Manila Standard - 2016 July 27 - Wednesday

Curfew ordinances TRO’d

By Rey E. Requejo

VOL. XXX • NO. 165 • 4 SECTIONS 20 PAGES • P18 • WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2016 • WWW.THESTANDARD.COM.PH • EDITORIAL@THESTANDARD.COM.PH

THE Supreme Court on Tuesday stopped the governments of Manila, Navotas and Quezon City from imposing curfews on minors and ordered the three local government units to comment on a petition filed by a group of residents and students

who opposed the city ordinances.

The LGUs were given 10 days to submit their comments.

Last week, a group of residents and students called Samahan ng Progresibong Kabataan (Spark) challenged ordinances in the three cities that imposed curfew hours on people Next page below 18 years old.

Safe conduct pass for Joma, Misuari

JOSE MA. SISON

By John Paolo Bencito and Florante S. Solmerin

NSC meets today amid sea dispute

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RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte said Tuesday he would give safe conduct passes to exiled communist leader Jose Ma. Sison and fugitive Moro leader Nur Misuari, as formal talks with the rebel groups are set to start by the end of the year.

By John Paolo Bencito PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte will convene the 35-member National Security Council today to discuss the pressing issues facing the country before a delegation led by former President Fidel Ramos faces Beijing for talks over the West Philippine Sea. “The President will lead the NSC in a multi-partisan dialogue in order to agree on vital policies and strategies on important matters, including the recent ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration on the West Philippine Sea,” the Presidential Communications Office said in a statement sent to reporters.

The NSC, chaired by Duterte functions to advise the President Next page

SC junks anti-Edca petitions

By Rey E. Requejo THE Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld its Jan. 12 decision declaring the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement between the Philippines and the United States as constitutional.

Voting 9-4, the justices denied separate motions for reconsideration fired by former senators Rene Saguisag and Wigberto Tañada, who were among the 12 senators who voted to eject the US military bases in Subic in 1992; the Kilusang Mayo Uno and Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan), and several other party-list groups.

Court spokesman Theodore Te said the tribunal ruled that the petitioners failed to raise new arguments that would warrant a reversal of their decision.

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THOU SHALL NOT KILL. Sympathizers led by ‘Huwag Kang Papatay’ Movement offer candles, flowers and prayers during a Mass for the victims of extra judicial killings at the St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Adamson University, Manila on Tuesday. DANNY PATA

Rody draws flak for ‘inciting’ drug killings A HUMAN rights group on Tuesday slammed President Rodrigo Duterte for “implicitly” supporting the killings of alleged drug suspects during his first State of the Nation Address.

“Instead of speaking out against the sharp rise in police killings of suspected drug dealers and users and the sinister increase in extra-judicial killings of

criminal suspects by unknown perpetrators, Duterte implicitly voiced support for such unlawful brutality by stating that police can rightly put illegal drug suspects ‘below the ground’ if necessary,” Phelim Kine, Asia deputy director of the New Yorkbased Human Rights Watch, said in a statement sent to the Manila Standard.

“Duterte made clear that his government’s “relentless and sustained” campaign against illegal drugs―which Philippine human rights groups have blamed for a “surge of extra-judicial killings of suspected criminals and drug offenders”―won’t end anytime soon.

“Instead, Duterte urged police: “Double your efforts. Triple them,

if need be. We will not stop until the last drug lord, the last financier, and the last pusher have surrendered or [been] put behind bars or below the ground.”

Kine said US Secretary of State John Kerry should express concern about Duterte’s “relentless and sustained” campaign against illegal drugs when he meets him Next page this week.

9 Filipinos get life term over failed Sabah siege A MALAYSIAN court sentenced nine Filipinos to life in prison on Tuesday over an armed incursion in 2013 that left scores dead and paralyzed a remote corner of Borneo for weeks, a defense lawyer said.

Eight others, including three Malaysians, received prison sentences ranging from 10 to 18 years, said lawyer N. Sivananthan.

In Manila, Foreign Affairs spokesman Charles Jose said the nine Filipinos accused in the failed siege in Lahad Datu district in Borneo in 2013 were spared from execution after a Malaysian court reduced their sentence to life from death.

“All the accused Filipino have been assisted and represented by a private lawyer after their arrest

in early 2013 and from the start of the trial proceedings in January 2014,” Jose said.

“The services of the private lawyer were arranged by our embassy in KL and paid for by the PH government.

“Those found guilty have appealed their case. The appeal was filed and the case elevated to the

Malaysian Court of Appeal.”

Jose said he and officials from the Philippine Embassy were regularly visiting the accused who are in jail in Borneo and assuring them of full legal assistance.

The capital punishment for the terror-related offense in Malaysia was death, according to Foreign Affairs.

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Speaking before troops at Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija, Duterte also defended his decision to declare a unilateral ceasefire with the communist rebels, a decision he said was made collectively by his Cabinet.

“I have initiated talks within the Cabinet about this. I have to start with releasing the leaders not on anything but safe conduct passes for Sison and Misuari,” Duterte said.

“I don’t know if one day, there could be a mess or trouble. It is always a comforting thought that I have an Armed Forces that’s ready in case we cannot understand each other,” Duterte said.

“My mission in this presidency is peace, and I have to talk to the MILF [Moro Islamic Liberation Front]) and MNLF [Moro National Liberation Front] and even Nur [Misuari] and [Al Hadj] Murad, [who say] they’re always ready to talk peace,” he added.

In his State of the Nation Address last Monday, Duterte declared a unilateral ceasefire with communist rebels, calling for an “end to the violence on the ground” and the restoration of peace in the communities and a resumption in peace talks.

He also urged the communists to “end these decades of ambuscades and bloody skirmishes.”

Communist Party of the Philippines founder Sison, who is seeking political asylum in The Netherlands, was Duterte’s former professor of political thought at the Lyceum of the Philippines.

He acts as chief political consultant of the National Democratic Next page Front.

Tycoons tapped to kick in Kerry weighs in on PH-China row funds for addicts’ rehab

ON A STUMP. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks at a Democratic Party organizing event on July 25, 2016 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Story on A2) AFP

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VIENTIANE—The Philippines and China should “turn the page” and hold talks over contested areas of the South China Sea after a tribunal shot down Beijing’s claims to the strategic waterway, US Secretary of State John Kerry said Tuesday.

Relations between China and the Philippines hit a nadir earlier this month after Beijing refused to recognize a UN-backed ruling invalidating its claims to much of the sea.

The Philippines, which says it owns areas claimed by China, took the case to a Haguebased tribunal for arbitration.

Kerry reiterated Washington’s stance that the tribunal’s decision to favor the Philippines was binding, but added that it was time to seek new ground.

“I would encourage President Duterte to engage in dialogue, in negotiations,” Kerry told reporters in Laos, referring to the tough-talking new Philippines leader.

Kerry is due to fly to Manila for talks with Duterte later Tuesday.

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CABINET Secretary Leoncio Evasco said Tuesday the Duterte administration will tap business tycoons in its plans to build four large drug rehabilitation centers to house drug addicts seeking rehabilitation.

“We can ask them to do their share in this campaign. We have been giving so much to them,” Evasco told GMA News.

He made the statement even as the military said it was willing to allow the use of military camps as rehabilitation centers for drug users.

“As per Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, the camps [that can be used as rehabilitation centers] should have large spaces like Fort Magsaysay in Palayan, Nueva Ecija; Camp Capinpin in Tanay, Rizal; and Camp Osito D. Bahian in Malaybalay, Bukidnon,” Armed Forces spokesman

Restituto Padilla said.

Meanwhile, a police officer believed involved in “recycling” confiscated illegal drugs was killed in a shootout with lawmen during a buy-bust operation in Quezon City at dawn on Tuesday.

Quezon City Police Chief Guillermo Eleazar identified the slain police officer as Senior Insp. Ramon Castillo, 46.

Under the administration’s plan, two rehabilitation centers will be built in Luzon while the Visayas and Mindanao will have one rehab center each.

Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella said the plan to set up more rehabilitation centers in the country was prompted by reports of hundreds of drug users and pushers voluntarily turning themselves in.

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Obama, Sanders back Clinton

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HILADELPHIA—Democratic power players Michelle Obama and Bernie Sanders offered contrasting heartfelt and hard-headed endorsements of Hillary Clinton Monday, imploring a riven and feisty party convention to unite against Donald Trump.

As polls showed Trump ahead of Clinton in the race to the White House, the first lady wowed the Philadelphia crowd as she impeached Trump’s character and hailed the inspirational power of putting a female US

president in the White House for the first time.

From Sanders, Clinton’s vanquished primary rival, there was a much more pragmatic embrace.

“Based on her ideas and her

SC...

it entered into the agreement that constitutes a “derogation of the country’s dignity and an unconscionable sellout of sovereignty.”

Responding to the petitioners arguments, the Court said: “Unfortunately, the Court’s only concern is the legality of Edca and not its wisdom or folly; their remedy clearly belongs to the executive or legislative branches of government.”

Militant groups on Tuesday called on President Rodrigo Duterte to terminate Edca as they assailed the Supreme Court ruling on the issue.

“We are outraged that on the day US Secretary of State John Kerry is scheduled to visit the Philippines, the SC saw it fit to declare with finality the constitutionality of the Edca,” Renato Reyes, Bayan secretary general told the Manila Standard.

“We call on President Duterte to assert national interest and terminate the Edca because it is a lopsided agreement. Duterte does not need Edca to assert our national interest in the West Philippine Sea. There is already a ruling by the PCA [Permanent Court of Arbitration]. He need not seek the involvement of the US and further escalate tensions in the region.”

Bayan also said since the Supreme Court has ruled that Edca is an executive agreement, it was within Duterte’s power to terminate it.

But the Palace welcomed the Court ruling and called on all groups to respect the decision.

“The Supreme Court is the final arbiter of our nation’s disputes. The court of last resort has spoken: The Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement is constitutional,” Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said in a statement.

“The Supreme Court’s decision upholding Edca’s legality hopes to increase the interoperability of our armed forces and contribute to its modernization.

We likewise remain confident that through this military cooperation we would improve our joint humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts,” he added.

From A1

The Court also reiterated that the entry of US troops under Edca had long been authorized under the Visiting Forces Agreement and the Mutual Defense Treaty.

In January, the Court held that Edca was an executive agreement that did not need to be ratified by the Senate.

The justices also said the Constitution allows the President to enter into an executive agreement on foreign military bases, troops, or facilities as long as it merely intends to implement an existing law or treaty such as the MDT and the VFA. The Court said it could not prevent the President from choosing an executive agreement over a treaty to embody an international agreement.

“In the field of external affairs, the President must be given a larger measure of authority and wider discretion, subject only to the least amount of checks and restrictions under the Constitution,” the Court said.

In denying the motions for reconsideration, the Court held that the petitioners arguments “fell flat” before the government’s legal position that Edca merely implemented the VFA and MDT. “Reading the VFA along with the long-standing Mutual Defense Treaty led this Court to the conclusion that an executive agreement such as the Edca was well within the bounds of the obligations imposed by both treaties,” the Court said.

In their motions for reconsideration, the petitioners said the Court erred when it ruled that Edca was not a treaty but a mere executive agreement that does not need the approval of the Senate.

The petitioners insisted that the people, through the Senate, should be represented in the discussion of foreign military presence in the country.

The petitioners also maintained that the Constitution clearly prohibits foreign military bases in the country and that the government committed a grave abuse of discretion when With John Paolo Bencito

Curfew...

From A1

Named respondents in the petition were Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista, Manila City Mayor Joseph Estrada and Navotas City Mayor John Rey Tiangco.

The justices this week granted the petitioners’ request for a temporary restraining order to stop the three city governments from enforcing their curfew ordinances pending the resolution of the case.

The petitioners said that the curfew ordinances were unconstitutional because they result in arbitrary and discriminatory enforcement. They also said the

ordinances were too broad because they impaired legitimate activities of minors during curfew hours. Minors, they argued, were deprived of their right to liberty and the right to travel without due process, and parents, too, were deprived of their natural and primary right to rear their youth.

The petition also said the Manila City curfew ordinance was invalid because it violated the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act. Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista on Tuesday said the city welcomed the opportunity to obtain guidance from the Supreme Court on the constitutionality of the ordinance. With Rio N. Araja

9FromFilipinos...

A1 Jose said the Philippine government had provided private lawyers to defend the 14 Filipinos, nine of whom were facing life sentence or death for the failed siege in a remote area in Borneo in 2013.

A report said the Malaysian court had convicted three locals and 14 Filipinos of terror-related offenses, some punishable by death, following an armed incursion that left scores dead and paralyzed a remote corner of Borneo for weeks.

A total of 29 people, 26 Filipinos and three Malaysians, went on trial with 12 Filipinos acquitted.

The others were convicted of offenses ranging from “harboring persons committing terrorist acts” to “waging of war” against Malaysia’s king.

In his judgment, Malaysian court Judge Stephen Chung said there was no evidence that the accused were directly involved in the skirmishes that occurred during the intrusion, nor was there proof that they had killed any member of the security force in cold blood or injured anybody.

He noted that the key persons in the intrusion, such as Datu Agbimuddin Kiram and “General Musa” were not brought to justice.

“The offense had badly affected the lives of the residents of Kampung Tanduo and those who resided in the nearby villages, as well as the families of the deceased security personnel,” he said.

Vito Barcelo, with AFP

leadership,” Clinton was a better choice than Trump and “must become the next president of the United States,” he said.

The opening throes of the fourday convention in Philadelphia were dominated by boos and jeers from disgruntled Sanders supporters almost every time Clinton’s name was mentioned.

Sanders had called on his backers to get behind the Democratic nominee twice on Monday before his primetime endorsement speech.

That included a text message sent to supporters asking them not to protest on the floor of the convention as a “personal courtesy” to him.

But Sanders’ self-styled “political revolution” appeared to have transformed into an open revolt.

With some delegates in tears, Sanders received cheers and boos when he told the crowd: “Hillary Clinton will make an outstanding president and I am proud to stand with her tonight.”

“Clinton can’t beat Trump. Period,” said Michigan delegate Melissa Arab, a Sanders supporter.

“A ham sandwich could beat Trump and she’s not going to beat him. If she’s nominated, people are going to end up with somebody bad for president.”

Hoping to poach some of Sanders’ supporters, Trump tweeted: “Bernie Sanders totally sold out to Crooked Hillary Clinton. All of that work, energy and money, and nothing to show for it! Waste of time.” AFP

COMMAND CONFERENCE. President Rodrigo Duterte confers with military leaders at the Fort Magsaysay headquarters of the Seventh Infantry Division in Palayan City, Nueva Ecija Tuesday.

Safe...

From A1 Misuari is the founder of the MNLF and has been reportedly hiding in plain sight in Sulu, openly mingling with the local folk who have remained loyal to him and have protected him from the authorities, who want to arrest him for his alleged role in the bloody 2013 Zamboanga siege.

Before declaring a ceasefire, the government announced that peace negotiations would be pushed back to Aug. 20-27 so that communist consultants who are under detention can be released ahead of talks in Oslo, Norway.

The government and the MILF will resume talks in early August at Kuala Lumpur to discuss a “new enabling law” to re-implement the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB).

With a scheduled return of the peace process to be marked by “a big, formal event,” Peace Process adviser Jesus Dureza said that the resumption will take place on Aug. 15-21.

In his Sona, Duterte said he had the concurrence of the Cabinet before declaring a unilateral ceasefire.

“Let me explain to you the unilateral ceasefire, it is not my decision alone. It is the decision of the Cabinet,” Duterte said.

“I am a President that seeks peace with everyone. My work as President is not to find trouble but to see that there’s no mess here.

The military should be there ready to guard the integrity of the

Rody...

From A1 “Kerry should make clear to President Duterte that the Philippines’ government and security forces must respect universal rights and freedoms and constitutional guarantees of due legal process in enforcing the country’s laws, including those governing illegal drugs,” Kine said.

Chairman Jose Luis Gascon of the Commission on Human Rights, meanwhile, welcomed Duterte’s commitment to protect human rights.

“At the first instance, I welcome the clear references to the importance

NSC...

From A1 with respect to the integration of domestic, foreign, and military policies relating to the national security. It also serves as the President’s principal arm for coordinating these policies among various government departments and agencies in matters involving the national security.

All four past presidents, Fidel Ramos, Joseph Estrada, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Benigno Aquino III, Vice President Leni Robredo, Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III, House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, the majority and minority leaders of both Houses of Congress, the Chairs of Senate and House Committees involved in national security concerns, and various members of the Cabinet are expected to attend.

The council is expected to discuss the Duterte administration’s peace initiatives, as well as its campaign against illegal drugs.

In an interview Saturday night at the Marco Polo Davao, Ramos said that decisions on the South China Sea row must first be made by the NSC any communication with Beijing.

“There should be a National Security Council [meeting] first, so that the Philippine position can be defined by the group of Philippine leaders led by the President himself,” Ramos said.

Ramos said that while he will be able to attend on behalf of the Philippines, he needs more time to catch up on the issues.

“I am not that up-to-date leader anymore, but I am a country elder,” he said.

republic and to protect the people,” he added.

After his 105-minute Sona, Duterte met with leftist leaders and assured them that steps would be undertaken for an eventual military pullout in communities so that lumad evacuees in Mindanao could return safely to their ancestral homes.

Progressive groups have long been calling for a pullout of military troops in lumad communities, which they said have been militarized.

Renato Reyes, secretary general of Bayan, said they talked about peace and how the President wanted to devote more resources to social services once the armed conflict was resolved.

“He talked about how the lumad can return home without fear for their safety. It was a long meeting… It was a gesture we truly appreciated,” Reyes said.

“He will work out some mode on how the ceasefire can help the lumad return home,” he added.

Leftist groups have accused the military of encouraging paramilitary groups to attack the lumad as part of their anti-insurgency drive.

Armed Forces spokesman Restituto Padilla, however, denied any pullout.

“There won’t be any pullout because we have a mandate to protect our territory and the communities that we need to secure from leftist rebels,” Padilla told radio dzRB. He said the law mandates the military to protect indigeonous communities.

“There is no truth to their statements that communities were be-

ing militarized,” he added.

On Tuesday, Armed Forces chief Gen. Ricardo Visaya ordered all unit commanders to implement a suspension of military operations (SOMO) against the communist New People’s Army, one day after Duterte declared a unilateral ceasefire in his State of the Nation Address.

Visaya said all commanders of major services, unified commands, and service support units are ordered to implement a SOMO. But he said there would be no pullout of troops in areas where soldiers are urgently needed to deliver social services to people, especially in remote areas.

“While there is SOMO against the NPA, our troops will continue to support or provide forces for the Philippine National Police in law enforcement operations against lawless elements and criminal groups,” Visaya said.

Visaya said it is also the mandate of the AFP to protect communities from terrorism including economic sabotage against vital government facilities, infrastructures and projects.

In a statement, the leftist Karapatan group hailed Duterte’s unilateral ceasefire but urged him though to pullout troops and paramilitary groups from civilian communities.

“They [military troops] should be brought back to their barracks.

That is the only way by which the lumad evacuees can safely return to their homes. The declaration should also pave the way for the rescinding of Oplan Bayanihan, along with its deceptive Whole of Nation Initiative,” Karapatan

secretary-general Cristina Palabay said.

Palabay also urged Duterte to abandon the “US-driven counterinsurgency program that has resulted to numerous rights violations as an expression of a genuinely independent foreign policy.”

“The unilateral ceasefire declaration should also lead to the release of all political prisoners, through a general, omnibus and unconditional amnesty declaration,” Palabay said.

She also appealed to Duterte to stop extrajudicial killings, whether political or drug-related.

In a phone interview, 4th Infantry Division commander Maj. Gen. Benjamin Madrigal said ground commanders were awaiting guidelines from higher authorities regarding the mechanics of the ceasefire.

Madrigal said the military was most willing to provide transportation for all the lumad evacuees to return to the homes.

The Eastern Mindanao Command welcomed Duterte’s declaration of a ceasefire.

“We are in one with the President by calling the NPA to reciprocate it with the same,” the command’s spokesman, Major Ezra Balagtey, said.

“The ceasefire will be effective immediately, but the mandate to protect the communities will remain,” he said.

Earlier, National Democratic Front spokesman Fidel Agcaoili said that they are ready to reciprocate a ceasefire. With F. Pearl A.

and centrality to human rights, due process and rule of law that President Duterte mentioned in his first State of the Nation Address as well as his references to not tolerating any abuse of authority from erring law enforcement,” his statement read.

With reservations, however, Vice President Leni Robredo backed Duterte’s stance that human rights must not be an excuse to destroy the country.

“Yes, I believe that human rights should not be used as a shield [to destroy the country].

But we must always remember the whole world is looking up at our Constitution as the bastion of human rights,” Robredo said.

In his speech before Congress on

Monday, Duterte expressed his support for the rule of law and human rights during his administration.

“We shall be sensitive to the state’s obligations to promote, and protect, fulfill the human rights of our citizens…even as the rule of law shall at all times prevail,” Duterte said.

But Kine said Duterte’s actions went against his declaration to respect the rule of law as he urged him to demand a thorough investigation into the “alarming” surge in the PNP’s killings of alleged drug dealers and users.

“President Duterte must publicly recognize that respect for rule of law and fulfilling the human rights of Filipinos extend to

all Filipinos, including criminal suspects and those implicated in the drug trade,” Kine said.

But Kine welcomed Duterte’s vow to protect the rights of women, reproductive health rights, the rights of the urban poor, and the country’s Muslims and lumad indigenous people.

“We hope that his administration produces policy initiatives that will provide tangible support for that positive rhetoric. But as long as Duterte is a cheerleader for the summary killing of criminal suspects, the fundamental right to life of all Filipinos is at risk from state-sanctioned murder,” he said. John Paolo Bencito,

Kerry...

From A1

Kerry’s call for fresh talks between Manila and Beijing comes at the request of his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi. “The foreign minister said very clearly the time has come to move away from public tensions and turn the page,” Kerry told reporters.

“And we agree with that... no claimant should be acting in a way that is provocative, no claimant should take steps that wind up raising tensions.”

The two envoys met on the sidelines of a regional security forum of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations that has been dogged by the issue of the South China Sea. The Philippines had been expected to push for the bloc to support the tribunal ruling in a

punchy joint-statement.

But the bloc shied away from a diplomatic confrontation with China.

Philippine Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay told reporters that he supported that approach, describing the tribunal case as a dispute just between Beijing and Manila.

“The other countries are not part of our filing of the case before the arbitral tribunal so why would we insist that it be put in the Asean statement,” Yasay said.

Asean member states span communist autocracies such as Laos and Vietnam, the tiny Islamic sultanate of Brunei and populous democracies like Indonesia and the Philippines.

It works on the basis of consensus diplomacy.

But critics have slammed the grouping for failing to present a strong front against China’s aggressive divide and rule policy among its neighbors.

Gajunera

Rio N. Araja and Sandy Araneta

Tycoons...

From A1

“Regarding the campaign versus illegal drugs, there are plans to set up regional rehabilitation centers for the rehabilitation of drug users,” Abella said.

Interior Secretary Mike Sueno said his Department was now finalizing arrangements with other LGUs that had articulated their commitment to support the drive against illegal drugs and to donate land. John Paolo Bencito, PNA and Francisco Tuyay

News Senate quietly assigns posts

By Macon R. Araneta IN CONTRAST to the wangling and bickering at the House of Representatives, senators smoothly filled the vacant committee chairmanships on Tuesday with most of the juicy positions going to those who were among the first senators to join the super-majority forged

by Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III. But while returning Senator Richard Gordon was late in joining the new majority bloc, he was still given the juicy post at the helm of the Blue Ribbon committee.

Based on the initial plan, Senators Loren Legarda of the Nationalist People’s Coalition and Leila de Lima of the Liberal Party were elected chairman of the finance and justice committees.

Senator Sonny Angara of the LDP-Laban retained the chairmanship of the ways and means committee.

The public works committee, formerly headed

by Senator JV Ejercito, went to Senator Manny Pacquiao who recently bolted the United Nationalist Alliance and joined the now dominant PDPLaban.

Three other neophyte senators—Sherwin Gatchalian, Risa Hontiveros and Joel Villanueva—were also given the chairmanships of the committees on energy, health and labor, respectively.

Gatchalian was earlier chosen to head the local government committee chaired in the 16th Congress by former Senator Bongbong Marcos but he rejected the post.

Returning Senators Panfilo Lacson, Juan Miguel Zubiri and Francis Pangilinan were elected chairmen of the committee on public order, trade and agriculture, respectively.

Duterte still up to press briefings ByJohnPaoloBencito PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte is considering to hold a press briefing at least once a month despite his earlier tirades against the media after he met with a select group of journalists at Malacañang Park after his State of the Nation Address on Monday.

“I’m considering,” Duterte was quoted as saying. “We’ll find [time]... once every month, [something] like that.”

During the meeting, the invited journalists were able to discuss a number of issues with Duterte, including his stance on climate change, his war on drugs and other issues.

Asked about his new eyeglasses, Duterte said he could not read the teleprompter during his Sona and that was the reason he misread some words and frequently departed from the prepared text of the speech.

“I got cross-eyed, I got double vision,” said Duterte, who at one point took a call from his daughter Veronica who was doing her school homework about his State of the Nation Address, discussing about the Moro struggle, his war on drugs and helping the poor.

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WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2016 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

House horse-trading on

By Christine F. Herrera and Maricel V. Cruz

H

ORSE trading, jockeying for positions and perks between the Liberal Party and the ruling Partido Demokratikong Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan and heated debates were among the issues that marred the election of minority leader up to yesterday.

The LP, led by former House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr., has dropped its bid to grab the minority leadership but left at least eight members to continue to contest the post.

The LP-majority Belmonte wing has chosen to join the super majority coalition led by now Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez of the PDP-Laban in exchange for some “concessions.”

By making a compromise to join the Alvarez-led majority, the 30-member LP was assured and given a slot for deputy speakership, prompting the 52- strong partylist group to protest with 21 of its members abstaining from voting for Alvarez.

Those who abstained would be the swing vote to determine who between LP’s Ifugao Rep. Teddy Brawner Baguilat and United Nationalist Alliance’s Danilo Suarez of

Quezon could become the minority leader.

As the minority leadership hangs in the balance, the LP is now negotiating to be given major committee chairmanships.

The LP-Belmonte wing was able to grab the fifth of the six slots for deputy speaker.

The sixth slot was being haggled by the Party-list Coalition Foundation, led by Ako Bicol Rodel Batocabe, for its member Sharon Garin of AAMBIS-OWWA. Batocabe said there was no woman deputy speaker among the second highest post in the House.

The five deputy speakers were picked as representatives of their respective parties, who were members of the super majority coalition. These were Ilocos Norte Rep. Eric Singson of the PDP-Laban, Negros Occidental Rep. Mercedes Alvarez of the Nationalist People’s Coalition, Capiz Rep.

Fredinel Castro of the National Unity Party, Batangas Rep. Raneo Abu of the Nacionalista Party and Marikina Rep. Miro Quimbo of the LP. The Alvarez camp wanted to keep the sixth slot for the PDP-Laban considering that it is now the ruling party having 90 members from the original three members and based on the requirement of party representation that it had to keep two slots.

But Batocabe refused to agree to the ruling and insisted that the party-list group, given its size that is even bigger than the LP-majority, also had to be given proper representation in the leadership.

As of 6 p.m. last night, heated debates ensued as Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, who voted for Baguilat, contested that the 21 who abstained were neither majority nor minority but can apply in writing to join either.

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WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2016

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The irrelevance of Asean

EDITORIAL

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HE recent meeting of foreign ministers in the Laotian capital of Vientiane vividly illustrates how irrelevant the Association of Southeast Asian Nations has become as a regional bloc that protects its members’ interests.

The joint statement that was finally released by the foreign ministers did not mention the recent landmark decision of a UN tribunal to reject China’s overreaching claims to practically the entire South China Sea, even though the ruling directly favored

Adelle Chua, Editor

the territorial interests of two Asean members, the Philippines and Vietnam.

The communiqué referred lamely instead to the need to find peaceful solutions to disputes in the South China Sea in accordance with international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. “We remain seriously concerned about recent and ongoing developments and took note of the concerns expressed by some ministers on the land reclamations

and escalation of activities in the area, which have eroded trust and confidence, increased tensions and may undermine peace, security and stability in the region,” the Asean communiqué said—without even mentioning the cause of these concerns, China.

The Philippines and Vietnam both wanted the communiqué to mention the ruling, which denied China’s sweeping claims in the strategic seaway that channels more than $5 trillion in global trade

each year, and a call to respect international maritime law.

But Asean works strictly by consensus, and Cambodia, China’s closest ally in the bloc, rejected the wording on the ruling even though it has no direct stake whatsoever in the issue.

The Philippines, which had sought the inclusion of the Permanent Court of Arbitration’s decision in the joint statement, eventually backed down to prevent the bloc from failing to issue any communiqué whatsoever, as it did in Phnom Penh

in 2012 during the 45th Asean Foreign Ministers meeting—over the same territorial dispute.

While there might be some consolation to be had in the release of a watered-down communiqué, any notion of regional unity was exposed as a sham.

One member, Cambodia, effectively exercised veto power over the rest of the Asean members by virtue of the group’s policy of consensus, and held hostage the interests of two of its fellow members to curry favor with

its powerful patron, China, a non-member.

Of this, there could be little doubt, as China publicly thanked Phnom Penh afterward for its support.

By issuing a watereddown statement, the Asean may have staved off the embarrassment of failing to reach a consensus. But in the long term, the Asean’s failure to support the interests of its member states against an outsider damaged its credibility and brought into question its continued relevance as a regional force.

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Duterte’s message

propelled him almost immediately afterwards to the presidency— a job that put even more distance between him and the people and the daily realities that they face.

And so I wasn’t surprised that Aquino, when the very first opportunity presented itself to him to face people who did not belong to his household now that he is no longer the all-powerful president, refused to leave 25 Times Street.

Aquino said he wanted to watch Duterte’s first State of the Nation Address at home on television, so he would not be distracted.

But Aquino was lying again, just like he lied so many times during the six years that he was president. The truth is, he was scared.

He was scared of being blamed for the wrong things he did and didn’t do while he was still in office by someone like Duterte, who by now has a fairly accurate idea of what went down in the last six years. And he was deathly

HIS State of the Nation Address took an hour longer than the half hour earlier announced

by Malacañang. The President’s message came across as simple, but serious—particularly his all-out war against illegal drugs. But we didn’t hear anything that Palace Communication Secretary Martin Andanar said made him cry after reading the draft of the speech.

If at all, Digong ad libbed to crack jokes and asides in Filipino; the diplomats in the gallery must have been puzzled.

