheap set of a false teeth, if need be). If bureaucrats cannot cut red tape or be courteous, they have to resign and be replaced by the teeming jobless outside their offices.

Scalawags in the police and the military must now resign, prepare for combat duty, and join Commander-in-Chief Duterte to invade Jolo to flush out the notorious Abu Sayyaf Group which has converted Mindanao and parts of Palawan into a miniSomalia. If these scalawags are captured by the ASG, they must say their “Our Fathers” because the CIC won’t pay ransom.

Applicants for overseas work and passports need no longer commute from one government agency to another and need not comply with tedious and timeconsuming bureaucratic requirements. Police and NBI clearances will be issued, on the spot, at the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Drug lords and criminals of the heinous type will be pursued and shot to death if they resist arrest or try to escape. A senior Davao police officer will lead an elite task force for this deadly crusade.

On the political front, Duterte’s PDP-Laban party has entered into a functional merger with

guilty of corruption are executed—but corruption still exists there. Even Washington D.C. is not immune to corruption.

I can only mention Singapore as a nationstate free from corruption because the late Lee Kwan Yew and his successors had authoritarian powers.

So I ask again: Will Duterte proclaim martial law or a revolutionary government to deliver on his promises? *** Now comes Duterte promising four sensitive cabinet portfolios —Labor, Social Welfare,

Continued on A11

Agrarian Reform and Environment and Natural Resources—to communists. That is, if Joma Sison, his friend and former professor, the head of the communist insurgency movement who is in exile, makes peace with government.

Again, making peace with the communist insurgents is easier said than done. The communist movement is longer a monolithic group.

Over the years, past presidents also tried to make peace with Sison and Luis Jalandoni, to no avail. The communists come to the Continued on A11

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OPINION lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

Calalang... From A9

Not... From A9

Armed with warrants of arrest, the NBI held the six for violation of the Copyright Infringement Law. In Barangay Sta. Teresita, Quezon City, PNP operatives of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group also nabbed a storeowner who was in possession of several reams of fake Mighty brand cigarettes. The CIDG agents were accompanied by a representative of Mighty Cigarettes Manufacturing Corp., who was tipped off about the fake brand cigarettes.

Why criminal syndicates like to fake a locally manufactured brand is a tribute to the high quality and reasonably priced Mighty cigarettes. Speculations are rife that a dominant player in the tobacco industry could be behind the proliferation of the fake Mighty brand.

They are perhaps hoping Mighty’s quality could be undermined so it would lose its growing share of the local market.

Drug-trafficking Chinese nabbed The news report of two more Chinese nationals apprehended for drug trafficking is a story that keeps reprising itself. Because of the repeated incidents, people are starting to favor presumptive President Rodrigo Duterte’s plan to restore the death penalty for heinous crimes.

At least the Davao City mayor that TIME Magazine featured as the “Punisher” in its recent cover seemed to have mellowed down. From his earlier statement that he would fatten the fish in Manila Bay by feeding them the corpses of criminals, Duterte said he would like to see serious crime offenders dangling and twisting at the end of a rope.

The instances of Chinese nationals’ involvement in the manufacture and distribution of shabu have become so frequent. Questions are being raised as to whether China is behind the plot to destabilize the country’s security as part of its insidious move in the South China Sea territorial dispute with the Philippines.

To divide and rule and weaken the state’s security are, after all, known strategies of the enemies within. Let us all therefore be vigilant and inform authorities of suspicious activity involving drug manufacturing and distribution of drugs in our neighborhood.

If you read or heard about the Chinese news anchor saying China owns the Philippines, then the fear of Beijing’s intent to annex the 7, 107 other islands beyond the Spratlys appear to be gaining ground.

And yes, Duterte has every right to choose his own people for his Cabinet, even members of the Communist Party of the Philippines, as he has proposed. And if they mess up, I only hope that Duterte will not be like Noynoy and fire these people to save the citizenry from further suffering.

In the meantime, let the man choose his own people. The Yellows already lost, and badly, in a referendum on Aquino’s administration, in case they haven’t heard. *** Like I said, I don’t personally agree with all of the choices of Duterte for his Cabinet. But I wholeheartedly

#FAILOCRACY

Will he... From A10 negotiating table with blood on their hands. They also have conditions like the release of all political prisoners.

Santa Banana, if Duterte releases all political prisoners, how will the Armed Forces take it? The insurgents have killed so many of them in the government’s fight against insurgency.

Duterte must think it over; otherwise, he would invite a reaction from the Armed Forces that he may not expect. My gulay, can you imagine Sison and Jalandoni being members of the Duterte cabinet? The militants and leftists may sing “halleleuia,” but what about the military and the Catholic Church, and those who have become victims of the decades-old

Duterte”s... From A10 tycoon Manny Villar’s Nacionalista Party, possibly to wrest control of the presidency of the 24-man Senate from the Liberal Party and help form a coalition to grab the speakership from the stranglehold of the Liberal Party in the House of Representatives.

Duterte is aware many of his edicts will be controversial if not illegal. So he has surrounded himself with lawyers, brilliant lawyers.

Bar topnotcher and Harvardtrained Gilberto Teodoro has been invited as Defense chief probably to ask for more substantial “excess defense articles” (a euphemism for second-hand war materiel) from the

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endorse, for whatever it’s worth, his plan to bring back Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro.

It’s about time Teodoro returned to serve his country, even if I am convinced that he has already done more than his share during the Arroyo years. Still, if Duterte somehow convinces Gibo to come back and serve in whatever capacity—it doesn’t have to be secretary of defense, something he’s already done— it will be a sign that the incoming president really has the people’s interest at heart.

Of course, I understand that Teodoro is enjoying his time as a private citizen and is even making a lot of money as a member of the board of Banco de Oro, among

other lucrative pursuits. But the fact that he went to Davao City to meet Duterte, presumably upon the invitation of the incoming president, tells me that perhaps Gibo wants to stage a comeback.

Teodoro has since returned to Manila after saying he has not accepted any offer from Duterte until he discusses things with his family. I sincerely hope he accepts a Cabinet post and does so soon.

With the possible exception of Sonny Dominguez, who I’m told has already turned down Duterte’s offer to serve as finance secretary, I can think of no other person more qualified to serve in the new Cabinet than Teodoro. But then, I’ve always been a Gibo fan.

communist insurgency problem? *** The restoration of the death penalty is another thing. Duterte wants it revived —and the execution will be by hanging! He said this would be a warning to criminals. Statistics, however, have shown that death penalty has not deterred crime. Why does Duterte want a return to some kind of barbaric state?

And will Congress readily accept Duterte’s proposal? How about the Catholic Church which does not believe in the death penalty? Again, Duterte will be dividing the nation, forgetting his vow of uniting the people.

But, as I said earlier, I am willing to set aside my biases. After all, as I wrote, we are all in the same boat here.

*** There are three incoming members of the Duterte cabinet I believe to be good choices. They are Carlos “Sonny” Dominguez as secretary of finance, Gibo Teodoro as secretary of national defense, and former Securities and Exchange Commission chairman Perfecto Yasay as acting foreign secretary until Senator Alan Peter Cayetano can take over either as secretary of foreign affairs or justice when the one-year ban on his appointment is lifted.

In my book, these appointments are well-advised. I am a personal friend to all of them, and given their track records, I know they will do well.

Duterte cannot achieve change alone. The people’s expectations are very high.

United States.

Two lawyers, Perfecto Yasay and Alan Peter Cayetano, will invade Foreign Affairs to check on the arbitration case filed by Manila against China regarding the West Philippine Sea, the Scarborough Shoal land-grabbing, and international trade or partnership deals to which Digong is not warm. Veteran San Beda-trained lawyer Salvador Medialdea is executive secretary to winnow the paperwork and contracts sent to the Executive Office. Lawyers Jesus Dureza (No. 10 in the 1973 bar) and Bebot Bello will negotiate with the Muslim separatists and the communist rebels.

On the vice presidential race, people have asked me: Was Ferdinand

“Bongbong” Marcos (BBM) Jr. cheated? Consider three things: in the SWS exit poll (exit polls are usually very accurate), BBM won by 1.8 percentage points over Leni Robredo and 1.8 is about 720,000 votes based on 40 million votes cast for president; two, BBM clobbered Leni twoto-one among overseas voters; and three, Marcos has been a political brand for half a century. Can it be beaten by a political brand of barely three months? Imagine Coke, Tide or Colgate upstaged by an unknown brand of three months.

In marketing, it cannot happen. I don’t know in Aquino-brand politics. biznewsasia@gmail.com

CHONG ARDIVILLA

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SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

Woods hoping to return in June BETHESDA—Tiger Woods said Monday he hopes to make his comeback from injury at next month’s Quicken Loans National—but highlighted his tough road to recovery by hitting three shots into the water before watching journalists.

His Tiger Woods Foundation helps host the tournament, which this year takes place at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland from June 23-26, the week following the US Open.

Woods, who has not played since undergoing two separate surgical procedures late last year, stressed that while he hoped to play at Congressional, his comeback would be contingent on his fitness.

“Health? I feel good. Thank you. My kids are sick, but I’m

Ooops! Canadian tennis

player Nick Kyrgios loses his slippery racket against Japanese tennis player Kei Nishikori during the Madrid Open tournament at the Caja Magica (Magic Box) sports complex in Madrid.

AFP

Bolt aggravates hamstring injury KINGSTON—Jamaican sprint superstar Usain Bolt is undergoing treatment in Germany for what his coach described as an “aggravated hamstring injury” following his first race of the season, local radio reported Monday.

Glen Mills, Bolt’s coach, said the two-time Olympic 100m and 200m champion had tweaked the hamstring during Saturday’s Cayman Invitational meeting.

Bolt clocked a modest 10.05sec in the 100m, winning ahead of American Dentarius Locke and training partner Kemar BaileyCole.

“If you noticed in the race he was grimacing towards the end,” Mills told Jamaica’s Hitz 92fm radio station on Monday.

Bolt’s injury is unlikely to prevent the world record holder from racing in Friday’s meeting in Ostrava, the Czech Republic, Mills said. AFP

good,” Woods quipped to reporters at the event’s media day.

“On a serious note, I have been practicing at home. I’m progressing nicely. I’m hoping to play (the Quicken Loans). I don’t know that I’m going to play.

“That’s the overriding question I keep hearing: ‘When are you coming back? When are you playing?’ I get it all the time. If I knew, I’d tell you. It’d be nice to know I’m going to play on such and such a date, but I don’t know.”

In a telling indicator of how far the world number one’s game has slipped, he practiced a series of tee shots on the famous par-three 10th.

Three of his efforts plunked into the water surrounding the green. AFP

Arum: Pros in Olympic Games is total madness HONG KONG—Legendary boxing promoter Bob Arum has slammed as “total madness” a proposal to allow professional boxers to fight against amateurs in the Rio Olympics.

The 84-year-old American, who has arranged fights for ring greats from Muhammad Ali to Manny Pacquiao in a career spanning more than 50 years, believes boxers could be seriously hurt if the plan by the sport’s governing body, the International Boxing Association (AIBA), goes ahead.

“To have guys who are experienced professional fighters against these amateurs, you’re looking at serious, serious injuries. It’s total madness,” Arum told AFP in Hong Kong.

“This is not like basketball where all you do is lose, a guy dunks over you, or baseball or

other sports like that. This is a hard sport and guys can get hurt.

“Imagine putting in a 147lb kid novice from Nigeria, who could be a great prospect, with Manny Pacquiao? It’s ludicrous.

It’s silly.”

Arum was in Hong Kong to preside over local unbeaten Rex ‘The Wonder Kid’ Tso’s latest fight, where he took his record to 19-0 by stopping experienced Korean super flyweight Young Gil-Bae in four rounds to pave the way for a potential world title fight early next year.

AIBA first floated the radical proposal to allow profes-

sionals into the Rio Olympics a few months ago and will put it to the vote at its congress in Lausanne early next month -- just two months before the Games.

“To start it a couple of months before an Olympiad, are they crazy?” said Arum. “What about these kids who have trained for years for their Olympic chance?”

Arum clearly sees AIBA’s move as an attempt to grab a slice of the riches on offer in the lucrative professional game, and warned AIBA they would be better off serving the amateur side of the combat sport.

- ‘Not realistic’ “The AIBA people have this idea that, like FIFA in football, they can take over the whole sport, which they can’t,” declared Arum. “And they shouldn’t.

“They are trying to take over boxing. If they want to take some aspects of professional boxing

such as scoring systems and incorporate it into amateur boxing then that’s OK. But they should confine themselves to amateurs.

“They realize that the big money is in professional boxing but they are going to encounter tremendous difficulty.”

One boxer on the undercard of the Tso fight was London 2012 Olympic gold medallist Ryota Murata, who took his unbeaten record to 10 straight wins with a fourth-round knockout of Brazil’s Felipe Santos Pedroso.

The Japanese middleweight told AFP, however, he would be attracted by the prospect of stepping back into an Olympic ring against amateurs -- but only in front of his home fans.

“That’s something I’d like to consider for Tokyo 2020,” said Murata, who admitted that most boxers in the professional ranks did not share his ambition. AFP

Brazil to get limited games’ boost RIO DE JANEIRO (AFP)--The Rio Olympics in August will give Brazil’s battered economy only a limited shot in the arm, Moody’s ratings agency said Monday, as bad news mounted for the city’s Olympic transportation network.

“Rio de Janeiro’s upcoming summer Olympic games will give the city some lasting infrastructure improvements, as well as a temporary boost in tax revenues, but once the events are over, the country will wake up once again to its deepening recession,” Moody’s Investors Service said in a report.

Spending $7.1 billion on infrastructure around Rio will equal all spending for 12 cities during Brazil’s hosting of the 2014 World Cup, the report added.

With Brazil set to remain in deep recession throughout this year, however, the Games will not change the underlying weaknesses, Moody’s said.

One of the biggest injections into the economy -- construction spending -- is already almost over, the report noted.

Sectors set to get a big lift from the 350,000 tourists and 10,000 athletes the government expects in August include broadcasters such as Globo, which will broadcast all events, and card payment processors like Brazil’s Cielo.

Car rental companies will be another big winner, especially the official Games company, Localiza Rent a Car, Moody’s said.

On a longer-lasting scale,

Rio should benefit from major transport projects, the ratings company said, including a fourth metro line linking the Olympic Park area in Barra to the wealthy south of Rio, and a tram line in the center.

However, the future of a much-heralded express bus system meant to link the rest of the city to the Deodoro Olympic hub in the north is shakier, Moody’s said.

“The commercial prospects of this project are less certain,” the report said. “While we expect the motorway will be used heavily during the games, it is unclear whether high traffic volumes over this less economically developed area can be sustained during the medium to long term.” AFP

Musicians play their instruments at the sidelines during the Ibero American Athletics Championships serving as test event for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. AFP

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SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

Return shot. Maria

Febe Kusumastuti of Indonesia hits a return against Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand during their women’s singles group match at the Uber Cup badminton tournament in Kunshan, in eastern China’s Jiangsu Province. AFP

Llamas eyes rebound TRACY Llamas tries to atone for a winless campaign in Dumaguete last week as she shoots for a “double” against a crack field in the Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala regional age-group tennis tournament at the Sto. Nino Tennis Club in Ubay, Bohol starting Wednesday.

Lllamas struggled the last time out, bowing in the second round of the girls’ 16-U class then defaulting her match in the quarters of the 18-U section, enabling Bliss Bayking and Averille Sacapano to split top honors in the Dumaguete leg of the Group 2 tournament sponsored by Palawan Pawnshop and presented by Slazenger.

But Llamas is expected to bounce back along with fellow La Carlota, Negros Occidental bets Khenz and Rewel Justiniani and Alexa Milliam, who is gunning for back-to-back title romp in the girls’ 12-U side of the

Pagara plans to use speed, power vs foe

By Ronnie Nathanielsz UNBEATEN 22-year-old Prince Albert Pagara, who is coming off a big win over Yesner Talavera to capture the WBO Intercontinental title last Feb. 27 in a near-shutout win, told a well-attended press conference at Dencio’s near ABS-CBN in Quezon City, he will use his speed and stamina against his rugged foe Cesar Juarez.

The Mexican engaged Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire in a brutal clash in the final rounds of their battle for the vacant world super bantamweight title in Puerto Rico last Dec. 11, which the Filipino won handily, banking on two rousing knockdowns he scored in Round 4.

Pagara, who was accompanied by former bantamweight contender and now trainer Michael Domingo, said he will concentrate on “conditioning training” with well-known trainer Nick Curson at the Wild Card Gym of Freddie Roach in Los

Angeles.

He said he will do light training at Wild Card under Roach, with Edmund Villamor then handling the training after he arrives in LA, following the WBO light flyweight title defense of Donnie Nietes against Raul “Rayito” Garcia at the St. La Salle Coliseum in Bacolod City on May 28.

Domingo said they will look for sparring partners, who approximate the style of Juarez, who has a record of 17-5 with 13 knockouts. Juarez dropped a 10-round split decision to

Giovanni Delgado on March 5 this year following the loss to Donaire.

Boxing Scene’s Jake Donovan reported that “three months after taking Nonito Donaire to hell and back, Cesar Juarez was brought crashing back down to earth. The super bantamweight hopeful suffered a stunning split decision loss to Giovanni Delgado in their 10-round clash (last March 5) in Mexico City, Mexico.”

Juarez managed a 95-94 nod on one card, but was overruled by scores of 96-93 and 95-94 in

favor of Delgado.

“The concept behind Saturday’s fight was proving that Juarez belonged among super bantamweight contention following his brave showing versus Donaire. A win in this fight was rumored to have lined up a future showdown with unbeaten Pagara, with the winner likely to race to the front of the line for a title shot (which will actually push through at the San Mateo Events Center on July 9),” he continued.

“It wasn’t to be on this night for the local favorite, who was sound offensively but struggled to keep a determined Delgado at bay. The fight was back-andforth for much of the night, but with Delgado often landing first and at a greater rate. Juarez’ punches drew the reaction whenever he landed, but his best moments came in spurts whereas Delgado’s mode of attack was consistent over the course of the night,” Donovan said.

Meralco/MVP New Face of the Year Taekwondo slated AROUND 1,500 athletes will see action in the 2016 Meralco/MVP Sports Foundation National New Face of the Year taekwondo championships on May 21-22 at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City.

Organizing Committee Chair Sung Chon Hong says the event is the Philippine Taekwondo Association’s commitment to push for the development of the sport as well as its support to the government’s grassroots sports program.

“This competitition gives taekwondo newcomers the chance to show their techniques and styles as they bid to become the country’s future stars,” says Hong, PTA’s CEO (Chief Executive Officer).

Fighters from all PTA chapters and branches in Metro Manila and the provinces including the various military commands will vie for honors in eight categories, namely, senior men and

women, junior men and women, Cadet (men and women), and grade school (boys and girls).

Each category has competition for advance and novice fighters.

Taekwondo is considered as the most popular martial art sports here due to the country’s success in prestigious international events. Only recently, two Filipino female fighters—Kirstie Elaine Alora and Pauline Lopez—made waves in the Asian qualifying tournament for the 2016 Rio Olympics and the Asian Championships held last month at the Marriott Convention Center in Pasay City.

Alora earned a slot in the Rio Olympic Games set this August while Lopez bagged a gold medal in the 22nd Asian Championships.

The tourney is supported by SMART Communications Inc., Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee, PLDT and Milo.

UFC-Baguio’s Breyanne Danglosi (left), shown delivering an axe kick against Mountan Peak TKD Center’s Beyonce Abelgas, is one of the participants in the tourney.

event backed by Asiatraders Corp., exclusive distributor of Slazenger, and sanctioned by the Philippine Tennis Association headed by president and Paranaque City Mayor Edwin Olivarez.

