The Standard - 2016 July 17 - Sunday

VOL. XXX NO. 155 3 Sections 24 Pages P18 SUNDAY : JULY 17, 2016 www.thestandard.com.ph editorial@thestandard.com.ph

TURKISH COUP FALTERS; 250 KILLED

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US, JAPAN WARN CHINA: ‘BEHAVE’ BOTH United States Vice President Joe Biden and Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe raised the pressure on China on Saturday as they insisted that China must abide by the same international rules as everyone else after a UN-backed tribunal ruled against Beijing’s claims in the South China Sea.

MOCK RIOT. Police internship students try to provoke a phalanx of cops during a mock protest rally at the 2016 Civil Disturbance Management group competition on Saturday July 16 at the Rizal Park. DANNY PATA

RODY TELLS ‘DRUG LORD’: I’LL FINISH YOU OFF

By F. Pearl Gajunera and Lance Baconguis DAVAO CITY—The Cebu businessman whom President Rodrigo Duterte accused of being one of the top drug lords in the country surrendered to the Chief Executive at the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency office here, denying involvement in the

KIDS LEARN ABOUT WORK

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narcotics trade.

“I will execute you.... I will finish you off,” Duterte told businessman Peter Lim during the meeting, a video of which was posted on the YouTube channel of Radio Television Malacañang.

But the businessman denied that he was the same Peter Lim whom Duterte singled out in a television address and that there are many

Peter Lims in the country.

Lim said he has feared for life since Duterte publicly said “the moment he steps out of the plane, he will die.”

“My family is really in a deep problem now in Cebu. We are getting all the threats,” Lim said, admitting, however, that he had previously been investigated by Congress in 2006 because of his alleged involvement in

the illegal drug trade but the charge was dismissed.

But Duterte replied: “I will not say I’m sorry because the reason you’re here is you’re a suspected drug lord.”

Duterte advised the businessman to bring a lawyer and submit himself to the Department of Justice, Solicitor General and the National Bureau of Investigation to disprove the allegations against him. Next page

“We expect China to play by the same rules as everyone else,” Biden told the Sydney Morning Herald ahead of his arrival in Canberra, referring to the international rulesbased system that governs claims to maritime territory.

“We’re urging both China and the Philippines to abide by the ruling,” he said, adding the US was working “with Australia, and countries throughout the region, to insist that the liberal international order be maintained as it relates to sustaining the free flow of commerce—keeping sea lanes open and the skies free for navigation.”

Biden made the remarks as Tokyo raised pressure on Beijing at the Asia-Europe Meeting in Ulan Bator, Mongolia to respect the tribunal’s ruling that dismissed its claims to much of the South China Sea. At a retreat outside the Mongolian capital, Abe told the assembled leaders that the rule of law was “a universal principle that the international community must firmly maintain,” according to Japan’s Jiji Press.

“I strongly hope the parties to the dispute comply with the award and lead to a peaceful solution of the dispute in South China Sea,” he said.

The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague on Tuesday ruled that there was no legal basis for Beijing’s claims to much of Next page

MISS UNIVERSE MAKES A PITCH FOR PH

By John Paolo Bencito REIGNING Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach arrived in Manila from New York City on Saturday morning to bolster the bid to again hold the Miss Universe pageant in the country after 22 years.

“You know, I’m still waiting for the confirmation on when it’s gonna happen,” the 26-year-old beauty queen

said in a live chat on Facebook, declining to refer directly to the envisioned pageant.

“Right now it’s in the works. But hopefully, fingers crossed, it’s the one that I’ve been praying for. And I guess you know what that is. So let’s just hope for the best,” said Wurtzbach, who is set to call on President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday to discuss the matter.

The beauty queen will also be meeting

with Tourism Secretary Wanda Corazon Tulfo-Teo and the Philippine Olympic Team who will be leaving to compete at the Rio Olympics this August.

Teo had said on Thursday that Duterte has already agreed to host the pageant next year.

“The President agreed that sponsoring the event would be a tourism marketing Next page

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NEWS

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

MEDIAMAN WOUNDED IN AMBUSH US,...

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the South China Sea, which are embodied in a “nine-dash line” that dates from 1940s maps and stretches close to other countries’ coasts.

The ruling has proved a boon to Tokyo, which is embroiled in a separate territorial dispute of its own with Beijing and vies with it for influence across Asia.

China boycotted the PCA hearings, saying the court had no jurisdiction, and has reacted furiously, vowing to ignore the ruling and arguing that it misinterprets international law.

It also said the subject should not be brought up at the Asia-Europe Meeting in the Mongolian capital.

But despite Chinese objections, the EU also weighed in on the subject, with President Donald Tusk telling reporters that the grouping “will continue to speak out in support of upholding international law,” adding that it had “full confidence” in the PCA and its decisions.

“It’s not so easy to agree with our Chinese partners when it

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coup with Philippines’ Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach at the helm,” Teo said, adding that the event would boost the country’s “It’s more fun in the Philippines” tourism campaign which she said she will continue.

“Sponsoring Miss Universe is our focus right now, with the plan and sources of funding in tow. We are ready to seize the moment,” she added.

Teo earlier said that the hosting of Miss Universe would have a greater impact to the country’s tourism promotion efforts.

“Once Pia announces that Miss Universe is going to happen here, people abroad will start looking at the map and see where the Philippines is. And, we’re saying, we’d love to have you in,” she added.

The country will be fielding Maria Mika Maxine Medina, a 25-year-old interior designer who has been modeling since

comes to this issue,” he said. “Our talks were difficult, tough, but also promising.”

The comments by Abe and Tusk on Saturday followed a blitz of meetings between the Japanese leader and officials from around the region, including his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Philippine Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay, on the summit sidelines as he sought to build consensus on the issue.

Both countries have competing claims with Beijing in the strategically vital South China Sea, where tensions have mounted over the Asian giant’s construction of artificial islands capable of supporting military operations and its claims on the region’s marine resources.

Manila, which brought the PCA case, has promised not to “taunt or flaunt” the verdict.

But Japanese foreign ministry spokesman Yasuhisa Kawamura told AFP that in his meeting with Abe, Yasay agreed to “closely cooperate” at upcoming Aseanrelated conferences to ensure that the “parties to the dispute comply with the final award of the tribunal.”

Leaders of the Southeast Asian grouping have so far failed to issue a statement on the ruling, reportedly due to objections from member states with close ties to China.

In Abe’s meeting with Phuc, the two leaders agreed that the tribunal’s ruling should be observed, and Abe offered to increase cooperation on building Vietnam’s maritime law enforcement capabilities, Kawamura said.

Abe also brought his argument directly to Chinese Premier Li Keqiang during a heated 30-minute meeting Friday.

Kawamura described the exchange as “frank and candid” and Chinese state media accounts described the Chinese leader telling Abe that Japan should “stop hyping up and interfering” in the dispute.

Beijing had hoped to use the ASEM summit—official theme “Partnership for the Future through Connectivity”—as an opportunity to showcase its global initiatives, such as the One Belt, One Road program, an ambitious plan to build infrastructure projects across the Eurasian region.

China has sought to assert its claims in the South China Sea by building a network of artificial

islands capable of supporting military operations, and this week reiterated its right to declare an Air Defence Identification Zone in the area, which would demand civilian flights submit to the authority of its military.

While the summit’s final communique made no specific mention of the South China Sea, it said that leaders “reaffirmed their commitment” to maritime security and settling disputes according to the UN Convention on the Law of Sea. Beijing asserts sovereignty over almost all of the strategically vital South China Sea, despite rival claims from its Southeast Asian neighbors, most notably Manila, a US ally which took the case to the tribunal.

China’s claims, which include waters approaching neighboring countries, are based on a vaguely defined “nine-dash-line” found on a 1940s Chinese map.

A US State Department spokesman earlier in the week described the UN ruling as “final and legally binding,” while Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said Beijing risked reputational harm if it ignored the decision. AFP

2008, in next year’s pageant.

If the plan pushes through, Teo said segments of the prestigious beauty tilt will be held in tourist sites like Palawan, Boracay and Cebu.

The last time the Philippines hosted Miss Universe was in 1994 with Sushmita Sen of India as winner. The only other time the pageant was held in the country was in 1974 when Margie Moran relinquished her crown to Spain’s Amparo Muñoz.

Miss Universe president Paula Shugart earlier said that this is the right time to hold the pageant again in the Philippines.

“For years, I’ve talked about someday having the pageant here. I do know that with Pia right now, the entire worldwide focus is on the Philippines. I think it’s a great opportunity. I would love to be able to make it work. We’ll see,” Shugart said.

The last Miss Universe edition was held in Las Vegas, Nevada, where Wurtzbach won the crown after a 42-year drought for the Philippines.

PETER LIM

RODY...

From A1 “Our nation is very lucky to have you.

You’re the only president who could save our nation. You really mean business,” Lim said. “I will help in any way I can.”

But PDEA regional director Adzhar Albani clarified that Lim is not yet off the hook and still has to explain his supposed links to the illegal drug trade while PDEA Director General Isidro Lapeña stressed that Lim has been in the agency’s mostwanted list for quiet some time.

Meanwhile, three town mayors whom Duterte also accused of being involved in narco-politics have come out to deny involvement in the narcotics trade.

In Ozamiz City, Mayor Reynaldo

Parojinog denied any involvement in the illegal drug trade after his name was dragged into the controversy as one of those public officials involve in narcopolitics.

The Standard chanced upon Parojinog during the annual Subayan keg Subanen Festival on July 16 and he denied that his daughter, Vice Mayor Nova Princess Parajinog-Echavez, is the wife of Herbert Colangco, one of the 19 convicted drug lords jailed at the Bilibid National Penitentiary.

Parojinog said his daughter cannot be married to Colangco because her marriage to former Philippine Basketball Player Edgar Echavez has just been annulled.

Echavez is now the village chairman of Barangay San Antonio in Ozamiz City.

Parojinog said that he would welcome

any investigation to clear his name.

In Koronadal City, Mayors Antonio Fungan of Lake Sebu town and Mayor Dibu Tuan of T’boli, both in South Cotabato, separately denied they were among those involved in narco-politics.

Earlier, South Cotabato Gov. Daisy Avance Fuentes said that she was told that two town executives in the province were in the Duterte list of persons involved in drug trade. Fuentes did not name names.

However, some mayors decided to come out and deny after messages in the social media identified the town mayors.

“I am sure I am not one of the two that Gov. Fuentes was referring to,” Fungan told DXOM-AM Radyo Bida. “I have never been involved in illegal acts, especially illegal drugs.”

By John Paolo Bencito

C OM M U N IC ATIONS Secretary Martin Andanar on Saturday condemned the ambush attempt on a radio broadcaster in Bislig City, Surigao del Sur that took the life of one of the latter’s escorts.

“Apolinario Suan of Real FM is also an elected board member of Surigao del Sur,” Andanar said in a statement.

Suan was with his security escorts on a Toyota Land Cruiser when it was riddled with bullets by van-riding men at 2 p.m. Thursday on the national highway in Sitio Tandawan in Barangay San Vicente in Bislig City.

The radio broadcaster, reported to be in stable condition, sustained gunshot wounds in his right forearm and right leg.

One of his escorts, Dodong Suan died.

They were attacked about 20 kilometers from the city’s police station, according to a report by Radyo Natin, which was quoting the text of an incident report from the Criminal investigation and Detection Group.

“I sympathize with the family of the victim and urge local police to speed up its investigation to bring the perpetrators to justice,” Andanar said.

“Media violence and killing must end. The President has already ordered the creation of a Task Force on Media Killings,” the secretary noted.

He said the Presidential Communications Office, together with the Office of the Executive Secretary, is currently drafting an administrative order to define the parameters of the proposed Presidential Task Force on Media Killings.

“We hope to submit it to the desk of the President before his State of the Nation Address,” Andanar added.

Fungan said when the news come out that two of South Cotabato’s 11 mayors, he decided to undergo drug test and its results were negative.

While denying he was into drugs, Fungan admitted that Fuentes has the right not to name the involved local officials but Tuan insisted that Fuentes name the town mayors.

Tuan stressed that one of his priority agenda when he was elected as mayor was criminality and illegal drugs.

Tupi Mayor Reynaldo Tamayo, Tampakan Mayor Leonardo Escobillo, Sto. Niño Mayor Pablo Matinong and Banga Mayor Albert Palencia also denied involvement in illegal activities and only four town mayors and a city mayor have not issued statement about Fuentes’ pronouncement. With PNA

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FRANCE EYES DEFENSE DEALS WITH PH

By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan

WITH the need for strengthening the Philippines’ external defense being highlighted by recent developments in maritime affairs, France declared this week its readiness to discuss with the Philippines a deal for defense modernization.

ADRENALINE. The Philippine Society of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism celebrated Diabetes Awareness Week on Saturday at the

Quezon City Memorial Circle covered court. Photo shows participants in the “Palarong Pilipino Pagkilos Laban sa Diabetes.” MANNY PALMERO

KA FREDDIE NAMED NEW NCCA CHAIRMAN

By John Paolo Bencito PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte’s favorite singer, Freddie Aguilar, confirmed he was appointed chairman of the National Commission on Culture and the Arts, the latest among show business supporters of the candidacy of the former Davao mayor to get plum positions in his government.

In a television interview, Aguilar said that Duterte’s executive assistant Christopher “Bong” Go, offered him the post after the singer known globally for his song “Anak” requested the President to create a department of culture and the arts.

However, current NCCA Chairman Felipe de Leon said Aguilar cannot be appointed chairman

under Republic Act 7356, which provides that the chairman be elected by the NCCA commissioners.

Newsmen tested the new NCCA chairman’s mettle by asking him how the government should resolve the Torre de Manila controversy. The building is the butt of criticism in the media and on the internet for being a photobomber for visitors taking pictures in front of the Rizal monument in Luneta.

“If I had my way, I would change the places of the Rizal monument and the carabao-tamaraw statues.

It’s that simple,” Aguilar said in the vernacular in a television interview over TV5 on Friday.

“I would make Rizal face us instead of the sea,” he added.

The NCCA had issued an order calling on DM Consunji Inc. to stop the construction of Torre de Manila.

Singer Jimmy Bondoc, another Duterte appointee, defended his appointment as assistant vice president for entertainment of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor).

“I have already begun working.

It’s a 9 a.m.-6 p.m. job, and I have begun to learn the ropes,” Bondoc said in a recent Twitter post. ”I don’t mind people questioning the credentials of some of us appointees. I know that’s part of life. However, entertainment is God’s gift to me. I know it through and through, but I am also willing to learn much more these coming years. Pagcor has accepted me. I

hope you will accept me, too in my new endeavor,” he said.

Prior to Bondoc, comedian Arnell Ignacio was also appointed as Pagcor AVP for community relations and services.

Bondoc and Ignacio were among the celebrities who campaigned for Duterte in the elections.

Musician and businessman Ramon “RJ” Jacinto has also been named presidential adviser on Economic Affairs and Information Technology Communications with the rank of Undersecretary, while travel show host Katherine “Kat” De Castro, daughter of former Vice President Noli De Castro, was designated Tourism undersecretary for tourism advocacy and public affairs.

In a round table discussion, French Ambassador to the Philippines Thierry Mathou disclosed that the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed its intent to modernize military and defense capabilities.

“We know the Philippines needs to modernize its defense equipment,” Mathou told reporters at the sidelines of the Bastille Day celebration in his residence.

The ambassador added that France has made various important deals, including the supply of submarines to Australia.

He cited that the Aquino administration had started a “very ambitious plan to modernize the army.”

“I understand the new government intends to continue this and we are ready and eager to discuss. We need an agreement to realize their plans,” Mathou said.

The Philippines and France recently forged a defense cooperation arrangement.

The ambassador said the defense pact was different from the Philippine agreement with the United States and that it is just a “classical defense” accord.

“It’s an agreement to exchange expertise, to exchange point of views, to discuss technology, equipment… it’s quite a broad agreement. It’s the occasion for us to discuss different issues related to defense in the Philippines,” he said.

Mathou said the recent arrangement was just a “renewal” of a similar agreement between his country and the Philippines back in the 1980s.

“We thought it [defense pact] has to be renewed so we negotiated with the former administration and was very happy to sign it. Now in each important sector we have a framework agreement and defense is important,” he added.

PINOYS IN TURKEY SAFE—DFA

By John Paolo Bencito THE Department of Foreign Affairs said the approximately 3,500 Filipinos in Turkey are all safe.

Malacañang on Saturday said it was closely monitoring the attempted military coup in Turkey that left at least 104 people dead in violence that erupted on Friday after a faction of the armed forces attempted but failed to overthrow Turkey’s democratically elected President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

“They [Filipinos in Turkey] were advised by the embassy to stay home. The embassy continues to monitor the situation closely,” DFA spokesman Asec. Charles Jose said in a statement.

Forces loyal to the Turkish government fought on Saturday to crush the remnants of a military coup attempt which crumbled after crowds answered Erdogan’s call to take to the streets and dozens of rebels abandoned their tanks.

Erdogan appeared to accuse the coup plotters of trying to kill him. He insisted that he was still in power and vowed that the coup plotters would pay a “very heavy price.”

Turkish authorities have detained about 1,500 members of the armed forces, officials said. The chief of staff, who was reported to have been held hostage by the rebels, has been rescued.

Relatedly, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte condemned the brutal terror attacks in

the southern French city of Nice, killing at least 84 people after a truck plowed through a crowd celebrating Bastille Day. “I would like to take this opportunity to make a public statement, to say that we share the grief of France in the rampage of multiple murders of their citizens. We condemn the brutal and violent the way that people were, [no ran over by a truck,] a terrorist act,” Duterte said in a public statement Friday night over state broadcaster RTVM in Davao City.

“We join the rest of the world in mourning and express our solidarity with France, against terrorism, against what is fundamentally evil. Rest assured that we join you in your fight against terrorism,” he added.

