VOL. XXIX � NO. 145 � 3 Sections 32 Pages P18 � WEDNESDay : JULy 15, 2015 � www.thestandard.com.ph � editorial@thestandard.com.ph

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Escuderoadmitslump sumsin budget

china asks Ph: droParbitration Effort

New police chief. Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II presents Director Ricardo Marquez, the new head of the Philippine National Police, to reporters during a press conference in Camp Crame on Tuesday, as retiring OIC chief Leonardo Espina looks on. LiNo SaNtoS

Marquez, protector of Francis, new PNP chief

By Vito Barcelo

CHINA  on Tuesday  urged the Philippines to drop its arbitration case over the South China Sea dispute to bring back good relations between the both countries.

“China urges the Philippines to come back to the right track of resolving disputes through negotiation and consultation,” Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokes-person Hua Chunying said in a statement.

The Philippines has asked the United Nations tri-bunal in The Hague to declare China’s claims to virtu-ally all the South China Sea invalid, saying Beijing’s actions have trampled on other nations’ rights.

However, China maintained that it “will never ac-cept the unilateral attempts to turn to a third party to solve the disputes.”

China contends the tribunal doesn’t have jurisdic-tion, and has refused to participate in its proceedings.

China offered again to open bilateral negotiations to settle the maritime dispute, which the Philippines rejected. Next pageNext page

By Francisco tuyay

THE government announced the appointment of Ricardo Marquez as the new chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP)  Tuesday, ending seven months of waiting to have the position filled.

Marquez, the deputy chief of operations, will replace officer-in-charge Leonardo Espina  on Thursday  when he reaches the mandatory retirement age of 56, said Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas II in a briefing  Tuesday.

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news

Stranded ship undergoes repair

Free ride. Defense and Air Force officials offer journalists a ride in one of the controversial used UH-ID helicopters purchased by the defense department in Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City. Lino SantoS

THE Navy said  Tuesday  that minor repairs are now being conducted on the rust-streaked and dilapidated BRP Si-erra Madre (LT-57), the ship that ran aground on Ayungin Shoal since 1999.

Navy spokesman Col. Edgard Arevalo said the re-pairs would ensure that the troops stationed there to protect the Philippines’ claim to the disputed shoal, are not neglected.

The BRP Sierra Madre now serves as the Philip-pine outpost off the Spratly Islands.

Located atop Ayungin Shoal(known internation-ally as Second Thomas Shoal), it is a commissioned vessel with personnel on board.

“The decrepit condition of the ship is no secret,” Arevalo said.

“Just as the Philippine Navy is morally and duty bound to resupply its personnel with food, water, medicines, and other basic necessities, it is incum-bent upon the Navy leadership to ensure that the minimum survivable condition of the ship is accord-ed to its personnel on board,” Arevalo added.

Western Command chief Vice Admiral Alexander Lopez denied earlier reports claiming that the Philip-pines was using cement to reinforce the foundations of the rusted transport.

“We are not doing any construction. We are merely improving the accommodations of our people de-ployed there,” Lopez said in Filipino.

“We are just maintaining (the ship) to give better accommodations to our troops,” he added.

The Western Command chief also said the coun-try’s arbitration case would weaken should the coun-try engage in construction activities in the disputed area.

On Tuesday, the search giant Google quietly re-moved the Chinese name for a South China Sea shoal bitterly disputed by Beijing and Manila from its maps service, following an outcry from Filipinos.

The Google Maps website  on Tuesday  referred to the rich fishing ground -- a subject of a case lodged by the Philippines at an international arbitration tribu-nal -- by its international name, Scarborough Shoal.

The service had earlier labelled the shoal as part of China’s Zhongsha island chain, prompting an online campaign demanding that the Internet giant stop identifying the outcrop as part of Chinese territory.

“We’ve updated Google Maps to fix the issue. We understand that geographic names can raise deep emotions which is why we worked quickly once this was brought to our attention,” Google’s office in Ma-nila said in a statement.

Scarborough Shoal lies 220 kilometers off the main island of Luzon and 650 kilometers from Hainan is-land, the nearest major Chinese land mass.

China has controlled the shoal since 2012, follow-ing a brief standoff with the Philippines.

Since then, the Philippines has accused the Chi-nese coast guard of harassing Filipino fishermen at the shoal, including robbing them of their catch at gunpoint earlier this year.

Campaigns website Change.org began a petition last week to get Google Maps to drop the Chinese name of the shoal on its site. The petition drew close to 2,000 supporters.

“China’s sweeping claim of (the) South China Sea under their nine-dash line purportedly historical boundary is illegal and is creating tension among na-tions,” the petition read.

“Google maps showing this is part of Zhongsha island chain gives credence to what is plainly a ter-ritory grab that peace loving nations should stand against.”

Last week, a United Nations-backed tribunal at The Hague started hearing a Philippine petition to declare illegal China’s maritime claims in the South China Sea that overlap those of the Philippines.

On Monday, Filipino officials wrapped up argu-ments to convince the panel it had jurisdiction over the case, presidential spokeswoman Abigail Valte said.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said the Philippines was confident the tribunal would assume jurisdic-tion.

“We are doing this as a peaceful means to resolve the dispute. We can’t fight China economically, mili-tarily and even politically. This is the way to do it,” De Lima said. – Pna, aFP

“We have asked China to participate and we continue to extend the invita-tion for them to explain their side,” Department of Foreign Affairs spokes-man Charles Jose said.

Jose said the Philippines has “ex-hausted all reasonable effort” to re-solve the issue through bilateral con-sultations as China has demanded, but the talks failed because of the condi-tions set by China.

The Philippines said that any nego-

tiation on the issue would be deemed acceptable only if other members of the Association of Southeast Nations are involved.

The Permanent Court of Arbitra-tion wrapped up its hearing on the jurisdiction and admissibility of the Philippines’s case against China last Monday, and is expected to decide on the jurisdiction issue within the year.

In a bulletin from The Hague, dep-uty presidential spokeswoman Abigail Valte said the Philippines had con-cluded its presentation of arguments on why the court should hear the ar-

bitration case.Valte said the Arbitral Tribunal

scheduled two rounds of hearings on jurisdiction and admissibility of the case filed by the Philippines.

The first round of oral arguments were held from July 7 to 8. A second round concluded  Monday, with Solic-itor General Florin Hilbay delivering the closing statement.

Valte said the Philippines has un-til  July 23  to give its written submis-sion to the Tribunal to amplify its an-swers to questions posed by individual members of the court. – With Sandy araneta

Marquez said he was surprised to learn of his appointment when he was summoned to the Palace  Monday, and President Benigno Aquino III ordered him to lead the 150,000-strong police force.

The President emphasized the need to ensure the peaceful and successful holding of the 2016 national and local elections, Marquez added.

“With all humility and full of grati-tude to President Aquino and Secre-tary Mar Roxas, I am accepting the challenge to me, the 150,000 strong men and women of the PNP,” Marquez said.

Roxas said Marquez had a good track record of accomplishments on a number of sensitive missions.

These included the successful imple-mentation of various PNP programs in Region 1, his role in ensuring a peace-ful 2013 elections, the safety of Pope Francis during his visit in January and the security preparations for dignitar-ies of the Asia Pacific Economic Con-ference (APEC).

The new PNP chief bested two other top contenders for the post—police directors Marcelo Garbo, the current feputy chief for administration and the designated deputy chief for directorial staff, Danilo Constantino.

A native of Maragondon, Cavite, Marquez was first deployed as a ju-nior officer of the 634th Philippine

Constabulary in the rebel-infested Calauag, Quezon and was assigned to several infantry posts in Laguna and Palawan.

After a few years as a field com-mander, Marquez promoted to sensi-tive posts in urban centers following the birth of the Philippine National Police in 1991.

He has attended seminars in the United States on crisis management in Washington, DC, and the Federal Bu-reau of Investigation National Acad-emy in Quantico, Virginia.

In a brief interview, Marquez em-phasized the need to vigorously pro-tect the streets and to keep communi-ties safe from crime.

“At the point in the history of our organization that we are recovering and moving on from a difficult situa-tion, [it is] an opportune time to focus on renewing the core function of the PNP,” Marquez said.

“I urge the officers, men and women of the PNP to rally behind your leader-ship as I ask each and everyone of you not to contribute your share in strength-ening this institution,” Marquez said.

The Palace  on Tuesday  said Mar-quez had “the best and highest qualifi-cations for the job.”

“The decision of the President was based on qualifications and who is the best candidate for the PNP chief posi-tion,” said Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr.

He also denied the suggestion that Roxas broke protocol in announcing the new PNP chief ahead of the Presi-

dent.Marquez, a member of the Philip-

pine Military Academy Class of 1982, is currently the chief of the PNP’s Di-rectorate for Operations.

Marquez was the police task force commander for the 2015 Papal Visit in January. He was also the regional direc-tor of the Ilocos regional police office.

The outgoing acting PNP chief, Es-pina, also had glowing words for Mar-quez.

“If I can only describe [Marquez] in one word,  napakasipag  [very indus-trious].  He’s proven his mettle and ca-pability, as well as his competence, in the major activities we’ve faced in the past few months.”

Senators said the appointment of Marquez would bring clarity to the command structure of the police or-ganization.

“I personally know Director Mar-quez because he once served as re-gional director for Region 1. I am confident that he has the ability and experience to lead the PNP and that he will discharge his duty to the best of his ability,” said Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Marcos added that he has been urging Malacañang to appoint a per-manent successor to PNP chief Alan Purisima since his suspension on graft charges.

Senator Grace Poe said Marquez’s appointment will provide the needed direction and leadership in the PNP. – With Sandy Araneta and Macon Ramos-Araneta

ChinaFrom A1...

MarquezFrom A1...

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Hospital visit. Senator Ramon Revilla Jr. visits his father Ramon Revilla Sr. at Saint Luke’ Medical Center in this photo provided by the Revilla family.

Comelechikes fundsto purchasePCOS gear

House panel chief urges: Go slow on mall vote plan

‘Transport officials liablefor car plate overpricing’

THE head of the House committee on suffrage and electoral reforms on Tuesday urged the Commission on Elections to consider tapping private schools as additional poll-ing precincts rather than putting up polling booths in the malls.

Capiz Rep. Fredenil Castro said no law prohibits the setting up of polling booths in the shopping centers, but the solemnity of the election process could be disturbed by the mall-goers.

Public elementary schools and high schools are designated by law as polling precincts, but Castro said private schools would be a better choice.

“The better alternative would be for the Comelec to tap private schools where the same controls can be applied as in the public schools that are used as polling precincts,” Castro said.

Earlier, the Comelec said it would be putting up polling booths in se-lected shopping malls for the 2016 presidential elections to help reduce

the number of voters per precinct and de-congest the public schools.

Comelec chairman Andres Bautista said the malls and the con-venience they offer could also raise the voter turnout and reduce elec-tion-related stress.

The poll body hopes to finalize the number of precincts that will be transferred to the malls by Nov. 7. It has already designated areas in several malls where voters can have their bio-metric data taken during weekends.

Castro said his committee was still discussing with the Comelec the problem of congestion in the polling places.

He said that they were contemplat-ing putting up additional precincts so that the ideal rate of 300 to 500 voters per precinct could be reached.

“We still have time to deliberate on our respective proposals. How-ever, I firmly believe that using private schools as polling precincts is the bet-ter alternative than using malls for the same purpose,” Castro said. PNA

After the downpours. An MMDA worker tries to spruce up a mountain of garbage collected from Libertad in Pasay City following days of rain in Metro Manila. DANNy PAtA

By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan

AFTER cutting the budget for the con-tract that caused a failure of bidding, the Commission on Elections on Tuesday again decided to increase the approved budget for the refurbishment with system upgrade of 81,896 Precinct Count Opti-cal Scan machines from P2.07-billion to P3.130-billion, a higher financial alloca-tion from the original P2.880-billion.

Comelec commissioner Christian Robert Lim said that, given the amount that they would be saving in refurbishing the PCOS machines rather than leasing the 23,000 Optical Mark Reader units, the commission en banc had decided to “keep the refurbishment option alive”.

“During last week’s press conference, we mentioned that we wanted to keep the refurbishment option alive,” Lim said.

“Last Friday, in the midst of a ty-phoon the en banc had a marathon meeting to finalize the new ABC (ap-proved budget contract) as well as the TOR (term of reference) for the second-round bidding for the refurbishment.”

Lim made his statement even as the Comelec postponed the notice to award the leasing of 23,000 Optical Mark Reader contract to Smartmatic-Total Management Information Corp or Smartmatic-TIM.

A day after the Comelec released a notice-to- award document, Comelec commissioner Christian Robert Lim said chairman Andres Bautista will defer awarding the contract to Smart-matic-TIM due to the two pending mo-tions for reconsideration filed by Indras Sistemas and Neru FormWork Systems.

“There was recommendation by the SBAC (Special Bids and Awards Com-mittee) to award to Smartmatic the 23,000 OMR. In fact, during Friday’s marathon meeting with the en banc, we approved the recommendation award and directed the chairman to issue the notice to award,” Lim told the reporters.

“In today’s [Tuesday] en banc, we dis-cussed that, since there are two pending MRs, one filed by Indras Sistemas and one filed by Neru Systems, they were asking to proceed to the second round, but the action then by the en banc is to refer the matter for legal opinion by the law department, the chairman will de-fer the notice to award.”

Lim said that in case the Comelec de-cides to choose the refurbishment and upgrade option, the agency will save at least 58.13-percent compared to the op-tion to lease 23,000 Optical Mark Read-er machines from Smartmatic-Total Information Management Corp.

“Based on this new ABC, the per cost unit for refurbishment of PCOS is P23,575.05 compared with the bidded PCOS by Smartmatic for the 23,000 units, it comes out as P56,303,” Lim said.

“There is a price differential of P32,728.95 representing 58.13 percent. That is the savings that the Commis-sion will make if we push through with the refurbishment.”

Last month, the Comelec cut the budget for the refurbishment contract of PCOS machines from P2.880-billion to P2.074-billion.

However, its decision to decrease the ABC resulted in a failure of bidding after Smartmatic-TIM and Vertex Business Applications Inc. withdrew from the bid-ding for the refurbishment last month.

Lim said the commission en banc realized that the increase in the budget was necessary, citing the Market survey that was conducted by the Comelec’s Bids and Awards Committee last week.

The Market Survey, Lim said, was a mandatory requirement after a failure of bidding.

“We also considered the matters raised by the prospective bidders during a non-binding conference,” Lim said.

TRANSPORT officials should be held criminally liable for the P3.8-billion contract for new license plates that have victimized millions of mo-torists, an official said Tuesday.

At a congressional hearing of the House spe-cial committee on Metro Manila Development, Abakada party-list Rep. Jonathan de la Cruz said Congress will recommend the filing of criminal charges against responsible DOTC and LTO of-ficials who tolerated the “abominable and illegal contract.”

He made his statement even as Land Trans-portation Office chief Alfonso Tan Jr. said a decision of the Supreme Court dismissing the petition against the Motor Vehicle License Plate Standardization Program, or the LTO plates project, “would settle the legality of the bid-ding for the plates.”

He cited the high court ruling that Congress allotted P4.8 billion under the 2014 General Ap-propriations Act for the implementation of the P3.8-billion plate project awarded in 2013

The petitioners against the plate program claim that the P3.8-billion project was awarded in 2013 without sufficient funds and that only P187 million had been allocated for the project.

Meanwhile, De la Cruz on Tuesday also de-manded that the LTO license plates contract with plate producersPower Plates Development Con-cepts Inc. and J. Knieriem BV Goes or JKG be re-scinded in light of a Supreme Court order on the supposed funding requirement for the contract as prescribed under the bidding law, and a Commis-sion on Audit order asking the LTO to suspend payments to JKG due to “unfulfilled documen-tary requirements.”

Transport Undersecretary Jose Lotilla and LTO executive director Giovanni Gonzalez defended the LTO’s new policy on license plates even as JKG corporate secretary Ron Salo stood by the “high

quality” of the new license plates they supplied to the LTO, including its supposed security features. Both the DOTC and the LTO officials, and even car plate manufacturer JKG, could hardly tell the panel, led by Quezon City Rep. Winston Castelo, the reason for the delays in the delivery of license plates.

But the LTO said the delivery rate for the car plates nationwide was now at 78 percent. The committee conducted the probe after Isa-bela Rep. Rodolfo Albano III said the new license plates were substandard and overpriced by P180 each, resulting in a loss of P1.51 billion.

De la Cruz cited a Supreme Court order dated June 25, 2015 saying the Aquino government’s “Motor Vehicle License Plates Standardization Program” “did not follow Section 37 of [Republic Act 9184 or the Government Procurement Re-form Act].

De la Cruz was referring to the funding require-ment that should have been factored in the annual expenditures. Maricel V. Cruz and Rio N. Araja

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‘Nangka’ likelyto missPH areaTYPHOON “Nangka,” which is still hovering over the Pacific Ocean, will likely miss the Philippine Area of Responsibility, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said Tuesday.

“Based on current weather data the typhoon has a low chance of entering the PAR,” said Pagasa weather forecaster Aldczar Aurelio, noting that the storm, which will be renamed “Gorio” if it enters the PAR, may still enter Philippine jurisdiction if it heads westward.

But the weather bureau said the southwest monsoon may still bring flash floods to the Ilocos region and Benguet province.

Pagasa also warned of occasional rains which will likely be experienced in the Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon and the rest of Cordillera.

Other parts of the country, including Metro Manila, will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated thunderstorms.

The archipelago will also experience moderate to strong winds coming from the southwest, causing seas to be moderate to rough.

Meanwhile, Pagasa said 85 percent of its radar needs and is set to install more within the year.

“Our target of modernization is within the next three years,” said the agency’s officer-in-charge Dr. Vicente Malano.

Manalo said the zero-casualty results during the last two typhoons – Egay and Falcon – indicated the progress of Pagasa’s modernization efforts.

Under the National Operational Assessment of Hazards of the Department of Science and Technology, Pagasa was able to implement eight projects:the hydromet sensors development, dream lidar 3-D mapping project, f looding modeling project, hazards information media, geohazards mapping, Doppler radar development, landslide sensors development project, and storm surge mapping project.

Escudero admits 2015budget has lump sums

But Escudero said the lump sums are only temporary because the 2015 budget law also has a provision requiring government agencies to submit an itemized listing of its disbursements to the Department of Budget and Management.

Escudero, chairman of the Senate finance committee, said the listing will show how the allocations will be spent and a copy should also be furnished the Commission on Audit before the funds are spent.

Nonetheless, Escudero said he will ask all finance officials and department heads to explain and account for programs funded by the 2015 national budget, including lump sums and discretionary funds which strictly require itemization prior to disbursement.

“We want to know how finance officials and department heads spent every single centavo of the budget they had requested. We want to know the status of all the projects. We want to know

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

SENATOR Francis “Chiz” Escudero admitted on Tuesday that there indeed lump sums in the 2015 national budget, which had been the source of the outlawed Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) and Disbursement Acceleration Program funds.

why underspending still exists despite the availability of funds,” said Escudero in a statement.

Escudero made the admission after former senator Panfilo Lacson said in a speech before the Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants that 11 out of 21 major line agencies had dubious discretionary funds in the 2015 General Appropriations Act.

Lacson said the national budget is filled with lump sum appropriations or discretionary funds amounting to at least P424 billion.

While Escudero could not immediately ascertain the amount claimed by Lacson, he already talked to the former senator working on this concern.

“We will study further the observations of, and try to work with, Sen. Lacson with a view to making sure that the law and the rulings of the court on DAP/

PDAF are not circumvented in its implementation by the Executive and. Congress,” Escudero said.

Lacson said he welcomes Escudero’s offer to look into it. After all, he said the national budget is the life blood of the country’s economy, if not the country itself.

“If we will not watch over it, we will also be the losers here,” Lacson said in a text message.

Escudero noted however that these funds cannot be used unless an itemized listing is submitted.

“Lump sums are designed to give the agencies needed flexibility subject to, among others, Section 65 of the GAA,” Escudero sxaid.

He added: “Please take note that the 2015 national budget is, by far, the most detailed/itemized budget with the least number/amount of lump sums and we continue to strive to lessen it further.”

Substitute BBL. Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. explains the need to improve the Bangsamoro Basic Law that the Aquino administration submitted to Congress that most senators found to be replete with constitutional infirmities. EY ACASIO

Teachers reject make-up classesBy John Paolo BencitoA TEACHERS’ group “strongly opposed” the plan of the Department of Education to hold classes on Saturdays to make up for days lost to class suspensions last week following heavy rains brought about by typhoons Egay and Falcon in Metro Manila and nearby provinces.

“We have nothing to do with the class suspension. These suspensions actually distort our class program. We believe we should not be compelled to report for Saturday classes,” said Teachers’ Dignity Coalition National Chairperson Benjo Basas.

Basa explained that make-up classes due to cancellations because of bad weather were unnecessary as the school calendar already provided for at least 21 “buffer days” for such cases.

“Make-up classes, especially during

Saturdays are not necessary at this point. The school year has just started and traditionally, we have buffer days included in our school calendar that are intended for sudden class disruptions due to inclement weather even local holidays,” he said.

According to Basas, teachers use Saturdays for post-graduate studies while some are barred to work because of their religious belief or use the weekends for family bonding.

“If make-up classes would be necessary, then we will cooperate. However, as in the past years, we are willing to find other options rather than imposing Saturday classes. Let us leave the weekend not only for our teachers, but also for our children and their families,” he said.

The group also asked the Department of Education to come up with a clear and uniform guidelines and the holding of make-up classes.

Earthquake drill. Students of the four universities located in the walled district of Intramuros in Manila calmly walk down a walkway of the fortification of the old city during an earthquake drill on Tuesday. DANNY PATA

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Indonesia asked for access to ‘MJ’

Tax fraud vs Finance execs

‘Step up war on drug traffickers’

Militant workers and members of the government union come together to stage a picket at the Supreme Court during the filing of a petition for writs of amparo and habeas data against military agents. Ey AcAsio

By Rio Araja

THE Office of the Ombudsman  on Tuesday  directed the filing of over 40 counts of graft complaints before the Sandiganbayan against officials of the One-Stop Shop Inter-Agency Tax Credit and Duty Drawback Center (OSS-Center) of the Department of Finance led by former undersecretary Antonio Belicena, former deputy executive director Uldarico Andutan Jr. and officer in charge of the Textile Division Asuncion Magdaet.

Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales also indicted the owners and officers of Mannequin International Corp. for violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act in connection with the irregular issuance of tax credit certificates. The alleged irregularity involved the release of 45 tax credit certificates of P112,606,076 from 1995 to1998 to MIC.

A post-audit by the finance department’s chief tax specialist showed that the company obtained the certificates through misrepresentation and deceit by submitting spurious commercial documents.

The firm was a paper corporation, created solely for the purpose of filing spurious tax credit claims with the government, the Ombudsman said.

The Ombudsman found probable cause to indict Belicena and company on the ground that the OSS officials failed to discharge their responsibilities to evaluate and review the application and verify the authenticity of the documents. Belicena and Andutan are facing 45 counts of graft charges.

According to the resolution, public respondents acted with manifest partiality, evident bad faith or gross inexcusable negligence when they allowed the release of the tax credit certificates to MIC and the transfer to entities which allegedly supplied raw materials to MIC’s production of export goods despite the lack of qualification to avail of the tax credit benefit.

The existence of injury to the government was indisputable as it is quantified in the aggregate amount of the TCCs which the respondents processed, evaluated, approved and issued to an ineligible firm, the Ombudsman said.

comelec-Waltermart tieup. The Commission on Elections and Waltermart Community Malls have collaborated on the “No Bio, No Boto” campaign to set up satellite voters’ registration and biometrics validation services in their malls. Signing the memorandum of agreement are Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista, lawyer Marina Demeterio-- Head executive assistant of the Comelec Office of the Chair and Comelec’s acting Public Relations Officer V Leo Lim with Waltermart General Manager- Operations Jeck Buñing and Waltermart VP- Business Development Jojo de Guzman.

By Rey E. RequejoThe Philippine government has asked Indonesia to allow access to Mary Jane “MJ” Veloso who is still on death row after she was convicted in 2010 for drug trafficking.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said on Tuesday  that the Philippines’ request was contained in a communication submitted to Indonesia’s Attorney General and the Minister of Law and human Rights.

“We are requesting access to Mary Jane to strengthen the cases against the accused as part of the still ongoing case build-up for purposes of the impending trial,” De Lima said.

De Lima was referring to the criminal cases filed before the Nueva ecija

Regional Trial Court against Veloso’s alleged recruiters, Cristina Sergio, her live-in-partner, Julius Lacanilao and a certain “Ike.”

De Lima said even if the charges have already been filed in court, there is still a need for case build-up since the goal now is to prove beyond reasonable doubt the guilt of the respondents.

“Remember, the required threshold now is guilt beyond reasonable doubt and not just to establish probable cause which was the requirement during the preliminary investigation stage,” the Justice Secretary stressed.

De Lima also admitted that they have already informed their Indonesian counterparts of the filing of the case against the alleged recruiters of Veloso.

The Philippine and Indonesian officials

are scheduled to meet after the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadhan to discuss developments on the Veloso case.

Philippine officials would update their Indonesian counterpart on the filing of the charges against Sergio, Lacanilao and “Ike.”

The Ramadan started last June 18 and will end on  July 17.

Veloso was supposed to have been executed by firing squad along with eight other drug convicts on  April 29  but Indonesian President Joko Widodo granted a reprieve to allow Philippine authorities to pursue criminal charges against her illegal recruiters.

Veloso was convicted of sneaking 2.6 kilos of heroin into Indonesia from Malaysia in April 2010 although she denied the charges.

By sandy AranetaPReSIDeNT Aquino on Tuesday ordered   the Philippine Drug enforcement Agency to intensify its campaign against drug trafficking in the country even as Senator Vicente Sotto exposed the “latest trend” in the illegal trade which is the use of parcel services to transport and distribute the contraband.

In a meeting held at Malacañang Palace, Aquino   said all concerned government agencies should concentrate on preventing the spread of illegal drugs at its source while stopping smuggling and manufacturing activities, according to Communications Secretary herminio Coloma Jr. 

Aquino said law enforcement agencies should prioritize their actions based on the level of threat to the community in order to protect the welfare of the country especially

the youth.PDeA Director General Arturo

Cacdac said that from 2010 to 2014, a total of 13,792 individuals have been arrested.

Sotto for his part cited   the statement of Cacdac that   drug traffickers move illegal drugs covertly, yet rapidly through mail.

Under this mode, Cacdac   said the drug suspects cannot easily be identified because   of their anonymity and use of fictitious names to mislead authorities. 

Sotto, speaking at the CBCP plenary assembly Saturday, said the country is also confronted with constant innovation of illegal drug traders. “Drug traffickers never run out of ideas on how they will consummate their illicit actions. Inventing new drugs to circumvent the law is one of the ingenious ways that just recently stemmed out of the market.

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Consumers group bares ‘quickie scheme’ at LRT

‘Payanig’bidding fails, PCGG unfazed

Messy deal. Officials of the Department of Agrarian Reform inspect farm tractors at the Kubota Philippines warehouse in Quezon City. The tractors are intended for the beneficiaries of land reform but the purchase deal is mired in allegations of irregularities. LINO SANTOS

Thus spoke lawyer Oli-ver San Antonio, counsel and spokesperson of the Na-tional Coalition of Filipino Consumers (NCFC) as he exposed a “quickie scheme” in the bidding for the main-tenance service contract for the LRT-Line 2 of the Light Rail Transit Authority of the Department of Trans-portation and Communica-tions (DOTC).