But it was a good, straightforward speech that did not contain some of the mundane and inane (bordering on the insane) Sona of Digong’s immediate predecessor.

“We want the peace of the living but you [drug pushers] can have the peace of the dead,” said Duterte in his grim warning to those who are ruining the lives of the youth and spiking the crime rate. He vowed that the government campaign on illegal drugs won’t let up and will be relentless until the last drug trafficker is gone. More than 200 suspected drug pushers have been killed since the police started cracking down on the drug trade. Because of the similar manner in the way the suspects were killed—shot dead because they fired on arresting policemen—there is a sneaking suspicion the suspects were silenced so they couldn’t implicate some policemen involved in drug trafficking. Duterte himself has named five police generals involved as protectors of drug lords.

Another striking part of Duterte’s speech was making clear his administration won’t play the blame game on his predecessors.

“What we should do is to extract lessons from the past with an eye to applying them to the present and the future,” said Duterte. Although he did not mention former President Benigno S. Aquino III who skipped the Sona, it was an obvious reference to PNoy who during his term consistently blamed former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo for all the ills plaguing his administration.

Arroyo, whose case was dismissed by the Supreme Court last week for lack of evidence, was in the Batasan audience together with former Presidents Joseph Estrada and Fidel V. Ramos, who has been named as special envoy to China.

Duterte’s Sona did not dwell too much on the Philippines

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Turn to A5

Two ex-presidents THE old soldier hasn’t died yet.

In fact, he’s staging a mighty comeback as special Philippine envoy to the People’s Republic of China.

Fidel Valdez Ramos, our oldest living ex-president, is also one of the latest appointees of the Duterte administration, having just accepted his assignment as personal representative of the president to bilateral talks with our superpower neighbor. I know of no one in this country who deserves to be called “elder statesman” more than FVR, and not just because of his advanced age.

The Chinese, who must know of Ramos’ stature and seniority, should be flattered with his designation. President Rodrigo Duterte is certainly giving the post-arbitral negotiations with China the respect they deserve —especially at a time when Beijing wants to be treated with a lot more respect than usual, having just lost in the case filed by Manila in The Hague.

And Ramos is not just a distinguished former president: He also comes from a family of top diplomats who have had excellent ties with the Chinese in the past.

Ramos is also a foremost exponent of the policy of bilateralism and of regional cooperation through the Asean. There is, quite simply, no one more suited to the special envoy’s job than he is.

Of course, Ramos has retired from the presidency for nearly two decades now, which is why he needed some time to think things over after he was offered the post by Duterte. “What if I croak?” he asked reporters with his usual dry humor when they wanted to know if he was going to take the job.

But in the end, I think Ramos simply could not say no to the request of Duterte, who has publicly declared that it was FVR who convinced him to run for president. Because Ramos must somehow feel responsible for Duterte’s victory, he cannot

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I wish Fidel Ramos all the luck.

But I think nobody really cared that Noynoy Aquino wasn’t there.” very well deny the new president his services, especially on such a sensitive and important matter as Philippine-Chinese relations moving forward from the ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration.

But Ramos also asked that Duterte convene the National Security Council, the highest policy-making body of government, which includes all former presidents before he takes on the Benjamin Philip G. Romualdez Former Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno Anita F. Grefal Maan Ilustre Edgar M. Valmorida

job. And FVR can certainly use an infusion of the latest information and policy directions before he embarks on his new mission.

As a long-time admirer of Ramos, I wish him all the luck.

I pray that he uses his gifts of wisdom, experience and perspicacity in order to steer us confidently into the new day of our long-running relationship with the Chinese under Duterte.

Mabuhay ka, FVR. Kaya mo yan, sir! *** Last Monday, President Rodrigo Duterte said he had no time to waste on blaming his predecessor. But Noynoy Aquino stayed away from the Batasang Pambansa, just to be on the safe side.

I’ve always maintained that Aquino was a fake tough guy, anyway. The tough-talking, kanto boy-sounding Noynoy, after all, was just a figment of his speechwriters’ imagination; the guy lived a rich kid’s sheltered life until his mother died, an event that

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Opinion

I AM all for President Duterte’s push to end criminality, drugs and corruption. I must say, however, that this campaign must be balanced with civil and human rights.

Yes, the President must execute and implement the law.

That’s his mandate. But this does not mean that the Philippine National Police, the National Bureau of Investigation and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency should resort to unlawful arrests and summary killings. I say these in the wake of killings apparently perpetuated by vigilante groups.

I must say that I am bothered by the Philippine National Police data that from July 1 to July 24, there have been 293 killings—and the number is growing. A total of 3,749 suspects have been arrested nationwide during the first 24 days of the Duterte administration, while 129,753 alleged drug users have surrendered.

I admit that we now have a President who walks his talk.

He has the political will to do things that past presidents, especially BS Aquino, have failed to do. It’s only now that a president has dared to fight criminality, illegal drugs and corruption—things that have damaged our moral fiber.

Duterte has also done away with the incompetence, ineptitude, mediocrity and lack of empathy that served as the hallmark of the Aquino administration.

It’s only under the Duterte government that I see people’s faith and confidence in government being restored. Without people’s confidence, government leaders will not be able to do anything to move the nation forward.

I was, in fact, elated when Digong started his speech by stating that he would not dwell on the sins of the past. This has always been the problem of BS Aquino who always liked to tell us he was the White Knight ordained to pursue the Holy Grail.

What bothers me most, however, is the fact that people have been desensitized to the spate of killings now going on in the name of the fight against illegal drugs. I cannot see any organized protest. The Catholic Church itself appears ambivalent. Are we condoning these killings? This is tragic, I think, because even criminals have rights under the law.

Yes, I admire the President’s resolve to end the drug menace, but I also believe that these killings promote a culture of violence and impunity.

During the Sona, Duterte said human rights are no excuse to destroy our country. My gulay, I wonder if Digong meant that suspected criminals and alleged drug dealers no longer have human rights.

As a lawyer and a former prosecutor himself, Digong knows that the rule of law and due process must prevail. In fact, he made that commitment to do justice to every man and defend and protect the Constitution when he placed his hand on the Bible and raised his right hand. *** I have said that going after the pushers is only half of the solution to the drug problem. Equal attention must be given to the rehabilitation of drug users so that they could be productive members of society again.

There are only a few centers for rehabilitation—in Bicutan and Tagaytay. Some local government units also have facilities, but these only isolate the drug users.

Without real rehabilitation, the problem will continue. The surrender of thousands will amount to nothing. So long as there is demand, the menace will remain with us. There will be those from the outside—the Chinese triad, the West African syndicate and even the Sinaloa cartel from Mexico— to provide supply to meet that demand. It’s a multi-billion dollar industry that corrupts governments.

It is said that government is setting aside P1 billion for the building of drug centers and facilities nationwide. They must be kidding. These structures need to be staffed with psychiatrists and psychologists. I think the figure is something closer to P50 billion.

I used to be vice president at DARE Foundation, where I dealt with drug users from both rich and poor families. I know that rehabilitation of drug addicts could take years.

The users have to be rehabilitated as well.” *** A lot of businessmen I know have complained to me that government often interferes too much in business and investments, to the extent of overregulating and restricting business and industry.

They say that even in simply getting permits from a city or municipal mayor, they have to pay money by the millions just to get a mayor’s permit to build a factory or an industry.

Santa Banana, in the Calabarzon area, businessmen have a difficult time getting all sorts of clearances and permits.

Then, there are always government offices to contend with. The most regulated businesses in the country are telecom and mining companies.

Globe of the Ayalas and Smart of PLDT not only have the National Telecommunications Commission to contend with.

They also have the Philippine Competition Commission that supposedly restricts monopoly.

The PCC in fact has interfered with the P70-million purchase of Globe and Smart of the San Miguel telecom assets. This would have allowed for better internet service to the public.

Another overregulated industry is mining with so many dos and don’ts. It is now even worse under the Duterte government, with ABS-CBN heiress Gina Lopez as secretary of environment and natural resources. Lopez is an antimining advocate. As such, she is now imposing additional restrictions in mining, like audit and clearances.

Santa Banana, even the House of Representatives under newly elected Speaker Bebot Alvarez now wants mining firms to have legislative franchises. This means it’s “Open City” for politicians to extort money from mining operators.

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Duterte’s Sona; Ongpin’s lament

TO THE POINT EMIL P. JURADO

Killings will not stop drug menace

WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2016

VIRTUAL REALITY TONY LOPEZ PRESIDENT Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s first State of the Nation Address lacked the rhetorical flourishes and elegance of language of Sonas of his predecessors, but his goals and promises to the people are no less ambitious nor overarching. The President wanted to be frank, forthright, since and intense. That was achieved by his departing or discarding portions of his speech and his choosing to speak from the heart, extemporaneously. In so doing, he conveyed a leader full of passion and compassion but one who means business.

Basically, Duterte promised a better life for most Filipinos, specifically the poor, marginalized, minorities, and former rebels.

“My administration shall be sensitive to the State’s obligations to promote, and protect, fulfill the human rights of our citizens, especially the poor, the marginalized and the vulnerable and social justice will be pursued, even as the rule of law shall at all times prevail,” he vowed.

Among President Duterte’s more important promises: 1. “We cannot move forward if we allow the past to pull us back… It is the present that we are concerned with and the future that we should be prepared for.”

“Those who betrayed the people’s trust shall not go unpunished and they will have their day in court. And if the evidence warrants, they will have their day of reckoning too.”

Translation: Duterte won’t blame BS Aquino his predecessor for the massive corruption in government today, for the crippling red tape in government offices, for the massive traffic in Metro Manila, for the severe lack of infrastructure nationwide, for

the poor performance of agriculture, for the rise in number of poor people, and for the loss of faith of people in their government.

But Duterte will go hammer and tongs against hose found corrupt and criminal.

2. “The people on the streets complain that justice had become illusory; that equity and fairness and speedy disposition of cases had deteriorated into hollow concepts fit only for masteral dissertations.”

Translation: People will probably now get a better service from the judiciary which has become a tool of oppression of the rich and powerful.

3. “While I am a stickler for the principle of separation between Church and State, I believe quite strongly that there should never be a separation between God and State.”

Translation: Duterte will continue to quarrel with Church leaders on various issues. Therefore, they should not get in the way of programs that the President is intensely involved in, like the killing of drug lords whom he said he wants to strangle to death.

4. “We will not stop until the last drug lord, the last financier, and the last pusher have surrendered or put behind bars or below the ground…”

Translation: No need.

5. “We will lower personal and corporate income tax rates and relax the bank secrecy laws.”

Translation: No need. But Duterte didn’t say when he would do the lowering and simplifying.

6. “Processing time in issuing permits and licenses shall be reduced to the barest minimum, in my city, it is always three days for local governments. That will bind the Office of the President down to the last barangay elect.

Three days. Three days.”

Translation: No need. But Duterte didn’t promise when the policy would begin. It should be out three days after the Sona, to

THE President’s first State of the Nation Address was one whose style my friend Teddyboy Locsin would likely not praise.

But he, and others who prefer some mellifluous cadence in such important speeches, cannot deny that it was packed with substance.

So many policy statements and programs were actually said that I wonder why film director Brillante Mendoza did not approve of a power-point format, if only to highlight the specifics that packed the President’s Sona.

Then again, maybe the President himself did not want visual aids that could distract him more than the audience.

For one, he spoke directly to the people, and never pandered to the likes or dislikes of the legislators in front of him.

He even chided them jokingly when he casually remarked that none of them supported his presidential bid.

The promises were so plentiful. On the revenue side, he wants to lower income taxes, both personal and corporate.

That was met by thunderous applause, even if most of the instant audience in the Batasan do not really deserve any income tax break.

It is the expenditure side that overwhelmed us all. Those promises will cost government plenty, and while President Duterte did not promise a time frame of immediacy, the bill can be quite daunting.

There will be time, in future articles, to discuss all these. For now, let me just cite an example:

concerned with a view to make a profit.

If you believe Bobby, there was no insider trading simply because the material information— which is the price at which MVP would buy Philex shares from RVO—was not known. It was not known simply because there was no agreement yet on the price at which MVP would buy when Ongpin made the stock purchases. So how can an unknown information become material when it is precisely that, unknown.

Ongpin was simply negotiating a price with Manny Pangilinan, which was a straightforward commercial transaction and was never based on any insider information. “The jurisprudence is clear, there was no insider trading at all,” Ongpin says.

More significantly, the case was filed almost a full year after the two-year deadline under the law, the Securities Regulations Code. “Clearly, the case had prescribed,” Ongpin insists.

Ongpin says SEC’s forcing him to resign from all listed companies and effectively forcing him to go out of business and terminate his business career are a “cruel and unusual punishment”, which is against the Constitution.

Moreover, the move of the SEC en banc to increase the recommended fine to P174 million, 10 times more than what SEC’s own investigation unit recommended, is unconscionable and confiscatory. “It only emphasizes the clear bias of the SEC against me,” fumes Ongpin.

The tycoon recalls that from the start of the Aquino administration, there had been a pattern of harassment against him.

An astronomical total of six cases were filed against Ongpin by various government agencies. All six—except the SEC case—were either quashed or dismissed. biznewsasia@gmail.com

Miles to go

SO I SEE LITO BANAYO

use the three-day paradigm.

Ongpin’s insider trading case Meanwhile, my Harvard-educated friend Roberto V. Ongpin is bristling at the finding of the powerful Securities and Exchange Commission that he, former chair and CEO of SGV and at present the CEO of Alphaland Corp., is guilty of insider trading for allegedly making 174 purchases of Philex Mining shares prior to the announcement that telco tycoon Manuel V. Pangilinan was buying control of the company.

Bobby calls the SEC ruling “erroneous and grossly unfair...I thought that the persecution under the Aquino administration had ended but apparently, the remaining minions of the past administration are still determined to get me,” he sneers. He will appeal the SEC ruling before the Court of Appeals.

Ongpin says the SEC insidertrading case was a recycling of a behest loan case filed by the Ombudsman several years ago before the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan. In fact, the issue is so old that the deadline for filing the insider trading case had lapsed.

The Sandigan threw out the behest loan case, twice, for lack of probable cause. The case did not even go to trial. The Ombudsman had alleged that the DBP was damaged by Ongpin buying Philex shares and selling them to MVP at a profit. In fact DBP made a huge profit, P1.4 billion. “Behest” is when one borrows from a government bank, using one’s connections, and then one runs away with the money. Ongpin paid the loan back ahead of schedule and DBP collected an enormous gain.

Having lost that behest-loan case, the government resurrected it, this time before the SEC, as an insider trading, which is illegal. Insider trading is when one knows in advance material information about a listed company and one buys or sells the stocks

when he said that he wants to give a rice subsidy to the poorest of the poor, now enrolled in the Four Ps program, a World Bank initiative adopted first by GMA, expanded by PNoy, and to be continued by Duterte.

Mentally, I calculated the tab while listening: at 4.5-million family recipients (the DSWDstated 4P beneficiaries) and one sack of 50 kilos of rice each, which costs (NFA release price) P1,250 apiece, that’s a staggering P56,250,000,000. That’s almost the maximum amount that DSWD gives to the “pantawidpamilya” recipients, which is P1,400. Including administrative costs, Congress allocates P67 billion for this program.

If we add a full sack of rice to this, that’s going to ante up to P123 billion.

But there are more promises to keep: increasing the takehome pay of policemen and soldiers, free irrigation, subsidies for seeds and fertilizers, as well as help to fishermen. And a lot of infrastructure projects to ease the daily “kalbaryo” of commuters in the harried and hassled metropolis.

Again the lines of Robert Frost’s immortal poetry came to mind as I sat in the Batasan: “The woods are lovely, dark and deep.

But I have promises to keep. And miles to go before I sleep.”

The President has set, for himself and his government, a Herculean task ahead. But these are things that the ordinary Filipino had long been aspiring for, and long been denied. They are things they see around them when they work in other countries, and they wonder why their government could

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Duterte’s...

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afraid of being anywhere near his own predecessor, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, just recently freed by the Supreme Court after six years of judicial persecution on Noynoy’s orders.

He was scared to see all the congressmen and senators whom he bribed and bullied in order to have his way with them. He was probably ashamed to see what they did right after he left the presidency, which is to leave his party en masse, after they had professed their loyalty to him for six long years.

Perhaps he was even scared of facing the media, who would still point their microphones at him but who would be treating him with markedly less respect, now that he’s just another ex-president. Or perhaps he is frightened of being with so many important people and having none of his sisters (who have played the tagteam role of his mother’s replacement) around.

And so, Aquino was the only living ex-president who didn’t go to Duterte’s Sona. And you know what else?

I think nobody really cared.

win ning its case against China before The Hague permanent court of arbitration which rejected China’s sweeping claim over the South China Sea. He did not want to appear to gloat since he’s sending FVR to talk to the Chinese and work out a settlement that does not make China lose face in the international community. This is the right approach.

Hopefully, Beijing appreciates this gesture and softens its hardline stance on the South China Sea territorial dispute.

In his quest for nationwide

not provide even a reasonable modicum of these.

Just closing the infrastructure gap of our country as compared to its Asean neighbors like Thailand, Malaysia, never mind Singapore which is already so First World, will take at least 10 years per DBM’s Ben Diokno, assuming we can afford to spend P900 billion a year from hereon. That is something the Finance department under Sonny Dominguez might find difficult to raise all by itself. Clearly, the private sector must participate. Even more clearly, we will need foreign capital in loans and grants. Given the turmoil, both economic and political, that has roiled many of the usual sources, Japan, US, the EEC and the lending institutions they supervise, that does not seem too forthcoming. And given the deep freeze our relations with China has been pushed into by the WPS issue and the handling of the Aquino II administration, that too may be rather testy—unless President Duterte succeeds in fresh diplomatic initiatives.

Miles and miles to go before he sleeps, that’s what President Duterte has set himself, such that his vow to step down once a federal set-up is achieved is something the public will not likely agree with.

For this article, let me make a suggestion with regard to promise to give rice to the poorest of our poor: Because the cost of the cheapest 50 kilogram bag of rice is (1,250 times 4.5-million recipients) some 56 billion pesos, how about giving a half-sack, or 25 kilograms per month as rice subsidy? That brings down the bill to P28 billion.

peace, Duterte also announced a unilateral ceasefire effective immediately with the communist New People’s Army and to push through with the Bangsamoro Basic Law after it has been rid of its constitutional defects. This is a step in the right direction even as the President clarified that the BBL might have to give way or later be subsumed by his proposed federal form of government.

Duterte announced a raise in personal and corporate income taxes but there are those who wished he had instead increased the Social Security pension to P2,000. This was vetoed by Aquino just before he stepped down from office.

There were strange occurrences in this year’s Sona. For once, leftist militants did march on the Batasan venue not to protest but show support for Duterte because of his government program to address poverty and implement agrarian reform. With this pro-poor policy, Duterte also appointed some personalities identified with the cause of leftist groups.

Duterte also toned down the yearly fashion parade on the red carpet by legislators’ wives and sometimes by the female legislators themselves.

His business attire only requirement and simple food fare after the Sona consisted of mongo soup

Since the 4Ps recipient must perforce to buy his staple food anyway, which is rice, convert part of his cash subsidy to a rice subsidy. But for remote areas where the logistical cost can be a huge problem, DSWD can issue rice subsidy coupons to be honored by rice retailers who are after all licensed by NFA under its regulatory power.

Thus, assuming DSWD charges the half-sack entirely to the cash subsidy of P1,400 per month, the beneficiary gets P525 in the form of a rice coupon equivalent to 25 kilos, and the P875 in cash. Thus the government does not spend more, other than the administrative and some logistical costs.

For NFA, there is assurance of a ready market and in keeping with its mandate of serving the poor, since the rich and middle class will not likely buy NFA rice anyhow. At 2.25-million bags of rice, that is a total of 27-million bags, or the equivalent of 1.35-million tons per annum. That’s about as much as the total shortfall between our current production versus the annual demand for rice. With faster turn-over, NFA’s turn-around warehousing and other logistical costs could be affordable, and the Duterte concept doable at least incremental expense.

There are a lot of policy issues and programs that packed President Digong’s first Sona, enough to last his entire six-year term.

It would be quite interesting to dissect some of these in future articles.

But for now, every Filipino must be finally proud to have a leader who knows what they feel and what they need most. and sweet native delicacies—no more lavish feasts at the expense of taxpayers.

Duterte struck the right chord to gain the support of the masses.

He will, however, have to spell out specifically how he will implement his vision for reform. So many previous presidents have made such pronouncements for change but failed in its implementation during their six-year term.

The people, nevertheless, are counting on Duterte to be the first president to fulfill this promise. This is the nature of the Filipino—to be sanguine and still hope for change despite having been disappointed so many times before.

News

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WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2016 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

SC grants appeal on GMOs

By Rey E. Requejo

T

HE Supreme Court on Tuesday overturned its December 2015 decision stopping the government from conducting field trials, propagating and importing genetically modified organisms due to the supposed risks it poses to human health and the environment.

In its en banc session, the high court magistrates unanimously granted the nine motions for reconsideration filed by various groups asking it to set aside its ruling on the ground of mootness.

SC spokesperson Theodore Te said tribunal sided with the petitioners that the case should have been dismissed for mootness in view of the completion and termination of the Bt talong field trials and the expira-

tion of the biosafety permits.

The motions for reconsideration was filed by Bt talong proponents International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications Inc., Environmental Management Bureau, Crop Life Philippines Inc., University of the Philippines Los Baños Foundation Inc., University of the Philippines and several other intervenors.

The tribunal also admitted that it should not have acted on the constitutional question on the issue of whether Department of Agriculture Administrative Order No. 08-2002 was unconstitutional as the matter was only collaterally raised in the petition.

AO No. 08-2002 provides rules and regulations for the importation and release into the environment of plants and plant products derived from the use of modern biotechnology.

“These cases, which stemmed from respondents’ petition for writ of kalikasan, were mooted by the expiration of the Biosafety Permits issued by the Bureau of Plant Industry and the termination of Bt talong filed trials subject of the permits. These ef-

fectively negated the need for the reliefs sought by respondents as there was no longer any field test to stop,” Te said, in a media briefing.

The high court added that at the time the Court of Appeals rendered its decision on May 17, 2013, issuing a writ of kalikasan against f ield trials and propagation of Bt talong, “the relief sought and which were granted by the CA were no longer capable of execution.

In December 2015, the SC affirmed the decision issued by CA which granted the petition filed by Greenpeace, Magsasaka at Siyentipiko sa Pagpapaunlad ng Agrikultura (Masipag) and several other individuals for the issuance of a writ of kalikasan against the fieldtesting of BT talong.

Besides permanently enjoining the field-testing of Bt talong, the Court also declared null and void DA Order No. 08-2002.

The tribunal also held that the existing regulations issued by the DA and the DOST were insufficient to guarantee the safety of the environment and the health of the people.

Another military officer promoted without BOG okay

By Florante S. Solmerin ANOTHER military officer was promoted to a key position in the Armed Forces of the Philippines without screening despite the order of President Rodrigo Duterte that all general staff officers should go through the military’s Board of Generals, a practice discarded during the Aquino administration.

Based on a two-page document obtained by Manila Standard, Colonel Ser-me Ayuyao was one of five senior officers who were promoted without going

through the BOG. Ayuyao was designated acting Judge Advocate General effective June 1, 2016. The TJAG position is a brigadier general position and requires a candidate or appointee to have finished his degree of Master in National Security Administration.

“Colonel Ayuyao is not qualified for the position even in an acting capacity only because there are more senior officers before him who already had MNSA and qualified for the position in an acting capacity or regular appointment,” said a senior officer who asked not to be identified.

Republic of the Philippines ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION San Miguel Avenue, Pasig City IN THE MATTER OF THE APPLICATION OF THE NATIONAL GRID CORPORATION OF THE PHILIPPINES FOR THE APPROVAL OF FORCE MAJEURE EVENT REGULATED FM PASS- THROUGH FOR TROPICAL STORM AMANG IN VISAYAS AND SABOTAGE INCIDENTS IN MINDANAO, IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE RULES FOR SETTING TRANSMISSION WHEELING RATES, WITH PRAYER FOR PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY

12.

Within three (3) months after the occurrence of Tropical Storm Amang and sabotage incidents in Mindanao, NGCP filed before the Commission an FME Notice dated 31 March 2015 and an FME Notice dated 10 April 2015, respectively, pursuant to Sections 10.2.1 and 10.2.2 of the RTWR.3

13.

ERC CASE NO. 2016-003 RC

NGCP has not recovered any amount from its I n d u s t r i a l All-Risk (1AR) Insurance Policy procured from the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) for the year 2015 as compensation for the damage and cost it incurred in the repair, restoration, and rehabilitation of the transmission assets and other related facilities damaged by the FME Tropical Storm Amang and sabotage incidents in Mindanao.

Thus, NGCP files the instant FME Claim Application to recover the cost it incurred for the repair, restoration, and rehabilitation of its transmission assets and other related facilities damaged by the FME Tropical Storm Amang and sabotage incidents in Mindanao.

TO ALL INTERESTED PARTIES:

15.

In support of said Application, NGCP alleged, among others, the following:

3.

NGCP is a corporation created and existing under the laws of the Republic of the Philippines, with principal office address at NGCP Building, Quezon Avenue corner BIR Road, Diliman, Quezon City. It is the concessionaire which assumed the power transmission functions of the National Transmission Corporation (TRANSCO) pursuant to Republic Act No. (RA) 9136, otherwise known as the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001 (EPIRA).1 Under RA. 95112, NGCP was granted a franchise to construct, install, finance, manage, improve, expand, operate, maintain, rehabilitate, repair and refurbish the present nationwide transmission system of the Republic of the Philippines.

On 15 January 2009, NGCP assumed the transmission functions of TRANSCO, including the operation, management and maintenance of the nationwide electrical grid.

FME/ REGION

On or about 15 to 19 January 2015, Tropical Storm Amang entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) with maximum winds of 100 kilometers per hour (kph) and gustiness of 130 kph. Due to its intensity and heavy rainfall, NGCP’s transmission assets and other related facilities in the Visayas area were damaged causing widespread power interruption over the area. A copy of the Certification dated 7 April 20015 issued by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) is attached to the Application as Annex “A.” After the occurrence of Tropical Storm Amang, in compliance with Article X of the RTWR, NGCP filed with the Commission a Force Majeure Event (FME Notice dated 31 March 2015, a copy of which is attached as Annex “B” of the Application.

20,683,181.96

Sabotage Incidents in Mindanao

3,005,425.84

Total

23,688,607.8

16.

On or about 13, 18, and 26 January 2015, sabotage incidents occurred in Maguindanao, Cotabato, and Sultan Kudarat, respectively, causing damage to NGCP’s transmission assets and other related facilities in Mindanao.

Copies of the Progress Report dated 14 January 2015 from Pagalungan Municipal Police Station, Extract Copy of Police Blotter dated 10 April 2015 issued by Pikit Municipal Police Station, and Special Report dated 30 January 2015 issued by President Quirino Police Station are attached to the Application as Annexes “C,” “D,” and “E.”

7.

After the occurrence of the sabotage incidents, in compliance with Article X of the RTWR, NGCP filed with the Commission an FME Notice dated 10 April 2015, a copy of which is attached as Annex “F” of the Application.

8.

Immediately after the devastation of Tropical Storm Amang in the Visayas and occurrence of sabotage incidents in Mindanao, NGCP started the repair, restoration, and rehabilitation of its damaged transmission assets and other related facilities in Visayas and Mindanao. As a result, NGCP incurred additional costs for the repair, restoration, and rehabilitation of the said damaged transmission assets.

Under Section 1.3(a) of the Rules for Setting Transmission Wheeling Rates (RTWR), an FME isdefined as a “typhoon, storm, tropical depression, flood, drought, volcanic eruption, earthquake, tidal wave or landslide; or an act of public enemy, war (declared or undeclared), sabotage, blockade, revolution, riot, insurrection, civil commotion or any violent or threatening actions.”

10.

Amang was categorized by PAGASA as a “Tropical Storm” in its Certification dated 7 April 2015. On the other hand, the bombing incidents in Mindanao are clearly acts of sabotage considering that unknown perpetrators unlawfully destroyed NGCP’s transmission assets using improvised explosive devices. Therefore, Tropical Storm Amang in the Visayas and the sabotage incidents in Mindanao fall within the definition of an FME in accordance with Section 1.3 of the RTWR.

11.

2.

Grant Provisional Approval to implement and bill the EM Pass-Through Amounts to Visayas and Mindanao customers starting February 2016 billing month to December 2020 billing month or until such time that the amount incurred is fully recovered, as follows:

In relation to the occurrence of Tropical Storm Amang and sabotage incidents in Mindanao and pursuant to Section 10.1.1 of the same RTWR, NGCP is allowed to recover the cost it incurred in the repair, restoration, and rehabilitation of its transmission assets and other related facilities damaged by Tropical Storm Amang and sabotage incidents in Mindanao through an FM Pass-Through Amount.

Visayas

2016

1,049,732.95

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

0.19

0.15

0.14

0.13

PhP/kWh

0.0010

0.0004

0.0003

0.0003

0.0003

Mindanao PhP/

PhP/kWh

17.

18.

2016

kW/mo. 0.05 0.0001

2017 0.02

2018 0.02

0.00005 0.00004

2019

0.13

PhP/kWh

0.0010

0.0004

0.0003

0.0003

0.0003

2018

2019

Mindanao PhP/

2016

kW/mo. 0.05

PhP/kWh

0.0001

0.02

0.00004

0.00004

Although the instant FM Pass-Through Amounts are not included in NGCP’s Third (3rd) Regulatory Reset Application, the same can be recovered pursuant to Section 10.1.1 of the RTVVR where NGCP is allowed to recover the cost incurred for the repair, restoration, and rehabilitation of damage sustained by its transmission assets and other related facilities as a result of the FME. A copy of the FM PassThrough Amount Computation is attached to the Application as Annex “G.” Further, the FM Pass-Through Amounts under this Application did not breach the Force Majeure Threshold Amount (FMTA) of PhP0.0341/kWh in accordance with the RTWR. A copy of the FMTA Computation is attached to the Application as Annex “H.”

20.

Also, NGCP considered the Net Fixed Asset Value of the transmission assets and other related facilities damaged by the FME Tropical Storm Amang and Sabotage Incidents in Mindanao, given that NGCP would have normally fully recovered the return of capital on said assets for the duration of their economic lives had these assets not been damaged or destroyed by said incidents.

