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VOL. XXIX � NO. 265 � 3 Sections 32 Pages P18 � WEDNESDay : NOVEMBER 4, 2015 � www.thestandard.com.ph � editorial@thestandard.com.ph

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CHR hitfor reporton killingsof lumad

Mar: Graceis the betto beat in2016 polls

UN advises staffto MiNd lUGGaGe

Controversial airport. A traveler retrieves her luggage at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport where workers of the Office of Transportation Security face investigation as a result of a bullet scam that has victimized many travelers and given the country a bad press abroad. EriC Apolonio

50,000 candles to line Tacloban’s roads

By Joyce pangco pañares, Vito Barcelo and rio n. Araja

THE United Nations has advised all its personnel who have to use airports in the Philippines to se-cure their luggage amid fears of a scam in which bullets are planted in travelers’ bags as part of an extortion racket.

The advisory was first reported by Floyd Whaley, a senior corre-spondent of The New York Times, in his Twitter account.

“United Nations advises staff us-ing Manila airport to ‘keep your luggage with you, lock your lug-gage, and consider wrapping your luggage,’” Whaley said in his tweet.

Whaley eventually posted a copy of the internal memo from the UN Department of Safety and Security (undss.radioroom@undp.org) with the subject “SECURITY ADVISO-RY: Naia-Bullets in luggage.”

“Officials at Ninoy Aquino In-ternational Airport [Naia] are al-legedly slipping bullets into pas-sengers’ bags and then trying to extort money from them when bullets are ‘found’ by security. Surveillance at the airport has been stepped up since the com-plaints began and an investiga-tion has been launched into the personnel accused of involve-ment. Staff members are advised to keep your luggage with you, lock your luggage, and consider wrapping your luggage in plastic as an extra security measure,” the memo reads.

Teresa Debuque, national in-formation officer of the UN In-formation Center Manila, con-firmed receiving an internal note from the UNDSS  Tuesday  morning.

By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan and Maricel V. Cruz

TWO years after Typhoon “Yolanda” flattened large areas of Central and Eastern Visayas, survivors will light 50,000 candles along the roads of Ta-cloban City to remember the thou-sands who died because of the storm.

Parish priest Alex Opiniano said

churches in Palo, Tanauan, and Tolo-sa in Tacloban City are set to light the candles to commemorate the second anniversary of the typhoon’s destruc-tive visit on Nov. 8, 2013.

“This is a solemn spiritual expres-sion of the people, continuing what was done last year,” Opiniano said.

Opiniano will lead a committee of representatives from civic and reli-

gious organizations in Tacloban City, which was ground zero for Yolanda.

Opiniano said priests from respec-tive parishes will walk through the roads of Palo, Tanauan, and Tolosa, and bless all 50,000 candles, the par-ticipants and survivors.

Jude Acidre of Tingog Sinirangan said the event is open to anyone who

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Palace says politics not a factor in ‘tanim-bala’

“There is an internal note, but the details are meant only for UN staff and are not meant to be circulated to the public,” Debuque said.

President Benigno Aquino III has ordered an investigation into the scam, which has been picked up by international media organizations such as the BBC and Time magazine.

Data from the Philippine National Police Aviation Security Group showed the number of passengers apprehended with bullets in their lug-gage has shot up 775 percent this year, from only 12 incidents in 2014 to 105 cases from January to November this year.

Supt. Jeanne Panisan of the PNP Aviation Se-curity Group attributed the spike not to an extor-tion racket at the airport but to “tighter security screening.”

This year’s figure is the highest recorded in four years, with only 20 passengers apprehended in 2012 and 21 passengers in 2013.

Panisan said the arrests this year yielded 514 bullets, 24 magazines, 20 firearms, 139 accesso-ries or parts of firearms, and 20 replicas.

On Tuesday, the Department of Labor and Employment cautioned departing overseas Fili-pino workers to guard their personal belongings from unscrupulous airport personnel.

The Labor secretary said the best way to avoid being victimized is for passengers to be always watchful of their luggage, and not allowing any-one to touch it.

“I urge airline passengers, OFWs particularly,

to be alert, careful, and vigilant with regards their luggage,” Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said in a statement.

“OFWs should hold on to their luggage, or be very close, never away from these, while these are being checked, and report any suspicious activity or movement of airport personnel handling their luggage,” she said.

“Don’t leave your luggage. Don’t keep them away from your view. Better still, inventory the contents of your luggage before you leave for the airport and keep this inventory with you. Show them to the authorities if necessary before they check or screen your luggage,” Baldoz said.

The Labor secretary said she was disappointed over the numerous incidents in which overseas workers were victimized by the racket.

On Tuesday, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, the Volunteers against Crime and Corruption and the Network of Independent Travel Agents filed a complaint before the Office of the Ombuds-man against Transportation and Communica-tions Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya Jr., Manila International Airport Authority general man-ager Jose Angel Honrado, Office for Transporta-tion Security administrator Roland Recomono and Philippine National Police’s Aviation Secu-rity Group director Pablo Francisco Balagtas, over the failure to do anything about the bullet-planting syndicate.

At a news conference in Quezon City, Cayetano, a candidate for vice president, hit the government’s inaction and failure to stop the ex-tortion racket.

“Seven years ago, a journalist had been telling that the  laglag-bala  extortion was already hap-

pening then at the airport,” he said.He said they filed the complaint against Abaya,

Honrado, Recomono and Balagtas for violation of Executive Order 226 of 1995, or neglect of duty under the doctrine of command responsi-bility, and presumption of knowledge.

“The controversy has become an international issue. The  laglag-bala  scheme has already come to the knowledge of concerned officials, but they have not done any preventive or corrective meas-ures,” he added.

“The  tanim-bala  scheme was made public in September, but the government only acted on it and had a meeting just last Monday, or 44 days later. At first, Malacañang said it was just an iso-lated case,” he said.

He also asked Honrado to explain why his agency was constantly getting a failed bid for the airport’s closed-circuit TV system.

“Public office is a public trust,” he said.Dante Jimenez, VACC founding chairper-

son, said they have been receiving numerous complaints of not only the tanim-bala extortion scheme, but also of other bogus arrests.

“Let me emphasize that there is a syndicate out there destroying the reputation of not only our air-ports but also of our seaports. Most often, victims would just keep silent,” he told the conference.

Jimenez also took a shot at President Benigno Aquino III for his failure to act on the problem sooner.

“We call on President Benigno Aquino III to resign and turn over the power to Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno so that he could concentrate on the 2016 elections. He is a lame duck presi-dent,” Jimenez said.

wants to say prayers in memory of those who perished.

Acidre also said that people can also pray for gratefulness for those individuals who sur-vived the catastrophe regardless of religious af-filiations and political persuasions.

Acidre, a former seminarian and known community organizer, said the city’s radio sta-tions will participate in the event by simulta-neously broadcasting prayers and reflections, and the musical concert Laudato Si (Praise Be To You), by the Eastern Visayas Choral Asso-ciation.

Before the lighting of the candles, Palo Archbishop John Forrosuelo Du will officiate a commemorative mass at the Transfiguration of Our Lord Cathedral. An afternoon mass is also set at the seaside Sto. Niño Church in Ta-cloban.

A private group called One Tacloban spear-headed a similar candle lighting ceremony along the main thoroughfares of Tacloban City during the first year commemoration of the tragedy.

A mass and the blessing of graves were also held at a mass grave yard in northern Barangay Basper in Tacloban.

The towns of Palo, Tanauan and Tolosa had their respective commemorative activities as well.

This year, the respective memorial activities of Yolanda victims are being synchronized and coordinated with the Candlelight Memorial led by Opiniano’s committee.

The government pegged the death toll from the super typhoon at 6,300. Some 1,061 also went missing.

In Congress, a Palace ally sought a congres-sional investigation into the non-release of ca-lamity funds totaling more than P1 billion.

Negros Occidental Rep. Alfredo Benitez proposed the investigation after the Commis-sion on Audit exposed the failure of the Office of Civil Defense to spend huge amounts in do-nations and government money to help thou-sands of calamity victims since 2008.

The CoA said OCD reportedly disbursed only P81 million out of the P466 million for-eign and local donations to assist victims.

The audit agency also revealed that “QRF (Quick Response Fund) which accumulated to P923.15 million was not used as was intended and sat idle.

Benitez, chair of the House committee on housing and urban development, said the in-competence of front-line agencies in charge to to render swift aid to calamity victims “cannot be tolerated and therefore merits an investigation.”

“It is the duty of Congress to oversee the uti-lization of front-line agencies of donated funds as well as ensure that calamity underspending will not occur in the future,” Benitez said.

“With the severity of the effects of the recent calamities had brought many nations rushing aid to the Philippines, the OCD reacted with temerity by stashing financial aid in its bank,” Benitez said.

For Yolanda alone, Benitez said the National Housing Authority reports that there is still a balance of 112,574 housing units that need to be constructed to fulfill the 205,128 total hous-ing requirements.

Two years after Yolanda, only 16,000 units have been completed, he said.

“NHA also reported that out of the P60 bil-lion funding requirement it sought, only P26.9 billion had been released by the Department of Budget and Management, P4.3 billion of which was released only in September this year,” Benitez noted.

A group of Yolanda survivors, People Surge, is scheduled to mount a protest on  Nov. 6  to demand accountability for the government’s failure to address their needs.

Marissa Cabaljao of People Surge singled out Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman for criticism.

“Her deliberate attempt to cover up the Yolanda situation and act as an apoligist of [Liberal Party presidential candidate and former Interior secretary Manuel] Roxas [II] add up to her long list of sins against Yolanda survivors,” Cabaljao said. With Mel Caspe

By Sandy Araneta

THE Palace brushed aside  Tues-day  any political motives behind the widening scandal over an ex-tortion racket at the Ninoy Aqui-no International Airport in which bullets are planted in luggage to bilk money from travelers.

“You know, let’s set aside any political color and we will look into the data as objectively as we can. We just want to make sure that we presented the entire picture properly,” said Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda, when asked about suggestions from Aquino supporters that the entire affair was the work of the political opposition.

“The DoTC (Department of Transporta-tion and Communications) will inform us of the entire picture, the data, the process and ar-eas for improvement. I don’t want to preempt

DoTC,” Lacierda added.Lacierda also denied reports that Manila

International Airport Authority genaral man-ager Jose Angel Honrado was summoned by President Benigno Aquino III to the Palace to explain the bullet-planting incidents.

“No. He was not summoned today,” Laci-erda said.

Lacierda said some measures—such as the installation of additional closed-circuit TVs—have been taken.

He added that the DoTC will also respond to a complaint filed by Senator Alan Peter Cayetano and the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption before the Office of the Om-budsman.

Lacierda played down threats by militant group Migrante, to boycott the administra-tion’s Liberal Party during elections.

“You know, it’s a free country. What we’re going to do is we are going to tell, within this week, what measures the government will be taking, and the DoTC will be announcing it... We hope… the DoTC will be able to convince our countrymen, our OFWs, that measures

are being undertaken and it’s not true that we are not doing anything about it. But, again, we leave it to the judgment of each and every voter,” Lacierda said.

Lacierda and a spokeswoman for the Philip-pine National Police Aviation Security Group, Supt. Jeanne Panisan, also said some Filipinos were car-rying bullets as “anting-anting” or bullets.

In a briefing at Camp Crame, Panisan said some Filipinos deeply believed the bullets would ward off evil spirits.

At the airport, personnel of the Office of Transportation Security said they were de-moralized by the tanim-bala scandal that is being blamed on their group.

OTS team leaders Melinda Lansangan, Seferino de Ocampo and other OTS personnel assigned at the Naia terminals said that recent events had caused them so much embarrass-ment, and that they felt their leaders had aban-doned them amid the controversy.

Facebook users even posted comments and even threatened with physical harm.

Lansangan said they are being persecuted in public while the case is still being investigated.