According San Anto-nio, “if saner minds in the

Aquino administration fail to intervene and scuttle the procurement proceedings in the LRTA,” the newer line among the three above-ground train systems op-erating in Metro Manila is bound to suffer the fate of the “mass transit tragedy that is the MRT.”

“Documents in our pos-session show that the LRTA Bids and Awards Commit-tee (BAC) allowed the bid-ding to proceed despite the

obvious non-responsive tender made by a prospec-tive maintenance service provider in relation to the technical specifications of LRT-Line 2,” according to San Antonio.

The NCFC counsel was referring to the technical working group (TWG) re-port dated May 25, 2015 is-sued by lawyer Zandra A. Turila, TWG head for Rails, which noted 12 “non-re-sponsive” bid offers of the prospective maintenance service provider BUSAN-EDC Joint Venture for LRT 2 from Santolan to Recto.

“The TWG Report was is-sued in May where 12 non-responsive provisions were found in the bid offer of BUSAN-EDC. Then just last

June, the BAC concluded the bidding and announced that the winning bid they chose, BUSAN-EDCS’s,  was advan-tageous to the government.”

“They misled the public and the consumers of the government-run mass trans-port system,” noted San An-tonio, “because they failed to disclose that they waived and disregarded the valid and binding observations in the TWG Report which warned of glaring disparities in the technical specifications.”

An examination of BUSAN-EDC’s work speci-fications showed that power supply requirements and switchgears were different from LRT Line 2’s require-ments. In addition, mainte-nance frequency schedules

as well as maintenance for building and facilities, track-works, rolling stock and sig-naling systems were much less frequent and differently specified than that actual re-quirements strictly imposed by the Santolan to Recto rail line. These deficiencies could pose safety concerns.

“BUSAN was bidding for LRT2 but the specifications in their bid offer were copied and pasted from the require-ments of MRT3. In short, the BAC is dangerously toy-ing and trifling with the lives and safety of hundreds of thousands of everyday com-muters by disregarding strict technical requirements. This is irresponsible and simply unforgivable,” the lawyer pointed out.

By John Paolo BencitoTHE government failed to bid out the P16.5 billion “Payanig sa Pasig” property, the Presidential Com-mission on Good Government (PCGG) said on Tuesday. 

Two of three pre-qualified bid-ders - Megaworld Corporation and Next Urban Alliance Devel-opment Corp.—a subsidiary of the Ayala Corporation—did not attend the scheduled bidding set at 10:00 AM  at the Salonga Hall in the PCGG office along Edsa. 

Only a representative of Rob-insons Land Corporation was present during the bidding. 

The commission said that based on the rules established by

the Commission on Audit, a fail-ure of bidding occurred. 

“If there’s only one bidder we don’t open their financial bid. The other companies said they needed more time to study the matter,” the com-mission said in a statement. 

Despite the failed bidding, the commission said it remained positive about the future of the prime property.

“The fact that several major de-velopers in the country were inter-ested to participate in the bidding has given the Commission enough reason to continue with its man-date of overseeing ownership of the property on behalf of the national government,” said acting PCGG chair manRichard Amurao. 

THE Pasay City government has commended an airport employ-ee who returned P120,000 worth of cash and cards to a Chinese passenger at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport—Terminal 1 at the height of Typhoon Falcon last week.

Porferio Lavado Jr., a pushcart retriever at the NAIA- Terminal 1 and resident of 118 Sun Valley, Barangay 195 in Pasay City was cited by Mayor Antonio Calixto for his noble act of honesty.

Lavado, who was on duty on July 9, discovered the lost items contained in a blue pouch placed in one of the pushcarts at the arrival extension of the NAIA-Terminal 1. The pouch contained various foreign currency bills including Chinese Yuan, Hong Kong Dollar, and Philippine Peso bills amounting to P120,000.

Lavado returned cash amount-ing to more than a hundred thousand pesos and assorted Au-tomated Tellering Machine and credit cards to Xiren Wu, a Chi-nese national, whose identity was confirmed through the ID card found inside the pouch.

Joel E. Zurbano

‘Friends of the court’ tackle Torre THE Supreme Court has sum-moned three “friends of the court” to provide its magistrates with their insights during the oral arguments scheduled for next week on the controversial case of the 46-storey Torre de Manila condominium near the Luneta Park.

In an advisory issued  on Tues-day, the SC designated as “amici curiae” or    friends of the court Architect Emmanuel Cuntapay of the Department of Public Works and Highways, an expert on the National Building Code as designated by the DPWH and a representative from the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board. 

The Court also for the first time allowed “non-interested parties” in the case to submit their positions by way of briefs. Oral arguments have been set on next  Tuesday, July 21.

Last  July 16, the high court issued a temporary restraining order stopping property devel-oper DMCI Homes Inc. from proceeding with the construction of the Torre and granted the im-mediate relief sought by Knights of Rizal. Rey Requejo

Tax raps vs. Cedric Lee   THE Department of Justice has recommended the indictment of businessman Cedric Lee, one of the accused in the mauling of actor/television host Vhong Na-varro, for allegedly failing to pay P194.47 million in taxes due to the government.

The DOJ investigating pros-ecutors also approved the filing of tax evasion charges before the Court of Tax Appeals against his estranged wife Judy Gutierrez Lee, Finance Officer of Izumo Con-tractors Inc. and John K. Ong, its chief operating officer. Lee is the president of Izumo contractors.

The resolution penned by As-sistant State Prosecutor Stewart Allan Mariano and approved by Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Susan Dacanay and Prosecutor General Claro Arellano held that Lee’s company under-declared its income by 1,602 percent from 2006 to 2009. “The manifest under declaration is more than tenfold...thus, a prima facie case thereby exists against all the re-spondents,” the DOJ resolution stated. Rey Requejo

“SOME quarters in the Aquino adminis-tration appear hell-bent on pulling-off fast ones—either to raise funds for the ruling party’s 2016 election war chest or make hay while nobody’s looking before leaving the government cash cow. “

Ambulance Donation. Philippine

Charity Sweepstakes Office Vice-Chairman and General Manager

Jose Ferdinand M. Rojas II (2nd from left) with

Directors lawyer Mabel Mamba and Betty

Nantes, along with Quezon Governor David

C. Suarez (second from left) and Vice- Governor

Samuel Nantes (left), inspect 24 brand new ambulances from the

PCSO Ambulance Dona-tion Program given to 19 municipalities and 5 district hospitals in

the province during the formal turnover held at the Kalilayan Hall,

Capitol Compound in Lucena City on Monday.

JOSEPH MUEGO

Call him Honesto

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

w e d n e s d ay : j u ly 1 5 , 2 0 1 5

news A7

Moringa nursery planned in Pangasinan

Social Security System pays out P2.04 B in Central Visayas region

Towering over trees. A family works on a salt farm on Guimaras Island with a windmill at the background. MICHELLE ALVAREZ

Trouble for traders. Suppliers of highland vegetables to La Union and Pangasinan have to find other ways to transport their goods with the closure of Kennon Road following a landslide on Monday. DAVID CHAN

Red Cross has new logistics hub

The hub is expected to strength-en the capacity of its chapters na-tionwide in assisting and respond-ing to emergencies caused by natural and man-made disasters. 

The center, which sits on a 1.6 hectare property donated by the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, houses a function hall-cum Con-vention Center, which can hold a maximum of 250 people and can be converted into a warehouse or two more training areas, two dor-mitory buildings; two classrooms and a mess hall. 

Dr. Gwendolyn Pang, PRC Sec-retary-General told in a speech that the new facility will also be used to offer various courses for volunteers and humanitarian workers to up-grade their capacities and commu-nity resilience. 

“This facility serves as a hub for logistics support in local and inter-national disaster response. We will preposition relief supplies here, both food and non-food items; also our equipment and our vehicles, such as water tanker, pay loader, ambulanc-es, fire trucks and others, to facilitate prompt and efficient deployment in case of disasters, emergencies or mass casualty incidents,” PRC Chair-man Richard J. Gordon said.

The new facility will serve as the operations hub of the Red Cross not only for Luzon but also in other parts of the country for providing humanitarian aid, with its strategic location - 130 kilometers north of Manila and is accessible by land via the North Luzon Expressway and the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Ex-pressway; by air via the Subic Bay International Airport; and by sea through the Port of Subic. 

Expansion plans are also on route for this mega-facility, which aims to serve 15,000 people at any given time. 

SUBIC, ZAMBALES—The Philippine Red Cross this week inaugurated its largest regional logistics and training facility in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

CALBAyoG  City, Samar—The Social Secu-rity System paid out P2.04 billion in benefits to its members in Central Visayas for the first four months of 2015.

The amount represents a 14 percent growth —or P252 million—from the previous year’s record, according tSSS Assistant Vice President for Central Visayas Division Helen Solito.

“Payments for our existing retiree, dis-ability and survivor pensioners comprised the biggest share amounting to P1.83 bil-lion or nearly 90 percent of the total dis-bursements. The other 10 percent consisted of initial and lump sum payments in pen-sion and short term benefits.” Solito added.

Lump sum benefits pertain to one-time payouts for members who have not met the minimum requirements to qualify for a pension, while initial pension is for the accrued amount resulting from delayed ap-plications for due benefits.

From January to April 2015, initial and lump sum benefits paid  to members in the region were as follows: P4.69 million, re-tirement; P48.65 million, death; P7.25 mil-

lion, disability; P50.02 million, maternity; P12.09 million, sickness; P85.54 million, funeral; and P340,000, EC medical services and rehabilitation.

“The increase in benefit releases also mir-rors how much people rely on social security in times of financial need. Not only they see it as source of immediate cash, but also rec-ognize their SSS savings as long-term invest-ments,” Solito said.

SSS is the biggest pension fund in the coun-try in terms of membership with over 32 mil-lion members worldwide. As of April 2015, SSS membership in Central Visayas widened to 2.4 million members, including some 24,000 new registrants.

“Aside from SSS and EC benefits, a large number of salary loan applications were re-ceived by our SSS offices from January to April 2015. For the period, we have granted about P548 million in salary loans and P15.41 million in educational loans,” Solito said.

SSS operations in Central Visayas cover the areas within the provinces of Cebu, Bohol, Samar, and Leyte.

By Johanne Margarette R. Macob

MANGATAREM—A moringa nursery will be put up alongside an ilang-ilang plantation in this town, in line with a partnership between the local government and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ National Greening Program.

Second district representative Leopoldo Bataoil said: “our peo-ple should take advantage of this livelihood program in view of the willingness of one investor to put up distillery to extract ilang-ilang and malunggay oils for the purpose of producing various products,” he remarked.

Fred Reyes, owner of Fragrance Factory, is putting up the distill-ery for oil extraction.

Moringa oils can be used main-ly for health products as food supplements.

Under the program, the DENR provides seedlings and technical assistance to the organizations tending to the nurseries.

Bataoil said they were planning trainings and seminars on mor-inga production

The congressman also encour-aged the people to plant malung-gay in their backyards or in other idle lands, citing that the plant, which is a natural medicine, a sta-ple vegetable, and potential liveli-hood source, can be easily grown.

The nursery in Brgy. Bueno is being looked after by out-of-school youths in the village.

OPINIONA8

[ EDI TORI A L ]

A POOR START

A9ADELLE CHUAE D I T O R

W E D N E S D AY: J U LY 1 5 , 2 0 1 5

OPINION

WRONG AND RIGHT

GANGRENE

Continued on A11

WHAT kind of political discussion can fill five hours?That was the question that sprang to mind when we heard that President Aquino had met

Senators Grace Poe and Francis Escudero at the Palace this week for that amount of time, presumably to discuss common plans for the 2016 presidential elections.

Details on what transpired were sketchy, at best, and hardly seemed enough to fill five minutes, much less five hours.

“Yes, the President met with us. We discussed 2016 but only to the extent of hopefully having a united ticket. No specific commitments or positions were mentioned. We will meet again as part of a continued consultation process,” Poe said in a statement after the meeting.

Escudero, on the other hand, came away with the distinct impression that his friend, the President, had not yet made up his mind on who he would endorse for the presidential race in 2016.

Escudero said the President didn’t make any specific offers to him or Poe, but appealed to keep the administration coalition intact by supporting a common candidate next year to avoid dividing the vote.

“He talked about continuing the reforms. If the straight path will continue, our country will go a long way in just short span of time,” Escudero said.

With no more information than this to go on, and despite Poe and Escudero’s state-ments that no specific commitments were mentioned, we are left to speculate at the kind of horse-trading that went on for the remaining time after these general motherhood statements were made.

That the President took the time to meet with Poe and Escudero—neither of whom be-long to his Liberal Party—is a clear sign that his presumptive candidate, Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas II as well as his party is in serious trouble.

Unlike Poe who has fared well in recent public opinion polls for the presidency, Roxas has consistently hovered near the bottom of the pack.

And while the President might prefer Poe to join the 2016 elections as Roxas’ vice presi-dential running mate, there are a few problems with this notion, the foremost being that Poe has publicly stated several times that would prefer to run with Escudero, who has topped recent opinion surveys for the vice presidential race.

Just as importantly, experience has shown that the inclusion of a popular vice presidential candidate is no guarantee that the presidential candidate of the same ticket will win. In 1992, Joseph Estrada ran and won the vice presidential race but his presidential running mate, Eduardo Cojuangco Jr., did not.

The inconvenient truth for Mr. Aquino and his Liberal Party is that by all appearances, their presumptive presidential candidate can only win in the popular vote in 2016 if he runs unopposed. And not even Poe or Escudero can change that.

So if no positions were offered or committed, what did the President and the two senators discuss for five hours? Did they, for instance, finally muster the courage to bring up—even privately—their concerns over the ruinous policies that this President has pursued? Or did they quietly smile and let the President do all the talking?

If Poe and Escudero expect us to believe they exchanged nothing but pleasantries and general motherhood statements about the straight path with the President for five hours, then they must have more contempt for our intelligence than they have thus far let on—and that is a poor start indeed.

BACK CHANNEL

ALEJANDRO DEL ROSARIO

POPE Francis, speaking in Asuncion, the capital of Paraguay as part of his South American apostolic trip, said corruption in government is “the gangrene of a peo-ple.” This Pope has a way with words. But I wish he had said this during his visit to Manila. It would have sent the right mes-sage to our government officials who had the gall to seek the Pontiff’s blessings even as they stole from the poor.

Gangrene is the medical term for the decay of body tissues usually in the ex-tremities like the foot and the leg which darken due to lack of blood circulation. Gangrene requires amputation.

Like the pus in a boil in our body, the swelling has to be pricked to prevent it from festering. The Pilipino word for pus is “nana” which is embedded between the word “magNANAkaw.”

The gangrene of corruption is pervasive in the bureaucracy. Aside from the misuse of government funds in the Disbursement Acceleration Program and the Priority Development Assistance Fund, there are other cases still pending and gathering dust in the Department of Justice archives. A huge chunk of taxpayers’ money meant to fund infrastructure and community projects go instead to the advancement and acceleration of wealth of senators, congressmen and local officials.

Take for example the fertilizer fund scam. The principal accused, former Agriculture Undersecretary Jocelyn “Jocjoc” Bolante, is still free because state prosecutors failed to build up enough evidence to get a guilty verdict that would have sent a strong signal to other malevolent officials. We wonder whether state prosecutors deliberately drop the ball for a fee.

Corruption, despite PNoy’s “daang matuwid” (straight path), is still ram-pant in the Department of Agriculture, Department of Budget and Management, Department of Transportation and Communications, Land Transportation Office, Customs and Immigration bu-reaus, military and police establishments, Coast Guard and Marina.

“Nana” in the form of kickbacks, over-price in government contracts is the new normal in how the bureaucrats run gov-ernment agencies.

Decisions, decisionsWhat is PNoy up to? The last few days saw President

B.S.Aquino in closed-door meetings with Senators Grace Poe and Francis Escudero. He also held a separate meeting with Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas, the Liberal Party’s presump-tive presidential candidate. The meetings at Malacanang, according to the senators, lasted at least three hours. It was a good day as any for Aquino to play out his 2016 plans as other Palace appointments were rained out by typhoon Falcon.

PRESIDENT Noynoy Aquino failed big time when he appoint-ed the new Armed Forces chief of staff. But he redeemed him-self with the officer he named to head up the Philippine National Police.

The main knock against new AFP Chief of Staff Hernando Iriberri is that he is facing graft charges for unduly shelving three ammunition procurement projects worth a total of almost P100 million before the Office of

the Ombudsman. The new head of the military is also supposedly inordinately close to Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, whom Iriberri served twice in the past, first as spokesman and second as top military aide.

And finally, Iriberri’s ap-pointment showed that Aquino was just taking us all for a ride when he appointed the former Army chief to the top AFP post. Aquino said he wanted head of the military and the national po-lice who would serve beyond the end of his term.

Iriberri retires in April next year, several months before Aquino steps down at the end of June 2016. Because of the ban on appointing new officials to

major government posts during an election campaign period, Aquino will have to extend the term of Iriberri until the end of his own term as President.

I don’t know why Aquino couldn’t find an AFP chief who doesn’t carry the baggage of graft charges, isn’t believed to be the protege and surrogate of yet an-other controversial official like Gazmin (who is also mired in allegations of corruption) and who will not make him look like a fool because he will have to re-appoint the top military men to force him to serve beyond man-datory retirement age. Based on these three objections alone, Aquino should have never even considered Iriberri – but he went

ahead and appointed the officer to head up the military, anyway.

Iriberri’s appointment is a clas-sic example of “daang matuwid” doublespeak, as applied to his appointees for high office. That’s when Aquino promises to find the best possible candidate and ends up appointing probably the worst that he – or anyone – can find.

It seems that Aquino’s entire Cabinet was picked this way, sometimes. For the life of me, I still can’t think of anyone within the President’s innermost circle of advisers and alter egos who isn’t incompetent, corrupt or both.

And appointing Iriberri only sent the message that, as far as the military is concerned, it’s business as usual in appoint-ing officials of the so-called

straight path.* * *

But even Aquino can get it right, like the proverbial broken clock that tells the correct time twice a day. And he lucked out when he designated Director Ricardo Marquez to be the leader of the 150,000-strong PNP.

Marquez has never been charged for corruption or even linked to any controversial deal or police operation. And because he will retire in August of next year, he fits the bill of having a national police chief who will stay in office after Aquino has served out his term.

On the plus side, Marquez headed the much-admired po-lice operation to provide se-curity during the visit of Pope Francis to the Philippines last January. That the papal visit

went off without a hitch is a credit to Marquez, who could have so easily dropped the ball like an ordinary offi-cial of the Aquino administration, with disastrous consequences.

Marquez did such a fine job of pro-viding security for the pope that he also got the job to secure the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit to be held later this year in the Philippines. And because of his excellent perfor-mance during Pope Francis’ visit, I have no doubt that he will do another fine job at the APEC meeting.

Earlier, Marquez was credited for keep-

ing the peace in violence-prone Region 1 during the 2013 elections, when he was regional director. In fact, the only thing “wrong” with the Maragondon, Cavite native is that he belongs to the same Philippine Military Academy batch of the last police official who held the job of PNP chief in a permanent position, the dismissed and unlamented Alan Purisima.

I look forward to seeing improve-ments in the PNP during the year-and-change that Marquez will be the top honcho in Camp Crame, when he will face the toughest test of his career

as national police chief before, during and immediately after the 2016 national elections. I wish Marquez all the luck in the world; that’s all he’ll probably need, since he already has all the tools to suc-ceed as PNP chief.

* * *Here I must make a snappy salute to

the police officer Marquez is replac-ing, OIC PNP chief Leonardo Espina. My only hope is that Marquez fulfills Espina’s wish, made during his last flag ceremony as PNP chief, that his successor works to give justice to the Fallen 44.

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

Rolando G. Estabillo Publisher Jojo A. Robles Editor-in-Chief Ramonchito L. Tomeldan Managing Editor Chin Wong/Ray S. Eñano Associate Editors Francis Lagniton News Editor Joyce Pangco Pañares City Editor Adelle Chua Senior Deskman Romel J. Mendez Art Director Roberto Cabrera Chief Photographer

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LOWDOWN

JOJO A. ROBLES

OPINIONA8

[ EDI TORI A L ]

A POOR START

A9ADELLE CHUAE D I T O R

W E D N E S D AY: J U LY 1 5 , 2 0 1 5

OPINION

WRONG AND RIGHT

GANGRENE

Continued on A11

WHAT kind of political discussion can fill five hours?That was the question that sprang to mind when we heard that President Aquino had met

Senators Grace Poe and Francis Escudero at the Palace this week for that amount of time, presumably to discuss common plans for the 2016 presidential elections.

Details on what transpired were sketchy, at best, and hardly seemed enough to fill five minutes, much less five hours.

“Yes, the President met with us. We discussed 2016 but only to the extent of hopefully having a united ticket. No specific commitments or positions were mentioned. We will meet again as part of a continued consultation process,” Poe said in a statement after the meeting.

Escudero, on the other hand, came away with the distinct impression that his friend, the President, had not yet made up his mind on who he would endorse for the presidential race in 2016.

Escudero said the President didn’t make any specific offers to him or Poe, but appealed to keep the administration coalition intact by supporting a common candidate next year to avoid dividing the vote.

“He talked about continuing the reforms. If the straight path will continue, our country will go a long way in just short span of time,” Escudero said.

With no more information than this to go on, and despite Poe and Escudero’s state-ments that no specific commitments were mentioned, we are left to speculate at the kind of horse-trading that went on for the remaining time after these general motherhood statements were made.

That the President took the time to meet with Poe and Escudero—neither of whom be-long to his Liberal Party—is a clear sign that his presumptive candidate, Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas II as well as his party is in serious trouble.

Unlike Poe who has fared well in recent public opinion polls for the presidency, Roxas has consistently hovered near the bottom of the pack.

And while the President might prefer Poe to join the 2016 elections as Roxas’ vice presi-dential running mate, there are a few problems with this notion, the foremost being that Poe has publicly stated several times that would prefer to run with Escudero, who has topped recent opinion surveys for the vice presidential race.

Just as importantly, experience has shown that the inclusion of a popular vice presidential candidate is no guarantee that the presidential candidate of the same ticket will win. In 1992, Joseph Estrada ran and won the vice presidential race but his presidential running mate, Eduardo Cojuangco Jr., did not.

The inconvenient truth for Mr. Aquino and his Liberal Party is that by all appearances, their presumptive presidential candidate can only win in the popular vote in 2016 if he runs unopposed. And not even Poe or Escudero can change that.

So if no positions were offered or committed, what did the President and the two senators discuss for five hours? Did they, for instance, finally muster the courage to bring up—even privately—their concerns over the ruinous policies that this President has pursued? Or did they quietly smile and let the President do all the talking?

If Poe and Escudero expect us to believe they exchanged nothing but pleasantries and general motherhood statements about the straight path with the President for five hours, then they must have more contempt for our intelligence than they have thus far let on—and that is a poor start indeed.

BACK CHANNEL

ALEJANDRO DEL ROSARIO

POPE Francis, speaking in Asuncion, the capital of Paraguay as part of his South American apostolic trip, said corruption in government is “the gangrene of a peo-ple.” This Pope has a way with words. But I wish he had said this during his visit to Manila. It would have sent the right mes-sage to our government officials who had the gall to seek the Pontiff’s blessings even as they stole from the poor.

Gangrene is the medical term for the decay of body tissues usually in the ex-tremities like the foot and the leg which darken due to lack of blood circulation. Gangrene requires amputation.

Like the pus in a boil in our body, the swelling has to be pricked to prevent it from festering. The Pilipino word for pus is “nana” which is embedded between the word “magNANAkaw.”

The gangrene of corruption is pervasive in the bureaucracy. Aside from the misuse of government funds in the Disbursement Acceleration Program and the Priority Development Assistance Fund, there are other cases still pending and gathering dust in the Department of Justice archives. A huge chunk of taxpayers’ money meant to fund infrastructure and community projects go instead to the advancement and acceleration of wealth of senators, congressmen and local officials.

Take for example the fertilizer fund scam. The principal accused, former Agriculture Undersecretary Jocelyn “Jocjoc” Bolante, is still free because state prosecutors failed to build up enough evidence to get a guilty verdict that would have sent a strong signal to other malevolent officials. We wonder whether state prosecutors deliberately drop the ball for a fee.

Corruption, despite PNoy’s “daang matuwid” (straight path), is still ram-pant in the Department of Agriculture, Department of Budget and Management, Department of Transportation and Communications, Land Transportation Office, Customs and Immigration bu-reaus, military and police establishments, Coast Guard and Marina.

“Nana” in the form of kickbacks, over-price in government contracts is the new normal in how the bureaucrats run gov-ernment agencies.

Decisions, decisionsWhat is PNoy up to? The last few days saw President

B.S.Aquino in closed-door meetings with Senators Grace Poe and Francis Escudero. He also held a separate meeting with Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas, the Liberal Party’s presump-tive presidential candidate. The meetings at Malacanang, according to the senators, lasted at least three hours. It was a good day as any for Aquino to play out his 2016 plans as other Palace appointments were rained out by typhoon Falcon.

PRESIDENT Noynoy Aquino failed big time when he appoint-ed the new Armed Forces chief of staff. But he redeemed him-self with the officer he named to head up the Philippine National Police.

The main knock against new AFP Chief of Staff Hernando Iriberri is that he is facing graft charges for unduly shelving three ammunition procurement projects worth a total of almost P100 million before the Office of

the Ombudsman. The new head of the military is also supposedly inordinately close to Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, whom Iriberri served twice in the past, first as spokesman and second as top military aide.

And finally, Iriberri’s ap-pointment showed that Aquino was just taking us all for a ride when he appointed the former Army chief to the top AFP post. Aquino said he wanted head of the military and the national po-lice who would serve beyond the end of his term.

Iriberri retires in April next year, several months before Aquino steps down at the end of June 2016. Because of the ban on appointing new officials to

major government posts during an election campaign period, Aquino will have to extend the term of Iriberri until the end of his own term as President.

I don’t know why Aquino couldn’t find an AFP chief who doesn’t carry the baggage of graft charges, isn’t believed to be the protege and surrogate of yet an-other controversial official like Gazmin (who is also mired in allegations of corruption) and who will not make him look like a fool because he will have to re-appoint the top military men to force him to serve beyond man-datory retirement age. Based on these three objections alone, Aquino should have never even considered Iriberri – but he went

ahead and appointed the officer to head up the military, anyway.

Iriberri’s appointment is a clas-sic example of “daang matuwid” doublespeak, as applied to his appointees for high office. That’s when Aquino promises to find the best possible candidate and ends up appointing probably the worst that he – or anyone – can find.

It seems that Aquino’s entire Cabinet was picked this way, sometimes. For the life of me, I still can’t think of anyone within the President’s innermost circle of advisers and alter egos who isn’t incompetent, corrupt or both.

And appointing Iriberri only sent the message that, as far as the military is concerned, it’s business as usual in appoint-ing officials of the so-called

straight path.* * *

But even Aquino can get it right, like the proverbial broken clock that tells the correct time twice a day. And he lucked out when he designated Director Ricardo Marquez to be the leader of the 150,000-strong PNP.