GOOD FOOD. Workers clean carrots at the Divisoria market in Manila on Wednesday.

The Philippine economy grew a better-than-expected 6.9 percent in the first quarter, the government said, putting it on track to meet full year targets and making it one of Asia’s best performers for the three-month period. AFP

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OPINION

ADELLE CHUA EDITOR

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

OPINION

WHY TERRORISTS KEEP SUCCEEDING IN FRANCE

[ EDI TORI A L ]

IN THE LITTLE THINGS

By Leonid Bershidsky FRANCE is in the line of fire. Of the 16 terrorist incidents that took place in Western nations this year, five were in France, including the deadliest one—Thursday’s apparent lone wolf attack in Nice, which killed at least 84 people.

A little more than a week before the attack, a commission set up by the French parliament gave its version of the reasons for France’s endangered state in a massive report. Apart from an objective threat the country faces thanks to its colonial past and a failure to integrate North African immigrants, it also suffers from inadequate policing.

“All the French citizens who struck within the nation’s territory in 2015 were known, in one capacity or another, to judicial, penal or intelligence services,” the report says. “They have all been on file, watched, listened to or incarcerated along their path of delinquency toward violent radicalization.”

As in the case of Orlando shooter Omar Mateen, the French security services watched several of the terrorists who later committed the worst attacks of 2015—such as the Kouachi brothers, who massacred the staff of satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo. They failed to put any surveillance on Amedy Coulibaly who took hostages in Paris directly after that attack. Samy Amimour, who last November fired into a crowd of concertgoers in Paris, had traveled to Syria, had been questioned and placed under administrative surveillance; but nothing was done after he missed several weekly checks in a row, and a lack of coordination between police and intelligence services made sure he wasn’t tracked. Another shooter from the Bataclan theater, Omar Mostefai, had been identified to the French authorities

by Turkish intelligence as a dangerous radical.

He wasn’t watched either.

The list goes on. It’s not that the French security agencies lacked the resources to watch the suspected terrorists: According to the report, in 2015 the French security services had a quota for 2,700 people whose communications could be intercepted, but actual monitoring never even approached that number.

French law enforcement agencies have prevented nine terror attacks since the beginning of 2015, mostly by watching known suspects Continued on A6

THE word “change,” often coupled with adjectives such as “real,” “genuine,” “meaningful” and even “sustainable” has been routinely exploited by politicians the world over.

It panders to people’s innate desire to do something about whatever it is that makes them suffer or prevents them from enjoying their existence to the fullest.

Here at home, the desperation for “change” has brought us leaders of various forms, styles and persuasions. All of them promised to upset the status quo brought about by the people they were replacing, capitalizing on people’s dissatisfaction and frustration.

Almost always, however, the hoped-for change simply brings about yet another cycle of discontent. The promised overhaul turns out to be superficial, with only names and faces changing. Systems and norms remain, sometimes worse than ever before.

The just-inaugurated administration of President Rodrigo Duterte is no exception. By winning a plurality at a wide margin over his closest opponent, the former mayor of Davao City showed a potential to deliver a different kind of change, as indicated by his bold pronouncements, unconventional solutions and even irreverent language.

“Change is coming,” his supporters say, even as most still have no idea whether to be comforted by or afraid of what lies ahead.

The early war against red tape may just be a sign that the change to be delivered is not the nebulous, conceptual, hard-to-grasp kind. This is one that cannot wait, as the President said during his first day in office.

All permits should be signed in 30 days and a one-stop government center should be established such that Filipinos processing their documents will not have such a hard time anymore. There will be a limit to the number of days business owners should complete their documentation; there will be a cap on the number of signatures needed to begin a business.

There will also be an appointment system so that the duration of visits to government offices will no longer be based on connections, “facilitation” or the help extended by fixers.

The government must stop oppressing its own people, the President said.

And how it has, the way it has through unnecessarily tedious and often costly processes.

This is one concrete instance of change we can relate to and appreciate. Many things can be said about Mr. Duterte but his decisiveness to get things done is one we do not doubt.

We can only hope that the drive against red tape will become so successful that it would cease to be a novelty and instead become a way of life.

JAPAN’S CHANCE TO RESIST A TURN TO THE RIGHT

By Noah Smith AFTER a landslide victory in Japan’s election on July 10th, the Liberal Democratic Party now has a supermajority in both the upper and lower houses of the Diet. Essentially, there is no longer any effective political opposition in Japan. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has more power than any leader in decades—even more than his famous grandfather, Nobusuke Kishi, who served as prime minister in the 1950s.

Most importantly, his twin supermajorities give him the ability to get constitutional reforms through the legislature and put them to a popular referendum, where they need only

a simple majority to pass.

The country therefore stands at a crossroads; the choices Abe makes have the potential to refashion Japan’s institutions.

Essentially, Abe faces a binary choice between making Japan a more liberal country or a more illiberal one.

Around the world, liberalism is in retreat. Buffeted by economic stagnation, recession, controversial immigration and shifts in the geopolitical order, countries from China to those in Europe are slowly opting for fewer personal freedoms, less tolerance of minorities and greater government control over the economy. But Japan often bucks international trends and

goes its own way. It refrained from embracing free-market orthodoxy in the 1980s, refused to open itself to mass immigration along the lines of European countries, and in the past few years stuck to unconventional monetary easing after other developed countries backed off. So there’s a chance that Japan will again take the road less traveled, and move toward greater freedom even as other countries do the opposite.

Unlike many analysts—and many of Japan’s own people —I view the argument over remilitarization as a distraction.

If the notorious Article 9 of Japan’s constitution is revised, the Japanese military will simply change its name from “self-defense

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forces” to “army.” There will be no repeat of imperial expansion or World War II. Whatever increased assertiveness Japan would gain could be used for liberal purposes—defending weaker allies against encroachment by an expansionist China or a bellicose North Korea—rather than for illiberal ones.

QuickTake Japan’s military A more important question, in both the economic and social realms, will be the role of women.

Japan has only small numbers of racial and religious minorities, so the main group that stands to lose from Japanese illiberalism is the female half of the country. If Japan is to have an economic and social underclass, it will be women.

Yet it is precisely on the gender issue that Abe has shown his strongest inclinations toward liberalism. He has relentlessly pushed companies to hire more women, with both rhetoric and real policy.

He has expanded government day care and preferentially awarded government contracts to companies that promote women. Under Abe’s watch, Japan’s women have entered the workforce in record numbers, so that the norm of stay-at-home moms and single breadwinners now is mostly a thing of the past.

The new emphasis on company profitability, thanks in part to Abe’s new corporate governance code, will also pressure Japanese

industry to make better use of female employees—an instance where economic and social liberalism go hand in hand.

When I travel to Japan these days, I see a palpable, generational change in Japan’s gender roles, similar to what the US experienced in the 1980s and 1990s. The prime minister is obviously not solely responsible for this shift, but he might be the single most important promoter of women’s rights in postwar Japan.

Unfortunately, many of Abe’s

backers and friends have the exact opposite instincts on this issue.

Nippon Kaigi, a traditionalist organization that counts Abe and many of his cabinet members and allies as members, seeks to revise the constitution to emphasize traditional family values. Japanese conservatives also generally favor a return to regimented corporate culture, including lifetime employment, a policy that wouldn’t just damage the Japanese push for higher productivity, but would increase the gap between men and women.

But the danger to liberal values goes far beyond gender issues.

Nippon Kaigi and Abe’s other conservative allies also want to remove much of the liberal language from the constitution, eliminating guarantees of individual rights in favor of injunctions for the people to follow the government’s commands.

These revisions would weaken Japan’s status as a democracy, and make it a standard bearer of the new global trend toward illiberalism.

So Abe faces an epochal choice.

By resisting his many illiberal allies and pushing Japan against the global tide, he can follow the historical examples of past elite liberal reformers like the revolutionary Sakamoto Ryoma, who helped write Japan’s first modern constitution in the 1800s, or Abe’s predecessor Junichiro Koizumi who bucked his own party to partially liberalize the economy.

Abe can continue to drive for women’s equality, he can nudge corporations toward efficient modern business practices, and he can make sure that the language

of individual rights is protected in any constitutional revision.

There is a third option, of course. Abe could choose to do relatively little, letting his mandate expire without major revisions of the status quo. That would be wasting a once-in-a-century opportunity. Instead, Abe should use his power to push Japan toward becoming a freer and more equal society—a beacon to other countries in Asia, and a counterpoint to the troubling backsliders of the West.

Bloomberg

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OPINION

ADELLE CHUA EDITOR

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

OPINION

WHY TERRORISTS KEEP SUCCEEDING IN FRANCE

[ EDI TORI A L ]

IN THE LITTLE THINGS

By Leonid Bershidsky FRANCE is in the line of fire. Of the 16 terrorist incidents that took place in Western nations this year, five were in France, including the deadliest one—Thursday’s apparent lone wolf attack in Nice, which killed at least 84 people.

A little more than a week before the attack, a commission set up by the French parliament gave its version of the reasons for France’s endangered state in a massive report. Apart from an objective threat the country faces thanks to its colonial past and a failure to integrate North African immigrants, it also suffers from inadequate policing.

“All the French citizens who struck within the nation’s territory in 2015 were known, in one capacity or another, to judicial, penal or intelligence services,” the report says. “They have all been on file, watched, listened to or incarcerated along their path of delinquency toward violent radicalization.”

As in the case of Orlando shooter Omar Mateen, the French security services watched several of the terrorists who later committed the worst attacks of 2015—such as the Kouachi brothers, who massacred the staff of satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo. They failed to put any surveillance on Amedy Coulibaly who took hostages in Paris directly after that attack. Samy Amimour, who last November fired into a crowd of concertgoers in Paris, had traveled to Syria, had been questioned and placed under administrative surveillance; but nothing was done after he missed several weekly checks in a row, and a lack of coordination between police and intelligence services made sure he wasn’t tracked. Another shooter from the Bataclan theater, Omar Mostefai, had been identified to the French authorities

by Turkish intelligence as a dangerous radical.

He wasn’t watched either.

The list goes on. It’s not that the French security agencies lacked the resources to watch the suspected terrorists: According to the report, in 2015 the French security services had a quota for 2,700 people whose communications could be intercepted, but actual monitoring never even approached that number.

French law enforcement agencies have prevented nine terror attacks since the beginning of 2015, mostly by watching known suspects Continued on A6

THE word “change,” often coupled with adjectives such as “real,” “genuine,” “meaningful” and even “sustainable” has been routinely exploited by politicians the world over.

It panders to people’s innate desire to do something about whatever it is that makes them suffer or prevents them from enjoying their existence to the fullest.

Here at home, the desperation for “change” has brought us leaders of various forms, styles and persuasions. All of them promised to upset the status quo brought about by the people they were replacing, capitalizing on people’s dissatisfaction and frustration.

Almost always, however, the hoped-for change simply brings about yet another cycle of discontent. The promised overhaul turns out to be superficial, with only names and faces changing. Systems and norms remain, sometimes worse than ever before.

The just-inaugurated administration of President Rodrigo Duterte is no exception. By winning a plurality at a wide margin over his closest opponent, the former mayor of Davao City showed a potential to deliver a different kind of change, as indicated by his bold pronouncements, unconventional solutions and even irreverent language.

“Change is coming,” his supporters say, even as most still have no idea whether to be comforted by or afraid of what lies ahead.

The early war against red tape may just be a sign that the change to be delivered is not the nebulous, conceptual, hard-to-grasp kind. This is one that cannot wait, as the President said during his first day in office.

All permits should be signed in 30 days and a one-stop government center should be established such that Filipinos processing their documents will not have such a hard time anymore. There will be a limit to the number of days business owners should complete their documentation; there will be a cap on the number of signatures needed to begin a business.

There will also be an appointment system so that the duration of visits to government offices will no longer be based on connections, “facilitation” or the help extended by fixers.

The government must stop oppressing its own people, the President said.

And how it has, the way it has through unnecessarily tedious and often costly processes.

This is one concrete instance of change we can relate to and appreciate. Many things can be said about Mr. Duterte but his decisiveness to get things done is one we do not doubt.

We can only hope that the drive against red tape will become so successful that it would cease to be a novelty and instead become a way of life.

JAPAN’S CHANCE TO RESIST A TURN TO THE RIGHT

By Noah Smith AFTER a landslide victory in Japan’s election on July 10th, the Liberal Democratic Party now has a supermajority in both the upper and lower houses of the Diet. Essentially, there is no longer any effective political opposition in Japan. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has more power than any leader in decades—even more than his famous grandfather, Nobusuke Kishi, who served as prime minister in the 1950s.

Most importantly, his twin supermajorities give him the ability to get constitutional reforms through the legislature and put them to a popular referendum, where they need only

a simple majority to pass.

The country therefore stands at a crossroads; the choices Abe makes have the potential to refashion Japan’s institutions.

Essentially, Abe faces a binary choice between making Japan a more liberal country or a more illiberal one.

Around the world, liberalism is in retreat. Buffeted by economic stagnation, recession, controversial immigration and shifts in the geopolitical order, countries from China to those in Europe are slowly opting for fewer personal freedoms, less tolerance of minorities and greater government control over the economy. But Japan often bucks international trends and

goes its own way. It refrained from embracing free-market orthodoxy in the 1980s, refused to open itself to mass immigration along the lines of European countries, and in the past few years stuck to unconventional monetary easing after other developed countries backed off. So there’s a chance that Japan will again take the road less traveled, and move toward greater freedom even as other countries do the opposite.

Unlike many analysts—and many of Japan’s own people —I view the argument over remilitarization as a distraction.

If the notorious Article 9 of Japan’s constitution is revised, the Japanese military will simply change its name from “self-defense

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forces” to “army.” There will be no repeat of imperial expansion or World War II. Whatever increased assertiveness Japan would gain could be used for liberal purposes—defending weaker allies against encroachment by an expansionist China or a bellicose North Korea—rather than for illiberal ones.

QuickTake Japan’s military A more important question, in both the economic and social realms, will be the role of women.

Japan has only small numbers of racial and religious minorities, so the main group that stands to lose from Japanese illiberalism is the female half of the country. If Japan is to have an economic and social underclass, it will be women.

Yet it is precisely on the gender issue that Abe has shown his strongest inclinations toward liberalism. He has relentlessly pushed companies to hire more women, with both rhetoric and real policy.

He has expanded government day care and preferentially awarded government contracts to companies that promote women. Under Abe’s watch, Japan’s women have entered the workforce in record numbers, so that the norm of stay-at-home moms and single breadwinners now is mostly a thing of the past.

The new emphasis on company profitability, thanks in part to Abe’s new corporate governance code, will also pressure Japanese

industry to make better use of female employees—an instance where economic and social liberalism go hand in hand.

When I travel to Japan these days, I see a palpable, generational change in Japan’s gender roles, similar to what the US experienced in the 1980s and 1990s. The prime minister is obviously not solely responsible for this shift, but he might be the single most important promoter of women’s rights in postwar Japan.

Unfortunately, many of Abe’s

backers and friends have the exact opposite instincts on this issue.

Nippon Kaigi, a traditionalist organization that counts Abe and many of his cabinet members and allies as members, seeks to revise the constitution to emphasize traditional family values. Japanese conservatives also generally favor a return to regimented corporate culture, including lifetime employment, a policy that wouldn’t just damage the Japanese push for higher productivity, but would increase the gap between men and women.

But the danger to liberal values goes far beyond gender issues.

Nippon Kaigi and Abe’s other conservative allies also want to remove much of the liberal language from the constitution, eliminating guarantees of individual rights in favor of injunctions for the people to follow the government’s commands.

These revisions would weaken Japan’s status as a democracy, and make it a standard bearer of the new global trend toward illiberalism.

So Abe faces an epochal choice.

By resisting his many illiberal allies and pushing Japan against the global tide, he can follow the historical examples of past elite liberal reformers like the revolutionary Sakamoto Ryoma, who helped write Japan’s first modern constitution in the 1800s, or Abe’s predecessor Junichiro Koizumi who bucked his own party to partially liberalize the economy.

Abe can continue to drive for women’s equality, he can nudge corporations toward efficient modern business practices, and he can make sure that the language

of individual rights is protected in any constitutional revision.

There is a third option, of course. Abe could choose to do relatively little, letting his mandate expire without major revisions of the status quo. That would be wasting a once-in-a-century opportunity. Instead, Abe should use his power to push Japan toward becoming a freer and more equal society—a beacon to other countries in Asia, and a counterpoint to the troubling backsliders of the West.

Bloomberg

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OPINION

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

INTERNATIONAL LAW ISN’T QUITE LAW, BUT IT’S NO JOKE

By Noah Feldman AN INTERNATIONAL court rules that China broke the law by building islands in the South China Sea. China doesn’t care.

Does that make international law a joke? The answer is yes and no.

International law isn’t the command of a sovereign backed by the threat of force. It usually can’t force countries to obey its dictates and decisions. That makes it different from domestic law.

But international law still matters. The decision against China by a Hague tribunal for violating a treaty, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, functions as a kind of early warning sign for how other countries in the world think about China’s militaristic expansion. The decision is beneficial not only to the Philippines, which brought the case, but to all the countries who have overlapping maritime interests with China in the Pacific— including the United States, which provides security to most of them.

Paradoxically, the decision by the Permanent Court of Arbitration also helps China, even though it lost. The judgment helps the Chinese understand that its efforts to create legal arguments for regional expansion have failed. That probably won’t convince China to stop expanding. But it will give Chinese leaders a clearer sense of the resistance they’re going to face if they do so—and more information about the costs that resistance will impose on them.

China isn’t alone in flouting international tribunals that it doesn’t like. In 1986, the US refused to participate in a case brought against it

by Nicaragua in the International Court of Justice for financing rebel Nicaraguan contras. The US first appeared before the international court to argue that it had no authority to hear the case. When the US lost that argument, it went home without even mounting a defense.