“While Llamas and the other top ranking bets remain the players to beat, we expect a number of reversals with a slew of unranked stars raring to prove their worth and gain ranking points,” said Palawan Pawnshop president/CEO Bobby Castro.

Focus will also be on San Carlos’ Bliss Bayking, who racked up two victories in Dumaguete, along with Dumaguete aces Ibarra Ortega Jr., Giulian Bandoquillo and Christian Lagat and Reynan Mahusay of Pontevedra while Chad Connor Cuizon, Pherl Bless Coderos, Paul Coderos, Shedel Pagadian, Nilo Ledama and Wyne Pagliwanan banner the tough Cebu cast.

Benefit run for orphans of soldiers set PILIPINAS Run with the Stars kicks off on Sunday at the Quirino Grandstand.

Organized by Streetwise Events Management and Public Relations, the fun run is being held for the benefit of the orphans of the AFP Fallen Heroes as 15% of the proceeds will be donated to HERO Foundation (Help Educate and Rear Orphans), the core organization, which manages and provides assistance to the orphans of the fallen soldiers in battle.

Col. Jasper Pecson of the Civil Military Operations Group of Philippine Army said the project will help the families of fallen soldiers as their children can now have the opportunity to finish their studies despite their financial challenges.

“On a day to day basis, our Philippine Army Soldiers are risking their lives for our freedom, sovereignty, independence, and in attaining a long-lasting peace for our country. It is now high time to honor and give respect to them – our modern national heroes,” Pecson said.

More or less 4,000 orphans have been given assistance and scholarships by the HERO Foundation from the establishment of the agency in 1998.

Participants may register at the following categories: 3K – P400; 5K – P 500; 10K – P 650 ; and 16K – P 750.

They can register at Unisilver Time - Market Market, Glorietta, Victory Mall; Royqueen in SM Megamall, SM Marikina in SM Bacoor; Cardam’s Shoes in SM North EDSA, SM Fairview, Health Wave in Robinsons Place Manila, Festival Mall; Maxs Restaurant - CCP Complex, Mabuhay Restop – Rizal Park, and every weekend and at the Philippine Army Gymnasium at Fort Bonifacio, Taguig.

The public can also register online at www.goorahna.com.

Lots of prizes will be given away to the winners. All runners will get Singlet, Finishers’ Medal and loot bags, while the first 300 finisher runners will be lucky to get Limited Edition Finishers’ Shirt.

Celebrities such as Karylle Padilla, Ejay Falcon, Enzo Pineda, Ritz Azul, Derrick Monasterio, Barbie Forteza and Julie Anne San Jose, among others will entertain the crowd.

For more information, visit Pilipinas Run with the Stars 2016’s Facebook account or call tel. nos. (02) 498-0330, 0905-419-9967; and 0919-599-7675.

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Top guns clash in ICTSI Calatagan tilt ERRORS & OMISSIONS

Extra Judicial Settlement

In Classified Ads section must be brought to our attention the very day the advertisement is published.

We will not be responsible for any incorrect ads not reported to us immediately.

Notice is hereby given that the estate of the late Felipe V. Verceles has been extrajudicially settled with Deed of Sale with transfer of rights among his heirs as per Doc. No. 145, Page No. 30; Book No. 05; Series of 2015 before Atty. Juan S. Sandingan.

Notary Public PTR No: 4192226/Jan. 5, 2016. ( T S - M AY 18 , 2 5 & J U N . 1, 2 016)

Republic of the Philippines DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION REGION IV-A CALABARZON Gate 2 Karangalan Drive, Cainta, Rizal

INVITATION TO BID The Deparment of Education. Region IV-A, through the 2016 General Appropriation Act intends to apply the sum of Eight Million Two Hundred Twenty One Thousand Six Hundred Pesos (Php8,221,600.00) only being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to eligible payments under the contract for the provision of venue for the Board & Lodging of the participants to the Senior High School (SHS) Mass Training of Grade 11 teachers on Common Topics and Academic Track. Bids received in excess of the ABC per Cluster shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.

Cluster I ----------------------------------------ABC-------------------Php976,000.00 Rizal -----------------------------------------225 pax Antipolo City-------------------------------- 56 pax Facilitators ---------------------------------- 12 pax Training Team------------------------------- 12 pax 305 pax Cluster II----------------------------------------ABC-------------------Php1 ,840,00.00 Batangas Prov.---------------------------- 374 pax Batangas City ------------------------------ 49 pax Lipa City------------------------------------- 58 pax Tanauan City-------------------------------- 50 pax Facilitators---------------------------------- 22 pax Training Team------------------------------- 22 pax 575 pax Cluster III---------------------------------------ABC-------------------Php2,060,800.00 Laguna---------------------------------------381 pax Calamba City ------------------------------- 73 pax Sta. Rosa City ------------------------------ 68 pax San Pablo City ----------------------------- 24 pax Binan City----------------------------------- 46 pax Faciltators ---------------------------------- 26 pax Training Team ------------------------------ 26 pax 644 pax

CALATAGAN, Batangas—A shootout looms among the fancied bets right in the opener of the ICTSI Calatagan Invitational Wednesday with Clyde Mondilla, Mhark Fernando and Tony Lascuña slugging it out in the featured threesome at the Calatagan Golf Club here.

Mondilla is coming off a playoff win over Jobim Carlos at Eastridge two weeks ago while Fernando and Lascuña ruled the event when it was staged here last in 2012 and 2013, respectively.

That should make their 8:10 a.m. start on No. 10 worth watching with Mondilla brimming with confidence and the two others out to test the mettle of the fast-rising 23-year-old star from Del Monte who has racked up four victories in a young pro career.

“I feel good and I’m confident to score another victory,” said Mondilla, who, however, will be hard-pressed to complete a back-to-back feat given the depth of the competing field in the P2 million event sponsored by International Container Terminal Services, Inc. ‘We’re all aiming for a win here and that should make it tougher,” said Lascuna, adding that putting will be the key in this sixth leg of the circuit organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. “I just hope my putting will click unlike at Eastridge where I really struggled in all four days.”

Lascuna wound up tied for 11th at Manila Masters but the former three-time Order of Merit winner remains upbeat of his chances, together with Fernando, who beat Rufino Bayron by five to dominate the 2012 edition of this event.

Jhonnel Ababa and Jerson Balasabas, who with Fernando trained here for years under now-defunct National Caddies Program, are expected to contend for the top P360,000 purse given their familiarity with the up-and-down layout whose tight fairways require accurate shots off the mound.

In fact, Mondilla said he might keep his driver in the bag and would opt for a 3-wood or rescue off the tee to keep the ball in play and minimize his mistakes on a demanding course especially in the presence of the wind.

Balasabas kicks off his bid at 8:30 a.m. on No. 1 in the company of Dante Becierra and Miko Alejandro while Ababa clashes with Jay Bayron and Rico Depilo in the next group at 8:40 a.m.

Meanwhile, Albin Engino served notice of his title bid by topping yesterday’s pro-am where he steered his team made up of Raul Montealto, Ronnie Guico and Emmanuel Rabe to a winning 16-under 56 total. They edged Orlan Sumcad and teammates Rupert Sison, Dinno de Vera and Ely Camiling by one while Zanieboy Gialon, along with Elimar Caranguian, Carlos Tuason and Joel Iligan also pooled a 57 but lost in the countback for runner-up honors.

Engino and Gialon will start at 8 a.m. with Charles Hong on No. 1 while the long-hitting Sumcad drew Gerald Rosales and Nilo Salahog at 7:40 a.m., also on the first hole.

Cluster IV --------------------------------------ABC-------------------Php1,728,000.00 Cavite Prov. ------------------------------- 207 pax Cavite City .-------------------------------- 28 pax Imus City ------------------------------------ 77 pax Bacoor City --------------------------------- 70 pax Dasmarinas City -------·------------------- 114 pax Facilitators---------------------------------- 22 pax Training Team ------------------------------ 22 pax 540 pax CIuster V ---------------------------------------ABC-------------------Php1,616,800.00 Quezon ------------------------------------ 380 pax Tayabas City -------------------------------- 14 pax Lucena City --------------------------------- 57 pax Facilitators ---------------------------------- 20 pax Training Team------------------------------- 20 pax 491 pax The Department of Education Region IV-A, through its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), now invites bids for the herein-mentioned Goods. Bidders must have completed, within five (5) years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the Project with an amount of at least 50% of the ABC to be bid. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, i.e., in Section II, Instructions to Bidders. Bids received that exceed the ABC shall be rejected at bid opening.

Contract duration------------June 7-10, 2016 Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using a non-discretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) 9184, otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act.” Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least sixty percent (60%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines, and to citizens or organizations of a country the laws or regulations of which grant similar rights or privileges to Filipino citizens, pursuant to RA 5183 and subject to Commonwealth Act 138.

A complete set of Bidding Documents may be inspected or purchased at DepED IV-A BAC Secretariat, located at Supply Office, Gate 2 Karangalan Drive, Cainta, Rizal upon accomplishing a bidder’s information sheet and payment in cash of a non-refundable fee by interested bidders in the amount of Five Thousand Pesos (PhP5,000.00) to the DepED IV-A Cashier. Only bidders who purchased the Bidding Documents will be allowed to submit bids.

It may be viewed or downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhiIGEPS), www.philgeps.net. and the website of the Procuring Entity, www.depedca/abarzon.gov. provided that bidders shall pay the fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids. The schedule and venue of the procuring activities are as follows: Activity

Date and Time

Venue

From May 17, 2016 to June 2,2016 8:00am to 5:00pm (Mon. -Fri.)

DepED IV-A Director’s Conference Room

Pre-Bid Conference

May 20,2016 -10:00 a.m.

-same-

Submission and Opening of Bids

June 2,2016 -10:00 a.m.

-same-

Issuance of Bidding Documents

Prospective bidders are strongly encouraged to order or download the electronic copy of the Bidding Documents from the PhilGEPS website: www.philgeps.net. for them to be included in the Document Request List of the project. The pre-bid conference is open-to-all interested parties who may have or have not bought the bidding documents, Bids must be delivered to the address and on the date and time stated herein. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in the ITB Clause 18. A valid Bid Securing Declaration must accompany the bid(s) in lieu of a bid security.

Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders’ representatives who choose to attend the opening of bids at the address, date and time stated herein. Late bids shall not be accepted.

The DepED Region IV-A reserves the right to reject any and all bids, declare a failure of bidding, not award the contract(s), or annul the bidding process without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders, For further information, please refer to: Ann Geralyn T. Pelias BAC Chairman Virginia O. Bagacay BAC Secretariat DepED IV-A Gate 2 Karangalan Drive, Cainta, Rizal 6458406

( T S - M AY 18 , 2 016)

(SGD) ANN GERALYN T. PELIAS BAC Chairman

Tony Lascuña (above) slugs it out with Clyde Mondilla and Mhark Fernando in the featured threesome of the ICTSI Calatagan Invitational starting Wednesday.

Heavyweight champ Fury sorry for video rant LONDON—World heavyweight champion Tyson Fury insists he is “in no way a racist or bigot” after apologising on Monday for comments he made in an hour-long video rant.

Fury caused controversy after making homophobic, sexist and anti-Semitic remarks in the interview last week, which led to widespread calls for him to be banned from boxing.

“I apologize to anyone who may have taken offence at any of my comments,” Fury said in a statement.

“I said some things, which may have hurt some people, which as a Christian man is not something I would ever want to do.

“Though it is not an excuse, sometimes the heightened media scrutiny has caused me to act out in public. I mean no harm or disrespect to anyone and I know more is expected of me as an ambassador of British boxing and I promise in future to hold myself up to the highest possible standard.

“Anyone who knows me personally knows that I am in no way a racist or bigot and I hope the public

accept this apology.”

Fury has previously been accused of sexism and homophobia and also made controversial remarks about Olympic heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis-Hill.

In his latest outburst, he claimed “Zionist, Jewish people ... own all the banks, all the papers, all the TV stations”.

He made personal attacks against Ukrainian Wladimir Klitschko in the run-up to their rematch fight in July and voiced views on bestiality, paedophilia and women during the 57-minute clip. AFP (TS-DEC. 1, 2015)

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

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SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

Oraeme carries Cardinals past Chiefs, 86-81 LOTTO RESULTS ALLWELL Oraeme struck hard in the final minutes as the Mapua Cardinals repulsed the Arellano University Chiefs, 86-81, Sunday in the 22nd Fr. Martin Cup Summer Basketball Tournament at the St. Placid gymnasium of the San Beda College-Manila campus in Mendiola.

Oraeme, who led with 23 points, struck thrice in succession in the last three minutes to

lead the Cardinals to their fourth straight victory in Group A of the senior division.

This moved the Cardinals closer to a quarterfinal seat, with two games left in their elimination round assignment, according to commissioner Robert de la Rosa.

The Cardinals overtook the Chiefs for the last time off charities from Darren Menina and Lawrence Victoria, 78-76.

After that, Oraeme took over with his layup, two charities and a triple, which moved Mapua further ahead, 84-81, in the final minute.

The Chiang Kai Shek Dragons, led by Rafael Toribio and Abines Galinato with 14 and 11 points, smothered the Letran Squires, 8542, for their fourth straight win in Group A of the junior division.

Jojo Antiporda struck with 21 points in leading the Adamson

Baby Falcons to a 91-51 smashing of the Ateneo de Davao Squires, handing them their fourth win in five games in Group B. The Squires earlier turned back St. Patrick of Quezon City, 113-50.

In the women’s division, Love Joy Sto. Domingo and Bien Ramos banged in 11 points for University of the East in their 59-46 edging of Adamson.

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

P0.0 M+ P0.0 M+

Elasto Painters shoot for title, again

By Jeric Lopez

RAIN or Shine’s urge to wrap things up has become more of a need now, while Alaska’s growing confidence is now a threat to the Painters.

Something’s got to give as the Elasto Painters and the Aces lock horns again in the continuation of their competitive best-of-seven finals showdown in the 2016 Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup.

After blowing its first two chances of taking a PBA title, Rain or Shine is hoping that it can finally claim the championship and avoid a very dangerous situation against a rejuvenated Alaska squad in Game 6 of the series today at 7 p.m. at the

Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Still ahead 3-2 in the series, the Elasto Painters, who zoomed to a huge 3-0 lead to jumpstart the finals only to lose the next two games, will once again look to finish off the Aces and win the championship on their third try.

“This next game is basically a door-die game for us now. There’s no other way, we need to finish it,” said Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao.

However, they now have to be more wary of the scenery as the

Aces have closed in on them after willing their way back in the series with victories in Games 4 and 5 to tighten the gap to a single game.

Should Alaska win, it will force a winner-take-all Game 7 this Friday to decide the champion, negating all of Rain or Shine’s erstwhile 3-0 advantage.

The Aces took an 86-78 victory last Sunday night behind their star Calvin Abueva’s 20 points and 13 rebounds to extend the series and inch closer to the Elasto Painters.

Abueva, the Best Player of the Conference, gave his insights on how Alaska can continue its streak and extend the series to a deciding Game 7.

“Dapat ituloy lang namin ‘yung mga ginawa namin nitong mga huling laro. Limit namin ‘yung shooters nila, tapos more aggressive pa dapat kasi sa defense and mas doblehin pa ‘yung hustle namin,” said Abueva, who suddenly came alive in Games 4 and 5 after an average showing in the first three games of the series.

PH joins Singapore fitness challenge

NATIONAL team member Noelle Wenceslao banner three other crossfit enthusiasts representing the country in the Test of Will finals two weeks from now at the extravagant Gardens by the Bay in Singapore.

The 37-year-old Wenceslao, one of the first three Filipinas, who reached the summit of Mt. Everest in 2008, will be joined in the team by Derrick Carlo Mercado, Zoe Pond-McPherson, and Merwin Torres as they lead Team Philippines in competing against representatives from Malaysia, Thailand, and the host country in the inaugural Southeast Asia-wide fitness challenge presented by Under Armour.

The four emerged as the top two bets in their respective divisions during the local phase of the meet held at the Bonifacio High St. in Taguig from April 16 to 17.

A member of the national dragon boat team, Wenceslao emerged the best out of 301 participants after doing 243 total reps. She was followed

by Pond-McPherson, the socalled ‘Fittest Woman in Philippine Crossfit’, who accomplished 213 reps.

Mercado, an architecture graduate, triumphed in the male category with 164 reps, while Torres, a medical technologist, came in at second with 151 reps.

Wenceslao, Mercado, and Torres appeared in the weekly Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum at Shakey’s Malate on Tuesday, where they were presented by Tin Majadillas, managing director of One of a Kind Marketing, Under Armour Sports, Southeast Asia, and Under Armour Southeast Asia brand athlete Asi Taulava.

National team member Noelle Wenceslao (left) announces the PH team’s readiness when it competes in an inaugural Southeast Asiawide fitness challenge in Singapore during her appearance at the PSA Forum in Shakey’s Malate on Tuesday. She is joined here by (starting second from left) Derick Mercado, Merwin Torres (coach), Under Armour Managing Director Christine Majadillas and Under Armour Ambassador Asi Taulava.

LINO SANTOS

Longshot Radio Active cops 1st leg Philracom Triple Crown THE HOARSE WHISPERER JENNY ORTUOSTE

LONGSHOT colt Radio Active overcame eight others to snatch the first leg of the Philippine Racing Commission Triple Crown series for elite 3YO Thoroughbreds held last Sunday (May 15) at Santa Ana Park in Naic, Cavite.

The racing series, patterned after the US edition and held every summer, is the most prestigious and among the richest for 3YO and attracts the best participants of the season.

Indianpana took the lead at the start of the mile race,

with favorite Dewey Boulevard in second, Space Needle third, and Radio Active fourth. All four were tightly bunched and each jockeying for a better position.

At the backstretch, Dewey Boulevard shook off the others and grabbed the lead followed off the pace by Radio Active, with Space Needle dropping half a length back to third and Indianpana to fourth.

Radio Active was obviously running hot and almost too much to handle for his young rider John Alvin Guce, taking the front position at the far turn and pulling away from the rest of the pack without whipping or urging.

Even though he raced wide at the home turn, Radio Active still forged a com-

manding lead and won by an impressive seven lengths, aided only by a few token flicks of the whip close to the finish line.

In his elation over the unexpected victory, Guce stood up in the irons before reaching the wire and was fined P1,000 by the stewards for grandstanding.

Radio Active is owned by SC Stockfarm and trained by Nestor Manalang. SC Stockfarm claimed the P1.8 million winner’s prize as well as the P100,000 breeder’s purse, having bred Radio Active from US-breds Lim Expensive Toys (sire) and Lacquaria (dam).

Underwood 2nd, Space Needle 3rd, Subterranean River 4th. Total time 1:41

(26-24’-23’-27). *** In the Philracom Hopeful Stakes mile held that same day, the honors went to Felizardo Sevilla Jr.’s Guatemala, another lightly-regarded entry.

Trained by Manuel Vicente and ridden by Kelvin Abobo, the win was worth P600,000. Pinagtipunan (favorite) 2nd, Real Flames 3rd, Dance Again 4th. Total time 1:43.6 ((26’-24’-25-27’). *** It was the favorite Nyquist who won this year’s Kentucky Derby, the first leg of the US Triple Crown. No surprise; as juvenile champion, he was clearly the one to beat.

The question is, can he take the second jewel in the crown, the Preakness Stakes?

By all accounts, his workouts and gallops are fine and he is in excellent condition. He has a good chance of winning the Preakness, with it having a slightly shorter distance compared to the KY Derby.