Almost two years after. A motorized boat is seen sailing past rebuilt shacks that cover the coastline on Nov. 2. The shacks replaced those destroyed at the height of Super Typhoon ‘Yolanda’ on Nov. 8, 2013. AFP

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Complaint. Senator Allan Peter Cayetano (right), and Dante Jimenez are sworn in at the Office of the Ombudsman where they filed an administrative complaint against Naia manager Jose Angel Honrado and Transport Secretary Jose Abaya over the bullet scam at the airport. Jansen RomeRo

Ready for Christmas. A man puts together bamboo frames for Christmas lanterns on Tayuman Street in Tondo, Manila, on Tuesday. andRew Rabulan

Poe denies she’s quit presidential race

Grace is bet to beat, according to Roxas

‘P1.5b in dole kept from poor’

SENATOR Grace Poe is the candidate to beat in the 2016 presidential elec-tions, the ruling Liberal Party said Tuesday.

Akbayan Rep. Barry Gutierrez, the party’s spokesman, said the LP’s campaign strategy would be based on the assump-tion that Poe would be among the presidential candidates despite the disqualification cases filed against her.

“Definitely, she is the person to beat until now,”

Gutierrez told reporters.He said the disquali-

fication case against Poe would not affect the LP at all.

“Right now, we assume that all three candidates would continue to be can-didates until election day. We are planning, strate-gizing based on that as-sumption,” Gutierrez said

He said the cases filed against Poe was giving her undue media expo-sure.

“She is getting much

exposure due to the cases filed against her; she is be-ing talked about,” Gutier-rez said.

Meanwhile, the Nation-alist People’s Coalition is still to decide whom to support in 2016 presiden-tial elections.

“We have no official stand,” said Quezon Rep. Mark Enverga, the spokesman for the party founded by businessman Eduardo Cojuangco Jr. Enverga said the NPC had not made a deci-

sion whom to support for President even if it had already agreed that its members seeking Senate seats, like reelec-tionist Senator Vicente Sotto III and Valenzuela Rep. Sherwin Gatchal-ian, were running under the Poe-Escudero ticket. Enverga said the NPC’s executive committee had yet to be formally con-vened to determine the candidates that the party would endorse. maricel V. Cruz

SENATOR Grace Poe said Tues-day there was no truth to a report claiming she had withdrawn from the presidential race in 2016.

Poe said she was told about an e-mail message being circulated say-ing she was no longer running for President.

“That is not true. We are continu-ously working to convey our mes-sage to the people about what we can do to help our countrymen,” Poe said.

She said it was hard to speculate who was behind the claim that she had withdrawn from the presiden-tial race.

“There can be several sources, and I’m thankful I was given the opportunity to say there is no truth to it,” Poe said.

But instead of wasting her time tracing the source of the rumor, Poe said, she would rather focus on the programs that would address the many problems facing the people like the bullet scam at the airport.

The email message, which came from a Liza Cabigting and written in Tagalog with the title “Pamamaalam,” used Poe’s email ad—grace_poe16@yahoo.comad—grace_poe16@yahoo.com.

“To all those who love me, I want to tell you that I will no longer run for President in the coming elec-tions. This decision pains me but I need to do this for my family and my loved ones,” the e-mail said.

Meanwhile, a recent survey in Pangasinan, the third most vote-rich province in the country, showed that if the elections were held today Poe would be a mile away from the other presidential candidates.

The poll was conducted by Data Advisors, a Quezon City-based private polling firm that surveyed 1,500 voters in three cities and 44 municipalities in Pangasinan on Sept. 25 to 29, 2015.

The Pulse Asia Ulat sa Bayan survey of 2,400 respondents in mid-September also showed Poe

maintaining her lead over the other presidential candidates with a rat-ing of 26 percent followed by former Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II with 20 percent and Vice President Jejomar Binay with 19 percent.

In the survey conducted by the Magdalo party-list from Oct. 20 to 22, 2015, 43 percent of the 3,000 re-spondents chose Poe followed by Bi-nay who received 27 percent, Roxas who received 17 percent, and Duterte who came in fourth with 16 percent.

The survey found that 44.5 per-cent of Pangasinan would vote for Poe followed by Binay (24.4 per-cent), Roxas (18.3 percent) and Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (11.1 percent).

Poe led all the presidential candi-dates in all the legislative districts but was strongest in the vote-rich 3rd district (49.7 percent) that com-prises the towns of Bayambang, Malasiui, Calasiao, Mapandan, Sta. Barbara and San Carlos City. macon Ramos-araneta

MORE than P1.5 billion worth of dole under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program did not reach the poor households this year, the camp of Vice President Jejomar Binay said Tuesday.

“Last year, the national government transferred P15.323 billion to the Land Bank of the Philippines for the over-the-counter payment of cash stipends to qualified families in eight regions,” Binay spokesman Joey Salgado said.

“However, CoA said only P13.725 billion was used.”Salgado said P1.598 billion did not reach the poor house-

holds as intended.“The help is not going to our poor countrymen on time or

not at all based on a Commission on Audit report for 2014,” Salgado said.

“The Department of Social Welfare and Development has not solved the problems in the system.”

The Pantawid Program was allocated P62.6 billion in 2014 and P62.3 billion this year.

Salgado said Binay vowed to improve the system of grant-ing aid to the poor Filipinos through the Pantawid to pre-vent several instances of non-payment and underpayment to the beneficiaries.

He said the delay was “inexcusable” especially after it was reported that a man stabbed himself in the chest while wait-ing for financial aid in Zamboanga del Norte on Sept. 24.

“If the government is indeed providing help to the Fili-pinos, if our economy is indeed growing and opening job opportunities for our countrymen, if help is indeed going to the intended beneficiaries, we would not have a fellow Filipino losing hope and attempting to kill himself out of frustration and hopelessness,” Salgado said.

“The system has to be reviewed to ensure all who need help will get the assistance they deserve from their govern-ment. That is what the vice president wants to do.”

Salgado said that, years into the implementation of the Pantawid Program, Social Welfare had yet to correct the problems in the system.

In its 2014 Consolidated Audit Report on the Official Development Assistance Programs and Projects released on Sept. 4, the commission noted “recurring deficien-cies” such as inaccuracies in the list of beneficiaries, dis-tribution gridlocks, non-receipt or underpayments, non-compliance with requirements, and verification issues. The commission said the implementation of the program should be monitored continuously and im-proved to “ensure efficient fund utilization and time-ly delivery of assistance to various beneficiaries.” The commission also reported 1,872 cases of double en-tries, uncollected fees by 6,687 beneficiaries, and 7,613 com-plaints of lack of payment or underpayment even though the beneficiaries had compliance certificates. Vito barcelo

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SPORTS

‘2016 budget has P460 pork’

INC seeks denial of two writ appeals

CHR hit for ‘cover-up’of violence vs lumad

Day in court. Seiko Otsuka Menorca, wife of expelled Iglesia Ni Cristo minister Lowell Menorca, walks with security escorts to a hearing at the Court of Appeal on the writs of habeas corpus and amparo the Menorca couple filed against leaders of the church. LINO SANTOS

Pro-business. President Benigno S. Aquino III meets with members of the Apec Business Advisory Council (Abac)—Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, Tony Tan Caktiong, Doris Magsaysay-Ho and Guillermo Luz of the National Competitive-ness Council. The report contains the Abac’s recommendation to Apec leaders on the priorities and concerns of private business sectors for inclusion in the Apec meetings this November in Manila. Malacañang Photo Bureau

By Rey E. Requejo

LEADERS of the Iglesia Ni Cris-to, accused of allegedly abducting and detaining expelled minister Lowell Menorca II and his fam-ily, have asked the Court of Ap-peals to deny the writs of habeas corpus and amparo being sought against them because the matter is already moot and academic.

During the hearing  on Tues-day, INC lawter Patricia-Ann Prodigalidad asked the CA’s Seventh Division to dismiss the petition filed by Menorca’s brother Anthony and sister-in-law Jungko Otsuka for being moot and academic because the

subjects were no longer under the church’s custody.

Meanwhile,  the INC leader-ship, through its spokesperson Edwil Zabala said that the separa-tion of Church and State must be observed and considered sacred.

“The Iglesia ni Cristo holds the separation of Church and State sacrosanct. While we firmly believe that discipline of members belongs entirely with-in the domain of religion, we understand the need to thresh out the baseless allegations of disgruntled and expelled mem-bers within the framework of a non-sectarian judicial system —if only to vindicate the name

of the Church in the eyes of the members and non-members alike,” Zabala stated

Prodigalidad, a partner of the Angara, Abello, Concepcion, Re-gala and Cruz law firm, argued that the relief sought under the writs of habeas corpus and am-paro could no longer be served since Menorca and his family were no longer detained, as they had earlier claimed.

  “The petition should be dis-missed for being moot and aca-demic. Existing jurisprudence states that cases of habeas corpus and amparo will become moot upon release of the subjects of the petitions,” the lawyer said.

Speaking at the Alternative Bud-get Initiative Forum, Briones said there is a total of P33.185 billion in Priority Development Assistance Fund-like monies while there is a total of P430.432 billion in special purpose funds in the 2016 budget.

“Since budget amendments are manifested in the form of overstate-ments, budget errata, insertions, and Disbursements Acceleration Program-like realignments, this weakens the congressional power of the purse,” said Briones.

Based on their scrutiny of the 2016 budget, some of the PDAF-like funds go to the Department of So-cial Welfare and Development with P10,441,590, Commission on High-er Education P1,879,749, Depart-ment of Public Works and Highways P33,185,785 and the Department of Labor and Employment P1,297,753.

She said the issues on SPF, Auto-matic Appropriations and Unpro-grammed Funds involved the fact that lump sum appropriations have always been problematic.

“Considering the huge amounts involved and since they are not as

detailed as regular appropriations, lump sums tend to be vulnerable to abuse,” said Briones, who is also the convenor of Social Watch Phil-ippines.

She also noted that sometimes, accountability is difficult to estab-lish and documentation proves to be difficult.

She also mentioned the 2014 Commission on Audit report which states that “DBM, in effect, proceed-ed with the release and use of PDAF funds for various projects amount-ing to P15 million even after the Su-preme Court declared Priority De-velopment Assistance Fund illegal.

Based on these facts, she said pork barrel continues to be disbursed by the government and and lump sums are still embedded in the budget.

Briones said there is also an at-tempt to continue legislating artifi-cial savings and budgetary transfers despite the Supreme Court ruling against the practice and pointed out there are many “red flags” in result-ing “savings” which allows congres-sional officials to use the funds.

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

THE P3-trillion national government budget for 2016 is still replete with “vulnerable lump sums,” amounting to more than P460 billion, former national treasurer Leonor Briones said Tuesday.

By Florante S. Solmerin and Sandy Araneta

RIGHTS advocates accused the Commission on Human Rights of supposedly covering up the involve-ment of the Armed Forces of the Philippines in repeated incidents of violence against indigenous people in Mindanao, called lumad.

“The CHR is whitewashing the is-sue by painting a portrait of the lu-mad as simply being ‘used’ [by the military and NPA] in the ongoing civil war in the countryside,” said Kabataan Rep. Terry Ridon.

“What the CHR fails to show, however, is that the lumad them-selves are being targeted by the military—with or without the pres-ence of the NPA,” Ridon said of the CHR’s preliminary statement on its

report on the investigation the agen-cy conducted.

Bagong Alyansang Makabayan secretary-general Renato Reyes Jr. said the CHR appears to have been co-opted into shielding the AFP from the atrocities amid mounting local and international calls to stop milita-rizing lumad communities.

“The CHR report, wittingly or un-wittingly, diminishes the impact of the government counterinsurgency program Oplan Bayanihan in the tar-geting of lumad communities,” Reyes said.

Ridon and Reyes were reacting to the statement of CHR chairman Chito Gascon who said the lumad were be-ing used by both the AFP and NPA in a proxy fight against each other. With Maricel Cruz, John Paolo Bencito and Rio Araja

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CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

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Malverse case sends 2 NBI officers to jail

Militants press for wage hike

Litany of problems. Cause-oriented groups spell out their demands and problems ranging from tax cuts to pay hike in big bold letters. EY ACASIO

Party -list fears power grabWITH administration presidential bet Manuel Roxas still lagging in surveys after three months of non-stop campaigning, Kabalikat ng Mamamayan party-list nominee Harry Roque said on Tuesday that the only option left for the Roxas camp is to lead a “legal coup d’etat” that would involve the elimination of the Liberal Party candidate’s main rivals in the 2016 elections.