Marquez has never been charged for corruption or even linked to any controversial deal or police operation. And because he will retire in August of next year, he fits the bill of having a national police chief who will stay in office after Aquino has served out his term.

On the plus side, Marquez headed the much-admired po-lice operation to provide se-curity during the visit of Pope Francis to the Philippines last January. That the papal visit

went off without a hitch is a credit to Marquez, who could have so easily dropped the ball like an ordinary offi-cial of the Aquino administration, with disastrous consequences.

Marquez did such a fine job of pro-viding security for the pope that he also got the job to secure the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit to be held later this year in the Philippines. And because of his excellent perfor-mance during Pope Francis’ visit, I have no doubt that he will do another fine job at the APEC meeting.

Earlier, Marquez was credited for keep-

ing the peace in violence-prone Region 1 during the 2013 elections, when he was regional director. In fact, the only thing “wrong” with the Maragondon, Cavite native is that he belongs to the same Philippine Military Academy batch of the last police official who held the job of PNP chief in a permanent position, the dismissed and unlamented Alan Purisima.

I look forward to seeing improve-ments in the PNP during the year-and-change that Marquez will be the top honcho in Camp Crame, when he will face the toughest test of his career

as national police chief before, during and immediately after the 2016 national elections. I wish Marquez all the luck in the world; that’s all he’ll probably need, since he already has all the tools to suc-ceed as PNP chief.

* * *Here I must make a snappy salute to

the police officer Marquez is replac-ing, OIC PNP chief Leonardo Espina. My only hope is that Marquez fulfills Espina’s wish, made during his last flag ceremony as PNP chief, that his successor works to give justice to the Fallen 44.

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LOWDOWN

JOJO A. ROBLES

Development Corp--was extended to the end of July.

A review of the case is ac-tually very simple. Like what the Arbitration Tribunal ruled, both the state-owned BCDA and the CJHDevco committed mutual breaches of contract, both parties got back to their pre-lease pe-riod in 1996 with the devel-oper vacating the Camp and all its construction facilities and amenities upon pay-ment of the BCDA of P1.42 billion representing rentals of the developers.

This simply means that af-ter the developer gets paid, it must vacate. But, the dispute

became complicated when the Baguio Regional Trial Court affirmed the tribunal decision. Obviously upon the suggestion of BCDA, it posted eviction notices for all the 1,631 investors last May 20.

It was an eviction notice that confused everybody, especially the buyers in good faith.

The issue was com-pounded when BCDA President Arnel Paciano Casanova wanted all the in-vestors to execute a Deed of Assignment to it, and then sue the developer for re-fund of their investments.

Santa Banana, that would result in double compensa-tion on the part of BCDA.

The developer and the investors asked the Court of Appeals to rule on the decision of the Arbitration tribunal and their rights of the investors as “buyers in good faith” with “vested rights” until 2046 as in their 50-year lease.

* * *My daughter renewed

the registration of her car last February, but had to pay P350 more for a new car plate that has not come until now.

I also registered my car

ending with the number 3 in March, and had to pay P350 for a new plate which has not been delivered.

Something is wrong somewhere when plates cannot even be delivered upon payment of the new one. This is a perfect ex-ample how the Aquino administration serves the basic needs of people who comply with the law.

And my gulay, to think that the Land Transportation Office warns us that “no plate, no travel.” That’s the brand of gover-nance of the Aquino admin-istration. Stupid, isn’t it?

OPINIONW E D N E S D AY: J U LY 1 5 , 2 0 1 5

A10

WHEN President Aquino delivers his State-of-the-Nation Address on July 27, we can expect him to talk about his imagined reforms in line with his “Daang Matuwid” or straight-path policy.

He obviously thinks all 100 million Filipinos are that stupid to believe him.

He will tell us that he has succeeded in changing the culture of corruption. Does he expect us Filipinos to be unaware that cor-ruption has become more entrenched in the past five years?

The President will also tell us about the need to attain final peace and de-velopment in Mindanao. He will urge Congress once again to enact the Bangsamoro Basic Law as drafted by Malacanang.

And in all likelihood, he will boast of his ad-ministration’s resolve on the country’s conflict with China. Did we not send a powerhouse team to The hague to argue our case against China be-fore the Permanent Court of Arbitration, a United Nations tribunal?

He will of course play down the fact that we sent 35 government officials to the Netherlands, who stayed in expensive hotels as they enjoyed their junket?

Sure, the Philippines can win its case at The Hague. But will China accept it? It has already said it would not.

For sure, the President will again boast of the growth of the country’s Gross Domestic Product and the upgrading of the country’s credit standing by international credit institu-tions. But he will not tell us that these remain mean-ingless with rising poverty, hunger and joblessness.

The reality on the ground is that the people now know that the Aquino administra-tion has become so insensi-tive and so incompetent.

The Sona we will hear will be from a President who lives in another planet, believing that we are stupid to believe him.

* * *The best example of the

insensitivity of the Aquino administration is its failure to deliver justice to the sur-vivors and relatives of the Fallen 44. The 44 Special Action Force men were killed by a combined force of Moro Islamic Liberation Front and Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters in Mamasapano, Maguindanao.

Oplan Exodus, that botched operation to arrest two terrorists, was headed

by then-suspended and now-dismissed Philippine National Police Chief Alan Purisima, the President’s BFF.

Up to this late date, the promised benefits to the bereaved families have not materialized because of red tape and documentary problems.

The worst cut of all is the fact that Justice Secretary Leila de Lima has been sitting on the cases to be filed against the Moro rebels responsible for the Mamasapano debacle.

* * *With Smarmatic-Total

Information Management winning the contract lease for 23,000 optical mark reader (OMR) machines for the 2016 polls, and the option of Comelec to refur-bish some 81,000 Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) Smartmatic machines, it looks like next year’s polls will be a repeat of the 2010 and 2013 elections.

Then, there were many glitches and complaints that the elections had been rigged in favor of the ad-ministration.

It looks like that since Comelec commissioners seem to be enamored with Smartmatic which seems to be winning all the bids.

Santa Banana, how about all the complaints about the PCOS being reprogrammed for the “60-30-15” pattern and manipulation in 2013 in favor of the adminis-tration? And how about complaints that Comelec’s “Little Garcis” are still very active at the commission and that for a fee, they can change the election results?

With Smartmatic-TIM still in control of the 2016 polls, my gulay, I don’t have much faith that next year’s elections will be fair, clean and honest.

* * *After three days of sum-

mary hearings at the Court of Appeals, the 60-day Temporary Restraining Order given by the appel-late court over the contro-versy between the Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA) and the Camp John Hay develop-er--the Camp John Hay

NO JUSTICE FOR FALLEN 44

MARCOS JR. FOR PRESIDENT (3)IN this continuation of my Q/A from last Friday’s column, Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. states his presidential ambition, his role as a leader, what ails this country, and the legacy of his father and mother.

Q. What are your plans now?The truth is that it has never been

my dream to be president. Who does not want to be president?    But being president is a very difficult job.

I have an election to win whatever it is in 2016.    Definitely, I will be a candidate in 2016.    Whether for president, vice president or senator, I have yet to decide.

Q. What do you think are the country’s main problems?

Poverty, lack of infra, and the worst income  inequality. The real problem is lack of leadership. We have very, very poor leadership.

Q. What makes you think that you are a good leader?

I learned from the best (laughs).  There is nobody who would dis-agree that Marcos was a good leader, leader of men.  He saw himself as a builder of the nation. He told me “I did not become president to preside over the division of this country, of the Republic of the Philippines”. I re-member that very well.

Q. What was your father’s most difficult problem?

Mindanao. When I asked him why he said “It’s a war, you fight you die, Filipinos are killing each other”.

At the height of the oil crisis and the secessionist movement, I remem-ber he walked for about a week or two with the Koran under his arm. He studied it.    He would have imams come and explain things to him. He wanted to know why the Muslims think that way, their beliefs.

Q. What would happen had your father continued in office?

We would have become another Singapore in per capita income.    My father and Lee Kuan Yew were doing exactly the same thing.

Q. Are you the best qualified to be president?

Well, if learning from the feet of a master is a qualification, I have to agree with it.

Q. It is not just one master.  Your mother is good too.

My mother is the politician.    My father was the statesman.  My mother just loves to be with people, any kind of people. I have seen her with very, very ordinary people.  I have seen her with kings, queens and Popes.  She could win the trust of anyone.    And it is not something that she feels she has to do.  She en-joys it.    Talk to her for five hours non-stop?  She enjoys that. She is really good with people.

Q. Wasn’t the word Imeldific in-

vented for her? I asked her about that, and she says

“it is my duty, I represent…I am the First Lady, I have to be the First Lady so that the Filipinos are proud of me.”

My father will get (people) with his intellect, my mom uses personal charm.  She knows the way to peo-ple’s hearts, to their weakness.  It’s not  something she does consciously, it’s completely intuitive.

Q. What’s your best quality as a leader?

Being open-minded.  One good quality of my Daddy whenever he had a problem, he wouldn’t stop until he knew what to do.  Then he would go to sleep.

Q. Why did Marcos think mar-tial law was necessary?

We were fighting a war. Firstly, our political system is sick, we had to fix it, and secondly, we had war on two fronts: the NPA and the secessionists.

I was in London when my father declared martial law.

Q. On Feb. 25, 1986 of People Power, why were you in combat uniform?

We were going to fight.  We were going to repel whoever was going to attack the palace.

He (Marcos) told me, “we have un-covered this plot.”  They are going to attack the palace. We are not sure anymore who we can trust among our officers.  He told us, “you and Erwin (Ver), you put up the defense of the palace”.

We started bringing in supplies, food, medicines just to be sure we could fight for three months.

One officer told the President, “Sir, we will do location shots with mor-tar, three rounds.”  And my father asked him, “how many would be the casualty?”

The officer said, “you know sir, what a location shot means.  Any number could die.”

The President said, “No, do not fire!”

I remember telling him, “Dad, the enemy is already on war footing, yet, you are still on peace footing. We have to get on a war footing and fight.”

He would say, “how many people will get hurt?”  That was his fighting motto.

He was convinced (bloodshed in 1986) would have ended up in a civil war. If we started fighting they would fight back and that it would erupt

into a civil war.Q. Why didn’t Marcos want

bloodshed?  He said,  “I have spent my entire

life defending Filipinos.  All my en-tire life was defending Filipinos, now, I will kill them?’”

Q. What was Marcos’s legacy?He said, “for the first time,

Filipinos felt a sense of nationhood that they belong to the Republic of the Philippines.” That’s why it was so important for him that we know our culture, we know our history, we write our own history. That’s why it’s important for him to say this form of government is distinctly Filipino, it is not an American form of democ-racy, it is a political ideology that is Filipino, that it is applicable to Filipinos.

Q. What will you contribute to the country if you (become presi-dent)?

That government should be ex-cellent.  Government should not be mediocre. We have fallen into a trap.  Why is it that those people in the government are the most mediocre, and not the best of the class?  The laggards in class are the ones enter-ing the government. The excellent people in the Philippines don’t want to be in the government.

Government is very mediocre.  It doesn’t have good ideas.  We don’t put in good ideas, anymore.  We haven’t seen any great achievements.  It has failed.

Q. What do you think is your role in this country?

Bring back the idea that we can be a great country and that we should be doing great things. Because the Filipino is good. You give the Filipino a chance. 

We should be more of a meritoc-racy than we are now. Merit and vi-sion are not really rewarded in the country.

The life of ordinary Filipino is not getting better.  It’s getting worse, that’s why many are leaving.  The most worrisome is the distribution of wealth.  That’s what I am worried about.  It’s getting worse rather than better.

Q. Aren’t the Marcoses among the richest families?

Not today.  My father, when he was already a lawyer and congressman, he became one of the country’s top taxpayers.    The PCGG has taken everything.  I know that he found the treasure of Yamashita.  The sto-ry from my mother  is that in our old residence, the walls were made of gold bricks.  My mother had ac-cess to deuterium deposits.  She be-queathed them to her grandchildren.

biznewsasia@gmail.com

This is the best example of the

insensitivity and incompetence

of the administration.

TO THE POINT

EMIL P. JURADO

VIRTUAL REALITY

TONYLOPEZ

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

A11ADELLE CHUAE D I T O R

W E D N E S D AY: J U LY 1 5 , 2 0 1 5

OPINION

NOTHING IS FOREVER

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

CHONG ARDIVILLA#FAILOCRACY

A YEAR ago, everyone and his mother assumed Jojo Binay, the “poor” man from Culi-Culi in the area where Makati kisses the “sin city” of Pasay, was fated to be the next president of the Philippines.

A year ago as well, everyone had assumed Mar Roxas would be PNoy’s anointed, the “crown prince” who would succeed when the “king” abdicates on June 30, 2016. Yet their party-mates in the Liberal Party worried about Mar’s numbers in a country hooked on, and spooked by, poll surveys.

After all, Mar gave way to PNoy in 2009, when President Cory’s death illumined the path to an-other Aquino presidency. And after all, their fathers, Benigno Jr. and Gerardo Sr., were both lead-ers of the Partido Liberal which Mar’s grandfather founded out of the ribs of Quezon and Osmena’s Nacionalista Party.

My, how things have changed in a year’s time.

Binay’s survey numbers have tumbled by almost a hundred per-cent, while Mar’s have remained vir-tually static. And then came Grace.

* * *In the past six days, after Poe

and Chiz saw PNoy at the palace, all sorts of speculation started hounding Mar’s political fate come 16 October this year.

First, Chiz said, his compadre PNoy had not made up his mind on whom to endorse as his successor.

Second, a broadsheet bannered a strange ménage a trios scenario, where allegedly PNoy suggested to Grace that she and Mar spend “quality time” together, “bonding” in the hustings. The story gave the reader the impression that PNoy told Grace this strange advice in last Thursday’s meeting. And that Grace insisted “it should be with Chiz as well”. OMG!

(On Sunday last, over lunch with a giant mover and shaker of Philippine politics, “Mar does not deserve this kind of treat-ment” was the comment of my luncheon host. I agreed with Mar and our former boss.)

Third, on Monday, the same broadsheet published Senadora GP’s clarification: that was sug-gested in her meeting with PNoy last May, not Thursday. And nothing came out of it.

But how could it? Mar would certainly not agree to such an ar-rangement. Not only because of the participation of Chiz, but who would want to be seen be-side the survey-popular Grace and be ignored by the screaming “masa”? So Mar apparently de-cided to go his own way, distribut-ing Mahindra jeeps to local police units all over the country instead.

Fourth, in what can best be described as “the unkindest cut of all”, the Speaker of the House, Sonny Belmonte harrumphs: “PNoy has no choice but to en-dorse the unstoppable Grace Poe”. Another OMG. Repeat, OMG!

* * *What happened? Surely it’s not

just about Mar’s numbers remain-ing low as against Grace’s amazing rise, as Belmonte explained.

In a year’s time, Binay’s world has been discombobulated. Why should the Speaker and the President not give their party-mate Mar (old gold), the chance to improve his numbers within another year, instead of being dumped by newly-minted Liberals (new silver)? After all, elections are about a year away. Anything could still happen.

* * *Which brings me to another

“strange” (but not so strange in the Byzantine halls of the palace) phe-nomenon.

Last Friday, on the acknowl-edged recommendation of Secretary of National Defense Volts Gazmin, Hernando Iriberri (congratulations to our fellow Caraganon!) was appointed Chief of Staff of the AFP.

Which Chief PNP has been thus far appointed by the President on the strength of the SILG’s recommendation? It’s been eight months since the police forces have been led by an OIC, and although properly and admirably steered by re-tiring Gen. Leonardo Espina, an OIC is still an OIC. Recall Mamasapano.

Does the SILG’s recommendation hold little water in the President’s palm? As of this writing, no one has yet been named Chief PNP.

And the man whom everybody in the Palace was betting on, Gen. Raul Petrasanta, has been “outed” by the Ombudsman.

* * *What does one read in all these?To re-write a song popular in

the 1960s, “Killing Me Softly With His Song,” Mar is being “killed”, slowly, by the siren song that is Grace, and it seems PNoy is hum-ming the tune.

* * *Sometime towards the end of

March, in the Queen City of Cebu, in a reunion of the huge Veloso clan, the guest of honor was one whose father, Vicente Duterte, was a relation of the Velosos (of Cebu, Leyte, Zamboanga, Negros Oriental and other parts).

Right after giving a lecture on the merits of federalism, Rodrigo Duterte was “waylaid” by young Cebuano social media geniuses, Ato Ni Vines, and asked a few questions.

“Short, 6-second answers please”, said the young boys.

One of the questions popped was, “What can you say about Zayn Malik leaving One Direction?”

What the hell, I thought, fidg-ety at how a 70-year old Duterte would answer.

Duterte first replied, “Well, it happens. Just like when Paul McCartney left the highly popular group, the Beatles”. (De nuestro tiempo).

“Mayor, taas kaayo imong tub-ag. 6 seconds please”, said the in-terviewer.

Duterte thought a while, and then blurted, “Nothing is forever”.

Mismo!* * *

Congratulations to fellow Caraganon, Gen. Hernando Iriberri of Surigao del Sur, on his recent appointment as Chief of Staff, Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Even Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte described Irriberi as a “warrior”, and recalled the days when the officer was assigned in Davao and performed very well.

Which brings me to ask: Iriberri was appointed right on the day his predecessor, Gen. Pio Catapang ended his tour of duty. And Iriberri was proud to admit, with profuse gratitude at that, his being recommended by the Secretary of National Defense, Volts Gazmin.

But in the case of the Philippine National Police, which has been leaderless for the last seven months and more, although ef-fectively steered by its officer-in-charge, Gen. Leonardo Espina, no replacement has been named.

Practically everybody and his mother had appealed to the President to name a Director-General for the national po-lice, especially after the tragic Mamasapano carnage that saw the death of 44 SAF men and officers. Even his allies, former Senator and Sec. Panfilo Lacson and Sen. Francis Escudero have openly

asked PNoy to name a replace-ment for his friend Alan Purisima, but no dice.

Has DILG Secretary Mar Roxas not recommended anybody? Has the Board of Promotions (or whatever they call it in the PNP) not gone through a long list and pared it down to a short list for the President’s decision?

Gen. Espina will forcibly re-tire on July 19, and has in fact, bade farewell to his troops last Monday. As we go to press, still no word from Malacanang of the Ombudsman-dismissed Purisima, and OIC Espina’s replacement.

Hasn’t Mar realized the implica-tions of this? Is his word not as good as Volts’ with the President? In the armed forces, everybody knows that major promotions among their ranks which require Malacanang appointment come with the recom-mendation of their SND, himself a retired Army commander.

And to think he is the nino bo-nito of the Liberal Party, the dau-phin to succeed when the current king abdicates on June 30, 2016.

Something does not seem to connect.

* * *So the President asked Senadora

Grace as early as May this year to move around the country with Secretary Mar in their version of Digong Duterte’s “listening tour”? And the senadora asked that she be accompanied by a “chaperon”, the one she is “comfortable with”, Senador Chiz Escudero?

Did the President really suggest that? Or assuming so, did he suggest the same political ménage a trois to his ever loyal, ever true Mar?

Parenthetically, how did Mar feel if indeed it was suggested?

Clearly, he must have rejected the idea, because he has instead moved all by himself from prov-ince to province, distributing Mahindra jeeps to local police units, making it a point to always drop by his friend Digong when he is in Davao.

Just to say hi and hello to each other, both Mar and Digong say.

* * *Now connect the dots. (Oh and by the way, someone

who has been a “natural-born” Liberal, as his father was a co-founder of the Liberal Party togeth-er with the late President Manuel Acuna Roxas, Mar’s lolo whose face adorns the hundred-peso bill, called me up after reading our Monday article. There we asked whether PNoy would “trade old gold for new silver,” referring to...)

SO I SEE

LITOBANAYO

Gangrene..From A9Aquino also wants Poe and

Escudero to go around the country with Roxas, presumably to bandy them to voters as the LP’s big three. After their tour, expect the party and the Palace to commission a poll survey to find out which tandem voters prefer. A Poe-Roxas, a Roxas-Poe or a Poe-Escudero team?

Poe and Escudero didn’t provide too many details on their tete-a tete with Aquino except to say the President has not yet decided on his presidential candidate. However., they disclosed the President tried to convince them to stay united with the ruling party. Poe and Escudero are not members of the Liberal Party but ran and won as its guest candi-dates in the 2013 senatorial elections.

Why is the President talking to Poe and Escudero? Presumably, Aquino wants to preempt their op-tion of running as an independent tandem which could take away votes from Roxas if he has no choice but to stick it out with Mar. Aquino also does not want to lose Poe to the Nacionalista Party which could give the LP bets a drubbing in 2016.

Obviously, Roxas as presump-tive LP bet is just that – it’s all pre-sumption.With the vast powers of the presidency and the P400-billion in discretionary funds at the President’s disposal, the reality is Pnoy, not the party, will decide the LP standard-bearer. Poor Mar Roxas. Will he be left waiting in the wings and dumped once again?

Unlike Poe, Mar does not have too many options. He kept faith with PNoy too much and too long. He can-not stay the course without the sup-port of the President and the party’s political machinery. Aquino is also painted into a corner. He may have to ditch Mar whose poll numbers are not making much headway. PNoy needs a winner when he steps down in 2016 to insulate himself from all possible charges arising from his six years of misrule. Betrayal of public trust, violation of the Constitution, graft for misuse of the DAP con-cocted by his Budget Secretary Butch Abad which Aquino approved are the three possible related raps he faces.

If at all, Mar can walk away from all this without any taint of having enriched himself in public office. The Aranetas and the Roxases are rich in their own right with money made from legitimate business in sugar and real estate. We cannot say the same of the politicians who are now filthy rich from raiding the public coffers.

“Filthy rich” is the apt descrip-tion of those wallowing in dirty money. By parlaying a career in pol-itics, they amass fat bank accounts, acquire real estate properties here and abroad and hide their loot by using dummies. One such politi-cian aspiring for higher office has become the poster boy for plunder and unexplained wealth.

Call him “Boy Nana.”

A12sports@thestandard.com.ph

WEDNESDAY : J ULY 1 5 , 2 0 1 5

SPORTS

Young guns Spieth, Fowler seeking British Open gloryST. ANDREWS—American young guns Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler were arriving at St Andrews on Monday with wins under their belt and British Open glory in their sights.

Spieth had a trans-Atlantic flight to undertake following his playoff victory at the John Deere Classic in Illinois. Fowler had a mere car drive up the Scot-tish east coast from Gullane where he captured the Scottish Open.

In the absence through injury of world number one and defending champion Rory McIlroy, Spieth at 21 and Fowler at 26, represent the new gen-eration of golfers taking over from the likes of Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els.

Both players are brimming with con-fidence.

Spieth, who has already won the Masters and the US Open this year, was criticised for not coming to Scotland earlier given his lack of experience of playing links golf. He has played just the one round at St Andrews four years ago ahead of a Walker Cup tie in Aberdeen.

But he insisted he had gone his own way and and had no regrets.

“I came here for a reason, and we ac-complished that reason, and certainly have some momentum going into next week,” he said after his playoff win over fellow American Tom Gillis on Sunday.

“Only thing I’ve heard so far is that it’s (St Andrews) playing softer than usual.

“I loved it. I absolutely loved it. I love the town, I loved the R&A Clubhouse. I love the, what do you call it, the Himala-yas Putting Green, the entire experience being there (in 2011) for two days was really cool.”

Fowler won the fourth title of his pro career at Gullane and said afterwards that he was aiming to follow in the foot-steps of mentor Phil Mickelson who won the Scottish Open and the British Open the following week two years ago.

“Phil’s been a huge help to me. He’s someone I love spending time around on and off the golf course and learn-ing as much as I can from him,” he said Sunday.

“He’s a great professional, on and off the golf course. So he made sure I was well aware of what he accom-plished this morning when I saw him this morning, and told him I would see if I could take care of the first leg of it. Got that done.” AFP

South spikers picked to dominate

US girls get cover girl treatment

A PAIR of spikers from the South is tipped to take the Big City by storm when it competes in the PLDT Home Ultera-Philippine Superliga Beach Volleyball Chal-lenge Cup 2015. powered by Smart Live More, starting on Saturday at the SM By the Bay in SM Mall of Asia.

Donning the colors of SM By the Bay A, former University of the Visayas star Jade Becaldo teams up with Hachaliah Gil-buena of Tagum City in a bid to make a name in the men’s divi-sion of this weekly competition that will be aired live over TV5, with Accel as official outfitter, Sands By the Bay as venue part-ner and Maynilad as official wa-ter provider.

PSL president Ramon “Tats” Suzara said Becaldo is one of the spikers to watch after he barged into the Top 10 of the highly competitive 16th Asian Volleyball Confederation Beach Tour Samila Open in Songkhla, Thailand last April, with Edward Ybanez of University of South-

ern Philippines as partner.Aside from Becaldo and Gil-

buena, also expected to steal the thunder from their Manila-based rivals are Fiola Mae Ceballos of Central Philippines University in Iloilo City, Cindy Benitez of University of Cordilleras and Florence Madulid of University of Baguio.

After serving as partner of national team skipper Jovelyn Gonzaga in numerous beach vol-leyball competitions, Ceballos is expected to pull a surprise after ruling the first-ever Queen of the Sands beach volleyball tourna-ment over a talented field that includes Bea Tan of Foton Hur-ricanes, Alexa Micek of Foton Sprint 4T, Gretchen Ho of Petron XCS and veteran Maica Morada.

Ceballos will be paired with Patty Orendain for Foton Torna-does.

Benitez and Mandulid, for their part, will banner Benguet Electric Cooperative (Beneco) after seeing action in the 2015 Baguio Beach Volley Championship.

“The Philippines has a lot of good players, not only here in Manila, but all over the country,” said Suzara, a ranking member of the AVC and the International Volleyball Federation. “This is an attempt to widen our scope and discover fresh talents who can represent our country in inter-national beach volleyball tourna-ments in the future.”

Although those from the prov-inces are marching with glowing credentials, Cha Cruz and Mic-mic Laborte of Cignal A; Ho and Charo Soriano of Petron XCS; Micek and Cayetano of Petron XCS; Wensh Tiu and April Ross Hingpit of Cignal B; Tan and Pau Soriano of Foton Hurricanes; Ai-leen Abuel and Rossan Fajardo of Philips Gold; Danica Gendrauli and Norie Jane Diaz of Gilligan’s; Len Cortel and Samantha Daw-son of Sonak; Evangeline Pastor and Kim Ygay of Quantum Plus A; and Tripoli Aurora and Roch-et Dela Paz od Quantum Plus B will refuse to be outdone in the women’s battle.

Serena,Djokovichit feverpitch incelebrationLONDON—Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams revived an old tradition as the Wimbledon winners celebrated their titles by dancing together to the Bee Gees’ hit ‘Night Fever’ at the annual champions dinner.

Fresh from their respective tri-umphs on Centre Court over the weekend, Djokovic and Williams were back in the spotlight late on Sunday evening as the pair became the first champions to dance together at the gala event at the London Guildhall since Bjorn Borg and Chris Evert in 1976.

But while three-time Wimble-don winner Djokovic wanted a “sophisticated waltz”, it was Ser-ena, a six-time champion at the All England Club, who called the tune.

The 33-year-old American, who beat Spain’s Garbine Mugu-ruza in Saturday’s final, selected 1970s disco classic ‘Night Fever’ and Djokovic, a four-set winner over Roger Federer on Sunday, gamely joined his fellow world number one in showing off his best dance moves.