In fact, we could be looking at another sweep of the Triple Crown, after American Pharoah ended the 37-year drought last year. Still need more convincing? Nyquist’s Derby time of 2:01.31 is the fastest since 2003 and almost two seconds better than American Pharoah’s last year.

The 2016 Preakness Stakes will be held May 21 at the Pimlico racetrack in Baltimore. *** Facebook: Gogirl Racing, Twitter: @gogirlracing, Instagram: @jensdecember

A16

W E D N E S DAY : M AY 1 8 , 2 0 16 RIERA U. MALL ARI EDITOR

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

sports@thestandard.com.ph

SPORTS Thunder stun Dubs in West finals opener Russell Westbrook (0) of the Oklahoma City Thunder shoots against the Golden State Warriors during Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. AFP

OAKLAND—Russell Westbrook inspired a second-half fightback as the Oklahoma City Thunder came from behind to beat the Golden State Warriors 108-102 in the opening game of the Western Conference finals on Monday.

Westbrook poured on 27 points as the Thunder overturned a 6047 halftime deficit to snatch victory in a pulsating clash between two of the most potent attacking units in the NBA. Westbrook also chipped in with 12 assists and six rebounds while team-mate Kevin Durant finished with 26 points as the visitors silenced the Golden State home crowd at the Oracle Arena.

“It’s a game of two halves, man,” Westbrook said after the win.

“We’re a great team. We didn’t play our best game but we came out with a win.”

Westbrook played a pivotal role on defense, time and again using his blistering speed to pounce on stray passes by the Warriors.

“He’s probably the quickest guard in the league,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said of Westbrook.

Top guns clash in ICTSI golf TURN TO A14

“I thought when we lost our aggressiveness and our momentum offensively in the second half, a lot of that had to do with his speed and aggressiveness,” the Warriors coach added.

Golden State looked to be sprinting away to a one-sided victory after blasting into a commanding early in the first half, converting a series of rash Oklahoma City turnovers into points.

NBA MVP Stephen Curry— who finished with 26 points— rubbed salt into the wound on the stroke of half-time with a trademark long-range three-pointer to give the Warriors a 13-point lead.

But the Thunder re-emerged after the halftime interval a different side, with Westbrook leading the charge to slash the Warriors’ advantage with a virtuoso third quarter performance.

Westbrook piled up 19 points

in the third quarter to help put the Thunder within three points of the Warriors at 88-85 heading into the fourth quarter.

With Oklahoma City’s defense successfully neutralizing the threat posed by Curry, it was left to Durant and Westbrook to take control.

Oklahoma City opened up a 101-93 lead in the final few minutes but the reigning NBA finals champion Warriors clawed their way back to within one point at 101-100.

Just when it looked as if Golden State were poised to pull off another Houdini act, the Thunder regrouped and edged clear once more.

The visitors received a fortunate call when Westbrook avoided being called for traveling at 105-102 with 17 seconds remaining, and three more points sealed the win as time ran out for the Warriors.

Kerr bemoaned a loss of composure in the final quarter, when the Warriors made only one of 10 attempted three-pointers -- way below their normal levels of shooting accuracy.

“There were a lot of quick shots, way too many quick shots,” Kerr said.

“Five minutes left in the game

Painters shoot for title, again TURN TO A15

and we’re down four points or whatever and we were acting like we had 20 seconds left.

“Five minutes is an eternity. We know how we have to play. We have to pass and move and create rhythm for ourselves.

“I just felt we took way too many quick ones which took us out of our rhythm.”

Curry said the Warriors were ready to respond after the opening loss.

“It’s a long series,” Curry said. “It will be a different situation for us to try to bounce back at this point in the series having a deficit. So I think it’s fun to be able to have this opportunity and show what we’re made of.”

Thunder head coach Billy Donovan meanwhile praised his side’s problem-solving abilities after a first-half littered with errors.

“I thought in the second half we did a much better job, took much better care of the basketball which enabled us to get back in transition and play better defense,” Donovan said. “It’s one game and we’ll have to take a look at the film and figure out how we can play better on Wednesday. AFP

Baker: PH cagers’ top weapon is speed

By Peter Atencio FILIPINO players need to develop their quickness on the floor.

American skills coach Ganon Baker took note of this as a basketball camp he is facilitating for young Filipino players entered its second day.

“Players here can dribble. They can catch. They are under sized and they got to open up the floor a bit,” said Baker during a break in the camp at the Ronac Center in San Juan.

He made his observations after watching the game between Alaska Milk and Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in the PBA Commissioners Cup last Sunday.

Baker is getting help from local counterpart Eric Banes, as well as coaches Mon Jose and Aries Dimaunahan in the Manila camp.

He believes that Filipino players have the potential of being really fast with their game.

“They got to open the floor up.

Run and press. Keeping it up tempo,” added Baker, who has seen the Gilas Pilipinas national team play in China a few months ago.

He was able to watch an understudy, Andray Blatche, who trained under him when he was younger.

“He was tough in high school. He wasn’t afraid. He attacks,” noted Baker.

Baker runs the high-performance Elev8 Sports Institute in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

But he also works with professional and collegiate teams.

B1

WEDNESDAY: MAY 18, 2016

RAY S. EÑANO EDITOR

RODERICK T. DELA CRUZ ASSISTANT EDITOR

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

BUSINESS

PSe comPoSite index Closing May 17, 2016

8300 7840 7380 6920 6460 6000

7,524.84 13.10

PeSo-dollar rate

Closing May 17, 2016 48.00 46.00 45.00

P46.430

44.00

CLOSE

43.00

HIGH P46.330 LOW P46.460 AVERAGE P46.385 VOLUME 583.100M

P426.00-P637.00 LPG/11-kg tank P35.40-P42.60 Unleaded Gasoline

oPriceS il P today

P23.49-P27.07 Diesel

Early Duterte visitors. This photo taken on May 11, 2016, shows Filipino-Chinese tycoon and owner of flag carrier Philippine Airlines

Lucio Tan (center) arriving in Davao City on the southern island of Mindanao to meet Philippines’ president-elect Rodrigo Duterte. Business titans, turncoat politicians, rebel leaders and celebrities are descending on the long-neglected far southern Philippines, hoping to gain favor with the nation’s shock new powerbroker. AFP

Gokongwei takes over The Generics Pharmacy

By Jenniffer B. Austria

THE Gokongwei group acquired a 51-percent stake in The Generics Pharmacy, the country’s largest generics drugstore chain from the Luison family, for an undisclosed amount.

Robinsons Retail Holdings Inc., the listed retail holding company of the Gokongwei family, said in a disclosure to the stock exchange the acquisition was in line with the group’s strategy of expanding its presence in the drugstore business.

TGP, established by businessman Benjamin Liuson in 2001, now has more than 1,800 stores across the country.

Robinsons Retail said together with pharmaceutical chain South Star Drug, the group would now have nearly 2,200 stores

nationwide, the largest in terms of the total number of store outlets in the country. These two companies target all types of consumers and cover all segments of the drugstore business.

“We are very excited to partner with TGP. This is because TGP strongly believes in its vision to offer quality products at very affordable prices and in convenient locations.

It is an honor to continue the company’s legacy and to further grow the business,” Robinsons Retail president and chief operating officer Robina Gokongwei,”Pe said.

The Liuson family has been in the pharmaceutical business since 1959, initially as importer and wholesaler under the name Pacific Pharma. In 1983, Pacific Pharma shifted its focus to generic medicines after realizing the serious need of most Filipinos for quality medicine at affordable prices. In 2001, the Liuson family ventured into retail and set up The Generics Pharmacy.

TGP decided to bring affordable healthcare and medicines more accessible to far-flung areas

of the country through the franchising business model in 2007. TGP and the Liuson family were advised by Fortman Cline Capital Markets.

“We have been a firm believer that a Filipino deserves nothing less for less cost.

Thus, we have been true to our mission of helping address the health needs of every Filipino by providing a complete range of safe, quality and cost— effective generic medicines and healthcare products and services. As we profit from accomplishing this mission, we ensure our growth is shared among our franchisees, partners, suppliers and employees. It is our hope to bring our business a step higher with our partnership with Robinsons Retail,” TGP founder and chairman of the board Benjamin Liuson said.

SMC building more power plants worth $4.2b

By Alena Mae S. Flores CONGLOMERATE San Miguel Corp. plans to put up more power projects with a combined capacity of 2,100 megawatts and costing $4.2 billion to solidify its hold in the energy sector.

San Miguel president and chief operating officer officer Ramon Ang told reporters the company planned to build three power plants with a capacity of 300 megawatts in industrial estate projects in Mindanao.

Ang said each industrial estate development would cover about 2,000 hectares.

The company is now developing an industrial estate in Davao del Sur province.

“We’re doing those projects in Davao.

We want to help address power shortage

in Mindanao. We’re putting up industrial estates. We want to create lots of job opportunities for the people of Mindanao,” Ang said.

“We have so many projects in Mindanao. We’re putting up a food complex in Phividec. We will also put up power plants in the industrial estates. We want to put up at least three industrial estates in Mindanao where businesses can locate,” he said.

He said San Miguel planned to put up an initial 300-MW power plant in each industrial estate in Mindanao. Each power plant costs $2 million per MW for a total investment of $1.8 billion.

Ang said a single ship building locator could consume as much as 300 MW of electricity.

The planned industrial estates offer low,

long-term lease rate, growing skilled workers, a 20-meter deep international port to accommodate container vessels and a private airport.

Ang also confirmed that the company recently signed two power supply agreements with Manila Electric Co. from two power projects of San Miguel.

San Miguel is building a 600-MW coal plant in Pagbilao, Quezon under Central Luzon Premiere Power Corp.

It is also putting up another 600MW plant in Mariveles, Bataan under Mariveles Power Generation Corp.

Ang said the 1,200 MW projects were estimated to cost a combined $2.4 billion and projected to be completed by 2018 to 2019.

P34.55-P39.15 Kerosene Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Tuesday, May 17, 2016

F oreign e xchange r ate Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

46.5190

Japan

Yen

0.009173

0.4267

UK

Pound

1.440600

67.0153

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128813

5.9923

Switzerland

Franc

1.023227

47.5995

Canada

Dollar

0.775615

36.0808

Singapore

Dollar

0.730353

33.9753

Australia

Dollar

0.728700

33.8984

Bahrain

Dinar

2.653787

123.4515

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266731

12.4081

Brunei

Dollar

0.727696

33.8517

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000075

0.0035

Baht

0.028289

1.3160

Thailand UAE

Dirham

0.272287

12.6665

Euro

Euro

1.132300

52.6735

Korea

Won

0.000849

0.0395

China

Yuan

0.153374

7.1348

India

Rupee

0.014962

0.6960

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.248447

11.5575

New Zealand

Dollar

0.678800

Taiwan

Dollar

0.030623

31.5771 1.4246 Source: PDS Bridge

WEDNESDAY: MAY 18, 2016

B2

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

The STandard BuSineSS daily STockS review Tuesday, May 17, 2016

52 Weeks

Previous

High Low 7.88 75.3 124.4 107 56.5 2.49 4.2 4 17 30.45 2.6 890 1.01 100 1.46 30.5 75 91.5 137 80 361.2 57 180 1700 124 3.26

2.5 66 88.05 88.1 45.45 1.97 1.68 8.7 12.02 19.6 1.02 625 0.225 78 0.9 17.8 58 62 88.35 52 276 41 118.2 1200 59 2.65

47 5 1.46 2.36 15.3 89 148 20.6 85 36 65.8 2.97 4.14 21.5 21.6 11.96 9.13 11.8 31.8 109 20.75 15.3 9.4 0.98 241 79 4 74 33.9 90 13.26 293 0.62 5.25 12.98 6.75 15 7.03 3.4 4.5 6.3 7.34 1450 3.28 0.315 2.18 2.65 234 5.28 1.3 26 2.17

35.9 1.11 1.01 1.86 7.92 40.3 32 15.32 20.2 10.08 29.15 1.5 1.5 10.72 9.55 9.04 6.02 8.86 20.2 71.5 13.86 13.24 5.34 0.395 173 34.1 1.63 33 23.35 17.3 5.88 250.2 0.335 3.87 8.45 3 10.04 3.03 1.95 1 4.02 5.9 801 1.55 0.138 1.02 2.09 152 4.28 0.640 10.02 1.2

0.59 59.2 30.05 2.16 7.39 3.4 3.35 823.5 10.2 84 4.92 0.66 1455 76 5.29 6.66 9.25 0.85 17.3 5.53 9.66 0.0670 2.31 1.61 84.9 974 1.66 1.39 390 156 0.710 0.435 0.510

0.44 48.1 20.85 1.6 6.62 0.23 0.23 634.5 7.390 12.8 2.26 0.152 837 49.55 3 3.52 4.84 0.59 12 4.2 3 0.030 1.23 0.550 59.3 751 1.13 0.93 170 80 0.211 0.179 0.310

10.5 1.99 1.75 0.375 41.4 5.6 5.59 1.44 1.97 1.48 0.201 0.69 10.96

6.74 0.65 1.2 0.192 30.05 3.36 4.96 0.79 1.1 0.97 0.083 0.415 2.4

STOCKS

High

Low

FINANCIAL 3.46 3.25 46.2 46.1 104.30 103.10 93.55 92.95 40.25 40.15 3.00 3.00 1.52 1.47 9.5 9.5 14.2 14.1 17.98 16.76 2.62 2 600.00 600.00 0.610 0.590 89.1 87.1 0.95 0.95 15.00 15.00 24.00 24.00 51.90 51.50 102.9 102.2 400 360 274 270 31.1 30.15 194 190.4 1370.00 1370.00 60.10 58.85 1.63 1.5 INDUSTRIAL Aboitiz Power Corp.

47.1 47.1 46.6 Agrinurture Inc. 3.87 3.95 3.7 Alliance Tuna Intl Inc. 0.99 1 0.95 Alsons Cons.

1.83 1.86 1.81 Asiabest Group 14.5 14.5 13.52 Bogo Medelin 54.5 73.95 54.5 C. Azuc De Tarlac 193.00 189.00 189.00 Century Food 20.8 21.3 20.85 Conc. Aggr. ‘A’ 210 211 205 Cirtek Holdings (Chips) 18 18 17.74 Concepcion 46.25 46.25 46.15 Crown Asia 2.24 2.26 2.2 Da Vinci Capital 4.85 4.9 4.5 Del Monte 10.74 10.86 10.68 DNL Industries Inc. 9.500 9.630 9.410 Emperador 7.40 7.50 7.34 Energy Devt. Corp. (EDC) 5.90 5.98 5.90 EEI 7.33 7.40 7.33 First Gen Corp.

21.9 22.3 21.95 First Holdings ‘A’ 68.15 69.5 68.8 Ginebra San Miguel Inc. 14.78 14.68 14.68 Holcim Philippines Inc. 14.92 15.40 14.96 Integ. Micro-Electronics 5.66 5.75 5.65 Ionics Inc 2.310 2.340 2.280 Jollibee Foods Corp.

240.00 240.00 235.20 Liberty Flour 35.00 40.95 36.00 Mabuhay Vinyl 3.5 3.5 3.4 Macay Holdings 40.00 39.60 36.00 Manila Water Co. Inc. 27.6 28 27.2 Maxs Group 23.7 24.1 23.65 Megawide 6.55 6.6 6.54 Mla. Elect. Co `A’ 339.60 341.00 337.00 MG Holdings 0.280 0.280 0.275 Pepsi-Cola Products Phil. 3.46 3.53 3.46 Petron Corporation 11.50 11.64 11.28 Phil H2O 3.1 3.5 3.02 Phinma Corporation 11.64 11.64 11.54 Phoenix Petroleum Phils. 5.64 5.65 5.40 Phoenix Semiconductor 1.54 1.64 1.50 Pryce Corp. `A’ 3 3.07 2.79 RFM Corporation 4.20 4.23 4.19 Roxas Holdings 4.4 4.39 4.03 San Miguel ‘Pure Foods `A’ 222 222 220 Splash Corporation 2.6 2.65 2.56 Swift Foods, Inc. 0.153 0.156 0.152 TKC Steel Corp.

1.80 2.70 2.00 Trans-Asia Oil 2.60 2.67 2.51 Universal Robina 208.2 208.2 204.4 Victorias Milling 4.6 4.6 4.6 Vitarich Corp.

1.02 1.03 0.92 Vivant Corp.

31.50 31.20 31.00 Vulcan Ind’l.

1.33 1.37 1.33 HOLDING FIRMS Abacus Cons. `A’ 0.395 0.430 0.390 Aboitiz Equity 70.35 71.65 70.40 Alliance Global Inc. 14.26 14.38 14.14 Anglo Holdings A 1.30 1.30 1.23 Anscor `A’ 6.00 6.00 6.00 ATN Holdings A 0.440 0.460 0.435 ATN Holdings B 0.460 0.460 0.430 Ayala Corp `A’ 832 837 828 Cosco Capital 7.93 8.16 7.92 DMCI Holdings 12.82 13.00 12.76 Filinvest Dev. Corp.

6.10 6.24 6.10 Forum Pacific 0.285 0.285 0.265 GT Capital 1455 1469 1425 JG Summit Holdings 95.00 92.25 93.50 Keppel Holdings `A’ 5.36 5.36 5.36 Keppel Holdings `B’ 6 5.51 5.51 Lopez Holdings Corp.

8 8.1 7.92 Lodestar Invt. Holdg.Corp. 0.69 0.73 0.69 LT Group 13.84 14.08 13.86 Metro Pacific Inv. Corp. 6.09 6.35 6.12 MJCI Investments Inc. 2.86 3.35 3.2 Pacifica `A’ 0.0330 0.0330 0.0320 Prime Media Hldg 1.370 1.550 1.340 Prime Orion 1.850 1.880 1.820 San Miguel Corp `A’ 73.20 74.50 73.60 SM Investments Inc. 999.00 1012.00 998.00 Solid Group Inc. 1.22 1.22 1.17 South China Res. Inc. 0.82 0.95 0.80 Transgrid 190.00 190.00 190.00 Top Frontier 155.000 157.500 155.000 Unioil Res. & Hldgs 0.3150 0.3450 0.3250 Wellex Industries 0.2370 0.2480 0.2380 Zeus Holdings 0.330 0.330 0.310 PROPERTY 8990 HLDG 7.550 7.600 7.450 A. Brown Co., Inc. 1.30 1.36 1.22 Araneta Prop `A’ 2.420 2.490 2.300 Arthaland Corp.

0.260 0.265 0.260 Ayala Land `B’ 35.850 36.800 36.000 Belle Corp. `A’ 3.07 3.07 3.04 Cebu Holdings 5.21 5.2 5.1 Century Property 0.530 0.54 0.520 City & Land Dev. 1.04 1.04 0.98 Cityland Dev. `A’ 1.020 0.970 0.970 Crown Equities Inc. 0.136 0.136 0.133 Cyber Bay Corp.

0.495 0.580 0.495 Double Dragon 48.25 48.4 47.2 AG Finance Asia United Bank Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. Bank of PI China Bank BDO Leasing & Fin. INc. Bright Kindle Resources Citystate Savings COL Financial Eastwest Bank I-Remit Inc. Manulife Fin. Corp.

MEDCO Holdings Metrobank Natl. Reinsurance Corp.