By Maricel V. Cruz

A PARTY-LIST lawmak-er  on Tuesday renewed its demand for the House of Representatives to pass the proposed P125 hike in the minimum wage for workers in the private sector.

At the same time, Anak-pawis Rep. Fernando Hicap batted for the passage of a measure increasing the monthly pay of employees and workers in the public sector by P6,000 as con-tained in House Bill 3015.

“We all know that the Fili-pino worker is submerged in deep poverty and hunger, and so we challenge the house leadership to help facilitate the passage of the bills wage increase,” Hicap said.

The proposal for a P125 across- the- board wage increase for workers in the private sector has been filed in the past congresses but failed to prosper due to strong opposition from the employers groups.

In pushing for the pas-sage of House Bill 253, Hicap cited figures from the Na-tional Wages and Produc-tivity Commission which shows that the highest among minimum wage levels is that of the National Capital Re-gion which is at P481.  While the lowest occurs in the Au-tonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao at P250, he added.

In the Greater Manila areas, Hicap said the mini-mum wage for Central Lu-zon is at P349 and for Cala-barzon P362.

Based on government data, Hicap pointed out poverty incidence among population increased from 24.6 percent to 25.8 percent from 2013 to 2014, while on families from 18.8 percent to 20 percent. Cross-referenced to govern-ment projected population, the increase was about 1.6- million Filipinos or with families living under the threshold P8,778 per month.     

Journalist honored.Veteran Spanish jour-nalist and author Jose Rodriguez (left) was awarded by the govern-ment of the Republic of Chile with the Order of Gabriela Mistral, rank of Comendador, during official ceremonies held recently in Santiago de Chile on the occasion of the 130th anniversary of the Chilean Acad-emy of the Spanish Language.The special award was presented by the Minister of Culture of Chile Ernesto Ottone The Order carries the name of the great Chilean poet Gabriela Mistral, the first Latin American Nobel Prize woman.

“The irony of this ‘legal coup’ is that it is hap-pening under the watch of President Aquino, the son of two icons of democracy,” lamented Roque.

The outspoken lawyer warned that all signs pointed to the LP using its position in power “to use its influence in the courts to secure what it cannot win for their candidate at the polls: the presidency.”

“The public should be vigilant and closely watch the allies of the administration in the Senate Electoral Tribunal, the Comelec, and the

Supreme Court, because if we lower our guard, their decisions will not be guided by the rule of law, but by the nation’s current rulers,” the for-mer UP Law professor stressed.

According to Roque, there are already rum-blings in the legal community that Roxas has tapped Senator Frank Drilon and a batallion of lawyers to ensure that Senator Grace Poe is disqualified from the presidential race.

Roque added that aside from disqualifying Poe, efforts to imprison Vice President Jejo-

mar Binay and prevent Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte from running would go into high gear so that the lone candidate left opposing Roxas would be Senator Miriam Santiago, the only candidate whose numbers are worse than the LP standard bearer.

“During the time of President Cory, the threats to democracy were the coups launched left and right by rogue elements of the armed forces. Now a similar coup is under way, right under our noses. But this time its generals wear barong tagalogs and its soldiers are armed with petitions and pleadings,” Roque said.

“Kabalikat namin ang mamamayan laban sa coup na ‘to,” added Roque. 

“God save our democracy. No blood will be spilled in this coup, but it will lead to the death of democracy and the denial of one of the most basic rights of our people: the right to choose our leaders,” explained Roque.

By Rio N. Araja

THE Quezon City Regional Trial Court has sentenced two officials of the National Bureau of Investigation to a jail term of 23 years for their fail-ure to remit a P1-million cash collec-tion from clearance fees. 

In a 20-page decision, Branch 226 Judge Manuel Sta. Cruz Jr. found officer in charge Ramil Rodriguez and satellite office chief cashier Elizabeth Sobre-villa guilty beyond reasonable doubt of malversation and viola-tion of Section 3 (e) of Republic Act 3019, or the Anti-Graft  and Corrupt Practices Act.

He ordered the imprison-ment of 10 years up to a max-imum of 18 years and eight months of Rodriguez and So-

brevilla for malversation.Rodriguez and Sobrevilla were also

meted out a minimum of one year to a maximum of five years of imprison-ment for violation of Section 3 (e) of RA 3019.

Sta. Cruz also directed Rodriguez and Sobrevilla to indemnify the gov-ernment a P942,425 fine, the amount of government funds that they sup-posedly misused.

Both had been perpetually dis-qualified from holding public office.

Based on records, NBI operatives discovered some booklets of unused original clearance receipts in a vault in an unannounced inspection at the bureau’s satellite office in Quezon City in 2006.

Rodriguez and Sobrevilla failed to account for 120 booklets or 8,195 pieces of official receipts and to remit

the clearance fees of P942,425.“In the case at hand, the existence

of conspiracy is very evident from the acts of accused Ramil Rodri-guez and Elizabeth Sobrevilla. Ra-mil Rodriguez, in his capacity as of-ficer-in-charge of the Quezon City NBI satellite office allowed accused Elizabeth Sobrevilla unhampered access to the vault, located inside his office, where the subject used official receipts and corresponding amount were supposed to be safe-kept,” the decision read.

“He [Rodriguez] should not have giv-en a subaltern such blanket discretion. Evidently, such actions are tantamount to gross negligence on his part.”

According to the prosecution, Sobrevilla was liable for the miss-ing clearance fees and even lent the money to other people.

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

NEWSA6W E D N E S D AY : N O V E M B E R 4 , 2 0 1 5

‘Xmas lights spark Makati fire’

Tolentino weighs in on sea row

Crackdown soughtvs illegal LPG refillers

Killed were Annie Du-ran, 44; her daughters Brit-ney May, 14 years old, and Nicole, eight, and her two-month old grandson Rodri-go Nathaniel. Three other members of the family—

Rodrigo, 44, their children Rodney, 11 and Ann Teacia, 16 were rushed to the Phil-ippine General Hospital due to third-degree burns.

The blaze also rendered about 50 families homeless.

By Joel E. Zurbano

BEWARE of defective Christmas lights.This warning came from Makati City

officials who suspect that defective Christ-mas light and illegal power connection triggered the fire that killed four mem-bers of a family, three of them children, and injured three others in Barangay Palanan last Sunday.

SENATORIAL candidate Francis Tolentino on Tues-day stressed the importance of a multilateral approach in resolving the lingering issue in the West Philippine Sea.

Tolentino, who has a master’s degree on Public International Law, cited the significance of involving the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, aside from the Philippines and China, in resolving disputing claims in West Philippine Sea.

“There should be a plus-plus multilateral approach given the existing geopoli-tics here in the Asean. It should be China plus the Asean,” said Tolentino, a disaster preparedness ad-vocate, who earned his de-gree from the University of London.

Tolentino’s statement

came after an international tribunal decision in having the jurisdiction to hear the case brought by the country over disputed islands in the South China Sea.

The Philippines filed a case before the Arbitration Court in the Hague ques-tioning the claim of nine-dashed line by China which reportedly encroaches on 80 percent of the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone in the West Philippine Sea.

The former Metropolitan Manila Development Au-thority chairman insisted that the issue of West Phil-ippine Sea should be dis-cussed by candidates for the 2016 elections.

“I can add substance to raging debate concerning the West Philippine Sea. Modesty aside, ang Master’s

Degree ko ay Public Interna-tional Law,” said Tolentino, who is aspiring for a senato-rial seat next year.

He cited an example of multilateral approach which was in the case of European Union. “Yung nangyari dati sa Europe, yung pag-aaga-wan nila ng resources ng steel at coal, nagawa na po yun. Six European countries nagkaroon ng European Community of Steel and Coal, “ said Tolentino.

“The European coal and steel community” model could even serve as a long- term solution for Asean participation given the area’s vast energy resources “wherein a regional mari-time governance policy could evolve given the cur-rent geo-political setting,” he pointed out.

By Rey E. Requejo

THE Department of Justice has been asked to prosecute four individuals for allegedly engaging in illegal refilling of LPG or cooking gas, a practice that oftentimes lead to explo-sions and fires in households and business establishments.

In a complaint, Liezl A. Doroteo (FLD Marketing), Henfherd D. Catsuela (Jhey-bee LPG Store/Pure Gaz LPG Store), Ronaldo G. Lugtu (R&B Gas and General Merchan-dise) and, Jun Goloya (Goloya Marketing/West Gas) were ac-cused of violating Republic Act No. 8293, Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines, which penalizes unauthorized refill-ing of branded LPG cylinders,  a form of unfair competition and a criminal offense.

Under the Department of Energy’s Circular No. 20017-10-007, LPG cylinders can only be refilled by their brand owners or their authorized refillers.

The complaint was filed fol-lowing a series of raids con-

ducted by the National Bureau of Investigation recently.

The NBI has raided 19 plants over the last 10 months as part of its crackdown against illegal LPG refillers in the country cit-ing   the risk that they are put-ting on the lives and properties of millions of households.

However, an estimated five million Filipino households use LPG, an alarming 3.5 mil-lion or 70 percent of these are suspected to be using defective LPG cylinders due to the un-safe practices of illegal refillers.

These practices include il-legal tampering of branded cylinders and use of dilapi-dated used tanks for storing and refilling.

Such procedures leave parts of the LPG cylinders thin and prone to leakage or explosions.

Based on Bureau of Fire Protection statistics, around 100 fires yearly are caused by defective LPG tanks.

A bill is now pending be-fore the Senate which aims to stop illegal LPG activities and ensure consumer welfare.

Arson investigators ini-tially blamed illegal power connection as the cause of the fire which broke out in an apartment unit along Araro Sreet.

But acting Mayor Romulo Peña Jr. said substandard Christmas lights and other electronic decorations may have started the house fire. He refused to elaborate but he ordered the Makati Fire Department to dig deeper into the matter.

“We are deeply saddened by this tragedy that has claimed the lives of a mother, her two young children and baby grandson who were living in the unit where the

fire reportedly originated. We appeal to our residents to take extra precautions in keeping their homes safe and fire-proof, especially this coming holiday season,” he said.

Peña cautioned residents to check carefully Christmas lights and other electronic decors for the appropriate Department of Trade and Industry seal of quality be-fore purchasing them to avoid fires.

He also warned them against using illegal power connections and improper use of outlets and extensions, since these pose grave danger to their homes and families.

Authorities said substan-dard lighting, mostly com-ing in bulk from China, have caused countless damage to properties to Filipino homes so the Customs bureau is very strict in checking if im-ported products adhere to Philippine Safety Standards imposed by the Bureau of Product Standards.

Philippine standard re-quires the use of seven stranded wires in Christmas lights. These are thicker and safer as they help prevent overheating, especially dur-ing extended use.

“It is important to en-sure that these products go through the processes

not only because of gov-ernment losses but also to protect the public from unsafe products that do not adhere to safety stan-dards. That is why we are being proactive and are profiling these shipments before they reach Philip-pine shores,” said Customs intelligence officer Alvin Enciso.

“We assure you that we are prepared to stop these substandard products from reaching the market and we are committed to protect the welfare of the Filipinos this Christmas season and all seasons thereafter,” he said.