JUSTIFICATION FOR THE ISSUANCE OF PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY

0.02

0.02

0.00005 0.00004

2020

0.02

0.02

0.00004

0.00004

Approve the Capital Expenditure (CAPEX amounting to PhP23,688,607.80 incurred by NGCP for the repair, restoration, and rehabilitation of the damaged transmission assets and other related facilities due to Tropical Storm Amang and sabotage incidents in Mindanao as FMEs;

4.

Approve, after due notice and hearing the proposed FM Pass-Through Amount to be collected from the Visayas and Mindanao customers starting February 2016 billing month to December 2020 billing month or until such time that the amount incurred is fully recovered;

5.

Approve and Allow the recovery of the Net Fixed Asset Value of the transmission assets and other related facilities damaged by the FME Tropical Storm Amang and sabotage incidents in Mindanao amounting to PhP1,049,732.95, given that it would have been fully recovered by NGCP if these transmission assets and other related facilities have not been damaged or destroyed by FME Tropical Storm Amang and sabotage incidents in Mindanao;

6.

Exclude the proposed Pass-Through Amount from the side constraint calculation; and

7.

For other relief deemed just and equitable under the premises.

The Commission has set the Application for initial hearing, expository presentation, pre-trial conference, and presentation of evidence on the following dates and venues:

NGCP proposes the FM Pass-Through Amounts for the years 2016 to 2020 to allow the recovery of the CAPEX incurred relative to the FME Tropical Storm Amang and sabotage incidents in Mindanao pending the reset process for the Transmission Services for the Fourth Regulatory Period.

19.

2017

3.

DAT E

TIME

VENUE ERC Mindanao Field Office, Mintrade Bldg., Monteverde Ave., cor.

Sales St., Davao City

PA R T I C U L A R S

31 August 2016 (Wednesday)

Ten o’clock in the morning (10:00 A.M.)

01 September 2016 (Thursday)

Two o’clock in the afternoon (2:00 P.M.)

ERC Visayas Field Office, St. Mary’s Drive, Banilad Cebu City

Expository Presentation for Visayas Stakeholders

05 September 2016 (Monday)

Two o’clock in the afternoon (2:00 P.M.)

Pre-Trial Conference and Evidentiary Hearing

06 September 2016 (Tuesday)

Two o’clock in the afternoon (2:00 P.M.)

ERC Hearing Room, 15th Floor, Pacific Center Building, San Miguel Avenue, Pasig City

2020

0.02

2020

0.14

24,738,340.75

0.46

2019

0.15

3,005,425.84

1,049,732.95

2018

0.19

21,732,914.91

-

2017

0.46

Total

NGCP proposes the Force Majeure (FM) Pass- Through Amount, in PhP/kW/month, as additional network charges in the Visayas and Mindanao starting the billing period of February 2016 to December 2020, or until such time that the amount incurred is fully recovered, computed as shown in the table below: Visayas

Jurisdictional Hearing and Expository Presentation

Continuation of Evidentiary Hearing

All persons who have an interest in the subject matter of the proceeding may become a party by filing, at least five (5) days prior to the initial hearing and subject to the requirements in the ERC’s Rules of Practice and Procedure, a verified petition with the Commission giving the docket number and title of the proceeding and stating: (1) the petitioner’s name and address; (2) the nature of petitioner’s interest in the subject matter of the proceeding, and the way and manner in which such interest is affected by the issues involved in the proceeding; and (3) a statement of the relief desired.

All other persons who may want their views known to the Commission with respect to the subject matter of the proceeding may file their opposition to the Application or comment thereon at any stage of the proceeding before the Applicant concludes the presentation of its evidence. No particular form of opposition or comment is required, but the document, letter or writing should contain the name and address of such person and a concise statement of the opposition or comment and the grounds relied upon. .

21.

NGCP moves for the issuance of a provisional approval for the immediate recovery of the FM PassThrough Amounts pursuant to Section 3, Rule 14 of the ERC Rules of Practice and Procedure.

22.

NGCP needs to immediately recover the actual expenses incurred for the repair, restoration, and rehabilitation of the damaged transmission assets and other related facilities.

The occurrence of the aforementioned FMEs in Visayas and Mindanao required massive capital infusion, the recovery of which is urgent in order to avoid any financial strain in the operation of NGCP and to allow the continuous provision of transmission service to the grid customers.

All such persons who wish to have a copy of the Application may request from the Applicant that they be furnished with the same, prior to the date of the initial hearing. Applicant is hereby directed to furnish all those making such request with copies of the Application and its attachments, subject to the reimbursement of reasonable photocopying costs. Any such person may likewise examine the Application and other pertinent records filed with the Commission during the standard office hours.

23.

The timely implementation of the FM Pass-Through Amount will allow the equal or even spread of the increases or decreases in tariffs from the initial implementation of the recovery of the cost.

WITNESS, the Honorable Chairman, JOSE VICENTE B. SALAZAR, and the Honorable Commissioners, ALEREDO J. NON, GLORIA VICTORIA C. YAP-TARUC, JOSEEINA PATRICIA A. MAG PALE-ASIRIT, and GERONIMO D. STA. ANA,, Energy Regulatory Commission, this 21st day of June 2016 in Pasig City.

24.

A copy of the Judicial Affidavit of Agnes F. Dela Cruz, Head, Tariff Design and Billing Management Division, Revenue and Regulatory Affairs, in support of the instant Application, is attached as Annex “I.”

FORCE MAJEURE EVENT CLAIM 9.

NFAV

PhP/kW/mo.

B. Sabotage Incidents in Mindanao 6.

FME CAPEX (in PhP)

Amang in Visayas

A. Tropical Storm Amang in Visayas

5.

Declare the Tropical Storm Amang and sabotage incidents in Mindanao as Force Majeure Events (FMEs);

Tropical Storm

STATEMENT OF FACTS

4.

1.

PhP/kW/mo.

The total cost NGCP incurred as additional FME Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) for the repair, restoration, and rehabilitation of its transmission assets and other related facilities damaged by the Tropical Storm Amang and sabotage incidents in Mindanao is Twenty-Three Million Six Hundred Eighty-Eight Thousand Six Hundred Seven and 80/100 Pesos (PhP23,688,607.80). Further, the recoverable value of the assets destroyed by Tropical Storm Amang in the Visayas (Net Fixed Asset Value) is One Million FortyNine Thousand Seven Hundred Thirty-Two and 95/100 Pesos (PhP1,049,732.95). The breakdown of the expenses4 is shown in the table below:

On 12 January 2016, the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) filed an Application for the approval of its Force Majeure Event Regulated FM Pass-through for Tropical Storm Amang in Visayas and Sabotage Incidents in Mindanao, with prayer for the issuance of provisional authority.

of staff.

Ayuyao is the most junior among the list of TJAG candidates led by Col. Ukol Paglala, Col. Ma. Victoria Girao, Col. Josefa Berbigal, Col. Jerry Puluhanan, and Col. Erwin Victoriano Machica III. If the BOG chooses Ayuyao and Duterte approves his appointment, Ayuyao would be the most junior officer to be promoted brigadier general because he is not required to retire until 2026.

Manila Standard tried but failed to get the reaction of AFP chief Gen. Ricardo Visaya, who chairs the BOG.

PRAYER NGCP prays the Commission to:

FM PASS-THROUGH AMOUNT COMPUTATION 14.

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

2.

26.

Thereafter, within twelve (12) months after the occurrence of the FMEs in Visayas and Mindanao, NGCP files the instant FME Application, in accordance with Sections 10.2.1 and 10.2.3 of the RTWR.

NATIONAL GRID CORPORATION OE THE PHILIPPINES, Applicants. x----------------------------------------------------x

1.

Based on the document, Ayuyao only finished the Command and General Staff Course, an O-6 position or equivalent to a master’s degree, but this does not qualify for a general position, or O-7 position.

According to sources, Ayuyao got his appointment as acting TJAG before the mandatory retirement of former military chief and retired general Hernando Irriberi but his official order of designation came out only during the stint of Vice Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Glorioso Miranda as acting chief

25.

In compliance with Rule 6 of the Commission’s Rules of Practice and Procedure, NGCP’s compliance with pre-filing requirements for the instant application is attached to the Application as Annex “J” and series.

ATTY. TTY. NATHAN J. MARASIGAN Chief of Staff Office of the Chairman and CEO

1

2

3 4

Republic Act No. 9136 entitled, “An Act Ordaining Reforms in the Electric Power Industry, Amending for the Purpose Certain Laws and for Other Purposes” Republic Act No. 9511 entitled “An Act Granting the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines a Franchise to Engage in the Business of Conveying or Transmitting Electricity Through High Voltage Back-bone System or Interconnected Transmission Lines, Substations and Related Facilities, and for Other Purposes” Annexes “B” and “D” of the Application Exclusive of Permit Fees (TS-JULY 20/27, 2016)

400,000 children get shots vs dengue

By Catherine Mae Gonzales AROUND 400,000 students were given their initial doses of their Dengvaxia inoculation shots, but the Department of Health is still looking at reaching 600,000 more as part of its “battle cry” to vaccinate children against common diseases.

DOH Spokesperson Eric Tayag said they are on the track towards meeting the one million target students to receive shots of Dengvaxia, the first dengue vaccine approved last year.

“The actual coverage will be reported only after the third dose because you need three doses and that will take a year for these vaccines [to be fully delivered],” he said.

Each round of doses will be given every six months, which means that the DoH will be able to finish the activity in 2017.

The first round of the vaccine was given from April to June among school children aged 9 and below from the National Capital Region, Central Luzon and Calabarzon, areas that recorded almost 50 percent of more than 92,000 dengue cases in the country as of September 2015.

But there is still no definite target for the next regions in line.

“This is the first public introduction of a vaccine.

We’re making sure that we’re monitoring everything so that we will have good reason when the time comes whether or not we’re going to include other regions as well,” Tayag said.

“Usually when we have good experience with the vaccines for the three [regions] and we have enough money, then we can see a future wherein everyone gets it,” he added.

Tayag called on parents and health providers to submit every child to vaccination to prevent unnecessary deaths, as shown by the DoH’s other vaccination programs.

“The only reason why there’s not so much appreciation anymore is because... when you don’t see outbreaks, people have this impression [that vaccination is not needed],” he said.

“The good part is we’re not seeing the diseases anymore. Children are not dying from the diseases anymore, but the unintended consequence was people misunderstood it,” the spokesperson added.

Last year, the World Health Organization reported that one out of five children worldwide are not receiving vaccination services which can lead to 1.5 million unnecessary deaths each year.

“It’s really a battle cry.

Vaccinate every child at the proper time,” Tayag emphasized.

Aside from overlooking its relevance, some parents also hold off their children because of fear on its alleged effects.

“If you think that mothers understand this easily, some won’t because they read so many stuff in the internet that makes them fear about vaccines,” Tayag said.

Sports

A7

WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2016 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Jordan condemns gun violence in US L

OS ANGELES—Basketball icon Michael Jordan, long reluctant to speak out on social issues, on Monday condemned violence fueling rising racial tension in America and pledged $2 million toward efforts to build trust.

TEAM-BUILDING. The U-14 national football team, scheduled to see action in two international tournaments in Brunei and Sabah, underwent a team-building session with veteran sports facilitator Lito Cinco at Camp Allen in Sta. Cruz, Laguna as part of the team’s preparation.

The players did multiple outdoor and indoor team building activities that taught them the proper team values. Photo shows the team doing the Wall challenge.

Philtobo holds horse show at San Lazaro THE HOARSE WHISPERER JENNY ORTUOSTE SOME 40 juvenile horses were paraded in front of prospective buyers and other members of the industry at the Philippine Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Gintong Lahi horse show last Monday (July) 25 at San Lazaro Leisure Park.

This is the third edition of Philtobo’s annual event that showcases the best Philippine-bred and islandborn 2YOs in training.

Philtobo came out once again with a catalog. This year’s lists 83 hips (horses), but only 15 of them were for sale, from the stables of Manny Santos (Jade Bros. Farm) and the estate of the late Congressman Enrique “Henry” Cojuangco.

Among the stallions represented were Lim Expensive Toys and Real Spicy, familiar to kareristas as former stakes runners here, as well as Hook and Ladder and Quaker Ridge, many of whose progeny have shown prowess on the local track. Retap is a son of Tapit, North America’s leading sire in 2014 and breaking his own sales record in 2015.

I took quite a fancy to Hip No. 73, a bay filly by Telesto (Mr. Prospector x Aviance) out of former elite racemare Tatler Cover (Hazm x Heretofore). She is a lovely dark beauty bred by Herminio Esguerra’s Herma Farm & Stud in Lipa, Batangas.

The filly’s dam, Tatler Cover, has produced five runners, all winners. Four are black-type entries in the pedigree—Eternal Flame, Manalig Ka, Brother Barack, and High Voltage—while the fifth, Mr. Tatler, has notched 29 wins.

We look forward to the future career of this lovely filly and that of the 82 other juveniles, and wish their connections the best of luck as they seek to win all the trophies and all the purses they can.

Congratulations to the Philtobo Board of Directors headed by Manny Santos, and our best wishes to Philippine Racing Commission Commissioner Bienvenido C. Niles Jr., who, during his time before as Philtobo president, was instrumental in establishing the racing and

breeding events that Philtobo is known for. *** Before proceeding to the Philtobo horse show, I visited, for the first time, the New Philippine Jockeys Association office also in Carmona, Cavite.

While there, I mentioned to NPJA Auditor Antonio B. Alcasid Jr. that I will donate all my racing materials (magazines, books, documents owned by the late jockeys’ mentor George Y. Stribling, and other ephemera) to the NPJA for safekeeping this August.

A box of materials I had sent to them some years ago was still unopened and unsorted.

This brought us both to the realization that the industry urgently needs an archive. Races are still stored on VHS tape! I actually saw an ancient VHS recorder/player still in use there, and Alcasid worries that it will be difficult to review races when it finally breaks down.

I hope that the Philracom and other industry stakeholders can join forces to provide space and a librarian or two for an archive of Philippine horseracing. It’s a shame we don’t have records of the races of legends: horses such as Sun God, Fair and Square, and Sun Dancer; and jockeys including jockey Elias, “El Maestro” Jesus Guce, and Eduardo “Boboc” Domingo Jr. I have tried to do my part to preserve racing history by sending some materials to the National Library (MARHO and Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office souvenir magazines), but I still have so much left, as do other taga-karera and kareristas who through the decades have collected historically valuable photos, newspaper clippings, copies of Dividendazo, tickets, and whatnot.

We also need to preserve racing’s collective memory by videotaping personal interviews with kareristas, especially old-timers who can help us reconstruct our sport’s glorious and exciting past that we have lost through neglect and indifference.

The longer we wait to set this up, the longer we will have to catch up when we finally do. I beg the industry, let’s get this started. Believe it or not, history and heritage are important. *** Facebook: Gogirl Racing, Twitter: @gogirlracing, Instagram: @jensdecember.

“I know this country is better than that, and I can no longer stay silent,” Jordan said in a letter released via theundefeated.com, a website backed by ESPN. It was a watershed moment for a superstar who throughout his playing career, in which he led the Chicago Bulls to six National Basketball Association championships between 1991 and 1998, was criticized for his hesitance to wade in on politics.

His unexpected move was widely welcomed.

“Change happens when one

American at a time can no longer stay silent. Thank you Michael Jordan for speaking up!” Valerie Jarrett, a senior adviser to US President Barack Obama said on Twitter.

“DO NOT SLEEP ON MJ,” tweeted filmmaker Spike Lee. A wave of police killings of African Americans and deadly attacks against police officers prompted Jordan’s public stand.

“As a proud American, a father who lost his own dad in a senseless act of violence, and a black

man, I have been deeply troubled by the deaths of African Americans at the hands of law enforcement and angered by the cowardly and hateful targeting and killing of police officers,” he said.

“I grieve with the families who have lost loved ones, as I know their pain all too well.”

His father, James Jordan, was shot and killed in 1993 at a highway rest area, not long after his son led the Bulls to a third NBA title.

Jordan announced grants of $1 million each to two organizations working to improve relations between law enforcement and the communities in which they work— the Institute for Community Police Relations and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.

The first was launched in May

by the International Association of Chiefs of Police, while the Legal Defense Fund was originally established in 1940 to work for civil rights as part of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

“Although I know these contributions alone are not enough to solve the problem, I hope the resources will help both organizations make a positive difference,” he said.

Now the only African-American majority owner of an NBA club, the Charlotte Hornets, Jordan has joined a wave of social commentary in US sports sparked by a spate of police shootings of unarmed black men—and the shooting deaths of police officers in Dallas, Texas, and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. AFP

ICTSI reclaims PSE Futsal Cup championship PORT operator International Container Terminal Services, Inc. won the 7th Philippine Stock Exchange Futsal Cup held at the Emilio Aguinaldo College Gymnasium, Manila Saturday.

ICTSI bested eight other teams in regaining the title they won in 2012 and 2014. The ICTSI team was composed of employees from ICTSI and futsal enthusiasts from select listed companies and stockbrokerage firms.

First Metro Philippine Exchange-Traded Fund placed first runner-up for the third straight year, while its player Miguel Carlo Nabor bagged the Most

Goals Award after scoring six goals in the tournament.

In the battle for second runnerup, Manila Electric Company prevailed over Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company.

ICTSI’s Mae Azarcon became the first female to receive Most Valuable Player award after fielding the crucial goal in the championship game. Patrick Maramara was named Best Goalkeeper and Paul Rafael took the Best Defender award.

The PSE remains as a first mover in organizing an indoor football tournament among industry players.

This year’s edition of the PSE Futsal Cup saw more than 100 players in action including those from Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc., Ayala Land, Inc., Globe Telecom, Inc., SM Prime Holdings, Inc. and the Philippine Stock Exchange. Executives and traders of stockbrokerage firms like Accord Capital Equities Corp., Asiasec Equities, Inc., Deutsche Regis Partners, Inc., Maybank ATR Kim Eng Securities, Inc., R.S. Lim and Company, Inc., UBS Securities Philippines, Inc., Unicapital Securities, Inc., and Westlink Global Equities, Inc. were also represented.

Members of the International Container Terminal Services Inc. team display their third PSE Futsal Cup Championship.

Republic of the Philippines Department of Health FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION 21 JUL 2016

FDA ADVISORY No. 2016-078 TO

: ALL FOOD ESTABLISHMENTS REGULATED BY THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION (FDA), PARTICULARLY THOSE EXPORTING TO KOREA AND OTHER CONCERNED STAKEHOLDERS

SUBJECT : Notification on the New Korean “Special Act on Safety Management of Imported Food” The South Korean Ministry of Food & Drug Safety (MFDS) implemented the “Special Act on Safety Management of Imported Food” and the implementing regulations for efficient management of imported food policies.

The Special Act has two important provisions which include the: 1) mandatory pre-registration of foreign food facilities and livestock establishments by MFDS and 2) a legal basis for MFDS to suspend import from foreign facilities or establishments that refuse on-site inspection.

Relative to this, the Philippine Agriculture Office in Seoul has received notifications from the MFDS requesting for cooperation on requiring all Philippine-based food facilities exporting or intending to export to Korea to register. Please note that the registration is only until 3 August 2016 and starting 4 August 2016, import declarations will be denied for those manufacturers who did not register.

Philippine food companies/facilities can register on-line or through postal mail. Attached herewith is a copy of the sample registration application. For on-line registration, companies may use the link: https://impfood.mfds.go.kr Dissemination of this information to all is requested.

MARIA LOURDES C. SANTIAGO, MSc, MM OIC-Director General

Constantino sets pace LIPA City, Batangas —National champion Harmie Constantino drilled in a late birdie to cap a rollercoaster round, her 71 netting her a one-stroke lead over fellow amateur Daniella Uy, and pros Chihiro Ikeda and Thais Saraporn Chamchoi and Chatprapa Siriprakob at the start of the ICTSI Malarayat Ladies Classic here yesterday.

Constantino struggled in tough conditions at the Mt. Malarayat composite courses, fumbling with bogeys right after she would hit a birdie and kept that roll to the very end,

knocking down her fifth birdie on the 17th to negate her four-bogey mishap in a 36-35 round.

But that proved enough to shove the many-time national team mainstay to the

top of the compact field although four players stood just a stroke behind and two more stayed three or four behind heading to the last 36 holes of the P750,000 event sponsored by ICTSI.

LOTTO RESULTS

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

P0.0 M+ P0.0 M+

The Standard – July 27, 2016

Riera U. Mallari, Editor Reuel Vidal, Assistant Editor sports@thestandard.com.ph sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

A8

WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2016

Sports

San Miguel Beer point guard Alex Cabagnot (center) is surrounded by NLEX Road Warriors defenders, from left: Sean Anthony, Garvo Lanete and Rodrigue Akl. The unbeaten Beermen battle the Mahindra Enforcers for solo leadership of the 2016 PBA Governors’ Cup today at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Beermen, Enforcers eye lead

By Jeric Lopez IT will be the clash of league leaders and unbeaten teams as the action Games Today continues (Smart Araneta Coliseum) to heat up 4:15 p.m. - Mahindra during the vs. San Miguel 7 p.m. - Barangay Ginebra resumption vs. NLEX of the 2016 Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup. Solo leadership will be on the line when the sizzling San Miguel Beermen and Mahindra Enforcers, both part of a three-way tie for first with similar 2-0 records, take separate paths when they tussle at 4:15 p.m. to open action at the Smart Araneta Coliseum today.

Following that is an equally entertaining face off between Barangay Ginebra and NLEX Road Warriors, which both tote identical 1-1 cards, at 7 p.m. with both teams aiming to bounce back after suffering heartbreaking defeats in their last assignments.

The Beermen and the Enforcers are currently tied with unbeaten Talk ‘N Text (2-0) at the top.

While defending champion San Miguel is expected by many to perform well and be one of the top teams despite its injuries, no one saw Mahindra’s blazing start coming.

After this encounter, only one of them will remain unscathed and move up to solo first place while the other will slip down the ladder.

The Enforcers have solidified their stand as one of the most dangerous teams in the league after impressive victories over the Star Hotshots in their opening game and against GlobalPort Batang Pier, 108-98, last week. Their import James White and usual suspects—LA Revilla, Aldrech Ramos and Nino Canaleta—continue to submit stellar games.

PH athletes unwind before action in Rio

R

IO DE JANEIRO—Reeling from jetlag, members of the Philippine delegation, including the six athletes who are already here for the 2016 Rio Olympics, were given the chance to loosen up Monday in this city that has all the trimmings of a major event coming up.

Except for the Philippine flag bearer, Ian Lariba of table tennis, the rest of the athletes, from long jump specialist Marestella Torres-Sunang, swimmer Jessie Khing Lacuna, taekwondo jin Kirstie Elaine Alora and weightlifters Hidilyn Diaz and Nestor Colonia, took it easy the day after their arrival.

Members of the delegation headed by Jose Romansata could

still feel the effects of a backbreaking 25-hour flight from Manila to Rio via Dubai when they got up in the morning. Officials, including the coaches, thought it was better to give everybody some time to recover.

Lariba just went through the motions under her South Korean coach Mi Sook Kwon, a silver medalist in the 1999 World Championships. But she said she

didn’t want to overdo herself and just wanted to break sweat to shake off jetlag.

“We did just enough,” said Lariba, 21, the first athlete from the Philippines to plunge into action in this Summer Games, being held despite serious concerns on the dreaded Zika virus, security threats and the impending ban on Russian athletes.

Lariba competes the day after the opening ceremony, most likely in the morning, and ahead of Lacuna, and boxers Rogen Ladon and Charly Suarez who will also make their Olympic debut later in the day in different venues.

Track coach Joebert Delicano decided to give Sunang time to

uled to compete on Aug. 7.

“Even if it’s two days after the opening ceremony, they have to skip the parade. It’s difficult for weightlifters to be spending a long time standing, especially during the parade, so close to a competition,” said the coach from Zamnboanga City.

The two boxers, Ladon and Suarez, are all set to fly in from Las Vegas where they trained more than a month for the Olympics. Team official Ed Picson said they’re also contemplating on asking the boxers to skip the Olympic parade.

Golfer Miguel Tabuena will only arrive in Rio the day after the opening, in time for the golf competition on Aug. 11 to 14.

Abaniel beats Thai champ

By Maxine Lagman

Gretchen Abaniel shows off her three world championship belts during the PSA Forum held at Shakey’s Malate yesterday.

Lino Santos

AFTER losing three consecutive fights the past year, Gretchen Abaniel came back triumphant handing Thailand’s superchamp Saowaluk Nareepangsri her first defeat with a 10-round unanimous decision.

Abaniel knocked down Nareepangsri in the fourth round with a combination to win her bout convincingly. The 30-year-old Abaniel thus annexed her third World Championship title.

“This fight was very important for me because this is the first time in the history of women’s boxing in the Philippines that anyone held three world titles,” said Abaniel, Tuesday during

Staheli warns Pacquiao to avoid Crawford

By Ronnie Nathanielsz dropped Postol, who is trained to go out there and beat this sneaking suspicion that (Top AMERICAN trainer Rick Staheli warned Manny Pacquiao to “stay away from (Terrence) Crawford” who last weekend dominated Viktor Postol to win a twelve round unanimous decision. Staheli handled Pacquiao when he won his first world title—the World Boxing Council flyweight crown—with a spectacular 8th round knockout of Thai hero Chatchai Sasakul in December 1998. Crawford

recover from jetlag as well, saying all he did was give the country’s long jump entry a rubdown to soothe her muscles. Besides, he said Sunang practiced hard and did a dozen jumps the day before they left Manila for Rio. “Her muscles were tight due to the long flight. She had to stay out of the track at least for today.

With another good sleep, her body should feel better tomorrow,” said Delicano, a long jump champion during his prime.

Weighlifting coach Alfonsito Aldanete said Colonia and Diaz will be at the training venue Tuesday. At the same time, the coach decided not to allow his two athletes to join the opening march because they are sched-

by Freddie Roach, twice in the 5th round.

Staheli told The Standard he’d like to see Pacquiao, the eight division world champion fight one of Al Haymon’s guys and would “love to see Manny fight Danny Garcia since Adrien Broner has priced himself out of a fight. It will be something different.”

Staheli expects Crawford “to move like he did against Postol so its not going to be easy for anybody

guy. Crawford is going to be tough to beat.” Crawrod is the reigning WBO/WBC light welterweight champion with an unbeaten record of 29-0 with 20 knockouts.

Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach who trains both Pacquiao and Postol said after Crawford whipped Postol, “His speed was unbelievable.

He was just too fast. He surprised me with his talent.”

However, Staheli shared our view that “in the end I have a

Rank promoter) Bob Arum will pick Jessie Vargas” the reigning WBO/WBA welterweight champion with a record of 27-1 with 10 knockouts.

He noted, “there’s a title there. Bob keeps it in-house.

Vargas wants the pay day but he won’t beat Manny.”

In his last fight on March 5, Vargas scored a 9th round TKO over Sadam Ali after losing to Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley by a twelve round unanimous decision on June 27, 2015.

the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum at Shakey’s Malate.

Abaniel was euphoric being the first Filipino woman boxer to win three world titles. She now holds the Global Boxing Unions (GBU) world title and Women’s International Boxing Federation (WIBF) world title she won in Germany last April and recently, the Women’s International Boxing Association (WIBA) world title she won in Australia last July 2.

Most experts doubted her ability to win the fight against Nareepangsri because of her consecutive losses last year. But the miniflyweight champion decided to turn her losses into motivation

to persevere and aim for her goals.

“After three consecutive losses I thought my career was over. It was the beginning of the end. I thought it would be my last fight. I gave my all. This win is good for my career. It will be a stepping stone for me to level up,” she said.

Despite her setbacks, Abaniel used her family as her inspiration to achieve her goals and persevere in pursuing more titles to give pride to the country.

“At the age of 30, I want to give my family a good future. I really love this sport. I have really embraced it. I will continue to train hard to achieve my dreams and aspirations,” she said.

‘Tapales must be in top form’

LEON Panoncillo, World Boxing Organization vice president for the Asia-Pacific region and official supervisor for the bantamweight world title defense of Thai champion Pungluang Sor Singyu, said mandatory Filipino challenger Marlon Tapales will have to be “in top form” in his title showdown against the Thai in the historic city of Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, some 85 kilometers north of Bangkok on Wednesday.

Panoncillo, who was also fight supervisor when Tapales beat Japan’s unbeaten prospect Shohei Omori, who had a record of 15-0 with 10 knockouts last Dec. 16 in Kyoto, told The Standard: “Marlon destroyed the Japanese and really looked good, but when he fought in Las Vegas on May 6, 2011 against Alejandro

Solorio and won a majority decision over six rounds on the Manny Pacquiao-Shane Mosley undercard, he didn’t look good at all.”

Panoncillo also was the fight supervisor when Pungluang won the vacant title with a stunning ninth-round TKO over AJ “Bazooka” Banal at the Mall of Asia Arena on Oct. 20, 2012.

“I hope Marlon has been training because Pungluang is a tough nut to crack,” said Panoncillo, pointing out that from his experience watching Tapales fight, “he is hot and cold. He has to be at his best against Pungluang because when a Filipino comes to fight here in Thailand, it’s tough because the Thais fight for their country. Marlon must be hot to win here in Thailand.” Ronnie Nathanielsz

Meralco gets P10-b BDO loan

B3

Business

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@manilastandardtoday.com extrastory2000@gmail.com WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2016

B1

P20-b ‘Mandarin’ towers rising

By Jenniffer B. Austria

P

ROPERTY developer Ayala Land Inc. is redeveloping the former Mandarin Hotel property into a twin-tower, high-end residential project that is expected to generate P20.5 billion in sales.

Ayala Land Premier head of sales Mike Jugo said South Tower of Park Central Towers would offer 281 private residences, including one unit villa offering over 1,600 square meters with a 281 square-meter pool deck.

The company sold the unit for $10 million (P477 million).

Jugo said units at Park Central Towers would sell for an average price of P300,000 per square meter, making the project the company’s most expen-

sive product so far.

“Unit prices range from P32 million to an unprecedented P477 million with an average unit costing close to P80 million,” Jugo said.

Ayala Land started selling the project to loyal clients and so far sold 116 units or 40 percent of the development for P8.3 billion.

Park Central Towers is the third ultra high-end project launched by Ayala Land Premier. The first two are One Roxas Triangle and Two Rox-

as Triangle, which are adjacent to Park Central Towers.

“These prestigious, ultraluxury developments make up the Roxas Triangle block which is turning out to be one of the most valuable residential real estate addresses in the country,” Jugo said.

Park Central Towers is located acrossAyala Triangle Gardens which will contain the soon-to-be-developed grade AAA office building Ayala Tower Two and the new Mandarin Oriental Hotel.