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

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

Close

SHARES 21,977,093 145,197,345 229,548,695 249,874,407 166,019,269 3,007,960,628 3,838,026,957

3.24 46.2 103.70 93.00 40.15 3.07 1.52 10 14.2 16.7 2.33 600.00 0.580 87 0.97 15.00 24.00 51.50 102.9 356 273 30 194 1370.00 60.00 1.62

Close

%

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

3.27 46.2 104.00 93.00 40.15 3.00 1.52 9.5 14.1 17.56 2.2 600.00 0.600 88.6 0.95 15.00 24.00 51.65 102.9 400 270 30.5 190.9 1370.00 59.00 1.52

0.93 0.00 0.29 0.00 0.00 -2.28 0.00 -5.00 -0.70 5.15 -5.58 0.00 3.45 1.84 -2.06 0.00 0.00 0.29 0.00 12.36 -1.10 1.67 -1.60 0.00 -1.67 -6.17

223,000 13,500 2,500,710 2,225,140 154,200 29,000 330,000 400 11,700 2,053,300 4,371,000 240 759,000 6,344,610 208,000 10,600 8,500 64,550 1,510 40 250 357,100 1,782,080 270 109,130 123,000

46.8 3.89 0.98 1.82 14.46 73.95 189.00 21 210 18 46.25 2.2 4.61 10.72 9.600 7.34 5.94 7.37 22.05 68.8 14.68 15.40 5.75 2.310 235.60 40.95 3.5 39.60 28 24 6.54 338.00 0.280 3.5 11.56 3.3 11.56 5.59 1.50 2.79 4.21 4.03 222 2.63 0.155 2.70 2.58 205.2 4.6 0.93 31.00 1.36

-0.64 0.52 -1.01 -0.55 -0.28 35.69 -2.07 0.96 0.00 0.00 0.00 -1.79 -4.95 -0.19 1.05 -0.81 0.68 0.55 0.68 0.95 -0.68 3.22 1.59 0.00 -1.83 17.00 0.00 -1.00 1.45 1.27 -0.15 -0.47 0.00 1.16 0.52 6.45 -0.69 -0.89 -2.60 -7.00 0.24 -8.41 0.00 1.15 1.31 50.00 -0.77 -1.44 0.00 -8.82 -1.59 2.26

883,100 1,319,000 1,525,000 9,633,000 2,500 1,380 10 775,500 1,760 9,700 2,100 2,732,000 724,000 81,200 6,767,700 2,287,900 14,693,700 243,700 5,832,700 112,560 300 666,900 573,500 2,791,000 751,020 5,100 26,000 500 480,600 562,300 83,700 601,450 330,000 2,802,000 8,435,600 35,000 10,800 842,700 553,000 1,296,000 101,000 2,000 4,160 246,000 11,100,000 36,566,000 4,275,000 1,532,070 5,000 20,822,000 600 489,000

0.415 70.70 14.24 1.25 6.00 0.435 0.435 835 7.93 12.92 6.21 0.270 1445 93.50 5.36 5.51 8.09 0.7 13.9 6.28 3.3 0.0320 1.550 1.840 74.00 1004.00 1.21 0.87 190.00 157.500 0.3400 0.2390 0.330

5.06 0.50 -0.14 -3.85 0.00 -1.14 -5.43 0.36 0.00 0.78 1.80 -5.26 -0.69 -1.58 0.00 -8.17 1.13 1.45 0.43 3.12 15.38 -3.03 13.14 -0.54 1.09 0.50 -0.82 6.10 0.00 1.61 7.94 0.84 0.00

4,360,000 2,251,170 14,474,700 344,000 5,100 14,460,000 1,890,000 661,110 1,153,200 9,296,900 1,008,200 1,230,000 112,870 2,743,120 200 300 3,684,600 40,000 5,098,700 73,111,900 9,000 57,900,000 71,000 322,000 293,440 655,340 235,000 1,095,000 20 6,110 14,650,000 16,230,000 1,850,000

7.550 1.22 2.330 0.260 36.500 3.05 5.1 0.530 0.98 0.970 0.136 0.570 47.8

0.00 -6.15 -3.72 0.00 1.81 -0.65 -2.11 0.00 -5.77 -4.90 0.00 15.15 -0.93

101,600 11,148,000 3,272,000 960,000 23,552,000 776,000 3,600 2,747,000 39,000 18,000 3,710,000 37,440,000 821,500

52 Weeks

Previous

High Low

STOCKS

Close

High

Close

%

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

0.97 0.305 2.22 2.1 1.8 8.4 5.94 0.180 0.470 0.72 27 8.54 31.8 2.29 4.9 21.35 1.06 7.56 1.62 8.59

0.83 0.188 1.15 1.42 1.27 3.1 4.13 0.090 0.290 0.39 23 2.69 22.15 1.6 3.1 15.08 0.69 3.38 0.83 5.73

Empire East Land 0.850 Ever Gotesco 0.159 Global-Estate 1.01 Filinvest Land,Inc. 1.95 Interport `A’ 1.32 Keppel Properties 4.90 Megaworld 4.36 MRC Allied Ind. 0.090 Phil. Estates Corp.

0.3000 Phil. Realty `A’ 0.520 Phil. Tob. Flue Cur & Redry 30.50 Primex Corp.

8.52 Robinson’s Land `B’ 29.30 Rockwell 1.59 Shang Properties Inc. 3.13 SM Prime Holdings 24.55 Sta. Lucia Land Inc. 0.93 Starmalls 6.6 Suntrust Home Dev. Inc. 1.080 Vista Land & Lifescapes 5.020

-2.35 0.63 -0.99 -1.03 -0.76 4.08 0.46 -1.11 0.00 1.92 50.00 0.35 -0.68 0.63 -1.92 0.61 -2.15 4.24 0.00 5.18

21,000 40,000 3,474,000 30,762,000 31,000 4,000 55,304,000 4,960,000 1,230,000 1,134,000 25,300 500 1,766,300 195,000 9,000 19,679,200 1,530,000 36,500 952,000 43,346,200

10.5 66 1.44 1.09 14.88 15.82 0.1430 5.06 99.1 12.3 2.6 7.67 1700 2720 8.41 1.97 119.5 7 5.8 0.017

1.97 35.2 1 0.63 10.5 8.6 0.0770 2.95 56.1 10.14 1.6 4.8 830 1600 5.95 1.23 102.6 3.01 4 0.011

0.8200 2.2800 5.93

0.041 1.200 2.34

12.28 3.32 2.53 3.2 95.5 1 2.46 15.2

6.5 1.91 1.01 1.95 3.1 0.650 1.8 6

1.040 22.8 6.41 185 22.9 3486 0.760 2.28 46.05 90.1

0.37 14.54 3 79 4.39 2748 0.435 1.2 31.45 60.55

11.6 0.85 10 0.490 1.9

7.59 0.63 5 0.315 1.14

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

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

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

Manila Broadcasting Manila Bulletin Manila Jockey Melco Crown Metro Retail NOW Corp.

Pacific Online Sys. Corp.

PAL Holdings Inc. Phil. Seven Corp.

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

SSI Group STI Holdings Travellers Waterfront Phils.

Yehey

-0.39 -0.93 -1.53 3.33 -4.03 -1.78 0.00 0.00 -0.69 0.00 -7.50 0.72 0.52 -0.62 -0.89 -1.67 1.36 -1.23 0.00 0.00 -0.41 -2.74 -0.53 1.35 -0.91 0.00 -4.67 2.59 -5.00 -0.22 -7.69 0.00 -1.69 -1.23 -2.76 -0.11 2.00 0.00 0.42 -0.06 2.44 -1.08 -0.12 -2.99 2.89 -1.02 0.00 -1.45 1.30 4.84

46,900 439,870 35,000 2,894,000 2,900 2,452,000 10,280,000 425,000 562,810 35,300 149,000 176,100 500 109,255 196,900 38,000 1,195,340 56,200 110 22,900,000 725,000 58,450,000 7,808,000 106,000 74,400 29,100 1,637,000 52,000 48,000 2,100 303,000 13,000 5,309,000 2,675,000 6,584,000 600 64,400 156,840 52,100 166,840 3,250,000 5,582,000 4,549,300 2,254,640 1,438,400 13,040,000 6,718,000 936,000 870,000 467,200

0.0098 5.45 17.24 25 0.330 12.7 12.8 1.62 9.5 4.2 0.48 0.420 0.440 0.022 0.023 8.2 49.2 4.27 1.030 3.06 0.020 0.021 7.67 12.88 10.42 0.040 420 9 0.016

0.0043 1.72 6.47 9.43 0.236 6.5 5.11 0.77 5.99 1.17 0.305 0.2130 0.2160 0.013 0.014 3.240 18.96 2.11 0.365 1.54 0.012 0.013 5.4 7.26 2.27 0.015 115.9 3.67 0.0100

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

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

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

TA Petroleum United Paragon

7.32 0.00 11.19 0.00 1.67 9.04 0.00 -1.85 1.38 5.81 0.00 0.00 -1.79 0.00 14.29 -0.50 -0.20 -3.44 3.17 4.58 1.01 15.79 -2.64 4.58 29.51 0.00 0.08 25.68 7.14

377,000,000 312,000 -380,720.00 889,000 -290,780.00 1,500 680,000 5,300 21,400 -158,100.00 1,837,000 24,900 33,644,000 -1,081,870.00 1,580,000 75,900,000 1,580,000 930,300,000 374,800,000 64,000.00 493,000 3,880,400 -8,820,342.00 1,060,000 745,000 54,000 117,000,000 6,000,000 461,000 -208,250.00 10,299,500 -11,245,517.00 28,525,000 1,020,700.00 843,600,000 -208,000.00 568,000 -11,752,024.00 10,116,000 -15,290.00 186,300,000 61,600.00

70 553 525 120

33 490 500 101.5

12.28 111

6.5 101

-568,340.00

1047

1011

145,550.00

84.8

75

1.34

1

ABS-CBN Holdings Corp.

Ayala Corp. Pref `B1’ Ayala Corp. Pref ‘B2’ First Gen G FPH Pref C Leisure and Resort MWIDE PREF PCOR-Preferred B PF Pref 2 PNX PREF 3B SMC Preferred C SMC Preferred E SMC Preferred F SMC Preferred G SMC Preferred H SMC Preferred I Swift Pref

0.78 -1.87 0.00 -1.84 0.00 0.92 1.74 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.25 1.71 0.00 0.00 0.00 -0.13 49.72

445,810 3,840 50,800 31,000 35,000 90,000 64,010 30 1,300 1,750 5,460 12,000 22,810 59,390 77,920 17,820 43,000

6.98

0.8900 LR Warrant

-2.92

95,000

47.62 -6.95 -2.96 -5.26

13,303,100 -61,320.00 61,000 260,000 3,807,200 -19,904,136.00

0.08

18,220

559,030.00 36,339,747 50,383,759.50 667,320.00

-12,513,808.00 -151,580.00 -18,100.00 34,135,747.00 -1,817,072.50 -5,081,405 -6,138,965.00 32,741.00 3,639,610.00 3,900.00 91,600.00 3,908,870.00 1,058,000.00 -508,292.00 30,652,633.00 2,182,710.00 -29,233,099.00 -102,749.00 -37,057,175.00 -962,073.00 437,312.00 1,147,023.00 -2,520.00 -26,895,592.00 -683,145.00 945,895.00 56,909.00 7,701,618.00 401,590.00 13,107,990.00 3,200.00 28,200.00 369,680.00 301,118.00 -408,050.00 486,530.00 9,444,554.00 236,900.00

-8,100.00 -19,136,886.50 -91,184,270.00 -220,100.00 155,823,010.00 -117,489.00 14,418,494.00 4,729,508.00 -44,226,070.00 63,012,828.50

-1,741,244.00 116,234,253.00

3,951,120.00 72,468,015.00

-260,879.00 38,200.00 -108,720.00 -69,434,470.00 780,180.00 -4,080.00 -372,900.00 -470,135.00

15

3.5

Alterra Capital Makati Fin. Corp.

Italpinas Xurpas

12.88

5.95

130.7

105.6 First Metro ETF

0.850 0.830 0.830 0.160 0.149 0.160 1.02 1.00 1.00 1.99 1.92 1.93 1.31 1.26 1.31 5.10 5.10 5.10 4.49 4.36 4.38 0.090 0.087 0.089 0.3100 0.2800 0.3000 0.510 0.510 0.530 45.75 30.50 45.75 8.55 8.55 8.55 29.30 28.90 29.10 1.63 1.56 1.6 3.13 3.07 3.07 25.30 24.15 24.70 0.93 0.89 0.91 7 6.26 6.88 1.080 1.030 1.080 5.400 5.080 5.280 SERVICES 7.6 7.65 7.57 7.57 53.5 54.45 52.8 53 1.31 1.34 1.29 1.29 0.600 0.630 0.610 0.620 11.92 11.9 11.44 11.44 4.50 4.58 4.42 4.42 0.0590 0.0590 0.0570 0.0590 3.07 3.12 3.04 3.07 93.75 95 93.1 93.1 9.55 9.55 9.03 9.55 2 2 1.81 1.85 6.95 7.05 6.90 7.00 955 960 960 960 2248 2244 2220 2234 6.73 6.73 6.65 6.67 1.20 1.22 1.18 1.18 62.5 63.6 62.6 63.35 16.20 16.22 15.70 16.00 190 190 190 190 0.0100 0.0100 0.0099 0.0100 9.69 9.65 9.54 9.65 0.365 0.370 0.350 0.355 1.9000 1.9800 1.8700 1.8900 2.22 2.25 2.15 2.25 11 11 10.5 10.9 7.79 7.81 7.67 7.79 4.50 4.50 4.29 4.29 1.16 1.20 1.12 1.19 2.80 2.77 2.60 2.66 23.00 23.00 22.95 22.95 0.650 0.640 0.600 0.600 2 2 1.99 2 2.37 2.38 2.3 2.33 4.05 4.08 4.00 4.00 2.900 2.960 2.820 2.820 17.56 17.54 17.1 17.54 5.00 5.10 4.90 5.10 115.00 115.00 112.00 115.00 23.60 23.70 23.20 23.70 1741.00 1750.00 1730.00 1740.00 0.410 0.425 0.400 0.420 0.930 0.930 0.910 0.920 42.00 42.30 41.80 41.95 80.40 81.00 77.30 78.00 6.23 6.57 6.23 6.41 2.95 3.06 2.84 2.92 0.600 0.610 0.590 0.600 3.45 3.45 3.4 3.4 0.385 0.400 0.370 0.390 5.990 6.700 5.740 6.280 MINING & OIL 0.0041 0.0044 0.0041 0.0044 2.10 2.20 2.10 2.10 4.20 4.78 4.20 4.67 14.00 14.00 12.00 14.00 0.240 0.244 0.235 0.244 7.5200 8.2 7.98 8.2000 7.7500 7.7500 7.7500 7.7500 0.540 0.550 0.520 0.530 8.68 9.00 8.28 8.80 0.860 0.920 0.850 0.910 0.300 0.310 0.295 0.300 0.260 0.260 0.250 0.260 0.280 0.280 0.270 0.275 0.0140 0.0150 0.0140 0.0140 0.0140 0.0160 0.0150 0.0160 1.99 1.99 1.97 1.98 5 5.1 4.98 4.99 2.62 2.65 2.53 2.53 0.6300 0.6500 0.6300 0.6500 1.3100 1.3700 1.3000 1.3700 0.0099 0.0110 0.0099 0.0100 0.0095 0.0110 0.0100 0.0110 4.16 4.40 4.05 4.05 6.98 7.30 6.80 7.30 3.66 4.93 3.75 4.74 0.0130 0.0140 0.0130 0.0130 128.00 129.50 128.00 128.10 3.7 4.73 3.8 4.65 0.0140 0.0150 0.0140 0.0150 PREFERRED 51.6 52.5 51.8 52 535 525 523 525 535 535 535 535 119.4 118 117.2 117.2 510 510 510 510 1.09 1.1 1.1 1.1 109 110.9 109 110.9 1070 1070 1070 1070 1022 1022 1022 1022 111 111 111 111 80 80.3 80.2 80.2 76.2 77.5 77.5 77.5 77.2 77.5 77.2 77.2 78 78 78 78 75.5 75.5 75.1 75.5 75.6 75.5 75.5 75.5 1.81 2.71 2.7 2.71 WARRANTS & BONDS 3.080 3.070 2.950 2.990 SME 10.08 15 9.03 14.88 4.03 3.76 3.75 3.75 3.04 3.09 2.95 2.95 19 19 17.8 18 EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 123.5 123.8 122.9 123.6

T op g ainerS VALUE 1,477,027,697.477 1,706,980,688.152 2,781,769,808.27 2,046,268,981.03 1,274,561,989.46 432,767,254.078 9,965,914,631.469

Low

STOCKS

FINANCIAL 1,682.86 (up) 3.71 INDUSTRIAL 11,954.52 (down) 75.25 HOLDING FIRMS 7,583.36 (up) 11.01 PROPERTY 3,174.72 (up) 31.30 SERVICES 1,485.80 (down) 5.15 MINING & OIL 11,369.94 (up) 212.87 PSEI 7,524.84 (up) 13.10 All Shares Index 4,474.99 (up) 23.83 Gainers: 96; Losers: 99; Unchanged: 51; Total: 246

-1,248,500.00 -27,328,040.00 1,310.00 39,327,510.00 46,900.00 -21,060,855.00 78,330.00 -38,754,560.00 -31,800.00 -50,515,559.00

3,548,760.00 18,480.00 3,662,955.50 45,810.00 -32,735,460.00 -23,600.00 -48,071,735.00 4,822,400.00 -49,400.00 191,770.00 157,500.00 -154,441.00 488,980.00

5,919,640.00 -2,448,540.00 41,200.00 5,100.00 234,780.00 -7,030.00 -22,811,655.00 12,000.00 929,320.00 29,088,290.00 -18,778,635.00 -46,008.00 -3,911,580.00 -2,057,400.00 727,380.00 57,500.00 125,800.00

-7,124,230.00

1,016,854.00 -5,400.00

T op L oSerS Close (P)

Change (%)

STOCKS

Close (P)

Change (%)

TKC Steel Corp.

2.70

50.00

Vitarich Corp.

0.93

-8.82

Phil. Tob. Flue Cur & Redry

45.75

50.00

Roxas Holdings

4.03

-8.41

Swift Pref

2.71

49.72

Keppel Holdings `B'

5.51

-8.17

Alterra Capital

14.88

47.62

Manila Bulletin

0.600

-7.69

Bogo Medelin

73.95

35.69

Discovery World

1.85

-7.50

PhilexPetroleum

4.74

29.51

Pryce Corp. `A'

2.79

-7.00

TA Petroleum

4.65

25.68

Makati Fin. Corp.

3.75

-6.95

Liberty Flour

40.95

17.00

Vantage Equities

1.52

-6.17

Oriental Pet. `B'

0.0110

15.79

A. Brown Co., Inc.

1.22

-6.15

MJCI Investments Inc.

3.3

15.38

City & Land Dev.

0.98

-5.77

WEDNESDAY: MAY 18, 2016

B3

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

Travellers-UP partnership. Travellers International Hotel Group Inc., owner and operator of Resorts World Manila, strengthens its relationship with the academe by

recently formalizing collaboration with the University of the Philippines. UP signs an agreement with the Original Pilipino Performing Arts Foundation, which was formed by Travellers International to advance performing arts in the country. Shown signing the agreement are (from left) OPPA Foundation vice president Michael Stuart Williams, president Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo, UP president Alfredo Pascual and UP assistant vice president for student affairs Richard Gonzalo.

Megaworld investing in Cavite

By Jenniffer B. Austria

Megaworld Corp., the property development unit of tycoon Andrew Tan, is investing P10 billion to transform a 140-hectare property in General Trias, Cavite into the company’s 21st township project.

Megaworld said the new township called Maple Grove would have a mix of residential, retail, office and institutional components in line with the company’s thrust to develop the vast property into another world-class mixed-use development.

“In the last 27 years, we have built townships that cater to the evolving lifestyles of Filipinos. As we continue to expand our township footprint in key growth areas across the country, innovation and design will be a significant factor in our masterplans,” Mega-

world senior vice president Jericho Go said in a statement to the stock exchange.