“There was no practice, I sug-gested the idea to (All England Club chairman) Philip Brook and Serena, and fortunately they ac-cepted,” Djokovic said on Monday.

“I was very pleased because Serena is a great dancer.

“I was thinking of more of a waltz - something more sophisti-cated, something that blends into the environment and the beauti-ful hall we were in.

“But Serena wanted to move a bit more and we considered other options.

“So it was Night Fever. Night Fever came to life and you can imagine how that looked.”

Once the partying had come to an end in the early hours of Monday, Djokovic returned to Wimbledon to discuss his ninth major title.

After passing greats like Andre Agassi, Jimmy Connors and Ivan Lendl on the list of major win-ners, the 28-year-old Serb finds himself ranked among the leg-ends of the sport.

It’s no longer inconceivable that he could match the record 17 Grand Slam titles won by Federer and the 14 of Rafael Nadal. AFP

NEW YORK—Each and every member of the US women’s World Cup-winning soccer team are getting the cover girl treatment from Sports Illus-trated.

The respected US sports magazine announced Monday that copies of this week’s edition would be printed with 25 differ-ent covers -- one for each player, one for coach Jill Ellis and one group shot of the whole squad.

Sports Illustrated and other magazines often print multiple covers featuring different pho-tos to mark special events.

But the decision to print 25 separate covers for one edition

is unprecedented.“Each player deserves her

own cover, that’s what we set-tled on,” Sports Illustrated managing editor Chris Stone said in a statement.

The move comes after the American women ended a 16-year drought to claim their third World Cup crown on July 5 with a 5-2 rout of Japan.

Last week the team were hon-ored with a victory rally in Los Angeles before being feted with a ticker-tape parade in New York, becoming the first wom-en’s sports team in history to receive the honor from the Big Apple. AFP

Dancers perform on the sand during the Men’s Beach Volleyball at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto, Canada. AFP

Champs again. The all-employee football club of mobile leader Smart Communications, Inc. defended its championship title at the Corporate Football League, bringing home the trophy for the tournament’s first division. Smart channel development supervisor Albert Francisco won the Most Valuable Player award in the tournament held recently in Taguig. Wireless network engineering supervisor Vic Villamin was named Best Keeper. Meanwhile, Smart FC’s contingent for the tournament’s second division placed third and received the Fair Play Award. Wireless network engineering supervisor Rei Garcia was named Best Female Player. The recent CFL Cup was participated in by a total of 32 companies. Smart FC is one of 22 employee clubs which encourage the workforce to live by Smart’s “Live More” manifesto.

A13sports@thestandard.com.ph

WEDNESDAY: J ULY 1 5 , 2 0 1 5

SPORTS

80 vying in Bowling World Cup

Quigg’s roadleads to Nonito

Nietes must stay

at flyweight

By Ronnie Nathanielsz

ALA Promotions’ president Mi-chael Aldeguer, who disclosed that World Boxing Organization light flyweight champion Don-nie “Ahas” Nietes wants to fight in his hometown in Bacolod City sometime in November, isn’t too sure whether the longest-reigning Filipino world champion should move up in weight next year and face one of the big names in a big money fight.

Aldeguer agreed with The Standard’s observation that Ni-etes, who makes the 108-pound limit with no problem, is perhaps too small to fight as a flyweight at 112 pounds.

He said he would talk to strength and conditioning coach Nick Curson before making a de-cision on whether Nietes should move up in weight.

Aldeguer is scheduled to fly to Los Angeles on Tuesday to meet with representatives of the Stub-Hub Center in Carson City, Cali-fornia, where ALA Promotions will launch its first big fight card in the United States later this year.

Nietes, who is 33, needs a short-er training camp of around six weeks and more rest after a fight which ALA boxing patron Tony Aldeguer said he gets, while he engages in cross-training playing basketball and cycling during his build-up to a fight.

The renowned boxing patron agreed with The Standard that Ni-etes should stay at 108 pounds be-cause he was too small and could even fight as a minimum weight since he has no weight issues.

JOE Gallagher, the trainer of World Boxing Associa-tion super bantamweight champion Scott Quigg, said should that should his ward retain his title against Mexico’s Kiko Martinez on Saturday, five-division world champion Nonito Donaire would be up next.

Sky Sports in Britain reported that Quigg is putting his belt on the line on a huge night of Sky Sportsbox-ing and with talks over a potential unification clash with Carl Frampton continuing to stall, Gallagher is hoping Quigg can book a clash with former champi-on Donaire, provided he overcomes Martinez.

“If he gets past Martinez, it’ll be Nonito Donaire. It won’t be Carl Frampton. The problem with that fight is Barry McGuigan,” Gallagher told Sky Sports.

Commenting on the problems in making a fight against Frampton, Gallagher said: “They can dress it up all they want, but Frampton was offered £1.5m. That’s a very good offer and more money than some of Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s opponents get.”

Given the situation, Gallagher added: “It’s all roads leading to Donaire. That’s a huge fight and a name that Quigg is crying out for. Scott is in a great place physi-cally and mentally. He said to me at the public work-out last week that he wished it was tomorrow night he was fighting. No matter which way Kiko Martinez wants the fight to pan out on Saturday night, Scott has an answer for it. Scott has had some really top-class sparring in the training camp and he’s ready to put on a scintillating performance on Saturday night.” Ronnie Nathanielsz

EIGHTY pintopplers, led by six-time world cham-pion Paeng Nepomuceno, open their three-day bid for the 2015 Bowling World Cup men’s national championship on Saturday, July 18 at Paeng’s Mid-town Bowl in Ermita, Manila.

Nepomuceno, the only bowler to have won the international World Cup crown four times so far, posted the second highest score of 2749 pinfalls in 12 games to make it to the national finals.

Veteran Richie Poblete proved to be a big surprise in this year’s eliminations by producing the best qualifying score of 2852.

Other leading finalists are for-mer world FIQ titlist Biboy Ri-vera, who ruled last year’s com-petition to carry the Philippine colors in the international finals in Wroclaw, Poland together with ladies’ champion Liza del Rosario; Gary Custodio, Sammy

Say Sy, Enzo Hernandez and Raoul Miranda.

Rivera stayed in the title hunt by shooting 2599, while Gary Custodio, Sy, Hernandez and Miranda tallied 2685, 2677, 2559 and 2530, respectively.

Others who made it with re-markable outputs were Nicco Valderrama with 2659, Donald Garcia (2633), John Paule Ma-catula (2615), Jomar Jumapao (2614), Ariel Young (2585), Ruel Parma (2548) and Raoul Miran-da (2530).

This year’s winner will ad-vance to the international finals scheduled on November 13 to 20

in Sam’s Town, Las Vegas, Ne-vada.

The 80 finalists will register at 9 a.m. and roll off an hour later for a 12-game series to deter-mine the top 34 who will remain in the title race. On Tuesday, July 20, the 34 contenders, with their scores carried over, will roll another 12 games at Super-bowl with the top eight advanc-ing to the quarterfinals, semifi-nals and finals slated on July 23 at SM North EDSA.

Since there will be a new for-mat for the third day of the na-tional finals, the organizers will get reserves in case of late or ab-sentee player/s.

The other men’s finalists are:Carl Matthew Lim, Scott Uy,

Ferdie Polillo, Ruel Bucao, Re-uel Rallos, Efren Moreno, Larry Tinio, Simple D. Villajin, Ernie Jacinto, Alvin Pastrana, Lito Fa-bros, Emmanuel Bagting, James

Tarrobal, Emilio Pacheco, Eric Aranez, Jorel Simbulan, Timo-thy Hung, Raul Imperial, Raf Manalo, Chico Lubrin, Dexter Soriano, Merwin Tan, Allen Laigo, Don Evangelista, Mar Serac, Nicco Olaivar, Alex Ngoi, Angel Dilig, Edgar H. Gamboa, Karl Tarrobal, Kap Aguila, Noel Abad, Jules Pedrajas, Robert Buenafe, Orlando Palco, Gil-bert Virata, Rodel Tungala, Ben Pacheco, Kevin Cu, Jay-Ar Tan, Mike Crisol, Norman Lising, July Vargas, Allan Gamboa, John Labasug, Lorenz Tugade, Jose Marie Diaz, Boyet Delfino, Robert Plucena, Paul Sia, Jomin Wong. Aldwin Balangue, Ron-nie Javier, Marc Matias, Kurt Mendoza, Willy Amado, Kevin Custodio, Benshir Layoso, Wil-son Sua, Jer Cabangon, Mike Francis del Carmen, Paul Eluna, Jeff Carabeo, Kenneth Chua and Danny Lagmay.

World gymnastics. Flavia Lopes Saraiva of Brazil competes in the floor excercise during the women’s all around artistic gymnastics final on Day 3 of the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games in Toronto, Canada. AFP

Ateneo, La Salle face off in Spiker’s Turf tiltATENEO and La Salle bring their storied school rivalry to another stage as they slug it out in the featured Group B match in the elimination round of the Spikers’ Turf Col-legiate Conference at The Arena in San Juan today.

The last time these two teams met, the Eagles swept the Archers in the double-round elims then went on to defeat the Adamson Falcons in the semis and then National U Bulldogs in the finals via identical 3-1 romps to annex their

first-ever UAAP men’s volley crown.That should make the Loyola-based squad the

slight favorite in their keenly awaited 1 p.m. clash al-though the Archers will be coming into the match hungry for a win and revenge, guaranteeing a slam-bang action in the second playdate of the first-ever men’s inter-collegiate tournament presented by PLDT Home Ultera.

Games today1 p.m. – La Salle vs Ateneo

3 p.m. – La Salle-Dasmarinas vs St. Benilde

5 p.m. – EAC vs UE

Fitness program. Paranaque Mayor Edwin Olivarez (left) and his wife, Janet, led the Zumba exercise participated in by city hall officials and employees after the flag ceremony at the city hall quadrangle. Olivarez reminded employees how to live a healthy and active lifestyle through Zumba, an aerobic fitness program inspired by various Latin American dance styles.

A14W E D N E S D AY : J U LY 1 5 , 2 0 1 5

SPORTSsports@thestandard.com.ph

38 jungolfers headedto Junior World meet A 38-STRONG Philippine contingent will com-pete in the IMG Academy Junior World golf championships beginning Tuesday as one of the traditional Asian powers expected to fig-ure well in the race for the 12 age-group titles in San Diego, California.

Leading the campaign in the centerpiece 15-17 division is the multi-titled Rupert Zara-gosa and Lois Kaye Go, who have been impressive in recent warmup events for the annual event considered as the Olym-pics of junior golf, with Go winning her first American Ju-nior Golf Association plum in Chico, California and Zaragosa placing second in the Future Champions Golf International in San Diego.

That Go and Zaragosa broke par in all three rounds they played last week should be an indication of their readiness for an even tougher challenge against the best junior players

in the world playing the north and south courses of the wind-blown Torrey Pines.

“It’s a tough competition and we need to be very con-sistent if we are to land a good finish here,” said Zaragosa, one of the division champi-ons of the local qualifying rewarded with free tickets to Los Angeles by national car-rier Philippine Airlines.

Go, meanwhile, is part of a five-player Philippine lineup in the girls’ division hoping to emulate Daniella Uy’s scintil-lating win the division last year, which came 18 years after the now professional Jennifer Ro-sales won the same crown.

“The contingent is not lack-ing in seasoned players and we’re hoping to do well in most of the age-group categories,” said Luigi Tabuena, president of the Junior Golf Foundation of the Philippines who serves as head of the delegation, sup-ported by the International Container Terminal Services, Inc. Sports, Friends of Jungolf and Cleanpak.

The other potential threats are Pauline del Rosario in the girls’ 15-17; Jed Dy, who lost his bid for a second Junior World title in heartbreaking fashion last year, in the boys’ 11-12 di-vision; Harmie Constantino, a veteran of the Singapore South-east Asian Games, in the girls’ 13-14 and Carl Corpus in the boys’ 13-14.

The little ones will also try to boost the country’s bid for a winner’s trophy with siblings Vince and Venice Tiamsic looking for a better showing this time, Anya Cedo hoping

for the best as the lone PH bet in the girls’ 7-8 years and Sean Granada out to atone for a struggling finish last year in the boys 9-10.

The Philippine entries:15-17 Boys Division/Torrey

Pines South: Rupert Zaragosa, Kristoffer Arevalo, Ryan Mon-salve, Wei Wei Gao, Lanz Uy

15-17 Girls Division/Torrey Pines North: Sam Martirez, An-nika Cedo, Abby Arevalo, Lois Kaye Go, Pauline del Rosario

13-14 Boys Division/Morgan Run Resort: Carl Corpus, Aid-ric Chan, Wei Yu Gao

13-14 Girls Division/Coun-try Club of Rancho Bernardo: Sofia Chabon, Kayla Nocum, Harmie Constantino, Mikhaela Fortuna, Bernice Ilas

11-12 Boys Division/Sycuan Resort (Oak Glen): Jolo Magca-layo, Riggs Illescas, Pierre Tic-zon, Josh Jorge, Jed Dy

11-12 Girls Division/Bernar-do Heights CC: Sophia Blanco, Annyka Cayabyab, Laia Barro

Poomsae tourney lures 2,000 jinsAROUND 2,000 taekwondo practitioners are expected to vie for honors in the 2015 PLDT BRO/MVP Sports Foundation National Poom-sae Championships on Sun-day, July 19 at the Rizal Me-morial coliseum.

Coming from various re-gions and Philippine Tae-kwondo Association chap-ters, the young bets will see action in four events, namely, individual colored belts and Blackbelt, Freestyle and Syn-chronized Poomsae.

Participants in poom-sae, also known as forms, display attack and defense techniques against imagi-

nary opponents. Through poomsae, participants get to understand and practice ev-ery aspect of martial art like basic technique, breathing control, balance, coordina-tion and concentration.

According to experts, mind and body must work together in striving for perfection of technique; taekwondo is mean-ingless without poomsae.

Among the regions and chapters that regularly com-pete in this special event are ARRM, CAR, CARAGA, Na-tional Capital Region, Cen-tral Gymnasium, Powerflex, Ateneo, San Sebastian Col-lege, University of the Philip-

pines, San Beda College, De La Salle Zobel, DLSU, More, Obelisk Gymnasium, Team Baguio, Pangasinan, Cebu, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, UTA-Tigers, Philippine National Police and Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Among the tournament sponsors are SMART Com-munications Inc., MILO, Philippine Sports Commis-sion and Meralco.

Martial art enthusiasts and sports buffs, specially children who are interested in taekwondo, ar.e invited to watch the day-long com-petition. Matches will start at 9 a.m.

URCC returnswith 3 titlefights in Clark eventASIDE from the three title fights, a bout between local bet Dolores Meek against Chinese Yang Xiao Nan highlights the re-turn of Universal Reality Combat Cham-pionship in the limelight via the staging of “URCC Domination” on July 25 at the Fontana Convention Center in Clark, Pampanga.

Carrying the colors of the Catalan Fight-ing System, Meek hopes to use crowd sup-port to her advantage when she faces the Chinese in one of the seven undercards of the 10-fight card, which URCC founder and president Alvin Aguilar said will bring the best out of Filipino fighters.

Meek and the Chinese bet clash in the flyweight division of the event sponsored by Fontana, Tribal Gear, Solar Sports, Ro-bust, Sound Brothers & Pink Productions.

“The fight between Meek and Yang is going to be a close call. Both fighters are strong and very creative,” said Aguilar dur-ing Tuesday’s Philippine Sportswriters As-sociation Forum at Shakey’s Malate. “But with the support of the crowd, Dolores will have a slight edge.”

One reason why MMA fans should not miss the event is the holding of the three title fights which Aguilar said they careful-ly planned and deliberated to quench their thirst for explosive fights.

“This will be another card showcasing Filipinos against foreigners and that would only mean that we’re preparing our Fili-pino fighters better for bigger fights in the future,” Aguilar said in the same session presented by San Miguel Corp., Shakey’s, Accel, and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.

Aside from Meek, two other Filipino fighters will be pitted against equally tough foreign rivals with Reydon “Red” Romero out to defend his featherweight crown against Malaysian Jian Kai Chee, while Alvin “Sindikato” Ramirez and Japanese Hideo Morikawa dispute the vacant fly-weight title.

The third title fight is between reigning bantamweight champion Andrew Benibe and top challenger Jerson Estoro – two popular fighters with distinct traits.

While Benibe is known in the MMA cir-cle as the ‘jack of all trades,’ Estoro is widely acknowledged as the best Muay Thai prac-titioner in the country.

Also out to produce sensational wins are flyweight Carls John de Tomas, who will face Carlo Laurel, and Filipino-Swiss Chris Hofmann, who take on light heavyweight Jeremias Tan.

Also fighting in the undercards are Mark Palomar vs Sam Mison, Drez Zamboanga vs Korean Do-Kyum Lee, Yang Xiao Nan vs Dolores Meek, Arvin Chan vs Isiah Ordiz and Lawrence Chan vs Bernard Soriano.

The Philippines’ Enrico Rafael Mella, Rodolfo Reyes Jr. and Dustin Jacob Mella (from left), gold medalists in the male event of the recent Southeast Asian Games poomsae competition, are expected to show their winning form in the tourney.

Fighters Carlo Laurel (right) and CJ De Tomas make a fighting stance at the PSA Forum as URCC Philippines President Alvin Aguilar (center) looks on. EY ACASIO

A15W E D N E S D AY : J U LY 1 5 , 2 0 1 5

SPORTSsports@thestandard.com.ph

2 EZ2 0-02 EZ2 0-0

6/49 00-00-00-00-00-00

6/42 00-00-00-00-00-006 DIGITS 0-0-0-0-0-03 DIGITS 0-0-0

6/42 00-00-00-00-00-00

3 DIGITS 0-0-0

6 DIGITS 0-0-0-0-0-0

2 2

6/496/42 6 3

6/42

36

LOTTO RESULTSP0.0 M+

P0.0 M+

Chiefs blast Generals for 3rd winBy Peter Atencio

THE Arellano University Chiefs drew strength from Jiovani Jalalon’s all-around game and Zach Nicholls’ big baskets yesterday in the 91st Na-tional Collegiate Athletic Association men’s bas-ketball tournament.

Their presence on the floor worked wonders for the Chiefs, who subdued the Emilio Agui-naldo College Generals, 92-80, at the Arena in San Juan.

Nicholls led with 18 points, while Jalalon came up with a triple double performance of 12 points, 10 rebounds and 15 as-sists. Their efforts sent the Chiefs to their third win in three games, climbing to solo third in the team standings.

The Generals quickly crum-bled in the face of the Chiefs’ pressure defense, giving the ball up on 20 turnovers in the first half.

The Chiefs were already in control of the game in the first period, taking a 22-14 edge, with Nicholls and Jalalon com-bining for nine points.

Coach Jerry Codinera com-mended Jalalon for his leader-ship on the floor.

“It makes your job easier when you have a point guard like him. Napupulsuhan niya ang laro,” said Codinera.

In the junior division, Guilm-er de la Torre came up with an-

other great showing, shooting 33 points to lead the Arellano Braves to a 104-98 beating of the EAC-ICA Brigadiers.

De la Torre had 13 points in the last period, including three treys as he helped the Braves get away with their third straight win and move ahead

of two unbeaten squads, the San Beda Red Cubs and the Letran Squires.

M e a n w h i l e , Kobe Canoy un-

loaded 22 points for the San Se-bastian Staglets, who whipped the JRU Light Bombers, 75-56, allowing them to bounce back with their first win in two out-ings.

Canoy struck with 11 points in the last canto as the Staglets moved away from a 49-all tie at the end of the third.

A 23-0 run by the Staglets in the final period saw them tak-ing a 72-49 spread midway in the period.

Sidney Onwuberre banged in 26 points for the winless Gener-als, but he only had two points after the Chiefs moved away by 18 points, 51-33, at halftime.

Volcanoes gun for Olympic berthTHE Philippine Rugby Foot-ball Union aims to assemble the entire Volcanoes’ squad that captured the men’s rug-by sevens gold medal in the recent 28th Southeast Asian Games in Singapore in an all-out bid to top the Asian Olympic qualifying tourna-ment scheduled Nov. 7 and 8 in Hong Kong.

“We want our best team that won in Singapore to make it to the Asian Olympic qualifiers, whose champion will get to play outright in the Rio Olympic Games next year,” said national coach Matt Cullen in Tuesday’s Philippine Sportswriters As-sociation Forum at Shakey’s Malate in Manila.

“Since most of our stron-gest players are overseas,

we can only form them for a limited time similar to what we did in the last SEA Games,” Cullen noted. “So our best chance in making it to Rio is by winning the Hong Kong event.”

Cullen came to the session presented by San Miguel Corp., Philippine Amuse-ment and Gaming Corp., Shakey’s, and Accel together with Volcanoes’ team captain Jake Letts plus national team aspirants Jonel Madrona and Andrew Catepon, whose Clark Jets bagged the rugby sevens gold medal in the just-concluded POC-PSC Philippine National Games.

Composed mostly of youth players from the Ba-hay Bata orphanage in An-geles City, Pampanga, the

Jets humbled the Alabang Eagles, 22-17, bannered by Letts and three other regular Volcanoes in the PNG cham-pionship match.

“That the Jets won over the Eagles showed what we have been saying that in rugby sevens, you don’t need bulk and size like regular rugby but speed, agility, and skill,” said Cullen, noting that Madrona, the Jets’ team captain, and Catepon stood 5-foot and 5’5”, respectively.

“Madrona and Catepon are products of our grassroots de-velopment program and an-swers the question often asked of us if we have been develop-ing local talent instead of rely-ing on our overseas players,” he added. “They are among our future Volcanoes.”

Frenchman gored to death in Spain bull runMADRID—A charging bull gored a Frenchman to death early Tuesday at a festival in eastern Spain, local authorities said.

The 44-year-old died overnight in Pedreguer, a town north of Alicante, where he was at the bull run festival with friends, the town hall said in a statement.

“At about 1:00 am (2300 GMT Monday) he was gored by a bull which caused him very serious in-

juries. The only thing medical staff could do was to certify his death.”

It said the organizers immedi-ately cancelled all the bull runs scheduled until Wednesday “as an act of mourning” for the man, whom it did not name.

Elsewhere, five Spaniards were treated in hospitals after being hurt in the last bull run of this year’s San Fermin festival in the northern town of Pamplona, organisers said.

The five, aged between 20 and 46, were treated for bumps and bruises sustained during that run but no actual gorings were reported.

Ten people were recorded as being gored in the past week dur-ing the Pamplona festival, which draws hundreds of thousands of people from around the world.

In the first run of this year’s festival on July 7, two Americans and a British man were gored and

eight others hurt.The Pamplona festival was im-

mortalised by US author Ernest Hemingway in his 1926 novel “The Sun Also Rises”, which has helped feed the popularity of the danger-ous bull runs among foreigners.

Fifteen people have been recorded killed in the Pamplona bull runs since 1911. Before Tuesday’s death the most recent fatality was that of a Spaniard who was gored in 2009. AFP

Philippine Volcanoes’ head coach Matthew Cullen (left) and Volcanoes Team Captain Jake Gerald Robrigado Letis (right) are shown with Clark Jets player Marlon Catepon and team captain Jonel Madrona. EY ACASIO

Rejected. Arizona Reid (left) of San Miguel Beer rejects the attempt of Alaska’s Romeo Travis from behind in Game 2 of the 2015 Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup Finals. The Beermen won, 103-95, to grab a solid 2-0 lead in the series. Story on A16

Games Tomorrow (The Arena in San Juan)

10 a.m. LPU vs LSGH (jrs)12 nn San Beda vs Letran (jrs)

2 p.m. LPU vs CSB (srs)4 p.m. San Beda v Letran

SPORTSA16

RIERA U. MALL ARIE D I T O R

sports@thestandard.com.ph

REUEL VIDALA S S I S TA N T E D I T O R

TURN TO A15

The Beermen are comfort-ably ahead, but they still want a tighter grip on the series as they shoot for a 3-0 lead against Alaska in the resump-tion of the 2015 Philippine Basketball Association Gov-ernors’ Cup Finals.

San Miguel Beer and Alaska collide in Game 3 at 7 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum today.

In addition to still feeling unsecured despite his team’s 2-0 lead, Austria expects a tough fightback from Alas-ka, given that the Aces will be desperate for a win.

‘’I think a 2-0 lead is not safe. I see no reason for us to relax at any point. We need four wins to win the cham-pionship,’’ said Austria of San Miguel’s distinct advantage.

By Jeric Lopez

FOR many, a 2-0 lead in a best-of-seven series is quite commanding. But don’t tell that to San Miguel Beer coach Leo Austria.

URCC returnswith 3 titlefights

TURN TO A14

Volcanoes gun for Olympic berth

Austria added that his team needs to maintain all the posi-tive things they have been do-ing so far in the series that got them this 2-0 lead while expecting a tougher resistance from Alaska.

‘’There will be a big adjustment on their (the Aces) part for sure and we have to be ready. We have to keep playing and keep doing the things that we’re doing right.’’

After surprisingly taking a blowout win in Game 1, San Miguel had a more difficult time winning the second game, which went down the wire,

but the Beermen were able to escape with a 103-95 victory, thanks to clutch baskets from Marcio Lassiter, who hit the go-

ahead triple with a minute remain-ing, and AZ Reid.

Reid, who scored 37 points

and seven assists in Game 2 after slightly losing out to Ro-meo Travis for the Best Import award, Best Player of the Con-ference Junemar Fajardo and Lassiter, have been the pain in the neck of Alaska in the series.

Alaska coach Alex Comp-ton admitted that those usual suspects of San Miguel are

hurting his team and the Aces need to address this if they want to keep their hopes of possibly coming back alive.

‘’The dilemma we have is that Junemar (Fajardo) re-quires attention because he’s great and then they have Reid which is a great scorer and Lassiter, a great shooter. That’s a nice combination for them and that gives us problems,’’ admitted Compton.

While the Beermen enjoy being in the driver’s seat, the Aces are now facing a must-win situation to avoid falling to a near insurmountable 0-3 hole.

SMBeermen try to pushAlaska Aces to the brink

Lin hopesto reachhis fullpotentialCHARLOTTE—Jeremy Lin, the first NBA’s first Chinese-American player, joined the Charlotte Hornets on Monday, saying the Michael Jordan-owned club would allow him to maximize his potential as a player.

The 26-year-old guard inspired “Linsanity” in 2012 when he came off the bench to spark a win streak by the injury-riddled New York Knicks, but admitted that “New York seems like a decade ago, honestly.”

Lin, whose ancestry is from Taiwan and China, spent two seasons with Houston after the Knicks and last season with the Los Angeles Lakers before join-ing the Hornets last week in a free agent deal worth $4.3 million over two years.

“Very excited. Can’t wait to get going. I just felt like this is going to be a great fit for me.” Lin said. “What I bring to the table is what i think this team needs.”

Lin and Hornets coach Steve Clifford described a ver-satile, attacking role for Lin, a playmaker spot that would keep him aggressive and cre-ating shot opportunities for himself and teammates.

“I do believe I’m a more refined, all-around player. I think the work Ive put in has made me better. I just don’t think I’ve had the same fit or opportunity,” Lin said.