Power of two. Two men try to douse a house on fire at Batasan Hills in Quezon City on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2015. JANSEN ROMERO

IP advocate wins Blessed Teresa award. The AY Foundation, the philanthrophic arm of the Yuchengco Group of Companies, together with the Junior Chamber International Manila, recently bestowed the 2015 Blessed Teresa of Calcutta Award to indigenous peoples’ rights advocate Divina T. Fabra. Present in the ceremony were Ambassador Alfonso T. Yuchengco, founder of AY Foundation; Helen Yuchengco Dee, chairperson of Rizal Commercial Banking Corp.; Michele Marie Dee, executive vice president at AY Foundation Inc; and Jeremiah Jimenez, chairman of the JCI Manila BTCA Search Committee. A missionary with over 27 years of experience, Fabra has devoted her life to helping the poor communities of the Calamain Tagbanua in Coron, Palawan and the Aetas in Zambales. She has been fully immersing herself in their culture and even learning their languages since 1994. Divina T. Fabra (center) flanked by BTCA Search Committee chairman Jeremiah Jimenez (left) and JCI Manila president Steven Paul Anthony Baltao (right) together with other members of JCI Manila pose for a souvernir snapshot.

Lawmaker pushes for mangrove ‘greenbelts’

A7editorial@thestandard.com.ph

W E D N E S D AY : N O V E M B E R 4 , 2 0 1 5

NEWS

Police arrest 2 more members of Romanian cyber syndicate By Florante S. Solmerin

THE Criminal Investigation and Detection Group has arrested two more members of the so-called “Romania Cyber Crime Syndicate” during a stakeout operation last Saturday night in Barangay Tipolo, Mandaue City, Cebu, CIDG public information officer Chief Inspector Elizabeth Jasmin said Monday.

She identified the sus-pects, based on the report of CIDG7 regional chief Senior Superintendent Marlon Ta-yaba, as Petru Ioan Uveges,

43, and Stefania Michaela Osman, 36, both Romanians.

“[They] were caught in the act of unauthorized with-drawal using illegally pos-

A BILL in the House of Representatives pushes for the establishment of green-belts of mangroves and beach forests along coast-lines to effectively mitigate the damaging impacts of waves and storm surges.

Rep. Rodel M. Batocabe (Party-list, Ako Bicol) filed House Bill 5948, otherwise known as the “National Coastal Greenbelt Act of 2015,” which seeks to create the National Coastal Green-belt Program.

Coastal greenbelt, as de-fined under the bill, is a strip of natural or planted coastal vegetation, stretching at least 100 meters in width from the sea towards land, primarily of mangrove and beach forest species, which are designed to prevent coastal erosion and mitigate the adverse impacts of natu-ral coastal hazards on hu-man lives and property.

Batocabe, chairman of the House Special Commit-tee on Climate Change, said establishing the National Coastal Greenbelt Program shall provide the Climate Change Commission the di-rectives, funding and gener-al guiding principles for im-plementing a science-based and cost-effective program.

“The proposed National Coastal Greenbelt Pro-gram mandates the es-tablishment of 100-meter protection zones, initially for the Eastern Pacific seaboard, where typhoons make landfall,” he said.

Batocabe, in his explana-tory note, said the Philip-pines, as shown in the World Bank reports, ranks 8th

among countries most ex-posed to multiple hazards and ranks 13th at high eco-nomic risk to natural events.

He said damages to the agriculture and infrastruc-ture sectors alone reached $500 million in the past two decades, equivalent to 0.5 percent of the gross domes-tic product. PNA

By Rio N. ArajaTHE Sandiganbayan has found Mayor Luciano Ligan of Kibawe, Bukidnon guilty of technical malversation or illegal use of pub-lic funds under Article 220 of the Revised Penal Code.

In a 29-page decision penned by Associate Justice Maria The-resa Dolores Gomez-Estoesta, the Fifth Division said Ligan diverted funds appropriated by the mu-nicipal councilors for tourism ac-tivities and the Kaamulan festival to the construction of a tourism function hall.

Three other respondents—mu-nicipal treasurer Ma. Asuncion Codilla, municipal budget officer

Narciso Chaves Jr. and municipal accountant Ellen Piquero—were also convicted of technical mal-versation.

The Sandiganbayan said it was “not persuaded by the accused’s strained attempts to link the con-struction with tourism activities” and explained that it “fails to see the slightest connection between the promotion of tourism/par-ticipation in the Kaamulan Fes-tival with the construction of the Tourism Function Hall.”

“The mere availability of funds from savings, if any, does not carry with it authority to use them for purposes other than those for which they were appropriated.”

The court said Ligan and company conspired to illegally divert funds of P500,000 appropriated by the municipal council for the town’s festival from December 2002 to January 2003.

The resolution was concurred in by Fifth Division chairman Associate Justice Roland Jurado and senior member Associate Justice Alexander Gesmundo.

On the other hand, the Sandi-ganbayan dropped the charges against another two co-accused —planning and development coordinator Crestito Dones Jr. and municipal engineer Edgar Mulat for “reasonable doubt” on their guilt.

Sandiganbayan: Bukidnon mayor guilty of technical malversation

sessed [electronic] cards,” Tayaba stated in his report.

He said the duo were captured after almost a month of surveillance and intelligence buildup.

Seized from the suspects were cash amounting to P52,000, 67 pieces of British Export Cards, 1 Metrobank Mastercard under the name of Petru Ioan Uveges, a Uni-Credit Tiriac Bank, 3 pieces of Security Bank ATM Transaction Slip amount-ing to P10,000 each, and a Metro Rewards Card bear-

ing the name of Stefania Mihaela Osman.

Additional items seized were driver’s licenses and shopping cards, a Toyota In-nova and some mobile phones.

“Both suspects were known members of the ‘Ro-mania Cyber Crime Syn-dicate’ operating in Cebu whose modus is withdraw-ing money at any bank ATM with British export Cards to divest and defraud their victims who owns in-ternational bank accounts,” Tayaba said.

He said they called the suspects “harvesters” whose job is only to withdraw money.

“They were the second and third Romanian ar-rested for the same offense,” Tayaba said. The first one was Gheoghe Adelin Stret-su, a Romanian economist who was captured by the Cebu police in September this year.

All the arrested suspects were charged for violation of Republic Act 8484 (Access Device Regulation Act).

Coffee love. An employee of Kera coffee shop in Kidapawan City uses a roaster to produce coffee granules. Kera coffee is a locally-made roasted and ground coffee—excelsa, robusta and arabica—from Mt. Apo highlands. GEONARRI SOLMERANO

Farm inputs. Greenpeace Philippines represented by campaigner Vigie Llorin donates seeds and other farming inputs to Tublay, Benguet farmers who suffered damages to their vegetable farms during the height of Typhoon ‘Lando.’ Vice Mayor Armando Lauro leads the farmer beneficiaries. DAVID CHAN

OPINIONA8

[ EDI TORI A L ]

THE TRUTH HURTS

A9ADELLE CHUAE D I T O R

W E D N E S D AY: N O V E M B E R 4 , 2 0 1 5

OPINION

WHEN A PROBE IS A COVER-UP

FAKE PRODUCTS

IN THE MARKET

Continued on A11

SMARTING from criticism that the administration doesn’t care about what happens to working men and women, a presidential spokesman lashed out at the political opposition Saturday on the state-run Radyo ng Bayan.

“They should never ever say that the government has no heart, that the government has no malasakit [compassion],” Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda said.

“In the six years of our government, everything will be done to help those who are at the fringes of society,” he said.

In particular, the President’s spokesman hit Senator Ferdinand Marcos and his cousin Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez for claiming that the Aquino administration does not want to support a bill in Congress to cut income tax rates—already the highest in Southeast Asia—because they don’t care about the suffering of Filipinos.

Lacierda also slammed Romualdez for saying that the Aquino administration has no compassion for people who must suffer substandard public services while economic growth has slowed down because of government underspending.

Lacierda said the Aquino administration had “invested” P75 billion on its Conditional Cash Transfer Program which gives a monthly dole to 4.4-million families, or over 20-million Filipinos.

“You tell Martin Romualdez, isn’t that compassion?” he declared petulantly.Perhaps Lacierda would not have spoken so brashly had he seen the latest figures from

the Social Weather Stations showing that more Filipinos were going hungry in the last quarter of 2015.

The SWS survey, conducted from Sept. 2 to 5 among 1,200 adults nationwide, found that 15.7 percent of respondents, or an equivalent of about 3.5-million families, said they experienced “involuntary hunger” at least once in the past three months.

The SWS said the latest hunger figure is three points up from the 12.7 percent (2.8-million families) recorded in the preceding quarter and the highest since December 2014’s 17.2 percent.

By geographic area, hunger was most pronounced in Mindanao, where the figure rose by 7.4 points to 21.7 percent, which is an estimated 1.1-million families, in September. The figure is the highest in two years.

In Metro Manila, hunger was at 18.3 percent, or an estimated 553,000 families, which is the worst since the 22 percent recorded in September last year.

These dismal figures suggest that this administration has squandered its “investment” of P75 billion from the high taxes we pay on a dole program that does nothing but engen-der a culture of mendicancy and political patronage—in time for the 2016 elections.

Lacierda might also wish to consider that wages have failed to keep up with the rate at which the cost of basic goods and services has been rising.

Then there are the obvious and painful truths from which a flunky in the Palace might be insulated—the daily grind of commuting to work in trains that not only do not run on time, but are actually unsafe; a bureaucracy that is so unresponsive that it takes more than a year to deliver drivers licenses, license plates or voters IDs; and an international airport that is not only among the 10 worst in the world, but also where security personnel extort from travelers by planting bullets in their luggage.

As taxpayers who must suffer as the government carves out its pound of our flesh every payday to the tune of a full one-third of our salaries, in exchange for very little by way of efficient public services, we are eminently qualified to ask: “Where is the compassion there, Mr. Lacierda?”

Aquino showed that he was

not taking the bullet-planting

controversy seriously when he

made Abaya his point man.

LOWDOWN

JOJO A. ROBLES

BACK CHANNEL

ALEJANDRO DEL ROSARIO

IT IS said that imitation is the best form of flattery and compliment. But it’s not good for business when the market is being flooded with cheap imitations of Rolex watches, Lacoste and Burberry T-shirts, including a local brand ciga-rette that has gained wide acceptance with smokers.

Law enforcement agencies—the National Bureau of Investigation, Philippine National Police and the Bureaus of Internal Revenue and Customs—have joined forces and co-ordinating in the crackdown against counterfeit products, particularly the sale of fake Mighty and Marvel cigarette. PNP chief Ricardo Marquez ordered his deputy for police operations, Danilo Constantino, to intensify the campaign against fake products after receiving reports of counterfeit cigarettes being sold in San Jose, Nueva Ecija; Bocaue, Bulacan; Imus, Cavite; and Mandaue, Cebu.

The PNP reported several arrests and the filing of charges against merchants for violation of Republic Act 8293 or the law against trademark infringement for selling fake cigarette brands. The counterfeit cigarettes were being sold in shopping malls, sari-sari stores and by ambulant vendors. Because cigarettes are sold and consumed on a daily basis un-like clothing and watches, the amount in tax revenues lost by the government runs into millions of pesos which is why the BIR is closely following the police opera-tion against fake cigarettes to make there is no let up in the campaign.

Mighty Corp., a wholly-owned Filipino cigarette manufacturer, welcomed the government campaign against the prolif-eration of fake products in the market. The company also said that because the fake cigarettes cannot match Mighty’s quality, the illegal trade is undermining the best-selling brand that pays taxes, aside from reducing government rev-enue share.

No Senate run for AtienzaWhy did Buhay Party-List Rep. Lito

Atienza forego his run for the Senate? He had, after all, good name recall as three-term Manila mayor, a member of the National Assembly, former Department of Environment and Natural Resources secretary and National Housing Authority manager under the late President Cory Aquino.

Lito was No. 14 in the last poll surveys of candidates for the 12 vacant senatorial seats. He was within striking distance

IT’S not a real investigation. It’s just an elaborate cover-up, with politics and unbreakable per-sonal relationships thrown in for good measure.

The good news is, Malacañang Palace has disowned the statements of its online attack canines that politics is behind the bullet-planting controversy. The bad news is, the Aquino administration seems as unwilling as ever to seriously pursue the case, because

it assigned Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya to investigate and put an end to the extortion racket.