“The towers’ central location also puts it in close proximity to the lifestyle and shopping conveniences of Ayala Center. Everything is within easy reach in all directions,” Jugo said.

Aside from its strategic location and high-end facilities and amenities, Park Central Towers will also have 10,000 square meters of high-end retail podium.

Park Central Towers’ first tower will begin turnover of the units in 2024.

Ayala Land tapped architectural company Leandro V. Loc-

sin & Partners, boutique luxury Singaporean architectural firm Soo Chan Design Associates and Japanese design group Studio Taku Shimizu to design the development.

Ayala Land Premier booked a record monthly reservation sales of P8.4 billion in June, with the launching of Park Central Towers.

Ayala Land posted a net income of P4.7 billion in the first quarter, up by 14 percent from P4.1 billion it booked in the same period last year.

Imports jumped 39% to 6.7b in May—PSA

By Gabrielle H. Binaday

BDO’S MULTIPLE AWARDS. BDO Unibank Inc. receives multiple awards from Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas during the 2016 BSP Stakeholders

Awards. Leading the BDO team in accepting the awards are BDO president and chief executive Nestor Tan (second from right) and central operations group head Dennis Velasquez (second from left) from BSP Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. (right) and Monetary Board member Valentin Araneta (left).

IMPORTS surged 39.3 percent in May from a year ago, the fastest in more than two decades, amid robust domestic demand, the Philippine Statistics Authority said Tuesday.

Data from PSA showed merchandise imports hit $6.7 billion in May, up from $4.8 billion in the same month last year. The imports growth was the fastest since it climbed 39.5 percent in January 1994.

Total imports in the first five months also grew 18.2 percent to $31.89 billion from $27 billion a year ago, resulting in wider trade deficit, as exports remained sluggish.

The Philippines posted a trade deficit of $2 billion in May and $9.8 billion in the first five months.

The National Economic and Development Authority said in a statement the increase in local demand for capital and consumer goods drove the imports growth in May. “The bullish performance of imports is a clear signal that our domestic economic conditions remain robust despite the weak global economy. With its current upward trend, we expect investments and consumption to drive growth for the rest of the year,” said Economic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia.

Data showed that among 11 selected Asian countries, only the Philippines posted a double-digit growth of 39.3 percent in May while other countries posted lower imports.

“With the sluggish import activities in the region, we must focus on fast-tracking the country’s infrastructure development to support the growth of our economy and improve our absorptive capacity for investments,” Pernia said.

Neda said imports of capital goods jumped 99.9 percent in May, sustaining its double-digit growth for the ninth consecutive month.

Vehicle importers doubled sales in first six months

By Othel V. Campos A GROUP of vehicle importers said Tuesday sales doubled in the first half from a year ago, following the introduction of affordable models.

The Association of Vehicle Importers and Distributors said sales jumped 103 percent in January to June to 45,420 units from 22,371 vehicles delivered in same period last year.

It said second-quarter sales alone expanded 74 percent to

24,260 units from 13,296 units sold a year earlier.

“Avid sales surged by 103 percent in the first half of 2016 hinging on the entry of new, innovative and reasonably-priced models,” Avid president Ma. Fe Perez-Agudo said in a statement.

“This growth will likely be the trend in the remaining months of 2016 with Avid’s value-packed products, attractive incentives and unparalleled service,” said Perez-Agudo.

Data from Avid showed the passenger car segment sold 16,618 units, up by 87 percent from 8,876 units recorded in the first semester of 2015.

Second-quarter passenger car sales increased 93 percent, led

by Hyundai with 6,021 units sold.

The light commercial vehicle segment surged 113 percent in first half to 28,802 units from 13,495 units in the same period in 2015.

This was boosted by 16,054

units sold by Ford Philippines which joined Avid in May 2015.

The group managed to hit 15,251 units in the second quarter, increasing 65 percent from the same period last year.

Agudo said automotive sales were expected to keep growing, parallel to the growth of Philippine economy which grew 6.9 percent in the first quarter of 2016.

She said vehicle purchases would remain on the upside in light of increased consum-

er confidence and attractive lineup of products despite external political developments.

Avid is composed of 10 companies engaged in the importation and distribution of automobiles in the Philippines.

Rival industry group Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. earlier said members sold 167,481 vehicles in the first six months, up by 27 percent from the same period last year.

First Philex, Sun end arbitration row Govt revives railway project in Mindanao

to discontinue, terminate or dismiss [as the case may be] THE Lopez Group and Sun- all the legal proceedings that Power Corp. of the US set- are pending between them in tled their dispute over their Hong Kong and in the Philipjoint venture project and agreed to withdraw the arbitration case filed with the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce.

First Philippine Holdings Corp., the holding company of the Lopez Group, said in a disclosure to the stock exchange that pines,” First Philippine Holdunit First Philippine Electric ings said.

Corp. and First Philec Solar First Philec is a whollyCorp. ended their disputes owned subsidiary of First with SunPower Philippines Philippine Holdings while Manufacturing Ltd., paving FPSC is a joint venture comthe way for the end of the ar- pany established by First bitration proceedings.

Philec and SunPower, which “As a result, they have to- is a wholly-owned subsidiary gether with SPML filed the of SunPower Corp. appropriate consent order, Under the terms of the motions or manifestation and settlement, SunPower paid shall do all such things as are FPSC $25,239,860, or the reasonably necessary in order full amount that SPML was

By Alena Mae S. Flores

ordered to pay FPSC in the arbitration. First Philec paid $25,260,140, and will transfer all of SunPower’s shares of stock in FPSC to First Philec.

First Philippine Holdings said in 2012 that FPSC and SunPower had alleged breaches of their wafering supply and sales agreement.

Officials then said that First Philec and FPSC initiated arbitration in order to enforce their rights under the joint venture agreement and the wafering supply and sales agreement, respectively.

FPSC inaugurated a wafer slicing facility in First Philippine Industrial Park in Sto. Tomas, Batangas in June 2008. FPSC was established to slice silicon wafers for SunPower.

The plant is the first large-scale silicon waferslicing company in the Philippines.

By Darwin G. Amojelar THE Duterte administration revived a plan to build a rail project in Mindanao though unsolicited proposals.

President Rodrigo Duterte said in his first State of the Nation Address his government would pursue train systems in Metro Manila and major key-points in the country, including the Mindanao Rail Project.

The government also plans to build Davao Transit System, Cebu Transit System, the North and South Luzon Railways and Panay Railways Project.

“These are the ones that are being studied now and we are open for proposals from private sectors,” Transportation Department spokesperson Cherie Mercado told reporters in a news briefing.

Mercado said these projects would be funded under unsolicited proposal or public private partnership scheme.

“We’re now on stage of hearing and accepting proposals for these rail projects,” Mercado said.

The Transportation Department in 2011 proposed to build a rail project that would span the whole Mindanao with a total length of 2,000 kilometers.

The railway network will be implemented in phases. Phase 1 includes the construction of a 124-km rail line from Iligan City to Cagayan de Oro City.

It will traverse 10 coastal municipalities in Misamis Oriental including Lugait, Manticao, Naawan, Initao, Liberated, Gitagum, Laguindingan, Alubi-jid, El Salvador and Opol.

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade earlier said the agency also wanted a railway system connecting Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay City and Clark International Airport in Pampanga.

B2

Business

WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2016 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Market declines; Vitarich rises S

TOCKS retreated Tuesday, following overnight losses on Wall Street, as traders await central bank meetings in Japan and the United States this week.

The Philippine Stock Exchange index, the 30-company benchmark, shed 24 points, or 0.3 percent to close at 8,024.54. Despite Tuesday’s loss, the bellwether was still up 15.4 percent since the start of the year.

Nine of the 20 most active stocks ended in the green, led by food producer Vitarich Corp. which surged 26.1 percent to P1.45 and electronics manufacturer Cirtek Holdings Philippines Corp. which climbed 2.4 percent to P21.40. PLDT Inc. gained 1.9 percent to P2,100.

Meanwhile, other Asian markets fluctuated following a negative lead from Wall Street.

Promises of monetary easing after last month’s

shock British EU exit vote led a surge in shares—and record highs on Wall Street—but a degree of nervousness has set in as two of the biggest central banks prepare to meet.

The Federal Reserve concludes its gathering Wednesday and although it is not expected to make any big announcement, its statement will be pored over for clues about policy following a run of strong data that have fanned talk of an interest rate rise.

The Bank of Japan, which closes its meeting Friday, is widely considered to be lining up a huge addition to its already vast bondbuying scheme, sending the yen tumbling and the Nikkei index soaring this month.

However, the two reversed course Tuesday with a drop in oil prices also hitting confidence.

“A stronger yen and cheaper oil prices are likely to damp investor sentiment,” Toshihiko Matsuno, a senior strategist with SMBC Friend Securities, told Bloomberg News.

By the break Japanese stocks were down 1.6 percent with exporters hurt as the dollar

fell to 104.72 yen from 105.82 yen.

Among other markets Hong Kong was 0.3 percent higher, Sydney shed 0.4 percent and Singapore was off 0.7 percent, while Shanghai added 0.6 percent and Seoul put on 0.2 percent.

US traders provided a negative lead as they also took their cash off the table after pushing multiple records on the Dow and S&P 500 over the previous two weeks.

Wall Street’s main indexes were dampened by another drop in oil prices that has been fueled by fresh worries about a global supply glut, with the US holiday driving season coming to a close and stockpiles still high.

Both main contracts fell more than 2 percent Monday, although there was a minor uptick Tuesday.

The soft oil prices filtered through to energy firms. Australia’s Woodside Petroleum lost 1.4 percent, CNOOC sank two percent in Hong Kong and Tokyo-listed Inpex dived 3.3 percent. With AFP, Bloomberg

Legacy depositors face fraud charges

By Julito G. Rada THE Justice Department ordered the filing of charges against 88 depositors of Legacy Banks and a branch manager of Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. in Bacolod City for alleged insurance fraud.

PDIC said in a statement DOJ also directed the filing of perjury charges under Article 183 of the Revised Penal Code against Manu and Champa Gidwani and 86 other depositors of Legacy Banks and the branch manager of RCBC in Bacolod.

THE STANDARD BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW TUESDAY, JULY 26, 2016

52 Weeks

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7.88 75.3 124.4 107 56.5 2.49 4.2 17 30.45 10.4 2.6 890 1.01 100 1.46 30.5 75 91.5 137 80 361.2 57 180 1700 124 3.26

2.5 66 88.05 88.1 45.45 1.97 1.68 12.02 19.6 6.12 1.02 625 0.225 78 0.9 17.8 58 62 88.35 52 276 41 118.2 1200 59 2.65

AG Finance 3.73 Asia United Bank 47.4 Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. 114.40 Bank of PI 97.70 China Bank 38.05 BDO Leasing & Fin. INc. 4.05 Bright Kindle Resources 1.65 COL Financial 16.6 Eastwest Bank 20.85 Filipino Fund Inc. 7.10 I-Remit Inc. 1.97 Manulife Fin. Corp.

600.00 MEDCO Holdings 0.640 Metrobank 95 Natl. Reinsurance Corp. 0.91 PB Bank 14.9 Phil Bank of Comm 24.30 Phil. National Bank 64.00 Phil. Savings Bank 99.95 Philippine trust Co. 500 PSE Inc. 279 RCBC `A’ 32.5 Security Bank 211.4 Sun Life Financial 1435.00 Union Bank 70.65 Vantage Equities 1.6

47 5 1.46 2.36 15.3 89 148

35.9 1.11 1.01 1.86 7.92 40.3 32

20.6 125 85 36 65.8 2.97 4.14 21.5 21.6 11.96 9.13 11.8 2.89 31.8 109 20.75 15.3 9.4 0.98 241 79 3.95 4 74 33.9 90 13.26 293 0.62 5.25 12.98 15 7.03 3.4 4.5 6.3 7.34 1450 3.28 0.315 2.18 2.65 234 5.28 1.3 26 2.17

15.32 62.5 20.2 10.08 29.15 1.5 1.5 10.72 9.55 9.04 6.02 8.86 1.06 20.2 71.5 13.86 13.24 5.34 0.395 173 34.1 2.3 1.63 33 23.35 17.3 5.88 250.2 0.335 3.87 8.45 10.04 3.03 1.95 1 4.02 5.9 801 1.55 0.138 1.02 2.09 152 4.28 0.640 10.02 1.2

Aboitiz Power Corp.

44.05 Agrinurture Inc. 3.64 Alliance Tuna Intl Inc. 0.85 Alsons Cons.

1.96 Asiabest Group 13.5 Bogo Medelin 51.2 C. Azuc De Tarlac 216.00 Cemex Holdings 12.46 Century Food 17.2 Chemphil 152 Conc. Aggr. ‘A’ 163.8 Cirtek Holdings (Chips) 20.9 Concepcion 58.4 Crown Asia 2.26 Da Vinci Capital 6 Del Monte 12.52 DNL Industries Inc. 9.800 Emperador 7.50 Energy Devt. Corp. (EDC) 5.94 EEI 9.95 Euro-Med Lab 1.88 First Gen Corp.

25.5 First Holdings ‘A’ 72.6 Ginebra San Miguel Inc. 12.00 Holcim Philippines Inc. 15.72 Integ. Micro-Electronics 5.8 Ionics Inc 2.360 Jollibee Foods Corp.

252.80 Liberty Flour 41.00 LMG Chemicals 2.08 Mabuhay Vinyl 3.78 Macay Holdings 34.60 Manila Water Co. Inc. 27 Maxs Group 29.1 Megawide 10 Mla. Elect. Co `A’ 317.00 MG Holdings 0.265 Pepsi-Cola Products Phil. 3.46 Petron Corporation 11.28 Phinma Corporation 11.66 Phoenix Petroleum Phils. 6.08 Phoenix Semiconductor 1.65 Pryce Corp. `A’ 3.6 RFM Corporation 4.41 Roxas Holdings 3.81 San Miguel ‘Pure Foods `A’ 209.4 Splash Corporation 3.04 Swift Foods, Inc. 0.162 TKC Steel Corp.

2.17 Trans-Asia Oil 2.56 Universal Robina 199.6 Victorias Milling 4.56 Vitarich Corp.

1.15 Vivant Corp.

30.55 Vulcan Ind’l.

1.29

0.59 59.2 30.05 2.16 7.39 3.4 3.35 823.5 911 10.2 84 3.35 4.92 0.66 1455 7.5 76 6.5 6.66 9.25 0.85 17.3 0.71 5.53 9.66 0.0670 2.31 1.61 84.9 974 1.66 1.39 156 0.710 0.435 0.510

0.44 48.1 20.85 1.6 6.62 0.23 0.23 634.5 260 7.390 12.8 2.6 2.26 0.152 837 5.3 49.55 3.43 3.52 4.84 0.59 12 0.580 4.2 3 0.030 1.23 0.550 59.3 751 1.13 0.93 80 0.211 0.179 0.310

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

Forum Pacific GT Capital House of Inv. JG Summit Holdings Jolliville Holdings Keppel Holdings `B’ Lopez Holdings Corp.

Lodestar Invt. Holdg.Corp.

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

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

0.400 82.50 16.56 1.35 6.20 0.405 0.395 890 1350.00 8.16 12.90 6 7.00 0.237 1577 6.80 85.30 4.2 5.82 7.9 0.76 15.84 0.490 7.4 3.13 0.0330 1.350 1.970 83.00 1026.00 1.25 0.89 193.000 0.3300 0.2060 0.300

10.5 26.95 1.99 1.75 0.375 41.4 5.6 5.59 5.6 1.44 1.97 1.48 0.201 0.69 10.96 0.97 0.305 2.22 2.1 1.8 5.94 0.180

6.74 12 0.65 1.2 0.192 30.05 3.36 4.96 2.8 0.79 1.1 0.97 0.083 0.415 2.4 0.83 0.188 1.15 1.42 1.27 4.13 0.090

8990 HLDG Anchor Land Holdings Inc. A. Brown Co., Inc. Araneta Prop `A’ Arthaland Corp.

Ayala Land `B’ Belle Corp. `A’ Cebu Holdings Cebu Prop. `A’ Century Property City & Land Dev. Cityland Dev. `A’ Crown Equities Inc. Cyber Bay Corp.

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

8.200 6.75 1.27 2.300 0.285 39.950 3.32 5.17 5.8 0.680 1.09 1.060 0.134 0.820 60.9 0.830 0.155 1.16 2.00 1.24 5.18 0.115

High

Low

FINANCIAL 3.74 3.71 47.4 46.4 114.90 113.60 98.95 97.50 38.25 38.1 4.10 4.10 1.82 1.66 17.1 16.72 21 20.5 6.86 6.83 2 1.97 600.00 595.00 0.630 0.610 95.75 95 0.93 0.91 14.9 14.8 24.30 24.20 64.75 64.00 99.95 98.75 500 450 279 278 32.65 32.35 211.4 207.4 1435.00 1410.00 71.70 71.10 1.55 1.55 INDUSTRIAL 45.4 44.35 3.68 3.49 0.89 0.84 1.97 1.9 13.5 12.9 51.2 51.2 200.00 200.00 12.5 12.2 17.24 16.9 152.5 152.1 177 163 21.6 20.9 61.5 59 2.46 2.29 6.08 5.89 12.98 12.5 10.140 9.950 7.61 7.48 5.98 5.90 9.97 9.75 1.78 1.73 26 25.55 73.9 72.25 12.00 12.00 16.00 15.60 5.83 5.73 2.380 2.340 257.80 250.20 43.00 40.00 2 1.9 3.9 3.61 34.50 34.00 27 26.6 29.1 28.6 10.38 10 322.40 319.00 0.270 0.265 3.45 3.4 11.22 11.04 11.66 11.58 6.09 5.95 1.76 1.65 3.6 3.46 4.41 4.36 3.82 3.8 210 208.8 3.04 3.04 0.160 0.155 2.21 2.08 2.56 2.37 202.6 199.8 4.58 4.5 1.45 1.15 32.95 32.95 1.31 1.29 HOLDING FIRMS 0.400 0.390 82.55 78.50 16.62 16.16 1.34 1.26 6.20 6.20 0.430 0.390 0.420 0.395 901.5 887 1450.00 1200.00 8.24 7.98 13.20 12.90 6.05 5.98 7.00 6.97 0.233 0.222 1577 1550 6.83 6.71 85.85 85.05 4.2 4.2 5.82 5.82 7.92 7.78 0.81 0.76 16 15.8 0.490 0.460 7.6 7.34 3.08 3.08 0.0330 0.0320 1.350 1.260 2.000 1.970 83.25 81.50 1028.00 1005.00 1.27 1.25 0.89 0.89 193.500 192.800 0.3350 0.3250 0.2060 0.2000 0.300 0.295 PROPERTY 8.500 8.200 6.70 6.70 1.29 1.26 2.390 2.300 0.290 0.290 40.400 39.900 3.32 3.19 5.13 5.13 5.73 5.73 0.78 0.680 1.02 1.02 1.070 1.040 0.136 0.131 0.830 0.740 61.95 58.45 0.830 0.820 0.155 0.155 1.19 1.15 2.00 1.98 1.24 1.21 5.18 5.05 0.118 0.110

Close

%

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

3.73 47.4 114.50 97.70 38.1 4.10 1.71 16.92 20.7 6.83 1.99 595.00 0.610 95.5 0.91 14.8 24.20 64.30 98.75 450 278 32.5 210.2 1410.00 71.15 1.55

0.00 0.00 0.09 0.00 0.13 1.23 3.64 1.93 -0.72 -3.80 1.02 -0.83 -4.69 0.53 0.00 -0.67 -0.41 0.47 -1.20 -10.00 -0.36 0.00 -0.57 -1.74 0.71 -3.13

28,000 14,900 4,170,480 1,154,940 128,500 13,000 1,587,000 1,028,100 747,000 11,600 53,000 240 2,950,000 2,306,210 210,000 151,800 3,300 432,890 1,220 170 870 125,900 686,290 170 198,790 136,000

45 3.5 0.88 1.9 13.38 51.2 200.00 12.36 17 152.5 164 21.4 60.5 2.34 6 12.8 10.020 7.55 5.96 9.80 1.78 25.9 72.5 12.00 15.66 5.75 2.360 250.20 43.00 1.94 3.9 34.50 26.7 29 10.3 321.60 0.270 3.43 11.08 11.58 6.00 1.76 3.52 4.40 3.82 209 3.04 0.156 2.08 2.37 200 4.5 1.45 32.95 1.29

2.16 -3.85 3.53 -3.06 -0.89 0.00 -7.41 -0.80 -1.16 0.33 0.12 2.39 3.60 3.54 0.00 2.24 2.24 0.67 0.34 -1.51 -5.32 1.57 -0.14 0.00 -0.38 -0.86 0.00 -1.03 4.88 -6.73 3.17 -0.29 -1.11 -0.34 3.00 1.45 1.89 -0.87 -1.77 -0.69 -1.32 6.67 -2.22 -0.23 0.26 -0.19 0.00 -3.70 -4.15 -7.42 0.20 -1.32 26.09 7.86 0.00

2,239,600 2,529,000 3,439,000 6,514,000 19,100 310 100 27,934,500 3,314,500 180 2,880 13,001,100 160,650 14,044,000 1,175,100 259,500 11,852,300 1,952,900 19,787,400 634,600 42,000 5,692,200 356,430 81,800 401,400 441,500 990,000 765,090 1,400 113,000 28,000 200 1,437,600 152,300 10,100,000 283,450 8,000 1,210,000 3,322,100 27,100 1,025,100 2,293,000 204,000 317,000 42,000 3,340 1,227,000 1,960,000 4,272,000 12,970,000 1,633,130 2,909,000 230,472,000 800 312,000

0.390 80.20 16.40 1.32 6.20 0.395 0.395 889 1250.00 8.01 13.06 6 6.97 0.233 1551 6.75 85.05 4.2 5.82 7.9 0.76 16 0.480 7.34 3.08 0.0320 1.260 1.970 82.30 1005.00 1.27 0.89 193.500 0.3300 0.2060 0.295

-2.50 -2.79 -0.97 -2.22 0.00 -2.47 0.00 -0.11 -7.41 -1.84 1.24 0.00 -0.43 -1.69 -1.65 -0.74 -0.29 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.01 -2.04 -0.81 -1.60 -3.03 -6.67 0.00 -0.84 -2.05 1.60 0.00 0.26 0.00 0.00 -1.67

190,000 7,815,180 7,555,800 150,000 600 28,090,000 2,050,000 197,350 150 2,978,800 15,172,100 73,400 213,100 210,000 77,335 74,800 1,718,780 3,000 100 1,133,900 129,000 2,818,700 310,000 39,399,400 2,000 19,200,000 102,000 463,000 346,230 262,705 243,000 2,000 18,660 2,100,000 30,000 740,000

8.340 6.70 1.27 2.340 0.290 40.200 3.21 5.13 5.73 0.680 1.02 1.040 0.133 0.740 58.5 0.830 0.155 1.15 1.98 1.22 5.05 0.114

1.71 -0.74 0.00 1.74 1.75 0.63 -3.31 -0.77 -1.21 0.00 -6.42 -1.89 -0.75 -9.76 -3.94 0.00 0.00 -0.86 -1.00 -1.61 -2.51 -0.87

1,824,500 1,500 1,688,000 682,000 70,000 8,534,600 3,876,000 900 500 172,392,000 1,000 26,000 26,180,000 97,929,000 1,483,900 303,000 310,000 10,499,000 10,294,000 67,000 52,021,500 15,810,000

687,300.00 19,394,059 4,720,400.50 11,430.00 -32,760.00 74,204.00 -328,140.00

-46,500.00 96,923,973.50 8,190.00 -2,044,864.00 15,436,087.50 -47,430.00 1,037,760 17,677,528.00 -413,652.00 13,681,650.00 -11,010.00 -975,170.00

49,361,210.00 24,013,554.00 -426,000.00 751,161 90,810.00 -31,942.00 -30,408,552.00 -2,905,292.00 37,054,250.00 162,428.00 -64,030.00 72,208,275.00 6,116,941.50 1,273,958.00 -1,486,490.00 -444,140.00 26,707,232.00

-7,059,725.00 -57,400.00 36,087,084.00 15,413,826.00 13,250.00 2,332,730.00 1,590,228.00 26,994.00 34,600.00 563,030.00 -142,800.00 -152,000.00 45,720.00 435,120.00 2,208,300.00 93,651,895 3,839,980.00 16,475.00

-19,704,474.50 44,271,704.00

-69,100.00 97,848,790.00 1,417,625.00 -3,948,034.00

25,191,555.00 69,558,334.50 -44,595.00 26,004,704.00 49,000.00 -16,044,723.00

52 Weeks

Previous

High Low

STOCKS

0.470 0.72 27 8.54 31.8 2.29 4.9 21.35 1.06 7.56 1.62 8.59

0.290 0.39 23 2.69 22.15 1.6 3.1 15.08 0.69 3.38 0.83 5.73

10.5 66 1.44 1.09 14.88 28.5 15.82 0.1430 5.06 99.1 2.6 7.67 1700 2720 8.41

1.97 35.2 1 0.63 10.5 18.2 8.6 0.0770 2.95 56.1 1.6 4.8 830 1600 5.95

70.5 1.97 119.5 7 5.8 0.017

17.02 1.23 102.6 3.01 4 0.011

0.8200 2.2800 5.93

0.041 1.200 2.34

12.28 3.32 2.53 95.5 1 2.46 15.2

6.5 1.91 1.01 3.1 0.650 1.8 6

1.040 22.8 6.41 4 185 22.9 3486 0.760 2.28 46.05 90.1

0.37 14.54 3 2.28 79 4.39 2748 0.435 1.2 31.45 60.55

11.6 0.85 2.95 10 0.490 1.9

7.59 0.63 1.71 5 0.315 1.14

0.0098 5.45 17.24 0.330 12.7 12.8 1.19 1.62 9.5 4.2 0.48 0.420 0.440 0.022 0.023 8.2 49.2 4.27 1.030 3.06 0.020 0.021 7.67 12.88 10.42 0.040 420 9 0.016

0.0043 1.72 6.47 0.236 6.5 5.11 0.85 0.77 5.99 1.17 0.305 0.2130 0.2160 0.013 0.014 3.240 18.96 2.11 0.365 1.54 0.012 0.013 5.4 7.26 2.27 0.015 115.9 3.67 0.0100

70 553

33 490

120 515 8.21 12.28

101.5 480 5.88 6.5

78.95 84.8

74.5 75

6.98

0.8900

15

3.5

12.88

5.95

130.7

105.6

54,400.00 -177,980.00 982,760.50 16,308,005.00 75,600.00 482,500.00 6,500.00

-110,069.00 -19,200.00 147,437,235.00 341,690.00 -8,011,670.00 -1,311,840.00 -454,100.00 12,840,386.50 -23,240.00 1,220.00 2,766,610.00 1,240.00 12,264,501.00 -832,640.00

Close

Phil. Estates Corp.

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

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

High

Close

0.2850 0.2850 0.480 0.460 42.00 39.05 16.72 16.5 33.05 32.70 1.78 1.73 3.3 3.29 30.45 30.00 1 0.96 7 6.08 1.060 1.030 6.460 6.220 SERVICES 2GO Group’ 7.4 7.4 7.33 ABS-CBN 51.2 51.4 50.5 Acesite Hotel 1.23 1.23 1.22 APC Group, Inc. 0.620 0.620 0.580 Asian Terminals Inc. 11.26 11.1 11.1 Berjaya Phils. Inc. 5.7 5.78 5.7 Bloomberry 5.70 6.04 5.75 Boulevard Holdings 0.0990 0.1040 0.0980 Calata Corp.

2.86 2.88 2.82 Cebu Air Inc. (5J) 99.95 101 99.95 Discovery World 1.93 1.93 1.93 DFNN Inc. 5.89 6.00 5.89 FEUI 940 940 915.5 Globe Telecom 2246 2264 2242 GMA Network Inc. 6.32 6.35 6.31 Golden Haven 16.70 16.92 16.64 Grand Plaza Hotel 20.30 21.95 20.40 Harbor Star 1.25 1.26 1.20 I.C.T.S.I. 67 67.55 65.5 Imperial Res. `A’ 23.50 24.85 22.10 Imperial Res. `B’ 187 196 186 IP E-Game Ventures Inc. 0.0091 0.0091 0.0089 IPM Holdings 9.30 9.36 9.32 Island Info 0.340 0.355 0.340 ISM Communications 1.8200 1.8500 1.7900 Jackstones 2.72 2.8 2.7 LBC Express 12.9 12.8 12.7 Leisure & Resorts 6.85 6.91 6.63 Liberty Telecom 3.09 3.10 3.02 Lorenzo Shipping 1.08 1.10 1.03 Manila Broadcasting 19.98 19.98 19.98 Manila Bulletin 0.590 0.620 0.590 Manila Jockey 2.02 1.99 1.99 Melco Crown 3.81 3.9 3.64 Metro Retail 5.37 5.57 5.37 NOW Corp.

3.660 3.710 3.620 Pacific Online Sys. Corp. 12.22 12.2 12.06 PAL Holdings Inc. 5.05 5.25 5.00 Paxys Inc. 2.48 2.88 2.5 Phil. Seven Corp.

140.00 140.00 139.00 Philweb.Com Inc. 15.86 16.30 15.88 PLDT Common 2060.00 2112.00 2054.00 PremiereHorizon 0.440 0.450 0.435 Premium Leisure 1.160 1.160 1.140 Puregold 49.20 49.20 48.00 Robinsons RTL 86.30 86.75 85.80 SBS Phil. Corp.

6.45 6.68 6.38 SSI Group 3.24 3.32 3.22 STI Holdings 0.650 0.670 0.640 Transpacific Broadcast 1.89 1.9 1.9 Travellers 3.62 3.63 3.56 Waterfront Phils.

0.335 0.325 0.325 Yehey 6.700 6.900 6.500 MINING & OIL Abra Mining 0.0041 0.0042 0.0040 Apex `A’ 3.05 3.07 2.91 Atlas Cons. `A’ 4.30 4.29 4.21 Basic Energy Corp.