“I want to see how close I can get to reaching my full potential. It takes a lot of work on my end and also finding the right situation. I think this is a huge step in the right direction. AFP

Los Angeles Lakers’ Jeremy Lin (17) drives past Detroit Pistons Jodie Meeks (20) during their NBA game at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Lin is joining the Charlotte Hornets. AFP

Game Today (Game 3, Finals - Smart

Araneta Coliseum):7 p.m. - San Miguel vs. Alaska

W E D N E S D AY : J U LY 1 5 , 2 0 1 5

RODERICK T. DELA CRUZASSISTANT EDITOR B1

WEDNESDAY: JULY 15, 2015

business@thestandardtoday.com.phextrastory2000@gmail.com

RAY S. EÑANOEDITOR

Del Monte investing P11b in Palawan farm

Bangko Sentral ng PilipinasTuesday, July 14, 2015

Foreign exchange rateCurrency Unit US Dollar PesoUnited States Dollar 1.000000 45.1510

Japan Yen 0.008103 0.3659

UK Pound 1.549100 69.9434

Hong Kong Dollar 0.129002 5.8246

Switzerland Franc 1.053852 47.5825

Canada Dollar 0.785423 35.4626

Singapore Dollar 0.737083 33.2800

Australia Dollar 0.740521 33.4353

Bahrain Dinar 2.652379 119.7576

Saudi Arabia Rial 0.266660 12.0400

Brunei Dollar 0.734376 33.1578

Indonesia Rupiah 0.000075 0.0034

Thailand Baht 0.029392 1.3271

UAE Dirham 0.272257 12.2927

Euro Euro 1.101200 49.7203

Korea Won 0.000882 0.0398

China Yuan 0.161072 7.2726

India Rupee 0.015758 0.7115

Malaysia Ringgit 0.262798 11.8656

New Zealand Dollar 0.669120 30.2114

Taiwan Dollar 0.032211 1.4544 Source: PDS Bridge

7,538.7642.43

Closing July 14, 2015PSe comPoSite index

42

43

44

45

46

HIGH P45.175 LOW P45.250 AVERAGE P45.205

Closing JULY 14, 2015PeSo-dollar rate

VOLUME 527.000M

Bangko Sentral ng PilipinasBangko Sentral ng PilipinasBangko Sentral ng PilipinasBangko Sentral ng PilipinasBangko Sentral ng PilipinasBangko Sentral ng PilipinasBangko Sentral ng PilipinasBangko Sentral ng PilipinasBangko Sentral ng PilipinasBangko Sentral ng Pilipinas

oilPriceS today

P480.00-P680.00LPG/11-kg tank

P41.20-P47.85Unleaded Gasoline

P28.85-P32.20Diesel

P34.55-P39.15Kerosene

P23.70-P24.40Auto LPG

todayP28.85-P32.20

P34.55-P39.15

P23.70-P24.40

PP41.20-P47.85

8500

8000

7500

7000

6500

6000

Closing JULY 14, 2015

P45.195CLOSE

BUSINESS

Market volatilities to stay—BSP

Discontent in Greece. People hold a banner reading ‘No’ in Greek, in front of the Greek parliament in Athens, during an anti-EU dem-onstration calling for a ‘No’ to any agreement with the creditors, on July 13, 2015. Eurozone leaders struck a deal on July 13 on a bailout to prevent debt-stricken Greece from crashing out of the euro forcing Athens to push through draconian reforms in a matter of days. AFP

By Julito G. RadaBANGKO Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. said the new bailout deal in Greece temporarily calmed � -nancial markets, but volatilities will remain due to the imminent interest rates hike in the United States before the year ends.

“� e agreement in the EU, fore-stalling Grexit, takes away one layer of market uncertainty... � e agreement between Greece and the other European governments has renewed the focus on the pos-sible li� -o� by the US Federal Re-serve this year,” Tetangco said at the sidelines of a forum held at the central bank on Tuesday.

Tetangco said the US dollar as a result strengthened against most currencies in the region.

“... We have seen a strong dollar and there have some weakening in regional currencies including the

peso. But that is because people are again expecting that the Fed will increase interest rates some-time this year,” Tetangco said.

He said the market would continue to watch out for the details to implement the Greece deal and for signals from the Fed on the timing of the li� -o� , and whether the government support in China was su� cient to fully arrest stock market declines.

“Our economy has funda-mental strength, the in� ation is seen to remain low, pockets of potential � nancial stability pres-sures also appear to be relatively mild... but we have policy space and can quickly put in place measures should such be needed to support growth, manage in� a-tion, or contain � nancial stabil-ity pressures,” Tetangco said.

Greece on Monday sealed a bailout deal with Europe, pre-venting the � nancially-troubled

nation from exiting the Euro-pean single currency.

Tetangco expects the peso to trade within range despite the vol-atilities in the � nancial markets.

“� ere have been some weak-ening today, there is some re-covery tomorrow. So, the move-ments are basically within range. � ere is no blow-out in terms of exchange rate in the Philippines as well as in the rest of the re-gion,” Tetangco said.

He added that foreign funds were not moving out of the country in a big way. He said while there were some declines in the stock market, funds re-mained in the country.

Latest Bangko Sentral data showed the peso remained the second least volatile among the currencies in Asia this year. � e local currency’s volatility settled at 0.77 percent, next to Chinese renminbi’s 0.37 percent.

By Othel V. Campos

DEL Monte Arabia is investing P11 billion to establish a fruit plantation in Palawan prov-ince, the top o� cial of the province said Tues-day.

Palawan Governor Jose Alva-rez said Dubai-based Del Monte Arabia and the provincial gov-ernment were scheduled to sign a memorandum of understand-ing at the Hotel Intercontinental

Manila on July 28 to formalize the investment in the fruit plantation project in Brooke’s Point.

Alvarez said Del Monte Ara-bia was keen on producing fresh pineapples for export from Pala-

wan. Brooke’s Point, a � rst-class town located in the southeastern section of Palawan, covers a land area of 85,000 hectares.

“� is is a one hundred percent foreign company that is planning to lease lands directly from farm-ers at rates favorable to our farm-ers,” Alvarez said in a news brief-ing at Makati Shangri-La Hotel.

Del Monte Arabia will produce fresh pineapples, all for export to the Middle East with Dubai as its primary market, he said.

Alvarez said the provincial

government of Palawan was ex-pediting the completion of a 43-kilometer road, a P950-mil-lion infrastructure project being undertaken by the Public Works Department, to allow faster turn-around of shipments straight to the ports and back to the farm.

He said an ocular mission sent by the Saudi-based company in April 2015 led by country manag-er Hector Rivera signaled the start of o� cial negotiations for the multi-billion-peso investment.

Alvarez said on top of pri-vate sector investments, Palawan would also spend as much as P7.6 billion to transform Palawan into a global tourism destination.

Investments for marine-related and water projects will cost the provincial government as much as P2.3 billion with loan � nancing from the Land Bank of the Philip-pines, he said.

Land-based projects include road infrastructures, costing about P2.7 billion. Livelihood projects such as seaweed farming and cacao planting programs were given P300 million each to double production and expand coverage in a span of three to four years.

Alvarez also cited an ambitious program to construct 22 munici-pal airstrips that would cost the province another P1.1 billion.

“� ese are just grass airstrips that can accommodate 20-seater mosquito planes, for starters. Later, we plan to concretize few of these grass airstrips but that will cost us another P50 million to have these airstrips cemented,” he said.

business@thestandard.com.phextrastory2000@gmail.com

BUSINESSWEDNESDAY: JULY 15, 2015

B2

52 Weeks Previous % Net Foreign High Low STOCKS Close High Low Close Change Volume Trade/Buying

The STandard BuSineSS daily STockS review Tuesday, July 14, 2015

FINANCIAL7.88 2.5 AG Finance 4.66 4.67 4.5 4.63 -0.64 92,000 75.3 66 Asia United Bank 73.2 73.2 73 73.2 0.00 7,210 373,320.00124.4 88.05 Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. 103.20 106.20 103.70 104.00 0.78 3,960,610 -25,606,548.00107 88.1 Bank of PI 94.00 95.00 94.40 94.50 0.53 411,510 5,569,573.5056.5 45.45 China Bank 45.6 45.6 45.5 45.6 0.00 54,300 496,930.002.49 1.97 BDO Leasing & Fin. INc. 2.50 2.50 2.41 2.41 -3.60 67,000 4.2 1.68 Bright Kindle Resources 1.45 1.60 1.55 1.60 10.34 27,000 17 12.02 COL Financial 16 16.2 16 16 0.00 147,500 404,800.0030.45 19.6 Eastwest Bank 20.25 20.35 20.2 20.3 0.25 171,200 1,926,275.0010.4 6.12 Filipino Fund Inc. 6.72 6.73 6.71 6.73 0.15 2,800 890 625 Manulife Fin. Corp. 770.00 795.00 795.00 795.00 3.25 10 100 78 Metrobank 91 91.3 90.1 91.05 0.05 3,224,000 -29,704,100.0030.5 17.8 PB Bank 18.00 18.00 17.90 17.90 -0.56 154,100 -2,474,150.0075 58 Phil Bank of Comm 26.20 26.20 26.20 26.20 0.00 400 91.5 62 Phil. National Bank 64.20 64.20 63.55 63.80 -0.62 120,010 2,906,499.50137 88.35 Phil. Savings Bank 94.95 95 95 95 0.05 50 361.2 276 PSE Inc. 301 310 300 309 2.66 25,020 -1,249,000.0057 41 RCBC `A’ 37.05 38.5 37.5 37.7 1.75 109,600 207,540.00180 118.2 Security Bank 151.2 152.9 151.3 152.1 0.60 841,140 -60,363,512.001700 1200 Sun Life Financial 1470.00 1470.00 1470.00 1470.00 0.00 1,975 124 59 Union Bank 59.65 60.05 59.50 60.00 0.59 112,330 -179,255.003.26 2.65 Vantage Equities 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.2 0.00 2,000

INDUSTRIAL47 35.9 Aboitiz Power Corp. 43.15 44 43.15 43.6 1.04 920,300 -8,494,600.005 1.11 Agrinurture Inc. 1.38 1.38 1.36 1.36 -1.45 57,000 1.46 1.01 Alliance Tuna Intl Inc. 1.04 1.05 1.02 1.05 0.96 544,000 50,620.002.36 1.86 Alsons Cons. 1.95 1.98 1.95 1.96 0.51 251,000 -9,850.0015.3 7.92 Asiabest Group 10.18 10.36 10.06 10.36 1.77 2,100 89 40.3 Bogo Medelin 53 53.95 53.9 53.95 1.79 20 148 32 C. Azuc De Tarlac 91.00 91.40 91.40 91.40 0.44 1,120 20.6 15.32 Century Food 17.98 18.4 17.98 18.32 1.89 61,100 -18,286.00125 62.5 Chemphil 155 200 155 180 16.13 610 36 10.08 Cirtek Holdings (Chips) 26.9 26.9 25.85 25.85 -3.90 166,400 65.8 29.15 Concepcion 55.8 55.8 55 55.8 0.00 1,120 2.97 1.5 Crown Asia 2.37 2.48 2.37 2.4 1.27 3,012,000 -90.004.14 1.5 Da Vinci Capital 1.46 1.47 1.42 1.47 0.68 17,000 21.5 10.72 Del Monte 12 12.2 12 12.2 1.67 33,500 203,386.0021.6 9.55 DNL Industries Inc. 20.200 20.650 20.05 20.450 1.24 6,269,800 31,997,970.0011.96 9.04 Emperador 8.90 8.98 8.90 8.95 0.56 713,600 3,873,817.009.13 6.02 Energy Devt. Corp. (EDC) 7.44 7.53 7.47 7.50 0.81 11,344,500 3,913,389.0011.8 8.86 EEI 9.67 9.78 9.67 9.77 1.03 2,272,200 170,985.002.89 1.06 Euro-Med Lab 1.78 1.76 1.7 1.76 -1.12 16,000 17 8.61 Federal Res. Inv. Group 13.84 13.92 13.1 13.16 -4.91 23,600 31.8 20.2 First Gen Corp. 24.85 25.3 25.05 25.15 1.21 875,100 4,570,100.00109 71.5 First Holdings ‘A’ 79.5 81.7 80.05 81 1.89 403,850 14,213,854.5020.75 13.86 Ginebra San Miguel Inc. 14.00 14.00 13.98 14.00 0.00 22,000 -236,600.0015.3 13.24 Holcim Philippines Inc. 13.90 13.90 13.80 13.90 0.00 1,428,300 -1,380.009.4 5.34 Integ. Micro-Electronics 5.74 5.8 5.71 5.78 0.70 127,900 0.98 0.395 Ionics Inc 0.530 0.530 0.530 0.530 0.00 3,000 241 173 Jollibee Foods Corp. 190.00 193.00 191.50 192.00 1.05 501,490 2,322,798.0012.5 8.65 Lafarge Rep 10.68 10.7 10.56 10.64 -0.37 445,600 1,999,192.0074 33 Macay Holdings 55.50 55.50 55.50 55.50 0.00 130 33.9 23.35 Manila Water Co. Inc. 24.05 24.15 23.95 24 -0.21 435,400 -8,707,160.0090 17.3 Maxs Group 25.75 25.8 25.4 25.8 0.19 124,800 -679,015.0013.26 5.88 Megawide 5.66 5.75 5.54 5.68 0.35 281,400 2,850.00293 250.2 Mla. Elect. Co `A’ 293.40 295.00 289.80 292.80 -0.20 304,410 9,997,980.005.25 3.87 Pepsi-Cola Products Phil. 4.9 4.94 4.88 4.89 -0.20 305,000 366,790.0012.98 8.45 Petron Corporation 8.36 8.57 8.14 8.15 -2.51 4,571,200 -892,962.0015 10.04 Phinma Corporation 11.74 11.90 11.50 11.90 1.36 20,900 -117,400.007.03 3.03 Phoenix Petroleum Phils. 3.20 3.44 3.22 3.30 3.12 245,000 -436,310.003.4 1.95 Phoenix Semiconductor 2.35 2.40 2.20 2.26 -3.83 3,714,000 -7,320.004.5 1 Pryce Corp. `A’ 2.74 2.81 2.58 2.78 1.46 3,767,000 86,430.006.3 4.02 RFM Corporation 4.05 4.06 4.04 4.05 0.00 5,518,000 -1,688,850.00238 161 San Miguel’Pure Foods `B’ 168.9 168.8 164 164 -2.90 15,500 -2,557,236.003.28 1.55 Splash Corporation 1.64 1.87 1.68 1.76 7.32 1,819,000 33,250.000.315 0.138 Swift Foods, Inc. 0.143 0.146 0.143 0.146 2.10 2,690,000 2.65 2.09 Trans-Asia Oil 2.15 2.19 2.14 2.17 0.93 528,000 234 152 Universal Robina 188.5 194 190 192 1.86 1,834,880 160,510,545.001.3 0.640 Vitarich Corp. 0.7 0.75 0.7 0.71 1.43 2,608,000 -71,000.002.17 1.2 Vulcan Ind’l. 1.23 1.21 1.14 1.21 -1.63 27,000

HOLDING FIRMS0.59 0.44 Abacus Cons. `A’ 0.475 0.485 0.470 0.485 2.11 1,970,000 59.2 48.1 Aboitiz Equity 57.5000 57.7500 57.0500 57.1000 -0.70 1,875,020 8,359,248.0030.05 20.85 Alliance Global Inc. 21.95 22.30 22.00 22.30 1.59 3,311,100 5,621,940.007.39 6.62 Anscor `A’ 6.88 6.88 6.88 6.88 0.00 21,600 -148,608.003.4 0.23 ATN Holdings A 0.241 0.241 0.241 0.241 0.00 1,180,000 3.35 0.23 ATN Holdings B 0.241 0.241 0.240 0.240 -0.41 1,000,000 120,000.00823.5 634.5 Ayala Corp `A’ 755 774 760 769 1.85 335,520 56,373,930.0010.2 7.390 Cosco Capital 7.5 7.63 7.51 7.54 0.53 2,015,900 11,247,694.0084 12.8 DMCI Holdings 13.06 13.24 13.14 13.14 0.61 2,384,300 -6,242,066.004.92 2.26 Filinvest Dev. Corp. 4.30 4.35 4.30 4.35 1.16 35,000 0.66 0.152 Forum Pacific 0.215 0.220 0.220 0.220 2.33 10,000 1455 837 GT Capital 1364 1374 1359 1365 0.07 147,525 -111,485,000.007.5 5.3 House of Inv. 6.50 6.50 6.50 6.50 0.00 7 65,000.0076 49.55 JG Summit Holdings 71.50 72.00 71.50 72.00 0.70 1,334,650 43,448,154.506.5 3.43 Jolliville Holdings 3.9 3.85 3.83 3.85 -1.28 105,000 9.25 4.84 Lopez Holdings Corp. 7.05 7.15 6.96 7.15 1.42 1,433,800 -3,487,813.000.85 0.59 Lodestar Invt. Holdg.Corp. 0.65 0.67 0.62 0.66 1.54 107,000 17.3 12 LT Group 12.56 12.96 12.66 12.74 1.43 4,281,100 22,633,116.000.71 0.580 Mabuhay Holdings `A’ 0.6 0.58 0.58 0.58 -3.33 200,000 5.53 4.2 Metro Pacific Inv. Corp. 4.76 4.82 4.72 4.82 1.26 25,671,000 66,013,190.006.55 4.5 Minerales Industrias Corp. 7.2 7.28 7.15 7.25 0.69 717,200 100,940.009.66 3 MJCI Investments Inc. 2.1 3.15 3.15 3.15 50.00 1,000 1.61 0.550 Prime Orion 1.990 2.020 1.960 2.000 0.50 19,035,000 -2,268,860.002.99 2.26 Republic Glass ‘A’ 2.67 2.8 2.67 2.75 3.00 111,000 84.9 59.3 San Miguel Corp `A’ 60.10 60.50 59.95 60.00 -0.17 605,270 10,135,792.50974 751 SM Investments Inc. 897.00 906.00 901.00 905.00 0.89 211,320 92,379,420.001.66 1.13 Solid Group Inc. 1.22 1.23 1.20 1.23 0.82 57,000 390 170 Transgrid 160.00 170.00 170.00 170.00 6.25 100 156 80 Top Frontier 78.450 79.500 78.450 78.800 0.45 8,120 -188,972.000.710 0.211 Unioil Res. & Hldgs 0.3300 0.3250 0.3000 0.3250 -1.52 1,850,000 51,000.000.435 0.179 Wellex Industries 0.2000 0.1990 0.1900 0.1990 -0.50 230,000 0.510 0.310 Zeus Holdings 0.265 0.275 0.270 0.275 3.77 260,000

P R O P E R T Y10.5 6.74 8990 HLDG 7.280 7.400 7.280 7.280 0.00 317,900 -291,555.001.99 0.65 A. Brown Co., Inc. 0.70 0.72 0.68 0.72 2.86 234,000 1.75 1.2 Araneta Prop `A’ 1.150 1.160 1.150 1.160 0.87 22,000 41.4 30.05 Ayala Land `B’ 38.15 38.50 38.00 38.30 0.39 7,187,800 18,892,775.005.6 3.36 Belle Corp. `A’ 3.22 3.32 3.23 3.32 3.11 1,049,000 428,150.005.59 4.96 Cebu Holdings 5.15 5.25 5.15 5.15 0.00 79,500 -306,425.001.44 0.79 Century Property 0.83 0.85 0.84 0.84 1.20 2,356,000

52 Weeks Previous % Net ForeignHigh Low STOCKS Close High Low Close Change Volume Trade/Buying

Trading SummarySHARES VALUE

FINANCIAL 9,535,158 916,209,996.81INDUSTRIAL 58,440,175 1,045,221,278.252HOLDING FIRMS 70,591,455 1,255,365,155.185PROPERTY 90,814,881 739,219,447.28SERVICES 180,745,172 1,540,914,688.334MINING & OIL 4,186,373,931 127,717,058.909GRAND TOTAL 4,605,125,812 5,728,732,215.766

FINANCIAL 1,680.42 (up) 8.02INDUSTRIAL 11,416.40 (up) 104.70HOLDING FIRMS 6,784.42 (up) 55.33PROPERTY 3,082.57 (down) 6.85SERVICES 2,072.84 (up) 16.19MINING & OIL 13,107.40 (up) 124.85PSEI 7,538.76 (up0 42.43All Shares Index 4,296.63 (up) 27.85

Gainers: 134 Losers: 40; Unchanged: 39; Total: 213

STOCKS Close(P)

Change(%)

Federal Res. Inv. Group 13.16 -4.91

ISM Communications 1.4200 -4.70

Abra Mining 0.0063 -4.55

Cirtek Holdings (Chips) 25.85 -3.90

Phoenix Semiconductor 2.26 -3.83

BDO Leasing & Fin. INc. 2.41 -3.60

Centro Esc. Univ. 9.64 -3.60

Apex `A' 2.61 -3.33

Mabuhay Holdings `A' 0.58 -3.33

San Miguel'Pure Foods `B' 164 -2.90

Top LoSerSSTOCKS Close

(P)Change

(%)

MJCI Investments Inc. 3.15 50.00

Manila Broadcasting 47.50 18.75

Lorenzo Shipping 1.28 16.36

Chemphil 180 16.13

Bright Kindle Resources 1.60 10.34

IP E-Game Ventures Inc. 0.011 10.00

Melco Crown 5.44 8.80

Oriental Pet. `B' 0.0130 8.33

Bloomberry 9.21 7.97

Splash Corporation 1.76 7.32

Top gainerS

1.97 1.1 City & Land Dev. 1.08 1.09 1.09 1.09 0.93 1,000 1.48 0.97 Cityland Dev. `A’ 1.01 1.01 1.01 1.01 0.00 17,000 0.201 0.083 Crown Equities Inc. 0.126 0.127 0.126 0.127 0.79 470,000 0.69 0.415 Cyber Bay Corp. 0.440 0.440 0.435 0.440 0.00 710,000 10.96 2.4 Double Dragon 9.9 10.2 9.9 10 1.01 599,700 -459,000.000.97 0.83 Empire East Land 0.840 0.870 0.840 0.870 3.57 67,000 -46,980.000.305 0.188 Ever Gotesco 0.170 0.178 0.171 0.178 4.71 2,050,000 2.22 1.15 Global-Estate 1.21 1.23 1.20 1.22 0.83 748,000 2.1 1.42 Filinvest Land,Inc. 1.88 1.93 1.88 1.90 1.06 35,936,000 6,473,350.001.8 1.27 Interport `A’ 1.29 1.29 1.25 1.28 -0.78 244,000 4.88 2.75 Megaworld Corp. 4.9 4.95 4.79 4.8 -2.04 18,451,000 11,806,730.000.180 0.090 MRC Allied Ind. 0.103 0.110 0.103 0.107 3.88 490,000 0.470 0.290 Phil. Estates Corp. 0.2900 0.3000 0.2900 0.2950 1.72 230,000 0.72 0.39 Phil. Realty `A’ 0.3800 0.3950 0.3950 0.3950 10,000 31.8 22.15 Robinson’s Land `B’ 27.65 28.30 27.75 28.30 2.35 1,573,300 11,994,090.002.29 1.6 Rockwell 1.68 1.68 1.64 1.68 0.00 1,832,000 -1,176,000.004.9 3.1 Shang Properties Inc. 3.30 3.30 3.29 3.30 0.00 3,000 21.35 15.08 SM Prime Holdings 20.70 20.70 20.15 20.30 -1.93 10,093,300 -52,678,165.001.06 0.69 Sta. Lucia Land Inc. 0.72 0.75 0.72 0.74 2.78 925,000 1.62 0.83 Suntrust Home Dev. Inc. 0.840 0.850 0.840 0.850 1.19 8,000 8.59 5.73 Vista Land & Lifescapes 6.800 6.960 6.800 6.880 1.18 5,089,600 -6,209,721.00

S E R V I C E S10.5 1.97 2GO Group’ 6.25 6.45 6.2 6.44 3.04 139,100 66 35.2 ABS-CBN 61 62.2 61 61.5 0.82 10,360 1.44 1 Acesite Hotel 1.14 1.19 1.14 1.19 4.39 6,000 1.09 0.63 APC Group, Inc. 0.620 0.640 0.620 0.630 1.61 627,000 15.82 8.6 Bloomberry 8.53 9.25 8.70 9.21 7.97 37,050,500 24,889,769.000.1430 0.0770 Boulevard Holdings 0.0800 0.0820 0.0800 0.0800 0.00 7,430,000 5.06 2.95 Calata Corp. 3.44 3.44 3.4 3.4 -1.16 49,000 99.1 56.1 Cebu Air Inc. (5J) 87 89.3 86.9 88.9 2.18 618,650 -7,161,327.5012.3 10.14 Centro Esc. Univ. 10 9.64 9.64 9.64 -3.60 10,500 7.67 4.8 DFNN Inc. 6.20 6.30 6.30 6.30 1.61 1,000 1700 830 FEUI 929.5 990 990 990 6.51 280 2720 1600 Globe Telecom 2380 2478 2380 2456 3.19 174,350 118,122,680.008.41 5.95 GMA Network Inc. 6.35 6.39 6.31 6.36 0.16 18,600 1.97 1.23 Harbor Star 1.34 1.31 1.30 1.31 -2.24 51,000 119.5 102.6 I.C.T.S.I. 110.5 111.8 110.5 110.5 0.00 436,260 -34,002,432.0012.5 8.72 IPeople Inc. `A’ 12 12 12 12 0.00 2,400 0.017 0.011 IP E-Game Ventures Inc. 0.010 0.011 0.011 0.011 10.00 34,500,000 -66,000.000.8200 0.041 Island Info 0.203 0.208 0.201 0.205 0.99 4,070,000 -286,700.002.2800 1.200 ISM Communications 1.4900 1.5300 1.4000 1.4200 -4.70 4,317,000 165,350.0012.28 6.5 Leisure & Resorts 9.21 9.49 9.20 9.40 2.06 151,000 468,500.003.32 1.91 Liberty Telecom 2.63 2.64 2.52 2.56 -2.66 30,000 -2,560.002.53 1.01 Lorenzo Shipping 1.10 1.28 1.28 1.28 16.36 16,000 3.2 1.95 Macroasia Corp. 2.00 2.01 2.00 2.00 0.00 44,000 95.5 3.1 Manila Broadcasting 40.00 48.00 40.00 47.50 18.75 3,900 1 0.650 Manila Bulletin 0.680 0.690 0.690 0.690 1.47 2,000 2.46 1.8 Manila Jockey 2 2.03 1.97 2.03 1.50 10,000 15.2 6 Melco Crown 5 5.47 5 5.44 8.80 11,599,400 -2,859,710.000.62 0.335 MG Holdings 0.320 0.320 0.320 0.320 0.00 20,000 1.040 0.37 NOW Corp. 0.460 0.490 0.490 0.490 6.52 10,000 22.8 14.54 Pacific Online Sys. Corp. 18.1 18.84 18.18 18.84 4.09 800 6.41 3 PAL Holdings Inc. 4.64 4.70 4.64 4.64 0.00 300 4 2.28 Paxys Inc. 3 3 3 3 0.00 20,000 60,000.00185 79 Phil. Seven Corp. 107.00 108.00 108.00 108.00 0.93 10,000 1,080,000.0022.9 4.39 Philweb.Com Inc. 18.88 18.90 18.12 18.90 0.11 45,200 3486 2748 PLDT Common 2846.00 2864.00 2830.00 2838.00 -0.28 97,645 4,019,580.000.760 0.435 PremiereHorizon 0.630 0.640 0.620 0.640 1.59 1,415,000 -94,500.002.28 1.2 Premium Leisure 1.300 1.380 1.300 1.340 3.08 62,363,000 28,157,450.0046.05 31.45 Puregold 36.00 36.90 36.00 36.00 0.00 2,264,300 -37,887,390.0090.1 60.55 Robinsons RTL 70.65 71.95 70.50 70.50 -0.21 408,960 -25,430,478.0011.6 7.59 SSI Group 8.43 8.63 8.46 8.48 0.59 8,154,900 -23,292,189.000.85 0.63 STI Holdings 0.64 0.64 0.64 0.64 0.00 15,000 10 5 Travellers 5.15 5.24 5.17 5.17 0.39 998,600 -3,037,523.001.9 1.14 Yehey 2.210 2.400 2.120 2.250 1.81 2,507,000 101,500.00