“An integral part of the township’s masterplan will be on sustainability and environmental responsibility. We hope to see our future stakeholders in Maple Grove live, work and play in a smart and green community,” Go said.

The property is located 45 minutes away from Makati City and other commercial business districts via Coastal Road and Cavitex. Maple Grove is at the entry point of the booming industrial and residential center of the Cavite-Batangas corridor.

This will be Megaworld’s fourth integrated urban township development in the booming growth area. The company has over 2,000 hectares of land in this corridor alone.

Megaworld subsidiary GlobalEstate Resorts Inc. is also developing Twin Lakes, a 1,300-hectare integrated tourism estate development near Tagaytay and Southwoods City, a 561-hectare township surrounded by its own golf course in the boundaries of Cavite and Laguna.

Another development, the 350-hectare Suntrust Ecotown of Megaworld’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Suntrust Properties, Inc.,

is rising as a mixed-use township in its own industrial park in Tanza, Cavite.

“The trajectory for growth in that area south of Manila is unprecedented in the last 10 years, and we see a lot more opportunities in the real estate sector in this corridor,” Go said.

Megaworld saw its net income climb 12.1 percent in the first quarter to P2.63 billion from P2.35 billion in the same period last year, boosted by strong rental and residential sales.

Consolidated revenues rose 9.5 percent in the three-month period to P11.46 billion from P10.47 billion a year ago.

Market extends rally; Vista Land rises SM Prime to sell P10b worth of 10-year bonds

STOCKS rose for a third day, sending the benchmark index to a new nine-month high, following overnight gains on Wall Street and positive first-quarter earnings reports of listed companies.

The Philippine Stock Exchange index, the 30-company benchmark, rose 13 points, or 0.2 percent, to close at 7,524.84 Tuesday. The bellwether was now up 8.4 percent since the start of the year.

The heavier index, representing all shares, also climbed 23 points, or 0.5 percent, to settle at 4,474.99, on a value turnover of P10 billion. Losers outnumbered gainers, 99 to 96, while 51 issues were unchanged.

Nine of the 20 most active stocks ended in the green, led by property developer Vista Land & Lifescapes Inc., which advanced 5.2 percent to P5.28. Metro Pacific Investments Corp. gained 3.1 percent to P6.28, while Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co. rose

1.8 percent to P88.60.

Meanwhile, Asian stocks traded higher Tuesday, as investors cheered Warren Buffett’s billiondollar stake in Apple, while energy stocks tracked further gains on oil prices.

A pickup in commodity prices is giving a boost to global equities after weaker economic data and disappointing company earnings wiped out almost $2 trillion of value in the first two weeks of May. Investors trying to get a better handle on the outlook for US monetary policy are looking ahead to the release of minutes from the Federal Reserve’s April meeting due Wednesday, as other central banks struggle to fuel inflation. Prospects for an interest-rate increase helped strengthen the dollar over the last two weeks.

After last week’s sell-off, US investors provided a blistering lead Monday, pumped up by news of

Buffett’s giant stake in the iPhone maker.

Apple, which has tumbled since it last month reported its first fall in sales of the popular smartphones, rallied 3.7 on the announcement.

Asian suppliers to the firm followed suit, with Tokyo-listed Alps Electric and Japan Display enjoying healthy gains. LG Display in Seoul put on one percent and Hon Hai in Taipei added 0.2 percent.

Stock markets in the region were also broadly higher.

Tokyo added 0.9 percent by the break, a day after rising 0.3 percent on the back of a report that the government was considering delaying next year’s planned sales tax hike.

Among other markets Hong Kong was down 0.1 percent, Sydney gained 0.5 percent and Singapore put on 0.8 percent.

Shanghai dipped 0.2 percent. with AFP, Bloomberg

SM Prime Holdings Inc., the country’s leading integrated property developer, plans to raise as much as P10 billion from the sale of 10-year fixed-rate bonds.

The P10-billion bond issuance forms part of the P60-billion shelf registration to be issued over the next three years approved by SM Prime’s board of directors.

SM Prime said in a disclosure to the stock exchange the company would initially offer up to P5 billion with an over subscription option of up to P5 billion worth of fixed-rate bonds.

“The board of directors also authorized the management to negotiate and finalize the terms and conditions, including pricing, tenor and any increase in issuance amount, and execute any and all documents necessary, to implement the retail bond issue,” SM Prime said.

Proceeds from this year’s bond offering will be used to partially

finance the group’s programmed capital expenditures in 2016.

SM Prime earlier said it would earmark at least P60 billion annually for the next three years to achieve its target of doubling net income to P32 billion by 2018.

The group’s expansion program focuses mainly on the expansion of shopping malls in the provinces which present major opportunities for higher growth.

SM Prime said in the housing sector, it would continue to serve Metro Manila while slowly moving towards the provincial areas in the medium term.

The company is slated to open five new malls in the Philippines this year.

SM Prime said residential unit SM Development Corp. would launch 11,000 to 14,000 units in Quezon City, Parañaque, Las Piñas and Pasay City.

Jenniffer B. Austria

B4 Govt sells T-bonds as yields decrease

By Gabrielle Binaday THE government sold P25 billion worth of Treasury bonds on lower rates, reflecting investors’ confidence after the peaceful elections last week, the Bureau of Treasury said Tuesday.

Rates of the Treasury bonds averaged 3.246 percent, down 40.1 basis points from the previous auction rate of 3.647 percent.

“The results have been very favorable, very positive, it bodes very well, particularly with the incoming administration. Three times oversubscribed, very much within the interest range that we’re willing to accept. I think it’s a very good start for the incoming administration,” National Treasurer Roberto Tan told reporters after the auction.

“As you know the different indicators have also been supported by the election process.

The exchange rate has strengthened, the stock market has also performed very well, and the auction has been quite successful today,” he added.

The government’s P25-billion bond offering was nearly three times oversubscribed at P72.563 billion.

The re-issued debt papers have a remaining life of five years from March 2014.

Meanwhile, Tan said the country’s membership in the Beijingled Asian Infrastructure Investment Fund would be dependent on the next administration.

“The President will be recommending to the Senate through the Department of Foreign Affairs. I suppose the next administration will make a presentation to the Senate for the recommendation,” Tan said.

The Philippines joined the Beijing-led AIIB on December 2015 as one of its founding members. The country’s membership are still subject to the availability of funds regarding its share in AIIB’s capitalization and Senate ratification.

AIIB members have until the end of December this year to have their respective memberships ratified by their governments.

“He [Duterte] announced that he will be maintaining the current macroeconomic policies so I think that’s very much welcomed by the markets,” Tan said.

Petron Corp. chairman Eduardo Cojuangco Jr. (second from left) and Petron President and chief operating officer Ramon Ang (third from left) brief stockholders’ in a meeting in Pasig City. They are joined by directors Virgilio Jacinto (leftmost) and Estelito Mendoza. EY ACASIO

Petron sees income hitting P18b in 2016

By Alena Mae S. Flores

PETRON Corp., the oil refining unit of San Miguel Corp., forecasts net income to reach P15 billion to P18 billion this year from P6.27 billion in 2015, or a 186 percent increase.

Petron president and chief executive officer Ramon Ang told reporters after the company stockholders’ meeting the projected higher net income would largely come from the recently upgraded 180,000-barrel-per-day refinery.

“Driven by a more efficient oil refinery, [it] has a liquid yield of 60, 66 to 67 percent but with the upgrade its 92 to 93 percent,” Ang said.

Petron’s $2-billion refinery upgrade started full commercial operations in January with higher utilization rate and increased production of higher-value fuels.

He said the company would also continue with its retail expansion program both in the Philippines and in Malaysia.

“In Malaysia, we had a massive gas station network expansion. We just completed the rebranding,” Ang said.

He said the company would upgrade the Port Dickson refinery in Malaysia. The company rebranded to Petron some 550 stations it acquired from Exxon Mobil.

Petron, meanwhile, has over 2,000 retail stations in the Philippines to date.

Petron reported a consolidated net income of P2.8 billion in the first three months, more than a 10-fold increase from P257 million over the same period last year.

The company’s strong performance was boosted by higher sales from both its local and regional operations.

“We are now experiencing the full benefits of our strategic programs and we are gaining momentum as we reach new levels of growth and profitability,” Ang said earlier.

Consolidated sales volumes reached 25.3 million barrels in the first quarter of the year, a nine-percent jump from 23.2 million barrels last year.

Sales volumes rose across all major business segments in both the Philippines and Malaysia.

“We are definitely on track to deliver a

stronger performance this year,” Ang said.

Petron remains the undisputed industry leader in the country with total sales growing eight percent in the first quarter.

The company made headway in the local Lubricants sector, expanding 16 percent while posting strong growth in the reseller, industrial, and cooking or liquefied petroleum gas trades.

Petron saw a 17-percent growth industrial customers in Malaysia, reflecting the increasing confidence in the Petron brand.

Service station volumes increased, supported by the company’s upgrading and network expansion programs.

Petron said the increase in sales volumes partially offset the drop in oil prices, which led to lower sales revenues.

Sales revenues dropped to P77 billion, down 11 percent from P86.7 billion in the first three months of 2015.

Operating income nearly doubled in the first quarter, reaching P5.8 billion from P3 billion in the same period in 2015.

“Despite weak oil prices in the first few months of 2016, the differential between crude and finished products remained strong, supporting refining margins,” Petron said.

SL Agritech says hybrid rice trial in Myanmar successful

By Othel V. Campos A HYBRID rice field trial in Myanmar has yielded 150 metric tons of seed per hectare over 100 hectares in Yangon’s Dagon township, proving Myanmar can be a viable production site for the Philippines’ rice and rice seed exports to foreign markets.

SL Agritech Corp. successfully led a pioneering trial of hybrid

rice seed SL-8H, branded “ Shwe Lar-SL-8H” in Myanmar, in the last planting season.

Also planted were commercial table grade rice SL-7H (Dona Maria Jasponica) on 11 hectares, SL-9H (Miponica) on 28 hectares and SL-8H on 20 hectares.

“We can export our Doña Maria Jasponica and Miponica rice from Myanmar. Consumers in Myanmar may not want soft and

sticky rice, but that’s our opportunity to export rice harvested from there,” said SLAC chairman Henry Lim Bon Liong.

The Philippines has limited flat land for rice, compared with Myanmar which has around 17 million hectares of uncultivated land that can be planted to rice.

Myanmar used to be world’s biggest rice exporter prior to World War II when it was under

British rule.

Another advantage in exporting rice from Myanmar is the preferential zero tariff for European destinations.

Other potential export destinations for Doña Maria rice from Myanmar are China and the United States.

Liong said the Filipino brand name Doña Maria premium rice should be retained as a brand

name When exported for consistency in the world market.

Agricultural soil in Myanmar is fertile because it is only now that farm lands in Myanmar are being tapped,.

The pilot planting in Myanmar was under a joint venture with private companies Nine Seas led

by Aung Tan Oo and Water Stone led by Filipino businessman Norberto Ong.

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

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

B5

BSP beefing up cyber defense

By Julito G. Rada

Overeager THE Commission on Elections cannot remain deaf, dumb and blind to the overwhelming clamor for the votes in the vice presidential race to be recounted considering the numerous instances that give credence to suspicions that some sort of hocus-pocus and manipulation might have been employed, what with Mr. “Hello Garcia” making unauthorized “cosmetic changes” in the source code. The timing is inopportune and suspicious because it was done at the height of the transmissions.

Besides, they already knew that some of the candidates had the letter “ñ” in their names, so why did they not do that cosmetic thing beforehand? It’s not as if they only got the list of candidates names on the day of the elections itself. As people are asking, añare (What happened)?

But the biggest surprise of course is Congresswoman Leni Robredo who seems to know exactly how many votes she will get, which makes you kind of wonder. After all, appearances can be deceiving, and now that the campaign season is over, masks are off. Why, she was so eager to declare herself the winner, when one would have expected her to take the high road which is how she projected herself during the campaign. After all, they kept claiming to be the decent candidates, didn’t they? The ones who had more manners, the “good” ones since they have painted their rivals to be evil—so the least one would have expected from Robredo is to show some restraint and delicadeza, knowing very well that her numbers are in question and with good reason.

But then again, the yellows have always operated on the notion that they alone have the monopoly on what is good and civil and refined.

Aside from former Comelec Commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal, two university professors have also come out with their suspicions regarding the anomalous increase in the votes of Robredo from the time Mr. Hello Garcia tweaked the source code. Early on, Professor Antonio Contreras of De La Salle University, in a Facebook post, had already questioned the “linear progression” in the increase in Robredo’s numbers, in increments of 40,000 per 1 percent. This straight line is not normal, Contreras said, and it’s obvious why—the increase should have also been at random since the results were being transmitted from random polling precincts with different voting populations. So why the regularity? Because the increases have been programmed.

Remember, too, that the anomalies did not only occur in the vice presidential race but in the presidential race with evidence that the vote tally of Poe and Roxas have been switched, and this was screen captured, showing at least two different networks reflecting the anomalies. Much much earlier, GMA 7 apologized for the “typographical error” in the votes for Chiz Escudero— but how come CNN also had the same “typographical error” as pointed out by alert buddies?

Another professor, Rogelio Quevedo of the UP College of law who is also a member of the Comelec advisory council, correctly pointed out that Mr. Hello Garcia’s act of changing the program for the source code, despite the latter’s insistence that the act was mere cosmetic, was already an indicator that something was not right.

It is also rather disturbing that the Comelec and the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting—supposedly the watchdog to make sure the conduct of the elections is above board, has easily dismissed the anomalous incident saying the change did not alter the result of the votes. How can they be sure? As both professors pointed out—“no IT expert in his right mind would dismiss it as a minor change.”

Unless of course the Comelec and the PPCRV had already decided who would be the likely winner.

••• For comments, reactions, photos, stories and related concerns, readers may email to happyhourtoday2012@yahoo. com. You may also visit and like our Facebook page https:// www.facebook.com/happyhourmanilastandard. We’d be very happy to hear from you. Cheers!

BANGKO Sentral ng Pilipinas is working on additional rules to strengthen the banking industry and make it resilient against cybercrimes in the wake of the $81-million money laundering scam that broke out in the country recently.

“Financial institutions everywhere are routinely being attacked by cyber criminals. So the important thing is the quality of the cybercrime prevention programs. That is why we are trying to strengthen the defenses,” Bangko Sentral Deputy Governor Nestor Espenilla Jr. said at the sidelines of an event at Bangko Sentral Tuesday.

“The best thing to do now is to make the system strong to prevent breaches. We are now working on supplemental or additional regulations to further strengthen and increase the level of maturity of Philippine banks and other financial institutions. We consider

it a very serious thing,” Espenilla said.

Espenilla said the bank regulator conducted a comprehensive review back in 2014 to assess the quality of preparedness of local banks, making it the basis of Bangko Sentral’s subsequent interventions.

He said the recent scam— which involved universal bank Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. as one of the conduits for the transfer and entry of illegal funds to the Philippines—was a good learning experience for the industry and made everybody aware of the issues.

“We are happy to say that our

banks are resilient to this. If you recall in December last year, we held the first-ever cybercrime security forum. Consciously, our focus there was to get the top management of banks, board level and senior level to pay attention to this issue,” Espenilla said.

He said bank executives in the industry should not consider the scam as a mere IT issue. He said top management of banks must also worry about it and put ample amount of resources behind it.

“In other words, we want more guidelines on what should be the minimum things to do about cybercrime. We are trying to raise the standards in terms of regulations and at the same time we are also strengthening the supervisory capacity of banks,” Espenilla said.

He said the dominant threat for a long time were those related to ATM fraud. However, Espenilla said this trend was on the decline, adding the situation would further improve with the deployment of EMV chip by January 2017.

Wilcon in Bacoor. Wilcon Depot opens its third branch in Bacoor City, Cavite. At the inauguration of

Wilcon’s 36th branch nationwide are (from left) Kent Floors president Jerry Tiu, Davies Paints Philippines Inc. president John Lee Garcia, Hubilla Design Group president Johnny Hubilla, Wilcon executive financial audit manager Careen Belo, Rolly Alvaran, Wilcon Depot senior executive vice president and chief operating officer Rosemarie Ong, Bacoor Mayor Strike Revilla, Cavite Rep. Lani Mercado-Revilla, Wilcon president and CEO William Belo, United Architects of the Philippines secretary general Ma. Nina Bailon-Arce, Hocheng Group Holding Corp.

CEO Sam Chen, Philippine Institute of Interior Designers president James Jao, Lixil Water Technology country manager Alen Alban and Capt. Ma. Rose Nolasco.

PNOC eyeing First Gen’s gas terminal

By Alena Mae S. Flores First Gen Corp. of the Lopez Group and state-owned Philippine National Oil Co. are in talks for the development of a liquified natural gas terminal in Batangas.

Energy Secretary Zenaida Monsada said the government was open to PNOC taking a stake in the $1-billion terminal being planned by First Gen if it would hasten the development of the project, which could be the country’s first LNG terminal.

“They are in talks with PNOC...

If we can speed up the implementation of the project or if they [PNOC] can help, we are open to that,” Monsada said.

Monsada, however, said the government preferred full private

sector development of the Batangas-Manila natural gas pipelines.

First Gen is preparing for the eventual contract expiry and exhaustion of the Malampaya gas field sometime between 2022 and 2024.

First Gen’s 1,500-megawatt Sta. Rita and San Lorenzo natural gas plants are using gas from the Malampaya gas field in northwest Palawan.

Its newly completed 97-MW Avion and 414-MW San Gabriel power plants are running on natural gas.

“And in order to secure the future of our natural gas platform, we pursued and heightened our planned development of an LNG regasification terminal located in the First Gen Clean Energy Com-

plex in Batangas City,” First Gen president Francis Giles Puno said earlier.

First Gen is finalizing the third revision of the terminal’s frontend engineering design work to be used for the construction tendering phase and discussing with potential LNG suppliers.

“Our prevailing strategic commitment is to serve the growing needs of the Filipino consumer with clean, affordable electricity and address it by focusing our efforts to grow our clean and renewable energy portfolio and to expand our natural gas platform beyond power generation by developing a world-class LNG regasification terminal to prepare the country for a post Malampaya domestic gas world,” he said.

WEDNESDAY: MAY 18, 2016

B6

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

Weak metal prices affect Atlas, Apex

Specific taxes on petroleum proposed

By Jenniffer B. Austria

By Alena Mae S. Flores

MINING companies Atlas Consolidated and Development Corp. and Apex Mining Co Inc. faced challenges in the first quarter amid weak metal prices.

Atlas said in a disclosure to the stock exchange it posted a net loss of P135 million in the first quarter, narrower than the P637-million net loss posted in the same period last year.

Atlas said despite the lower realized metal prices, consolidated revenues grew 27 percent to P3.4 billion from a year ago, on higher concentrate shipments in the first quarter.

Copper concentrate shipments increased 38 percent to 52,900 dry

metric tons in the January-March period. Copper metal concentrates rose 38 percent to 31 million pounds, while gold content spiked 69 percent to 9,708 ounces.

Atlas said copper prices remained low, amid lingering concerns over China.

Average realized copper price in the first quarter went down by 19 percent to $2.10 per pound from $2.60/lb. In 2015, average realized gold price was relatively

flat at $1,198/oz.

Atlas recently announced a plan to streamline operations to optimize cash flows while protecting its large mineral resources for the longer term.

Meanwhile, Apex Mining said first-quarter net income went down by 60 percent to P39 million from P100 million in the same period last year even as the company reported record production level at its Maco mine in Compostela Valley.

Apex Mining said revenue in the first quarter registered increased 17 percent to P775 million from P665 million in the same period last year.