0.232 0.233 0.227 Benguet Corp `A’ 6.9900 6.85 6.75 Benguet Corp `B’ 7.7700 7.2000 6.7500 Century Peak Metals Hldgs0.63 0.71 0.64 Coal Asia 0.480 0.495 0.480 Dizon 8.63 8.70 8.56 Ferronickel 0.900 0.900 0.880 Geograce Res. Phil. Inc. 0.290 0.295 0.285 Lepanto `A’ 0.237 0.238 0.235 Lepanto `B’ 0.248 0.255 0.245 Manila Mining `A’ 0.0130 0.0130 0.0120 Manila Mining `B’ 0.0140 0.0140 0.0140 Marcventures Hldgs., Inc. 1.8 1.85 1.8 Nickelasia 5.55 5.67 5.4 Nihao Mineral Resources 2.77 2.91 2.77 Omico 0.5500 0.6000 0.5600 Oriental Peninsula Res. 1.1200 1.1500 1.1300 Oriental Pet. `A’ 0.0120 0.0120 0.0110 Oriental Pet. `B’ 0.0120 0.0120 0.0120 Petroenergy Res. Corp. 4.15 4.15 4.15 Philex `A’ 8.55 8.50 8.41 PhilexPetroleum 4.40 4.41 4.18 Philodrill Corp. `A’ 0.0130 0.0130 0.0120 Semirara Corp.

120.00 121.50 119.20 TA Petroleum 3.86 3.88 3.76 United Paragon 0.0110 0.0110 0.0110 PREFERRED ABS-CBN Holdings Corp. 51 51 50.45 Ayala Corp. Pref `B1’ 520 520 520 CDD Pref 106.30 109.4 103.1 First Gen G 119 119 119 GLOBE PREF P 543 543 543 GMA Holdings Inc. 6.09 6.1 6.09 Leisure and Resort 1.08 1.08 1.08 PNX PREF 3A 107 108.3 108.3 SMC Preferred B 76.5 76.5 76 SMC Preferred C 81.4 81.5 81 SMC Preferred D 77.9 76.05 76.05 SMC Preferred E 79 79 79 SMC Preferred G 79 79.85 79 SMC Preferred H 77.1 77.1 77.1 SMC Preferred I 77 77.2 77 WARRANTS & BONDS LR Warrant 2.830 2.870 2.710 SME Alterra Capital 5.85 5.7 5 Makati Fin. Corp.

3.37 3.71 3.71 Italpinas 5.78 6.33 5.61 Xurpas 17.08 17.44 17.1 EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS First Metro ETF 132.3 132.3 131.9

TRADING SUMMARY

SHARES

FINANCIAL

16,729,577

INDUSTRIAL

399,460,967

HOLDING FIRMS

138,477,202

PROPERTY

453,241,864

SERVICES

389,038,959

MINING & OIL

669,622,105

GRAND TOTAL

2,094,065,884

0.2850 0.460 41.65 16.36 32.95 1.75 3.29 30.15 0.99 7 1.030 6.390

Low

%

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

0.2850 0.480 39.60 16.54 32.90 1.75 3.3 30.10 0.97 7 1.050 6.250

0.00 4.35 -4.92 1.10 -0.15 0.00 0.30 -0.17 -2.02 0.00 1.94 -2.19

20,000 300,000 5,600 372,600 1,525,100 318,000 200,000 7,572,000 2,270,000 5,300 1,232,000 19,011,100

7.35 50.7 1.23 0.610 11.1 5.78 5.97 0.0990 2.85 100 1.93 5.99 939.5 2244 6.31 16.70 20.40 1.20 65.5 23.50 186 0.0090 9.36 0.345 1.8000 2.71 12.8 6.70 3.02 1.10 19.98 0.620 1.99 3.73 5.40 3.630 12.2 5.25 2.88 139.00 16.10 2100.00 0.435 1.150 48.20 86.15 6.45 3.22 0.650 1.9 3.61 0.325 6.500

-0.68 -0.98 0.00 -1.61 -1.42 1.40 4.74 0.00 -0.35 0.05 0.00 1.70 -0.05 -0.09 -0.16 0.00 0.49 -4.00 -2.24 0.00 -0.53 -1.10 0.65 1.47 -1.10 -0.37 -0.78 -2.19 -2.27 1.85 0.00 5.08 -1.49 -2.10 0.56 -0.82 -0.16 3.96 16.13 -0.71 1.51 1.94 -1.14 -0.86 -2.03 -0.17 0.00 -0.62 0.00 0.53 -0.28 -2.99 -2.99

126,000 101,610 2,000 8,563,000 100 19,500 12,275,400 214,150,000 1,807,000 909,700 4,000 816,900 790 68,480 146,400 327,000 51,200 3,532,000 3,964,120 328,700 1,010 54,000,000 319,200 20,880,000 1,818,000 186,000 11,800 544,300 365,000 591,000 100 212,000 17,000 11,690,000 19,939,000 2,464,000 17,200 53,100 40,000 470 95,000 88,540 1,760,000 2,855,000 2,454,500 1,306,380 2,069,400 5,566,000 5,931,000 10,000 3,790,000 60,000 112,700

0.0041 2.94 4.29 0.229 6.8500 7.2000 0.67 0.480 8.65 0.880 0.290 0.235 0.245 0.0120 0.0140 1.81 5.64 2.81 0.5900 1.1300 0.0120 0.0120 4.15 8.44 4.20 0.0120 119.20 3.77 0.0110

0.00 -3.61 -0.23 -1.29 -2.00 -7.34 6.35 0.00 0.23 -2.22 0.00 -0.84 -1.21 -7.69 0.00 0.56 1.62 1.44 7.27 0.89 0.00 0.00 0.00 -1.29 -4.55 -7.69 -0.67 -2.33 0.00

453,000,000 749,000 389,000 330,000 25,100 9,600 8,102,000 1,070,000 15,600 7,251,000 1,240,000 18,710,000 1,630,000 8,700,000 900,000 713,000 6,082,500 158,000 696,000 843,000 69,400,000 1,100,000 1,000 1,419,900 7,732,000 57,600,000 529,340 618,000 20,400,000

-82,000.00 -85,910.00 -16,960.00

50.45 520 106.3 119 543 6.1 1.08 108.3 76.05 81.5 76.05 79 79 77.1 77

-1.08 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.16 0.00 1.21 -0.59 0.12 -2.37 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

89,930 6,600 976,090 6,870 12,570 415,000 2,000 120 86,650 22,960 25,100 25,600 29,000 62,590 223,200

2,744,584.00 -3,432,000.00 -58,420.00

2.750

-2.83

1,206,000

-1,892,220.00

5.14 3.71 6.3 17.34

-12.14 10.09 9.00 1.52

20,278,700 12,318.00 42,000 4,855,300 1,133,322.00 2,039,900 -6,465,538.00

132

-0.23

9,310

46,500.00 82,776.00 11,886,520.00 18,199,300.00 9,700.00 5,300.00 23,824,018.00 -510,171.00 -2,170,470.00 1,110.00 6,892,844.00 574,200.00 14,100.00 40,540,196.50

-6,899,780.00 -835,404.00 6,000.00 -3,526,809.00 28,050.00 2,808,000.00 -450,000.00 -270,550.00 -34,326 -61,800.00

2,049,150.00 21,611,582.00

-13,926.00 -14,580.00 56,698,540.00 25,244,465.00 900,486.50 -4,385,510.00 -6,400,670.00 305,510.00

141,180.00 -83,700.00 464,680.00 -222,950.00 20,400.00 -2,843,962.00 29,900.00

101,001.00 -2,891,580.00 14,528,761.00 370.00

-1,988,571.00 -6,565,578.50 -1,044,900

1,322.00

VALUE 1,820.10 (up) 1.05 1,171,760,839.02 FINANCIAL INDUSTRIAL 12,138.82 (up) 30.38 2,636,762,926.453 HOLDING FIRMS 7,885.01 (down) 93.08 2,269,299,232.272 PROPERTY 3,651.95 (down) 12.21 1,656.12 (up) 6.40 1,552,909,771.32 SERVICES MINING & OIL 11,082.38 (down) 92.11 1,317,974,936.48 PSEI 8,054.54 (down) 24.59 172,886,189.975 All Shares Index 4,777.86 (down) 29.12 9,300,350,109.522 Gainers: 71; Losers: 130; Unchanged: 53; Total: 254

PDIC said the Justice Department also recommended that the 88 depositors be charged for violating Section 4 (a) of the Anti-Money Laundering Act. The Prosecutor General was also directed to charge the bank manager with violation of Section 4 (c) of Amla.

PDIC said the respondents filed deposit insurance claims with respect to various accounts maintained with Legacy Banks.

It said the Justice Department in a resolution dated June 3, 2016, found sufficient evidence that through the respondents’ false pretenses and misrepresentations, PDIC was made to pay fraudulent deposit insurance claims amounting to P97.73 million.

The DoJ said the respondents made it appear they were the legitimate owners of the subject accounts with Legacy Banks, when in fact, they did not personally own them but were instead owned and controlled by the Gidwani couple.

The DoJ said some of the respondents were helpers and/or rank and file employees of Gidwani and his wife who obviously did not have the financial capacity to fund the hundreds of thousands of pesos deposited in their respective names with Legacy Banks.

The department said if the respondents had truthfully divulged to PDIC that the true and beneficial owner of the subject bank accounts was Manu Gidwani, PDIC would not have been duped into treating the subject bank accounts individually and separately, and would have only paid Gidwani P250,000 for each Legacy Bank involved. The maximum deposit insurance coverage at the time was P250,000 per depositor per bank.

BSP sees inflation climbing to 2.4% INFLATION rate likely picked up to as high as 2.4 percent in July from 1.9 percent in June, on higher power rates and weaker peso, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. said Tuesday.

“The BSP forecast suggests that July inflation could settle within the 1.5 percent to 2.4 percent range,” Tetangco said in a text message Tuesday.

Tetangco said the upward adjustment in power rates and higher rice prices along with weaker peso could be partly offset by lower water rates, domestic oil prices and vegetable prices during the month.

“Going forward, the BSP will remain watchful of evolving price trends to ensure price stability conducive to a balanced and sustainable economic growth,” he said.

The peso posted its weakest level this month on July 12 at 47.32 against the US dollar.

Inflation in the first six months averaged 1.3 percent, below the government’s official target range of 2 percent to 4 percent for 2016.

ING Bank Manila senior economist Joey Cuyegkeng said in a report Tuesday the Monetary Board of Bangko Sentral was expected to continue the current monetary policy stance in the months ahead on ample liquidity in the financial system and continuous manageable inflation environment. Julito G. Rada

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Business

Manila

Standard

TODAY

B3

WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2016 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Meralco gets P10-b BDO Unibank loan

By Alena Mae S. Flores

M

ANILA Electric Co., the biggest retailer of electricity, obtained a short-term loan of P10 billion from BDO Unibank Inc. in June to finance capital expenditures this year, a senior official said Tuesday.

“We did a short term [borrowing] last June, one year [tenure]. BDO because the rate was attractive... The capex came in, and we wanted to fund a portion of the dividends,” Betty Siy-Yap, Meralco senior vice president and chief finance officer told reporters.

She said the company might still raise funds toward the latter part of the year subject to

regulatory approval.

“We’re looking at several offers of the banks. There are lots of opportunities. I think we have four right now, short term.

For the long term, we’re looking at it but... we need regulatory approval for that one,” Siy-Yap said.

She said Meralco was looking at fund raising opportunities “to time it when interest rates work

Back to work NOW that the 17th Congress has formally opened, people want to see their legislators to roll up their sleeves and start the grunt work. Hopes and expectations are high that these “public servants” will follow the lead of President Rodrigo Duterte—who sported a rolled-up barong Tagalog for the State of the Nation Address—and cut the bull.

A very welcome addition to the Senate is Richard “Dick” Gordon whose no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is approach is definitely preferable than the false humility and smooth talk by other legislators. People are just tired of nice sounding but meaningless words. His assessment of the NAIA Runway 06-24 debacle for example hit home—it is embarrassing that people have to suffer such ignominies at NAIA, which is supposed to be an international airport, but as it turns out, has been poorly maintained.

But as the President said in his SONA, time to move forward instead of letting the blunders of the past administration stymie the country’s growth. But that doesn’t mean though that those responsible for the state we are in will get away with it. If evidence warrants, those who betrayed the country will have their time of reckoning, the president promised—and we will hold him to that. As one of our buddies said, “Mananagot yung mga naging pAbaya!”

A lot of people support the plan of Senator Gordon to decongest Manila—NAIA to be exact—by using Subic and Clark. Doing so would also result in faster growth for adjacent areas in Luzon since Subic and Clark—where the old US bases are located— have already been converted into Freeport Zones. Like the former Olongapo Mayor pointed out, its is a shame that the development of the said zones has been stalled, six years wasted with little done to enhance the excellent facilities left by the Americans.

It’s sheer stupidity, the senator fumed, that all these infrastructure in Clark and Subic have not been properly utilized.

Many agree, spreading growth from Manila to Luzon (Central, North and South) can be done.

“Do we want a crash landing or our economy to take off?”

The senator asked in a Facebook post, saying it’s high time we implement the development plans of the early ‘90s involving three airports (Subic, Clark, Manila), three seaports (Subic, Mariveles, Manila) and one highway (connecting NLEX, SCTEX and SLEX). Gordon is expanding it further with the inclusion of the Batangas seaport and the development of a railway system that passes thru Subic, Clark, Manila to Batangas for starters.

The legislator is confident that the above can pave the way for the decongestion of Manila and the development of the countryside for industries. “An economic triangle that will guarantee investments, factories, a reliable transportation system for manufactured products, agricultural produce, livelihood and jobs—all leading to a healthy economy,” the returning senator continued. He also stressed the need for speed “... Against crime.

Against bureaucracy. Against traffic. We need speed. To push for development. To push for investments. Jobs. Livelihood. I will be there to help the president accelerate the country to greater heights. But I will also be there to make sure no one is run over or left behind,” Gordon promised.

Ongpin under persecution?

Many can’t blame businessman Roberto “Bobby” Ongpin for feeling persecuted by the Securities and Exchange Commission, what with the revival of a case that has been dismissed—not once, but twice—by the Sandiganbayan for lack of probable cause. We’re talking about the sale of those Philex Mining shares back in 2009 which was converted by the SEC into an insider trading case.

According to Ongpin, it was a straightforward transaction where the price for the shares was negotiated with Manny Pangilinan—no insider trading involved. Besides, the case was filed almost a full year after the two-year deadline imposed by the Securities and Regulations Code. “Clearly, the case had prescribed,” Ongpin said.

The SEC’s July 8 en banc decision barring the businessman from sitting on the board of any publicly listed firm plus a fine of P174 million was “erroneous and grossly unfair,” the business tycoon said, lamenting the continuing persecution that he continues to experience from those whom he described as the “remaining minions of the past administration.”

••• For comments, reactions, photos, stories and related concerns, readers may email to happyhourtoday2012@yahoo. com. You may also visit and like our Facebook page https:// www.facebook.com/happyhourmanilastandard. We’d be very happy to hear from you. Cheers!

in our favor.”

Siy-Yap earlier said the company might raise between P10 billion and P15 billion this year to fund the company’s capex requirements.

She said the borrowings would depend on the company’s available cash flow, adding any other fund-raising could be on a per project basis, specifically with Meralco PowerGen Corp.

“The ERC [Energy Regulatory Commission] has initially heard our request but it took a while for them to come out with the decision and the period within which a provisional approval could be granted has already lapsed,” Siy-Yap said.

“And the market condition at the point also changed. We see interest rates increasing at that time, so we withdrew our request for a D-E [debt-equity] ratio but certainly we would need to borrow and we are exploring other options possible

for us,” she said.

The ERC approved a P15.5billion capex for Meralco for 2016 to improve system reliability, safety, power quality and efficiency of the distribution system.

“These significant investment outlays are reflective of our commitment to 24x7 service to Meralco customers, while being mindful of our deliverables of sustained profitability and volume accretion to our shareholders and other business partners,” Meralco president Oscar Reyes said.

Meralco’s completed projects include the expansion of the Masinag substation with the commissioning of the second 83 MVA power transformer, energization of Banawe GIS substation and development of Sitio Gitna 115 kV switching station.

Meralco serves nearly six million customers in its franchise area.

Govt sells Treasury bonds at lower rates

By Gabrielle H. Binaday THE national government on Tuesday fully awarded P25 billion worth of debt paper following lower interest rates amid the high investor confidence after the first State of the Nation Address of President Rodrigo Duterte Monday.

Rates for the treasury bonds stood at an average of 3.016 percent, down 48.4 basis points from the previous auction rate of 3.461 percent.

Interest rate bids ranged from 2.898 percent to 3.07 percent.

“Of course, we are very glad that there was very good appetite and very good bids. So this is of course due to the turnout especially with the SONA just happening [last Monday]” said National Treasurer Roberto Tan after the auction.

Tenders for the government’s P25-billion bond offering was nearly twice oversubscribed at P44.72 billion.

The reissued debt paper has a remaining life of six years and eight months just issued in April this year.

“I think the market is very pleased with the policy pronouncements of the President [which] would be business-friendly and marketoriented policy-friendly for the country,” Tan said.

He said economic developments pointed toward a low interest rate scenario, at least probably until the latter part of the year.

“Given that the [US] Fed seems to be more dovish in its announcements, so that’s the international side. Of course Europe is on a slow growth environment, as well as Japan and other countries, so there is a tendency for the major economies [and] monetary authorities to provide a monetary stimulus to help the economy ride on,” Tan said.

“Domestically, the macroeconomic fundamentals are very sound, the liquidity of the market is still quite deep, and these are all helping the sentiment for investors to be very aggressive,” he added.

Sicat sees more initial public offerings in 2nd half

By Jenniffer B. Austria THE Philippine Stock Exchange may hit its P200-billion capital raising target in 2016 due to a healthy pipeline of initial public offerings and other fund-raising activities by listed companies in the second half of the year.

“If everything in pipeline materializes, we will end up meeting the P200-billion target,” PSE president and chief executive officer Hans Sicat said in an interview at the sidelines of the listing ceremony of DoubleDragon Properties Corp.’s P10-billion preferred bond offering.

Sicat said the level of interest in the Philippine stock market had been on the upward trend,

with volume of trading at the stock exchange increasing since the successful initial public offering of Cemex Holdings Philippines Inc. last week.

“Clearly it has been a good series of fund raising so the calender is quite busy in the second half of the year compared to the first half of the year” Sicat said.

Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp., a unit of Royal Dutch Shell Plc., on Monday filed an IPO application with the Securities and Exchange Commission that will enable it to raise as much as P29.7 billion in proceeds.

Pilipinas Shell said it would sell up to 300 million in primary and secondary shares, with an

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

option for another 30 million shares in case of overallotment.

The shares will be offered at P90 apiece in November.

Sicat said he hoped other companies that previously deferred their IPO plans would finally proceed with their fund-raising activities given

Republic of the Philippines Department of Environment and Natural Resources MINES AND GEOSCIENCES BUREAU North Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City. Philippines

Tel. No. (+632) 928-8642/928-8937 Fax No. (+632) 920-1635 E-mail: central@mgb.gov.ph

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST AND TO APPLY FOR ELIGIBILITY AND TO BID ITB No. 2016-07-035 P.R. No. 2016-01-143 PROJECT TITLE: CONSULTANCY SERVICE – NETWORK ENHANCEMENT FOR CENTRAL AND REGIONAL OFFICES 1.

2.

3.

INVITATION TO BID The Department of Education, Region IV-A , through the 2016 General Appropriation Act intends to apply the sum of Nine Million One Hundred Fifty Six Thousand (Php9, 156,000.00) only being the Approved Budgel for the Contract (ABC) to eligible payments under the contract for the provision of venue for the Board & Lodging of Ihe participants to the Region-wide Training on K-3 Early Language, Literacy and Numeracy (Batch 4). Bids received in excess of the ABC per Cluster shall be automalically rejected at bid opening.

Cluster I

ABC Cavite ABC Laguna/Rizal/Antipolo ABC Batangas ABC Quezon

Cluster II Cluster III Cluster IV

Php1,884,000.00 157 pax Php2,748,000.00 229 pax Php2,376,000.00 198 pax Php2,148,000.00 179 pax

The Department of Education Region IV-A, through its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), now invites bids for the herein-mentioned Goods. Bidders must have completed, within five (5) years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the Project with an amount of at least 50% of the ABC to be bid.

The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, i.e., in Section II, Instructions to Bidders. Bids received that exceed the ABC shall be rejected at bid opening.

Contract duration------------September 5 - 14, 2016 Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using a non-discretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) 9184, otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act.” Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least sixty percent (60%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines, and to citizens or organizations of a country the laws or regulations of which grant similar rights or privileges to Filipino citizens, pursuant to RA 5183 and subject to Commonwealth Act 13B.

4.

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

Activity

Date and Time Bldding From July 28 - August 15, 2016 8:00am to 5:00pm (Mon. -Fri.)

Pre-Bid Conference

August 1, 2016 -10:00 a.m.

Submission and opening August 15, 2016 -10:00 a.m. of Bids

Venue DepED IV-A Director’s Conference Room -same-same-

Prospective bidders are strongly encouraged to order or download the electronic copy of the Bidding Documents from the PhilGEPS website: www.philgeps.net. for them to be included in the Document Request List of the project. The pre-bid conference is open-to-all Interested parties who may have or have not bougllt the bidding documents.

Bids must be delivered to the address and on the date and time stated herein. All bids must be accompallied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in the ITB Clause 18. A valid Bid Securing Declaration must accompany the bld(s) in lieu of a bid security Bids will be opened In the presence of the bidder’s representatives who choose to attend the opening of bids at the address. date and time stated herein. Late bids shall not be accepted.

The DepED Region IV-A reserves the right to reject any and all bids, declare a failure of bidding not award the contract(s) or annul the bidding process without thereby incurring any liability to Ihe affected bidder or bidders.

For further information. please refer to: Ann Geralyn T. Pelias BAC Chairman Virginia Bagacay BAC Secretariat DepED IV-A Gate 2 Karangalan Drive, Cainta, Rizal 6458406 (TS-JULY 27, 2016)

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

(SGD) ANN GERALYN T. PELIAS BAC Chairman

The Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB), through the General Appropriations Act (GAA) for CY 2016 intends to apply the sum of Fourteen Million Pesos (PhP14,000,000.00) being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for One (1) Lot Consultancy Service –Network Enhancement for Central and Regional Offices under Purchase Request (PR) No. 2016-01-143. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected during opening of the Financial Proposal.

The MGB now calls for the submission of Expression of Interest (EOI) and Eligibility Documents for the Conduct of Consultancy Service - Network Enhancement for Central and Regional Offices. Interested contractors with a minimum of at least five (5) years’ experience in the abovementioned service must submit their EOI and Eligibility Documents on or before July 28, 2016, Thursday, 1:30PM. Opening of Eligibility Documents will be on the same day, July 28, 2016, at 2:00PM at the Office of the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), MGB Compound, North Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City. Applications for eligibility will be evaluated based on a nondiscretionary “pass/fail” criterion. Late submission shall not be accepted.

One of the MGB’s ICT program is the innovations of its different offices including the MGB Regional Offices (RO). Majority of these innovations are related to ICT which will require a reliable and stable network and internet connection. Early of the second quarter of FY 2016, the MGB Central Database was introduced and is now being populated prior to its launching to the public. This database is a collection of MGB related data on mineral resources. Also, the agency started the development of the identified Information System (IS) since FY 2015. These IS were clearly indicated in the MGB Information System Strategic Plan (ISSP) FY 2015-2017. The success of these projects will depend on the performance of the ICT resources and services. To effectively deliver the requirements of these projects, a reliable ICT resources network is needed. Thus, This Project MGB Network Enhancement (MGBNET) which aims to enhance the existing network of all MGB offices at the soonest possible time. The following shall be the scope of the MGBNET Project: • Replacement and/or re-cabling of the existing Local Area Network (LAN) of the following MGB offices: • MGB Central Office (CO); • MGB CAR; • MGB RO No. I; • MGB RO No. II; • MGB RO No. IIII; • MGB RO No. IV-A; • MGB RO No. IV-B; • MGB RO No. V; • MGB RO No. VI; • MGB RO No. VII; • MGB RO No. VIII; • MGB RO No. IX; • MGB RO No. X; • MGB RO No. XI; • MGB RO No. XII; and • MGB RO No. XIII. • Installation of LAN of the Negros Island Region (NIR); • Provision of network equipment and supplies in the installation of the LAN; • Installation and configuration of Virtual Private Network (VPN) firewall devices and security measures; • Installation of a Wide Area Network (WAN) to facilitate communication among MGB CO and RO networks and allow employees to remotely access computers; • Provision of online monitoring, maintenance, warranty and technical support to MGB CO and ROs; • Provision of training to all Network Administrator of MGB CO and ROs; • Transfer of MGB CO server room from its existing location to the Multi-purpose building; • Submission of progress report, training documents and materials; and • Inventory and turn over report of replaced equipment.

Eligibility Documents shall consist of: Legal Documents i. Registration certificate from the Securities and Exchange Commission, or from the Department of ii.Trade and Industry for sole proprietorship, or any proof of such registration as stated in the Bidding Documents; ii. Mayor’s permit issued by the city or municipality where the principal place of business of the prospective bidder is located; Technical Documents i.

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

the current upbeat trend in the capital markets.

“The current volumes on the exchange... give bankers a lot of impetus to say it is a good time to raise funds and also because valuations in the Philippines and investors interest are quite high,” Sicat said.

Statement of the prospective bidder of all its ongoing and completed government and private contracts, including contracts awarded but not yet started, if any, whether similar or not similar in nature and complexity to the contract to be bid, within the relevant period as provided in the Bidding Documents. ii. Prospective bidder’s Omnibus Affidavit stating among others, that the prospective bidder is not “blacklisted” or barred from bidding by the Government of the Philippines (GOP) or any of its Agencies, Offices, Corporations or LGUs, including non-inclusion in the Consolidated Blacklisting Report issued by the GOP; iii. BIR Registration Certificate; iv. Latest BIR/Tax Clearance; v. Company profile of the prospective bidder; vi. Statement of the consultant specifying its nationality and confirming that those who will actually perform the service are registered professionals authorized by the appropriate regulatory body to practice those professions and allied professions, including their respective Curriculum Vitae (CV); Financial Documents i. Audited financial statements, stamped “RECEIVED” by the Bureau of Internal Revenue or its duly accredited and authorized institutions, for the immediately preceding calendar year, showing, among others, the total assets and liabilities of the prospective bidder.

The MGB-BAC and its Technical Working Group (TWG) shall draw up a short list of consultants from those who have submitted their EOI and eligibility documents. The selection of the shortlisted consultants will be determined in accordance with the criterion and rating system as follows: • Firm Experience – 50% • Job Capacity – 25% • Qualification of Personnel - 25% Only contractors with a minimum score of 60% shall be part of the shortlist.

Short-listed consultants shall be notified in writing and issued bidding documents upon payment of a non-refundable fee of Four Thousand Pesos (PhP4,000.00). Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using non-discretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the revised IRR of RA No. 9184.

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

The MGB shall evaluate bids using Quality-Cost Based Evaluation/Selection (QCBE/QCBS) procedure. The MGB shall indicate the weights to be allocated for the Technical and Financial Proposals. The criteria and rating system for the evaluation of bids shall be provided in the Instruction to Bidders.

The contract shall be completed within Eight (8) months upon receipt of the Notice to Proceed.

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

For further information, please refer to: HOWELL M. MAPOY Head, BAC Secretariat Bids and Awards Committee North Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City Telephone No. 6676700 loc. 153 or 156 E-mail: bac@mgb.gov.ph Website: www.mgb.gov.ph

(TS-JULY 27, 2016)

(SGD.) Engr. JUANCHO PABLO S. CALVEZ Chairman, BAC

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Ray S. Eñano, Editor business@manilastandardtoday.com extrastory2000@gmail.com

B4

WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2016

Business

NEW YORK, NY-A view of Verizon Plaza outside the Verizon headquarters building on July 25, 2016 in New York City. Verizon Communications has announced it is buying Yahoo’s core businesses for $4.83 billion. AFP

BP logs another huge loss LONDON―BP faced another net loss in the second quarter but has now drawn a line under the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill disaster, the British energy giant said Tuesday.

The company posted a loss after taxation of $1.4 billion (1.3 billion euros) for the three months to June, which however compared with a far larger loss of $5.8 billion for the second quarter of 2015.

BP also booked a net posttax non-operating charge of $2.8 billion for costs linked to the oil disaster. That included a pre-tax non-operating charge of $5.2 billion.

The energy major had already revealed earlier this month that the final cost for the spill stood at $61.6 billion, including the latest second-quarter hit.

BP added that this year’s capital expenditure was now expected to fall below $17 billion.

“We are very pleased to have finally drawn a line under the material liabilities for Deepwater Horizon,” said chief executive Bob Dudley in the results statement.

“We will always be mindful of what we have learned from that tragic accident. BP today is a stronger, more focused and more disciplined company.

“We continue to actively develop a strong, balanced portfolio and we are managing the business for value over volume. AFP

A new beginning for Yahoo

By Rob Lever

W

ASHINGTON―It appears at first glance to be an ignominious fate for Yahoo, the internet pioneer which has long been one of the best-known names in Silicon Valley.

A deal announced Monday delivers the core assets of Yahoo to telecom giant Verizon for $4.8 billion, a fraction of its peak market value of $125 billion at the height of the dot-com boom.

But while Yahoo as a corporate entity may be disappearing, the brand it created is likely to live on and potentially grow under its new corporate benefactor, analysts say.

“Let’s call it a new beginning for Yahoo,” said

Forrester Research analyst Shar VanBoskirk.

“I don’t anticipate Verizon doing away with the Yahoo brand, they will maintain the Yahoo name on a lot of its very good media properties.”

While Yahoo has been successful in building a global audience of as many as one billion worldwide, “it hasn’t been able to change and adjust its brand as the market has changed,” VanBoskirk told AFP. “It could be good for them if they think differently about what it means to be Yahoo. The brand will have a platform that may let them go farther than they have over the past five years.”

The deal announced Monday was described as offering synergies for the two firms, as Verizon seeks to expand beyond a carrier and Yahoo needs help in stemming its decline against online rivals Google and Facebook.

Yahoo will be run through the recently acquired

Verizon unit AOL, another faded internet star.

Bob O’Donnell of the consultancy Technalysis Research agreed that Verizon will want to keep the Yahoo brand which is recognized worldwide, at least for the near term.

“My guess is that Verizon will take a hands-off approach and might even tie it together with some AOL properties,” O’Donnell said.

Greg Sterling, a contributing editor to the Search Engine Land blog, said he was generally upbeat about the deal, assuming Verizon gives Yahoo breathing room and investments.

“Yahoo was struggling to meet investor expectations each quarter,” Sterling said.

“Maybe this will allow them to take a longerterm view.”

Yahoo’s chief executive Marissa Mayer said that the two-decade-old California company “has changed the world, and will continue to do so

through this combination with Verizon and AOL.” She told a conference call that Verizon “offers significant strategic alignments in Yahoo’s focus on informing, connecting and entertaining our users.”