Then it ignored the verdict.

Being ignored by a superpower didn’t rob the international court of its authority. It simply reminded observers that the tribunal’s capaci-

Filipino activists hold placards during a protest in front of the Chinese consulate in Manila on July 12, 2016, ahead of a UN tribunal ruling on the legality of China’s claims to an area of the South China Sea. AFP PHOTO/TED ALJIBE

ties were limited. Nor did the defeat delegitimize the US in international proceedings. The US was simply too important, and the sanctions for ignoring an international court decision were too minimal, to affect it meaningfully.

Similarly, ignoring the verdict of a tribunal created pursuant to the law-of-the-sea treaty won’t take China out of the broader game of international law. China participates in a wide variety of international legal institutions, and you can expect that participation to continue. Although China will face criticism for flouting international law, no one wants China to opt out of the international law system where its participation is helpful, for example, in the World Trade Organization. So there will be a limit to the degree of criticism that China faces.

The tribunal’s credibility is not as high as it would have been had China participated in the case, to be sure. But the tribunal will still get respect insofar as other countries in the Pacific region can be expected

to cite its judgment repeatedly and loudly.

The value of the verdict is to signal an international consensus that China’s island-building can’t be taken seriously as part of its broader claims to expanded maritime jurisdiction in the South China Sea. China has claimed sovereignty over all the seas included within a line that appears on its maps. The line’s history is telling as an exemplar international claims. It was first created by the Republic of China in 1947, before China’s nationalists were defeated by the Communists. At the time, the claim would not have troubled the US. Now, of course, assertions of broader Chinese sovereignty bring China into conflict with allies whom the US has treaties promising protection.

The punchline of the tribunal’s judgment was a frank rejection of the legal significance of the line.

That tells China that the rest of the international community isn’t going to budge. Countries who claim territorial waters that overlap with

China’s claims will use the tribunal’s judgment in pressing the US to defend them, and in defending their own space.

China can continue to bluster at these neighbors. It can even keep building islands, unless someone tries to stop the process.

But China now knows that there will be no softening of the response from its neighbors—or from the US. All this information could be gotten by a means other than an international tribunal. But think of what that alternative mechanism would be. It would require a series of increasingly belligerent acts by China and increasingly belligerent responses. That would be costly to all parties, and could accidentally trigger hostilities.

International law is a mechanism for communicating information outside the use of force. That’s valuable to all parties. As Winston Churchill once put it, it’s always better to “jaw, jaw” than to “war, war.”

International law isn’t the same thing as domestic law. But talking is better than shooting. Bloomberg

GOVERNMENTS SHOULDN’T HELP STARTUPS

BY MOST measures, Southeast Asia is a thrilling frontier for the tech business. It’s the world’s fastest-growing online market. About 70 percent of its population is under 40. Economic growth is brisk. Smartphone sales are surging. Even Eduardo Saverin, erstwhile Facebook impresario, is bullish.

So it’s understandable that governments across the region are creating funds to invest in local startups, hoping to foster new tech hubs. Thailand, for one, is doling out $570 million with the aim of generating 10,000 startups by 2018. Such efforts are ambitious, well-meaning and almost certainly misguided.

Booming When civil servants pump money into companies, they risk driving up costs for private investors and keeping uncompetitive businesses afloat. Their goals often diverge from the firms they’re funding (governments want to maximize jobs, investors don’t). And it’s hard to get the balance right: Although some state support can be beneficial, too much can cause problems.

That’s why it’s usually better to let the market decide where investment should go. In Southeast Asia, it’s already doing so. Venture capital firms have increased investment in the region by 127 percent a year since 2010, reaching about $1.1 billion last year. Roughly 7,000 startups have emerged. Some, such as Indonesia’s Tokopedia, are thriving. Others clearly aren’t. That’s okay; it’s why they call it venture capital.

But taxpayers are typically less tolerant of failure, and rightly so. Although rich countries such as Singapore can afford to patiently cultivate local enterprise, most others are better off investing in the basics: good public works, predictable rules and diligent research.

For Southeast Asia, perhaps the most crucial thing is to improve internet access. Most countries in the region lag the global average for network speed. Many of their citizens aren’t connected at all. Investing in broadband could give a boost to entrepreneurs, expand trade and connect talented workers. It could also unleash creativity: In recent years, many ingenious inventions—from mobilepayment systems to microgrids to medical devices —have arisen where people have internet access but not much money.

Slow and slower Simplifying regulation would also help.

E-commerce in Southeast Asia is expected to grow by 32 percent a year over the next decade. Yet most people still pay for such services via methods like cash-on-delivery. Harmonizing the region’s rules for online commerce could help companies come up

with inventive payment methods that would work across markets.

A final step—boring but important—is to support basic research programs at universities and think tanks. Such efforts create benefits that are often more widely shared than what corporate R&D projects produce. That, in turn, can broadly spur creativity, improve workers’ skills and boost growth, all of which helps aspiring startups.

Such workaday reforms may not produce the next Google. But there’s no magic formula for doing so. What works, and what doesn’t, is still mostly a mystery. The prudent move, then, is to lay the groundwork for a digital-age economy— and let the muses of innovation take care of the rest. Bloomberg Ms. Chua’s column will resume next Sunday.

WHY... From A5 with Islamic State sympathies, but they have missed too many others. The French law enforcement bureaucracy is in a permanent state of reform, but the services still often work in their own silos. For example, there is a cooperation gap between the gendarmerie, which polices rural France, and domestic intelligence.

Many of the future terrorists are radicalized in the French prisons, but only a “prison intelligence” force of 114 people is supposed to monitor such developments in a prison population of 68,000 and among 235,000 parolees.

Reportedly, 60 percent of French prisoners are Muslims, compared with 8 percent of France’s total population. France has a well-known problem with integrating its Muslim community: It is afflicted with high unemployment and concentrated in ghettos on the edge of big cities, breeding grounds for all kinds of crime, from petty drug dealing to terrorism. Youths with a criminal record are excellent material for radicalization: It gives them a cause for which to fight. And yet the French government barely has a system for tracking this risk group’s embrace of radical Islam.

That’s how French law enforcement missed the 31-year-old Tunisian-born resident of Nice who drove a rented heavy truck into a crowd of revelers on Nice’s Promenade des Anglais on Thursday. Like other French terrorists before him, he was known to the police for various petty acts of violence, yet he was never investigated for terrorist leanings or connections. The parliamentary commission made 40 proposals aimed at boosting France’s capacity to fight terrorism. They range from simple measures like more target practice for cops—something that might have prevented the Nice truck driver from plowing through the crowds for as long as he did—to the establishment of a stronger prison intelligence service and better coordination of anti-terrorist activities.

That won’t remove the problems at the root of all the French attacks—the hostility between the Muslim community and much of the rest of France and the globalization of terror, which makes France a convenient target because of the linguistic and cultural heritage it left in its former colonies. “We must no longer think in terms of French or French-resident people, but in terms of francophones,” Patrick Calvar, head of France’s domestic intelligence, told the commission. “Thousands of Tunisians, thousands of Moroccans and Algerians can be dispatched into our territory.”

These problems cannot be easily fixed, though. They are probably impossible to resolve in our lifetime because they were many decades in the making. All France can do in the short term is to improve policing, make it smarter and make sure signals don’t get crossed or extinguished in the bureaucracy.

The French government realizes that, and it’s getting reasonable advice, but while the bureaucratic wheels turn and big structures reform themselves, more attackers slip through the net. Bloomberg

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NEWS

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

The 7.8-magnitude killer earthquake flattens a building in Baguio City.

LOOKING BACK: 1990 LUZON KILLER QUAKE SATURDAY (July 16) marks the 26th year after a killer quake ravaged Northern and Central Luzon in 1990. The 7.8-magnitude temblor destroyed hotel buildings and residential homes in Baguio City, changed the topography of Dagupan City and trapped students and teachers under the rubble of a collapsed six-story school building in Cabanatuan. Scores were injured and more than a thousand died.

Among those who figured prominently in the search, rescue and relief mission for victims of one of the strongest earthquakes to hit the country was Philippine Red Cross Chairman Richard Gordon.

Gordon quickly joined the massive rescue and relief operations from all around Luzon by organizing a caravan of vehicles to bring food, water and other necessities up to Baguio City. When conditions improved, he sent up another

convoy of jeeps to fetch students from Olongapo who were studying in Baguio as well as those from other provinces and bring them back home to their families.

Gordon also led a joint rescue team composed of Americans and Olongapo volunteers to Cabanatuan City to fast-track the search and rescue operation hampered by lack of equipment and facilities. On Gordon’s request, US naval authorities

in Subic deployed modern equipment and tools from the base to the collapsed Philippine Christian College in a frantic effort to save those underneath the ruins.

“The 1990 killer quake taught the country hard lessons. We were not prepared and we had no mechanism by which to respond to a large scale disaster,” Gordon recalled.

In his long years as a Red Cross volunteer until he became one of the agency’s governors and its present chairman, Gordon has had more than enough experience in dealing with disasters which helped him formulate and implement policies that meet the needs of the changing times.

NEW PARTNER IN EDUCATION. Monark Foundation is now

among the partners of SM Foundation in its education advocacy.

A Memorandum of Agreement was recently signed between the two Foundations in line with SM Foundation’s technical/vocation scholarship grants. This year, SM Foundation is granting 1,000 slots for technical vocation education. The Monark Foundation Inc. offers scholarship slots to all Filipino youths to take Heavy Equipment Servicing NC II. The Institute adopts the Dual Training System of education where scholars acquire sufficient and quality technical knowledge in school and practical competencies in the industry. It is accredited by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) and sublicensee of Caterpillar Institute of Australia. Signing the memorandum of agreement are Allan Lariosa, Ellaine Omaña Panganiban, Jan-b Banson with SMFI’s executive director for Education Carmen Linda Atayde and Eleanor Lansang.

HEPATOLOGY SOCIETY LEADS CELEBRATION OF WORLD HEPATITIS DAY ON JULY 28 THE Hepatology Society of the Philippines, in partnership with the Department of Health and other institutional stakeholder-partners in the campaign to prevent and control the dreaded killer disease, will lead the country’s annual celebration of World Hepatitis Day on July 28 at the East Avenue Medical Center.

Simultaneous celebrations organized by members of the

HSP will also be held at St. Luke’s Medical Center, The Medical City, Manila Medical Center, Cardinal Santos Medical Center, Metropolitan Hospital and Philippine General Hospital.

Theme of this year’s celebration is “Infant vaccination within 24 hours of birth to prevent Hepatitis B.” Scheduled activities include lay fora, free consultation and viral hepatitis screening.

World Hepatitis Day is one of only four official disease-specific world health days declared by the World Health Organization which is celebrated every year on the 28th of July.

Over the years, millions have participated in different activities and celebrations around the world to raise awareness on viral hepatitis and promote increased access to treatment, care and

better prevention programs.

The HSP has a long-standing tradition of celebrating World Hepatitis Day. Last year, the largest World Hepatitis Day celebration was held at the St. Luke’s Medical Center. Many celebrities joined the big event to raise awareness on viral hepatitis.

This year, the theme of the global campaign against viral hepatitis is “Elimination.”

With the adoption at the World Health Assembly this year of the Global Health Sector Strategy for Viral Hepatitis and at the WHO Regional Committee for the Western Pacific last year of the Regional Action Plan for Viral Hepatitis in the Western Pacific 2016-2020, member states have signed up and committed to the goal of eliminating viral hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030.

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SUNDAY: JULY 17, 2016

NEWS editorial@thestandard.com.ph

LGUS PARTLY TO BLAME FOR MESSY TRAFFIC, SAYS MMDA

By Joel E. Zurbano ORDINANCES and other policies of local government units hamper the implementation of programs of Metro Manila Development Authority to solve the worsening traffic situation in the metropolis.

This was the sentiment raised by MMDA officials who have been having a hard time finding answers to the traffic congestion, which has resulted in an estimated productivity loss of P2.4 billion a day or more than P800 billion a year.

“This is what I’m saying... there is a seeming conflict between the local government code and the mandate of the MMDA. Of course, we defer to the local governments because they are also members of the Metro Manila Council. So, we referred that to the Department of Interior and Local Government,” said lawyer Crisanto Saruca Jr., head of the MMDA Traffic Discipline Office.

Saruca cited an instance when barangay officials allow vehicles to park (for a fee) in a no-parking zone or area. “Just like they have their own jurisdiction under the local government code. But what about our function or policy of no parking on all roads?”

“There should be one rule, a law that would harmonize these policies about traffic, the function of the local government, LTO [Land Transportation Office], LTFRB [Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board] and the MMDA in so far as public utility vehicles are concerned,” Saruca explained.

Last year, the agency appealed to local government units to review and amend traffic and street regulations to prevent incident similar to the confrontation of MMDA enforcers and San Juan local government personnel over illegally-parked vehicles.

Members of the MMDA Traffic Management Unit led by Nestor Mendoza were conducting operations along Annapolis Street to clear the road of illegally parked vehicles and motorcycles when they were stopped by the San Juan City government personnel, saying the parked vehicles were using the street, which is part of the Mabuhay Lane routes, for pay parking.

DOUBLE CELEBRATION. Students perform at the street dancing competition during the Subanen Festival in Ozamiz City on July

16,2016 which also marks the observance of the Feast of the Birhen sa Cota, the patron saint of Ozamiz City. Subanen refers the indigenous peoples living in Mount Malindang in Misamis Occidental and the Zamboanga Peninsula. BOBBY LAGSA

‘US CITIZEN’ WON AS HOUSE MEMBER

By Ferdie Domingo

A KNOWN crusader has petitioned both the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal and the Commission on Elections to disqualify an elected Nueva Ecija congresswoman “for faking her way to run in the May elections and become a member of Congress through bogus documents.”

In a petition filed last July 11, Philip Piccio of the Parents Enabling Parents (PEP) coalition and who made headlines when he led protest actions against a ‘bankrupt’ pre-need firm several years back, presented documents to prove that Rep. Rosanna ‘Ria’ Vergara (NE3rd District) is an American citizen and had allegedly lied on her citizenship to run and win against former governor Aurelio Umali in

the May 9 polls.

A registered voter in Nueva Ecija, Piccio said he already submitted before the poll body and HRET the alleged falsified oath of allegiance and a record from the Bureau of Immigration which confirmed that there was no petition that was applied

by Vergara for dual citizenship or issuance of an identification certificate.

He told reporters that Vergara,

from her citizenship to her signature, had allegedly used spurious documents to meet the constitutional requirement to run for public office.

Piccio warned that Vergara will face a slew of suits if she signs documents in the House as a legislator since she is deemed ineligible.

“All her documents as a dual citizen are fake. Instead of being punished, the Comelec turned a blind eye to the evidence and did not consider the supervening event, the discovery of the fake documents which was never mentioned in its earlier resolution,” Piccio said.

Piccio particularly cited the alleged notarized Oath of Allegiance to the Philippines in 2006 and an Identification Certificate supposedly issued by BI in November 2006.

He said the Office of the Clerk of Court in Manila certified that

there was no oath of allegiance submitted before them and the signature of the Notary Public was forged. Likewise, the BI certified that no application or petition by Vergara for dual citizenship was received or processed by the agency.

“Ria Vergara has made a mockery of our laws, our Constitution and our whole electoral system.

She made fools of the people, of the Novo Ecijano electorate as well as the immigration bureau.

It is unfortunate that the Comelec did not see this,” Piccio said.

He added: “I have manifested this discovery to the Comelec and have filed a motion for reconsideration. Also, I have submitted these pieces of documentary evidence to the Court of Appeals which is currently reviewing a lower court decision. We are praying that justice, despite the seemingly illogical reasoning of the Comelec, would eventually prevail.”

HOUSE BILL SCRAPS IRRIGATION FEES

By Maricel V. Cruz A PARTY-LIST lawmaker has filed a bill abolishing the irrigation service fees and similar imposts being paid

by Filipino farmers to the National Irrigation Administration.

Anakpawis party-list Rep. Ariel Casilao, in House Bill 558 or the proposed “Free Irrigation Services Act of 2016,” stressed the need for Congress to enact a measure that will provide the necessary and vital support services and assistance to farmers, including but not limited to inputs to production, production support, post-harvest facilities and irrigation services.

“The government should promote a comprehensive rural development through increased agricultural production and the adoption of neces-

sary and sound measures to accelerate the achievement of self-sufficiency in food, equitable access to opportunities and sustained productivity in rural areas,” Casilao said.

Casilao said the collection of irrigation service fees (ISFs) and such other similar or related fees from beneficiaries of irrigation systems funded and constructed by, or under the administration of the National Irrigation Administration, including the collection of back accounts and the corresponding penalties thereof, shall all be stopped upon the passage of this Act. Likewise, Casilao said back accounts and corresponding penalties shall be immediately canceled upon the passage of the proposed act.

For the purpose of ensuring the

necessary construction, repair and maintenance of irrigation systems administered by the NIA, Casilao said the required amounts shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act. Casilao said the State shall provide the necessary subsidies to farmers and irrigators associations and cooperatives to ensure the effective and grassrootsbased management of irrigation systems, the funding of which shall likewise be included in the annual GAA. Under the bill, the NIA has the power to collect from the users of each irrigation system constructed by it such fees as may be necessary to finance the continuous operation of the system and reimburse within a certain period not less than 25 years the cost of construction thereof.

PET SQUAD. Pet lovers walk their canines toward a carpark after attending a Pet Expo at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.

EY ACASIO

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SUNDAY: JULY 17, 2016

Roderick T. dela Cruz EDITOR business@thestandard.com.ph extrastory2000@gmail.com

WHY SWEDISH LADY BANKER LENDS TO FIRST-TIME FILIPINO BORROWERS

ANNICA Witschard, a lady banker from Sweden, has accepted an offer to head the Philippine unit of a consumer finance company that gives banks and credit card firms a run for their money.