Gold production hit 12,779 ounces, the highest recorded quarterly production to date, and higher

by 11 percent than the same period in 2015, while silver production grew 18 percent to 61,085 ounces.

“We are encouraged by the recent positive movements in metal prices with gold reaching a high of $1,304 per ounce before settling at $1,273 per ounce as we make this report. The price of silver has similarly moved, reaching a high of $18 per ounce settling currently at $17 per ounce,” Apex Mining president and chief executive Walter Brown said.

“Should this uptrend continue and as we attain our goal of operating at 1,500 tons a day towards the middle of this year, we are confident that the company will be reporting significant net earnings growth for the whole year period of 2016,” Brown said.

Ayala donation.

Ayala Land Inc. turns over its annual donation to Help Rear and Educate Orphans or Hero Foundation at Glorietta shopping mall in Makati City.

Ayala Land has made available Hero donation boxes at Ayala Malls to help raise awareness and funds for military orphans.

Shown are (from left) Hero scholar Jamina Alexa Mendez, Ayala Land president and chief executive Bernard Vincent Dy, Hero director for marketing Michelle Chan, Hero scholar Vina Abes and Almira Mendez, Jamina’s mother.

AN OIL industry executive on Tuesday asked the government to impose a specific tax on petroleum products to generate up to P75 billion in additional revenues.

Independent Philippine Petroleum Companies Association founding chairman and Eastern Petroleum Corp. chairman Fernando Martinez said in a statement there was a great opportunity to increase taxes on petroleum products.

“There is an excellent opportunity for the next administration to impose a specific tax of around P3 to P5 in all petroleum products,” Martinez said.

Martinez earlier asked the Aquino Administration in the last two years to implement the same tax, particularly when global petroleum prices plunged 40 percent.

Martinez raised issue of the specific tax with Finance officials, saying the government was estimated to generate a low of P40 billion to a high of P75 billion annually in specific taxes. The country consumes 100 million barrels of petroleum products a year.

He said the additional specific tax and value-added tax could bring the overall petroleum taxes close to P150 billion annually, enough to sustain infrastructure development and modernize roads and bridges.

“The Duterte administration can then support the tax reform agenda which includes exempting from income tax those receiving P300,000 annually and putting a cap on corporate and individual income for those earning P2 million and above to 20 percent of taxable income equivalent to Singapore but higher by 5 percent to Hong Kong’s top income rate of 15 percent,” Martinez said.

He said the Duterte administration could impose the same without fear of backlash considering the widespread benefit against the increase of petroleum products.

Martinez said the proposed specific tax in petroleum products of P3 to P5 per liter would not be enough to justify any hike in transport fares.

Microfinance loans surged 333% to P11.3b in 13 years

By Julito G. Rada MICROFINANCE loans surged 333 percent to P11.3 billion in 2015 from P2.6 billion in 2002, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said Tuesday.

“Industry figures mark our progress. In December 2002, for instance, there were 390,635 microfinance borrowers from 119 banks. By Dec. 31, 2015, the number of banks providing microfinance loans had increased

by nearly 43 percent to 170 while the number of borrowers had increased by 277 percent to roughly 1.47 million,” Bangko Sentral Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. said at the launch of the Citi Microentrepreneurship Awards.

“If we base it on their savings, we can say that microfinance has improved the financial standing of these microentrepreneurs.

Together, they have accumulated savings of about P4.5 billion as

of December 2015. We have no comparative data for 2002 deposits; compared however to the deposits of as December 2011, this represents a 22 percent growth,” Tetangco said.

He said microfinance could raise the quality of living of many Filipinos.

The Go Negosyo Act and Negosyo Centers provide support for micro, small and medium enterprises such as facilitation of business registration and training in

finance and marketing. Negosyo Centers can also link MSMEs to value chains to enable them to access secured and sustainable markets and keep them more viable.

Tetangco said the Philippines had one of the world’s best environments for promoting the quality of life of people through sustained development of the microfinance sector.

The Economic Intelligence Unit’s 2015 Global Microscope on Financial Inclusion ranked the

Philippines first in Asia and the third in the world in terms of regulatory environment for financial inclusion.

Tetangco said challenges remained that continuously hindered the success of microentrepreneurs.

One is the limited capacity of microenterprises when it comes to financial recording and documentation which makes them susceptible to poor accounting and planning, he said.

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

WORLD

CESAR BARRIOQUINTO EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

B7

New era for S. Korean writers SEOUL—South Korean writer Han Kang’s Booker prize marks a major victory for a decade-long effort to drag one of Asia’s oldest but, until recently, leastknown literary traditions into the global market.

Literary merits aside, the success of Han’s novel “The Vegetarian” was aided by a number of factors that have coincided with South Korea’s emergence as an increasingly prominent player on the global cultural stage.

An institute dedicated to translating new works, a fresh breed of writers with a more international outlook and a new generation of talented, dedicated translators have all played their part -- and, publishing insiders say, will all share in Han’s triumph.

“It’s going to have an enormous impact,” Seoul-based independent literary agent Joseph Lee said.

“For the writers, it will provide motivation and confidence that our literature has potential in the overseas market.

“For the publishers, it will push them to focus on discovering good writers and strong works and to approach the foreign market with a clear strategy,” Lee told AFP. Han shared the £50,000 ($72,000, 63,500 euro) cheque that accompanied the Man Booker International Prize with her British translator Deborah Smith.

Described as “lyrical and lacerating” by chairman of the judges Boyd Tonkin, “The Vegetarian” traces the

story of an ordinary woman’s rejection of convention from three different perspectives.

- Translator deficit -A dearth of capable translators, coupled with an equally limited number of works suitable for foreign readers, had long stymied efforts to find a wider audience for Korea’s literary output.

“Korea is a high-context culture, with every Korean sharing a deep social, cultural, philosophical knowledge that can make its literature impenetrable to outsiders,” said Charles Montgomery, who runs the website Korean Literature in Translation.

A former professor at Dongguk University in Seoul, Montgomery said selecting works for translation used to be done by government officials who favoured classic, representative fiction that fitted a national narrative but had little to no appeal

for foreign readers.

This changed with the Literature Translation Institute of Korea (LTI), which was set up in 1996 but only came into its own in the past 10 to 15 years, with an annual budget of $10 million and 80 employees.

Although still a government body, the LTI has championed new writers and, crucially, allowed translators to choose the books they would like to work on.

- Opening doors -”LTI has really opened the door to an awesome generation of new translators, and made it possible for them to come to Korea and study their craft,” Montgomery said.

The institute also holds annual workshops, flying in foreign publishers and editors from the United States, Russia, Japan, Singapore and Britain. AFP

Protest. Truck drivers from the Force Ouvriere labor union block the A26 highway toll booth on May 17, 2016, in Saint-Omer to protest against the proposed changes in the employment law. AFP

China pours pressure on Tsai TAIPEI—When Tsai Ingwen takes office as Taiwan’s president Friday she steps onto a tightrope between voter dreams of national pride and a Beijing that wants the island on a short leash.

Tsai’s election victory reflected public desire for a president who would put self-ruling Taiwan first, not “sell out” to China, which still sees the island as part of its territory.

Her political message revolves around the importance of Taiwanese identity, and has resonated with voters fed up with living in Beijing’s shadow.

An eight-year rapprochement with China under outgoing president Ma Ying-jeou of the Beijing-friendly Kuomintang brought trade deals but little cheer for ordinary Taiwanese, stretched by low salaries and high living costs.

There was also growing concern that economic ties were a back-door route to the erosion of Taiwan’s sovereignty.

“Tsai should take a tougher stance on China,” East Lin, a 32-year-old restaurant manager from Taipei, told AFP. “The worst thing China could do is to start a war, but that seems very unlikely. I believe Tsai can uphold Taiwan’s sovereignty without causing things to worsen irreversibly.”

Tsai has pledged to diversify economic partnerships and seek a higher profile for Taiwan internationally, where it is sidelined from major organizations due to Chinese objections, a sore point for many Taiwanese. AFP

US warns against travel to North Korea WASHIINGTON—The State Department has urged Americans to avoid all travel to North Korea, warning that US citizens making the trip risk long and “unduly harsh” imprisonment if they fall foul of laws in the hermit state.

At least 14 US citizens have been detained by Pyongyang over the past decade, according to Washington.

“The State Department strongly urges US citizens to avoid all travel to North Korea due to the serious risk of arrest and long-term detention under North Korea’s system of law enforcement, which imposes unduly harsh sentences, including for actions that in the United States would not be considered crimes,” according to a statement Monday.

In one recent well-publicized case, 21-year old American student Otto Warmbier was arrested in January for allegedly stealing a propaganda sign from a tourist hotel in Pyong-

yang. He was sentenced in March to 15 years’ hard labor.

Last month North Korea sentenced a detained Korean-American, Kim Dong-Chul, to 10 years’ hard labor on charges of subversion and espionage, China’s official Xinhua news agency said.

“North Korea has detained those who traveled independently and those who were part of organized tours. Being a member of a group tour or using a tour guide will not prevent North Korean authorities from detaining or arresting you,” the statement cautioned.

“Efforts by private tour operators to prevent or resolve past detentions of US citizens in the DPRK have not been successful.”

The State Department went on to say that Americans traveling to North Korea, against the advice of the State Department, “should have no expectation of privacy”. AFP

Getting by. Sri Lankan residents padddle on inflated tubes through the floodwaters in Pugoda, about 35 kms from the capital Colombo.

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CESAR BARRIOQUINTO EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

WORLD

Photocall. (FromL) US actress Annalise Basso, US actress Shree Crooks, US actor Viggo Mortensen, US actor Charlie Shotwell, US actress Samantha Isler and Australian actor Nicholas Hamilton pose on May 17, 2016, during a photocall for the film ‘Captain Fantastic’ at the 69th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France. AFP

Envoys meet to save Syria peace Official promises he’ll listen to Hongkongers HONG KONG—One of China’s most powerful officials said he would listen to political demands from Hongkongers in a conciliatory start to a visit Tuesday that has stirred anger in a city resentful of Beijing’s tightening grip.

The three-day trip by Zhang Dejiang, who chairs China’s communist-controlled legislature, is the first by such a senior official in four years and comes as concerns grow in semi-autonomous Hong Kong that its long-cherished freedoms are under threat.

While Zhang is ostensibly visiting to speak at an economic conference on Wednesday, the trip is widely seen as a bid to take the temperature in an increasingly divided city with a fledgling independence movement.

It has infuriated opponents,

critical of a massive security operation that includes barricading protesters into designated areas out of Zhang’s sight.

Police shoved back protesters gathered near the residence of the city’s leader Tuesday night where Zhang is due to have dinner.

Seven members of a pro-democracy political party were arrested earlier in the day after putting up protest banners, with three still detained, and a leading pro-democracy activist was also wrestled to the ground by police outside Zhang’s hotel.

Wednesday will see several protest groups rally near the harbor front convention center where Zhang is due to speak.

Zhang arrived just before noon at Hong Kong airport where he was met by city leader Leung Chun-ying and a brass band. AFP

VIENNA—Senior envoys from world and regional powers gathered once again in Vienna on Tuesday in an effort to salvage the stumbling efforts to halt Syria’s civil war.

US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov diplomacy’s odd couple, at loggerheads over much else in the world are leading the meeting, which began shortly after 0700 GMT. At the gathering, the 17-nation International Syria Support Group will renew its call for a nationwide ceasefire and immediate humanitarian access to the besieged areas.

But headaches were likely to persist over the third plank of the plan a call for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime and the rebels to agree on a framework for a political transition.

US officials traveling with Kerry say Washington still insists Assad should go, with an August 1 deadline for settling on the framework under which he does so.

But the Syrian president, bol-

stered by military support from Russia and Iran, has shown no signs he is prepared to leave.

“There is no lasting future for Syria with Assad,” said German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier as he arrived for the Vienna talks.

“That’s why we need to discuss, under the auspices of the UN, what a transition government could look like and put things on the right track,” he added.

So far, the UN-mediated peace talks in Geneva under international envoy Staffan de Mistura have made little headway, and now even Washington’s allies privately doubt the August 1 date will be met.

“The target for August is to have a framework in place, a framework agreed, for a political transition,” a senior State Department official told reporters in Vienna ahead of

the meeting.

“We’re talking to the Russians, trying to get a better environment for the political negotiations,” he said. “Particularly on the regime side.”

The opposition coalition, the official said, had been more open about how they would like to see the deal negotiated but Assad’s people while publicly backing the talks have not engaged.

“The regime is just not there, and I think that’s really the key to it,” he said.

This is a key that can only be turned by Russia, if at all. Moscow, Assad’s key foreign backer, supports the ISSG platform on paper but backs Syrian government forces on the ground.

Russia nevertheless endorsed the UN Security Council resolution that enshrined the ISSG peace plan in international law and Lavrov says he supports it.

“Today we’re a long way from the finish line,” he said Monday, according to official Russian news agencies. AFP

Obama trip stirs debate on Truman WASHINGTON—Barack Obama’s visit to Hiroshima next week has reignited an emotive debate over former US president Harry Truman’s epoch-making decision to drop the first atomic bomb.

On April 25, 1945, thirteen days after Franklin Roosevelt’s death thrust Truman into the White House, the strained new commander-in-chief got a startling top secret briefing.

“Within four months we shall in all probability have completed the most terrible weapon ever known in human history, one bomb of which could destroy a whole city,” war secretary Henry Stimson said in a

hand-delivered memo.

Until that moment, Truman had no idea about the Manhattan Project to build the world’s first atomic bomb -- despite being Roosevelt’s vice president and a former senator who made his name investigating wartime defense contracts.

Within four months, the atomic bomb had been successfully tested, targets had been selected, “Little Boy” and “Fat Man” had been dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki killing an estimated 214,000 people, and Japan’s Emperor Hirohito had surrendered.

The speed, circumstances and

repercussions of Truman’s decision remain contentious.

That is true not least in Japan, where a majority of Obama’s hosts still believe the mass bombing of civilians was unnecessary and perhaps even a crime.

Meanwhile commentators nervous that Obama’s trip is tantamount to an admission of guilt, have urged him not to apologize.

“When Mr Obama visits Hiroshima on May 27 he should place no distance between himself and Harry Truman,” wrote Wilson Miscamble, a Notre Dame University history professor. AFP

Onstage Cynthina Lee Fontaine performs onstage during the RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 8 Finale Party at Stage 48 in New York City. AFP

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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

H omE & L I v ING

LIFE

Fissler Vitavit Edition Pressure Cooker is made of durable materials and makes use of innovative technology that ensures efficient cooking thats results in tasty meals

Fissler Crispy Steelux Premium Fry Pan is made for fast frying at high temperatures

ThE COOkWARE bRAnD ThAT WIll mAkE yOu bElIEvE In ‘fOREvER’ by bERnADETTE lunAS

W

hen it comes to kitchen equipment, it is usual to replace pots and pans after five years of continuous use. The average life span of pressure cookers, on the other hand, is 10 years. And knives can be passed down to another generation depending on the quality.

However, this luxury German cookware brand promises that its products will last you a lifetime. Following its successful invention of the world’s first pressure cooker with multi-safety control setting in 1953, Fissler has become synonymous with pressure cookers of the highest quality.

Since then, the Carl Philipp Fissler-founded company has gone on to manufacture other kitchen equipment that pass high German manufacturing standards.

Focus Global Inc., the exclusive Philippine distributor of a number of wellknown international brands, brings Fissler to the country.

“We thought it’s a good product for us to sell and distribute here in the Philippines,” says Focus Global president and chief executive Stephen Sy. Fissler’s flagship products, that include Original Profi 5-pc Set from the Originalprofi Collection, Steelux Premium Frypan from its Crispy line, the Vitavit Edition Pressure Cooker with Vitacontrol and the Bionic Chef ’s Knife, will be available here in the Philippines along with other kitchen accessories.

Its claim-to-fame pressure cookers are considered by many as part of the family heirloom, as they can last for as long as 30 years or even longer.

“We have a lot of pressure cookers being sold in the market; probably you’ll get one for P2,000 but that’s not going to last you very long. Fissler will last you forever,” claims Siy. Maybe you’d need to replace some of the parts, but in general, the Vitavit pressure cooker is durable enough that they can be passed on from one generation to the next, according to Sy. But more than durability, Fissler pressure cookers rank high in efficiency as they save 70 percent of cooking time and 60 percent energy every time you use it to prepare meals compared to normal cookware.

Case in point: Fissler corporate chef Armin Auer showed in a cooking demonstration

Fissler corporate chef Armin Auer

that you can cook risotto using the pressure cooker in five minutes, tops. It’s also versatile enough to cook rice in just two minutes or a whole chicken in 10 minutes.

The result was perfectly-cooked and tasty meals, thanks to the Vitavit’s threelevel control device that signals the actual cooking process happening inside without having to guess whether the food is already cooked or not.

“This is the specialty among Fissler pressure cookers, because when you’re cooking in it at the right level, there is no way that the taste can get out that’s why [the food] is tasty,” shares Chef Auer.

But the premium quality comes at a rather hefty price, as Fissler pressure cookers range from P15,000 to as much as P40,000. “[Fissler] pressure cooker is not cheap but it will last you forever,” reiterates Sy. In addition, Fissler regional manager for Southeast Asia Linda Lee announces that next year, the perfect partner of Vitavit

The Bionic Knife is designed to stay sharp forever

pressure cooker, the Vitacontrol digital, will also be available in the Philippines.

Designed specially for Vitavit Premium and Vitavit Edition lines, Vitacontrol is a digital gadget that can be attached to the lid of the pressure cooker that sends all the data of the cooking process to your smartphone, thereby allowing you to see and control the cooking process remotely.

Meanwhile, the Bionic knife can be likened to a beaver’s teeth as the former like the latter is said to stay sharp forever.

The kitchen knife is made of high-quality chromium molybdenum vanadium steel, while on one side it has a ultra-hard coating that consists of a special ingredient that is practically as hard as a diamond.

The Bionic knife is manufactured in Solingen through a 50-step process. “This is the only knife no other brands can provide, because we designed it to last forever and you don’t need to sharpen it in your lifetime,” asserts Lee.

The non-stick coating on Fissler’s PFOA and PTFE-free non-stick pans promises to stay put even after continuous use. While the Steelux Premium Frypan offers a versatile option in cooking – from low-heat to high-heat – as well as health benefits as you can sear meat on it sans oil.

The German cookware brand has obviously mastered the art and science of manufacturing high quality kitchen equipment and tools for professional chefs and, more importantly, for home chefs.

“A chef can recognize and can see if something in the kitchen doesn’t work out – he has tricks to make things work. But someone in the household has to have the right tools to make sure everything works 100 percent, and that’s what comes with Fissler,” enthuses Chef Auer.

Fissler products will soon be sold at Rustan’s and Gourdo’s.

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LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

ThE PoWEr oF mommYTALk Liv.e SimpLy

L

By LIv esteBan

ast night, my 20-year-old boy (who’s currently a million miles away) and I had the most hilarious Viber conversation recounting famous Mommy words of wisdom he remembers issuing forth from my mouth during various moments of his growing-up years.

Mommytalk, otherwise known as Mommyisms: They’re little pearls of parental statements, little nuggets that issue forth from the mouths of all moms. Present in all variations – single words, hanging phrases, full sentences – we use them to remind, correct, discipline, guide, and sometimes even just express ourselves at moments when we find ourselves hanging on a thin thread of sanity as our kids push us to the edge of our patience. Mommyisms slip out of our mouths unbidden, often subconsciously rising from dormant repositories of words our own mothers told us, bequeathed to them in turn by their own mothers.