One of the keys for the deal is whether two companies with vastly different histories and cultures and come together and thrive.

While Yahoo comes from the freewheeling, innovative world of Silicon Valley, Verizon has staid roots as a regulated telecom operator on the eastern seaboard.

“They are about as far on the spectrum as any two companies can be,” said Roger Kay of Endpoint Technologies Associates.

Kay said Verizon “is an uninnovative company, very different from the software-oriented world” from which Yahoo comes.

Verizon needs to handle Yahoo with care if it wants the deal to work, analysts said. AFP

Yahoo played key online role WASHINGTON―Among the best-known names on the internet, Yahoo was one of the first companies that enabled users to find their way online, but has lost its role as a leader.

On Monday, Yahoo agreed to sell its core internet operations to telecom giant Verizon for $4.8 billion, capping a long decline from when it had a peak market value of some $125 billion in 2000.

Here are key facts about Yahoo: • Founded in 1994 by Stanford University students David Filo and Jerry Yang, Yahoo was created as a type of directory for the internet. It was originally called “Jerry and Dave’s Guide to the World Wide Web” and when the Yahoo name was agreed upon, its founders said in jest that it stood for “Yet Another Hierarchical Officious Oracle.”

• Its initial public offering in 1996 was the largest for a tech startup at the time.

• Based in Sunnyvale, California, Yahoo has offices around the world and was for years the

leading “portal” for the internet, with a home page that allowed users to click on categories such as sports, finance and movies, or search for information.

• It employed 11,700 people.

Marissa Mayer was named chief executive in July 2012 but has been cutting staff significantly. As of March 31, its employee count was estimated at 9,400 and falling.

• Yahoo was once the leading search engine for the internet but it has been overtaken by Google, which launched in 1998.

• According to data compiled

by Netmarketshare, Yahoo handles just 7.7 percent of global online searches compared with 70 percent for Google and 11 percent for Microsoft’s Bing.

• For online advertising, Yahoo is only expected to take 1.5 percent of the worldwide digital advertising market this year, down from 2.1 percent in 2015, according to eMarketer.

• With its web portal, Yahoo remains an important online destination for email, messaging,

news, and video. It gets 204 million regular visitors in the United States, according to comScore, which ranks it as the third-largest digital media property in the US. • In October, Yahoo became the first online service to stream a regular season NFL American football match, getting 15 million viewers.

• Yahoo’s finances have been skewed by its stake in China’s Alibaba. It bought a 40 percent stake in Alibaba in 2005 for $1 billion and its current holding is now worth some $30 billion―the vast majority of Yahoo’s market value of around $37 billion.

• In 2013, Yahoo moved to attract a younger audience by buying the online blogging platform Tumblr for $1 billion.

• Yahoo posted a loss of $4.4 billion for 2015, and in its most recent quarter lost another $440 million, having to write down the value of much of its assets.

Revenues for 2015 were $4.9 billion. AFP

This file photo taken on February 17, 2016 shows Yahoo! president and CEO Marissa Mayer delivering a keynote during the Yahoo Mobile Developers Conference in San Francisco, California. She came to Yahoo with glamor, star power and a wealth of experience at rival Google that was expected to help revive the fortunes of the faded internet pioneer. But in the end, the best Marissa Mayer could do was to negotiate a deal to sell the core internet assets of Yahoo to telecom giant Verizon, ending a two-decade run for the Silicon Valley icon as an independent company. AFP

Brewer AB InBev raises offer for SABMiller after pound slump BRUSELAS, Belgium―The world’s top brewer AnheuserBusch InBev raised its offer for rival SABMiller on Tuesday after a major slump by the British pound due to the Brexit vote threw the blockbuster deal into doubt.

Angry shareholders of London-based SABMiller were increasingly resisting the giant buyout, which before the Brexit vote was valued as much as $121 billion.

In a statement, the Belgiumbased brewer of Budweiser and

Stella Artois said it raised its all cash offer for SABMiller from 44 pounds per share to 45 pounds in what was its final proposal.

The transaction now values SABMiller’s entire “issued and to be issued” share capital at around 79 billion euro ($103 billion), ABInbev said.

That includes a restricted share offer that is less attractive to investors as they must wait five years before cashing out.

AB InBev agreed in November to buy SABMiller whose

brands include Foster’s, Grolsch and Peroni.

The Leuven, Belgium, based brewer said the new offer represents a premium of approximately 53 per cent to SABMiller’s closing share price when news of the negotiations first broke in September last year.

In a statement SABMiller said it “notes” the announcement by AB InBev. “The board will continue to consult with shareholders and will meet in due course formally

to review... the revised offer and a further announcement will be made thereafter,” the company said.

The deal is expected to boost world-leader AB InBev’s prospects in developing markets in Africa and China.

AB InBev’s acquisition of the London-based SABMiller is in line to be the third largest in history if it clears all regulatory hurdles.

But the deal’s value fell sharply given the plunge in the value

of the pound after Britain’s vote to leave the European Union.

“The increase will cost AB InBev an additional 1.5 billion pounds or $2.0 billion at the current exchange rate,” said ING bank in a note to clients.

“However, when comparing the previous offer at the prevailing exchange rate before Brexit ... with the increased offer at the current exchange rate, the latter is actually [more than] $3 billion lower in value,” it added.

The mega deal was on its final

stretch before the complications from Brexit, with approval secured by EU, US and South African regulators.

AB InBev has agreed to a series of concessions to win the greenlight from the competition authorities, including the sale of stakes in Snow Breweries in China.

It also agreed to sell most of SABMiller’s European businesses, including Peroni and Grolsch which were bought by Japanese brewer Asahi. AFP

Mimaropa DOH hosts drug tests ‘The Department of Health in MIMAROPA (Oriental/Occidental Mindoro, Marinduque Romblon, Palawan) conducted another random drug testing (RDT) in the Oriental Mindoro Medical Center in Calapan City.

During a visit last week in Oriental Mindoro, Regional Director Eduardo

Janairo assured residents the program they started at the Regional Office in the five provinces will be continued.

“Patients and their family members must better be protected from preventable harm that may cause by an impaired physician or a nurse who is a drug user,” stressed Janairo.

LGUs LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2016

C1

Peña appointments voided

By Joel E. Zurbano

T

he Civil Service Commission has so far invalidated 99 appointments for promotion and regularization issued under the administration of former Makati acting Mayor Romulo Peña.

To date, the Office of the Mayor has received 99 letters signed by CSC Makati Field Office Director Henry Peliño, all declaring as invalid either the promotion or regularization of certain personnel for violating CSC rules banning appoint-

ments during an election period, failure to comply with mandated procedures, and ineligibility.

“With the action taken by the Civil Service Commission, through its Makati Field Office, we will now be able to firm up our budgetary allocations for

personal services through a more accurate computation of salary increases and performance incentives,” City Personnel Officer Vissia Marie Aldon said.

Aldon said the 99 invalidated appointments consist of 73 promotions and 26 regular appointments.

“These nullified appointments make up the initial batches sent by the CSC Makati Field Office. We are expecting more will follow as the CSC continues its review of the remaining appointments in question,” Aldon said.

Based on records, Peña signed appointments for the promotion

and/or regularization of about 260 personnel.

The concerned personnel are working at the Ospital ng Makati, the Makati health department, the budget department, the general services department, the Makati Action Center, the accounting department, the finance department, the education department, the Office of the City Building Official, the Economic Enterprise Management Office, and the City Civil Registration Office.

In his letters to the Mayor, Peliño cited CSC Memorandum Circular No. 10, series of 2011,

which contains the “Revised Rules on Appointments Issued

by Outgoing Elective and Appointive Officials.”

The circular declares that all appointments issued after the election up to June 30 by outgoing elective and appointive officials shall be disapproved, unless they comply with certain requisites.

To qualify for an exemption to the ban, the appointee of an elective official must meet the minimum qualifications as required under the CSC Qualification Standards Manual or special law, if any, for the position to

which he/she was appointed.

He or she must have undergone the Personnel Selection Board (PSB) screening prior to the election ban. In this case, the appointing authority or agency shall submit the minutes of the PSB meetings and an evaluation report of the applicants.

Third, there should be an urgent need for the issuance of the appointment/s so as not to prejudice the public or endanger public safety.

Fourth, Civil Service Law, rules and regulations and special laws, if any, on the issuance of appointments should be followed.

DDR, infra projects set for Tacloban

By Mel Caspe REPRESENTATIVES of various government offices and socio-civic organizations paid courtesy calls on Tacloban City Mayor Cristina Romualdez to discuss disaster management and infrastructure projects in the city.

Romualdez met with National Housing Authority Regional Director Rizalde Mediavillo and RFN Construction Co. Raffy Ilagan to discuss the permanent shelter housing project for the 498 families living at the coastal barangays that bore the brunt of Super Typhoon “Yolanda.”

The Land Bank of the Philippines’ Leyte Lending Center head Eulalio Lagpa Jr. and the city’s technical working group briefed Romualdez on the city’s loans to finance a “triple A” slaughterhouse, a sanitary landfill and the city’s drainage system.

Employees of the Region VIII Philippine Health Insurance Corp. and of the Public Attorney’s Office RO8 led by its officer-in-charge regional public attorney Vevelyn Monsanto likewise met with the mayor.

Officials of the Rotary Club Makati South came along with other fellow Rotarians to discuss their projects. Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Regional Director Restituto Macuto, Internal Audit Service Director Wayne Belizar and DSWD officials also visited Mayor Romualdez.

GRACE. Students from Dapitan City perform at the annual Kinabayo Festival on the day of the city’s patron Saint James on Thursday. LANCE BACONGUIS

Blumentritt cleared of illegal vendors

By Sandy Araneta MANILA Mayor Joseph Estrada on Monday led another road clearing operation on the traffic-plagued stretch of Blumentritt Road.

At least 600 illegal vendors were expelled as hundreds of city hall personnel and policemen, personally directed by

Estrada, cleared the portion of Blumentritt from Rizal Avenue to Aurora Boulevard.

“We’ve been lenient with them,” Estrada said of the illegal vendors. “But they really obstruct traffic.”

The Blumentritt raid came less than a week after Estrada led a similar clearing operation in Divisoria, where 2,000 illegal

vendors were removed and hundreds of illegal stalls and other traffic-causing structures were dismantled and taken away.

As he oversaw the dismantling of the vendors’ makeshift stalls, Estrada also admonished several vendors who keep on coming back to Blumentritt.

“We allow you your livelihood but we cannot allow you to incon-

venience our taxpayers,” he told one of the illegal vendors. “Roads are for vehicles,” Estrada added.

Aside from Blumentritt, nearby side streets such as Oroquieta, Felix Huertas and P. Guevarra were also cleared.

Vendors are allowed to operate on the side streets of Blumentritt as long as they do not block traffic flow.

Munti transfers sidewalk vendors

THE city government of Muntinlupa is giving affected sidewalk vendors a chance to sell in its public markets.

Mayor Jaime Fresnedi said the Muntinlupa City Public Market (MCPM) will open 80 slots for the sidewalk vendors and City Terminal will offer spaces where vending will be completely legal.

Vendors who cannot afford rental fees in MCPM or in City Terminal can sell on private sites if they do not block main roads or sidewalks, do not use large umbrellas and are legally authorized by the owner. Vendors are also obliged to get a clearance from the Muntinlupa Traffic and Management Bureau.

The city actively supports President Rodrigo Duterte’s campaign for peace and order across the country and discouraged vendors to go back to the sidewalks. The motive of the operation in Alabang and nearby barangays was to free sidewalks and footbridges from obstructions for pedestrians.

CLEAN. Mayor Rex Gatchalian voluntarily submits himself for drug testing at the Valenzuela City Hall. JUN DAVID

QCPD intensifies purge of narco-cops

By Florante S. Solmerin substances following conTHE new leadership of the Quezon City Police District has intensified its internal cleansing with the killing of a police senior inspector in a buy-bust that led to a shootout between the suspect and policemen early Tuesday morning at the corner of Commonwealth and Regaldo Avenues.

QCPD chief Senior Supt.

Guillermo Eleazar identified the slain suspected narcocop as Senior Insp. Ramon Castillo, an active member of the QCPD’s District AntiIllegal Drugs (DAID).

Castillo died in the spot, Eleazar said. At least five packs of shabu worth more than P1 million were recovered inside the suspect’s black Innova.

He said Castillo sensed that his buyers were police officers so he quickly boarded his car and sped away toward Regalado Avenue. He was chased by the policemen.

Castillo was cornered at Bulova Street and it was there where he alighted and engaged the cops in a shootout.

Just recently, Eleazar named three QCPD cops who tested positive for illegal

firmatory tests. They are Police Officer 2 Marlou Baradi from the District Public Safety Batallion (DPSB), PO2 Cornelio Sarmiento from the Anonas Police Station, PO1 John Santos from Batasan Police Station, and PO1 Porferio Sarigumba from Talipapa Police Station.

Prior to this, at least 35 QCPD cops were reassigned to different units in Mindanao for their alleged involvement in illegal-dr ug syndicates.

The Philippine National Police has ramped up its war on drugs on orders from President Rodrigo Duterte and has killed more than 300 pushers and users. The PNP also continues its internal cleansing to weed its rank and file from scalawags and criminals.

Just five days after he assumed office, Duterte named three alleged drug lords and their narco-general protectors in the country.

They are Peter Lim, a Cebu-based businessman and Peter Co and Herbert Colangco alaias Ampang, both inmates at the National Bilibid Prison.

DSWD approves P19.6-million projects in Sarangani THE Department of Social Welfare and Development has approved the release of P19.6 million for the implementation of various socio-economic projects in Kiamba town in Sarangani province.

Bai Zorahayda Taha, DSWD Region 12 director, said Monday the funds comprise the approved grants

for the coastal municipality under the final phase of the agency’s f lagship initiative Kalahi-CIDSS. Kalahi-CIDSS stands for Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services, a World Bank-assisted poverty alleviation program implemented since 2003 by

the DSWD. Taha said the grants will mainly cover the rollout of 13 projects in “hard-to-reach” communities in the area. “These projects are now ready for implementation,” she said.

Taha said the projects were earlier identified by community stakeholders and later approved for funding in an inter-

barangay forum.

The approved projects are the installation of double-barrel concrete box culverts in Barangays Lomuyon, Tablao, Lebe and Salakit; the purchase of rescue vehicles for Gasi, Kling, Maligang and Katubao; the construction of a 1,000-linear meter drainage canal in Lagundi; the construction of a

new health station in Tambilil; the construction of a potable water system in Luma; and the construction of new school buildings and day-care centers in Kapate and Datu Dani.

Daryl Doctolero, KalahiCIDSS area coordinator, said the 13 projects are under the program’s Makamasang Tugon component. PNA

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK Manila

Standard

Republic of the Philippines TODAY ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION San Miguel Ave., Pasig City

IN THE MATTER OF THE APPLICATION FOR APPROVAL OF THE POWER SUPPLY AGREEMENT (PSA) BETWEEN SAMAR II ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE INC. AND GNPOWER LTD. CO. WITH PRAYER FOR CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT OF INFORMATION AND THE ISSUANCE OF PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY SAMAR II ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE, INC. (SAMELCO II) AND GNPOWER LTD. CO. (GNPOWER)

13.

14.

A.

ERC Case No. 2016-027 RC B.

Applicants. x-------------------------------------------------------x

TO ALL INTERESTED PARTIES:

Exchange of Contracted Capacities. To maximize capacity utilization, Region 8 ECs may exchange quantities of their Contracted Capacities. (Exchange in MW Capacity Protocol annexed to the PSA) C. Contract Price Under Schedule 1 of the PSA, the Total Monthly Charge, before taxes, for a Billing Period shall be computed according to the following Total Monthly Charge = Capacity Charge + Energy Charge C. 1. Capacity Fee and Capacity Charge The Capacity Fee is the ‘component of the Contract Price allocated to pay for the cost, as well .as, the operations and maintenance of the Facility and is designated as the Capacity Fee in Schedule 1 of the PSA as such may be adjusted from time to time based on SAMELCO II’s Capacity Utilization Factor.

On 15 March 2016, Samar II Electric Cooperative, Inc. (SAMELCO, II) and GNPower Ltd. Co. (GNPower) filed their joint Application for approval of their Power Supply Agreement (PSA), with prayer for confidential treatment of information and issuance of provisional authority.

In support of said Application, SAMELCO II and GNPower alleged, among others, the following:

2.

Annex “A” “B” “C” “D” 3.

Applicant SAMELCO II is a non-stock, non-profit electric cooperative existing under the laws of the Philippines, with principal office address at Paranas, Samar. It is authorized to distribute and provide electricity services to its memberconsumers in the Municipalities of Calbiga, Daram, Talalora, San Jose de Buan, Motiong, Jiaborig, Catbalogan, Villareal, San Sebastian, Paranas (Wright), Hinabangan, Basey, Zumarraga, Santa Rita, Pinabacdao, and Marabut, all in the Province of Samar, (collectively, the “Franchise Area”); Copies of SAMELCO II’s Articles of •Incorporation, By-Laws, Certificate of Registration, and Certificate of Franchise are attached to the Application as follows: Document SAMELCO II’s Articles of Incorporation SAMELCO II’s By-laws Certificate of Registration with the National Electrification Administration (NEA) Certificate of Franchise Applicant GNPOWER is a duly registered limited partnership existing under Philippine laws, engaged in the business• of developing, constructing, operating, and owning power generation facilities and in the sale and trade of electric power.

•Its principal office is at 28th Floor, Orient Square Building, Don Francisco Ortigas Jr. Road, Ortigas Center, Pasig City;

4.

GNPOWER’s pertinent documents evidencing its due registration as a limited partnership are appended to the Application, as follows: Annex Document Certificate of Registration issued by the Securities and “E” Exchange Commission (SEC) “F” GNPOWER’s Amended Articles of Partnership 5.

Applicants may be served with orders, notices, and other legal processes of the Commission through its counsels of record;

6.

The instant Application is filed pursuant to Sections 23, 25, 43 (u), and 45 (b) of Republic Act No. 9136, otherwise known as the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001 (EPIRA Law), its Implementing Rules and Regulations, and other pertinent rules and regulations. A copy •of the PSA signed by Applicants on 18 September 2015 is attached as Annex “G” and forms an integral part of the Application;

7.

STATEMENT OF FACTS The aggregated uncontracted baseload demand of Region 8 for years 2015 to 2018 is continually increasing as shown in the table below:

Contract Year

Contract Duration

2015 2016 2017 2018

Dec. 26, 2014 – Dec. 25, 2015 Dec. 26, 2015 – Dec. 25, 2016 Dec. 26, 2016 – Dec. 25, 2017 Dec. 26, 2017 – Dec. 25, 2018

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

Where: QACTUAL

=

CC HT

= =

EHTO

=

CAPACITY FEE LOCAL PRICE COMPONENTS (PHP/ kWh)

100% 99% 98% 97% 96% 95% 94% 93% 92% 91% 90% 89% 88% 87% 86% 85% 84% 83% 82% 81% 80% 79% 78% 77% 76% 75% 74% 73% 72% 71% 70%

Typhoon Yolanda hit the region on 08 November 2013 stalling any efforts to contract additional power supply and shifting the focus instead on the massive restoration efforts in the area; Thus, the Region 8 ECs decided to bid out their power supply requirements for the period 2015 - 2018. In the middle of 2014, the Region 8 ECs conducted a Joint Power Supply Planning.

Later, the Region 8 ECs decided, through a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), to conduct a joint procurement of their shortterm aggregated baseload requirement, specifically, their power supply needs beginning 26 December 2015 until 25 December 2016. From September to December 2014, the competitive bidding for the region’s power requirements was held; For such purpose, a Bids and Awards Committee was created to conduct the Region 8 Joint Competitive Power Supply Procurement (“R8 JCPSP”) as follows: 12.1 The Region 8 ECs initially prepared their respective least-cost power supply plans and subsequently their aggregated baseload demand for competitive bidding; 12.2. The competitive tender was published and announced in the coverage areas of the Region 8 ECs. In addition, prospective bidders (Generation Companies, IPP Administrators and Wholesale Aggregators whose names are listed on the Department of Energy (DOE) website) were invited; 12.3. The capacity offered by the winning bidder/s was allocated among the eleven (11) Region 8 ECs in proportion to their declared demand. A bidder was allowed to offer to supply capacity that is less than or equal to the aggregated baseload requirement in any or all of the contract years in increments of 1MW. In the event that some winning bidders offered less than 11 MW, the loads were optimally allocated in such a way that the blended price of generation resulting from the R8 JCPSP transaction is almost the same for all ECs. In the event multiple bidders who collectively satisfy the total baseload demand of R8 ECs are declared winners for any contract year, all winning bidders entered into individual PSAs with each of the 11 ECs;

For the resulting CUF which is not a whole number, the corresponding Capacity Fee Price C6mponent shall be computed using the formula below:

LCRCUF = LFOM CUF = Where: LCRCUF

–

LCR@100%

–

LFOMCUF

–

LFOM@100%

–

CUF

–

“H-1-a” “H-2” “H-3” “H-4” “H-5” “H-6” “H-7” “H-8”

CUF

LFOM

= D. E.

is the local component of the Capital Recovery fee in PHP/kWh at the given CUF. is the local component of the Capital Recovery fee in PHP/kWh at 100% CUF. is the local component of the Fixed O&M fee in PHP/ kWh at the given CUF. is the local component of the Fixed O&M fee in PHP/ kWh at 100% CUF. is the Capacity Utilization Factor between 70% and 100%, provided that if the actual CUF is below 70% (the “Minimum Capacity Utilization Factor”), the Capacity Price shall be calculated based on the Capacity Fee and quantity associated with the Minimum Capacity Utilization Factor.

=

CC HT

= =

EHTO

=

the actual quantity of energy, in kWh, delivered to SAMELCO II at the Delivery Point in the Billing Period the Contracted Capacity, in kWh, as set forth in Schedule 1 the total number of hours in such Billing Period the sum of the duration, in Equivalent Hours, of Scheduled Outages and Unscheduled Outages in such Billing Period

C. 2. Energy Fee and Energy Charge The Energy Fee is the component of the Contract Price allocated to pay for the coal, including Government Charges, designated as the Energy Fee in Schedule 1 of the PSA as adjusted from time to time due to changes in the delivered price of coal and Governmental Charges. The Energy Fee shall be computed in accordance with the following formula: Energy Charge = QACTUAL x EF + 1.5256 x

=

EF PHCPIn-1

= =

PHCPI0

=

H.

+ 0.2375

Actual energy delivered by GNPOWER to SAMELCO II, in kWh, for the Billing Period Energy Fee in PhP/kWh Philippine Consumer Price Index of the calendar month prior to the month corresponding to the Billing Period, for All Income Households – All Items (2006 = 100), as published by the Philippine National Statistics Coordination Board (or as substitute or replacement agency, as the case may be) base Philippine Consumer Price Index for the month of December 2014 for All Income Households – All Items

(2006 = 100), as published by the Philippine National Statistics Coordination Board (or its substitute or replacement agency, as the case may be) Indonesian Coal Price Index of the calendar month prior to the month corresponding to the Billing Period, in US$/ Mton Base Indonesian Coal Price Index for the month of December 2014 = US$67.28/Mton

Currency of Payment The Contract Price shall be paid by SAMELCO II in Philippine Peso only.

Scheduled and Unscheduled Outages Under the PSA, GNPOWER shall be allowed Scheduled and Unscheduled Outages not to exceed forty-five (45) days per Contract Year, during which time reduced or no delivery will be available to SAMELCOII. Unutilized Equivalent Hours for Scheduled Outages and Unscheduled Outages in the Contract Year cannot be carried forward to subsequent Contract Year.

Replacement Power During any Scheduled or Unscheduled Outages, GNPOWER and SAMELCO II shall cooperate to arrange for Replacement Power from, including but not limited to, other facilities of GNPOWER, third parties and the WESM. GNPOWER, at its own cost and in consultation with SAMELCO II, shall negotiate on behalf of SAMELCO II for the supply and delivery of capacity and energy from third parties for a price as close as possible to the Contract Price.

Prompt Payment Discount Provided SAMELCO II has no arrears from previous billings, including the Security Deposit or any unpaid charges or penalties, if SAMELCO II pays the invoice amount in full within 10 days from its receipt of the invoice, SAMELCO II shall be credited on the next subsequent bill a PPD equivalent to eight centavos per kilowatt-hour (PhP0.08/kWh).

Security Deposit In the event of SAMELCO II’s failure to pay on Due Date, GNPOWER shall draw, at its option, from the Security Deposit on the working day immediately following the Due Date. Within thirty (30) Business Days from the Start of Delivery Date, SAMELCO II shall establish • the Security Deposit and submit to GNPOWER documentary proof sufficient to allow GNPOWER to draw therefrom. The Security Deposit shall be in the form of cash and or irrevocable letter of credit and shall be equivalent to SAMELCO II’s projected maximum electricity bill, to be determined not later than sixty (60) calendar days prior to Start of Delivery.

COMMERCIAL ADVANTAGE OF THE GENERATION RATE AND IMPACT ON SAMELCO I’S RETAIL RATES 15. SAMELCO II, together with the other Region 8 ECs, needs to address the insufficiency of its power supply due to the increasing demand within its franchise area and the expiration of its contract with NPC-PSALM; 16. Currently, SAMELCO II receives a total of 7MW from its existing suppliers, out of its peak requirement of 2.651MW. With an annual average growth rate of 5%, SAMELCO II forecasts that its peak demand 17. The additional supply from GNPOWER will significantly augment the supply deficiency of SAMELCO II and will decrease the adverse effects thereof by providing a stable and adequate source of electricity; 18. Among alternative suppliers capable of providing additional energy to SAMELCO II and the rest of the Region 8 ECs, GNPOWER’s rates proved to be more reasonable and competitive. While GNPOWER’s offer is primarily intended for its base load requirements, the Capacity Factor Pricing PSA provides flexibility in the DUs’ utilization of the Contracted Capacity; 19. SAMELCO II simulated a rate impact analysis which resulted in a Php0.0950/kWh decrease with the execution of the PSA with GNPOWER, to wit:1 1. Simulation of Generation Mix Rate WITH GNPOWER for the Year 2016 Power Supplier

Forecasted 2015 Quantity (kWh)

Amount (PhP)

Percent Share (%)

GMCP TRANS-ASIA GNPOWER WESM TOTAL

36,773,750.00 17,520,000.00 29,419,000.00 (13,538,416.20) 70,174,333.80

175,686,590.63 95,012,712.00 163,602,000.90 (69,157,405.17) 365,143,898.35

52.40% 24.97% 41.92% -19.29% 100%

Resulting Capacity Factor (%) 83% 100% 84%

2. Simulation of Generation Mix Rate WITHOUT GNPOWER for the Year 2016 Resulting Forecasted Percent Power Capacity 2015 Quantity Amount (PhP) Share Supplier Factor (kWh) (%) (%) GMCP 36,773,750.00 175,686,590.63 52.40% 83% TRANS-ASIA 17,520,000.00 95,012,712.00 24.97% 100% GNPOWER WESM 15,880,583.80 101,113,206.09 22.63% TOTAL 70,174,333.80 371,812,508.71 100% Generation Rate Impact 20.

21.

ANNEX “I” “J” “K” “K-1” “L” “M” “N” “P” “Q” “R”

Where: QACTUAL

Where: QACTUAL

G.

“O”

CUF = max

EF = 0.2874 x

F.

CUF

12.5. The process followed the 2-envelope system - the legal requirements and proof of financial and technical capability in the first, and the commercial offer in the second. Bids were evaluated based on an Evaluation Framework and Evaluation Methodology released to the Bidders;

Attached to the Application are copies of the relevant documents issued relative to the Joint Competitive• Selection Process undertaken by the Region 8 ECs for the supply of their aggregated base load demand: Document Invitation to Bid Copy of the page of the newspaper where the Invitation was published Affidavit of Publication of the Invitation to Bid Memorandum of Agreement among Region 8 ECs Emails confirming participation of interested suppliers in the bidding Final Instruction to Bidders Bid Forms Bid Evaluation Slips Comparison of Bids Notice of Award

ICI0

LFOM @100%

The Capacity Utilization Factor (CUF) shall be computed as follows:

12.7. On 14 September 2015, GNPOWER and the Region 8 ECs commenced the final negotiations for the other commercial and technical terms and conditions of the PSA and negotiated the further reduction of the Contract Price from PhP5.’0481/kWh to PhP 4.9653/kWh and for the increase in capacity to 52MW;

“H-1”

LCR@100%

12.4. Bidders who signified their intention to join by buying the bid documents, attended pre-bid conferences where they gave their comments and sought clarification on the bidding requirement and process. The BAC issued bid bulletins and the Final Instruction to Bidders;

12.6. After evaluating the bids of each supplier, on 14 November 2014, the BAC declared Applicant GNPOWER as a winning bidder of a total of 43 MW for Contract Year 2016, with a Lowest Calculated Responsive Bid with a Base Price offer of PhP5.0481/kWh and an evaluated Effective Price of PhP6.6658/kWh;

Annex “H”

Fixed O&M (LFOMCUF) 0.6204 0.6267 0.6331 0.6396 0.6463 0.6531 0.6600 0.6671 0.6743 0.6818 0.6893 0.6971 0.7050 0.7131 0.7214 0.7299 0.7386 0.7475 0.7566 0.7659 0.7755 0.7853 0.7954 0.8057 0.8163 0.8272 0.8384 0.8499 0.8617 0.8738 0.8863

Capital Recovery (LCRCUF) 2.2944 2.3176 2.3412 2.3654 2.3900 2.4152 2.4409 2.4671 2.4939 2.5213 2.5493 2.5780 2.6073 2.6372 2.6679 2.6993 2.7314 2.7643 2.7980 2.8326 2.8680 2.9043 2.9415 2.9797 3.0189 3.0592 3.1005 3.1430 3.1867 3.2315 3.2777

C.U.F.

The contracts of most of the Electric Cooperatives (ECs) i n Region 8 with the National Power Corporation Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corporation (NPCPSALM) expired on 25 December 2014; On 07 November 2013, the eleven (11) ECs of Region 8 participated in the bidding for PSALM’s 200 strips of energy from the Unified Leyte Geothermal Power Plant, but lost;

=

the actual energy delivered, in kWh, to the Buyer at the Delivery Point for the Billing Period. is the Contracted Capacity in kW. is the total number of hours in the Billing Period.

the sum of the duration, in Equivalent Hours, of Scheduled Outages and Unscheduled Outages in such Billing Period CFCUF = the Capacity Fee in PhP/kWh for a given CUF in a Billing month.