MINING & OIL0.0098 0.0043 Abra Mining 0.0066 0.0068 0.0062 0.0063 -4.55 4,013,000,000 63,000.005.45 1.72 Apex `A’ 2.70 2.61 2.61 2.61 -3.33 35,000 17.24 6.47 Atlas Cons. `A’ 5.83 5.90 5.74 5.84 0.17 268,300 -25,088.000.330 0.236 Basic Energy Corp. 0.226 0.226 0.225 0.225 -0.44 210,000 12.7 6.5 Benguet Corp `A’ 6.7200 6.9000 6.9000 6.9000 2.68 45,000 12.8 5.11 Benguet Corp `B’ 7.0000 7.5 6.25 7.5000 7.14 5,800 0.001.19 0.85 Century Peak Metals Hldgs 0.89 0.89 0.88 0.89 0.00 405,000 1.62 0.77 Coal Asia 0.77 0.8 0.76 0.79 2.60 246,000 9.5 5.99 Dizon 6.60 6.80 6.50 6.80 3.03 600 4.2 1.17 Ferronickel 1.39 1.43 1.40 1.43 2.88 3,483,000 166,340.000.48 0.305 Geograce Res. Phil. Inc. 0.305 0.315 0.305 0.310 1.64 460,000 0.420 0.2130 Lepanto `A’ 0.216 0.220 0.216 0.219 1.39 4,300,000 0.440 0.2160 Lepanto `B’ 0.225 0.232 0.226 0.230 2.22 160,000 0.022 0.013 Manila Mining `A’ 0.013 0.014 0.013 0.013 0.00 59,000,000 8.2 3.240 Marcventures Hldgs., Inc. 3.12 3.25 2.92 3.14 0.64 97,000 -47,260.0049.2 18.96 Nickelasia 10.38 10.88 10.58 10.7 3.08 4,463,600 7,059,554.004.27 2.11 Nihao Mineral Resources 3.6 3.74 3.61 3.69 2.50 255,000 1.030 0.365 Omico 0.6000 0.6200 0.5900 0.6200 3.33 263,000 3.06 1.54 Oriental Peninsula Res. 1.9500 2.1000 1.9500 2.0600 5.64 172,000 0.021 0.013 Oriental Pet. `B’ 0.0120 0.0130 0.0110 0.0130 8.33 70,000,000 -3,900.007.67 5.4 Petroenergy Res. Corp. 4.22 4.34 4.26 4.34 2.84 30,000 12.88 7.26 Philex `A’ 5.74 5.790 5.650 5.78 0.70 270,300 108,594.0010.42 2.27 PhilexPetroleum 1.73 1.740 1.670 1.69 -2.31 1,563,000 111,800.000.040 0.015 Philodrill Corp. `A’ 0.013 0.013 0.012 0.013 0.00 27,100,000 420 115.9 Semirara Corp. 141.60 142.00 141.40 141.60 0.00 249,210 -6,772,580.009 3.67 TA Petroleum 9.14 9.21 8.85 9.03 -1.20 164,100

PREFERRED70 33 ABS-CBN Holdings Corp. 60.7 62.9 61 61 0.49 3,030 61,000.00553 490 Ayala Corp. Pref `B1’ 528 528.5 528 528 0.00 6,890 525 500 Ayala Corp. Pref ‘B2’ 540 548.5 531 547.5 1.39 5,480 120 101.5 First Gen G 118 120 119 120 1.69 26,000 515 480 GLOBE PREF P 520 520 520 520 0.00 500 12.28 6.5 Leisure and Resort 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.1 0.00 8,000 1060 997 PCOR-Preferred A 1070 1119 1119 1119 4.58 5 1047 1011 PF Pref 2 1050 1055 1054 1054 0.38 95 76.9 74.2 SMC Preferred A 75.45 75.45 75.4 75.4 -0.07 31,630 -1,937,780.0078.95 74.5 SMC Preferred B 84.5 84.5 84.5 84.5 0.00 7,000 1.34 1 Swift Pref 3.25 3.2 3.2 3.2 -1.54 12,000

WARRANTS & BONDS6.98 0.8900 LR Warrant 3.640 3.850 3.500 3.800 4.40 995,000 -363,740.00

S M E15 3.5 Makati Fin. Corp. 6 7.5 6 6 0.00 12,400 12.88 5.95 Xurpas 11.3 12.32 11.32 12.04 6.55 8,594,800 36,387,528.00

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS130.7 105.6 First Metro ETF 122.2 123.2 122.3 122.8 0.49 17,840 12,280.00

business@thestandard.com.phextrastory2000@gmail.com

BUSINESSWEDNESDAY: JULY 15, 2015

B3

Marketclimbs;Xurpas,Globe up

8990 Holdings raises P9b from bond sale

Nido Petroleum plans to increase production of Galoc oil field

Lecture on Korea. The University of Asia and the Pacific, under its Samsung Korean Studies Program, held the 2015 Lecture of Prominence at the EDSA Shangri-La Hotel on July 8 to promote Korean studies and to build understanding of Korea among academe, government leaders, policymakers, and the diplomatic corps in the Philippines. Shown speaking during the lecture sponsored by the Academy of Korean Studies is Dr. Jin Park, a global fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

By Jenniffer B. Austria

HOUSE and lot developer 8990 Holdings Inc. said Tuesday it raised P9 billion from a recent bond sale amid strong demand from investors.

STOCKS rose for the fourth day, after Greece and its credi-tors agreed to a debt deal to keep it in the eurozone, while the dollar advanced as atten-tion shifted back to when the Federal Reserve will raise in-terest rates.

The Philippine Stock Ex-change index, the 30-com-pany benchmark, gained 42 points, or 0.6 percent, to close at 7,538.76 on Tuesday. The gauge was up 4.3 percent since the start of the year.

The heavier index, represent-ing all shares, also advanced 27 points, or 0.7 percent, to settle at 4,296.63 on a value turnover of P5.7 billion.

Casino stocks surged af-ter the nation’s regulator said gaming revenue could increase 20 percent this year even as China’s anti-corruption crack-down has weakened casino revenues in other parts of Asia.

Bloomberry Resorts Corp., operator of Solaire casino in Manila, jumped 8 percent to P9.21, the biggest intraday rise since December 2014 and the biggest gainer on the PSEi.

Melco Crown Philippines Resorts Corp., operator of City of Dreams Manila, soared as much as 8.8 percent, halting a three-day slump. Travellers International Hotel Group, which runs Resorts World Ma-nila, headed for its first gain in eight days.

The nation’s first-half gam-ing revenue grew 16 percent to $1.4 billion, Philippine Amusement & Gaming Corp. chairman Cristino Naguiat said in a telephone interview. There’s a “good chance” it will reach $3 billion this year as he has predicted before, he said.

Xurpas Inc., a mobile phone software developer, jumped 6.6 percent to P12.04 while Globe Telecom Inc. added 3.2 percent to close at P2,456.

Food manufacturer Univer-sal Robina Corp. rose 1.9 per-cent to P192, while conglom-erate Ayala Corp. picked up 1.9 percent to P769.

With AFP, Bloomberg

By Alena Mae S. Flores

NIDO Petroleum Ltd. and its joint venture partners have unveiled a plan to develop the mid-Galoc area northwest off Palawan to increase production of the country’s largest oil field.

Nido said in a disclosure to the Australian Securities Ex-change Gaffney Cline and As-sociates had recently completed

an independent contingent re-sources assessment of the mid-Galoc area of the Galoc oil field.

GSA said the mid-Galoc area is estimated to contain re-sources of 6.2 million to 14.6 million stock tank barrels.

The Galoc oil field is located in Block C1 of Service Contract 14 offshore northwest Palawan.

Nido, which has a 55.88-per-cent interest in SC 14 C, said

the mid-Galoc area was being considered a potential devel-opment project using horizon-tal drilling and sub-sea com-pletion technology.

The preliminary develop-ment plans for mid-Galoc are based on drilling two horizon-tal, subsea development wells tied back to the Galoc field floating production storage and offloading facilities.

Crude oil sales will be by ship-to-ship transfer from the FPSO to the shuttle tanker.

Galoc Production Co., the SC 14 operator, has recently completed an extensive techni-cal review of the existing geo-logical and production data from the Galoc field incorpo-rating the mid-Galoc area, re-sulting in new, integrated static and dynamic reservoir models.

“The development plan is still being optimized, and has not yet been submitted to the Philippine authorities for ap-proval,” it said.

Nido said oil production was expected to start on Jan. 1 2018, with uncertainty range in initial per well oil rate between 2,500 barrels per day and 3,000 per day, attributable to variable reservoir performance.

8990 said in a disclosure to the stock exchange it raised P8.4 billion from the issuance of five-year bonds and P375.5 million and 218.9 million from the sale of seven- and 10-year bonds, respectively.

The company earlier priced the bonds at 6.21 percent per annum for the five-year bonds maturing in 2020, 6.13 percent

for bonds maturing in 2022 and 6.87 percent for the bonds maturing in 2025.

BDO Capital & Invest-ments Corp. president Edu-ardo Francisco said in a text message total demand for the bonds fetched a little over P10 billion.

The bonds will be listed with the Philippine Dealing & Ex-

change Corp. on Thursday.The bond proceeds will be

used to refinance and restruc-ture the company’s debt into a long-term fixed-rate debt.

The bonds were rated AA+ by CRISP ratings agency, which reflects the company’s very strong capacity to repay debt obligations with adequate resources that can serve as a buffer to changes in economic conditions, industry shifts’ and business circumstances.

8990 Holdings has been rap-idly expanding in various parts of the country.

The mass housing developer said it planned to launch three huge housing developments in

Zamboanga, Bacolod and Bu-lacan in the second half of the year.

The company completed 24 mass sousing projects and sold more than 28,000 units as of March 31, 2015/

It has a pipeline of nine proj-ects with an existing and avail-able landbank. These projects are scheduled to commence between 2015 and 2019 and are expected to provide 64,000 units available for sale.

For this year, the property firm expects net income to grow by as much as 21 percent to P4 billion and revenues to increase by 27 percent to P10 billion.

B4

SMC unit acquiresOngpin’s Extelcom

Govt to install CCTVsin cigarette companies

IN BRIEF

MVP Bossing Awards. PLDT SME Nation has declared the entire month of July as Small Business Month. Small Business Month is a fi rst of its kind revolution which aims to empower and enable small business to be equipped with digital solutions and to better serve the evolving digital consumer. To recognize the role of creative, hardworking and inspiring Filipino entrepreneurs, PLDT SME Nation is set to unveil the digital counterpart of its long running MVP Bossing Awards—The Boz Awards (photo).

THE Bureau of Internal Revenue said Tuesday it will ask Philip Mor-ris Fortune Tobacco Corp. to install closed circuit television cameras in its production lines and warehouses to monitor its volume of production and ensure the right taxes due from the � rm are collected.

BIR Commissioner Kim Jacinto-Henares said the move was an o� -shoot of the recent seizure of a large cache of untaxed cigarettes, or those without the required strip tax stamps during raids of various distribution and retail outlets in Batangas City and Talavera, Nueva Ecija by anti-tax fraud agents a few weeks ago.

Most of items seized in the raids were Marlboro cigarettes which PMFTC manufactures. Henares, however, did not say if the seized

goods came from PMFTC, or some-where else.

She instructed the BIR’s large tax-payers service and tax fraud divi-sion to investigate and establish the sources of the contraband and deter-mine if they were produced locally or smuggled from abroad.

Henares said the rule requiring PMFTC and other tobacco compa-nies to install CCTVs at their plants would be provided in revenue regu-lation she would sign soon.

� e BIR earlier installed at its own expense CCTVs at the factory of Mighty Corp. in Bulacan, the main business rival of PMFTC.

Henares said the electronic gad-gets were expensive and that ciga-rette companies should buy them at their own expense.

Anytime Fitness booth. Anytime Fitness, the fastest growing health club franchise in the world, took part in this year’s Philippine Franchise Exhibition at the SMX Mall of Asia, to seek strategic franchisee partners for its exciting expansion in the Philippines and Pan-Asia. Shown at the booth at the Anytime Fitness booth are Johannes Raadsma, director, Anytime Fitness Philippines; and Luke Guanlao, director for Cebu, Davao and Baguio cities.

By Darwin G. Amojelar

CONGLOMERATE San Miguel Corp. has acquired a telecommunications com-pany owned by the group of investment banker Roberto Ongpin in a bid to increase its presence in the sector.

San Miguel said in a disclosure to the Phil-ippine Stock Exchange wholly-owned unit Vega Telecoms Inc. bought Express Telecom-munications Inc. and Vega’s investment in High Frequency Telecommunications Inc.

Extelcom, owned by the Ongpin Group and UK-based Ashmore Investment Manage-ment Ltd., is the country’s � rst mobile tele-phone operator

San Miguel will now have four telecom-munications companies under its portfolio, including Eastern Telecommunications Phil-ippines Inc., Bell Telecommunications Phil-ippines Inc. and Liberty Telecoms Holdings Inc.

San Miguel said Vega Telecom would also acquire the entire interest and participation of Qtel West Bay Holdings S.P.C., Wi-tribe Asia Ltd. and White Dawn Solution Holdings Inc. in Liberty Telecom Holdings Inc.

San Miguel, through Vega, owns 41.48 per-cent of Liberty while Qatar-based telecom provider Qtel acquired a 27.12-percent stake through subsidiary Wi-Tribe.

� e company said Vega would conduct a tender o� er of the common shares of Liberty Telecoms held by the public in compliance with the Securities Regulation Code.

“� e purchase of the shares of the sellers by Vega shall be subject to closing conditions, inclusive of the completion of the tender of-fer,” San Miguel said.

Astro del Castillo, managing director of First Grade Finance Inc., said the two trans-actions of San Miguel showed it was commit-ted to be one of the major contenders in the telecommunication industry.

He said the prospects for San Miguel was still “good,” adding there was still room in the telecom industry.

“Another player would not hurt and it would benefit the consumers,” del Cas-

tillo added.Liberty, which was out from corporate re-

habilitation, aims to launch mobile phone services as early as January next year.

San Miguel’s Bell Telecommunications earlier said it concluded agreements with contractors and suppliers for the supply of various services, equipment and so� ware related to the construction, operation and maintenance of a mobile telecommunications network.

BellTel said it would roll out its mobile net-work to become the fourth player in the mo-bile phone industry, a� er the PLDT Group (Smart and Sun Cellular), Globe Telecom Inc. and ABS-CBN Mobile.

BellTel said it integrated 197 base trans-ceiver stations in the National Capital Re-gion to its mobile telecommunication net-work. The National Telecommunications Commission issued 191 radio station li-censes to BellTel.

“BelTel will be applying for additional RSLs as soon as more BTS are integrated into its mobile network and will launch services as soon as su� cient coverage for a commercial launch is achieved,” BelTel said

DBS sees 6% growthTHE economy may still grow at

around 6 percent this year as pri-vate consumption and investment growth are seen to offset the im-pact of lower exports to gross do-mestic product, DBS Bank of Sin-gapore said in a report on Tuesday.

“Private consumption and invest-ment growth have been pretty much the drivers of the 6.6-percent aver-age growth in 2012-14. Overall GDP growth may still come in around 6 percent this year,” DBS said.

It said export growth came in poor at -17.4 percent year-on-year in May, the worst performance since late-2011. It said while a moderation in export growth was widely anticipated this year, the May fi gure still came as a huge disappointment.

“After averaging 8.7 percent in the last three years, export growth may be barely in the positive for this year. High base effects cer-tainly played a part, but the cur-rent state of global demand also means it is getting harder to sus-tain high export growth year after year,” DBS said. Julito G. Rada

MNTC travel fairTOP offi cials from government

and private industry will lead visi-tors for the opening of the “NLEX Tara nasa Norte” Tourism and Travel Fair. The extravaganza, dubbed “the biggest fair so far,” will be held at the Glorietta Activity Center, Makati City from July 17 to 19, 2015.

Chief operations offi cer of the Tourism Promotions Board Do-mingo Ramon Enerio III will be joined by other offi cials at the opening rites on July 17.

The much-awaited tourism and travel event, organized for the seventh year by Manila North Tollways Corp., will feature over a hundred corporate and product booths offering travel destina-tions, affordable package tours, discounted airfare, arts and crafts, delicacies and souvenirs from the two regions. The 100 exhibitors consist of hotels, resorts, travel agencies, tour organizers, airlines, and government agencies.

MNTC offi cials are led by MNTC president Rodrigo Franco and Re-nato Ticzon, vice president for mar-keting. Among other dignitaries are Ma. Rowena Victoria Tomeldan, vice president and head, operations and support services, Commercial Group, Ayala Land Inc.; lawyer Arnel Paciano Casanova, president and chief executive, Bases Conversion Development Authority; and law-yer Arthur Tugade, president, Clark Development Corp.

business@thestandard.com.phextrastory2000@gmail.com

BUSINESS B5

EU: Energy sectorto receive P3-b aid

Naia Expressway delayed by one year

Gamers mourn death of Nintendo president

W E D N E S D AY : J U LY 1 5 , 2 0 1 5

SSS update. Social Security System president and chief executive Emilio de Quiros Jr meets (fourth from left, above) with 175 employers and company representatives during a stakeholders’ forum on June 30 at the Kapis Mansion, Banica, Roxas City, Capiz province. De Quiros provided updates on SSS operations and programs, such as SSS Web enhancement, SSS PESO Fund, Loan Condonation Program and the new SSS funeral benefit.

A ONE-SENTENCE notice on the official Web site of Japanese video game maker Nintendo announced the passing away of its president Satoru Iwata at the very young age of 55. The brief and almost clinical announcement masked the grief that gamers all over the world—in-cluding the executives and personnel of Nintendo—felt at the loss of a visionary leader who was largely responsible for keeping the com-pany alive in the wake of the challenge posed by smartphone game apps that for a while made the company’s bottom line dip a little.

Old fogeys would remember the joy of such engaging games as Super Mario Brothers that had gamers almost jumping and mov-ing both hands in a slashing arc as they simulated the movements to evade villains like Lakitu or the Koopa Troopas, while trying to snatch up coins overhead. Then there was The Legend of Zelda, an early role-playing game where players take on the character of Link and set on a mission to rescue Princess Zelda who has been impris-oned in a dark dungeon by the evil Ganon. Every single gamer who has played these games will not deny getting lost in hours of adven-ture progressing from one stage/level to another. And that was de-cades before Candy Crush came into the picture.

Those who knew Satoru Iwata—a native of Sapporo who showed his genius for programming as early as high school—was just a teen-ager when Nintendo started the business. After a stint as a freelance game programmer, he moved to a small Nintendo unit that made games for the parent company in 1982, rose to the top post then joined Nintendo as corporate planning head in 2000. In two short years, he became president of a company that was raking in almost $5 billion annually—the first one outside the Yamauchi family to oc-cupy the top post.

Despite the competition, Nintendo always managed to come back and how, with new games and devices such as the Wii—a wireless motion sensor console that became a “colossal” hit as players also used it as an exercise option playing virtual sports like tennis, box-ing, bowling, fencing and even dancing!

Just recently, Nintendo announced plans to enter the mobile gam-ing market with several game in the pipeline for smartphones and tablets, with the release set for 2017. For sure, Iwata would have been immersed in the development of an exciting new game because as he said during a game developers conference in the United States--he may be a corporate president and a game developer but in his mind (and most likely in his heart)—he was a gamer.

Where in the world is El Chapo? The escape of top Mexican drug boss Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman

from a supposedly maximum-security prison cell gave the Mexican government a big egg on the face. How embarrassing it must have been for Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto who was traveling to France with a bevy of journalists when the news broke.

Initial reports say the notorious boss of the Sinaloa drug cartel es-caped last Saturday through a mile-long tunnel from a shower in his cell. How he could have pulled off the caper is something that investi-gators will need to find out and it’s not unlikely that some may prison personnel have been working with El Chapo. After all, it’s not as if it’s his first time to pull a prison break. In 2001, he escaped another maximum-security cell by hiding inside a laundry container and was reportedly garbed in a jail guard’s uniform. Tunnels by the way hap-pen to be a favorite of Mexican drug lords who would use them for their trafficking activities (human, drugs and arms) and transport these to the US.

Of course, the news about El Chapo’s escape from prison does not strike Filipinos as surprising given the numerous stories we have heard and read about HVIs (high value inmates) being given “fur-loughs” with no one the wiser, except the prison guards and officials who are probably under the payroll of these influential and affluent jailbirds. Those who have watched Erik Matti’s OTJ (On the job) star-ring Joel Torre as an old inmate who is allowed out of prison when-ever he needs to be “on the job” as a hired killer would definitely figure out what we are trying to say.

Back to El Chapo, one of our malicious minded buddies wondered aloud—“I wouldn’t be surprised if El Chapo now sports a new face and is now buying a ticket to the Philippines.” Heaven forbid. We have enough problems with drug trafficking as it is without having one of the world’s most wanted on our shores.

•••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!

By Alena Mae S. Flores

THE European Union is prepared to release a P3-billion grant to the Philippine energy sector for rural electrification, policy reforms and deployment of renewable technologies and innovative solutions for the poor.

European Union Ambassador to the Philippines Guy Redoux said during the Energy Smart Philippines 2015 Conference the European Union committed a total of P12 billion grant in the energy sector between 2014 and 2020.

“Our first program with DoE and energy agencies is currently being finalized. The program will provide policy reforms and will help government in reaching its 90 percent electrification target,” Redoux said.

He said projects under the P3-billion grant were in an “ad-vanced stage” and should be

signed this year.Redoux said the P3 billion

grant included several compo-nents, such as rural electrifica-tion in remote areas, or “areas where renewable energy is the best option.”

Part of the P3-billion grant would be used to help the En-ergy Department in policy for-mulation, while a portion of the amount would finance electric cooperatives going into renew-able energy power generation, he said.

Redoux said the European Union would work with the Phil-ippines to ensure that renew-

able energy technology reached people who needed it the most, noting that around four million households did not have access to energy.

“Energy is now one of the pri-ority areas of our partnership in the next six years,” he said.

Redoux, meanwhile, welcomed the issuance of the circular pro-viding for a competitive selection process for distribution firms in securing their power supply.

Redoux said the CSP will pro-vide a “level playing field where all players have access to the mar-ket.”

“Currently the competitive segment in the energy supply in Philippines is not very large and with this new decree, it obliges distributors to secure any new supply through com-petitive process. This will en-able distributors to get the lowest price, consumers or in-dustry will benefit from that,” he said.

By Darwin G. Amojelar

CONGLOMERATE San Miguel Corp. said Tuesday the construc-tion of the Ninoy Aquino Interna-tional Airport Expressway is one-year behind schedule due to gov-ernment failure to deliver right of way requirements for the project.

“The major hurdle we are facing is the right-of-way for a number of key areas, including Villamor Airbase, NAIA Road, Tambo and locations along the Quirino to Roxas Boulevard stretch, which government has yet to deliver,” Alec Cruz, head of tollway proj-

ect of San Miguel Holdings Corp.He said the construction works

at NAIA Expressway were behind schedule by about 12 months.

Cruz said ROW issues had made it “very difficult” to com-plete the project before the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in Manila.

He said the Public Works De-partment must deliver about 20 percent to 25 percent of the ROW requirements to complete the project by October.

The NAIA Expressway was about 40 percent completed.

If the government failed to

deliver the ROW, Cruz said the project would likely be completed by April 2016 from the original target of October this year.

“We’d also like to ask for the cooperation of utility companies such as Meralco [Manila Electric Co.], the telecommunications companies and businesses in the area whose facilities need to be relocated to make way for the construction,” Cruz said.

He said San Miguel also added a new contractor to build the Para-ñaque River section to increase the chance of substantially completing the project before the Apec meeting.

business@thestandard.com.phextrastory2000@gmail.com

BUSINESSWEDNESDAY: JULY 15, 2015

B6

Clarkroadup forbidding

Customs collection climbed 14% in June

LBC Development fails to buy out Federal Resources shareholders

Teleperformance award. Teleperformance, the world’s leading provider of outsourced customer experience management services, received its fourth consecutive Frost & Sullivan Asia Pacific Contact Center Service Provider of the Year Award. Teleperformance Group executive vice president Mark Pfeiffer (front row, third from left) accepted the award at The Westin Singapore on June 17.

By Gabrielle H. Binaday

THE Bureau of Customs said Tuesday collec-tion rebounded in June, following two straight months of decline, on the back of higher rev-enues from non-oil products.

By Othel V. Campos

STATE-RUN Bases Con-version and Development Authority on Tuesday an-nounced a public bidding for a P78.3 million contract involving the improvement and rehabilitation of 19.4-ki-lometers of existing roads leading to and within Clark Green City.

BCDA president and chief executive Arnel Paciano Casanova said the rehabili-tation and improvement of the existing dirt roads would provide greater level of ac-cessibility to the Clark Green City site.

“We have numerous inves-tors and potential investors who visit the Clark Green City site. By improving the exiting dirt roads, we will be able to allow all types of vehicles, including heavy equipment to effortlessly reach the area,” he said.

At present, the conditions of the dirt roads are rough and rugged terrain. The roads are not accessible dur-ing the rainy season.

Casanova said the roads would play a vital role in the development of the area while increasing land value and economic potential of Clark.

The project involves the upgrade of the existing dirt roads into gravel roads or roads with an aggregate sub base course; construc-tion of culverts that would also serve as bridge on river crossings; and construction of riprap for slope protec-tion.

The improved roads will enhance the development of Clark Green City’s phase 1 which covers 288 hectares as well as the future site of University of the Philippines campus and other institu-tional areas.

By Jenniffer B. Austria

MINORITY shareholders of Federal Resources Investments Corp. have ig-nored the offer of LBC Development Corp. owned by the Araneta family to buy out their shares.

Sources familiar with the trans-action said no shares owned by minority shareholders were ten-dered during the offer period on June 8 to July 7.

The result of tender offer report will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission today.

LBC Development offered to acquire the remaining 40.899 mil-lion common shares of Federal, representing 40.90 percent of the company’s outstanding capital stock, at P1 per share.

The tender offer was triggered after LBC purchased 59.1 million common shares of the unissued au-

thorized stock of the company, repre-senting 59.1 percent also at P1 apiece.

LBC Development is report-edly keen on using Federal as a backdoor listing vehicle for LBC Express, its courier and freight forwarding services arm.