Witschard moved to Manila with her family in April to become the chief executive of Home Credit Philippines, which lends to ‘unbanked’ people wanting to buy smartphones, appliances, electronics or furniture on an installment basis.

Witschard is excited about the Philippines’ large consumer market. “The Philippine population is growing. The middle class here is growing,” says Witschard, who was based in Stockholm, Sweden as chief executive of GE Capital Nordics, before she joined Home Credit Philippines which is headquartered in Pasig City.

Witschard says that as the new head of Home Credit Philippines, she can tap her banking experience to grow the business.

“I have a different experience, from a company with a lot of customer focus. That’s one of the main reasons. We have our hands full at the moment for expansion,” she says.

Home Credit, the parent company based in the Czech Republic, infused P2 billion worth of equity capital in the Philippine unit. Witschard replaced Czech national David Minol as chief executive in June, after Minol was promoted as regional executive director based in Prague.

Witschard brings with her a broad experience across many functions in consumer financial services and banking. With a degree in International Business at the University of Linköping (Sweden), majoring in Business and Economics, she oversaw the operations of GE Capital Nordics, a subsidiary of GE Capital, that served over 700,000 customers and 5,000 partners in northern Europe.

Home Credit started in 1997 in a village near Brno, the second biggest city in the Czech Republic. Its parent company is PPF (První privatizační fond), which is owned by billionaire Petr Kellner, the richest person in the Czech Republic.

“We now have 77,400 employees and total assets of 9.9 billion euros,” Home Credit Philippines public relations head Dmitry Borisenko says in a news briefing at Fairmont Hotel in Makati City.

“We provide installment financing for the purchase of electronic gadgets and appli-

Home Credit Philippines CEO Annica Witschard

ances. On the average, it takes less than five minutes to approve the loan with Home Credit,” Borisenko says to sum up the company’s operations.

Witschard, who stands five feet and 10 inches tall, says the large Philippine population of more than 100 million presents growth opportunities for Home Credit. She is optimistic about doubling the business this year.

Home Credit Philippines is currently servicing 280,000 customers, including 180,000 in the past nine months who bought

With a 100-million strong population, the Philippine market has huge potential, and that is why we are increasing our presence here.

items from 220 merchants.

Home Credit began operations in 2013, servicing Manila initially.

“While it took nearly three years to establish 100,000 customers, today we have around 280,00 users. I would like to say that by the end of this year, we should probably have half a million customers. So it will be a quick and successful expansion,” she says.

Home Credit employs 2,900 individuals in the Philippines alone and is present in 1,200

shops across 12 provinces. The plan is to recruit more people in line with the expansion program, says Witschard.

From Metro Manila, Home Credit has expanded to other parts of Luzon and the Visayas.

“We are growing. Our target is to cover the whole country. We are going to Baguio. We are going to Iloilo. It is about being in key places. It is about being with the right partners,” she says.

She says aside from helping consumers buy the items they need, Home Credit also helps spread financial education in the country.

“A huge majority of Filipinos still have little to no access to financial tools and services, which can have a profound impact on how they live and enjoy their lives. We want to change that. That is why even first-time borrowers are eligible to apply for Home Credit financing. A loan approval then opens the doors for getting a credit history, and ultimately being included in the financial system,” Witschard says.

“Consumers can get their first experience in financial education with us. We meet them where they are. They find us less complicated and less bureaucratic,” says Witschard.

Home Credit requires only two identification cards from applicants to approve their loans. Borisenko says interest rate on loans ranges from 3 percent to 4 percent a month.

On how big the business is so far, Witschard says: “We have 280,000 customers. The average loan is P8,000.”

One challenge facing the company is to reduce the so-called ultimate losses, representing 5 percent to 6 percent of the loans.

“It is a loss that we generate after all possible ways to collect the money,” says Borisenko.

Witchard says to improve the collection efficiency, the company employs credit risk management at a very high level. “We have a sophisticated credit scoring level,” she says.

Home Credit Philippines launched its operations in Cebu City in the first half of 2016.

“Our growth, in terms of number of areas reached and number of customers served, has been encouraging, considering we have only been in the market for less than three years,” says Witschard.

“But this is only the beginning. With a 100-million strong population, the Philippine market has huge potential, and that is why we are rapidly increasing our presence outside the metro. Given what we were able to achieve over the last nine months, we are determined to see even more remarkable results,” she says.

Roderick T. dela Cruz

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

CHILDREN LEARN ABOUT WORK IN MINIATURE CITY

By Regina C. Lintag and Kathreen O. Abaya

KIDZANIA Manila, the first of its kind in the country, gives children the opportunity to know about different professions in a miniature city complete with a hospital, a supreme court, a university and a financial system.

It is one of the fastest growing edutainment (educational entertainment) brands in the world with over 24 locations and is supported by large corporate sponsors such as Coca-Cola, McDonalds, Honda, Johnson & Johnson, Nestlé, Sony and Unilever.

The company plans to open in five more locations including Singapore, Qatar, the United States, South Korea and India.

The KidZania concept was born in Mexico City and was named La Ciudad de los Niños or “The City of Children” with corporate sponsors funding 55 percent of the initial investment.

In its first year of operation in 1999, KidZania exceeded the expectations of founder Xavier Lopez, after attracting nearly 800,000 visitors.

Today, the flagship location of Santa Fe receives over 10 million visitors.

The company currently has more than 6,500 associates. The key component to the success is the fact that children experience working with real world-brands that teach them the ropes in the business.

Each partnership trains and teaches kids by immersing through a realistic role-play that allows them to know how it feels to work in actuality.

The whole city operates with Kidzos, its own unique currency.

With an initial 50 kidzos, each kid can purchase various products and services available at the KidZania souvenir shop. They may also choose to deposit their money in a miniature BPI bank and withdraw it in their next visit.

KidZania Manila offers over 100 role-play activities available for kids with ages four to 14 years.

Children may fulfill their dreams of becoming a pastry chef with Goldilocks, fly a plane or be a cabin crew with Cebu Pacific Airlines and be a vet with Pet Express.

The duration of role-plays in each establishment varies from 15 to 20 minutes. Each profession does not only equip children with newfound knowledge, but also provides an elating experience of receiving their first paycheck.

KidZania also makes sure that children recognize the importance of pursuing a higher education not only to have an upgrade in their wages but to also open doors to more opportunities.

While their kids are busy work-

ing for the future, parents may relax in KidZania’s designated parents’ lounge complete with flat screen televisions, sofas and a café from one of their partners.

Children work in a safe environment with KidZania’s strict security measures. Each child and guardian is required to wear a corresponding radio frequency identification security bracelet.

This prevents children from leaving the vicinity without their registered guardian.

KidZania believes that the project will appeal to children as they encourage them do what love to do—to play. They believe playing is “an essential part of a child’s learning and development.”

The only difference is each role-play is empowered through interactive learning and handson experience with real facilities.

Each of role-play activities was designed by educators and facilitated by trained staff for most favorable learning fusions.

Activities have also been arranged to “complement the Philippine K-12 initiative.” KidZania aims to impart the 21st century skills of teamwork, communication skills, problem solving,

critical thinking, and earning and managing money.

Ticket prices vary depending on the age of the kids and day of visit— on weekdays, P900 for children ages 4 to 14, P500 for toddlers (1 to 3 years old), P600 for the parents or guardians. Prices go up on weekends and nation-

al holidays—P1,100 for children ages 4 to 14, P600 for toddlers, P770 for parents or guardians.

Children below 12 months can enjoy KidZania for free.

KidZania Manila is located at Park Triangle, North 11th Avenue, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City.

DAVAO BRANCH OF ACCRA LAW FIRM MARKS 20TH YEAR THE Davao branch of Angara Abello Concepcion Regala and Cruz law firm is celebrating its 20th founding anniversary this year.

Accra Law was a pioneer in establishing branch offices outside Metro Manila, with the first branch opened in Cebu City in 1980, followed by the establishment of the Davao City branch in 1996.

Accra Law Davao has been paving inroads in Mindanao, with an unparalleled practice in the fields of labor and employment, litigation and dispute resolution, corporate/mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, banking and finance, telecommunications, intellectual property and immigration.

It has been consistently cited for its track record in service excellence by leading international publication, Legal 500 Asia Pacific.

The firm’s Davao Branch is a full service branch and has a core of legal experts headed by supervising senior partner Ma. Iolanda Abella and resident partner Myra Montecalvo-Quilatan, servicing the requirements of multinational and local corporations operating in Mindanao.

Highlights of the 20th anniversary include a legal forum and a cocktail reception for clients and friends. Both activities will be held at the Marco Polo Hotel in Davao City.

Accra Law Davao will hold the legal forum at Marco Polo Hotel, Davao City. Relevant topics will be presented by partners from the head office.

Patricia Ann Prodigalidad, partner of the firm’s litigation and dispute resolution department, will speak on “Privacy and Bank Secrecy Laws” while Eric Recalde, partner and monitor of the tax department will handle “Tax Minimization/Avoidance Schemes.”

Erwin Jay Filio, partner of the labor and employment department, will discuss “Contracting and Subcontracting (Employer Liability/Pros/Cons)”. The cocktail reception will follow the legal forum.

SUNDAY: JULY 17, 2016

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

Ureka Forum partners

MINDANAOANS PREPARE TO EMBRACE E-COMMERCE

By Regina C. Lintag and Kathreen O. Abaya

UNIONBANK of the Philippines and its consortium partners are bringing the e-commerce circuit, Ureka Forum, for the first time in Mindanao on July 23.

After two successful conferences in Baguio City and Iloilo City in October 2015 and January 2016, respectively, the Eureka Forum secretariat decided to bring the movement to Davao City, which “has gained attention as the emerging trade, commerce, industry and financial hub of southern Philippines.”

“For a long time, Mindanao has been called ‘the land of opportunity,’ and today more than ever, we expect even more investors to focus their attention on Mindanao especially since the Filipino nation has just overwhelmingly elected the first Mindanao president this past May, and actually, even before our new president announced he was running for the elections, this whole plan was already in motion,” said Genaro Lapez, Unionbank executive vice president and Ureka Forum’s lead convenor.

“I believe that one of the many reasons why the president wants to implement federalism is because Mindanao can actually stand on its own with its abundant resources,” said Josefino Paloma, general manager of Accent Micro Technologies Inc., one of the forum partners.

UnionBank started Ureka Forum last year to help small and medium enterprises promote local entrepreneurship and reinvent business strategies through services such as informationeducation on e-commerce, mass conversions and launching of online websites with the help of its partners.

The movement is open to all “registered SMEs coming from

different industries—retail, hospitality, manufacturing, arts and crafts, food, services, etc. who look at e-commerce as a necessary platform to grow and expand their business.”

As 97 percent of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation countries consist of SMEs, Ureka Forum hopes “to promote the idea of inclusive innovation” to equalize the financial growth opportunities ushered by these SMEs. However, the “digital revolution” is a big part in attaining this goal, and only 1 percent of these SMEs have adapted to it.

According to the 2014 year-end global index study by Google, the Philippines has had one of the highest smart phone penetration rates among emerging markets in the world, with 55 percent of Filipino netizens spending an average of five hours a day on their smartphones and 2.8 hours online.

About 52 percent of smartphone users also claimed they had purchased products and services using their devices.

We expect more investors to focus their attention on Mindanao especially as the Filipino nation has elected the first Mindanao president.

“One would think that Philippine businesses would already be aggressively going online and embracing e-commerce if only to keep with pace with our customers,” said Lapez.

“Unfortunately, this Google study showed that only 1 percent of small and medium enterprises or SMEs even have a website.

These are the same SMEs that represent close to 98 percent of all registered businesses in the Philippines at which historically, employed goes to two thirds of the Philippine workforce.”

A recent study by Frost & Sullivan, a growth partnership compa-

ny, also revealed that the Philippines lagged behind neighboring countries such as Malaysia and Vietnam in terms of e-commerce market and penetration growth.

A compounded annual growth rate of only 1.47 percent is expected from the Philippines this year in eCMP, a considerably low figure compared to Malaysia which leads that pack with 2.51 percent.

Lapez, however, said the tides might change in the next four years and the Philippines would overrun Singapore with 2.97 percent by 2020, based on the same study.

“Assuming that there is a steady and solid economic growth and corresponding infrastructure improvements, Philippine e-commerce could grow 20.67 percent from 2016 to 2020 right behind leader, Malaysia,” he said.

Ureka Forum now has eight partners including Air21 for logistics, Shopinas.com for online marketplace, Panahon TV for weather updates, GeiserMaclang Marketing and Communications for transformative advertising, AMTI for data solutions, PLDT SME Nation for internet services, DragonPay for payment gateways and Esquire Financing for business education. It has also three new sponsors—BloombergTV, Facebook

and Zalora Philippines.

Ureka Forum is also supported by government agencies such as the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department of Science and Technology.

“It’s only by enabling SMEs to do e-commerce that we help achieve real inclusive financial inclusion as well as augment the DTI in achieving their 2020 ecommerce roadmap which stipulates that their goal is to be able to have no less than 100,000 SMEs doing e-commerce, representing no less than 10 percent of our GDP by 2020,” said Lapez.

He said the forum was open to more consortium partnerships. “Our only requirement is for them to be prepared to customize a low-cost support for the MSMEs because we need to give them confidence that they really can succeed before we can starting thinking of how much can we charge them?” he said.

Lapez recognized current consortium partners such as DragonPay for creating customized products and services for MSMEs. “Each of our consortium partners has done that. They have come up with customized products and services for MSMEs. They’re not off-the-shelf products. Like for DragonPay, if you want to be accredited with them, you need to pay a minimum payment. That has been waived,” he said.

After the last two road shows, the forum is now servicing around 150 SMEs, from individual artists to retail and food corporations.

“We started in Baguio last October 2015, where on that very same day, 39 SMEs walked in and those same 39 now digitally activated SMEs went back home that same evening,” Lapez said.

They also activated over 100 SMEs to e-commerce during the Iloilo forum in January. The group is confident this number of participants would be exceeded, come July 23 in Davao.

“Davao has long been a central hub especially for Mindanao.

With its rich and uniquely diverse culture, history, and commercial heritage, Davao has been rising to new heights this past few years,” said Lapez.

With burgeoning industries such as business process outsourcing and knowledge process outsourcing, new commercial complexes such as shopping malls as well as constantly improving infrastructure to augment its traditional agribusiness and tourism strengths, Davao City has emerged as one of the Philippines’ rising economic cores.

I-REMIT EXPANDS PRESENCE IN SINGAPORE I-REMIT Inc. said it continues to operate in Singapore after a wholly-owned subsidiary took over the remittance business of I-Remit Singapore Pte. Ltd. The publicly listed remittance company said wholly-owned subsidiary I-Remittance Singapore Pte Ltd. acquired the business of I-Remit Singapore, which ceased its remittance business and surrendered its license to the Monetary Authority of

Singapore. The company will also undergo liquidation.

I-Remit said it established I-Remittance Singapore to open more branches and strengthen the corporation’s presence in Singapore.

I-Remit operates in 26 countries through wholly-owned subsidiaries, tie-ups and agents.

I-Remit is engaged in the business of

servicing the fund transfer and remittance needs of overseas Filipino workers and other migrant workers. I-Remit was incorporated on March 5, 2001 and started commercial operations on Nov. 11, 2001.

It booked a net income of P12.7 million out of P710-million revenues in 2015, up from a profit of P9.2 million out of P803million revenues in 2014.

Darwin G. Amojelar

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CESAR BARRIOQUINTO EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

WORLD

UNITED. International leaders pose for a family picture during the 11th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) in the Mongolian capital of Ulan Bator on July 16, 2016. The 11th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) summit runs from July 15-16. AFP

FRANCE MOURNS 84 DEAD Brazil to boost Olympics security after Nice attack Brazil said Friday it will bolster security for next month’s Olympics in Rio following the truck attack in the French city of Nice.

Brazil’s interim President Michel Temer held an emergency meeting with his intelligence chief and members of his cabinet late Friday to weigh the next steps after the Nice attack, which killed at least 84 people.

As he left the meeting, intelligence chief Sergio Etchegoyen said new security measures would include extra checkpoints, barricades and traffic restrictions.

Brazil had already planned to deploy 85,000 police and soldiers to provide security for the Olympics—running

August 5-August 21--double the number used in the 2012 London Games.

As this developed, Brazilian graffiti artist Eduardo Kobra, perched atop a cherry picker truck several stories high, sprays puffs of paint on a sprawling mural in the colors of the Olympic rings.

With three weeks to go to the Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro, Kobra and his assistants are racing to put the finishing touches on the 3,000-square-meter (32,000-square-foot) painting that graces a wall in the city’s newly overhauled port district.

The mural depicts five indigenous faces representing the continents of the world, awash in the blue, yellow, black, green and red of the Olympics. AFP

FRANCE began a period of national mourning for the 84 people killed when a Tunisian man rammed a truck into a crowd, as investigators tried to establish Saturday if he was motivated by radical Islam.

Meanwhile, a private funeral was held Friday in northern England for Jo Cox, the MP whose murder halted Britain’s EU referendum campaign and sparked an outpouring of sympathy from around the world.

Cox, 41, was shot and stabbed in the street in her Yorkshire constituency of Batley and Spen on June 16, exactly a week before the referendum on Britain’s membership of the European Union, in which she campaigned for Britain to stay in the bloc.

The IS has claimed responsibility for the Nice attack in which Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, 31, smashed a 19-tonne truck into a mass of people celebrating France’s Bastille Day in the Riviera city of Nice.

Some 30,000 people had thronged the Promenade Des Anglais to watch

a fireworks display with their friends and families on a night which turned to horror as the rampaging truck left mangled bodies strewn across the palm-fringed road.