LCRCUF = the local component of the Capital Recovery Fee in PhP/kWh at the given CUF. LFOMCUF = the local component of the Fixed O&M fee in PhP/kWh at the given CUF. PHCPIn-1 = Philippine Consumer Price Index of the calendar month prior to the month corresponding to the Billing Period, for All Income Households – All Items (2006=100), as published by the Philippine National Statistics Coordination Board (or its substitute or replacement agency, as the case may be). = the base Philippine Consumer Price Index for the month PHCPI0 of December 2014. PHCPI0 = 140.5.

CUF = the Capacity Utilization Factor between 70% and 100%, provided that if the actual CUF is below 70% (the “Minimum Capacity Utilization Factor”), the Capacity Price shall be calculated based on the Capacity Fee and quantity associated with the Minimum Capacity Utilization Factor.

The corresponding Capacity Fee price component for a given Capacity Utilization Factor is set forth in the Table below: Capacity Fees for Specific Capacity Utilization Factor

Aggregated Baseload 65 MW 78 MW 83 MW 93 MW

ICIn-1

Contracted Capacity GNPOWER shall sell and deliver, or cause to deliver to SAMELCO II a. contracted capacity of 4MW at the delivery point of the facility.

Unutilized Capacity. The unutilized capacity of the Buyer may be made available for utilization• of other Region 8 ECs or sold to the WESM.

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

1.

On 18 September 2015, SAMELCO II and GNPOWER executed the subject PSA, providing the terms and conditions for the supply of 4 MW baseload power to SAMELCO II, to assure the adequate and reliable supply of power to SAMELCO II’s franchise area; ABSTRACT OF THE PSA AND OTHER RELATED INFORMATION The following are the salient features of the PSA: Term The Agreement shall be effective from 18 September 2015, the date of the execution of the PSA. • For the delivery of the contracted capacity, it shall have a term of one (1) year, starting on 26 December 2015 (12:00 A.M.) to 25 December 2016 (12:00 M.N.)

“S” ”T”

2016 Average Rate (P/kWh) 4.7775 5.4231 6.2298 5.1082

Weighted Average Rate (kWh)

2016 Average Rate (P/kWh) 4.7775 5.4231

Weighted Average Rate (kWh)

6.3671

5.2034

5.2984

-0.0950

In addition to the lower generation cost of the power supply from GNPOWER, SAMELCO II is also entitled to a Prompt Payment Discount (PPD), if conditions are met, equivalent to PhP0.08/kWh; In compliance with Rule 20 of ERC Rules of Practice and Procedure relative .to the submission of supporting documents and. information for the approval of the PSA and the rate structure embodied therein, Applicants attached to the Application following documents to form integral parts thereof: DOCUMENT Executive Summary of the PSA, as amended Rate Impact Simulation Sources of Funds/Financial Plans with Cost Assumptions Compact Disc containing a soft copy of Annex “K” Breakdown of the Contract Price Sample Computation of Power Rates GNPOWER’s Audited Financial Statement for 2014 GNPOWER’s Certificate of Registration No. WA-13-01-001 valid until January 2018 SAMELCO II’s Distribution Development Plan (DDP) SAMELCO II’s Actual and Forecasted Energy and Demand SAMELCO II’s Average Daily Load Curve SAMELCO II’s Board Resolution No. 80-S-2015 authorizing the filing of an application with the ERC for the approval of PSA, as amended, and designating its General Manager to represent SAMELCO II in such filing GNPOWER’s General Partner’s Certificate attesting to the resolution of the Board to execute the subject PSA with SAMELCO II, as amended, designating signatories thereto

22.

Applicants reserve their right to submit other documents, either in the course of the hearing or as may be required by the Commission; COMPLIANCE WITH PRE-FILING REQUIREMENTS 23. Applicants manifest compliance with the pre-filing requirements mandated under the Implementing Rules and Regulations of the EPIRA and Rule 6of the ERC Rules of Practice and Procedure, to be established by the following: 23.1 Certifications acknowledging receipt of the Application with annexes to be issued by the Legislative Bodies of Pasig City, Municipality of Paranas, and the Province of Samar, to be appended as Annexes “V”, “W” and. “X”, respectively; 23.2. Notarized Affidavit of Publication stating that the Application was published in a newspaper of general circulation within SAMELCO II’s Franchise Area, to be appended to the Application as Annex “Y’’; and 23.3. Complete newspaper issue where the Application was published, to be appended to the Application as Annex “Y-1”, and the relevant page thereof where the Application appears, as Annex “Y-2”; MOTION FOR CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT OF ANNEXES “H-2” to “H-8”, “K”, and “K-1” 24. Under Rule 4 of the ERC Rules of Practice and Procedure, a party to any proceeding before the Commission may request that certain information not be disclosed and be treated as confidential, by describing with particularity the information ‘to be treated as confidential, specifying the ground for the claim of confidential treatment of the information and, if applicable, specifying the period during which the information must not be disclosed; 25. SAMELCOII requests for the confidential treatment of Annexes “H-2” to “H-8” of the Application, consisting of the MOA among Region 8 ECs, e-mails confirming participation of interested suppliers in the bidding, Final Instructions to Bidders, Bid Forms, Bid Evaluation Slips, Comparison of Bids, and Notice of Award, respectively. These annexes show the individual offers of the bidders• which participated in the R8 JCPSP. The Region 8 ECs, SAMELCO II included, are bound by their undertaking to secure and keep in confidence the offers and the proposed terms of supply, so as not to prejudice or pre-empt any future CSPs in which these bidders will participate. Otherwise, SAMELCO II and the rest of the Region 8 ECs may be held liable for damages for breach of confidentiality, and eventually, risk their good relations with the suppliers concerned;

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK 26.

27.

These annexes contain numbers, data, formula, methodology, and calculations involving valuable and sensitive commercial, financial information reflecting GNPOWER’s business operations and financial trade secrets. Therefore, GNPOWER’s confidential, proprietary, and private information included in the aforesaid annexes should be protected from public dissemination. Otherwise, such information can be illegally and unfairly utilized by business competitors who may use the same for their own private gain and to the irreparable prejudice of GNPOWER. Negotiations with prospective customers may also be affected.

28.

The information contained in Annexes “K” and “K-1”, constitute “trade secrets”, for which GNPOWER has actual and valuable proprietary interest. As explained by the Supreme Court, a trade secret may consist of any formula, pattern, device, or compilation of information• that is used in one’s business and gives the employer an opportunity to obtain an advantage over competitors who do not possess the information . It is indubitable that trade secrets constitute proprietary rights and jurisprudence has consistently acknowledged the private character of trade secrets . Further, as ruled in Garcia vs. Board of Investment , trade secrets and confidential, commercial and financial information are exempt from public scrutiny;

29.

Accordingly, Annexes “H-2” to “H-8”, “K” and “K-1” be accorded confidential treatment. As such, they are to be used exclusively by the Commission and for the sole purpose of evaluating this Application, thereby protecting these data from unnecessary public disclosure;

30.

In accordance with Section 1(b), Rule 4 of the ERC Rules of Practice and Procedure, Applicants submit one (1) copy each of Annexes “H-2” to “H-8”, “K” and “K-1” in a sealed envelope, with the envelope and each page of the documents stamped with the word “Confidential”; PRAYER FOR PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY All the foregoing allegations are re-pleaded by reference in support of their prayer for the issuance of Provisional Authority (PA) to implement the subject PSA;

31.

32.

SAMELCO II and GNPOWER pray for the issuance of a PA or interim relief prior to final decision pursuant to Rule 14 of the ERC Rules of Practice and Procedure, to wit: “Section 3. Action on the Motion. - Motions for provisional authority or interim relief may be acted upon with or without hearing. The Commission shall act on the motion on the basis of the allegations of the Application or petition and supporting documents and other evidences that applicant or petitioner has submitted and the comments or opposition filed by any interested person, if there be any.”

33.

34.

35.

Considering that a substantial amount of time is needed to evaluate the documents submitted to support the approval of • herein Application, Applicants seek consideration of the Commission to approve the instant Application, immediately, albeit, provisionally;

THE Chinese army garrisoned in Hong Kong has warned people searching for Pikachu and other virtual monsters to stay off their premises, as Pokemon Go mania sweeps the smartphone-obsessed city.

The gaming app landed Monday in Hong Kong, and saw residents more glued to their phones than ever, searching for the cyber creatures in locations ranging from shopping malls to the government headquarters.

The app uses satellite locations, graphics and camera capabilities to overlay cartoon monsters on real-world settings, challenging players to capture and train the crea-

tures for battles.

But the city’s enthusiasm to “catch ‘em all” has prompted warnings from government departments and even the Chinese People’s Liberation Army to stay off their property.

A PLA spokesman told Agence France Presse the city’s barracks were closed zones.

“Military barracks are restricted areas under Hong Kong law. Without the authorization of the commanding officer, no one is allowed to enter the restricted areas,” he said.

Police also warned residents to be careful when playing the game.

37.

A Sure Bet for Progress in Gaming, Entertainment and Nation Building

INVITATION TO BID FOR THE SUPPLY AND DELIVERY OF SIX (6) LOTS REPAIR AND MAINTENANCE STOCK ITEMS FOR CASINO FILIPINO – TAGAYTAY UNDER ITB NO. PB16-014TAG-07 The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) is inviting all interested bidders in its forthcoming public bidding for the Supply and Delivery of Six (6) Lots Repair and Maintenance Stock Items for Casino Filipino - Tagaytay under ITB No. PB16-014TAG-07.

Brief Description

Supply and Delivery of Six (6) Lots Repair and Maintenance Stock Items for Casino Filipino - Tagaytay Lot 1 -

Supply and Delivery of Civil Works / Carpentry Materials;

Lot 2 -

Supply and Delivery of Painting Materials;

Lot 3-

Supply and Delivery of Electrical Materials;

Lot 4 -

Supply and Delivery of Plumbing Materials;

Lot 5 -

Supply and Delivery of Mechanical Materials; and

Lot 6 -

Supply and Delivery of Upholstery Materials

Delivery Schedule

Within Thirty (30) calendar days from the effectivity date specified in the Notice to Proceed.

Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC):

The total ABC for the project is in the amount of Two Million Seventy Thousand One Hundred Thirty-Eight Pesos (PhP2,070,138.00), VAT Exclusive, Zero Rated Transaction.

The additional power from GNPOWER is needed to curtail any power interruptions that may be experienced by SAMELCO II’s member-consumers due to inadequate power supply in the region;

Lot 1 :

To further support the prayer for PA, an affidavit emphasizing the necessity thereof is attached to the Application as Annex “Z”, and form an integral part thereof;

Lot 3 : Four Hundred Twenty - Two Thousand Three Hundred Thirty - One Pesos (PhP422,331.00), VAT Exclusive, Zero - Rated Transaction;

iii.

After due notice and hearing, the instant Application, the PSA, and the rate structure contained therein be duly approved; and

iv.

In the event that a Final Authority shall be issued after GNPOWER starts actual delivery of power to SAMELCOII under the terms of the subject PSA, said Final Authority be retroactively applied to the date of such actual delivery

All persons who have an interest in the subject matter of the proceeding may become a party by filing, at least five (5) days prior to the initial hearing and subject to the requirements in the ERC’s Rules of Practice and Procedure, a verified petition with the. Commission giving the docket number and title of the proceeding and stating: (1) the petitioner’s name and address; (2) the nature of petitioner’s interest in the subject matter of the proceeding, and the way and manner in which such interest is affected by the issues involved in the proceeding; and (3) a statement of the relief desired.

All other persons who may want their views known to the Commission with respect to the subject matter of the proceeding may file their opposition to the Application or comment thereon at any stage of the proceeding before Applicants conclude the presentation of its evidence. No particular form of opposition or comment is required, but the document, letter or writing should contain the name and address of such person and a concise statement of the opposition or comment and the grounds relied upon.

All such persons who wish to have a copy of the Application may request from the Applicants that they be furnished with the same, prior to the date of the initial hearing. Applicants are hereby directed to furnish all those making such request with copies of the Application and its attachments, subject to the reimbursement of reasonable photocopying costs. Any such person may likewise examine the Application and other pertinent records filed with the Commission during the standard office hours.

WITNESS, the Honorable Chairman, JOSE VICENTE B. SALAZAR, and the Honorable Commissioners, ALFREDO J. NON, GLORIA VICTORIA C. YAP-TARUC, JOSEFINA PATRICIA A. MAGPALE-ASIRIT, and GERONIMO D. STA. ANA, Energy Regulatory Commission, this 18th day of May 2016 in Pasig City

ATTY. NATHAN J. MARASIGAN Chief of Staff Office ffice of the Chairman and CEO

Assumptions: 1.

2.

3.

2 3 4 5

Lot 5 : Four Hundred Fifty - Two Thousand One Hundred Seventy - Two Pesos (PhP452,172.00), VAT Exclusive, Zero - Rated Transaction; and

Pending hearing on the merits, a PA be issued authorizing the immediate implementation of the subject PSA including the rate structure therein, as applied;

The Commission has set the Application for initial hearing, expository presentation, pre-trial conference, and presentation of evidence on 24 August 2016 (Wednesday) at ten o’clock in the morning (10:00 A.M.) at SAMELCO II’s Main Office, Paranas, Samar.

1

Lot 4: Ninety - Eight Thousand One Hundred Pesos (PhP98,100.00), VAT Exclusive, Zero - Rated Transaction;

Applicants SAMELCOII and GNPower pray before the Commission that: i.

All information attached as Annexes “H-2” to “H-8”, “K” and “K-1” to the Application be treated as confidential; ii.

Analysis and simulations is based on SAMELCO II’s forecasted 2016 hourly load profile.

GNPOWER rate is based on effective price.

GMCP rate is based on (i) Capacity Fee at resulting Capacity factor, (ii) November 14 coal and shipping prices (iii), January 1 – February 2, 2015 FOREX, (iv) PPD not included.

4.

Wesm Prices is based on 2011-2013 average Ex-post Price per Noted Point of SAMELCO II. Air Philippines Corporation vs. Pennswell Inc., G.R. No. 172835, December 13, 2007.

Ibid., 177 SCRA 374 (1989 Additional equivalent rate due to additional Prudential Guarantee required by PEMC (for the undelivered contracted capacity from GNPower) with a conservative loan interest of 6% per annum and baseload load factor of 81%.

(TS-JULY 27/AUG. 3, 2016)

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Five Hundred Seventy - Two Thousand Two Hundred Thirty - Five Pesos (PhP572,235.00), VAT Exclusive, Zero-Rated Transaction;

Lot 2 : Four Hundred Fourteen Thousand Two Hundred Fifty - Five Pesos (PhP414,255.00), VAT Exclusive, Zero-Rated Transaction;

PRAYER 38.

C3

“When you are capturing monsters, stay alert to your surroundings,” a police video posted on Facebook said.

“Police report rooms are for people in need of police services, players are not allowed to play the game there, be a smart player!” the video added.

The app has now been launched in more than 40 countries including the US, Japan and much of Europe.

Japanese video game company Nintendo started the mythical creature franchise 20 years ago.

However, widespread warnings have been given by authorities around the world

after reports of players being injured or becoming the victims of crime.

Some Pokemon Go players were robbed after being lured to isolated locations in the hopes of catching the virtual creatures, according to US reports. Other distracted players have been blamed for causing traffic accidents.

In Indonesia, a French player was stopped and questioned for several hours after the app led him into a military base.

Two youngsters were so preoccupied with catching the cartoon monsters that they wandered across the US-Canada border. AFP

Japanese stabs 19 dead; 25 injured

The ABC for each of the six (6) lots are as follows:

36.

TODAY WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2016

HK garrison off-limits to Pokemon Go players

Owing to the short term of the contract, which is only for a period of one (1) year a PA is all the more imperative to allow the timely delivery of energy by GNPOWER to SAMELCO II, which is set to start on 26 December 2015 at 12:00 A.M.; The Region 8 EC’s, including SAMELCO II, after careful evaluation if they will defer the commencement of the delivery due to delayed filing, decided and required GNPower to commence its delivery immediately after its previous power supply agreement expired last 25 December 2015, this being the reasonable plan to mitigate the risks of WESM exposure, specially with the assumption that the 2015 occurrence of El -Nino has an adverse impact on the supply of electricity and the WESM price, particularly during the summer season.

SAMELCO II, Moreover, it was projected, as shown in the table below, that the exposure to volatile market prices will cause significant increases in prudential guarantee payments which will constrain Region 8 ECs to avail of high interestbearing loans in order to comply with PEMC requirement;

Manila

Standard

World

Similarly, GNPOWER respectfully moves for the confidential treatment of Annexes “K” and “K-1” hereof, consisting of GNPOWER’s Sources of Funds and Financial Plans with Cost Assumptions. These annexes, exclusively owned by GNPOWER, contain information which are considered part of its business and trade secrets. As such, GNPOWER has the sole proprietary interest and will be unduly prejudiced should they be disclosed to the public;

S

AGAMIHARA, Japan—A knife-wielding former employee killed 19 people and injured 25 at a care center for the mentally disabled in Japan on Tuesday, in the country’s worst mass killing in decades.

The 26-year-old man later turned himself in at a police station, admitting to officers: “I did it.” He reportedly also said: “The disabled should all disappear.”

Authorities identified the attacker as Satoshi Uematsu and said he had worked at the facility in Sagamihara, a city of more than 700,000 people west of Tokyo, until February.

Broadcaster NTV said the man told police he had been fired and held a grudge against the care centre.

The attack began in the early hours of the morning when Uematsu allegedly broke a first-floor window to get into the building. NTV reported that he tied up caregivers before starting to stab the residents.

A doctor at one of the hospitals where victims were taken described some with “deep stab” wounds to the neck.

“The patients are very shocked mentally, and they cannot speak now,” the doctor told national broadcaster NHK. A fleet of ambulances, police cars and fire trucks converged on the Tsukui Yamayuri-en centre, a low-

Lot 6 : One Hundred Eleven Thousand Forty - Five Pesos (PhP111,045.00), VAT Exclusive, Zero-Rated Transaction Source of Funds:

Republic of the Philippines Department of Health – National Capital Regional Office

SAN LORENZO RUIZ WOMEN’S HOSPITAL

Internally Funded

O. Reyes St., Santulan, Malabon City Tel. No. (02) 294-4853 / 294-4854•Website: www.slrwh.doh.gov.ph PhilHealth Accredited Facility

Bidder should have completed, within the last two (2) years before the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the Project. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II. Instructions to Bidder. Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using a non-discretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) 9184, otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”.

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

INVITATION TO BID PUBLIC BIDDING : PROCUREMENT OF VARIOUS MEDICAL SUPPLIES (IB 2016-014) FOR CY 2016 1.

The San Lorenzo Ruiz Women’s Hospital, through the General Appropriations Act of 2016 intends to apply the sum Three Million Sixty Two Thousand Five Hundred Seventy Pesos Only . (Php 3,062,570.00) being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for the Procurement of Various Medical Supplies (IB 2016-014). Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.

2.

The SLRWH now invites bids for the Procurement of Various Medical Supplies.

Delivery of the Goods is required within ten (10) days upon receipt of Notice to Proceed. Bidders should have completed, within two years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the Project. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II. Instructions to Bidders.

3.

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

All particulars relative to Pre-Bid Conference, Detailed Evaluation of Bids, Post-Qualification and Award of Contract shall be governed by the pertinent provisions of R.A. 9184 and its IRR. The schedule of activities is listed, as follows:

ACTIVITIES

SCHEDULE

1. Issuance of the Bidding Documents

July 27 to August 16, 2016

2. Pre-Bid Conference

August 3, 2016(Wednesday), 2:00 P.M.

3. Deadline for the Submission and Receipt of Bids

August 16, 2016(Tuesday), 2:00 P.M.

4. Opening and Preliminary Examination of Bids

August 16, 2016(Tuesday), 2:00 P.M. onwards

Complete details of the project are indicated in the bid documents which will be available to prospective bidders at the Branch Procurement Section, Casino Filipino - Tagaytay upon payment of a non-refundable cost for the sale of bidding documentsbased on the following matrix:

Approved Budget for the Contract 500,000.00 and below

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

Cost for the Sale of Bidding Documents PhP500.00

More than 500,000.00 up to 1 Million

PhP1,000.00

More than 1 Million up to 5 Million

PhP5,000.00

Prospective bidders may also download the Bidding Documents free of charge from the following websites: www.pagcor.ph and www.philgeps.gov.ph and may be allowed to submit bids provided that bidders shall pay the non-refundable cost for the sale of bidding documents not later than the date of the submission of bids. The Pre-bid Conference is open to all prospective bidders. Prospective bidders should present to Finance Section, Third (3rd) Floor, Casino Filipino – Tagaytay, Km 60, Aguinaldo Highway, Tagaytay City either the Bidding Fee Slip which may be secured from the Branch Procurement Section or a copy of this ITB in effecting payment for the Bidding Documents. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18.

PAGCOR assumes no responsibility whatsoever to compensate or indemnify bidder for any expenses incurred in the preparation of their bids.

In accordance with Government Procurement Policy Board (GPPB) Circular 06-2005 - TieBreaking Method, the Branch Bids and Awards Committee (BBAC), CF-Tagaytayshall use a non-discretionary and non-discriminatory measure based on sheer luck or chance, which is “DRAW LOTS,” in the event that two or more bidder have been post-qualified and determined as the bidder having the Lowest Calculated Responsive Bid (LCRB) to determine the final bidder having the LCRB, based on the following procedures: 1.

2.

rise building nestled against forested hills, which was cordoned off and draped with yellow “Keep Out” tape.

Fire department spokesmen told Agence France Presse (AFP) that the dead included nine men and 10 women aged from 18 to 70, and that another 25 people were wounded, 20 of them seriously.

An official from Kanagawa prefecture, which takes in Sagamihara, identified the suspect and said he had turned up at the police station with the murder weapons.

Uematsu “broke a glass window and intruded into the facility at about 2:10am (1710 GMT Monday) and stabbed those staying there,” Shinya Sakuma told a press conference in the prefecture’s capital Yokohama.

“When Uematsu turned himself in, he was found carrying kitchen knives and other types of knives stained with blood.”

The timeline of the attack remained unclear. Police earlier said they received a call from the centre around 2:30am, raising the alarm that a man armed with a knife had entered the facility. They said he turned himself in half an hour later. AFP

In alphabetical order, the bidder shall pick one rolled paper.

The lucky bidder who would pick the paper with a “CONGRATULATIONS” remark shall be declared as the final bidder having the LCRB and recommended for award of the contract.

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

Please address all communications to the Branch Bids and Awards Committee thru the BBAC Chairperson, Ms. Marie Yvonne C. Sevilla, Casino Filipino – Tagaytay, Km 60, Aguinaldo Highway, Tagaytay City, Tel No. (046)413-1506 local 438.

(SGD) MARIE YVONNE C. SEVILLA Chairperson Branch Bids and Awards Committee (BBAC) Casino Filipino - Tagaytay (TS-JULY 27, 2016)

4.

Interested Bidders may obtain further information from the San Lorenzo Ruiz Women’s Hospital Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) Secretariat c/o Mr. Allan G. Nieva, RRT ll or Ms. Juliet V. Chiquito at Telephone No. 293-9112 and inspect the Bidding Documents from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Mondays to Fridays from July 27, 2016 to August 12 , 2016.

5.

A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested Bidders July 27, 2016 from the address below and upon payment of a non-refundable fee for the Bidding Documents in the amount of Three Thousand pesos Only (Php 3,000.00) It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the website of the Procuring Entity, provided that Bidders shall pay the non refundable fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids.

6.

The SLRWH will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on August 2, 2016, 10 am at the SLRWH Training Room, which shall be open only to all interested parties who have purchased the Bidding Documents.

7.

Bids must be delivered to the address below on or before August 15, 2016 ,1:00 PM. All Bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause.

Bid opening shall be on August 15, 2016, 1:15 pm at SLRWH Training Room.

Bids will be opened in the presence of the Bidders’ representatives who choose to attend at the address below. Late bids shall not be accepted.

8.

9.

The San Lorenzo Ruiz Women’s Hospital reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, to annul the bidding process, and to reject all bids at any time prior to contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

For further information, please refer to: ALLAN G. NIEVA JULIET V. CHIQUITO SLRWH-BAC Secretariat SAN LORENZO RUIZ WOMEN’S HOSPITAL O. Reyes St., Santulan, Malabon City Website: www.slrwh.doh.gov.ph Email Address: slrwh.procurement@yahoo.com.ph Telefax No.2939112

(TS-JULY 27, 2016)

SIGNED NOEL D. VALDERRAMA, MD SLRWH-BAC Chairperson

C4

World

WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2016

UN council defends CPJ EU owes Turkey incentives in migrant deal BERLIN, GERMANY—Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday accused the EU of not paying its way under a deal to send Syrian refugees back across the Aegean.

Ankara and Brussels signed a controversial deal in March, in which Turkey agreed to take Syrian migrants landing on Greek islands in exchange for political and financial incentives.

The deal included billions of euros in aid and visa-free travel for Turks in Europe, but ties have been strained

by Erdogan’s massive crackdown after a failed coup this month.

The president said the EU had promised $3 billion, but so far only paid a nominal $1 million to $2 million.

“The (European) governments are not honest,” Erdogan told German public television station ARD. “Three million Syrians, or people from Iraq, are now in Turkey,” he said. “The EU has not kept its promises on the matter.”

Erdogan estimated the refugees, many of whom have fled the devastating five-year civil war in neighbouring Syria, have cost Turkey $12 billion.

The EU made the deal with Turkey to temper a huge influx of more than a million migrants which overwhelmed the bloc last year.

Late last month, Brussels said it had opened a new negotiating chapter with Turkey on its long-stalled bid for membership of the bloc.

But that bid has been hit by Erdogan’s sweeping crackdown in the wake of the failed July 15 military takeover, which has seen more than 13,000 people detained.

The president repeated his call for capital punishment for the plotters, an issue that has perturbed the EU, saying: “The people want the death penalty reinstated.”

“We as a government need to hear what the people say,” he added.

Turkey abolished the death penalty in 2004 as part of its bid to join the EU. AFP

U

nited Nations, United States—The United Nation’s Economic and Social Council (UN-Ecosoc) on Monday overturned by a strong vote a decision to deny the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) consultative status at the United Nations.

The CPJ, which defends the right of journalists to work freely and speaks out for jailed reporters worldwide, applied for the special UN status four years ago but was denied the request by the UN non-government organization (NGO) committee in May.

Seeking to reverse the decision, the United States asked the full 54-member Ecosoc, which oversees the work of the NGO committee, to vote on granting CPJ special status.

A total of 40 countries voted in favor of the request. Five coun-

tries voted against: China, Russia, Rwanda, Zimbabwe and Vietnam.

Algeria, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, India, Pakistan and Uganda abstained.

Granting consultative status to a non-governmental organization allows it to have access to UN premises and gives it a voice as a recognized civil society group in UN discussions.

US Ambassador Samantha Power told the Ecosoc meeting that “CPJ is an independent impartial organization with a long track record of reliable reporting.”

Power accused the NGO com-

mittee of deferring applications from organizations “simply because their work is critical of governments.”

The NGO committee, whose members include Russia, China, Sudan, Azerbaijan, Cuba and Venezuela, has deferred decisions on requests from hundreds of organizations for UN status.

There were 399 applications deferred in 2013, but the figure grew to 480 in 2016, Power said.

“The committee designed to support NGO participation at the UN has become a tool for keeping respected NGOs out of

the UN,” Power said, calling the body the “anti-NGO committee.”

Russia and China argued that overturning the committee’s decision showed a lack of respect for its work.

There have been concerns about a backlash against NGOs at the United Nations, in particular those that defend reproductive rights and are vocal on LGBT issues and freedom of expression.

Earlier this year, a group of Muslim countries, Russia and African nations blocked 20 NGOs from taking part in a major AIDS conference. AFP

DIPLOMATS. US State Secretary John Kerry (R) chats with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during the East Asia Foreign Ministers’ meeting at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) annual ministerial meeting in Vientiane on July 26, 2016. Southeast Asian nations on July 25 ducked direct criticism of Beijing over its claims to the South China Sea, in a diluted statement produced after days of disagreement that gives the superpower a diplomatic victory. AFP

Russia denies Human tests start on controversial cancer pill Democrat e-mail hacking VIENTIANE, LAOS—Russia Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov batted away allegations Moscow was behind a hack of the Democratic National Committee emails ahead of a meeting Tuesday with US counterpart John Kerry in Laos.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating whether Russian hackers were responsible for the breach, which has caused deep embarrassment to the Democratic Party and prompted accusations that Moscow is trying to influence the US presidential election.

Lavrov, in the Laos capital Vientiane for a regional security forum, shrugged when asked by reporters if Russia was responsible.

“Well I don’t want to use four letter words,” he said cryptically, before greeting Kerry with a handshake.

Disseminated by WikiLeaks, the emails revealed that Democratic Party leaders sought to undermine the campaign of Hillary Clinton’s rival Bernie Sanders and have prompted the party boss to resign.

Clinton’s campaign was quick to point fingers at Russia, saying it was an attempt to boost Donald Trump’s shot at the White House.

Trump has made no secret of his admiration for President Vladimir Putin, leading some to conjecture that Russian leader was working to put the real estate billionaire in the White House.

AFP

SAO PAULO, BRAZIL—Human testing started Monday in Brazil on a controversial anti-cancer medicine that has been distributed in the country for years without having gone through proper trials.

The drug, a synthetic phosphoethanolamine known widely as “the cancer pill,” was beginning testing with 10 patients at the Sao Paulo Cancer Institute, the Sao Paulo state health department said.

None of those taking part in the trial are being treated with any other drugs, a statement said. If no serious side effects are noted, the trial will then be expanded to up to 1,000 people.

The pill was created by Sao Paulo University professor Gilberto Orivaldo Chierice in the 1990s.

Despite claims of a miracle cure,

there has been little evidence of its efficacy.

Chierice’s drug was not tested but after entering into use in one Sao Paulo hospital word rapidly spread, boosting demand, until Sao Paulo University’s chemistry institute was making 50,000 capsules a month without any government oversight.

Distribution was halted in 2014 amid growing doubts in the scientific community about the safety.

But in April, President Dilma Rousseff—who was just about to be suspended from her post in an impeachment trial—signed a law legalizing the substance.

Shortly after the Supreme Court overruled her and said the medicine’s distribution would depend on it going through proper testing. AFP

2 women join Green Berets WASHINGTON, US—Two women will soon be the first female soldiers to undergo training to become members of the Green Berets, the US Army’s special forces, the military said Monday.