Aside from prospects of pos-sible infusion of LBC Express into Federal, the tender offer was also snubbed by minority sharehold-ers because of steep discount in

the offer price, sources said.Federal closed at P12.04 on July

7, the end of the tender offer pe-riod.

LBC Express last year filed a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Com-mission in a bid to raise as much as P7.7 billion from an initial public offering.

It withdrew the IPO plan after Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas re-

portedly opposed LBC Express’ fund raising.

Bangko Sentral earlier blamed the failure of LBC Express to pay the cash advances made by LBC Bank to the eventual downfall of the bank which is now under re-ceivership.

Meanwhile, LBC Development said it planned to maintain Fed-eral Resources as a holding com-pany.

Data showed tariff collection climbed 14.3 percent in June to P31.2 billion from P27.3 bil-lion a year ago. It also exceeded the P29.97-billion target for the month by 6.4 percent.

This ended a two-month slump in collection, with rev-enues in April and May falling 8.5 percent and 7.3 percent from a year ago.

Customs Commissioner Al-berto Lina said it marked the second time the agency exceed-ed the monthly target this year. Collection in March jumped

21.8 percent to a record P35.657 billion.

“This is only the second time this year that the BOC exceeded its monthly cash target. With the support of our men and women in the bureau, I trust the Aquino administration’s reforms will result to reaching our monthly targets consistently,” Lina said in a statement.

The agency earlier blamed the lower value of petroleum im-ports as the main factor behind the declining revenue collec-tion. Customs collection refers

to import duties imposed and collected from importers.

Data showed total collection in the first six months rose 2.9 percent to P178.4 billion from P173.4 billion registered in the same period last year.

The six-month tally, how-ever, was short by 11.8 percent

or P23.8 billion of the target of P202.2 billion for the period.

The revenues were derived purely from cash collection, which refers to duties, taxes and fees collected from goods that entered through ports and air-ports nationwide.

Collections from non-oil in-creased 29.1 percent or P5.9 billion in June on the back of 26.5-percent volume increase and 8.8-percent value gain of imports.

Crude oil and petroleum products collection sank by 28.5 percent in June.

Petroleum imports also de-creased 3 percent year-on-year by volume.

Likewise, value of oil imports dropped 35.4 percent as a result of the fall in oil price by 33.4 percent.

This is only the second time this year that

the BoC exceeded its monthly cash target.

B7CESAR BARRIOQUINTOE D I T O R

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

W E D N E S D AY : J U LY 1 5 , 2 0 1 5

WORLD

Fired overescape ofdrug lordGuzman

27 pilgrims killed in Indiafollowing river stampede

Backlog. Passengers queue at Ngurah airport in Denpasar on 14. Indonesian authorities at Bali’s international airport were fi ghting to clear a backlog after almost 900 fl ights were canceled or delayed in recent days due to a volcanic eruption, causing travel chaos during the peak holiday season. AFP

Greece rallying supportfor tough bailout terms

Iran, powers strike nuke deal

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINESTARIFF COMMISSION

------------------------------------------

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARINGPursuant to Section 20 (Evaluation of Effectiveness of Action) of R.A.

8800 (Safeguard Measures Act), a public hearing will be held at the Conference Room of the Tariff Commission, 5/F Medical Arts Building, Philippine Heart Center, East Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City on 30 July 2015 at 9:00 a.m.

The purpose of the public hearing is to evaluate the effectiveness of the actions taken by the domestic flat glass industry, represented by AGC Flat Glass Philippines, as provided in its adjustment plan in facilitating positive adjustment to import competition. All interested parties shall be afforded opportunity to be heard and to present evidence.

For particulars, please coordinate with the members of the Task Force at telephone nos. (632) 928-8419 and 926-8731 or email at info@tariffcommission.gov.ph.

Issued this 13th day of July 2015 at Quezon City, Metro Manila.

EDGARDO B. ABON Chairman

IN THE MATTER OF THE PETITION FOR THE IMPOSITION OF SAFEGUARD MEASURE AGAINST THE IMPORTATION OF CLEAR AND TINTED FLOAT GLASS, FIGURED GLASS AND GLASS MIRRORS FROM VARIOUS COUNTRIES

2012 AHTN Heading Nos.: 7003.12.20, 7003.12.90 and 7003.19.90

7005.21.907005.29.90

7009.91.00 and 7009.92.00

AGC Flat Glass Philippines, Inc. (AGPH)(formerly Asahi Glass Philippines)

Petitioner

For: SAFEGUARD MEASURE (R.A. No. 8800) S.G. Investigation No. 01-2003,

02-2003 and 03-2003

(TS JULY 15, 2015)

EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENT OF ESTATE

WITH ABSOLUTE SALENotice is hereby given that the estate of the late Carlos Ranudo Villanueva has been extrajudicially settled among his heirs namely Josephine P. Villanueva ( s p o u s e ) C a t h e r i n e Villanueva-Balarbar (child), Christina P. Villanueva (child) and Teresita Villanueva-Rivera (child). As per Doc. No. 309; Page 61; Book No. XIII, Series of 2015 before Notary Public Atty. Nestor C. Fernandez

( TS - JULY 8 ,15 ,22, 2015)

ATTENTION : FOR SALE LAST PRIME THREE (3)HA. OF LAND IN SAN PEDRO FOR SALE. CAN BE SUBDIVIDED TO THREE DIFFERENT ONE HECTARE DEVELOPMENT OR DEVELOP AS IS. FACTORY STRUCTURE INCLUDED! 0917-5966335 * 0932-8851063 * 414-3985 * DIRECT BUYERS ONLY!

(TS-JULY 15, 2015)

NOTICE OF EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENT

Notice is hereby given that the estate of Andres K. Altamirano, who died on July 3, 1999 in Quezon City Metro Manila, had been settled extrajudicially by his heirs as evidenced by Document no. 71, Page no. 15 Book no. 1 series of 2015. dated May 28, 2015 in the notarial books of Atty. Arlyn S. De Leon-Gregorio, Notary Public until December 31, 2016 PTR No. 0178448/1.05.15 Parañaque City, Supreme Court Roll No. 63852 IBP lifetime member no. 012979. MCLE Compliance No. V-0004901/12.16.2014.

(TS-JULY 15,22 & 29 2015)

NOTICE OF EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENT

Notice is hereby given that the estate of Gertrudes K. Altamirano, who died on April 9, 1990 in Manila, had been settled extrajudicially by her heirs as evidenced by Document no. 70, Page no. 14 Book no. 1 series of 2015. dated May 28, 2015 in the notarial books of Atty. Arlyn S. De Leon-Gregorio, Notary Public until December 31, 2016 PTR No. 0178448/1.05.15 Parañaque City, Supreme Court Roll No. 63852 IBP lifetime member no. 012979. MCLE Compliance No. V-0004901/12.16.2014.

(TS-JULY 15, 22 & 29 2015) (TS-JULY 15,22 & 29 2015)

NOTICE OF EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENT

Notice is hereby given that the estate of Crisanto B. Gusion, Sr., who died on June 12, 1995 in Makati City, had been settled extrajudicially by his heirs as evidenced by Document no. 307, Page no. 60 Book no. 17 series of 2013. dated May 17, 2013 in the notarial books of Atty. Abigail A. Portugal, Notary Public until December 31, 2013 PTR No. 98009028/1.02.13 Parañaque City Supreme Court Roll No. 45535 IBP 903696. MCLE Compliance No. III-0021257/11.12.2011.

VIENNA—� e major powers and Iran struck a historic deal Tuesday aimed at ensuring Tehran does not acquire a nuclear bomb, in re-turn for sanctions relief, a diplomat close to the talks said.

� e breakthrough came on the 18th day of marathon talks be-tween Tehran and the so-called P5+1—the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany—in Vienna.

“� e agreement is concluded,” the diplomat told AFP in the Austrian capital, where a � nal ministerial meeting between Iran and the world powers was called

for 0830 GMT.EU spokeswoman Catherine

Ray said on Twitter that a press conference would follow.

� e deal is expected to sharply curb Iran’s nuclear program and impose strict UN inspections in order to make any drive to make nuclear weapons all but impos-sible and easily detectable.

In return, the web of UN and Western sanctions choking Iranian oil exports and the economy of the 78-million-strong country would be progressively li� ed.

� e diplomatic push began when Iranian President Hassan Rouhani came to power in 2013. In November that year an inter-im deal was agreed but two dead-lines in 2014 for a lasting accord were missed.

� en in April, the parties scored a major breakthrough by

agreeing the main outlines of an accord, aiming to � nalize it by June 30, a deadline since pushed back twice.

Since April, legions of legal and technical experts have made great strides working out the nuts and bolts of how the highly am-bitious and technical agreement will work.

� e � nal hurdles had includ-ed the exact timing and pace of sanctions relief and Iran’s desire to have a UN arms embargo li� ed.

Foreign ministers including US Secretary of State John Kerry huddled late into the night at Vienna’s Palais Coburg.

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi told reporters as he arrived on Monday that there should be “no more delays”, adding that no deal could be “perfect”. AFP

MEXICO CITY—Mexico’s government o� ered a $3.8-million reward for the capture of fugitive drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman on Monday and sacked top prison o� cials amid suspi-cions that guards helped him escape.

Guzman vanished from his cell late Saturday even though he was wearing a monitoring bracelet and surveillance cam-eras were trained on the room 24 hours a day, Interior Minister Miguel Angel Osorio Chong said.

Osorio Chong said Guzman “must have counted on the com-plicity of prison person-nel... which if con� rmed would constitute an act of treason.”

Guzman had been behind bars for just 17 months when he es-caped for the second time since 2001, dealing a humiliating setback to President Enrique Pena Nieto and overshad-owing a state visit to France.

� is time, the head of the Sinaloa drug cartel managed to � ee a maximum-security prison some 90 kilome-ters west of Mexico City through a 1.5-kilometer tunnel found under his cell’s shower.

“What happened two days ago is a ter-rible event that has angered Mexican so-ciety,” Osorio Chong said. AFP

GODAVARI, India—A stampede on the banks of a holy river killed at least 27 pilgrims Tuesday in southern India, signaling a tragic beginning to a religious festival season, o� cials said.

� e stampede broke out around 8:00 am (0230 GMT) in Rajahmundry, on the border of the twin states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, about two hours a� er the start of the Maha Pushkaralu festival that sees thousands of people bathe in the waters of the Godavari river.

“Twenty-seven people have now been con� rmed dead in the stampede and another 29 are injured,” a spokes-man for Andhra Pradesh’s Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu said a� er police earlier put the number of dead at � ve.

“At least two of the 29 injured are critical,” the spokesman Parakala Prabhakar told AFP.

While the identities of all the victims had yet to become clear, a senior police o� cer said the dead included at least four women and a 15-year-old girl.

“� e incident happened as the � rst set of worshippers were coming out of the river a� er taking a dip and then got in the way of others who wanted to be in the water at an auspicious time,” A. Srinivasan Rao, a deputy superintendent of police in Andhra Pradesh, told AFP.

In a statement posted on his o� -cial Twitter account, Prime Minster Narendra Modi said he was “deeply pained at the loss of lives due to stam-

pede at Rajahmundry” and o� ered condolences to the families of victims, as well as prayers for survivors.

� e chief minister’s spokesman Prabhakar said that an ex-gratia com-pensation payment of one million rupees (around $15,750) had already been approved for victims of the stampede and the state government would bear the full medical costs of the injured.

� e start of the Maha Pushkaralu festival coincides with the o� cial be-ginning of the much larger Kumbh Mela festival, which is being held at Nashik in the western state of Maharashtra.

Millions of pilgrims are expected to travel to Nashik over the next two months, the site of a stampede in which 39 people were killed when the Kumbh was last held there 12 years ago.

Only a few hundred people attend-ed a � ag-raising ceremony on Tuesday that marked the o� cial opening of the 2015 festival and mass crowds are not expected to gather until the � rst main bathing day on August 29.

Organizers expect up to ten mil-lion pilgrims to attend the main Kumbh Mela bathing dates, which fall on August 29, September 13 and September 18, and 20,000 police are being deployed to man the crowds.

Routes to the river have been changed to avoid steep slopes and overcrowding, while a temporary in-tensive care unit has been set up to deal urgently with any injured. AFP

W E D N E S D AY : J U LY 1 5 , 2 0 1 5

B8 CESAR BARRIOQUINTOE D I T O R

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Nail-biterPluto flybyanticipatedby experts

Buyers await Harper Lee’s new book

Onstage. Singer-Songwriter Miguel performs onstage during the REVOLT Live Takeover at Hollywood & Highland Courtyard on July 13 in Hollywood, California. AFP

On the beach. A Palestinian vendor rides his horse cart on the beach in Gaza City during the holy month of Ramadan on July 13. AFP

WORLDGreece rallying supportfor tough bailout terms

ATHENS—Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras was holding meetings with his leftist party Tuesday as he faced the tough task of selling a new bailout deal that requires Athens to push through draconian reforms within two days.

Tsipras needs to secure backing for the deal from the Greek people, parliament and his radical Syriza party, which shot to power in January on the back of promises to end five years of bitter austerity un-der two previous bailouts.

In the agreement struck Monday with the eurozone to prevent Greece crashing out of the euro, the Greek parliament must pass sweeping changes to labor laws, pensions, VAT and taxes by Wednesday.

Only then will the 18 other eurozone leaders start negotiations over what Greece is to get in return: a three-year bailout worth up to 86 billion euros ($96 billion), its third rescue program in five years.

“The Gordian Knot has been untied with pain-ful and harsh negotiations,” Greek Interior Minister Nikos Voutsis told reporters on Tuesday outside the parliament building.

He expressed confidence that Syriza party dis-senters would be kept in line. He added that “the people trust Tsipras and the government” to cancel out the worst effects of the bailout terms with other policies, but did not elaborate.

Syriza’s junior coalition partner, the national-ist Independent Greeks party or ANEL was also holding an emergency meeting Tuesday to deter-mine its stance. Leader Panos Kammenos, who is defense minister, has said his party would not ap-prove the tough measures but would stay in the government.

In Washington, the White House hailed the deal on Greece as “a credible step” on the long path to economic growth and debt sustainability in the hard-up country.

Tsipras has predicted “the great majority of Greek people will support” the deal, which he said includes help to ease Greece’s huge burden of debt and revive its crippled banking system.

The last-ditch deal is aimed at keeping Greece’s economy afloat amid fears its cash-starved banks were about to finally run dry and trigger its exit from the single currency. AFP

NEW YORK—Bookstores opened at midnight when copies of Harper Lee’s eagerly awaited but contro-versial second novel flew off the shelves more than half a century after the groundbreaking success of “To Kill a Mockingbird.”

The global release of “Go Set a Watchman” has been feted as one of the biggest literary events in years.

Thanks to pre-orders, it has been the number one bestseller at on-line retailer Amazon for months, and publisher HarperCollins has ordered a first print run of two mil-lion copies.

Lee’s only previous novel, “To

Kill a Mockingbird,” is consid-ered a 20th century masterpiece that defined racial injustice in the Depression-era South and be-came standard reading in class-rooms.

Published in 1960, it was trans-lated into more than 40 languages and adapted into an Oscar-winning film starring Gregory Peck.

In Britain and Ireland, retailer Waterstones organized midnight openings so that fans could get their hands on print editions as soon as possible, while Amazon delivered pre-ordered Kindle edi-tions at the stroke of 12.

British independent chain

Foyles also screened the 1962 Oscar-winning adaptation of “Mockingbird” before opening the tills in central London.

Various midnight openings were also scheduled in the United States, although in New York, Barnes and Noble was only set to open its flag-ship Fifth Avenue branch at 7:00 am (1100 GMT) to accommodate sales.

In Lee’s hometown of Monroeville in Alabama, where the 89-year-old lives in strict pri-vacy at a nursing home, the small community’s only secular book-store also organized a midnight launch party. AFP

MIAMI—An unmanned NASA spacecraft will reveal details of Pluto’s surface for the first time Tuesday, as it speeds by the dwarf planet after a near decade-long journey.

New Horizons is about the size of a baby grand piano and has been described as the fastest spaceship ever built. It is currently moving at a speed of 49,570 kilometers per hour.

But there were some jitters Monday as the $700-million space-craft sped toward the last undiscov-ered frontier in the solar system.

According to principal investigator Alan Stern, there is a one in 10,000 chance that the spacecraft could be lost in a collision with debris around Pluto, long considered the farthest planet from the Sun until it was reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2006.

The closest approach is set for Tuesday at 7:49 am (1149 GMT). NASA television coverage begins at 7:30 am.

But it will be hours before scien-tists hear back from the spacecraft—the first to visit an unexplored planet since the NASA Voyager missions launched in the 1970s—because New Horizons will be busy snapping pictures and collecting data.

It is supposed to send a “phone home” signal to Earth at 4:20 pm (2020 GMT), but that will take near-ly five hours to reach scientists.

So NASA will not announce un-til about 13 hours after the flyby, at 9:02 pm (0102 GMT Wednesday), whether or not the spacecraft sur-vived the high-speed encounter.

“While I don’t lose sleep over this, the fact is, tomorrow evening is go-ing to be a little bit of drama,” said Stern on Monday.

“Until we pass that point tomorrow evening we won’t really know with cer-tainty that we cleared the system and that there were no debris strikes.”

Stern said experts had searched for potential debris and had not found any of concern.

But spaceflight is a risky business, and Stern described the Kuiper Belt, where Pluto resides on the edge of the solar system, as “more or less a shooting gallery, with lots of small primordial comets and other things much smaller than Pluto.”

Never before has a spacecraft ven-tured into the Kuiper Belt, and New Horizons has been on its way there for more than nine years—a journey of some three billion miles. AFP

C1W E D N E S D AY : J U LY 1 5 : 2 0 1 5

LIFE

TATUM ANCHETAE D I T O R

BING PARELA S S O C I AT E E D I T O R

BERNADETTE LUNASW R I T E R

H OME & L I V ING

l i f e @ t h e s t a n d a r d . c o m . p h @ L I F E a t S t a n d a r d @ L I F E a t S t a n d a r d @ L I F E a t S t a n d a r d

Art Deco holds a certain seduction for those trying to escape the m u n d a n e , personified in landmarks like the iconic C h r y s l e r Building in New York City and celebrated

with much charisma in the movie The Great Gatsby. Interior Designers Mark Steven Perez, JC Arcega and Vianca Anonuevo-Favila, who recently launched their new furniture line for their brand, “Harver Hill,” can attest to this. For Mark, this influential design style that flourished in the 1920s was the benchmark for luxury and prestige and something they want to emulate in their first collection. With the introduction of the upscale Capitol Commons and the continuous residential development in Ortigas, the owners decided to open shop in the newly developed Robins Design Center along busy Meralco Avenue.

In the world of Interior Design where designers look for sexy silhouettes and clients chase after comfort, the Art Deco-inspired pieces at Harver Hill offer that compromise. The lot promises furniture and accessories that represent the modern style with a classic appeal. True to the period, they were designed with sweeping curved lines and geometric shapes. Present also are the materials brushed steel, brass and glass for that futuristic, sleek look. While the store certainly commands a presence when you enter, one wonders if the local market is ready to invest and turn up the volume on glamour. I believe this will help pave the way for better homes ahead and I am not biased even though the chevron pattern, which is a personal favorite of mine, is a common motif of the period. Okay, maybe I am a little biased.

While the store is still new (in fact, it is barely a month old and is still on soft opening mode) and the pieces displayed are still being introduced to the market, it doesn’t worry the owners. JC says, “As designers, we have to foresee what the upcoming trends will be and this is the direction we imagine it going. So far, we have received

good feedback from our clientele and other designers.” So how did all of this come about?

After a visit to the United States a year ago, Mark returned home, inspired. He cited The Waldorf Hotel Astoria in Manhattan and Los Angeles, home to one of his design icons, Kelly Wearstler. Wearstler, famous for her Hollywood glam interiors, frequently creates high drama through black and white geometric flooring. One of the Art Deco-inspired projects in Wearstler’s portfolio includes a twist on Miami’s first luxury boutique hotel, The Tides South Beach Hotel that went back to the era’s roots. Impressed by the designs he came across during the trip, Mark discussed with his partners about offering something unique through furniture. “The design might cater to a specific niche but we still wanted to design and create products that would set us apart. Aside from the period style, we also wanted to experiment with brass material which has not been abused yet,” Mark says.

When this group of Interior Designers had a difficult time sourcing the right furniture for previous projects, they would customize and produce the piece. For years, they have been extending this service to fellow designer friends as well. It is only recently that the group committed to taking serious steps in putting up a furniture store that specializes in bespoke pieces. Vianca reveals, ”This was always part of the group’s masterplan. Back when we were starting, we always thought we would branch out to have our own furniture brand. We also want to get into construction and flipping properties.”

JC agrees, ”That is the reason we christened our first company ‘Empire Designs.’ We want to get into all the disciplines that Interior Design is involved in.”

As a stylist, the introduction of both Harver Hill and its’ Art Deco pieces are more than welcome. It is always good news when more local brands get launched allowing more options for the consumer and at the same time, encourage our talents to flourish. For more inquiries about Harver Hill, please send your email at harverhill@gmail.com, or contact them on +63917 773 6276. Harver Hill is located at Unit 203 Robins Design Center, #31 Meralco Avenue, Ortigas, Pasig City.

Follow me on Instagram @cal_tavera

CALEIDOSCOPE WORLD

BY CAL TAVERA

Accent chair with a custom base done with brass.

A PERIOD REVISITEDArt Deco-inspired headboard with studs.

Some of  the accessories in the store are imported abroad, like these napkin ring designs and faux diamond wine bottle stopper.

Few rooms in the house require the need to combine function and style the way bathrooms do. As much as it needs to serve its true purpose, the bathroom also represents a

retreat – a place to relax, be alone and enjoy time for yourself.

Kohler, a brand known for contributing to a higher level of gracious living, understands this. Everything from its collection highlights charm, good taste and exceptional design – which should be reflected in every home.

Forget the wall-to-wall white tiles; Kohler combines the best ideas for decorating the home by combining color, texture, convenience and style in terms of looks, finishes and features, and can easily be incorporated into your own projects.

A great way to give your bathroom a welcoming and tranquil feel is by adding

natural materials that complement the fixtures and materials typically used in bathrooms. Natural stone or wood is a great way to set off marble floors or other cold slab countertops.

RELAXING AND SERENEA perfectly functional and luxe showerhead is easy enough to add, but the best way to transform a bathroom into a personal enclave for relaxation is to add a bathtub. Bathtubs inspire a sense of self-indulgence. On an aesthetic level, choosing the right bathtub requires a striking sculptural design and focal point.

An easy way to incorporate this ideal in modern bathrooms is by choosing the right tub. Kohler’s newest models of Lithocast baths, for instance, feature Lithocast solid surface material that is proprietary to Kohler. It has a matte finish that looks like stone, but

feels warm to touch and is remarkably easy to clean and maintain.

There are three distinct styles that can fit every design inclination. The Abrazo, which is inspired by clay pottery, features a unique oval shape perfect for more Zen inspired spaces. The Aliento is perfect for more modern aesthetics – spacious and sophisticated – creating a more contemporary retreat. The Askew meanwhile highlights a unique geometric design that is fresh and new.

Choosing the right design can shape and pull the entire look of your space together. The gentle curves of a bath can stand in stark contrast to an angular theme, adding

softness. On the flipside, geometric baths can go well with pastel hued spaces or beautifully complement a minimalist bathroom.

ADD NATURAL WARMTH AND A SPLASH OF ARTMake the most out of your bathroom’s natural lighting. Matching the look of your tub or fixtures to your lighting helps streamline the entire look of your bathroom.

Choose artwork that complements the overall theme of your space to keep the look cohesive.

The modern bathroom is consistently evolving. What was once simply a functional space is now being transformed into a quiet, welcoming retreat. Try adding these new elements into your bathroom and see how they help create a functional but relaxing room that can whisk you away from the busy pace of everyday life.

“Kohler has been improving the level of gracious living through design and innovation. Our company is known for paving the way for craftsmanship and service by offering numerous options and will continue to do so in an effort to live up to its vision,” affirms Benjamin Chang, Kohler Marketing Communication Manager for South East Asia.

C2W E D N E S D AY : J U LY 1 5 : 2 0 1 5

LIFE l i f e @ t h e s t a n d a r d . c o m . p h @ L I F E a t S t a n d a r d @ L I F E a t S t a n d a r d @ L I F E a t S t a n d a r d

FEVER FACTS AND TIPS FROM CALPOLFever is so common that around 93 percent of children get it at least once every six months, but the accompanying restlessness and discomfort displayed by kids when they have a higher than normal temperature can send moms into a state of panic.

Paracetamol Calpol®, a product of GlaxoSmithKline, provides effective fever relief for children, making it every mother’s reliable partner in motherhood.

Paracetamol Calpol recently launched its Go Ginhawa Mom movement that advocates proper education on fever management and provides updates on the latest educational videos and blogs to help moms manage their childrens’ fever.

Renowned pediatrician Dr. Sally Gatchalian shares some myths, facts and tips on how to deal with children’s fever:

1. FEVER IS NOT A DISEASE. The immune system releases infection and virus-fighting chemicals in the blood which cause a rise in temperature. Fever is thus the body’s way of addressing a disease. It is important for parents to focus more on alleviating fever symptoms than the fever itself. Pay attention to what the child needs. Make sure the child gets plenty of rest in a well ventilated room and drinks plenty of fluids

2. WATCH OUT FOR DEHYDRATION. Look out for signs like a dry mouth or sunken eyes that seem to produce no tears even when the child is crying. For babies, a sunken fontanel, the soft spot on a baby’s head, and decreased urination should also be watched out for. If a child displays any of these symptoms, he must be taken to the hospital immediately.

3. KEEP THE TEMPERATURE DOWN. If the child is uncomfortable, try to reduce his temperature by making him drink plenty of non-carbonated fluids. Dress the child in light clothing or give him a sponge bath with lukewarm water BEFORE giving paracetamol. Cooling patches can also help alleviate discomfort from fever.

4. WHEN TO BRING TO THE HOSPITAL. Most of the time, when a child has fever, it goes away in a day or two. However, there are cases wherein the child needs medical attention as soon as possible. If the child displays any of the following symptoms, it’s best to bring him to the doctor’s office immediately: a temperature of over 39 degrees, convulsions, trouble waking up, rashes, stiff neck, repeated vomiting, a fever that doesn’t go down in three days, sore throat, stomach pain, painful urination, and difficulty in breathing. Moms can visit Calpol Philippine’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/CalpolPH

) and website (www.calpol.com.ph) for more information on fever management.

A KOHLER TOUCH FOR STYLISH BATHROOMS

The Aliento is proof of Kohler’s renown for perfecting the bathing experience. The Askew transforms a bathroom from just another utilitarian space into an elegant retreat.

The Abrazo’s smooth curves provide some “me time” comfortably and stylishly.

C3LIFEW E D N E S D AY : J U LY 1 5 : 2 0 1 5

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For a mother, there is nothing quite like the blissful feeling of holding her newborn for the first time, witnessing her first walk, listening to her first word – basically everything that she

does for the first time is a milestone.Every day marks new adventures and new experiences

for babies, which, as much as possible, moms would like to record and preserve. This is especially true for first-time celebrity mom Andi Manzano.

“Having an online scrapbook of baby’s precious milestones can really make a difference in every mom’s life,” Andi shared. “It is like Facebook meant for our babies!”