President Francois Hollande said the country would observe three days of mourning as he warned the death toll could rise further, with more than 50 people still fighting for their lives.

The massacre, which comes after two major terror attacks in France in 2015, has once again shaken the country to its core, raising questions over intelligence and security failings and how to stop such unsophisticated, yet deadly, assaults.

Hollande was due to meet his security chiefs on Saturday and the country would observe a minute of silence at midday.

Investigators were piecing together a profile of the driver, Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, a man with a record of petty crime, but no known connection to terrorist groups.

Prime Minister Manuel Valls said the attacker probably had links to radical Islam, but Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve cautioned it was too early to make the connection.

Anti-terrorism prosecutor Francois Molins said the 31-year-old Tunisian was “completely unknown” to the intelligence services but that the assault was “exactly in line with” calls from jihadist groups to kill.

For several years, extremist groups such as Islamic State and Al-Qaeda have exhorted followers to strike “infidels” -- singling out France on several occasions -- using whatever means they have at hand.

In September 2014, IS spokesman Abu Mohammed al-Adnani, suggested supporters “run (infidels) over with your car.”

The United Kingdom suspended the Brexit campaign for three days in honor of Cox. AFP

US calls for fair treatment of alleged spy in China US officials urged Beijing on Friday to guarantee “fair and transparent” legal proceedings for an American national held for more than a year in China on suspicion of espionage.

Sandy Phan-Gillis, a businesswoman, was detained in March 2015 as she traveled to Macau following a visit to mainland China by a trade delegation from Houston, Texas.

“Chinese authorities have informed us they will bring a case against Ms Phan-Gillis” before a court in Nanning, in southern China, said Elizabeth Trudeau, a

State Department spokeswoman.

“We urge China to resolve this case expeditiously and provide a fair and transparent legal process in accordance with the local law and in a manner that also respects international human rights,” said Trudeau.

Phan-Gillis stands accused of espionage and stealing state secrets for allegedly passing intelligence to a third party, according to a United Nations working group on arbitrary detention that cited unnamed government sources.

The group, which called for her release, said that international

fair trial standards had not been respected in the case.

“We also ask that China ensure that Ms Phan-Gillis continue to have full access to an attorney,” said Trudeau, adding that Phan-Gillis had received consular assistance since the start of her detention.

The most recent visit was on June 20, Trudeau said.

During a news conference last week, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Phan-Gillis had been held because she was suspected of compromising national security. AFP

UNCONVENTIONAL. Artist Aaron Axelrod attends the Barnsdall Art Park Foundation’s Breaking Convention Summer Soiree on July 15, 2015 in Hollywood, California. AFP

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CESAR BARRIOQUINTO EDITOR

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

B5

TURKEY COUP ATTEMPT FAILS A TURKISH army faction backed by tanks and fighter jets waged a coup attempt against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday.

Officials insisted the attempted coup was falling apart.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan returned to Istanbul airport during the early hours of Saturday, saying the hotel he was staying at on Turkey’s Aegean coast was bombed after he left.

Erdogan appointed General Umit Dundar, commander of the First Army, as acting chief of staff after General Hulusi Akar was captured and taken hostage.

Akar was later rescued, the private TV station CNN-Turk reported.

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, who has spoken on media via tele-

phone throughout the night, is believed to be in Ankara.

UN Secretary-General Ban Kimoon on Friday called for a quick and peaceful return to civilian rule in Turkey following a coup attempt by the military.

EU chiefs Donald Tusk and JeanClaude Juncker on Saturday backed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government and urged a “swift return” to normal after a coup attempt.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg backed key ally Turkey’s “democratic institutions” Saturday after parts of the military launched a coup against

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

US President Barack Obama on Friday urged all parties in Turkey to back the “democratically-elected” government, a clear denunciation of troops who launched a coup that has rocked the country.Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton expressed “great concern” Friday at the coup attempt in Turkey, urging calm in the key US ally.

Government-backed jets have downed pro-coup aircraft and bombed tanks surrounding the presidential palace in the capital Ankara.

Dozens of soldiers backing the coup surrendered on the Bosphorus bridge in Istanbul that they had held throughout the night, holding their hands above their heads as they were detained A group calling itself the “Council for Peace in the Homeland” declared

martial law and a curfew in a statement, saying it had launched the coup “to ensure and restore constitutional order, democracy, human rights and freedoms and let the supremacy of the law in the country prevail...”

No named military officer claimed responsibility for the actions.

Erdogan said during the night he did not know whereabouts of the army chief of staff, General Hulusi Akar, and appointed the commander of the First Army, General Umit Dundar in his place temporarily.

Erdogan put the blame the coup on supporters of his arch-foe, USbased Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, whose Hizmet movement and its powerful presence in Turkish society, including the media, police and judiciary. AFP

TRIUMPH. People react after they take over military position on the Bosphorus bridge in Istanbul on July 16, 2016. At least 60 people have been killed and 336 detained in a night of violence across Turkey sparked when elements in the military staged an attempted coup, a senior Turkish official said. The majority of those killed were civilians and most of those detained are soldiers, said the official, without giving further details.

Summit to call for heightened efforts vs AIDS SIXTEEN years after Nelson Mandela galvanized the world to take up the fight against AIDS, experts and activists return to the South African city of Durban tomorrow, seeking to revitalize the fight against the disease.

Some 18,000 scientists, campaigners, funders and lawmakers are descending on the port city for the five-day 21st International AIDS Conference--a council of war on a pandemic that has claimed more than 30 million lives in 35 years.

Singer Elton John and Britain’s Prince Harry will host a session at the conference discussing the HIV epidemic among young people.

“The message from Durban to the world is going to be that it’s too soon to declare victory. We have a long way to go,” International AIDS Society president Chris Beyrer told AFP. Until 2000, only wealthier countries had hosted the biennial AIDS meeting.

That all changed when South Africa became the first developing country —and the first with an unbridled epidemic of HIV in its population -- to take the helm.

The conference was a highly charged affair, but its emotional zap transformed the AIDS campaign.

Campaigners fired verbal volleys at Big Pharma, accusing drugs companies of providing life-saving drugs to HIV patients in rich countries but ignoring counterparts in poor economies. AFP

US tracking Saudi link to 9/11 attack THE United States probed links between the government of Saudi Arabia and the 9/11 attacks, finding multiple suspicions but no proven ties, documents declassified Friday showed.

Part of a Congressional report that had been kept under wraps for more than a decade showed US intelligence believed that Saudi officials may have had multiple contacts with some of the 9/11 hijackers.

Fifteen of the 19 hijackers were Saudi citizens.

The findings however show no smoking gun for Saudi involvement, but rather an inability to “identify definitively” Saudi links to attacks on US soil and global terror.

“While in the United States, some of the 9/11 hijackers were in contact with, and received support or assistance from, individuals who may be connected to the Saudi government,” the declassified document said.

One individual on the US East Coast, believed

to be from the Saudi interior ministry, raised suspicions when appearing to fake a seizure during FBI questioning about his links to a hijacker.

He was later released from hospital and managed to flee the country before he could be questioned again.

Intelligence also turned up suggestions that Osama bin Laden’s half-brother worked at the Saudi embassy in Washington and was associated with a friend to Egyptian hijack leader Mohammed Atta.

In California, a suspected Saudi intelligence operative was believed to have provided “substantial assistance” to two other hijackers.

The phone book of an Al-Qaeda operative captured in Pakistan meanwhile pointed to US contacts, notably a company which managed a Colorado property of the then Saudi ambassador.

Responding to the report, Saudi foreign minister Adel al-Jubeir said that these suspicions had been investigated in the interim years and debunked. AFP

COLOR. People hold up banners reading at a Black Lives Matter rally in Sydney on July 16, 2016. Some 300 people gathered at the rally in Sydney to demonstrate against racism in Australia and elsewhere, as racial tensions in the US simmer over the killing of black men by police. AFP

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SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

BACOLOD—In an eyeball-toeyeball confrontation between the best of the old and new of Philippine golf, Frankie Miñoza didn’t blink and showed Miguel Tabuena the poise and grace needed to win championships in pressure-packed, down-to-thewire finishes.

In a record five-hole playoff in the seven-year Philippine Golf Tour, Miñoza, 56, came through with a couple of spectacular bailout shots in the second and third sudden death holes to stay in the hunt then pulled off a superb wedge shot to within four feet on their fourth trip to the par-5 18th and banged in the putt to nip Tabuena and capture the ICTSI Negros Occidental Classic at the Negros Occidental Golf and Country Club here yesterday.

Tabuena, 21, hit his approach shot two pins away from the cup and missed.

“I feel good and got inspired by my solid games in the first three days,” said Minoza, whose third round 63 forced a three-way tie for the lead with Tabuena and Dutch Guido Van der Valk.

The reticent Del Monte shotmer also cited his improved putting courtesy of long-time buddy Artemio Murakami.

“My putting also clicked after I got some tips from Temyong (Artemio Murakami),” added Minoza, who pocked the top P270,000 purse.

“But Miguel is good.”

And quick as Tabuena disappeared after the playoff, frustrated over his failed bid to annex a second crown after his Anvaya Invitational romp and to build up some momentum and confidence as he primes up for next month’s Olympic Games in Rio. He took home P185,000.

Minoza, who blew a two-stroke lead in the closing holes in regulation, missed clinching it outright with a flubbed birdie bid from a putter’s length on the 72nd hole while Tabuena muffed his attempt from around 15 feet.

Tabuena fought back from two down with three holes to go as Minoza bogeyed the par3 16th and the former birdied No. 17 from six feet to match the latter’s 67 and force a playoff at 15-under 265.

The big gallery that trailed the duo as they headed back-and-forth to the 18th four times and once to the par-4 No. 10 whooped it up as Miñoza wrapped up the grueling face-off between the country’s former star and the current toast in a record-setting sudden death that put a fitting ending to what had been billed as a classic finish after Miñoza, Tabuena and Van der Valk ended up tied after 54 holes and three others stood a stroke or two behind.

Van der Valk remained winless with a 69 and tied American Micah Shin, who shot a 68, for the second straight time. They shared second place at Binitin last week and finished tied for third this time at 267. They split the combined P190,000 purse.

Miñoza and Tabuena parred the 18th the first time out in the playoff then the former recovered from an errant drive to the left to salvage par and extend the match to a third hole.

With the pressure mounting and fatigue ap-

VINTAGE MIÑOZA EDGES TABUENA IN RECORD 5-HOLE ICTSI PLAYOFF

Frankie Minoza and Miguel Tabuena walk their way off No. 4 with the latter wresting a two-stroke lead in the early going of the final round.

pearing to have crept in, Minoza hit a wayward second shot on their third stint on the 18th, the ball landing on the adjacent fairway. But the former Asia’s No. 1 came up with a brilliant recovery shot into the green and completed a two-putt par then watched Tabuena miss a titleclinching putt from eight feet.

After matching pars on the par-4 10th in the fourth playoff hole, the two headed back to 18th where Minoza hacked a solid drive, a superb second shot and a brilliant wedge shot to a putter’s length.

In the end, it was the young Tabuena who cracked under pressure, putting his third shot some 17 feet away off the cup.

SASO SETTLES FOR 3RD IN JUNIOR WORLD GOLF YUKA Saso of the Philippines collapsed with a six-over-par 78 Friday and settled for third place in the girls’ 15-17 years division of the IMG Academy Junior World Golf Championships at the La Costa Resort and Spa Legends course in Carlsbad, California.

A series of bad drives resulted to two double bogeys and a bogey on the first four holes and Saso found herself falling three strokes behind at the turn with a six over 42 in a forgettable round that was completely a reversal of her solid form the past three days, clearing the way for Nasa Hataoka of Japan to post a two-stroke vic-

tory.

Hataoka, shooting a 72 for 286, parried all efforts by Saso to bounce back in the back nine and it was all over when the Japanese birdied the 16th to regain a three-shot lead.

Saso wound up at 288 in a tie with another Japanese Rui Hiraoka, who carded a 71 but lost in the countback for second place.

Saso’s third-place showing proved to be the best finish by A delegation sent here by the Junior Golf Foundation of the Philippines with the support of Philippine Airlines as the official carrier in the com-

It was Miñoza’s first victory since racking up three wins in 2013 and his latest triumph showed he could still perform at the highest level. The multiple winner on the Asian Tour and Japan PGA humbled the country’s current No. 1 with superb iron shots and steady putting that netted him five birdies, battling back from two shots down in the early going of the final round after forcing a three-way tie with a superb seven-under card Friday.

Tied with Tabuena and Van der Valk after 54 holes, Miñoza actually fell behind by two as Tabuena birdied No. 3 and he bogeyed the next. But the veteran shotmaker put on a fiery comeback

petition that drew 1,200 players from 56 countries. Sofia Chabon fired a 71 to salvage a share of 18th at 297, Mikha Fortuna carded a 73 for a 25th-place tie at 299 and Annika Cedo wound up 42nd after an 80-309.

Over at the Torrey Pines South course, Ira Alido and Luis Castro wound up sharing 28th place with five others after a 72 and 77, respectively, in the boys’ 15-17 years won by Joaquin Niemann of Chile. Alido and Castro finished 13 shots behind the winning 276 total of Niemann.

“I got hit by three errant drives early and that was the story of my round today,” said the 15-year-old Saso, who was playing in her division for the first time and will have two more chances to go for the victory that didn’t happen just in case she decides to.

of four birdies to close out his frontside stint with a 32.

Tabuena failed to match that scorching Minoza fightback, hitting just one more birdie on the fifth and making the turn at 33, enabling the latter to wrest control and go 2-up with another birdie on No. 12.

Van der Valk, who vowed to correct the mistakes he did when he lost control in the closing holes and lost to Tony Lascuña in a playoff at Binitin last weekend, sputtered again in the championship flight, fumbling with two bogeys with no bogey to show in an opening 37 that virtually dropped him out of the title race.

Yuka Saso (second from right) is shown with the top finishers in her division.

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SPORTS sports@thestandard.com.ph

KATY PERRY RETURNS WITH MESSAGE OF UNITY NEW YORK—Pop superstar Katy Perry re-emerged Friday after a quiet spell with a song of unity as part of the television coverage of the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Katy Perry: I can’t think of a better example than the Olympic athletes, as they gather in Rio with their strength and fearlessness, to remind us how we ALL can come together, with the resolve to be the best we can be. AFP

The singer—one of the most successful artists of her generation -- offered her first new

music since her blockbuster 2013 album “Prism” with the song “Rise.”

A midtempo electronic track, “Rise” takes on a triumphant tone befitting sports competitions, a change from the giddier pop feel of Perry’s biggest hits.

“When you think the final nail is in / Think again / Don’t be surprised / I will still rise,” Perry sings on the song.

The song will feature in the coverage of the Olympics opening ceremony on August 5 on NBC television, which has the lucrative contract to broadcast the Summer Games in the United States.

A video for “Rise” produced with NBC will also appear before movies in more than 20,000 cinemas across the United States, her label said.

Perry said the song had been “brewing” inside her for years but that she saw it as timely in light of troubles around the world.

“I was inspired to finish it now, rather than save it for my next album, because now more than ever, there is a need for our world to unite,” she said in a statement.

“I know that together we can rise above the fear -- in our country, and around the world.

“I can’t think of a better example than the Olympic athletes, as they gather in Rio with their strength and fearlessness, to remind us how we ALL can come together, with the resolve to be the best we can be.”

Perry released the song Friday as an exclusive on Apple’s iTunes and the tech giant’s streaming service Apple Music.

At age 31, Perry has already achieved phenomenal success and is the most followed person on Twitter, with more than 90 million followers.

She has released a string of viral singles in-

ESSILOR VISION SUPPORTS SPECIAL OLYMPIC ATHLETES EXCITEMENT and laughter filled the air as athletes with intellectual disabilities and their families visited booth after booth of games testing visual acuity, visual memory, depth perception, color vision and eye tracking at “Eye Can Play: A Healthy Eyeffair.”

The event was sponsored by Essilor Vision Foundation, one of the philanthropic giving initiatives of Essilor, the world’s leading ophthalmic optics company.

Held at SM Sucat Entertainment Hall, “Eye Can Play” specifically used an “edutainment” approach to help Special Olympics athletes, their caregivers and their families learn more about the importance of healthy vision through interactive and engaging games.

After undergoing quick vision

Sponsored by Essilor Vision Foundation, “Eye Can Play: A Healthy Eyeffair” uses “Twister” and other games to help Special Olympics athletes, their caregivers and their families learn more about the importance of healthy vision

“Eye Can Play” addresses the need for Filipino athletes with intellectual disabilities to get tested for vision problems, which affect their sport scores and quality of life. screenings with Essilor volunteers, excited participants played “Pop the Bubble”, “Twister”, “Name It Quick”, ‘Finding Nemo”, “Finding Dory”,

“Catch the Marble” and “Eye Can See”.

Brina Maxino and Sashi Montaña, the founders of “Eye Can Play,” saw the need for Filipino athletes with intellectual disabilities to test their eyes as good vision can affect not only their sport scores but also their overall quality of life.

The two teens, who are part of the Special Olympics Philippine team, also envisioned the event as a venue to encourage people with intellectual disabilities to excel in sports and games. They presented the project at the 2015 Social Impact Summit, held during the Special Olympics World Games in Los Angeles, California that same year, where it earned a spot in the Top 5 out of 70 proposals.

“Essilor and Essilor Vision Foundation feel passionately that healthy vision is fundamental for every individual,” said Essilor marketing manager Jinky Navo.

“Our mission is to improve people’s lives by improving their sight, for everyone and everywhere.

In line with this objective, we want to help people with intellectual disabilities to see the world better so that they can achieve more and aim higher, which is what some of the athletes have already done at the Special Olympics,” she added.

cluding “Roar,” “Teenage Dream,” “Firework” and “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.).”

But Perry has had a comparatively quiet 2016 as she works on a new album.