“Let’s set aside any politi-cal color,” said palace spokes-man Edwin Lacierda. He was referring, of course, to the claims made by the Alternate Communications Group that the whole hullaballoo has been engineered by the political oppo-sition in order to embarrass the administration and to take away votes from its presidential candi-date, Mar Roxas.

But at the same time, President Noynoy Aquino showed that he was not taking the matter of security personnel

allegedly slipping bullets into outgoing airline passengers’ lug-gage when he made Abaya his point man in the probe. Abaya, of course, is the president of the Liberal Party to which Aquino, Roxas and even Lacierda be-long; and when Aquino picked Abaya— instead of, say, more independent officials not di-rectly involved in either the rul-ing party or the operations of the airport—he was practically ensuring that his investigation goes nowhere.

It’s really easy to figure out: At the center of the contro-versy is the screening of lug-gage by the personnel of a rela-tively new agency called the

Office of Transport Security, which is directly under the Department of Transportation and Communications, which Abaya heads.

The OTS was created in 2004 in response to calls from the United States for allied countries to tight-en up on transport security and facilities, much like Washington also did when it established the Department of Homeland Security and the Transport Security Administration in the wake of the World Trade Center attacks. Several years ago, OTS took over the function of screen-ing luggage at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport from the PNP Aviation Security Group, which is now relegated to pro-viding police presence and re-sponding to alerts such as those

given by OTS, whenever it “discovers” bullets in some unfortunate passenger’s checked in or hand-carried bags.

So, the administration is now asking the lineal head of OTS, Abaya, who just happens to be the LP boss, to investi-gate his own people and risk embarrass-ing himself and his own department. Meanwhile, Malacañang has repeat-edly denied that it is investigating or even summoning Manila International Airport Authority general manager Jose Angel Honrado, who is the official in charge of the entire airport—quite

simply because Honrado is known to be one of the closest friends of Aquino himself, having served as his mother’s aide-de-camp when she was President.

All of this is why I believe no impar-tial investigation, to say nothing of con-crete action, is going to come out of this whole song-and-dance routine being performed by Malacañang. And Abaya is just too conflicted and political (not to mention demonstrably incompetent, as his involvement with the MRT 3 mess is concerned) to come up with anything other than the complete absolution of all

the parties in the controversy.Politics most definitely figures in the

equation here. But it’s being resorted to by the Aquino administration, not just the washed-up former entertainers in its employ.

And, Lacierda, bless his Yellow heart, has already been quoted as saying that the media is behind the bullet-planting controversy. Maybe the next spin is that former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is involved in it, as well, because OTS was conceived during her time.

Continued on A10

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

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OPINIONA8

[ EDI TORI A L ]

THE TRUTH HURTS

A9ADELLE CHUAE D I T O R

W E D N E S D AY: N O V E M B E R 4 , 2 0 1 5

OPINION

WHEN A PROBE IS A COVER-UP

FAKE PRODUCTS

IN THE MARKET

Continued on A11

SMARTING from criticism that the administration doesn’t care about what happens to working men and women, a presidential spokesman lashed out at the political opposition Saturday on the state-run Radyo ng Bayan.

“They should never ever say that the government has no heart, that the government has no malasakit [compassion],” Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda said.

“In the six years of our government, everything will be done to help those who are at the fringes of society,” he said.

In particular, the President’s spokesman hit Senator Ferdinand Marcos and his cousin Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez for claiming that the Aquino administration does not want to support a bill in Congress to cut income tax rates—already the highest in Southeast Asia—because they don’t care about the suffering of Filipinos.

Lacierda also slammed Romualdez for saying that the Aquino administration has no compassion for people who must suffer substandard public services while economic growth has slowed down because of government underspending.

Lacierda said the Aquino administration had “invested” P75 billion on its Conditional Cash Transfer Program which gives a monthly dole to 4.4-million families, or over 20-million Filipinos.

“You tell Martin Romualdez, isn’t that compassion?” he declared petulantly.Perhaps Lacierda would not have spoken so brashly had he seen the latest figures from

the Social Weather Stations showing that more Filipinos were going hungry in the last quarter of 2015.

The SWS survey, conducted from Sept. 2 to 5 among 1,200 adults nationwide, found that 15.7 percent of respondents, or an equivalent of about 3.5-million families, said they experienced “involuntary hunger” at least once in the past three months.

The SWS said the latest hunger figure is three points up from the 12.7 percent (2.8-million families) recorded in the preceding quarter and the highest since December 2014’s 17.2 percent.

By geographic area, hunger was most pronounced in Mindanao, where the figure rose by 7.4 points to 21.7 percent, which is an estimated 1.1-million families, in September. The figure is the highest in two years.

In Metro Manila, hunger was at 18.3 percent, or an estimated 553,000 families, which is the worst since the 22 percent recorded in September last year.

These dismal figures suggest that this administration has squandered its “investment” of P75 billion from the high taxes we pay on a dole program that does nothing but engen-der a culture of mendicancy and political patronage—in time for the 2016 elections.

Lacierda might also wish to consider that wages have failed to keep up with the rate at which the cost of basic goods and services has been rising.

Then there are the obvious and painful truths from which a flunky in the Palace might be insulated—the daily grind of commuting to work in trains that not only do not run on time, but are actually unsafe; a bureaucracy that is so unresponsive that it takes more than a year to deliver drivers licenses, license plates or voters IDs; and an international airport that is not only among the 10 worst in the world, but also where security personnel extort from travelers by planting bullets in their luggage.

As taxpayers who must suffer as the government carves out its pound of our flesh every payday to the tune of a full one-third of our salaries, in exchange for very little by way of efficient public services, we are eminently qualified to ask: “Where is the compassion there, Mr. Lacierda?”

Aquino showed that he was

not taking the bullet-planting

controversy seriously when he

made Abaya his point man.

LOWDOWN

JOJO A. ROBLES

BACK CHANNEL

ALEJANDRO DEL ROSARIO

IT IS said that imitation is the best form of flattery and compliment. But it’s not good for business when the market is being flooded with cheap imitations of Rolex watches, Lacoste and Burberry T-shirts, including a local brand ciga-rette that has gained wide acceptance with smokers.

Law enforcement agencies—the National Bureau of Investigation, Philippine National Police and the Bureaus of Internal Revenue and Customs—have joined forces and co-ordinating in the crackdown against counterfeit products, particularly the sale of fake Mighty and Marvel cigarette. PNP chief Ricardo Marquez ordered his deputy for police operations, Danilo Constantino, to intensify the campaign against fake products after receiving reports of counterfeit cigarettes being sold in San Jose, Nueva Ecija; Bocaue, Bulacan; Imus, Cavite; and Mandaue, Cebu.

The PNP reported several arrests and the filing of charges against merchants for violation of Republic Act 8293 or the law against trademark infringement for selling fake cigarette brands. The counterfeit cigarettes were being sold in shopping malls, sari-sari stores and by ambulant vendors. Because cigarettes are sold and consumed on a daily basis un-like clothing and watches, the amount in tax revenues lost by the government runs into millions of pesos which is why the BIR is closely following the police opera-tion against fake cigarettes to make there is no let up in the campaign.

Mighty Corp., a wholly-owned Filipino cigarette manufacturer, welcomed the government campaign against the prolif-eration of fake products in the market. The company also said that because the fake cigarettes cannot match Mighty’s quality, the illegal trade is undermining the best-selling brand that pays taxes, aside from reducing government rev-enue share.

No Senate run for AtienzaWhy did Buhay Party-List Rep. Lito

Atienza forego his run for the Senate? He had, after all, good name recall as three-term Manila mayor, a member of the National Assembly, former Department of Environment and Natural Resources secretary and National Housing Authority manager under the late President Cory Aquino.

Lito was No. 14 in the last poll surveys of candidates for the 12 vacant senatorial seats. He was within striking distance

IT’S not a real investigation. It’s just an elaborate cover-up, with politics and unbreakable per-sonal relationships thrown in for good measure.

The good news is, Malacañang Palace has disowned the statements of its online attack canines that politics is behind the bullet-planting controversy. The bad news is, the Aquino administration seems as unwilling as ever to seriously pursue the case, because

it assigned Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya to investigate and put an end to the extortion racket.

“Let’s set aside any politi-cal color,” said palace spokes-man Edwin Lacierda. He was referring, of course, to the claims made by the Alternate Communications Group that the whole hullaballoo has been engineered by the political oppo-sition in order to embarrass the administration and to take away votes from its presidential candi-date, Mar Roxas.

But at the same time, President Noynoy Aquino showed that he was not taking the matter of security personnel

allegedly slipping bullets into outgoing airline passengers’ lug-gage when he made Abaya his point man in the probe. Abaya, of course, is the president of the Liberal Party to which Aquino, Roxas and even Lacierda be-long; and when Aquino picked Abaya— instead of, say, more independent officials not di-rectly involved in either the rul-ing party or the operations of the airport—he was practically ensuring that his investigation goes nowhere.

It’s really easy to figure out: At the center of the contro-versy is the screening of lug-gage by the personnel of a rela-tively new agency called the

Office of Transport Security, which is directly under the Department of Transportation and Communications, which Abaya heads.

The OTS was created in 2004 in response to calls from the United States for allied countries to tight-en up on transport security and facilities, much like Washington also did when it established the Department of Homeland Security and the Transport Security Administration in the wake of the World Trade Center attacks. Several years ago, OTS took over the function of screen-ing luggage at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport from the PNP Aviation Security Group, which is now relegated to pro-viding police presence and re-sponding to alerts such as those

given by OTS, whenever it “discovers” bullets in some unfortunate passenger’s checked in or hand-carried bags.

So, the administration is now asking the lineal head of OTS, Abaya, who just happens to be the LP boss, to investi-gate his own people and risk embarrass-ing himself and his own department. Meanwhile, Malacañang has repeat-edly denied that it is investigating or even summoning Manila International Airport Authority general manager Jose Angel Honrado, who is the official in charge of the entire airport—quite

simply because Honrado is known to be one of the closest friends of Aquino himself, having served as his mother’s aide-de-camp when she was President.

All of this is why I believe no impar-tial investigation, to say nothing of con-crete action, is going to come out of this whole song-and-dance routine being performed by Malacañang. And Abaya is just too conflicted and political (not to mention demonstrably incompetent, as his involvement with the MRT 3 mess is concerned) to come up with anything other than the complete absolution of all

the parties in the controversy.Politics most definitely figures in the

equation here. But it’s being resorted to by the Aquino administration, not just the washed-up former entertainers in its employ.

And, Lacierda, bless his Yellow heart, has already been quoted as saying that the media is behind the bullet-planting controversy. Maybe the next spin is that former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is involved in it, as well, because OTS was conceived during her time.

Continued on A10

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

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Board that the people be-hind the scam are from the opposition aimed at de-monizing Mar Roxas. That was an idiotic claim.

What an idiotic claim!“Daan Matuwid” or

straight path, my foot! It’s plain baloney and sheer hy-pocrisy.

* * *It’s now official and veri-

fied. I am referring to the criminal negligence of ad-ministration officials in uti-lizing monetary donations from domestic and foreign sources aimed for relief and rehabilitation of victims of calamities. No less than the Commission on Audit has confirmed it.

Read this and understand why survivors of disasters, not only in Tacloban City, are still living in tents and bunkhouses and deprived of their livelihood.

Funds have been accu-mulating. Financial records have shown that the Office of Civil Defense has kept more than P384 million in donations since only P81 million of the more than P466 million was spent.

State auditors also found that the biggest chunk of the donations totaling P137 million was received by the OCD from various government agencies, like the Department of Social Welfare and Development

for victims of Yolanda that devastated Eastern Visayas two years ago.

And my gulay, you know what? The trust ac-count of donations of the Development Bank of the Philippines has already earned P1.709 million in interest. The excuse given for not immediately releas-ing the funds intended for calamity and disaster vic-tims was the beneficiaries’ lack of compliance with the requirements.

If indeed the compliance was lacking because of rigid requirements, it’s still the fault of the OCD knowing how urgent the needs of victims of calamities and

disasters. It still boils down to criminal negligence on the part of the administra-tion.