“They are the first two women who have been selected for special forces assessment” following the elimination of the ban on women in combat roles, said Major Melody Faulkenberry, a spokeswoman for the United States Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School.

She did not give additional details about the candidates.

President Barack Obama’s administration decided in 2013 that all combat positions should be open to women by 2016, including the infantry and special operations forces.

The Marines had requested some exemptions, but these were overruled

by Defense Secretary Ashton Carter.

Two female Marines were assigned to frontline infantry roles in May, though it will take some time before they are placed in their new roles. AFP

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Life FASHION & BEAUTY

Isah V. Red, Editor Bernadette Lunas, Writer isahred@gmail.com WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2016

D1

Charlie’s

accessories brand charms the Philippines

By Bernadette Lunas

J

ewelry and accessory company Chief Executive Charlie Chanaratsopon was recently in the country to visit his first store in Southeast Asia. During his stay, he expressed delight at the current performance of the “smallest” Charming Charlie boutique here in the country.

Charming Charlie founder and chief executive Charlie Chanaratsopon visits the Philippines for the first time to check out his first branch here in the country

Charming Charlie is an affordable jewelry and accessory company founded by Chanaratsopon in Houston, Texas in 2014. Armed with business acumen and background from his family’s sterling silver jewelry business, he, at 26, launched this retail concept that catered to women who love accessories.

More than a decade since, Chanaratsopon’s namesake brand has 370 stores across the United States, Canada, Middle East and the Philippines—at Central Square in Bonifacio High Street Central, Taguig City.

The Philippine branch opened in December last year, and the young CEO is seeing bigger room for growth for the store.

“We’re currently at (sic) the early stages and we’re continuing to learn and evolve and adapt,” Chanaratsopon said in an interview. “The store here is the smallest store we have in the chain and we’re learning to execute that [format] better.”

Charming Charlie at Cen-

tral Square occupies only about 150 square meters, a far cry from the typical Charming Charlie stores in the US, which are at least four times bigger.

Chanaratsopon said, however, that they’re focusing on “evolving the assortment to make it bigger and better” to cater to Filipinos’ love for trendy accessories.

Charming Charlie brings to the country a variety of merchandise that includes accessories, watches, handbags, scarves and sunglasses. In the Central Square boutique, as in other stores overseas, the products are grouped together in colors to provide easier and more cohesive shopping experience.

According to Chanaratsopon, the success of the brand lies on their four pillars: color, variety, unrivaled value, and fun.

“First of all, we believe we are the most colorful jewelry and accessory brand in the world. The variety of our products is wide, considering that we produce about 34 million units of jewelry alone in a year,” shared Chanaratsopon.

As for “unrivaled value,” he said, “We’re not the cheapest, but for the price that you pay, you get a lot of quality work into it.” He continued, “We’re not serious, we’re fun. Why? Because we want to be a happy place, a guilt-free shopping experience for women.”

Guilt-free it is, as prices of the items in store range from P200.00 to P2000.00—accessories, watches and handbags included.

In general, Chanaratsopon described Charming Charlie as a color brand.

“But it’s interesting how people frequently describe us … that we are a candy store for grownup women. Our customers say Charming Charlie is the place that makes them happy and it adds color to their already colorful life,” Chanaratsopon said with pride.

Chanaratsopon revealed that they are opening a second branch at Glorietta Mall in Makati in September. Moreover, they are also planning, together with their local partner SSI, to open 10 Charming Charlie stores in the Philippines “over time.”

Visit www.charmingcharlie.com or Charming Charlie PH on Facebook for more information and updates.

Charming Charlie Fall 2016 collection takes cue from nature’s color palette that includes burnt orange, wine and olive

FALL 2016

Michael Kors’ flirty freedom of things that move THE inimitable chic of individual style... the flirty freedom of things that move... feathers, streamers, slashes, chains and slits... a textural mix of tweeds, plaids and tattersalls with charming florals and luxe metallic brocades... shrunken jackets and trim, tailored coats... leggy skirts and dresses in Aline or softly pleated shapes... romantic blouses and dresses juxtaposed with polished tailoring... oversized furs and shearlings in shorter lengths... accessories that make a statement... the chain-handled envelope bag, the studded camera bag... shoes with personality, from the chunky loafer and rock ’n’ roll mary jane to the streamlined kitten and stiletto... instaglam...

This is Fall 2016.

In the Philippines, Michael Kors is located at Central Square in Bonifacio High Street Central, Greenbelt 5, Newport Mall, Power Plant Mall, Rustan’s Makati and ShangriLa Plaza Mall. Follow @ssilifeph on Instagram for more information.

Chains, slits and a mix of textures, among others, are featured in the Fall 2016 collection of Michael Kors

Red Box Cycle 1 grand winner Thian Rodriguez cites the exposure and opportunities Red Box provided that helped develop his craft

New talents on Red Box’s 2nd cycle

RED Box, a designer development program initiated by the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM), has now opened the second cycle of its search for the country’s next design talents. CITEM is looking for Filipinos aged 21 to 30 years old who have not yet received major home- or fashion-related awards. They can bring their passion and talent for design to a higher level through the Red Box program.

The program is a platform to harness talents and nurture them to become the next generation of Philippine designers.

From its first cycle, four young designers were awarded as grand winners, and represented the Philippines in select trade shows in London, Milan, and New York City.

“Red Box started out as a show feature of Manila FAME in 2011. Designers featured back then were handpicked

by CITEM to showcase their creations in the trade fair. Three years later, Red Box has evolved into a designer development program,” CITEM Executive Director Rosvi C. Gaetos shares.

“The Philippines is full of talented young creative individuals. Red Box opened its doors to them, so they can further develop their skills under the mentorship of Filipino design icons,” Gaetos adds.

In 2014, Red Box introduced a shortlist of 14 design talents who were trained and guided by Budji Layug for furniture and

home accents, and Lulu Tan-Gan for apparel and fashion accessories.

The design talents underwent an indepth immersion in the local home and fashion industries, including seminars and workshops on design; exposure to craft techniques through regional factory visits; and development of product collections in close collaboration with manufacturers. Cycle 1 of the Red Box program culminated with the designers’ collections showcased in Manila FAME October 2015, where a jury selected the grand winners based on a prescribed criteria.

Thian Rodriguez, Cycle 1 grand winner for Fashion Apparel, is grateful to be part of the program. “The program helped me widen my perspective in arts and fashion. Red Box helped me find my own identity as a designer and build my own name in the industry,” he says.

Rodriguez cites the mentorship under Lulu Tan-Gan, and the exposure to fashion design principles, the industry, and the market as great learning experiences that developed his craft. Rodriguez is one of the four designers who represented the Philippines in the International Fashion Showcase (IFS) in London, United Kingdom in February this year.

Jim Torres, Cycle 1 grand winner for Home, also attributes his growth as a designer to the industry exposure. He shares that it is through the Red Box program that he was able to discover his design identity by interacting with

different people such as clients, manufacturers, and co-designers.

“You must know how to adapt— that’s why Red Box is a mentorship program. Being a designer is more than just designing and building things; it’s about being able to communicate and inspire through design,” Torres adds as an advice to aspiring, young designers.

Torres’ Escapade collection, a lighting installation made of shredded stainless steel, was featured in the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) in New York, USA in May 2016.

Cycle 2 of the program will also give aspiring talents the opportunity to participate in international trade fairs, workshops or short courses.

CITEM has partnered with the Design Center of the Philippines (DCP), a technical agency of the DTI mandated to promote industrial design as a tool for improving the quality and competitiveness of Philippine products. The partnership between CITEM and DCP aims to sustain development of the next generation of Philippine designers.

Applicants may submit entries for any of the following categories: furniture; home accents; apparel; and fashion accessories. Only one entry for a maximum of two categories will be accepted. Deadline of submission of entries is on 19 August 2016. For more information on the application process, please visit http://www. citem.gov.ph/index.php/developmentalprograms/red-box.

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How a footwear business walks its way to success with Shopify

B

usiness success stories usually start with an inspiration. For Regina Sambalido and her business partners, the idea of making affordable yet lovelylooking leather sandals available to Filipinos came during a trip abroad where they stumbled upon several stores selling beautiful leather footwear. They were so taken with the sandals that they decided to bring a couple of pairs home and offer them online. This started their love affair with footwear and the birth of Renegade Folk.

Regina and her three siblings together with Bibay Puyat initially offered a variety of quality leather sandals with the best material. The sandals can be worn by people of any age, which is what Renegade Folk is after. Most of their footwear now comes from the local manufacturing industry, which also benefit from Renegade Folk’s loyal online customers not only in the Philippines but also in Singapore, Australia and Canada.

With their growing portfolio of everyday sandals, Renegade Folk has to strengthen its online exposure to expand its business, prompting the store

to tap Shopify as its e-commerce platform. Shopify provides Renegade Folk with a portal for customers to see, appreciate and purchase their products at an affordable price.

“We are extremely happy with Shopify because it is very user-friendly. It also has a great design interface with customizable templates, easy report generation, and automatic reply features that anyone can use,” shared Sambalido.

Shopify’s technology bundled with the Globe myBusiness portfolio of innovative services can give small and medium enterprises like Renegade Folk a reliable package as they build their

own online store, showcase their brand, and at the same time efficiently manage the back-end processes through capabilities such as tracking orders and customer data, managing inventory, monitoring sales, viewing analytics information, and much more. Business owners can start their online business using Shopify for as low as P599.00 a month with no transaction fee.

“We aim for Shopify and Globe myBusiness to provide better and more meaningful tools for SME customers.

We help SMEs compete in the marketplace through alternative distribution channels and cost-efficient solutions to keep their business growing, thus realizing returns on investment faster,” said Barbie Dapul, vice president at Globe myBusiness.

Founded in 2006, Shopify currently powers 275,000 online stores globally in approximately 150 countries. It is a cloud-based, multichannel commerce platform designed for small and medium business. Online sellers can use it to design, set up and manage, from any laptop or mobile device. The platform also provides merchants with a pow-

Renegade Folk’s store houses the brand’s wide range of footwear options

erful back-office and a single view of their business.

Launch your ready to open online store with Shopify today. Sign up at www.shopify.com.ph.

For more information, visit the website powered by Shopify at www.renegadefolk.com. Get to know Globe myBusiness by visiting www.mybusiness.globe.com.ph

Local footwear label Renegade Folk tapped Shopify as it e-commerce platform to strengthen its online exposure

Apparel shopping experience transformed FOR the fashionistas out there, gone is the time when you had to literally pick up the clothes you like from the rack and then line up at the fitting room just to try on your chosen piece. It’s a tedious shopping task, especially during sale or payday seasons.

With the “Virtual Fitting System” or VFS now made available in the Philippines, you can try on any apparel you want and see if it fits your style-all in the name of convenience. VFS creates a representation of your physical form allowing you to select a garment that resembles the shape of your body without literally trying it on.

The Virtual Fitting System is from Toppan, a 115-year-old company and is

one of the largest global printing companies in Japan. It is the first of its kind in the Philippines and is exclusively offered by Spark Global Tech Systems, Inc., a business solutions company with a wide range of groundbreaking technologies such as the recently launched Augmented Reality or AR. With VFS, you can choose clothes off the rack, discover new styles and more importantly, save time in your selection process.

“The VFS allows you to try on any garment or accessory you want, it shows how each piece would fit and appear when you wear it, it can even locate a shop that has available stocks of the outfits you desire. The VFS makes

A new way to shop. The Virtual Fitting System or VFS creates a virtual representation of shoppers to let them try on any outfit without literally trying them on

shopping of fashion-conscious Filipinos realistically effortless, it ensures that your clothes match your body so you can confidently showcase your disntict style. In essence, it is your personalized virtual dressing room,” explains Managing Director Rowi Bautista.

The VFS works through a Kinect system-it captures the motion, animates, displays, saves it in the Cloud and flings it into the PC. It comes in four types: the Color Simulation that lets you choose different colors of clothes in a single try, the 2D Simulation that allows you to overlay clothes by simply taking a photo of yourself, the 2.5D Simulation that is a more interactive version of the preceding with the 2D animation that follows your every move and finally, the 3DCG Simulation that lets you choose clothes not only in different colors but also in various designs and shapes.

The beauty of the VFS is its innovative approach on local retail marketing through customer engagement as it is highly customized. VFS introduces an amazing new shopping experience to the country by giving shoppers a clearer idea of the apparel they will want to buy and its fit even before they hit the store’s physical fitting room. Through Spark Global Tech Systems, Inc., this technology can further enhance the appeal of retailers through an advanced solution for customer satisfaction.

Spark Global Tech Systems, Inc. is the exclusive distributor of Virtual Fitting System in the Philippines. The company also offers business management softwares like HR, Payroll, Accounting, Sales and Inventory systems, Access Control Systems, Smart Cards, Research and Development, and even Banking Solutions. With them, ‘Converging Technologies’ of companies in order to go beyond boundaries is now made possible.

Spark Global Tech Systems, Inc. is at 1805A East Tower, Philippine Stock Exchange Center, Exchange Road, Ortigas Center, Pasig City.

For more information, contact (02) 532-8579 or email info@sparkglobaltech.com or visit www.sparkglobaltech.com.

Anagen harnesses the power of Jiou liquid to reverse hair loss

Healthy hair, happy wallet

By Robbie Pangilinan YOU can double your money’s worth, also get healthier hair with Anagen Advanced Hair Rebuild System’s irresistible promos.

Enjoy buy one-take-one on Anagen Hair Tonic and freebies when you buy Anagen products now until supplies last.

Get free sample Anagen Tonic and Shampoo when you buy Anagen Wax, and free Anagen Wax for every purchase of Anagen Shampoo.

Anagen, a product of Healthwell Nutraceuticals Inc., an affiliate of YSA Skincare Corporation, has Jiou liquid as its main ingredient. Jiou liquid is Japan’s secret to reverse hair loss as it promotes strong and healthy blood circulation necessary for hair growth.

Anagen improves blood circulation in the scalp, recovers skin temperature, helps repair salon-treated hair, helps repair sun-damaged hair, acts as a moisturizer, and is also anti-bacterial.

“We came up with the idea of Anagen to address the growing demand of the market for better, safer and real results for hair regrowth. I specifically thought of Anagen to be its brand because of its meaning. Anagen is a growing phase of hair follicles; it is also the active phase of the hair growth cycle,” says Healthwell President Paulo Legaspi.

Anagen Advanced Hair rebuild System offers a buy one-take one promo for a limited time only

“It is more effective than other hair growth products because of its 3-way action system. It can address hair loss by inhibiting the activity of 5-alpha reductase enzyme that triggers the development of thinning hair or hair loss. At the same time, it accelerates blood flow and activates the energy metabolism in follicles,” adds Legaspi, who personally uses the natural, safe, and no bad side effects shampoo.

Head on to Mercury Drug Stores in Trinoma, Glorietta 3, Robinsons Galleria, Laong Laan, Edsa Shangrila Plaza, Broadway, 32nd Street Taguig, Makati Peoples Support, Market Market, and Shoppesville Greenhills every Monday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday and make your hair healthier and your wallet happier.

Showbiz

A

CNN International puts green agenda on center stage

SIMPLE post on Instagram made Jessy Mendiola stop checking her social media account for a while. In what supposed to be just a fun photo that celebrates her being comfortable in her own skin elicited a barrage of hate comments with trolls calling her fat and her photo deceitful.

For one thing, no editing was done.

It was shot that captured her flattering angle.

Two months have passed and Jessy was declared the sexiest woman in an online poll conducted by FHM. According to the Kapamilya star, she did not campaign to be part of the list more so to becoming no.1.

With all the bashing on social media in the previous months, did she feel somehow vindicated after being declared the sexiest woman in 2016?

In an interview with Manila Standard, the 23-year-old Kapamilya star said what she felt after hearing the news that she was leading the poll, which lists the most desirable female celebrities in the land, was more of self-love.

“Vindicated, that’s a very strong word. Not really, I’m just grateful. But I think of it more of as self-love. I mean when I got all the hate comments and all the bashing and when FHM chose me to be no. 1, I think people were looking for something different,” she said.

She further explained that it’s been common that when someone talks about being sexy, more often than not, the person is referring to a woman who has the perfect shape, who is flawless flow head to toe. Think of the impossible-to-achieve figure of the models that strut the Victoria’s Secret runway.

“I’m on the curvy side. I represent a different kind of sexy I believe, voluptuous probably,” she laughed.

With her winning this year’s sexiest title, it’s only natural for her to think that she really is one. But what really makes her feel sexy? It’s the compliment she gets from people who look beyond her physical attributes – when they find her personality more attractive than her appearance.

“It’s the journey of accepting myself finally…of how I look, of no mat-

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ter what my size is. When people come up to me and say ‘Hey you’re so sexy.’ It feels unreal. I guess it’s not just the physical thing, I think it’s still about the personality of how you carry yourself and I think that’s sexy,” she elaborated.

Jessy sees her sexiest title as an essential step toward a more exciting showbiz career, at the same time an avenue to affect young girls to feel comfortable in their own skin.

A jazzy week at the CCP The Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) envisions to stage a bigger jazz festival that will serve as a platform to budding jazz artists and other community bands most people have hardly heard of.

At the same time create a community of local and international jazz acts to encourage cultural ex-

change.

That is why, five years ago, the CCP launched the International Jazz Festival.

Now, on its fifth edition, the CPP is holding the international music fest until the end of the month at the CCP Main Theater, Little Theaters, Silangan Hall and outdoors at Harbour Square.

Called Winds and Jazz: The CCP International Band Festival, it combines the vibrant sounds and harmonies of the symphonic band and the sophisticated rhythms of jazz in a musical treat that appeals to a variety of listeners and music enthusiasts.

The festival highlights various symphonic bands from across the country and abroad. It also features various jazz styles, including Asian ethnic fusion, as performed

by local and international jazz figures and groups.

Besides the main evening, pocket and sunset concerts, the festival also has collaborative components that include lobby pre-shows, trade shows, band clinics, and instrument-repair sessions.

Highlights of the festival include: entrance and opening sunset concert held yesterday at Harbour Square, featuring some of the participating bands; and masterclasses, workshops and lecture-demonstrations conducted by foreign artists from today until July 30.

Tickets are at P200 and P300, and festival passes at P600. Senior citizens and people with disability can avail themselves of a 20 percent discount, while students can get a 50 percent discount.

AIR quality, polluted oceans and energy production: these are just some of the environmental issues blighting our planet today. Who has the answers? What has been proven to work?

Each month, CNN’s new TV and digital series Eco Solutions will tell the stories of people around the world creating innovative solutions to preserve the planet.

Hosted by CNN I n t e r n a t i o n a l correspondent and anchor, Isa Soares, the 15-minute show will take viewers from the cities improving the air they breathe to the countries running on renewable energy.

“CNN’s Eco Solutions reaffirms our on-going commitment to shining a light on the environmental issues impacting the planet,” said Ellana Lee, senior vice president and managing editor, CNN International. “We will not only be providing our global audiences a unique insight into environmental challenges, but also highlight the innovative solutions being developed by communities and advocates working to preserve the ecology.”

In the first episode, Eco Solutions examines innovations in combatting air pollution in Tezpur, a small city in the Indian state of Assam.

Air pollution has been called a silent killer, with the World Health Organization estimating that it is responsible for up to seven million premature deaths every year.

According to recent findings presented at the American Association for the Advancement of Science, conditions caused by air pollution killed 1.4 million people in India in 2013. As the shift of people from rural to urban areas inevitably continues, keeping our cities’ air clean is one of our biggest challenges.

India has some of the most polluted cities in the world, yet in the tea region of Assam measured improvement is taking place.

Eco Solutions visits the small city of Tezpur, which has moved heavy vehicles out of the center, and replaced local coalpowered tea plantation industries with LPG. Eco Solutions also looks at small projects underway in the large city of London to see how seemingly minor measures are also having some success in reducing harmful pollutants.

The program airs on CNN International today at 5:30 p.m. and at 1:30 p.m. on July 30.

For other times, please refer to CNN International.

CNN International correspondent and anchor Isa Soares

Lyceans like Kapamilya

July cover girl Rhian Ramos in a rare photo opportunity with this year’s sexiest woman, Jessy Mendiola, Photos by Sonny Espiritu

ABS-CBN was honored as the Best TV Network by the Lyceum of the Philippines University (LPU) Batangas.

The Kapamilya network won a total of 20 awards at the recent Golden Laurel: Lycean Choice Media Awards.

ABS-CBN’s flagship news program TV Patrol was named as the Best News Program, while Ted Failon and Bernadette Sembrano were the Best Male and Best Female News Anchors, respectively.

Umagang Kay Ganda was the Best Morning Show with Atom Araullo as the top pick for Best Morning Show Host. Other ABS-CBN News programs that won included Matanglawin for Best Educational Program and Sports U for

CROSSWORD PUZZLE Wednesday, July 27, 2016

ACROSS 1 Foot part 5 By — of (because of) 9 “The Divine Miss M” 14 “Road” film destination 15 Charles Lamb pen name 16 Winter constellation 17 TGIF party request 18 — the bill 19 Legally binding 20 Crown and scepter 22 Woodworking tools 24 Pop singer — Lauper 26 Verse lead-in 27 Golfer’s iron 30 Awesome!

35 Mgmt.

36 Splash through a puddle 37 Collapse 38 KGB counterpart 39 Paprika dish 42 Coq au — 43 Collies do it 45 Flyboy’s org.

46 Curved moldings 48 Frankly

50 Frothy dessert 51 Oh, gross!

52 Prevents errata 54 Drive back and forth 58 Bacon servings 62 Burro alternative 63 Takes a powder 65 Suit, so to speak 66 Non-earthling 67 Metric unit 68 Comic — Rudner 69 Bamboo muncher 70 Fountain treat 71 Wine glass feature DOWN 1 Etc. or et al.

2 Martha of dental ads 3 Plug up 4 Brazier 5 Spell out 6 Old war story 7 Zilch 8 Chalky mineral 9 Heifer 10 VCR function 11 Shower liner 12 Industry, plus 13 Runs its course 21 Mendacious 23 Popcorn nuisances

25 Fence off 27 Strong silent type?

28 Departure 29 Well-dressed 31 Edith, the “Little Sparrow” 32 Cheap nightspots 33 Wall climbers 34 Thick 36 Send overnight 40 Is much obliged?

41 Night noises 44 Tapped one’s

fingers 47 Well-drillers’ hope 49 Lizard with a fringe 50 Swamp gases 53 Cringe at 54 Peal of thunder 55 Clay jar 56 Principal 57 Batter ingredients 59 Tollbooth site 60 Nerve network 61 Ripoff 64 Pizarro’s quest

Best Sports Program.

FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano, the country’s most watched program, was the Best Primetime Series with lead star Coco Martin winning the Best TV Actor honors.

Awardees from the entertainment category included It’s Showtime (Best Noontime Show), ASAP (Best Musical Variety Show), Banana Split (Best Comedy Show), Gandang Gabi Vice (Best Talk Show), and Your Face Sounds Familiar (Best Reality TV Show).

Other triumphant Kapamilya stars in the Lycean Choice Media Awards were Jodi Sta. Maria (Best TV Actress for Pangako Sa’Yo), Anne Curtis (Most Influential Social Media Personality), Vice Ganda (Best Talk Show Host), Toni

Gonzaga-Soriano (Best Reality Show Host for Pinoy Big Brother), and the love team of James Reid and Nadine Lustre (Most Popular Love Team).

The Golden Laurel: Lycean Choice Media Awards was held on July 21 at the Lyceum of the Philippines University Batangas campus. As one of the student award-giving bodies in the Philippines, it aims to honor TV programs and personalities who promote their respective schools’ mission and values. Students, faculty members, and staff chose the winners.

The latest honor is the ninth Best TV Station won by ABS-CBN this year, the Philippines’ leading media and entertainment company.

ISAH V. RED, Editor NICKIE WANG, Writer isahred@gmail.com

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Showbiz

Andrea Torres (center) thrills Kapuso fans with her charm and congenial personality Betong Sumaya (left) and Tom Rodriguez (right) take a selfie with fans at the Pinoy Fiesta and Trade Show sa Toronto

Former Miss World Megan Young shares the love with hundreds of Pinoys at the Kalayaan 2016, an Independence Day show in Kuwait

ISAH V. RED

T

HOUSANDS of Filipinos overseas felt right at home as GMA Pinoy TV kicked off a month-long celebration of the 118th Philippine Independence Day in Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, the United States of America, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

Featuring some of GMA’s brightest stars, the series of events was as vibrant and colorful as our nation’s history, and exuded a truly festive Filipino atmosphere—full of entertainment, laughter, food, and a sense of community.

GMA Pinoy TV, along with GMA’s other international channels GMA Life TV and GMA News TV International, served as exclusive media sponsors of the events abroad.

Fittingly, Kapuso star and 2013 Miss World Megan Young was at the start of the worldwide festivities in “Kalayaan sa Kuwait,” organized

Students’ choice.

Seasoned broadcast journalist Jessica Soho wins another award as Best Magazine Show Host

A worldwide fiesta with

GMA Pinoy TV

by Filcom, a group composed of various Filipino organizations in that country, along with the Philippine Embassy in Kuwait on May 29.

Filipinos who came to the Qadsia Sports Club in Hawally, Kuwait warmly welcomed Young who entertained the crowd with musical numbers and met with Kapuso fans at the end of the show. The Conan My Beautician lead actress was also able to tour the city before paying a courtesy call to the Philippine Embassy in Kuwait and the Philippine Overseas Labor Office.

The regal Kapuso beauty then flew to California where her presence drew one of the largest crowds ever in the history of the Philippine Independence Day celebration in Carson City. After her performance at Veterans Park on June 11, Young accepted various awards and commendations from California Senate, the City of Los Angeles, the City of Carson, and the Philippine Independence Day Foundation of Carson, which organized the event.

In the United Arab Emirates, Kapuso Premier Actress Lovi Poe was the main attraction in the “118th Philippine Independence Day in Dubai” at the spacious Dubai World Trade Center on June 3. The Philippine Independence Day Celebration Organizing Committee and the Philippine Consular Office in Dubai spearheaded the event.

For Poe, who had just come from a vacation in various parts of Europe at the time, the event was as much a homecoming for her as it was for her mga kababayan as the Filipino community in Dubai gathered to celebrate their rich heritage.

While in the city, the actress also spent time with overseas Filipino workers during her courtesy visit to the Philippine Consular Office and met with local Filipino media.

Meanwhile, stunning Kapuso actress Andrea Torres was in Doha for “Kalinangan 2016” organized by the United Filipino Organizations Qatar, in partnership with the Philippine Embassy in Qatar.

With her congenial personality and warmth, Andrea won over her fellow Filipinos during a courtesy visit to the Consulate Office, as well as the crowd who came to see her performance at the Sheraton Hotel.

Continuing the celebration in Canada, the wacky pairing of Kapuso leading man Tom Rodriguez and comedian Betong Sumaya kept the audience amused at the “Pinoy Fiesta and Trade Show in Toronto” organized by the Philippine Canadian Charitable Foundation, on June 18.

The Metro Toronto Convention Centre was filled to capacity with Filipino-Canadians, among them noted local dignitaries of the Canadian government, as Tom and Betong took to the stage.

GMA Pinoy TV’s Philippine Independence Day celebrations closed with the “BirminghamSandwell-West Midlands Fiesta Celebrations” in the United Kingdom featuring Kapuso Primetime King Dingdong Dantes, and presented by the nonprofit community group, the Birmingham FilipinoBritish Community Volunteers on July 3.

Kapuso Network’s brightest stars celebrate Philippine culture with global Pinoys’’

Over 5,000 people gathered at the biggest Filipino fiesta celebration in the West Midlands, which took place at the scenic Lightwoods Park, with the crowd enthusiastically cheering Dingdong’s performance. In the days leading to the event, the actor, who plays a special role in the retelling of the fantasy series Encantadia, also took some time away from the television cameras to pay a visit to the Philippine Embassy in the UK, to tour London’s iconic landmarks and to meet with his fellow Filipinos in the country.

“These events across the globe are truly a festive and heartwarming reminder of what it is to be a Filipino to those who are far away from home,” says GMA First Vice President and Head of International Operations Joseph T. Francia.

“As the global Filipino community continues to expand, GMA Pinoy TV will also continue to reach more of our mga kababayan abroad, wherever they may be in the world.”

Lyceans honor Jessica Soho GMA Network earned the nod of students and teachers from the Lyceum Philippines-Batangas, taking home top awards at the Golden Laurel: Lycean Choice Media Awards on July 21 at the Freedom Hall of the SHL Building, LPU-Batangas, Batangas City.

Leading the Kapuso awardees is Jessica Soho, who was named as Best Magazine Show Host for the top-rating public affairs program Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho that also won the Best Magazine Show award.

The documentary program I-Witness, meanwhile, was recognized as Best Public Affairs Program.

The “Golden Laurel: Lycean Choice Media Awards” was organized in celebration of the 50th foundation anniversary of Lyceum of the Philippines-Batangas, which was founded in 1966 by Senator Sotero H. Laurel. The winners were chosen by the students and teachers via an automated voting process.

Earlier this year, Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho also received the Best Magazine Show prize at the UmalohokJUAN Award organized by the Lyceum of the Philippines University (LPU) Manila.

Actor and social media personality Teejay Marquez shares his secret to a radiant skin

Teejay for YSA 2011 PMPC Star Awards for Television’s Best Male New TV Personality Teejay Marquez invites his fans to see him in a Meet and Greet event tomorrow at YSA Skin and Body Experts Clinic at SM Fairview.

“I trust YSA because they have the best doctors and the staff and nurses are very nice and friendly.

The services they give is 100 percent. After every visit I feel good about myself,” shares Teejay, who takes pride in being a Gawad Kabataan Youth Ambassador.

Teejay also promotes YSA’s high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU), a non-surgical face lift that uses safe, high intensity focused ultrasound energy to tighten and lift the skin without down time. HIFU is today’s best non-surgical , noninvasive and superior treatment for lifting and tightening skin and muscles of the face, neck, eye brows and other areas.

“If you have mild to moderate skin laxity where your skin begins to feel and look less firm, like a lowered eyebrow line, loose skin on the neck, sagging under the chin, and lines or wrinkles on the chest, HIFU is for you,” says Sheila Nazal, operations director of YSA Skin Care Corporation.

Ultherapy re-conditions tired skin by stimulating growth of fresh collagen, firms the skin in the neck area, the area around the brows and under the chin, and stimulates the deep structural support layers of the skin without disturbing the skin surface.

Beside Ultherapy, Teejay also has regular diamond peel at YSA. When he has a stressful day or lack sleep, Teejay found out that Glutathione shots refresh him.

Catch Teejay on July 28 at the YSA Center, SM Fairview.