She finished a 151-date global tour in October last year in Costa Rica, although she has since then performed to support Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. AFP ERRORS & OMISSIONS 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 TO THE PUBLIC This is to inform the public that Clarissa A. Aguilar is no longer connected with Cirrus Global, Inc. effective July 16, 2016.

Any transaction entered into by this person from this date thereafter shall not be honored by the company.

(TS-JULY 17, 2016)

Republic of the Philippines DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES

National Capital Region DENR-NCR Building, National Ecology Center, East Avenue, Quezon City

REGIONAL BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE INVITATION TO BID PROJECT

: PROCUREMENT OF HIKO TRAYS IN CONNECTION WITH THE OPERATION/ SEEDLING PRODUCTION OF THE ESTABLISHED MECHANIZED & MODERNIZED FOREST NURSERY PROJECT

LOCATION

: DOST COMPOUND, TAGUIG CITY

OWNER

: DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES – NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The Department of Environment and Natural Resources – National Capital Region (DENR-NCR), through its Regional Bids and Awards Committee (RBAC) , hereby invites all interested Phil-GEPS registered contractors, manufacturers, suppliers, dealers, authorized franchised dealers to submit Letter of Intent (LOI) and to Bid for the above-stated project, to wit: Purchase Request (PR) No.

Quantity

2016-370

12,000 pcs

Unit Cost 250.00

Approved Budget for the Contract (PhP)

Item Description HIKO TRAYS

PhP3,000,000.00

Size: 385mm x 385mm Tray height: 73mm-90mm Distance bet. Cells: 37.3mm Cell shape: round or square Volume: 70-90cc Cell wall/thickness: 1.7–1.9mm Weight tray: 900-1000g No. of cells/tray: 100 Material: high density virgin polyethylene (HDPE) resin TOTAL

PhP3,000,000.00

Eligibility Requirements or Complete Set of Pre-qualification forms and Bid Documents will be available for issuance at the Procurement Section / BAC Secretariat, 3 rd Floor (Mezzanine), DENR-NCR Bldg., National Ecology Center Compound, East Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City with telephone number 3734399.

A non-refundable fee of THREE THOUSAND PESOS (PhP3,000.00) for the bidding documents.

All particulars relative to the bidding process, such as Eligibility Screening, Posting of Bid Security and Post-Qualifications shall be governed by the pertinent provision of R.A. 9184 and its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) and the latest guidelines issued by the GPPB. Given hereunder is the schedule of the Bidding Process, to wit: ACTIVITY Publication • • • •

VENUE

July 11, 2016 July 11, 2016 July 11, 2016 July 17, 2016

DENR-NCR Bulletin Board

Submission of Letter of Intent

July 11-22, 2016

Procurement Section/BAC Secretariat, 3rd Floor, Mezzanine Flr., DENR-NCR Bldg., East Avenue, Quezon City

Issuance of Bidding Documents

July 19 to August 8, 2016; 4:00p.m.

GSS/BAC Secretariat, 3rd Floor, Mezzanine Flr., DENR-NCR Bldg., East Avenue, Quezon City

Pre-Bid Conference

July 26, 10:00a.m.

•

August 9, 2016; 10:00a.m.

• •

PHILGEPS DENR-NCR Web DENR-NCR Bulletin Board Newspaper

DATE AND TIME

Submission of Eligibility Documents and Financial Proposals Opening & Examination of Bids Evaluation of Bids

Conference Room, 4th Flr., DENR2016 NCR Bldg., National Ecology Center Compound, East Ave., Diliman, Quezon City -do-

10:00a.m. onwards

Preparation and Approval of Minutes of Meeting

August 10, 2016

-do-

Post-Qualification

August 11, 2016

-do-

Award of Contract

August 12, 2016

Preparation and Approval of Notice of Award A)

August 12, 2016

Issuance of NOA

August 15, 2016

Preparation and Approval of Contract

August 15-17, 2016

Preparation and Approval of Notice to Proceed

August 18-19, 2016

Issuance of Notice to Proceed

August 22, 2016

Bids will be opened promptly on the above bidding date in the presence of participating bidders of their duly authorized representatives who chose to attend. Bids Prices shall be fixed. Adjustable price proposals shall be treated as non-responsive and shall be rejected.

All bids must be accompanied by a corresponding security bid bond in the form of Cash, Manager’s Check, Certified Check, Bank Draft or an equivalent amount in a freely convertible currency, or Surety Bond callable on demand issued by the GSIS or by any private insurance company duly accredited by the Insurance Commission and submitted to the undersigned c/o BAC Secretariat on the bidding date.

DENR-NCR, reserves the right to reject any or all bids at any time prior of contract, waive any defects therein, accept the bid, and award the contract to the bidder with the lowest calculated and responsive bid. The office assumes no responsibility to compensate or indemnify the bidder for any expense or loss that may be incurred for the preparation of the bids, nor does it guarantee that an award will be made.

08 July 2016.

(SGD) DIR. SOFIO B. QUINTANA, Ph.D, CESO IV. Assistant Regional Director for Technical Services and Chairman, Bids and Awards Committee Office of the Assistant Regional Director, Technical Services DENR-NCR Building, National Ecology Center Compound, East Avenue, Quezon City

(TS-JULY 17, 2016)

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK S UN DAY : J ULY 1 7 , 2 0 1 6

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RIERA U. MALL ARI EDITOR

sports@thestandard.com.ph

SPORTS

School children of Anibong Elementary School participate enthusiastically in the basketball clinic conducted by Alaska Milk for children of Tacloban, Leyte held at the Utap Basketball Court last July 14. The children were treated to a nutritious breakfast and then taught the fundamentals of basketball. Reuel Vidal

SCHOOL CHILDREN OF TACLOBAN LEARN LESSONS FROM ALASKA

By Reuel Vidal

SCHOOL children of Tacloban, Leyte learned important lessons in the Alaska Basketball Clinic held at the Utap Basketball Court last July 14 and 15.

Two hundred fifty students of Anibong Elementary School and Don Vicente Quintero Memorial School were treated to a nutritious Gatas for Breakfast and then taught the fundamentals of basketball by Alaska’s basketball coaches on July 14 and 15.

The lessons and the activities were especially important for the children of who suffered deep scars inflicted by Yolanda.

According to Anibong Elementary School teacher Paul Niño Catanduanes the children witnessed a storm surge bring a 30-foot wall of seawater which lifted a ship from the ocean all the way to the middle of the barangay. Container vans floating on the raging waters demolished every single house and building.

Most of the residents of Anibong barely escaped with their lives

when Yolanda came roaring in at 6 a.m. that fateful day. Catanduanes said a toilet bowl was the only remaining upright structure in his entire house after the deluge. The rest of the barangay, like the entire city of Tacloban, was equally devastated.

The carnage happened years ago.

Barangay Anibong and the rest of Tacloban have been rebuilt and few signs of the devastation can be seen.

Only memories remain among the children and Alaska hopes that activities such as the basketball clinic can help them forget.

“Since Tacloban was badly hit by Typhoon Yolanda more than two years ago, assistance for the improved well-being of the children is needed. Their recovery from the typhoon was not fast enough. AMC does not only aid them through added nutrition in milk alone but

also with active lifestyle and nutrition education. AMC aims to build awareness on the importance of outdoor play and sports and instill the importance of daily breakfast to support the children’s daily activities,” said AMC Marketing Services Assistant Manager Cecile Jacela.

Children enjoyed champorado with Alaska Milk, pandesal with condensed milk and a nutritious glass of milk for breakfast. They then participated in a basketball

clinic conducted by Alaska’s basketball coaches.

“Basketball is the most popular sport in the Philippines. It also builds endurance, improves balance and coordination, builds up muscle and develops concentration and self-discipline. It also develops a sense of team work for the players. It is a very attractive sport for children both boys and girls to be involved in since it encourages outdoor play and avoid a sedentary

Former Philippine national basketball team player Andrea Stevens (center) teaches two girls the proper way to execute a basketball stance as part of the lessons for school children for Tacloban. Reuel Vidal

lifestyle,” said Jacela.

Alaska doesn’t just provide proper nutrition to the school children of Tacloban, through the School Milk Program, it also teaches them the value of an active, healthy lifestyle through basketball.

Anibong Elementary School teacher Mary Grace Batucan stressed the importance of teaching children to participate in constructive activities such as sports.

“Para sa amin makakatulong itong programa sa mga bata especially nag-e-enjoy sila. Lalo na ngayon napapanahon ito sa programa ng ating Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte laban sa droga. Pwede itong maka attract ng attention ng mga bata para maiwasan ang masamang bisyo at sumama na lang sila sa sports at mag basketball na lang sila,” said Batucan.

The school children didn’t just receive lessons on proper nutrition. They were also taught the importance of exercise and a healthy lifestyle; learned important values such as teamwork, cooperation and sportsmanship; and sent on the road to nationbuilding as well.

GIRLS WANT EQUAL TIME FOR EQUAL PLAY

Elementary school teacher Mary Grace Batucan (center) joins girl school children who are just as enthusiastic as boys in being part of the basketball clinic organized by Alaska Milk. REUEL VIDAL

Utap Basketball Court for the Alaska Basketball Program last July 16 I fully expected to see just boys joining the exercise.

I was pleasantly surprised to see almost as many girls running, shouting and playing basketball just as enthusiastically as the boys.

Apparently, girls want equal time for an equal chance to engage in sports especially basketball taught by professional coaches.

Don Vicente Quintero Memorial School teacher Mary Grace Batucan explained that times have changed and girls want to participate in sports just as much as boys do.

“Ngayon alam natin na may tinatawag na gender equality. Hindi naman ibig sabihin na lalaki lang ang pwede maglaro ng basketball. Pwede ring maglaro ang mga babae,” said Batucan.

“Hindi naman ibig sabihin ang larong basketball ay para lang sa mga lalaki. Pwede ring maglaro ang mga babae. Pwede ma-develop ang sportsmanship, ang camaraderie, ang teamwork ng mga babae. This Alaska basketball program is a way to help them.”

The school children were treated to a nutritious breakfast and then taught the fundamentals of basketball by Alaska’s basketball coaches.

They were taught basketball skills such as the proper way to run, jump, dribble and shoot.

More importantly, they were taught important values such as sportsmanship, teamwork, having the right attitude and respect for one another.

“Sa mga batang babae this will be a valuable experience for them. Magandang experience.

Nakakalabas sila outside their barangay. Paraan ito para ma-build ang interes nila sa sport na ito,” said Batucan.

“Sa barangay namin merong basketball court. Actually mayroong liga noong summer lamang. Iyong mga batang iyan sumali sila sa nakaraang liga. Iyong mga bata na kasama ngayon.”

Alaska helps provide proper nutrition through its programs and advocacies. And more than providing proper nutrition, Alaska also teaches the importance of living an active and healthy lifestyle through activities like the basketball clinic.

In Tacloban - as in anywhere else around the country - girls apparently want equal time for equal play. Reuel Vidal

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ISAH V. RED EDITOR

BING PAREL

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

BERNADETTE LUNAS

isahred @ gmail.com

WRITER

S U NDAY L I V ING

LIFE

Children from Bahay Aruga experience DreamPlay's interactive thrilling attractions

C

ity of Dreams Manila intensifies its corporate social and environmental responsibility program to mobilize its more than 5,000 employees for a continued and sustainable local community engagement and skills-based volunteerism, and make a positive impact through care of underprivileged children, blood donation and conservation drive.

“At City of Dreams Manila, our management team and employees are the heart and soul of the integrated resort.

One of our guiding principles is the spirit of volunteerism and we work together to engage in meaningful activities that create a positive and sustainable impact to the community and the environment. We are committed to share our time, talents and skills to make a difference and inspire the next generation with hope and a better future,” City of Dreams Manila Property President Geoff Andres said.

Every month, a group of employees from various departments take turns in hosting the resort’s “Spoonful of Dreams”, a weekend activity focused on Parañaque City’s Bahay Aruga, an orphanage which the integrated resort employees have adopted. Over 1,000 employees have actively participated in the monthly undertaking since a year ago when City of Dreams Manila started its operations. With the spirit of volunteerism set into high gear, COD Manila leveraged on the resort employees’ natural capacity for service and creativity, as they dedicate themselves beyond expectations to provide care, camaraderie, nourishment and engaging experiences for the children at Bahay Aruga.

With various departments jointly cohosting the activity, some 20 to 50 volunteers per visit spend a meaningful time with the children. Pooling their own resources and talents together, the departments come up with creative activities to entertain the orphans, such as storytelling activities, a performing magician, and a range of games and contests to win prizes. One memorable “Spoonful of Dreams” activity was hosted by the DreamPlay team, who feted the children to a fun-filled Dreamworks characters themed-party complete with games and refreshments.

At the launch of DreamPlay’s first year anniversary celebration, the Bahay Aruga orphans were invited to experience the interactive play space’s thrilling attractions, such as the 4D theatrical special Megamind: The Button of Doom at Dream Theater, a brand new lesson at the interactive Kung Fu Fighting dojo, Penguins of Madagascar create-your-own-movie module at the Dream Studio, “Whatever Floats Your Boat” competition with the Penguins of Madagascar and gingerbread cookie preparation in “Cooking with

'Cooking with Gingy' activity teaches kids how to make gingerbread cookies

EMPLOYEE VOLUNTEERISM

STRENGTHENS CSR INITIATIVES

City of Dreams Manila employees actively participate in activities that benefit underprivileged children

Kids play with their ates and kuyas from COD Manila

Gingy” together with Shrek and Donkey.

Throughout the past months, Paranaque public school children, street children from Virlanie Foundation and other underprivileged children were also among those whom City of Dreams has hosted at DreamPlay.

In light of the sustainable drive to enhance the lives of Bahay Aruga orphans, COD Manila is looking to improve their housing conditions. COD Manila team volunteers are slated to undertake house repair, wall and gate repainting, general cleaning and sanitation, and set up basic furniture and home items provision of the orphanage. COD Manila will also help ensure the health of the orphans through medical assistance and promote education with the building of a small library.

City of Dreams Manila’s employees also

COD Manila hosts a weekend activity at Bahay Aruga orphanage in Parañaque City every month

DreamPlay team invites children to experience the interactive play space's attractions such as the 4D theatrical special Megamind: The Button of Doom at Dream Theater

previously reached out to over 400 students of Paranaque Elementary School Central and San Dionisio Elementary School for a series of art workshops and storytelling activities, to encourage children to read.

Hospicio de San Jose is another institution that they have hosted and periodically visited.

For the community at large, COD Manila continues its quarterly blood donation drive in partnership with the Philippine National Red Cross to provide a healthy blood supply for those in need in case of medical emergencies, have to date donated a total of 500 bags to the blood bank of Red Cross.

Caring for the environment is also one of the key advocacies of COD Manila. The integrated resort has participated in Earth Hour’s energy conservation campaign. City

of Dreams Manila’s employees joined other volunteers and the Ocean Conservancy, Philippine Coastguard, International Coastal Cleanup Organization and Coast Guard Auxilliary at the annual international coastal cleanup at the Manila bay area. COD Manila further engaged its employees in an inter-departmental contest for creating decors out of recycled materials to raise awareness on sustaining the environment and helping curb global warming. In July and August, the COD Manila volunteers are also set to plant trees in the outskirts of Manila in the pursuit of environmental conservation and reforestation.

For inquiries and more information on City of Dreams Manila’s CSR initiatives, call 800 8080 or e-mail guestservices@cod-manila. com or visit cityofdreamsmanila.com.ph.

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LIFE isahred @ gmail.com

MOTHER IS TIBAY HERO INSPIRATION

elia Balonzo is an incredible inspiration amidst the hardships and struggles of dayto-day existence. She is a mother to 13 children and a grandmother to several grandchildren. In spite of that, she took on the responsibility of taking care of nine other youth.

Undaunted by her humble means, she persevered to provide the needs of her big family, including sending all her children to school.

“Republic Tibay Mo, Inspirasyon Ko!” salutes the Tibay Hero in every Filipino and their courage to persevere against all odds for their loved ones, community, and causes they believe in. Delia’s tibay ng loob epitomizes the same tibay in every single bag of REPUBLIC® Cement, the only cement in the Philippines with Tibay Enhancers®, a special technology that makes concrete more compact and more durable from the inside.

Delia often juggles multiple jobs to make ends meet—she tended a sarisari store and a small canteen, and occasionally serves as a manghihilot and laundrywoman. She grabbed every opportunity to earn money and support her family. She was resilient, bouncing back after every challenge she hurdled.

Delia’s tibay ng loob has inspired her children to finish school and succeed in life; one of them is now working in Austria and raising her own family. Her selflessness and steely determination in the face of extraordinary challenges left a big impact on the judges of “Republic Tibay Mo, Inspirasyon Ko”, and contributed to her win as the Republic Tibay Hero.

Delia, whose story was chosen from 1,671 entries, was forced to rent a cramped, single-room apartment in Valenzuela City when fire razed her old house a few years ago. This June 28, she and her family can start anew as they move into a safer, floodfree and more comfortable home in the city. The new two-story house was made to last using Republic® Cement, and was designed by a leading architecture firm, Palafox Architecture. Space, lighting and

ventilation were carefully thought of to suit the needs of Delia’s family.

Robert Nelson, who nominated Delia, said that she is more than just a mother, she is a hero who is raising future heroes, changing their fate and inspiring them to make a change in others’ lives.

“She’s our superhero. She taught us that as long as there is life, there is always a way to take care of your loved ones.”

Delia’s sixth son, Abel, says lovingly of her. Adolfo, the youngest, tearfully describes her as “irreplaceable.”

Republic Cement & Building Materials, Inc. (RCBM) President Renato Sunico said the tibay ng loob that Delia personifies and the tibay that Republic® Cement gives to builders nationwide will be passed on from generation to generation. “This tibay is our legacy, Delia’s legacy to her children and everyone who had witnessed her story—and our legacy to every Filipino family who builds with Republic® Cement.”