My gulay, it all boils down to lack of “malasakit,” according to Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez.

* * *If you are wondering why

there are so many senatori-als and presidential candi-dates running in 2016 even as they know they would not make it, the answer is that at the end of the day, they are just running for the funds of it. They know it’s an opportunity to receive donations and contribu-tions from the usual cam-paign “padrinos.”

OPINIONW E D N E S D AY: N O V E M B E R 4 , 2 0 1 5

A10

GOV. Mujiv Hataman of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao took issue with GMA-7 noon-time show “Eat Bulaga” hosts Senator Tito Sotto and Joey de Leon dressing like Arabs during the pro-gram’s Halloween segment. Hataman wants them to apologize for portraying Muslims as troublemakers.

Santa Banana, is it now an insult to the Muslims if one dresses like one of them? It’s the ARMM gov-ernor who is exhibiting his wrong sense of sensitivity. I have a look-alike of the Arab garb I bought in one of my trips to Egypt (you can buy them in all Arab shops). I used this in parties my wife and I got invited to. When my Muslim friends saw me, they felt delighted because I was dressed like one of them.

* * *If there’s one thing that

binds the friends, support-ers and the appointees of President Aquino, it’s their lack of delicadeza to resign. They remain glued to their seats despite public clamor for them to resign irrevo-cably.

There was, for instance, resigned Justice Secretary Leila de Lima. After the botched rescue of hostages in the 2010 Luneta, she conducted an investiga-tion and found that persons close to the President were to blame, criminally and administratively.

But these findings were ignored by the President, who simply gave his friends a slap on the wrist. Despite this rebuke, De Lima stayed on.

Then came Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala, charged with plunder. Obviously lacking self-re-spect and delicadeza, he did

not even offer to resign.There is also Tesda

Secretary Joel Villanueva, who has been implicated in the pork barrel scam of Janet Lim Napoles. He said he would never be seen on the same stage as De Lima if the latter ended up run-ning for senator under the administration party.

Now, De Lima and Villanueva are seen on the same stage. Oh well. We know what they say about birds of the same feather.

The one that takes the cake for this, however, is former Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas II, who is the Liberal Party’s bet for the presidency.

In implementing Oplan Exodus, for instance, which led to the deaths of the 44 Special Action Force men, Roxas was kept out of the loop even though he was supposed to be the head of the DILG, under which the Philippine National Police operates. Instead, the operation was run by the President’s friend, then-suspended PNP Chief Alan Purisima.

Did Roxas protest this treatment he got from the President? Of course not.

It is thus not surprising that Naia general man-ager Jose Angel Honrado, the late President Cory Aquino’s aide and cousin of BS Aquino III, also refuses to resign over the “tanim-bala” scheme at our airport.

Now, President Aquino wants the scam to be in-vestigated. And you know who will investigate it? Transportation and Communications Secretary Emilio “Jun” Abaya, the same incompetent and in-sensitive cabinet member who’s responsible for the long lines at the MRT 3 and its frequent glitches.

Under Abaya, we also be-came known for our poor public transportation ser-vices.

It would be like Abaya in-vestigating himself!

Santa Banana, in my over 65 years as a journalist, I have never seen so much incompetence, ineptitude, and insensitivity like what is being displayed by this administration!

Will “tanim-bala” now become a political issue? Of course it will since sup-porters and friends of BS Aquino III are making it so. Take the claim of one of the President’s appointees to the Movie & Television Ratings and Classification

TIES THAT BIND PNOY’S SUPPORTERS

GAZMIN, ABAYA, HONRADOPRESIDENT Benigno Simeon (BS) Cojuangco Aquino III bears full mor-al and command responsibility for the habitual shenanigans and colos-sal incompetence in two major cabi-net departments—the Department of Transportation and Communications and the Department of National Defense. These key departments are proof positive that the Aquino ad-ministration is corrupt, incompetent and insensitive.

Both the DoTC and the DND are headed by men who are very close to Aquino and his family—Joseph Emilio Aguinaldo Abaya, 49, and retired lieutenant general Voltaire Gazmin, 71. These two served as aides-de-camp and security officers of the late President Corazon Cojuangco Aquino and her family.

You can say Abaya of Cavite and Gazmin of Tarlac are “members” of the Aquino-Cojuangco family.

Gazmin was the godson of the late Senator Benigno Aquino Jr. when the then army lieutenant married his long-time sweetheart in 1969, a year after he graduated from the Philippine Military Academy. Gazmin also was the sympathetic jailer of Ninoy Aquino when the army surreptitious-ly hauled the opposition leader for solitary confinement in Laur, Nueva Ecija without Cory Aquino being told about it. She almost went crazy look-ing for Ninoy until Gazmin secretly told her about her husband’s where-abouts. When Cory became President, Gazmin headed the reorganized Presidential Security Group which saved her from no less than seven coup attempts, including the two bloodiest in history, in 1987 and 1989.

As Defense secretary, Gazmin pre-sides over the largest procurement program ever undertaken by the DND, a total of $1.6 billion in military up-grade in the past two years alone. In 2016, the Defense budget is the biggest ever—at P116 billion. There is danger that some of that money is falling into the wrong hands. Early this year, the Senate tried to investigate the anoma-lous procurement of 21 refurbished helicopters worth P1.2 billion. Some of the choppers were not functioning properly. Sensing the heat of a scan-dal, the DND canceled the deal.

In 2013, Gazmin’s able executive director of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council abruptly quit reportedly because he could not stand the procurement scandals at the DND.

Gazmin’s biggest contribution to Aquino’s Matuwid na Daan program, however, is in having a hand in nam-ing corrupt top officials at the Bureau of Immigration and the national peni-tentiary. Today, both the BI and the New Bilibid Prison have become cen-ters of corruption.

Gazmin also proved his mettle, or lack of it, in four major disasters—two man-made (the 20-day Zamboanga siege of 2013 in which the army burned down 10,000 houses, and the Mamasapano Massacre of January 2015 in which 44 elite police com-mandos were massacred in the heat of noon by bandits), and two natural—the Bohol earthquake and Typhoon “Yolanda”, both in 2013. As the coun-try’s defense and disaster prevention and relief czar, these four disasters showed Gazmin as a leader who is le-thargic and far removed from reality.

After these disasters, calls mounted for Gazmin’s retirement or resigna-tion. Aquino would hear none of it.

The President has also been deaf to mounting calls for the removal of Secretary Abaya. On paper, Jun Abaya has impeccable credentials—a great grandson of the first Philippine Presi-dent, Philippine Science High School, engineering studies at the University of the Philippines, bachelor’s degree in math at Annapolis Naval Academy, Maryland, master in electrical engi-neering at Cornel 1989, law degree from Ateneo 2005, and congressman for three terms. He is a scientist with legal credentials.

Still, under Abaya’s watch, the DoTC became the leading center of stupidity, incompetence and corrup-tion. Under his watch, Manila’s hor-rendous traffic made the grade as the worst in the world.

The frequent breakdowns in the mass railway transit that rims the eastern corridor of Metro Manila along Edsa are due largely to incom-petence and corruption. The DoTC had the incredible foresight to award MRT’s maintenance to an unknown company owned by relatives of some DoTC officials and henchmen of Liberal Party honchos.

On another front, another DoTC

agency, the Land Transportation Office, had this brilliant idea to extort P400 from each of the owners of all motorized vehicles by requiring them to buy new plates which turned out to be inferior in quality to current and old but highly usable plates. The LTO also cannot produce car plates and driver’s licenses on time. The head of the old private supplier told me a few months before he died that DoTC people were demanding from him P500 million in spot cash in ex-change for being allowed to negotiate the extension of his contract for car plates and driver’s licenses, “without firm guarantees.” The guy offered to pay half of the P500 million as down payment with the balance payable once he got the contract. No deal.

Management of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport is also under the DoTC. But the man President BS Aquino named as Naia general man-ager is another yellow general and “relative,” Jose Angel Honrado, also from Tarlac.

Under Honrado, a former air force general and a security officer for six years to President Cory Aquino, the Philippines’ principal gateway ac-quired two global distinctions—the worst airport in the world and the most dangerous airport in the world.

The “tanim-bala” (bullet planting) scandal wherein unsuspecting air-line passengers are suddenly found in possession of bullets in their bags (thus subjecting them to extortion to avoid arrest and prosecution) has made headlines around the world and earned prominent coverage by the BBC and Time magazine. This scandal could damage Naia for a long time, if not forever.

Yet, President Aquino doesn’t think there is a scandal and finds no need to fire Honrado. Honrado is the epito-me of the Peter Principle—a man ris-ing to his level of incompetence—and corruption.

Gazmin, Abaya, Honrado. They were once close-in security men of the Aquinos before they rose to their present positions of power. They are the primary proofs why the so-called Matuwid na Daan (Straight Path) is a hollow slogan and a sham.

Ultimately, President BS Aquino must be held responsible for these men. He will, after all, sink with them. In the meantime, the pain and suffering are ours to bear.

biznewsasia@gmail.com

All of them do not have the delicadeza to

resign.

TO THE POINT

EMIL P. JURADO

VIRTUAL REALITY

TONYLOPEZ

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

When...From A9* * *

In the meantime, the rest of the world—very much like our own peripatetic countrymen—have been taking the bullet-planting very, very seriously. The latest

black eye to the Aquino govern-ment and the Philippines in gen-eral is the letter-advisory issued by the United Nations to its em-ployees to take extra precautions when handling their own luggage at Manila’s “premiere” gateway.

The damning advisory of the UN’s Department for Safety and Security, intended only for the organization’s staff, was divulged to the local media by a correspon-dent of The New York Times, after he revealed its existence in a post

on Twitter. “Staff members are advised to keep your luggage with you, lock your luggage and con-sider wrapping your luggage in plastic as an extra security mea-sure,” the advisory said.

With the Philippines rush-

ing last-minute preparations for hosting the Apec summit in two weeks, the UN advisory comes at a most inopportune time. If the administration doesn’t take this controversy seriously, it’s going to haunt it for months to come.

A11W E D N E S D AY: N O V E M B E R 4 , 2 0 1 5

OPINION

SIMPLIFYING ELECTORAL CHOICES

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

CHONG ARDIVILLA#FAILOCRACY

(First of two parts)

WHEN we do get around to changing the present Constitution, let us also simplify our political structure.

If we go federal, which is what suits this nation of tribes, and would truly devolve the over-concentration of political power in the center, which is Manila, then a constitutional conven-tion should be called by the new President elected in May 9, 2016.

That elected Con-Con could then decide whether to go presi-dential, parliamentary, or a vari-ant/hybrid thereof, and submit the same for ratification to our people. The new Constitution would have transitory provisions to ease the shift from the current system to another.

Representative democracy, to my mind, must be anchored on a strong political party system. The current insanity of having a pres-idential form with a multiplicity of parties has made political par-ties irrelevant. Just witness how these “parties” have cobbled their senatorial slate, and see what I mean. Flags of convenience I have labeled our political parties in a previous article on this pa-

per. Nabubuhay pag malapit na ang eleksyon. Nagpapagamit sa kung sino ang may ambisyon.

We used to have a two-party system. Not that there was any major policy or ideological dif-ference between the Nacionalista and the Liberal parties, but at least they served to winnow the chaff from the grain. To run for an exalted position in govern-ment, one had to go through a party convention both at the lo-cal and national levels.

Except for the position of Pres-ident, there were no term lim-its. So there were congressmen elected by their districts as many as five or six consecutive terms of four years each, chosen repeat-edly by their parties, because of good performance or wide per-ception thereof. Senators like Laurel, Recto, Tañada, Puyat, Tolentino, Paredes, Primicias, and other legendary lawmakers were repeatedly renominated by their parties, and repeatedly elected by the people.

Nobody called them dynasts. And party conventions did not choose an unqualified wife or unqualified son or daughter to replace a long-elected leader.

Neither did we see a plethora of celebrities in public office. The convention would not al-low a movie star with few if any

credentials for high office to be a candidate. The national conven-tion was made up of incumbent legislators, incumbent local offi-cials, and party leaders of gener-ally qualified credentials. “May mga karapatan,” who would not brook choosing “mga walang karapatan.”