Mommyisms have a wonderful ability to bind families across the world. The common statements (“What? You say that too?”) tie mothers together in a sisterhood of wombs, a club of women struggling to raise our children as best as we know how. Mommyisms tie our children together, too, as the recipients of these oft-repeated statements (“What?

Your mom said that, too?”). Which makes me think: Mommytalk must be universal, no? If moms across continents are saying practically the same things to their kids, then there must be common experiences that we all go through in spite of differences that run the gamut from geographical locations to color of skin. Mommyisms stand as evidence not only of a collective desire to care for and raise our children properly (including a shared experience of the struggle that sometimes entails), but also of universal truths behind the words of wisdom, and therefore universal lessons in life that we feel the need to pass on to our children and their children’s children as well.

You know the saying “Out of the mouths of babes…” Now it’s time to consider the bits of wisdom that come out of the mouths of moms… and perhaps we’ll end up sharing a laugh or two while we exclaim to each other, “What? You, too?”

“Look with your eyes, not with your mouth.”

This is the typical response when our child loses something he loves, spends precisely one minute looking for it, and the next minute assaults us with a whine that pronounces the search as a hopeless, dire one. (And often, when they do look with their eyes, aided sometimes by our eyes, too, the hopelessly-lost object transforms into miraculously-found).

“Do you know how many people are starving in the world?”

In some countries, it’s Brussels sprouts.

In my home, it’s mung beans and any kind of boiled fish. In any form, it’s food that the kids would rather hide under their plates than spoon into their mouth. And this is the guilt trip we give them to ensure that they put their food where their mouth is. I’m not entirely sure if it’s a logical statement at all or if in the end it’s simply obedience that makes them eat what they’d rather not, but it works! Hail, one of the most brilliant examples of non sequitur!

“What part of 'No' don’t you understand?”

The typical response to repeated requests for permission to do something or go

somewhere that we just happen to not be giving to the requesting party.

“When I was your age…”

This is the famous preface that precedes an emphatic recollection of the golden days when we either had more respect or less privileges, with the underlying objective of letting our kids know just how grateful they should be that they have what they have or that we’re not punishing them the way we were in the olden days. It’s really more a long-winded way of saying, “Count your blessings, kid.”

“If the wind blows, that look is going be stuck on your face forever.”

Okay, so this is so not true. But it works, especially when your kid is crossing his eyes or making monkey faces for the nth time. It made us stop when our mothers said it, right? It must work.

“Because I said so.”

The end to all arguments. Full stop. And as with all things potent, this one only retains its power if used very sparingly.

Then there are my own famous words that, through sheer repetition from Child 1 to Child 5, have become part of our family’s repository of Mom’s Quotable Quotes: “Did you forget to say your morning prayers?”

My typical response when one of my boys is in a rotten mood early in the morning, or two of them have found themselves in a heated argument early in the day. It’s a successful reminder that often things don’t go right when the first priority – offering all that happens in the day up to God – has been overlooked.

“A watched pot never boils.”

My unemotional, steady-voiced retort to a whine that signals impatience, typically of the variety of “Are we there yet?” or “When are they arriving?” or “When will I get it?”

(I’ve heard my own sons tell this to each other, so there must be some life-proven truth behind its repetition).

“This is not a threat. It’s a warning. And it will happen.”

This is the final cap to a statement of what will happen if a particular behavior isn’t ended quickly. Exhibit A: “If you don’t stop annoying each other, I’m going to make each of you stand in a corner. (Apply the final cap here).” Believe me, it works. But only if you’re ready to carry through with the warning should they insist on carrying on the behavior.

“When this reaches five, you know what will happen.”

Kind of related to the above, this one is accompanied by a finger that rises from a closed hand for every count. At the count of five, all fingers will be open, and a spanking hand appears. To this day, I can count on my hands the very few times I’ve resorted to spanking, and each time it has only been done in the direst of circumstances, often when a child is at the brink of danger. (I still remember spanking my eldest boy’s hand when he was about to stick his fingers into an electrical outlet). So I don’t use this one too often, but my kids remember it well… perhaps because precisely it’s a statement used very sparingly.

“Using bad words just tells everyone you don’t have a good command of language.”

For a family of word-lovers, to be unable to express oneself well borders on being the ultimate insult. Which is exactly what I want them to think about the use of vulgar language: It is an insult to everyone, both the deliverer and the recipient. My boys know that if there is something anyone wants to say about anything, especially when it’s a statement uttered in a high emotional state, then there are always proper and refined words to use. “… when you have hair in your underarms.”

When my boys were young and impatient to try out something (along the lines of “When can I sleep over in their house?” or “When can I go swimming alone without a

Parents have a great responsibility to use the right words to say to their kids, because these words transform into an essential part of who they are

lifeguard in the pool?”), this was how I’d tell them to wait. Granted it’s a little extreme; I could have just as easily said, “When you’re older.” But somehow using a physical, observable, visual point in time is not only hilarious for them but also very real and relatable. And it has always worked.

“We should have some ice cream now.”

The ultimate response to the aftermath of a breakdown. I’m a firm believer in the healing power of ice cream: There’s nothing, no heartbreak, no tearful fight, no heated argument, that can’t be salved by the comforting balm of ice cream.

“Don’t let you compliment your beauty.

Let your beauty compliment you.”

This one is an original from my mom, imparted to my siblings and me from a very young age, and which I have passed on to my children as well. There comes a time in every growing child’s life when they worry about their hair, their skin, the arrival of zits, the perceived weight gain or weight loss… and we simply have to remind them that the outside isn’t what really matters. The outside can be changed anytime, by forces both within and beyond our control. Besides, beauty on the outside is too dependent on the eyes of the beholder. But the inside – the heart, the kindness, the good will – that’s what remains consistent throughout, and it’s what constitutes true beauty. The beauty of soul, that’s what must be cultivated, cared for, developed. Then the outside covering is simply a bonus to the beauty of a soul that shines with love for God.

Going back to that Viber conversation with my son last night: As he was recounting yet another story of his adventures abroad, he said, “And then, Mom, I realized right then and there, that what I was saying to my friend was exactly the same thing you always said to us while we were growing up!”

As we laughed over it, in my head I could almost hear it: One of my usual statements, beginning in my voice and ending in his. And at that moment, I had this great epiphany: We as parents have a very great responsibility to use the right words as we bring up our kids, because these words silently seep into their souls, transforming into an essential part of who they are and what they stand for.

That’s a pretty compelling power to hold in our hands. And with all great power comes great responsibility.

And like mommyisms that are passed on from one generation to the next, the values and principles innately contained in our words have the uncanny ability to last not just for the duration of our lifetime but for the rest of those that follow ours. So the next time we utter one of them, let’s make sure that they contain not just wisdom, life lessons to last, and truth, but over and above all else, our all-encompassing love for them. Love that they will never have reason to question, “because we said so.”

Follow me on Twitter @ LivE_LiveSimply Like my page, follow all my articles, and send me feedback @ Facebook/liv.esimplywithLiv

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LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

PET PULSE

PEt bENEFIt DINNEr A rESouNDINg SuccESS

I One of the tables of the ‘Pet Buffet Station’ with yummy mini cupcakes and other treats

Pet parents and their furry pets trooped to Robinsons Magnolia garden for the Bow & Wow and CARA Benefit Dinner

The Paw Print Express booth where pets can get paw prints as souvenir

The ‘Pet Parent Buffet’ courtesy of Gaita Fores of Cibo di M

Bow & Wow, CARA Welfare Phils raise funds to provide care for animals

t was an evening of pampering for furbabies from their loving owners, but what made the benefit dinner by Bow & Wow and CARA (Compassion and Responsibility for Animals) at the Robinsons Magnolia Garden in Quezon City even more special was the fact that the beneficiaries would be abandoned dogs and cats in need of tender loving care.

Hosted by celebrity animal advocates and pet owners Tim Yap and Tessa Prieto-Valdes, a heatwarming part of the event was the presentation of some of the rescued and rehabilitated animals under the care of CARA Welfare Philippines which has been providing medical care, spay/neutering services, rehabilitation and facilitation of a permanent loving home for rescued, abandoned dogs and cats whose numbers are growing.

CARA’s main focus is to manage the overpopulation of dogs and cats.

Among those presented include the Laguna pitbulls Brutus and Mama that have been brutalized by dog fighting and rehabilitated by CARA, helping them regain not only their health but their trust on people.

Several CARA volunteers have helped care for some of the rescued dogs and cats by bringing them into their own homes, but they can only do so much. The success of an event like the Bow & Wow and CARA Benefit Dinner is certainly a welcome development, with CARA president Nancy Cu Unjieng saying she and and her team are very pleased with the positive turnout of the fundraising dinner that raised P250,000 from ticket sales. A hundred percent of the proceeds was immediately turned over to CARA. Bow & Wow, the Philippines’ premier all-natural pet store for dogs and

cats, made sure that both pet parents and furbabies had an awesome time, providing a wide array of all-natural treats at the pet buffet table from Bow & Wow and ALL4PETSParty. The Benefit Dinner event’s unique attractions include a spot for pawprint keepsakes, a caricature station, a design-your-own cupcakes area, among others.

Meantime, owners enjoyed the buffet prepared by by Gaita Fores’ Cibo di M. Other event partners included Planet Grapes, Cat Café Manila, WhenInManila.com, Ogilvy Public Relations, and Robinsons Magnolia. The evening’s entertainers included singer Jona Viray, herself a dedicated animal rescuer and pet parent and Polecats Manila.

Numerous raffle prizes added gaiety to the occasion, while special awards such as “Best Dressed Pet & Pet Parent” (Pawsome Twosome award) won by Melissa Bagamasbad and her Japanese Spitzcum-Aspin Cow added to the fun. Other awards include the “Most Congenial Pet & Pet Parent” (Wagging Tails Award) won by Rhome Jervia Yu and her pets Pumpkin and Kai; “Most Photogenic Pet & Pet Parent” (Picture Pawfect Award) with Adrian Tolentino and Show Suzuki with their dogs Logan and Perry.

Visit Bow & Wow Stores located at Level 6 of Shangri-La Plaza Mall, Mandaluyong City; at the lower ground floor of Greenbelt 5, Makati City; at the 2nd floor, Al Fresco, Robinsons Magnolia, Aurora Boulevard, Quezon City; at the ground floor of Excelsior in Eastwood City, Libis, Q.C.; and Ayala Center, Cebu; and now in Nuvali, Sta. Rosa, Laguna. For pet-related pointers and information, visit the Bow & Wow website at www.bowandwow.com.ph.

Innovative gifts for different kinds of mommies Were you unable to get your mom or a woman close to your heart a present that best expresses how special she is to you, or is a material representation of her character?

You may be a week behind for Mother's Day, but it's never too soon late to honor her—because, honestly, with so many things a mother does, she deserves more than one day of celebration—with innovative gifts that would help make her daily tasks a breeze.

and convenient, all thanks to its ultra-fast 60-second heat-up time.

Philips EssentialCare Dryer (P1,499), on the other hand, lets her dry and style her crowning glory in less time as the compact hair blower uses 1200W optimum level power. Further, the ThermoProtect setting provides for optimal airflow and heat combination, which allows for quick drying without overheating. The technology also helps in maintaining hair’s natural moisture level.

For the health-conscious mom This mom is not only concerned with feeding her family sumptuous meals but is also committed in providing them healthy sustenance. Let her fry food the healthy way using Philips Digital Airfryer with Rapid Air technology (P15,995), which uses air to cook food that is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside using little to no oil.

For the new mother For the woman who just brought another precious life into the world, Philips Avent Comfort Double electric breast pump (P15,000) is the perfect gift for her. Ease her experience of breastfeeding with these electric breast pumps that allow her to feed her newborn anytime and anywhere, while preserving breast milk. With a touch of a button, she can enjoy the soft massage of cushion, gently stimulating milk flow.

Delivering home innovations to improve the health and wellbeing of her loved ones is always in the heart of a mom, so help her fulfill that.

For the glam mama She always makes an appointment to go to the salon, but sometimes her busy schedule makes it hard for her to squeeze in a few hours for her beauty agenda.

Give her the gift of professionally done hair with the help of Philips Straightener (P1,999). This product makes styling quick

Philips Digital Airfryer with Rapid Air technology Philips Avent Comfort Double electric breast pump

Philips Straightener

The aforementioned products are available in all leading appliance stores and department stores nationwide. Visit www.philips.com for more details.

Philips EssentialCare Dryer

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LIFE life @ thestandard.com .ph

@LIFEatStandard

The new MInI ConverTIble launChes In The PhIlIPPInes

T

he appeal of driving in a convertible car has always been intriguing, and owning one in the Philippines is a novelty. In a country that is enveloped by heat and rain the whole year round, the thought of owning a convertible seems too impractical but the allure of dropping the roof is, and will always be, a little sexy.

Mini Cooper recently launched its Mini Convertible, the only premium convertible in the small car segment that offers a refreshing open-top driving experience on all four seats. During the launch, Rolls Royce Motor Cars Manila revealed the chili colored Mini Cooper Convertible Sport that excited everyone walking into the showroom.

“In the Philippines, it is so hot and so humid; this is not (really) the right market for the convertible,” says Rolls Royce Motor Cars Manila vice president for Public Relations and Communications Owee Cruz. But according to her, with the sale of other convertible brands in the country, they’re hoping that people will be interested in what the Mini Cooper can offer.

“A lot of foreigners are the ones buying the convertibles because they are not afraid of the sun,” she explains. According to Owee, they are also targeting luxury resorts in the country, since there are a lot of expats who buy resort shares, and they love strolling as well as sightseeing in convertibles.

Originally called the Cabrio, the new generation of the convertible Mini offers two variants: Mini Cooper Convertible S and Mini John Cooper Works Convertible that comes in red, white, blue, gray and black. The car has an automatic and electrically powered soft-top roof that can be fully opened or closed in just 18 seconds, which is very convenient when the weather suddenly shifts from sunny to drizzling.

Shifting from covered to convertible also doesn’t mean the driver has to stop in motion, as the cover top can be opened and closed completely during travel even at a speed of up to 30 kph. This can be operated through a toggle switch on the front roof frame or through a button on the remote key when the car is stationary.

Since the brand is targeting tourists who want to experience the sights and sceneries during their vacation, the Mini Convertible offers space and functionality and still gives off the go-kart feel in driving. Also with the extended space, you can be sure that all of the passengers get a place on the sunny side.

The new Mini Convertible’s evolutionary design has matured markedly as compared to the predecessor model. Entry and exit for rear passengers becomes more convenient with the extended adjustment range of the front seats. Expanded seat surfaces give room for more knee space and increased headroom also gives more room for maneuverability for passengers on the second row.

The Mini Cooper Convertible has a highly torsionally stiff body structure that gives off a sporty flair and characteristic brand agility

The Mini Cooper Convertible offers a large selection of innovative driver assistance systems

Mini Convertible is facilitated by the Easy Load function, which allows the soft-top frame to be raised when the roof is closed, and also a wide through-loading facility

The Mini Cooper S Convertible red is revealed during the Manila launch PhoToS by STar SabroSo

When the vehicle is stationary, the soft top can be operated by means of a button on the remote key

The new model also boasts of its full range Driver Assistance Systems that includes Park Distance Control with sensors at the rear of the car, Mini HeadUp Display, camera-based collision and pedestrian warning with initial brake function, high beam assistant, road sign detection, as well as the Parking Assistant and Rear View Camera.

“We’re a niche brand so we are not targeting volume,“ Owee explains, adding

that there will only be 11 units that will come in to the Philippines. If you are a collector or have more than three million pesos to spare, there’s no stopping you in getting one of those 11 units.

The Mini Cooper S Convertible and Mini John Cooper Works Convertible are both retailing at the Mini Global City and Mini Roadshow Greenhills showrooms for P3,150,000 and P3,950,000, respectively.

wEDnES DAy : M Ay 18, 2016

SHOWBITZ isahred @ gmail.com

“Roots” miniseries is a reimagining of Alex Haley’s acclaimed 1976 novel, which presents a multigenerational portrait of slavery

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ISAH V. RED EDITOR

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British-Zimbabwean actor Regé-Jean Page as Chicken George, who in the series follows his family tradition of owning slaves

‘ROOTs’ pREmIEREs samE Day as U.s.

istory® premieres Roots on May 31, airing at 9 p.m. over four consecutive night. The four-night, eight-hour event series developed by History, from A+E Studios, is a historical portrait of American slavery recounting the journey of one family and their will to survive and ultimately carry on their legacy despite hardship.

The stellar cast includes Academy Award® winners Forest Whitaker and Anna Paquin; Academy Award® nominee and Emmy Award® winner Laurence Fishburne; Golden Globe Award® winning and Emmy Award® nominated actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers; Tony Award® winner Anika Noni Rose; Grammy Award® winner Tip “T.I.” Harris; Chad L. Coleman; Emayatzy Corinealdi; Matthew Goode; Derek

Luke; Mekhi Phifer; James Purefoy; Erica Tazel and introducing Regé-Jean Page and Malachi Kirby.

Roots will allow new audiences to experience this epic family saga with a new vision that is both inspiring and tremendously entertaining,” said Paul Buccieri, president of A&E and History. “We are proud that History will be able to bring new life to this powerful story that remains as important today as it did when the original Roots first premiered.”

“Nearly 40 years ago I had the privilege to be a part of an epic television event that started an important conversation in America,” said LeVar Burton, co-executive producer. “I am incredibly proud to be a part of this new retelling and start the dialogue again, at a time when it is needed more than ever.”

Roots is an A+E Studios production in association with Marc Toberoff and The Wolper Organization, the company that produced the original Roots. Will Packer, Marc Toberoff, Mark Wolper, Lawrence Konner, Mark Rosenthal and Barry Jossenserve are the executive producers. LeVar Burton and Korin D. Huggins are co-executive producers. Questlove is executive music producer.

Roots is directed by Phillip Noyce, Mario Van Peebles, Thomas Carter and Bruce Beresford. Arturo Interian and Michael Stiller serve as Executives in Charge of Production For History. A+E Networks Handles International Distribution.

History™ is available on SKYCable Ch 67; Cable Link Ch. 43; Dream Satellite Ch 30; Destiny Cable Ch 57; and Cignal Ch 125.

The miniseries stars Forest whitaker, Anna Paquin, Laurence Fishburne, and Jonathan Rhys Myers

Team SEA Gals finishes Red Bull Can you Make It?

UP students nadine Balaccua, Alison Estabaya, and nikki Palma traveled a tatal of 2,424 kilometers to cross the finish line this year’s Red Bull Can you Make It? challenge

The Philippines’ all-girls team, the SEA Gals, crossed the finish line in Paris, France together with 157 other successful teams out of the original 165 at this year’s Red Bull Can You Make It? after traveling a total of 2,424 kilometers as they passed through five countries in seven days from April 12 to 19.

Throughout their weeklong journey, the team only had their wits, skills, charm, and Red Bull cans to trade for food, accommodations, and transportation in European city after European city.

The three University of the Philippines Diliman architecture students – Nadine Balaccua, Alison Estabaya, and Nikki Palma – kicked off the competition in Florence, Italy and made their way northwards to Innsbruck, Austria; across Munich and Stuttgart, Germany down south to Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland; and boarded their final train straight to Paris, France.

“Every country had its own merits, but Switzerland was our favorite. For one thing, the people there spoke good English, making trades and communication so much easier. Getting to Switzerland from Germany also proved to be really easy because we met someone who gave us tickets to Basel (the French-Swiss-German border)…

Getting to the Lauterbrunnen checkpoint was just so unbelievably smooth that we couldn’t believe it. And the mountain holiday park – Camping Jungfrau – that the checkpoint was located in just sealed our initial impression of Switzerland,” the SEA Gals shared.