The entries were screened by an esteemed panel of judges that included RCBM’s Sunico, GMA Network Senior Vice-President for Radio Mike Enriquez, Habitat for Humanity Chief Executive Officer Charlie Ayco, Yahoo! Southeast Asia’s 7 Modern-Day Filipino Heroes awardee Jay Jaboneta, Palafox Architecture Managing Partner and Senior Urban Planner Karima Palafox, Real Living Editorin-Chief Rachel Medina, and Leo Burnett Philippines’ Manila Executive Creative Director Kat Limchoc.

REPUBLIC® Cement with Tibay Enhancers® has a special technology that fill in concrete voids—making concrete more compact. This minimizes water and chemical penetration into concrete that causes steel bar rusting—leading to concrete cracking and deterioration.

REPUBLIC® Cement makes concrete more durable from the inside. It can be used for general concrete construction, and is recommended for foundations, columns, beams and slabs.

Watch Delia’s story on www.facebook.com/RepublicCement.

Delia Balonzo (fourth from left) receives her brand new home from Republic Cement after being chosen as the first ever Tibay Hero.

With her at the turn-over rites are (from left) Leo Burnett Philippines Executive Creative Director Kat Limchoc, Real Living Editorin-chief Rachelle Medina, Republic Cement Building and Materials Inc. President Renato Sunico, Rotary Club of Valenzuela former President Robert Nelson and Palafox Architecture Managing Partner and Senior Urban Planner Karmi Palafox

Reader’s Digest’s

Most Trusted Brand awardee

Reader’s Digest Asia Pacific Group Advertising and Retail Director Sheron White (left) presents 2016 Reader’s Digest Most Trusted Brand Award for Ambulatory Healthcare Category to Healthway Medical representatives Vice President for Sales and Marketing Carmie De Leon, CEO Winnie Lee and General Manager Racquel Cagurangan

For the fourth straight year, Healthway Medical, the most trusted and preferred network of mall-based clinics in the Philippines, won Reader’s Digest Gold Award for the Ambulatory Healthcare Category held recently at Marco Polo Hotel Manila, Ortigas in Pasig City.

The annual awards is given by Reader’s Digest to various brands, taking into consideration the opinions of its readers on what brands or products they believe to be trustworthy. The winners are determined by six attributes, namely trustworthiness and credibility, quality, value, understanding of customer needs, innovation, and corporate social responsibility.

This year, around 1,000 readers participated in the survey and gave their approval to Healthway Medical for its outstanding products and services.

“Winning this award for the fourth consecutive year proves that our vision for Healthway is

now a reality,” said Carmie De Leon, vice president for sales and marketing of Healthway Medical. “Our goal has always beento put the customers at the center of everything we do and the many products and health services we offer to has earned the unwavering trust of the public.”

She added, “For example, our SEED (Sleep, Eat Right, Exercise and De-Stress) lifestyle campaign was conceptualized with the objective of encouraging people, in general, to take charge of their own health and live a more healthy lifestyle. Aside from this, we strive to continuously innovate our proucts and services and deliver a wide array of healthcare services that are attuned to the needs of today’s customers.”

Healthway Medical first received its Gold Award in 2013. The company was also awarded with a Platinum recognition for Marketing Excellence back in 2014.

“We are more motivated than ever to meet every Filipino’s medical needs, and one way of doing so is by engaging in strategic partnerships with like-minded organizations,” said Racquel Cagurangan, general manager of Healthway Medical.

“We will continue to provide a customer-centric healthcare experience to all our patients every time they visit our clinics.”

Cagurangan concluded, “On top of our recognition, we would also like to acknowledge our loyal patients and partners for trusting our brand. This award is the ultimate seal of consumer approval.

This recognition became possible because of them.

In return, we will offer no less than our high-standard services to keep up with the expectations that they have come to expect from us.”

Healthway Medical Clinics are located at Alabang Town Center, Shangri-la Plaza, Market! Market!, Festival Mall, 8 Adriatico Manila, SM The Block and Greenbelt 5.

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LIFE

isahred @ gmail.com

E

500 HOMES IN ‘INSTANT KATOK, INSTANT PREMYO’ INITIATIVE

veready Philippines recently visited 500 households, randomly chosen, in the Philippines—from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao—as part of its continuing thrust of giving back to Filipino families for their unwavering support for the brand.

Through the ‘Sugod Bahay’ program, the representatives from Eveready Philippines gave away Eveready gift packs to 500 lucky families in various residential locations including Bulacan, Pampanga, Tarlac, Pangasinan, Baguio, Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Cebu, and Davao. Each gift pack contains an exclusively designed Eveready t-shirt and one Eveready LED mini lantern.

Sugod bahay comes with simple mechanics. Just by presenting any home device that utilizes Eveready batteries such as remote controls, clocks, watches, toys, flashlights, and other home gadgets that are being powered up by Eveready batteries, a member of the family can instantly receive an Eveready gift pack.

Some of the 500 lucky winners from Bulacan, Tarlac, Pangasinan and other provinces who received an exclusive Eveready gift packs

According to MJ Tiquia, brand activations manager of Eveready Philippines, this is the brand’s way of giving back to their loyal customers for continuously supporting their durable and affordable products for decades.

“Eveready has been a common household name in the Philippines for its high-quality batteries and lighting products.

Aside from homes, these products also found their way into offices and outdoor settings, making it

a reliable and trusted brand for different functions,” Tiquia said.

She continued, “This continuous loyalty motivates us to better improve and optimize our products that meet the demand of the always-on-the-go Filipinos.

We will strive to produce more dependable and reliable products that can help make their lives easier, whenever and wherever they need it.”

“It is really heartwarming to see families enjoy the full benefits of using an Eveready battery. With its reliable and durable performance, families may be able to maximize their home items without worrying about substandard batteries,” Tiquia said.

Eveready houses a complete roster of lighting products ranging from batteries to flashlights.

Tiquia concluded, “Eveready will continuously reach out to Filipinos wherever they are. In good and in bad times, we will always guarantee our valued customers a dependable and powerful companion that stays with them whenever they need it.”

For more details, please visit the website at www.eveready. com.ph/Eveready2/Home.aspx.

Like the Facebook page at www. facebook.com/EvereadyPH for the latest updates

Justice Bellosillo is U.P. Outstanding Alumnus Awardee Select families in Visayas and Mindanao took home entertainment system after winning the Solane LPG raffle promo

Fun perks for the family Lucky families in Visayas and Mindanao who purchased Solane LPG received home entertainment prizes through the Solane Pamilya Hatid Saya Raffle Promo.

The contest, which ran in select Solane LPG outlets in Visayas and Mindanao, entitled customers to one raffle coupon for every purchase of 11kg Solane LPG cylinder or refill. The grand prize winners in each area received a 49-inch LG LED Full HD Game TV Triple XD Engine while six other customers each won a 32inch LG LED Full HD Game TV

Triple XD Engine. Fifty more winners received Solane T-shirts as consolation prizes.

Michael Wee won the grand prize in Zamboanga area. Other winners included Rubert Canseco, Francis Lee, Evangelina Villanueva, Geraldine Digol, Marissa Lasola and Jocelyn Nacao.

“The Solane Pamilya Hatid Saya Raffle Promo is one of the many loyalty programs we have at Solane that provides exclusive perks and privileges to our loyal customers. It’s our way of

thanking and rewarding them for trusting the right brand,” says Isla LPG Marketing Manager Valeri Villano.

Apart from exciting promos and discounts, Solane also provides exclusive services to its customers, including the 7-Point Safety Check, which includes a thorough inspection of all components of a customer’s propane system.

To order or inquire more about Solane LPG, call the Solane Hatid Bahay hotline at (02) 887-5555 or text 0918-8875555.

Senior Justice Josue N. Bellosillo is this year’s “University of the Philippines’ Alumni Association’s (UPAA) Distinguished Alumnus Awardee in Law”.

UP President Alfredo Pascual and UPAA President Ramon Maronilla presented to him the award in ceremonies held at the UP Bahay Alumni recently.

The award cited Bellocillo “for personifying the anima of the judiciary, nourished on its ideals, triumphing in its successes, and empathizing with its frustrations; and for receiving the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, from two universities for his contributions to law and jurisprudence”.

Justice Bellosillo is the Dean of Centro Escolar University School of Law and Jurisprudence. He graduated from UP in 1957 and passed the Bar the same year. He

Justice Bellosillo

was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1992. He retired in 2003 and authored several law books among which is “Effective PreTrial Techniques” now being used as a reference material by trial judges and appellate justices.

What happens at home matters most

A juice brand launches a campaign that encourages everyone not to associate a child's unfavorable behavior with his parents

As a family-oriented nation, Filipinos put a lot of weight on a child’s upbringing at home. This is the very reason why others are quick to judge parents for every hair that’s out of place, for every mismatched pair of socks or for every tantrum thrown in public places. We witness these things as outsiders, and we automatically associate a child’s unfavorable appearance and behavior as a point against their moms and dads.

As a believer of strong Filipino family ties, Tang knows that we are defined by what happens at home because #WeAreHomeMade. Further, Tang urges you to say #NoToParentJudging and challenges everyone to rise above

any judgement.

Tang believes that we are defined by what happens at home. As parents, you do your best to form a home filled with love, warmth and freshness, and those will always matter more than any kind of judgment.

To push these points and provoke audiences nationwide, the campaign launched a video that will make you rethink your thoughts and judgment against others. Watch the video campaign from this link: https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=lNfPcMGneb0 Have you ever judged a parent? Have you been judged as a parent? Share your stories of #WeAreHomeMade and how we can say #NoToParentJudging.

S U N D AY : J U LY 17, 2 0 1 6

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LIFE

isahred @ gmail.com

ALLIANCE IN MOTION GLOBAL CELEBRATES DECADE OF PASSION, SERVICE AND EXCELLENCE

Ely Buendia, KZ Tandingan and Bamboo performing for AIM Global's 10th year anniversary at the Philippine Arena

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ultilevel marketing giant Alliance in Motion Global, Inc. (AIM Global) recently commemorated its 10th year in the industry by holding a three-day convention themed “A Decade of Passion, Service, and Excellence”, on May 27 to 30.

The three-day convention started with the launch of “AIMcademy” on the first day, with training on intensive product awareness and presentations. The keynote speakers and facilitators were spearheaded

by AIM Global top executives, Dr. Ed Cabantog (CEO), Engr. Francis Miguel (CFO), and John Asperin (CMO), together with the two vice presidents Arnel Limpin and Jurgen Gonzales, Dr. Butch Villena (Medical Consultant), and internationally renowned networking marketing strategist Art Jonak.

The training was also supported by other international speakers, such as Nature's Way's Master Herbalist Dean Moris, Weider Global Nutrition's Bill Robbs, Dr. James Bauly of DSM Nutritional Products, and Dr. Rudy Simons of Frutarom Switzerland.

The grand anniversary was celebrated on the second day, May 28th. The program was held at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan, where members from different countries

in Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and even the United States, came by the thousands to join the festivities.

The event featured the country's top performers with non-stop entertainment from Ely Buendia during the pre-event presentation.

In the latter part of the event, KZ Tandingan serenaded everyone, while Bamboo kept the energy high in the celebration with his electrifying performances.

The two kept the crowd asking for more.

A grand parade of various international delegate groups and AIM Global's Speaker's Bureau, Top Leaders, International Speakers, and the VIP Guests, was also held. Testimonies were given as the new batch of Global Ambassadors and new millionaires was announced, and the Top 20 local and worldwide distributors were named.

While all that already sounded extravagant and astonishing, the real icing on the cake was yet to come. During the event, Nature's Way and NaturaLife Asia awarded a check worth $30,000 to ALIVE Foundation, a charitable institution chaired

by AIM Global's Dr. Connie Cabantog, that has given assistance and medical attention to more than 30,000 families

AIM Global's Chief Marketing Officer John Asperin, Chief Executive Officer Dr. Ed Cabantog and Chief Financial Officer Engr. Francis Miguel led the speakers and facilitators at AIMcademy

Wally Bayola and Jose Manalo entertained the participants of AIMcademy

The first day of AIM Global's 10th year anniversary saw thousands of attendees joining the training on intensive product awareness and presentations

since 2008. Later, another check donation worth $10, 000.00 was added and donated

by Weider Global Nutrition.

There was no dull moment as AIM Global surprised everyone by concluding the night with a grand raffle, and giving away three cars to lucky members.

On its last day of celebration, the word “grand” was definitely an understatement.

AIM global decided to hold an exclusive black-tie event as a closing curtain for all

the anniversary festivities in the Grand Ballroom of Solaire Hotel Resort & Casino.

Around a thousand guests were lavished with a delectable dinner and marvelous entertainment featuring the lovely and talented Julie Ann San Jose.

For more information about AIM Global, you can call (02) 706 2301, or log on to www.AllianceInMotion.com and “like us” on Facebook www.fb.com/ AIMGLOBALOFFICIALPAGE.

S UNDAY : J ULY 17, 2016

SHOWBITZ

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

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Bevy of Beauties. Mutya ng Pilipinas candidates flaunt their bikini bodies during the pageant’s press presentation held at the Hotel 101 in Pasay

48TH MUTYA NG PILIPINAS SEARCH WITH 30 BEAUTIES

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BY ETON B. CONCEPCION

aniel Akrisha Arun Krishnan of the City of Manila was named Darling of the Press at the conclusion of the press presentation for the 30 official candidates of the 48th Mutya ng Pilipinas search at Hotel 101-Manila, in Pasay City on Wednesday afternoon.

Krishnan, a 21-year-old Mass Communication student at Far Eastern University, is a familiar face among UAAP college varsity followers, working as a court-side commentator of the ABS-CBN sports team during the televised ballgames. Krishnan has emerged as one of the top favorites together with Lynette Bradford of Melbourne, Michelle Thorlund of California, Joanna Rose Tolledo of Caloocan City, Joanna Marie Rabe of Zambales, Mary Theresa Erna Gomez of Tarlac, Marielle Cartagena of Cebu, and Mayu Murakami of Japan.

Three major titles are at stake at the 2016 Mutya ng Pilipinas, the second longest

running national beauty search. Some 30 candidates chosen from across the country and several overseas Filipino communities will compete to win one of those titles – Mutya ng Pilipinas-Asia Pacific 2016, Mutya ng Pilipinas-Tourism International 2016 and Mutya ng Pilipinas – Overseas Communities 2016, winners of which will vie at the Miss Tourism International 2016, Miss Tourism Queen of the Year International 2016 and Miss Asia Pacific International 2016 pageants.

Preliminary competitions will be held at the Puerto Princesa City Sheridan Beach Resort on July 18 to 21 with the Long Gown competition at Hannah’s Beach Resort in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte on July 22 to 25 and the National Costume show and Talent Competition on July 26 (host city to be announced).

Mutya ng Pilipinas-Asia Pacific International 2015 Leren Mae Bautista com-

peted in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on New Year’s Eve and brought home the title of Miss Tourism Queen of the Year International 2015. Bautista, together with Mutya ng Pilipinas-Tourism International 2015 Janela Joy Cuaton and Mutya ng PilpinasOverseas Communities 2015 Nina Josie Robertson will crown their successors at the grand coronation night on July 30 at Resorts World Manila to be telecast 10 a.m. on ABS-CBN in July.

Jacqueline Tan, president of Mutya ng Pilipinas Inc., expressed pride and excitement for this year’s batch of candidates and hopes that they would continue the tradition of Mutya beauties bringing honor to the country over the years.

Mutya ng Pilipinas promotes “Beauty Tourism” within Asia and the West Pacific and aims to contribute to the promotion of the Philippines as a major tourism destina-

Darling of the press Ganiel Krishnan (center) with beauty queens Leren Mae Bautista (left) and Janela Joy Cuaton (right)

tion. Overseas-based women of Filipino descents are again represented to raise the level of competition of the annual pageant, coming from the Filipino communities in USA’s Northern and Southern California, Nevada, Arizona, Midwest, East Coast and Hawaii, and in Canada, Australia, Germany, the United Kingdom and Scandinavia.

Sinister side of social media

Dave Franco and Emma Roberts as main protagonists in the techno thriller “Nerve”

Emma Roberts and Dave Franco star in Nerve, a timely edge-of-your-seat thriller and a razor-sharp examination of the seductive power of social media.

Directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman based on the popular young-adult novel by Jeanne Ryan, the game of Nerve introduces a pool of young thrill-seeking players who accept increasingly risky dares from anonymous watchers to win valuable rewards. As small-time pranks ramp up into dangerous, sometimes acts, fans watch the action captured live on smartphones.

When Staten Island high-school senior Vee Delmonico (Emma Roberts) is challenged by her best friend to take part in the game, it launches a series of life-changing events. Each game of Nerve lasts only 24 hours; then a winner is declared and it moves on to the next challengers. “The movie asks the audience the same question Vee asks herself,” says Schulman. “Are you a watcher or a player? Not

just in the game of Nerve, but in life itself. Vee has played it safe her whole life, but Nerve pushes her to take chances, which can be very dangerous. If you play, you may get hurt, or you may win and become a celebrity and make a lot of money. You can take the safe road, or you can take the risk. It’s all up to you.”

The more sinister side of the Internet seemed like a topic that was ripe for exploration to actress Emma Roberts. “People are putting their whole lives on the Internet today,” she notes. “This movie captures that phenomenon and takes it one step further.” Roberts says she thinks twice now when she uses Instagram, Twitter—or even email. “Nothing’s ever truly private. I think this movie taps into that feeling. Whatever you post can potentially be seen by anyone, whether you want it to be or not.”

Nerve opens on July 27 in cinemas from Pioneer Films.