To help moms easily cherish and treasure baby’s many firsts in life, diaper brand Pampers recently introduced a fun and exciting online app FirstBook. The app allows moms to share photos and videos of baby’s first achievements in just a snap.

From the first sight of baby Pilar Olivia to her first touch to her first cry, Andi’s FirstBook posts now include her little girl’s first long nap, their first photo

shoot together, her first car ride, and many more precious moments. After posting her baby’s 12 first milestones in FirstBook, Andi can already publish her very own FirstMovie, a personalized video of baby Pilar Olivia’s firsts.

A MODERN SCRAPBOOK FOR BABY’S FIRSTS

As early as 2008, the idea of living without a formal dining room has been floated around. The increasing popularity of o p e n - c o n c e p t floor plans, smaller city apartments and demographic

lifestyle changes are said to be the reasons behind the retirement of one of the home’s traditional components.

It seems that the idea is more accepted now as earlier this year, the Huffington Post came out with the story “Why Dining Rooms Are Becoming Extinct.” According to the article, “the dining room is perhaps used for two or three dinners a year,” usually during the holidays. On regular days, it’s just a “museum for china and glassware.”

Realty Today also said, “In the busy routine of our lives, we are hardly at home and the rooms we use the most are probably the living area and the bedrooms. We usually have our meals in front of the TV or in that ‘modern kitchen’ and, therefore, the need for dining space has almost disappeared.”

A current trend that merges the old and the new is the multipurpose dining room. The compromise makes the area more functional by infusing more elements to it, such as bookshelves and gaming equipment, and using the dining table as a study desk. The added utility makes the space hardworking and encourages family members to spend more time in the room (and actually eat there).

But at my parents’ house, the dining room is rarely used and the dining table has turned into somewhat a surface for random things. We usually eat in the living room while watching TV or on the dinette in the kitchen. Inasmuch as it’s an unnecessary part of the home, my parents, being traditionalists, still cannot bear the thought of being without a dining room.

But other homeowners are more forward-thinking. A few publications have reported on dining rooms that have been converted into spaces that suit the homeowners’ lifestyles more, such as family rooms, dens or game rooms, yoga or exercise rooms, libraries, home spas, offices, and additional guest rooms.

This is most common among homes owned by single folks and young married couples who prefer dining casually. And industry experts believe that this will be the norm in the near future. Over 70 percent of the members of the International Furnishings and Design Association believe that the formal dining room is headed for extinction by the year 2020.

Follow me on Instagram and Twitter @EdBiado 

THE GISTBY ED BIADO

Is it time to say goodbye to the dining room?

Open floor plan including living and dining spaces.

Formal dining room.

Unconventional dining room.

Multipurpose dining room.

Andi Manzano and baby Pilar Olivia.

C4 LIFEW E D N E S D AY : J U LY 1 5 : 2 0 1 5

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HAVE A SEAT On stylish chairs and plush couches

available at LRI Design PlazaBY BERNADETTE LUNAS

A chair is easily considered the furniture that is both functional and ornamental. Gone are the days when stools and couches are just for sitting, now they are an integral part of a design – be it indoors or outdoors.

A tufted armchair in bright or somber color instantly elevates the overall look of a room (and they’re pretty classy and comfortable to sit on, too), while a chic stool with the right form and material (think shell chair and eames) effortlessly accentuates a space without looking over-the-top.

So if you’re looking for a new chair to replace your old, weary bench or seeking a way to up your living space with something decorative and useful, have a seat as we present our suggestions for you:

Connor Chair (Sigvard Selections)The classic wing-back chair gets a modern Art Deco twist. This plush couch features sleek lines, nail heads and square wings – instead of the usual round ones. Perfect modern spaces that are in need of a classic touch, or vice versa.

Marilyn Chair (Sigvard Selections)A timeless piece named after a classic icon, this chair – featuring brown tones, a polished surface and curved lines – exudes a warm and welcoming look. The designer of this chair, Sigvard “Jigs” Adefuin, used quality wood in this furniture that is processed in such a way that would prevent warping. Art Deco is injected to this classic piece through the geometric patterns printed on the chair. An ideal addition to homes with warm, vintage designs.

Church Chair (Gus Studio)

The chair used in churches’ gathering rooms, schools and

other public establishments gets a facelift with this design that features a bent-plywood

seat and powder-coated metal frame. This stackable piece is perfect as dining table chair or an additional seating for

entryways and corners.

Graph Stool (Gus Studio)

Looking for a modern stool for your home bar or kitchen counter? This counter-height

stool, which comes in black and white, features an architectural-inspired brushed stainless steel

frame and an upholstered seat and back. Its contemporary design

makes its suitable for various types of bars and counters.

Truss Chair (Gus Studio)

For traditional homes looking for a solid and comfortable chair, this

mid-century styled piece is the right fit. Inspired by the work of the

Sarasota School of Architecture, this seat features “a solid natural ash

frame with an interlocking truss base and finger point detailing

on the arms” and Dacron-wrapped seat and back cushions.

This comfortable chair, whose traditional look is countered by its

contemporary colors, is a perfect lounge seat at the porch or patio.

Cella Tufted Lounge Chair (Masterpiece)

Add a romantic touch in the bedroom with this tufted chair that is as plush as it is practical. Its tufting and curved lines give

off a look reminiscent of the modernist furniture in lounges

during the late 19th century.

Gaston Accent Chair (Origins)This chair is sure to accentuate spaces with neutral furnishings. Featuring curved lines and a solid color, this piece is a true classic and a chic addition to any home. It is made with fine fabric for that luxurious feel and made by craftsmen composed of young and talented design professionals.

Gaston High Back Accent Chair (Origins) Make a statement and feel like royalty with this chair that is a perfect accent in any space at home. This piece makes for a great complement in the living room, or serves as a dining room chair (if the space and size of the table permit), or a perfect reading chair in a corner of the bedroom.

SHOWBITZi s a h r e d @ g m a i l . c o m

C5ISAH V. REDE D I T O R

WEDNES DAY : J ULY 15 : 2015

NOW SHOWINGA GUIDE TO WHAT’S IN CINEMAS THIS WEEK

SCAN THE ICON TO CONNECT TO SURESEATS.COMAND CLICK THE CITY

ANT-MAN - NEW PG The Marvel character Ant-Man gets the big screen treatment with this film focusing on Henry Pym (Michael Douglas), a scientist who develops powers to grow and shrink in size though the Ant-Man suit. He gets the service of a con man (Paul Rudd) to protect the secret of his discovery and pull off a heist that will save the world.

DIE FIGHTING - NEW R13 When a team of Shaolin-trained kung fu actors is about to get their break in Hollywood, a mysterious and sadistic Director forces them to run a gauntlet through Los Angeles. The Director films their every move as they prove their prowess by provoking a rogues’ gallery of underworld thugs and martial artists.

EXETER R13 During a party in an abandoned house, teenagers perform an occult ritual that leads to a violent possession. The evil spirit quickly infiltrates the group, wreaking havoc as it moves from one body to another. Eventually, however, it’s revealed that the spirit in question is actually trying to convey a message and that the real source of horror isn’t particularly paranormal.

FINAL GIRL R13 Every night, a group of senior boys trick a young, blonde girl into meeting them in the forest for a date. Later, they hunt and kill her. One night, Veronica (Abigail Breslin) is picked as their next victim. When the hunt begins, the boys soon realize that they messed with the wrong girl.

MAGIC MIKE XXL - NEW R16 Retired male stripper Magic Mike (Channing Tatum) decides to help his friends put on one last show, as the crew embarks on a road trip to Myrtle Beach to perform at an exotic-dance convention. Along the way, they brighten the lives of several women, including that of an aspiring photographer (Amber Heard) and a diva (Jada Pinkett Smith) from Mike’s past.

MINIONS PG Evolving from single-celled yellow organisms at the dawn of time, Minions live to serve, but find themselves working for a continual series of unsuccessful masters, from T. Rex to Napoleon. Without a master to grovel for, the Minions fall into a deep depression. But one minion, Kevin, has a plan; accompanied by his pals Stuart and Bob, Kevin sets forth to find a new evil boss for his brethren to follow.

SURVIVOR R13 A State Department employee (Milla Jovovich) newly posted to the American embassy in London is charged with stopping terrorists from getting into the U.S. That puts her right in the line of fire and she is targeted for death and framed for crimes. Discredited, she is forced to go on the run while she tries to clear her name and stop a large-scale terrorist attack set for New Year’s Eve in Times Square.

TED 2 - NEW R16 The comedy flick is back with its second installment. This time around, Ted (Seth Macfarlane) is attempting to raise a child with his sweetheart, Tami-Lynn (Jessica Barth). But in order to qualify to be a parent and adopt a child, Ted will first have to prove that he is human.

COMPILED BY NICKIE WANG

Exeter

Minions

The much-awaited 8th Mayor Benhur Abalos Golf Cup blasts off this Friday, July 17, with a

double shotgun tournament at Wack Wack Golf and Country club. Participants include big name showbiz celebrities – Der-ek Ramsay, John Estrada, Willie Revillame, Tonton Gutierrez, Glydel Mercado, Edgar Mortizand TV host Arnold Clavio.

This tournament is one of the major activities lined up for the birthday celebration of the May-or of Mandaluyong City with the purpose of raising funds to support the advocacies and programs of Ciara Marie Foun-dation, Inc., a charitable institu-tion that extends health care and educational assistance to the less fortunate kids in our society.

The tournament is presented

by SM Investment and Manda-luyong Golf Club in coopera-tion with Wack Wack Golf and Country Club, DDT Konstract and San Miguel Corp. Platinum sponsors are PAGCOR, AMA University, Smart Comm., 3D, San Miguel Corp., and DMCI Homes. Gold sponsors are Gue-vent Investment Corp., The Ad-dress @ Wack Wack, St. Francis Square, Unilab, Globe Telecom,

Greenfield Dev. Corp., Bin-go Bonanza Corp., Robinsons Land Corp., Unilever, Vista Res-idences, Sta. Clara International Construction, Champion Pow-der, Cathay Land, Phil. Airlines, Monocrete, EVWealth, PCSO, All Day Convenient Store, Land Bank of the Phils., Bingo Mania, Market Place Shopping Mall, Federal Land, Audi Cars, Trac-soM Builders, Ferris Sobel, Fil-

invest, Megawide Construction, Alexa Construction, S&R Mem-bership, Prescon Phils., Century Poperties.

A brand new Haojue motor-bike by Norkis Group will be raf-fled off, other Hole in One prizes are Family Inada Cube Mirage Car by Diamond Motor Corp.,, Piagio Ape and the Turf Co.

To participate call CATANDEM tel. No. 245-6592 – Carlito Cernal. 

Celebrities at 8th Mayor benhur abalos Golf Cup

Magic Mike XXL

SHOWBITZC6i s a h r e d @ g m a i l . c o m

WEDNES DAY : J ULY 15 : 2015

ACROSS 1 Wildlife protector 7 Prior to 10 M, to Einstein 14 Texas town (2 wds.) 15 Fish catcher 16 Till 17 Confound 18 Koan discipline 19 Tight-fitting 20 Zill thrill

A N S W E R F O R P R E V I O U S P U Z Z L E

CROSSWORD PUZZLE WEDNESDAY,

JULY 15, 2015

23 Cracker spreads 26 A Carter 27 Mournful poem 28 Grasping 29 Prompt 30 Jamie — Curtis 31 Slap the cuffs on 32 Engine housing 33 More foamy 37 Three, to Caesar 38 Natural resource 39 Opposite of post-

40 — chi ch’uan 41 Staked out 43 Dispose of 44 Easel display 45 Dean’s-list fig. 46 Beauty pack 47 Clay pot 48 It may be upright 51 Half a candy? 52 Chasm 53 Bug studier 56 Nowhere near 57 Aunt or bro. 58 Treats wood 62 Restore to health 63 Dixie, once 64 Stems from 65 Geraint’s spouse 66 Volcanic dust 67 Chinese soup

DOWN 1 Amazon milieu 2 Stein filler 3 LP speed 4 Finger-painted 5 Slalom runs 6 Broadway’s Coward 7 Pepsin, e.g. 8 Thick with cattails 9 Vulcan’s forge 10 They may be pulled

11 Comics orphan 12 Beset by hornets 13 Waterlogged 21 Praised to the skies 22 Had occasion for 23 Widespread fright 24 Do the trick 25 Knee-to-ankle bone 29 Chick — of jazz 30 Like the tabloids 32 Curtain trim 33 Leaped 34 European peninsula 35 Noblemen 36 Rudner and Moreno 42 Let go by 46 Dough 47 Come by 48 Dove’s goal 49 Playfully (2 wds.) 50 Arcade name 51 Hallow 52 Kind of turf 54 Ocean predator 55 What “vidi” means (2 wds.) 59 Devotee 60 “New” prefix 61 W-2 info

Araneta Center announced that the Grammy Award-nominated, multi-platinum-selling singer/song-writer Carly Rae Jepsen will be back in Manila on Aug. 12 for a show at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Canadian pop sensation’s one-night only show features “I Re-ally Like You” off her latest album E·MO·TION.

She says the album is the result of experimentation and creative soul-searching that thrived along with her passion as an artist. Many of the album’s tracks were born out of Jepsen’s ideas at the back of her tour bus.

To add flavor and extra oomph to her musical genius, she has teamed up some of the most talented song-writers including Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Ariana Grande, Char-li XCX, and One Direction among others for this project.

The album is a follow-up to her 2012 US debut album Kiss, which fea-tured the globally head-bopping and viral breakout single “Call Me May-be” that climbed to no. 1 spot on the iTunes Singles charts in more than 47 countries, with over 17 million singles sold worldwide, and earned Jepsen Grammy Award nominations for Best Pop Solo Performance and Song of the Year in 2012. This was followed up by a certified double platinum hit off the album – “Good Time”, a duet with American electronica artist Owl City.

Jepsen independently released her first album, Tug of War in 2008. Several years after, she landed a re-cord deal with Schoolboy Records/Interscope before coming out with her major-label debut.

Tickets for the much-antici-pated Carly Rae Jepsen LIVE in Manila concert are now available. Log on to www.ticketnet.com.ph for more details.

Carly rae Jepsen

at BigDome

Model and Pinoy Big Brotherwinner Daniel Matsunaga has a lot to be thankful for – he is now a permanent Philippine resident, an exciting show-biz career, and most of all, a blooming romantic life.

“I love the Philippines, every-thing from food to [the] people. The culture and the climate are almost the same with Brazil so it’s easy for me to adjust,” the 26-year-old model-actor told The Standard and other members of the press during the launch of Kix Asia Channel’s R U Tough Enough(RUTE) at SM Megamall.

He said that he’s very over-whelmed when he was asked to be the ambassador of RUTE (Kix’s Channels nationwide search for “the toughest Pi-noy”) because the action chan-nel doesn’t just see him as a ce-lebrity but as someone who can epitomize toughness and the spirit of a champion.

At the event, together with Moises Torcator, a  strongman from Manila, Daniel pulled a truck loaded with 18 Kix girls for a  distance of 18 meters to demonstrate their toughness.

I am an athlete, I play foot-ball and I go to the gym every day. I guess they see me as a tough and strong person that’s why they decided to collaborate with me,” Daniel related.

Meanwhile, he recently signed an exclusive contract with ABS-CBN. Part of his first assign-

ments is a soap opera together with girlfriend, Erich Gonzales.

Although he can only divulge so much, Daniel said people will see a different side of him. Fans will have a glimpse of his emotional side and of course his romantic side since he is sharing the top billing with his real life girlfriend.

“I’m just excited about this project because it’s with Erich. I love working with her. I was single for three years because I couldn’t find someone I’d be comfortable with. Erich is such a wonderful person. She’s religious and family-oriented. That’s what I love about her,” he said smiling.

The pair recently went on a va-cation to Paris and Amsterdam. They posted photos of themselves dancing at the Eiffel Tower. This made fans of the celebrity couple speculate that the model-actor may already have proposed to the Kapamilya actress.

“At this point in our relation-ship, we are just enjoying each other’s company. I always get questions about our wedding plans because a lot of showbiz couples have exchanged vows recently. Well, we can wait. These newlyweds serve as inspiration to us, showbiz couples can re-ally end up in marriage. All I can say is, Erich is an answered prayer. I waited 3 years for this relationship to happen,” the Bra-zilian-Japanese beamed.

EnRiqUE fiRSt tO LiZa’S hEaRtEnrique Gil had been paired with a few Kapamilya stars

before he and Liza Sobera-no became onscreen partners. He said he didn’t give his 100 percent that’s why his previous love teams didn’t click.

Also, the 23-year-old Star Magic talent said that he wanted to go solo and he didn’t want to get stuck with a love team to be-gin with. He though it was best for his career until he was paired with Liza. Since becoming the other half of LizQuen (the port-manteau coined by their fans), he started receiving feedback from fans and colleagues that he is beginning to look different on screen. They observed that he acts differently and he looks very comfortable.

“Then I realized, probably may something talaga sa amin ni Liza. The chemistry is obvious and our love team has been doing a lot of good things for our career,” En-rique told the press during the contract-signing with Cloud-fone, his latest endorsement.

When asked to elaborate on what he meant by “something,” the young actor just replied that he has already answered that when he guested in Gan-dang Gabi Vice.

“Let’s just put it this way, ako ang unang nakapila sa puso niLiza,” he smiled.

According to Enrique, he and Liza have a new movie in the offing. It’s a follow up to their box office hit movie Just the Way You Are that earned more than P100 million at the tills.

“Liza is in the US, we’re just waiting for her to come back and then we’ll have a meeting about the new movie,” he ended.

DaniEL MatSUnaga’S

anSWERED PRayER

niCKiE WangniCKiE Wang

Daniel Matsunaga: Brapanese with a Filipino heart

Enrique Gil says he and Liza Soberano aren't a couple yet, but may get to that later

SHOWBITZ C7i s a h r e d @ g m a i l . c o m

WEDNES DAY : J ULY 15 : 2015

The latest wish-granting realm opens up in the upcoming family adven-ture Absolutely Anything about a dis-illusioned schoolteacher, Neil Clarke

(Simon Pegg), who is suddenly granted the ability to do anything he wishes.

These powers are bestowed upon him by a group of aliens (voiced by John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, and Eric Idle), who are watching him from outer space. Unbeknownst to Neil, how he employs his newfound powers will dictate the fate of mankind. One wrong move and the aliens will destroy Earth forever.

While struggling with these miraculous powers, Neil is also bidding to win the heart of the girl who lives in the flat downstairs,

Catherine (Kate Beckinsale), and he calls upon his loyal canine companion Dennis (voiced by Robin Williams in his last-ever film role) to help him along the way. Cather-ine’s former boyfriend (Rob Riggle), mean-while, appears on the scene to prove an ex-acting nemesis.

Will Neil do the right thing and use his powers properly? Will he get the girl of his dreams? And will Dennis help him achieve his dreams, or just dream about dog biscuits?

The fate of the planet depends on Neil’s actions…find out what happens next when Absolutely Anything opens in theaters on August 12 from Axinite Digicinema.Check out the film’s trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxERnGiOwnc

FantastiC world oF ‘absolutely anything’

In a bid to encourage the Filipi-no youth to cultivate a passion for sports, undisputed mobile leader Smart Communications

named 10 outstanding basketball players of the National Collegiate Athletics Association into its ros-ter of sports ambassadors known as the “Smart Elite.”

Inducted into the prestigious group was NCAA Season 88 Finals MVP Baser Amer of San Beda College, who is determined to help the Red Lions get its sixth straight basketball championship this year, the league’s 91st season.

Also named into the Smart Elite were Season 90 MVP Earl Scottie Thompson of University of Per-petual Help and Jiovani Jalalonof Arellano University. Amer, Thompson, and Jalalon were part of the Sinag Pilipinas team that won the gold medal for men’s basketball at the recent Southeast

Asian Games in Singapore.Completing the group are Rey

Nambatac of Colegio de San Juan de Letran, Jonathan Grey of De La Salle-College of Saint Benil-de, Francis Munsayac of Emilio Aguinaldo College, Tey Teodoroof Jose Rizal University, Joseph Gabayni of Lyceum of the Phil-ippines University, Andretti Ste-vens of Mapua Institute of Tech-nology, and Bradwyn Guinto of San Sebastian College.

“We encourage young Fili-pinos to take inspiration from these athletes who have displayed outstanding basketball skills and fierce passion for the sport,” said Smart EVP and consumer busi-ness head Ariel P. Fermin.

“We support the Smart Elite as they continue to live more by pur-suing their passion, in the same way that we are enabling millions of Filipinos to fully enjoy their pas-

sions – be it music, films, urban living, or sports – through mean-ingful innovations. This is what the Smart Life is all about,” he added.

NCAA fans can catch games wherever they are by using their mobile devices to view the official livestream at the ABS-CBN Sports site (sports.abs-cbn.com). Smart, along with PLDT Home, partnered with ABS-CBN for online lives-treaming of NCAA events to enable more Filipinos to live the “Smart Life” by using digital innovations to enjoy their passions more.

Smart is a staunch supporter of sports development in the Philip-pines. It is a major sponsor in this year’s NCAA, and has backed na-tional teams like Gilas Pilipinas, Sinag Pilipinas, and the Azkals, as well as the activities of various sports organizations. Its chairman Manny V. Pangilinan is known as one of the country’s foremost sports patrons.

nCaa standouts now with ‘smart elite’

From a throng of child ac-tresses, Alaina Jezl Oca-mpo, AJ for short, a child with natural talent, rises.

At the very young age of seven, she has shown herself deserving to be a star on the silver screen. She excels in acting, singing and dancing, the ballet specially. To further hone her acting talent, she has been taking acting lessons and attending workshops at Neo-phytes Talent Center.

AJ’s is a Grade 1 pupil at the Pater Noster Montessori School in Tagaytay City. Her proud parents, Alona Barbuco and Jessie Ocampo say AJ is in the top 10 of her class.

AJ is also into sports at a very young age. Her parents simply adore her because she is well be-haved and mingles well with oth-er kids. She’s comfortably fluent in both English and Filipino.

When asked who her fa-vorite actress is, AJ candidly

replied, “ I like to be like Mar-ian Rivera when I grow up be-cause she is so beautiful and is an excellent actress.”

How does she feels being with Niño Muhlach, Lara Quigaman, John Regala, and Allen Dizon in a movie? AJ says it is a learning and sometimes intimidating experience, espe-cially her scenes John Regala..

“I’m happy for Alonzo. He’s such a good friend. Hope we can be together in a film .

With AJ in the film 1 Day 1 Araw (I Saw Nakakita) are Niño Muhlach, Lara Quiga-man, John Regala, Allen Di-zon, Ritz Azul, Jake Fernan-do, and Nikka Sarki.

HHHHH

Xandra rocha and The besT places In The counTry

Host and adventurer Xan-dra Rocha takes the audience back to the travel destinations she visited while filming the

third season of her program, Something to Chew On. 

Xandra traveled from north to south to discover new travel spots, activities and local deli-cacies in the country.

Among the adventures she had and the places she visited were ziplining in Lake Sebu, wave surfing in Siargao, paint-ball battle in Guimaras, and water tubing and ATV riding in Albay.

Food trips are one of the things that make each trip memorable. Xandra got to try out some of the local dishes that vary from native to fusion dishes, even those classified as exotic ot out the ordinary like the uok (coconut worm), hantik (weaver ants), tamilok (wood worm) and tilmok (pinangat). 

See more of Xandra’s trav-els around the country in the season finale of Something to Chew On, July 18 at 7 p.m. on CNN Philippines.

a new chIld sTar rIses

From c8

Alaina Jezl Ocampo, one of many child

actors in show business today

Members of Smart Elite, the best of NCAA athletes

Simon Pegg and Kate Beckinsale in Absolutely Anything

C8 ISAH V. REDE D I T O R

Mother and daughter tandem Lily and Roselle Monteverdescreened over 300 applicants to the Regal Acting Workshop.

“It is our way of looking for new Regal babies,” the older Mon-teverde said during the graduation ceremonies at Valencia Events place, the former Regal studios re-furbished to accommodate func-tions such as wedding receptions, conferences and something simi-lar to what she held last week, the culminating activity for the acting workshop. TV/movie director/writer Joey Reyes conducted the workshop in the hopes of finding talents the company can cast in fu-ture Regal movies.

Out of the 300, Mother Lily trimmed the applicants to 17 who participated in the acting work-shop under the supervision of the Actor’s Workshop Foundation of the Actors Guild of the Philip-pines with Leo Martinez, Manny Castaneda, and Rez Cortez act-ing as facilitators.

According to Reyes, majority of them were first timers while some had participated in similar workshops.

“Workshops are meant to hone talent not make talent. Talent is God-given!” Reyes says.

“Nasa individual na ‘yan at sa kanilang kakayahan at talent. May ilan, kahit ilang beses nang nag-workshop, wala pa ring ibu-ga kasi hindi ka naman puwe-deng pumiga ng dugo sa bato!”

explains the director.As a director, Reyes says he

is not very strict with his ac-tors when it comes to acting. “Mahigpit ako sa disiplina. Ang pag-aartista ay hindi dibersyon. Ito ang isang trabaho at higit sa lahat, kailangan ng dedikasyon at propesyunalismo,” he stresses.

The seven female graduates were Shine Kuk (Sun Yong Kuk),South Korean actress and Eat Bu-laga’s “You’re My Foreignay 2014” grand winner; Rolini Pineda, Miss Chinatown 2013 winner.

A model, Rolini is in the cast of Regal’s upcoming movie, No Boy-friend Since Birth as Carla Abella-na’s sister.

Other female graduates were Fiona Yang, a De La Salle Uni-versity - Muntinlupa student; Jen-nelyn Arteta, a part-time model studying at Ateneo de Naga; Sisi Fayyad from De La Salle-College of St. Benilde; Cherise Deslippefrom Paranaque City and Danielle Ambagan from Bacoor, Cavite.

The male graduates, mean-while, were Timothy Lawrence Yap, Mr. Chinatown 2014 2nd runner up from De La Salle; Luke Conde from Batangas City, com-mercial model (McDonald’s and San Mig Light); Karl Ramirezfrom lloilo City; John Leo Lim-bo, a graduate of UST; Raphael Urbano from De La Salle; Chris-tian Alano from Colegio de San Lorenzo; David Ambagan from Mapua Intititute; Drew Magbaga UP student, swimmer and part-time model; John Michael La-varez, a ramp model from Pasig City and Miguel Marty, dubbed as the comic in the group.

Some of these graduates are already in Joey’s Regal movie No

Boyfriend Since Birth, starring Abellana and Tom Rodriguez.

Other upcoming Regal offer-ings are Pre-Nup starring Jenny-lyn Mercado and Sam Milby and the 2015 Metro Manila Film Fes-tival entry Haunted Mansion with Janella Salvador, Mario Morteland Jerome Ponce. Jun Lana is directing both films.

SHOWBITZ

WEDNES DAY : J ULY 15 : 2015

Actor wAnnAbes grAduAte from regAl workshop

ISAH V. RED

Participants doing an exercise

The participants to the Regal Films

Acting Workshop

Timothy Lawrence

Yap

Sisi Gonzales

Shine Kuk

Rolini Pineda

Fiona Yang

Christian Louis Alano

Workshops are meant

to hone talent not

make talent.

Talent is God-given!

➜ continued on c7

-Jose Javier Reyes, film/TV director

i s a h r e d @ g m a i l . c o m