Sure, there was wheeling and dealing, and delegates to the national party convention were wooed with “gifts” in some in-stances. But nonetheless, they chose their party candidates seri-ously. And senatorial candidates represented ethno-linquistic re-gional categorization. Invariably, there was at least an Ilocano, a Pampango, a Tagalog, a Bicolano, an Ilonggo, a Cebuano, a Waray, a Christian from Mindanao, and a Muslim from Mindanao in the Senate. Now there is no Muslim in the Senate of 24 republics, and there has been no Waray since Decoroso Rosales (NP), was elected in the 50s. A major-ity of our senators grew up and live in Metro Manila. Then, we would elect 24 senators for six-year terms every two years, and a President and vice-president ev-ery four years, with one re-elec-tion allowed. Governors, mayors and other local officials would be elected in mid-term elections, separate from the election of the

top national officials.The Marcos Constitution of

1973 created a quasi-parliamen-tary system, where, when he thought he was ready, he “relin-quished” dictatorial powers in an “election” called in 1981, as a nationally-elected President with a parliament and a cabinet head-ed by a prime minister. To some extent, it gave us a hybrid, similar to the French system where the President is elected by the nation at large, and he “chooses” a prime minister ratified by the National Assembly to run the day-to day affairs of government, while the President ran defense, foreign af-fairs and other highly sensitive policy matters.

The Cory Constitution of 1987 reverted us to the pre-martial law presidential system but with a multi-party system akin to parliaments. It also enshrined a unitary form of government— everything was Manila-centric.

Senator Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel authored a Local Government Code which gave some revenue-flexibility, such as in the internal revenue allot-ments to local government units. While this was a step in the right direction towards recognizing that we are a nation not only of islands but distinct ethno-lin-guistic cultures, it also helped

perhaps unwittingly, to foster the perpetuation of political dynas-ties. Because there were IRAs which could be hefty, and local revenue-generation through real estate and business taxes, finan-cial autonomy promoted dynas-ties, abetted by term limits.

Instead of a good mayor or governor serving for as long as his constituents wanted, he would pass on the position to family members, regardless of whether they had brains, or the disposition to serve. Some did this to protect the gains they achieved in nine years of three terms; some did it only because of power and business, and got themselves and their kin con-tinuously elected by guns, goons and gold.

If we had a functioning politi-cal party system, and not mere flags of convenience utilized by personal ambition, this situa-tion would not pass. The par-ty would choose the “best and brightest” or the “most fit” in a convention of peers, and not by the dictate of the “owner” of the party, whether national (as in NP, LP, NPC, PDP, etc.) or lo-cal, of which there are some 260 nationwide, excluding party-list groups.

So what ought to be done?(To be continued)

SO I SEE

LITOBANAYO

Fake...From A9

and could have made it to the winning column with a nation-wide campaign but this would require enormous fund contribu-tions that could compromise his advocacies.

It’s not true Vice President Jejomar Binay and United Nationalist Alliance presiden-tial candidate dropped Atienza from its senatorial slate. In fact, Lito was one of those considered by Binay as running mate before he settled for Greg Honasan. Atienza said he’s still aligned with UNA but looking at his op-tions as reelectionist congress-man of Buhay (the top vote-get-ter among the Party List groups), he decided he can still do more as a member of the independent House minority bloc.

For example, his proposed House Bill 5878 seeks to re-turn culture and sports to the Department of Education. Under

the present setup, culture and sports were neglected when the Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS) be-came DepEd. Atienza noted this resulted in the Philippines’ poor performance in international competitions.

“The Philippines used to lead medal winnings in the Southeast Asian Games [SEAG], but we are now behind powerhouse China, Japan, Vietnam and even Singapore a city state with a population of no more than 5.5 million compared to 100 million Filipinos. With the proper sports program in our schools, we could develop potential gold medalists,” said Atienza. Our world champi-ons in individual competitions like boxing, bowling and billiards are not products of sports devel-opment in our school system. They excelled through their own guts and hard work, he added.

Atienza also lamented the pre-occupation of today’s youth with

texting, taking selfies, and spend-ing too much time on the Internet. Unless a student is enrolled in fine arts, his interest in culture is not kindled by the DepEd. He noted a decline of interest in folk dancing, an art close to Atienza’s heart. As a former member of the Bayanihan Dance Troupe, he recalled it was through the Bayanihan’s vari-ous performances abroad that he learned about other people’s cul-tures.

“Too much texting and short-cutting messages contribute to bad grammar and poor spelling,” said Atienza who rued the lost art and romance of letter writing. Sadly, “Love u and baboo” via tex-ting is the new normal of court-ship and breaking up.

The DepEd must be remiss when moviegoers who saw “Heneral Luna” asked “why Apolinario Mabini was always seated throughout the film? Because he was called the “sub-lime paralytic,” stupid! But stu-

dents can hardly be faulted for not having a sense of history when even President Benigno Aquino III himself said Budget Secretary Florencio Abad was his own Apolinario Mabini.

Mabini must be turning in his grave for being compared to the mastermind of the ille-gal Disbursement Acceleration Program, better known as the presidential pork barrel fund.

* * * Meanwhile, despite making

international headlines, the bul-let-planting scam at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport was downplayed by Palace Communications Secretary Sonny Coloma. But as usual after public outrage, the Palace back-tracked and made Coloma looked like a talking dummy when Aquino announced a full probe of the airport racket.

“This issue must be put in its proper context,” said Coloma, who added there are public

assistance desk at the Naia that airline passengers can turn to. Yeah, right, as if the public does not know these assistance desk are useless and often in cahoots with the scumbags that prey on passengers.

Proper context? The Coloma comment is typical of this govern-ment’s insensitivity. Remember how Transportation Secretary Jun Abaya remarked “traffic does not kill” when asked what the gov-ernment is doing about the traffic gridlock in the metropolis? Or how President Aquino told a ty-phoon Yolanda survivor who com-plained about the slow rescue and relief operations with a dismissive “o, eh buhay ka pa naman.” (you’re still alive, aren’t you?).

Said Time magazine and the BBC in essence on the same page about this international embar-rassment: “The very people who are supposed to assure the safety of airline passengers are the ones committing crimes against them.”

A12sports@thestandard.com.ph

wednesday : no vemb er 4 , 2 0 1 5

sports

Swiss bank quizzed on FIFA links

“UBS has, and reportedly nu-merous other financial institutions have, received inquiries from au-thorities concerning accounts relat-ing to the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and other constituent soccer associa-tions and related persons and enti-ties,” Switzerland’s largest bank said in its earnings statement.

“UBS is cooperating with author-ities in these inquiries,” it said.

The announcement came after

the bank’s main Swiss rival Credit Suisse announced Friday that it was under investigation by Swiss and US authorities over banking links with FIFA officials accused of brib-ery and corruption.

Credit Suisse said the investigation focused on individuals and entities “including but not limited to certain persons and entities named and/or described in the May 20, 2015 indict-ment filed in United States” as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged

Swiss banking giant UBS said Tuesday that it too had been questioned over links with FIFA, after Credit Suisse acknowledged last week it was being probed in the massive corruption scandal rocking football’s governing body.

Frampton faces Quigg in world title fight

Executive rapid chess tourney setNov. 7

Former Yco Painters and PBA hotshot Egay Gomez dies

BrItISh super-bantam-weight rivals Carl Framp-ton and Scott Quigg will meet in a world title uni-fication clash in February 2016, it was announced on Monday.

Northern Ireland’s Frampton, the IBF hold-er,  and Quigg, the WBA champion from England, have exchanged verbal jabs for several years with-out making it into the ring to prove who holds the up-per hand.

however, the bout has finally been confirmed and the pair will meet at the Manchester Arena on February 27 next year.

“I’m delighted that we have finally got this fight signed,” Frampton said. “This is the fight everyone has wanted for years, none more so than myself. 

“I’m the legitimate champion and I’m going to his backyard to defend my title because that’s what champions do. I’m going to win this fight in style.”

Quigg, who hails from Bury in Greater Manchester, is relishing the prospect of fighting on home territory.

“I’ve finally got the fight I’ve wanted for so long,” he said. AFP

thE 1st Executive rapid Chess tournament will be held November 7, at Larry & Mau Diner, Eton, Centris Walk at Edsa cor-ner Quezon Avenue in Quezon City.

Prizes at stake are as follows: P10,000 and gift pack for the champion, P5,000 and gift pack for the 2nd placer, P3,000 plus gift pack for the third placer and P2,000 for the 4th placer.

the top senior gets to win P1,000.

Entry fee is pegged at P1,000 per participant, with lunch and snack included.

For registration and more details, please call or text Mr. Joselito Dor-mitorio at 09065630737 09493741967 or National Arbiter Alex Dinoy at 09183705750,\

Interested participants may also log on at www.philippinechess portal.

FIFA corruption.FIFA has been in crisis since May,

when US authorities announced charges against 14 officials and sports marketing executives over bribery allegations amounting to more than $150 million.

As the investigation has deep-ened, the scandal-plagued organi-sation has come under pressure to undergo deep reform with major sponsors queueing up to demand FIFA become more accountable and transparent.

Last month, long-time FIFA president Sepp Blatter was sus-pended, as was UEFA chief Michel Platini, who still has his sights set on Blatter’s job.

A new FIFA head is set to be elected on February 26. 

Sponsors have been urging a re-form process similar to that used by the International Olympic Com-mittee after it was dragged into a bribery scandal over the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics.

According to Swiss law, banks are required to report all suspicious ac-counts and transactions.

In July, Swiss authorities said they had uncovered 81 suspected money laundering transactions linked to the FIFA scandal.

And in September, Switzerland’s attorney Michael Lauber said inves-tigators had seized assets, including apartments in the Alps, and were scrutinising 121 bank accounts.

“Clearly, we are not even near the half-time break,” he told reporters at the time. 

Michelle Payne of Australia, who became the first female jockey to win a Melbourne Cupat FlemingtonRacecourse in Melbourne, is led back to the mounting yard, AFP

EDGArDO “Egay” Gomez, one of the most prolific outside shooters Philippine basketball has produced, has passed away.

Gomez, a member of the Yco Paint-ers team that ruled the premier National Open Championship for an uninter-rupeted seven straight years from the mid-60 to early 70s, died last Saturday, October 31 in his sleep, at the family res-idence in San Juan, City.

Gomez turned 73 last August 14. he is survived by his wife, Luchie,

children Gigi, Gay and Gwen and grand-children.

his remains lie in state at the Arlington Memorial homes along Araneta Ave. in Quezon City.

Necrological services will be held to-night with former Yco teammates—Elias tolentino, Freddie Webb, Vaenzona and Edgardo roque, Olympians all—among

others expected to pay tribute to their fallen comrade.

Gomez played for the multi-titled Painters from 1963 to 1975 under coach-es Leo Prieto and tito Eduque.

Some of his teammates during his playing career include Valenzona, tolen-tino and Webb, fellow Olympians Olym-pians robert Jaworski, Ed Ocampo, Joy Clofas, renato reyes and Marte Samson, Orly Castelo, Loreto Carbonnel, rene Canent., Nonong Belmonte, Benjie Cleo-fas, Chio Bugia and Jerry Pinggoy.

Gomez played for three seasons (1975-1977) for Universal textiles and San Miguel Beer and later coached Jose rizal College and triniy College in the NCAA and Apcor in the commercial leagues.

his remains will be cremated tommor-row after a mass at 9:30 a.m. Mass, also at the Arlington chapel.