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SUNDAY : J ULY 17, 2016

SHOWBITZ

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

‘BORN TO BE WILD’ IN CALAGUAS

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oc Ferds and Doc Nielsen are in Cebu and Bicol today in Born to be Wild.

Cebu’s Olango Island is famous for the thousands of migrating birds that visit the area when winter hits other parts of the world. But Doc Ferds documents another important creature that helps the island become more attractive to birds: the fiddler crab.

When it’s low tide, these little creatures start their work. Fiddler crabs feed on decaying matter on the sand, which then encourages nutrients to fill the soil. Using macro lenses, the Born to be Wild team documents the interesting behavior

The famous Mahabang Buhangin Beach in Calaguas Island in Bicol

Enjoy unlimited access to iflix Watch thousands of TV shows, movies and more wherever, whenever. As part of its #LovetoClick promotion, Citi is teaming up with iflix to offer cardholders unlimited access for three whole months on Southeast Asia’s leading Internet TV service.

Now you can invite your family or friends for an exciting entertainment marathon with a vast selection of first-run exclusives, award-winning movies and shows, plus the best in local and regional programs on iflix. You can also catch up on your favor-

ite TV shows, cartoons, comedies or dramas on the go with iflix’s “download/watch offline” feature, or stream from your laptop, tablet or mobile phone.

To access this very special promotion, first-time users need to create an account through www.iflix.com to receive three-months of unlimited access along with a onemonth free trial, courtesy of Citi.

For Citi cardholders who are already registered, log-in through your Facebook or email account for your three additional months of iflix, courtesy of Citi.

Redeeming vouchers is just as easy.

Upon login, click “menu” and then “redeem voucher.”

Input the voucher code “CITI” plus the first six digits of your Citi card (ex. “CITI 123456”).

Click “submit” to start your three-month unlimited iflix access.

Upon entering the code, users will then be directed to the homepage.

To confirm the successful redemption of the voucher, go back to “Menu” and check under “My Account.”

This latest perk from Citi will allow cardholders to enjoy iflix’s

of these tiny fiddlers, and catches the curious method in which male fiddlers court the females—by waving their claws.

Meanwhile, in Bicol’s famed Calaguas Island, Doc Nielsen goes underwater to see the beauty of marine life. But their dive was disturbed by trembling sounds under the sea. The underwater videographer describes it as a deafening sound of a bomb. After the dive, municipal authorities attempt to catch those using dynamites for fishing.

Don’t miss this week’s episode of Born to be Wild, Sunday morning after AHA! on GMA 7.

Citibank teams up with iflix for an unlimited streaming service

world class service, including access to one of the largest TV and movie libraries in the region.

This promotion is valid only until Aug. 7.

For more information on this

promotion, and to know more about other online privileges exclusive to Citi cardholders, log on to www.citibank.com.ph/lovetoclick or call the 24-hour CitiPhone at 995-9999.

Unlimited Internet, unmatched entertainment within budget More Filipinos will now have access to unlimited Internet and premium cable content with SKY’s Super Save Plan 3 MBPS, a new plan that combines SKYcable Prepaid and SKYbroadband’s services with speeds of up to 3 MBPS. The bundled offer empowers budget-conscious Filipinos with Internet connectivity that has become a necessity today on top of providing them with premium cable entertainment that SKY has become known for.

With this, the whole family has access to vast information that helps them in their studies, work, as well as their community connections. They no longer have to worry that their consumable prepaid mobile Internet can affect their productivity. With unlimited Internet, possibilities of advancement in life are endless.

Aside from providing unlimited Internet access, it is also the only bundle with a cable TV prepaid option that allows families to watch

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

ANSWER PREVIOUS PUZZLE ACROSS 1 Trains for boxing 6 Bitterly pungent 11 Resin source 15 Not go with 20 Swindle 21 Peace goddess 22 Search high and low 24 Calgary Stampede 25 Generator part 26 Dissolute fellows 27 — incognita 28 Ohio Indians 29 Zinnia or marigold 31 Tomato jelly 33 Roman love god 34 Skilled person 35 Voice, to a diva (2 wds.)

37 Greedy sorts 39 Legal rep 41 U.N. member 42 Longed for 43 Tow-away —

44 46 50 51 52 53 57 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 72 73 74 75 76 79

Leveled Ottoman title Used to own Shaggy Tibet oxen Falafel bean Overall fronts Blunter Where hackles rise Rock bottom Glance at “White Fang” writer Sidekicks Beginners Course of action Bach instrument Wolf lead-in Common door sign Dirty streaks Hamm of soccer Garden hopper Shores up Cement component Without a sole?

Teenager

their favorite shows with no monthly commitment. For as low as a P99 load valid for 30 days, families can now access 29 standard definition channels and four high definition channels including SKY’s exclusive channels such as Cinema One, ABSCBN HD, ABS-CBN Sports and Action HD, and ANC HD. Other prepaid load denominations, P250 and P450, are also available. Subscribers will also get to stream or catch up on their favorite local shows and select cable channels anytime they want

SUNDAY, JULY 17, 2016

80 Mask wearers 84 Glass ingredient 85 Potters’ ovens 86 Orange seeds 87 Chignon 88 Brawl 91 Dismantle a tent 92 Wynonna or Naomi 93 Noted 1902 erupter 95 Fleur-de- — 96 Stage awards 97 Rain gear 98 Journalist — Greeley 99 Too 101 Story lines 102 Leaf juncture 103 Not so dry 104 Lucy Lawless role 105 Team cheers 106 Perforation 107 Actor — Perlman 108 Dick Tracy’s wife 109 Gold unit 111 Pate de — gras 112 Tough-talking coach 114 Badger 117 100 yrs.

118 Hunks’ assets 119 Big hit (2 wds.)

124 A moon of Jupiter 126 Mild expletive 128 Cockpit button 130 Raw recruit 131 Taunted 132 “Forget” a letter 134 Disentangle 136 Stuck in the mud 137 Gene-splicing bacteria (2 wds.)

138 Buck the system 139 Frames of mind 140 Sing — — of sixpence ...

141 Vice — 142 Feudal underling 143 Whittles down

144 Taste or smell DOWN 1 Get lost!

2 Ring up 3 Insurance giant 4 Painter — Dufy 5 Geologist’s layers 6 Broadcast 7 Said hoarsely 8 Put to work again 9 Clueless 10 Ricky Ricardo 11 Portland hrs.

12 Cold era (2 wds.)

13 Benchmarks 14 Franc’s replacer 15 Originate 16 Tarzan, really 17 Leave-taking 18 Filters in 19 Shade-loving plant 23 Uncommon sort (2 wds.)

30 It may grow on rocks 32 Throttle 36 Grill steaks 38 Add- — (extras) 40 Former Russian ruler (var.)

43 Phaser blasts 44 Hazardous gas 45 Two-bagger (abbr.)

46 Sangfroid 47 Swanson of old films 48 Plane place 49 Opera by Verdi 51 New Haven campus 52 Ticket prices 54 Captain Kirk’s home 55 Tusked animal 56 The — the limit!

58 Oui opposite 59 Ancient ointment 60 Tree sprite 63 Sphagnum moss 64 Blows the whistle?

67 68 69 70 71 73 74 75 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 85 86 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 96 97 98 100 101 102 103 106 107 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 118 119 120 121 122 123 125 127 129 133 135

Knock on this Twisted Urges Fido on XXI times C Help-wanted abbr.

Coal measures Guides a raft “Dragnet” org.

PC button LAX regulators Uh-oh!

Disposes of Earth-shaped Pecans, to Pablo Villains’ smiles Stretch fabrics Eggplant color Linen fiber Miff Part of NBA WWII craft (hyph.)

Sculpture medium Taro-root paste Formerly, formerly Flowering shrub Burrowing animal Goose, at times Acorn bearer Ceremonial fire Airport problem Flame lover Mortar trough Undertow “Evangeline” setting More affectionate Tamper with Coffee shop lures Desert near Sinai Carroll heroine Zsa Zsa or Magda Hush money Columbus’ port Capital of Idaho Rubber city Mortgages Window sill Family mems.

Pub pints Flinch Brownie Mountain curve

via SKY On Demand.

Plus, it is the only bundle with no hidden charges. Subscribers can be assured that their monthly payment will only be P999.00 for the unlimited Internet, and a monthly minimum prepaid load of P99 for the cable service. As bonus for new subscribers, the one-time installation fee for this awesome bundle is now made more affordable at P1999.00 down from P2599.00.

As SKY continues to innovate to best serve more Filipinos, the

Super Saver Plan 3 MBPS answers Filipinos’ clamor for a perfect bundle with unlimited Internet and a cable service that’s truly within the budget.

To start getting the best valuefor-money deal from SKY, just text <APPLY>space<NAME> to 23662 or call (02) 381-0000 (Metro Manila), (49) 534-1555 (Laguna), (46) 484-4701 (Cavite). You may also visit mysky.com.ph for more details on all the offerings of SKYbroadband.

SUNDAY : J ULY 17, 2016

SHOWBITZ

ISAH V. RED EDITOR

isahred @ gmail.com

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WEDDING BELLS ARE RINGING IN ‘SINGLE/SINGLE’ SEASON 2

eddings never fail to bring people together.

It is a time to celebrate love and reconnect with family and friends. It is also a time to reflect on what it really means to be an adult.

This week in Single/Single, your favorite weekend barkada will once again come together for another celebration. This time, to organize a despedida de soltera for Tita Bianca and a stag party for her beloved soon-

to-be-husband Dwight. The riot starts even before the parties start as they go into a frenzy planning for the two events.

The laughter is even turned up a notch as Mama Yo, played by Bernardo Bernardo, returns to help in the preparations.

With love and wedding bells in the air, will Joey Boy and Joee Girl get inspired to give love another try, or will this affirm that they made the right decision in going separate ways? And how Alden Richard and Maine Mendoza film gets international screenings

will Ranee, fresh from her heartbreak, handle herself amid the romantic celebrations?

Join the barkada in another hilarious episode as they learn #HowToAdult and get a lesson on the importance loyalty and commitment in PhilStarTV and Cinema One’s breakthrough series, Single/ Single season 2 every Sunday, 10 p.m. on Cinema One with replays on Wednesdays, 8:30pm and 9 p.m. Saturdays.

Cherie Gil having a good laugh while on the set of the romantic drama “Single/Single”

GMA’s Felipe S. Yalong turns 60 The Kapuso Network held a special celebration for its Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Felipe S. Yalong, who turned 60 recently.

It was a night of fun, music with a tribute on June 24.

GMA’s top officers and employees, as well as Kapuso stars gathered to celebrate the life of the man, who played an important role in the Network’s phenomenal rise in revenues. A beloved member of the Kapuso

community, FSY (as he is popularly known in GMA) was also a key figure in the company’s Initial Public Offering (IPO) in 2007. The affair was held at the Network’s headquarters in Quezon City.

‘Imagine You & Me’ screened overseas

Imagine You & Me, the anniversary film of the phenomenal love team of Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza, which premiered in Philippine cinemas on July 13, will also be screened in the US, Guam, Canada, Italy, UK, Australia, Singapore, UAE and New Zealand.

The news, posted on the film’s official Facebook account, thrilled AlDub fans across the world excited to celebrate a year of love and laughter that began with the pair’s serendipitous encounter in the Philippines’ longest-running noon time show Eat Bulaga last year. The film, produced by APT Entertainment, GMA Films, and M-Zet Television, Inc, has already become a local box-office hit, drawing thousands of moviegoers across the Philippines on its opening day.

Meanwhile, on the love team’s

50th “weeksary” featured in Eat Bulaga, the two recalled their unforgettable journey through a Wall of Memories filled with photos of their most memorable moments in the past year.

As part of the celebration, the music video for their movie’s theme song, also titled “Imagine You & Me,’ was t shown for the first time. It was a very personal project for Alden and Maine, having performed the song as a duet, with the lyrics written by Maine. It was set to music by Vic Sotto and arranged by Jimmy Antiporda.

With the film premiere and the pair’s continued success, Alden and Maine, as well as AlDub Nation as their fans are collectively called, definitely have all the reason to celebrate the year that has passed and the many more milestones ahead.

GMA Network top gun Felipe S. Yalong and family

Kuh Ledesma also gets the celebrator to sing along with her

‘Honor Thy Father,’ and other blockbusters ON ABS-CBN TVplus’ Kapamilya Box Office The critically acclaimed Honor Thy Father with John Lloyd Cruz leads the roster of treats airing this weekend on the Kapamilya Box Office (KBO) of ABS-CBN TVplus.

For only P30, KBO guaranteeis the whole family an affordable and complete movie bonding time at home.

In the line-up, apart from Honor Thy Father are Crazy Beautiful You (Daniel Padilla and Kathryn Bernardo) and D’

Anothers (Vhong Navarro) and Hollywood films My First Wedding and If Only.

KBO also brings back memorable MMK episodes featuring Angel Locsin and Zanjoe Marudo along with a Dolce Amore catch-up marathon and MYX. The Kapamilya Box Office (KBO) is the newest feature of ABS-CBN TVplus that allows families to have more TV bonding moments at home

via commercial-free weekend movie marathons for P30.

Movies airing on KBO can also be seen via iWant TV on ABS-CBNmobile.

Enjoy a great movie fix with the entire family with the Kapamilya Box Office of ABS-CBN TVplus. For more information on weekly movie line-up, visit tvplus.abs-cbn.com and follow ABS-CBN TVplus on Facebook. For information, text KBO <SPACE> HELP to 23661.

GMA Chairman and CEO Atty. Felipe L. Gozon pays tribute to FSY at the latter’s surprise pre-birthday celebration organized by the Network

Believing ‘I-Bilib’ Watching I-Bilib every Sunday morning makes everyone’s day amazing with the show’s unbelievable-but-true experiments.

Just like the first that will fan the fire among the viewers – Fire and Strainer Experiment. You always ask why is the paper in the strainer never gets combusted. Is that magic or pure science?

In Discover Science, watch how salt can create a rainbow in the sky.

Is that possible? Watch I-Bilib.

You also have to watch this….Air Transfer Experiment. How can air inside a balloon transfer to another balloon? Is this magic or science? Just watch.

In Life Hacks, you will find out that some things we think are useless are actually useful.

One last hirit….how can a small ball bounce higher than a big ball? That’s what the Team I-Bilib will explain.

Watch Cris Tiu and his gang today in I-Bilib, your family’s best hangout show on a Sunday morning.

“I-Bilib” guest co-host performing a science experiment

SUNDAY : J ULY 17, 2016

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ISAH V. RED EDITOR NICKIE WANG WRITER

isahred @ gmail.com

SHOWBITZ Complicated Love.

(From left) Rafael Rosell, Rhian Ramos, Kiko Estrada and Jazz Ocampo star in the serialized version of Maryo J. Delos Reyes’ “Sinungaling Mong Puso”

GMA’S ADAPTATION

OF ‘SINUNGALING MONG PUSO’ DEBUTS TOMORROW ISAH V. RED

I

n love, what will you choose, the love that is right or the love that is real?

Tomorrow, the TV adaptation of the 1992 blockbuster movie, Sinungaling Mong Puso premieres on GMA Afternoon Prime.

Now considered a classic, the Maryo J. Delos Reyes screen oeuvre makes a big comeback with an updated version that shows a woman’s discovery of her selfworth and the sacrifices she makes in her relentless pursuit of true love.

Notably portrayed in the film by Vilma Santos, Gabby Concepcion, Aga Muhlach, and Aiko Melendez, the television remake has been given an equally compelling cast led by Rhian Ramos, Rafael Rosell, Kiko Estrada, and Jazz Ocampo.

The story revolves around Clara (Rhian), the abused wife of the womanizer Roman Aguirre (Rafael) who came from an influential political clan.

Instead of giving in to the agony of her plight, she chooses to hope and remain resilient for the sake of her family. Then she accidentally meets Jason (Kiko), a man who will love her for real. However, he is 10 years younger, and like Clara, is unhappily married to Hannah (Jazz) who is pregnant.

In spite of their efforts to keep their encounter simply as acquaintances, they become closer together resulting into a romance that then turns into a passionate love affair. But when their secret is discovered, it becomes the greatest threat to their lives.

Rhian, who will portray the challenging role of Clara played in the movie by Vilma Santos, said she feels challenged to portray the character. “Pressured ako since it’s Ms. Vilma, pero kasi the advice given to me is do it on my own way and hopefully people will find appreciation in the kind of labor I’ll be doing on it.”

Meanwhile, Rafael said playing the role of Roman, originally played by Gabby, makes him anxious and thrilled at the same time. “I am very excited and nervous kasi hindi ko alam ang magiging take ko, may pagka-sociopath kasi si Roman, so dun ko lalaruin ang character.”

Portraying his most mature role to date as Jason, Kiko admits feeling the pressure for his latest TV assignment.

“I watched clips pero I don’t want to copy Sir Aga’s performance kasi I want to bring myself into it, parang ako, yung character ko rito marami siyang gusto i-prove. Nandoon siya dun sa age na eager to prove something.”

For Jazz, she looks at playing the role of Hannah as an eye-opener for her career growth. “Masaya ako na malaki ang binibigay na improvement sa akin ng show kasi dito, I learned how to open myself to my co-actors since kailangan all-out ako dito.”

Completing the cast are Michael de Mesa as Mayor Moises Aguirre, Roman’s corrupt father who wants him to keep his political power within their family; Glydel Mercado as Raquel, the perfect trophy wife of Mayor Moises; Cheska Diaz as Helen, Jason’s understanding mother, Sherilyn Reyes as Liza, Hannah’s controlling mother; Stephanie Sol as Camilla, Roman’s mistress; Gee Canlas as Jillian, Clara’s confidante and best friend; JC Tiuseco as Jolo who does everything to please Roman; Gab de Leon as Vin, the right hand man of Roman.

Rafael Rosell and Rhian Ramos reprise the roles of Gabby Concepcion and Vilma Santos in the now considered classic drama