Balaccua, Estabaya, and Palma completed the required six checkpoints where they

made pesto in Genoa, drove a gondola across Venice’s grand canal, milked a fake cow on the summit of the Austrian Alps, dressed each other up in the Munich professional team’s hockey gear, fixed car engines in Stuttgart, and spent a dreamy day in the picturesque Swiss Alps in Lauterbrunnen.

There were plenty of highs and a few lows, which the three college juniors weathered in stride.

The group recalled, “Whenever we look back at those seven days, we always think that we were actually pretty lucky most of the time, especially after we heard stories from other teams… We hit our lowest point during the second day, when we went to Venice.

After hours of trying to find a warm place to sleep in, we ended up in a Venice hospital at midnight, where we slept in a waiting area beside coffee vending machines.”

A trip as unique as Can You Make It? makes or breaks friendships. Thankfully, the SEA Gals came out of it stronger than ever. “We’re very different people, but throughout the week, we were able to adjust our roles in the group, and this made us a well-oiled machine all the way to the finish line,” they said.

They officially finished in 85th place, logging in a total of 22, 700 Checkpoint Points; 10,300 Adventure Points; and 35,008 Social Points – one of the highest in the category among all teams.

For replays of Red Bull Can You Make It? day-to-day highlights, visit Red Bull TV. Relive the SEA Gals’ once-in-a-lifetime trip on their official pages: www.redbullcanyoumakeit.com/en/teams/421 and www. facebook.com/seagals.ph.

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SHOWBITZ

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Lucky AnD unLucky SHowbIz cELEbRItIES In tHIS yEAR’S ELEctIonS wIThOuT wang2 nIckIE wang

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ing of Philippine movies Fernando Poe, Jr. would have served in various political seats had he ran for a different position in 2004 elections. With 11.7 million Filipinos rooting for him to be president, that number of votes would have given the late action star a sure seat in the Senate.

His ambition, along with his showbiz background, was heavily criticized. Many viewed his presidential bid as another Joseph Estrada stunt, which relied purely on his popularity and whose machinery was heavily supported by political interest groups. But if FPJ were not an actor, yet still popular among the masses because of his deeds and advocacies of national importance, we would have had Susan Roces as First Lady and perhaps Grace Poe as the 16th president-elect of the country.

Apparently, that isn’t the case and FPJ was not destined to be the president. This is now a classic story. And it should serve as a warning to every showbiz personalities who have this urge to be in politics.

Though it is true that one can be elected solely because of one’s popularity, this year’s election results prove that popularity alone is not a ticket to a public office.

You can say Manny Pacquiao and Tito Sotto are examples of showbiz/sports personalities that are extremely popular and now they are firmly entrenched in the Magic 12 of the senatorial race after the national elections on May 9.

Yes, they are, PacMan’s only ticket to the Senate was his massive popularity among the masses being an international boxing champion. But

tV host and comedian tito Sotto leads to win the Senatorial race

his performance as member of the House of Representative, being an elected representtive of Saranggani province, was nowhere near admirable. But his international feat as a boxer has overshadowed his dismal performance as a congressman.

Meanwhile, Sotto’s case is different. Appearing daily on TV as one of the hosts of the popular noontime show Eat Bulaga and a the height of the popularity of the AlDub tandem has cemented him in the consciousness of the electorate. Never mind if the audience of Eat Bulaga are unaware of what Tito Sotto had done as a member of the Senate. Oh, yes, I almost forgot, he had been given an International Award of Honor by the International Narcotics Enforcement Officers Association. What else? Sorry, I can’t recall of any.

Pacquiao and Sotto can already breathe a sigh of relief. But the same thing cannot be said of actor and outgoing Manila Vice Mayor Francisco Domagoso a.k.a Isko Moreno, former actor Mark Lapid, actor and TV host Edu Manzano, actress Alma Moreno and radio personality Rey Langit who obviously lag in the senatorial race and are almost impossible to be part of the Magic 12 even if a recount would take place.

It’s interesting to note that both Domagoso and Lapid have had successful political careers before the 2016 elections. Domagoso had been in elected position as a nineterm councilor in Manila’s first congressional district before becoming

cROsswORD puzzlE

answer PreVIOUs PUZZLe

ACROSS 1 Losing streak 6 Footnote abbr. (2 wds.)

10 Greed’s cousin 14 Reef builder 15 Ankle-length 16 Pierre’s girl 17 Florida city 18 Cain’s brother 19 Dollywood loc.

20 Any old way (hyph.)

22 “All My — Live in Texas” 23 Whodunit name 24 Pricing word 26 Soft wools 30 Tiny chirper 34 Precincts 35 Midway attraction 36 NASA counterpart 37 More than passed

38 Particulars 40 — -Luc Picard 41 The lady 42 Haughty type 43 Food wrap 44 Flapjack 46 Spy’s byword 48 Author — Tan 49 Misgiving 50 Competes for 53 Confusing (3 wds.)

59 Opposed 60 Reunion attendee 61 Social asset 62 Desktop picture 63 Tempo 64 Gauguin’s prop 65 Billionth, in combos 66 Took to court 67 Fern-to-be DOWN 1 Barge 2 Focal points 3 Europe-Asia range 4 Shoppers’ haven 5 Band members 6 AOL notes 7 Cafe fixture 8 Eddie, in “Beverly Hills Cop” 9 Pond floaters (2 wds.)

10 Greasy spoon

the capital’s youngest vice mayor.

Lapid, meanwhile, was elected Governor of Pampanga at the young age of 24. Similarly, Manzano ran a successful campaign in 1998 and won as Vice Mayor of Makati City. Alma Moreno was best known for her contribution as president of Philippine Councilors League.

Nothing ruined their chances to become members of the Senate. It is just clear that they may be popular in their respective localilities, and their names ring a bell being celebrities themselves, but they were not big enough to win votes for a national position.

This begs the question: Did they do anything that had a national impact? Unless they have the superstar Internet status like that of AlDub then the question would be immaterial.

Meanwhile, in the local race, actress and wife of detained Sena-

32 33 35 38 39 40 42 43 45 46 47 49 50 51 52 54 55 56 57 58

tor Bong Revilla, Lani Mercado, has been proclaimed mayor of Bacoor City in Cavite. Their son Jolo Revilla won another term as vice governor of Cavite. Actor Richard Gomez won, at last, in an election, and this time as mayor of Ormoc City, his wife’s hometown city, while wife, Lucy Torres, was re-elected congresswoman of Leyte’s 4th District. Star for All Seasons Vilma Santos will be a legislator after serving three terms as governor of Batangas. She won as representative of sixth district of Batangas.

The stories of show business personalities who plunged into the whirring world of politics is both disconcerting.

Most fascinating is that of Lito Lapid’s political journey. From Vice Governor of Pampanga in 1992 to the Senate in 2010, he ran for a local post as Mayor of Angeles City in Pampanga in the last elections

political rejects. Showbiz personalities Alma Moreno, Isko Moreno and Edu Manzano are among the biggest losers in the recently concluded elections

WEDNESDAY, MAY 18, 2016

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Actor Richard Gomez finally wins an election this time as Mayor of ormoc city

and lost, ending his political career rather too soon and along with his son, Mark Lapid who failed to win a spot in the Senate’s magic 12..

Shall we see a Lapid comeback in 2019? We will see and we will not be surprised if both father and son would.

The Ejercitos, nephews of reelected Manila Mayor Joseph “Erap” Estrada suffered a big blow in Laguna and Quezon provinces. ER Ejercito failed in his bid to be elected back and reclaim his place in Laguna’s provincial capitol, though his wife, Girlie “Maita” J. Ejercito, has been reelected Mayor of Pagsanjan town. Gary Estrada, a two-term member of the Quezon’s Provincial Board, failed as well in his bid to be the province’s Vice Governor.

Luck was on showbiz celebrity Alfred Vargas’s side. He ran unopposed in the Fifth Congressional District of Quezon City and also with Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista who won his last term hands down with no contest at all. His brother, Hero, was elected councilor in the second district of Quezon City. Lucky as well is actor Yul Servo (born John Marvin Nieto) is now a congressman representing Manila’s third congressional district.

Next Wednesday, we will give you more showbiz personalities who were lucky to be elected and those who weren’t touched by Lady Luck’s magical wand.

Okla. neighbor Morning glory Sudden urges D.C. gun lobby Nice summer Flooded Cheesy snack Wave hello Not even Ms. Basinger Farm implement pioneer Musician — Hayes DeVito of films Yankee foe Choice mushrooms (2 wds.)

“Little piggie” Cookie — Malone of “Cheers” Removes paint Slot site In a chair Hearing aid?

Rural sight Futile Quechua speaker Harrow rival Feast with poi Daytime drama Sushi-bar soup PC owner Edit out

wEDnES DAy : M Ay 18, 2016

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PIA wuRtzbAcH now ‘MADRInA’ of LAtIno coMMISSIon on AIDS

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iss Universe Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach adds another milestone in her exciting reign. She was recently named the newest Madrina (patroness) of the Latino Commission on AIDS, lending her voice to the important cause of educating the world about AIDS prevention and giving support to her Miss Universe advocacy to raise AIDS awareness among the youth.

Pia spoke eloquently during the Latino Commission on AIDS Cielo Gala calling for an end to the stigma surrounding HIV/ AIDS. The Madrina title followed her being named in February as official ambassador of HIV prevention by the New York-based Aid for Aids organization.

“I am so honored to be this year’s Madrina for the Latino Commission on AIDS. I am so excited to finally give a talk on HIV awareness after a long time of training and visits (sic) in different AIDS organizations. I thank you all for accepting me as a part of your family and trusting me to be the spokesperson for this cause. I feel so welcome,” Wurtzbach said upon accepting the task succeeding Miss Universe 2014 Paulina Vega.

The Latino Commission on AIDS is a non-profit membership organization dedicated to fighting the spread of HIV/AIDS in the Latino community. A coalition of Latino leaders founded the agency in 1990 in response to the critical, unmet need for HIV prevention and care for Latino communities, spread in more than 40 states including Puerto Rico. The Commission spearheads health advocacy for Latinos, promoting HIV education, developing model prevention programs for high-risk communities, and building capacity in community organizations and to mobilize an effective Latino community response to the health crisis created by HIV/AIDS. Pia has also acted as one of the ambassadors for the US National Women’s Health Week (NWHW) held on May 8-14, along with Miss USA 2015 Olivia Jordan, joining celebrities, athletes and entrepreneurs who are volunteer champions for women’s health issues.

“I am happy to be part of this. Let’s start to take steps toward a healthier life. Nothing is more attractive than a woman who knows how to take care of herself in all aspects of her life,

especially in her health,” Wurtzbach said as ambassador to help the Office on Women’s Health promote the NWHW to women and in their communities.

Wurtzbach has been working hard as a strong advocate for HIV awareness and prevention since winning Miss Universe. She publicly tested for HIV in New York in January to help efforts in decreasing the stigma of the disease.

She attended a workshop focusing on global statistics, HIV and its relation with the LGBT community, gender and sexuality. She has also toured the Aid for Aids organization’s medicine storage to familiarize her with the advancements on HIV and AIDS management and to learn more about the organization’s services and the issues involved in HIV/AIDS. Meanwhile, Pia will take a break from her HIV advocacy activities to take part in the celebration of the Philippine Independence Day as guest of honor at the Philippine Independence Ball to be held at the Teaneck Marriott Hotel in Teaneck, New Jersey on June 10.

Pia could have surely added excitement to thousands of revelers expected to witness the Philippine Independence Day Parade to be staged by the Philippine Indepen-

Miss universe Pia wurtzbach at the red carpet Latino commission on AIDS cielo Gala

dence Day Council, Inc. (PIDCI) on June 5 along Madison Ave. in Manhattan, New York City. However, due to her commitment to the Miss Universe Organization, Pia will grace the 2016 Miss USA pageant in Las Vegas, Nevada,

happening on the same date on June 5, to return the favor to Miss USA 2015 Olivia Jordan when she crowns her successor.

Jordan visited Manila to see Pia relinquished her Bb. Pilipinas title. –Eton B. Concepcion

Love heals all wounds coco, Maja give crime prevention tips on GMA Heart of Asia’s ‘Love Me, Heal Me’ GMA Heart of Asia offers another romantic comedy series that can prove how love heals all wounds. In the primetime Koreanovela Love Me, Heal Me, Julian (Ji Sung) suffers a dissociative identity disorder and tries to suppress his other six personalities in order to keep his credibility as a businessman.

Secretly helping him is first year resident in psychiatry, Regine (Hwang Jung Eum), who despite shifting personality falls in love with him. She will help Julian keep up with his charade while trying to hide her true self.

Julian’s other identities include Ziggy, a temperamental guy who remembers all of Julian’s memories; Perry Park, a 40-year-old man who South Korean actors Ji Sung and Hwang Jung-eum, stars of the tV series “Love Me, Heal Me”

is fond of bombs and speaks with a distinct dialect; Joseph, an intelligent, artistic yet suicidal teenager who has an extrovert fangirl sister named Jonah. Jonah appears when Julian feels extreme emotional pain and stress. He also appears as Nana, a seven year-old girl who represents Julian’s fears. Lastly is mysterious Mr. X, whose secrets are key to their relationship.

Having seven distinct personalities, can Julian survive the challenge of knowing his real identity?

How is Regine going to help his condition? Will they end up finding clarity in this very complex situation? Follow the story’s twists and turns Monday to Friday after Juan Happy Love Story on GMA.

The country’s no.1 primetime series FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano continues its mission of empowering viewers via its “Ligtas Tips: Paalala Mula sa Probinsyano” campaign, which encourages viewers to be alert and avoid falling victim to well-known syndicates.

As part of the campaign, Cardo (Coco Martin), Glen (Maja Salvador), and Onyok (Simon Pineda) have shared tips in clips aired during the series to warn people against the modus of kidnappers, suspicious taxi drivers, and gangs such as “budol-budol.”

Aside from TV plugs, netizens can also share these tips and equip their loved ones with knowledge about these syndicates through infographics, which can be accessed on the program’s show page on www.abs-cbn.com.

Meanwhile, as the story continues, Jonas (Jake Cuenca) did not

hesitate to end Andrew’s (Elmo Magalona) life after accusing him of betraying the group. And after discovering Andrew’s murder, Cardo has vowed to punish Andrew and give justice to his friend’s death.

Will Cardo be able to find out who the mastermind is behind the illegal drug trade? What will he do if he discovers that Joaquin (Arjo Atayde) and his grandfa-

ther Emilio (Eddie Garcia) are involved in it?

Don’t miss the action-packed scenes in the number one teleserye, FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano, weeknights on ABS-CBN or on ABS-CBN HD (SkyCable Ch 167). Viewers can also catch up on the program’s past episodes via iWanTV.com and skyondemand. com.ph for Sky subscribers.

“fPJ’s Ang Probinsyano” lead actor coco Martin

RtL cbS brings prime tV experience to Eastwood Countless city-dwellers return to the metro from their long, sundrenched vacations, but the fun is nowhere near over. RTL CBS Asia Entertainment Network keeps those good times going—trading sea and trees for stage lights and red carpets with their 2016 Summer Fair on May 21 to 22 at the Eastwood Mall Open Park.

On its second year, the RTL CBS Summer Fair is a mini-festival that brings the excitement and thrill of hit shows like Britain’s Got Talent and The X Factor to life through various attractions de-

signed to give you an immersive multimedia experience.

Ever dreamed of doing a live studio audition for America’s Got Talent? Now you can. Live out your dream at the RTL CBS Entertainment Talent Studio, a booth that puts the spotlight on you. It’s as if you were belting out on the big stage yourself.

After getting a taste of fame, you can head over to the Awards Photo Booth where you’re treated to an AList red carpet pictorial just like your favorite stars. Exclusive screenings, temporary tattoos, cotton candy,

and ice cream carts will also be made available if you’re looking for a little more fun on the side.

The network has partnered with Globe, Eastwood City Mall, Baskin-Robbins, Krispy Kreme, Jamba Juice, San Miguel, Magnolia Chicken, C2, RiteMED, Swiss Miss, Novu Hair, and Ever Bilena for this year’s Summer Fair. RTL CBS Entertainment is available on SkyCable channels 53(SD) and 196(HD), Destiny Cable channel 53, Dream Satellite channel 17, and Cablelink channels 37(SD), 313, and 800(HD).

w ednes day : M ay 18, 2016

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‘TV PaTROl’ mOsT WaTchED PROgRam On ElEcTIOn Day Election war room. aBs-CBn news center during the network’s coverage of the May 9 national elections

ISAH V. RED

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BS-CBN’s flagship newscast TV Patrol was the most watched TV program on Election Day, garnering the highest national TV rating on May 9 with 31.1 percent based on data from Kantar Media.

On a day when all TV networks launched their own special news coverage of the 2016 national elections, most viewers chose to tune in to TV Patrol on primetime to get the latest news on election results and issues.

TV Patrol rated eight percentage points higher than 24 Oras (23.1 percent).

This special edition of TV Patrol was part of the Halalan 2016 Ipanalo ang Pamilyang Pilipino marathon election coverage of ABSCBN News, the country’s largest news organization.

Viewers were also glued to ABS-CBN’s extensive and comprehensive coverage, which began as early as 10 p.m. on May 8 on DZMM, 3:30 a.m. on ANC, the ABS-CBN News Channel and 5 a.m. on ABS-CBN, both on May 9. On May 9, ABSCBN’s Halalan 2016 special coverage got 10.2 percent national TV rating versus 8 percent of GMA’s Eleksyon 2016 in the morning. It also beat competition’s regular programs and special news coverage in the afternoon with 14.0 percent.

The coverage also sustained its double digit rating after TV Patrol. A day after the elections, Filipinos continued to tune in to ABS-CBN for election news.

Umagang Kay Ganda won in the ratings 10 percent against GMA’s Eleksyon 2016’s seven percent.

The rating also spiked to 17.6 percent as ABS-CBN wrapped up its special coverage before noontime, beating even the regular programs of GMA. Filipinos, however, were tuned in not only on television but also on ABS-CBN’s other media platforms, which were also active in delivering news

aBs-CBn news anchors (from top, clockwise) Karen davila, Gretchen Ho, noli de Castro, Bernadette sembrano, Ted Failon, TJ Manotoc and Cathy yang

and information to reach as many people as possible.

Live streaming on iWant TV, ABS-CBN’s pioneering videoon-demand and livestreaming site, and on news.abs-cbn.com, enabled Filipinos who were mobile or without access to a TV to stay informed wherever they were at that time.

Moreover, apart from the usual live reports, breaking news, and analysis of events, ABS-CBN News incorporated social media

listening in its coverage, giving importance to the voice of the people. Through social media listening, people were informed on the latest buzz and pulse online and were made aware of the topics and issues important to Filipino netizens at that time.

It also partnered with two of the most influential social media platforms, Twitter and Facebook, for this election coverage.

Apart from news and information, ABS-CBN also

empowered Filipinos by providing them with the ultimate voter experience via the COMELEC Halalan App, which allowed users to check their voter status, find their precinct, know the candidates, create a sample ballot, report election violations, and stay updated on election news all in one application. The app, which was first introduced in 2013, is downloadable for free via Google Play and App Store.

ABS-CBN’s Halalan 2016 Ipanalo ang Pamilyang Pilipino cross platform news coverage continues as the nation awaits the official results of the election.

Stay tuned to ABS-CBN on free TV, DZMM on AM radio, ANC and ABS-CBN HD on SKYcable, and DZMM TeleRadyo on SKYcable and TVPlus. Watch ABSCBN online via live streaming at www.iwantv.com.ph. Visit news. abs-cbn.com/halalan2016 for the latest election update.