Corey Brown (#10) of the Carolina Panthers celebrates with fans after scoring a touchdown against the Indianapolis Colts during their game at Bank of America Stadium on November 2, 2015 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers won 29-26 in overtime. AFP

A13sports@thestandard.com.ph

wednesday : no vemb er 4 , 2 0 1 5

sports

Asian players ‘won’t miss out’ in tour merger

Lady Maroons seek UAAP semifinal berth

Avesco-PH Team shines in Taiwan Memory Championship

In this handout photograph received from the Asian Tour on November 3, 2015, Chiragh Kumar of India plays a shot during a practice round ahead of the Panasonic Open India at the Delhi Golf Club. The Asian Tour event. AFP

Swim champ. Emily Seebohm of Australia celebrates after winning the gold medal in the Women’s 200m backstroke during the FINA World Swimming Cup 2015 at the Hamad Aquatic Centre in the Qatari capital Doha. AFP

Asian Tour CEO Mike Kerr Tuesday said he has allayed players’ fears that they could lose out in a merger with the European Tour, adding that the move was aimed at nurturing “elite golfers” to drive the sport in the region.

Kerr said the proposed creation of a mega-tour straddling Europe and Asia would go ahead and had been broadly welcomed by players, despite fears from some Asian professionals that it could limit their playing opportunities.

He added that it would create a “pathway” to the world’s most prestigious events for players from Asia, and in the process create more elite players from the world’s most populous continent.

“What I can say very confidently is that no Asian professional is going to lose any opportunity,” Kerr told AFP on the sidelines of the HSBC Golf Busi-ness Forum in Shanghai.

“We are going through a process of education with the players,” Kerr added.

UNIVERSITY of the Philippines seeks to stretch its winning run to four games, while early semifinal-ists National University and De La Salle eye to cement their 1-2 posi-tions as action in the UAAP Season 78 women’s basketball tournament at the Blue Eagle gym.

Very much in Final Four con-tention, the Lady Maroons take on University of Santo Tomas in the first of another four-game bill at 9 a.m.

The back-to-back seeking Lady Bulldogs shoot for a 11th straight

win as they play Ateneo at 11 a.m., while the second-running Lady Archers try to extend their winning run to 10 games in their 3 p.m. duel with Adamson University.

University of the East and Far Eastern University clash in the day’s other game at 1 p.m.

This quadruple-header was supposed to be played last Oct. 18 but was called off due to Ty-phoon “Lando”. There were no games last weekend for a Hallow-een break.

All eyes are on UP, which has

won three straight after a 25-game losing skid which spanned for three seasons.

Tied with the Lady Falcons in sixth place at 3-7, the Lady Ma-roons are trailing joint fourth placers Lady Eagles and Lady Warriors (4-6) by just a game in the race for the last semis berth.

NU, meanwhile, is on course for an outright championship berth af-ter winning its first 10 games while La Salle, with a 9-1 card, is on the verge of clinching a twice-to-beat bonus in the semifinals.

FILIPINO Grandmaster of Memory Mark Anthony Castaneda won two silver medals even as 15-year-old Jamyla Lambunao bagged two gold medals in the juniors division at the Taiwan Memory Championships held over the weekend in Taoyuan City, Taiwan.

Castaneda placed second overall in the Names and Faces and Spoken Numbers categories and finished third in the Historic Dates event to spearhead the campaign of the Fili-pino delegation sent in this two-day, 10-category mind sport event by Avesco Marketing Corporation.

The 15-year-old Lambunao, who holds two world records in the Kids division, continues to shine in the 13-17 age category as she dominated the Random Words and Spoken Num-bers and finished runner-up in the Names & Faces and Speed Numbers.

“This is a very tough tournament because it brought together top memory athletes from Germany, Sweden, Mongolia, China, India, USA, Korea, Japan and, of course, the host country Taiwan,” said PH delegation head and coach Anne Bernadette Bonita.

“With new generation of strong memory athletes, I can see a bright-er hope for the Philippines in up-coming Internatiol Memory Sports Competitions”

In the Kids division, Jan Jelo Juanir collected four golds, two silvers and a Bronze. He finished second overall in the Kids Division.

The other delegates of the Avesco-Philippine Team who competed here are Joel Micus Lolong, Dorothy Elenzano, Nico Angelo Esperanza, Richard Stephen Sarcos, Philip John Benitez and Axelyancy Tabernilla.

“The European players have embraced this al-most 100 percent. For the Asian players I think it’s a much bigger change for them. There have been a lot of questions and a lot of concern, as you would imagine.

“Change in any industry, in life, is not some-thing that is easily embraced. We have addressed their fears in the way we have structured the partnership.” 

Kerr said he could not disclose details of the merger and they were still being negotiated.

“Yes it’s all confidential,” Kerr said. “But we are going to partner together. We are merging the membership. We are merging the businesses. 

“Asian players will continue to be able to ply their trade in Asia if they wish.

“But for those who want to progress, those that want to create a real career out of profes-sional golf, what we have done is create a very clear pathway to get into some of the more estab-lished events in the world and then through to the majors, the WGCs and the cream of the elite tournaments.

“From an Asian Tour perspective we want to create elite golfers in Asia to drive golf and un-lock the potential of the game in Asia.”

A14W E D N E S D AY : N O V E M B E R 4 , 2 0 1 5

SPORTSsports@thestandard.com.ph

Pacman arrives in Dubai for PBA gameBy Ronnie Nathanielsz

EIGHT division world champion Manny Pacquiao has arrived in Dubai for a PBA game featuring the Mahindra Enforcers against the Alaska Aces.

But it wasn’t basketball that took the spotlight, it was boxing and a pos-

sible rematch with Floyd Mayweather Jr who beat him last May 2 and is now

enjoying his retirement and insists he won’t fight again.

Ashley Hammond of Gulf News reported that it was Pacquiao’s first visit to Dubai and thanked his hosts for the warm wel-come especially to the Fili-pinos in Dubai.

Former heavyweight

champion Mike Tyson also arrived in Dubai on Monday and was there, according to a source, to “support” Pacquiao even though he may not play due to an injury.

Pacquiao revealed that he would like to have his next fight which Top Rank promoter Bob

Arum has said will be his last and indicated they are working on it.

Manny said he is “open to a rematch with May-weather but it depends on the negotiations. I am open to fight anybody” even as he mentioned the names of Amir Khan, Danny Garcia and Ter-

ence Crawford.Khan has said that talks

for a showdown with his former gym-mate and sparring partner when they were both being trained by Freddie Roach have been goping really well and in-dicated an announcement could be made in a couple of weeks.

‘Run Against Dengue’ gets going on Nov. 14WITH a significant spike in the cases of the deadly dengue disease, Tempra, in cooperation with Subter-ranean Ideas, is staging the 2015 Run Against Dengue on Nov. 14 (Saturday) at the Quirino Grandstand.

The cases of dengue have skyrocketed the past two months, with 23,000 affected in just a span of less than a month (Aug. 9 to Sept. 5, 2015). This is the primary rea-son why this Tempra is con-tinuing its advocacy against the water-borne disease.

“Tempra felt the need to hold this Family Run ad-vocacy because of the high cases of dengue in the past months. We felt that it is our duty to disseminate infor-mation on how to prevent the disease through this advocacy run,” said Cleo Roda Nodado, Tempra/Taisho Marketing Manager during an appearance at the Philippine Sportswriters As-sociation (PSA) Forum at Shakey’s Malate on Tuesday.

Registration will be avail-able at Toby’s branches at

the SM Mall of Asia and SM Manila this week.

Another registration site is being set up at the Rizal Park Administration of-fice. Interested participants may call Subterranean Ideas at 504-5990 (landline), 09179790803 (Globe) or 0928-2618028 (Smart).

The advocacy run, backed by the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, Bon-amine, Tempracof, Deuter, Toby’s, Medicard, Guard Insect Repellent, Goldlife, Maynilad, Emilio Aguinal-do College, Colegio De La Immaculada Concepcion (Concordia), and media partners People’s Journal, People’s Tonight and Malaya Business Insight, is a social marketing collaboration among stakeholders from the private sector, govern-ment and NGOs.

The project also aims to demonstrate the power of collaborative efforts, using sports as one of the main tools, to provide informa-tion campaign about the danger of dengue and con-

AIR Force tries to keep its winning ways coming off a long layoff as it shoots for the first semifinal berth against Sta. Elena at resumption of the Spikers’ Turf Season I Re-inforced Conference at The Arena in San Juan City today (Wednesday).

The Airmen dominated the Navy Sailors in three to post their third straight victory last Oct. 25 before the league, presented by PLDT Home Ultera, took a nine-day break. But coach Rhovyl Verayo re-mains confident of his wards’ chances against the Wrecking Balls in the 1 p.m. match kick-ing off a heavy three-game bill.

Our teamwork has been helping us a lot and if we con-tinue playing the way we do, we’ll have a chance,” said Ve-rayo.

Navy, meanwhile, seeks to bounce back against a strug-gling PLDT Home Ultera side at 3 p.m. while Cignal aims to firm up its hold of second spot as it tangles with Instituo Estetico Manila in the 5 p.m. main dish.

The Cignal HD Spikers stay just behind the Airmen with a 2-1 card while the Sail-ors dropped to third at 1-1 and the Wrecking Balls and the PLDT Ultra Fast Hitters are in joint fourth at 1-2. The IEM Volley Masters dropped their first two matches.

But expect Sta. Elena, PLDT and IEM to pour it all out in pursuit of a win that would keep them in the semis race in the season-ending tournament of the league backed by Mikasa.

The top four teams after the single round elims will advance to the crossover semis with Air Force gaining the inside track on the No. 1 spot with an impressive start.

Verayo will again pin his hopes on Reyson Fuen-tes, Rodolfo Labrador, Jeffry Malabanan, Ruben Inaudito, Alnakran Abdilla and play-maker Jessie Lopez, who leads the field with 10.38 successful sets per frame.

Air Force guns for 1st semis spot vs Sta. Elena

Games today 1 p.m. • Air Force vs Sta. Elena

3 p.m. • Navy vs PLDT5 p.m. • Cignal vs IEM

duct activities to fight this epidemic.

“While the battle against Malaria has found global partners, dengue is being fought almost all alone by the Department of Health. It’s going to be a long battle, and we need everyone’s sup-

port,” said Subterranean Ideas’ Matt Ardina, who also appeared in the fo-rum backed by San Miguel Corp., Philippine Amuse-ments and Gaming Corp., Shakey’s, and Accel.

Part of net proceeds from the Run Against Dengue,

now on its fourth year, shall be used for the purchase of various anti-dengue mo-dalities, including Long-lasting Insecticidal Nets recommended by the World Health Organization in fighting vector-borne dis-eases like dengue.

Cleg Nodado, Marketing manager of Tisho Pharmaceutical Phil and Matthew Arbins, event manager, announce the staging of the family run dubbed as the 2015 Run Againts Dengue to be held on November 14 at the Quirino Grandstand during yesterday’s PSA forum.

An Air Asia Airbus A320 passenger aircraft painted in honor of Philippine boxing icon Manny Pacquiao sits on the airport tarmac in Tacloban City, Leyte province, central Philippines. Pacquiao is now in Dubai for a Philippine Basketball Association Game. AFP

A15W E D N E S D AY : N O V E M B E R 4 , 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 0-0-03 DIGITS 0-0-0

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

2 2

6/496/42 6/42 6 336

LOTTO RESULTSP0.0 M+

P0.0 M+

Beermen, Elasto Painters clash for PBA solo lead By Jeric Lopez

LEAGUE leaders clash as San Miguel Beer and Rain or Shine dispute the top spot at the resump-tion of the 2015 Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup today.

Both at the top with 2-0 starts, the Beermen and the Elasto Painters go their separate ways as they lock horns at 7 p.m. in an anticipated game at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

Preceding that is a battle be-tween teams who are yet to taste a win as Meralco (0-1) and Blackwater (0-2) meet at 4:15 p.m. to open up the show.

As expected, both San Miguel and Rain or Shine, two teams

considered as title favorites, ate off to a blistering start but only one of them will remain un-scathed after their tussle ahead.

Coaches of both squads know that their teams need to be close to perfect to claim victory.

“Rain or Shine is a very tough team so we really have to be at our best to win,” said San Miguel coach Leo Austria.

“We got to have a good start and a nice finish,” said Rain or

Shine coach Yeng Guiao. “San Miguel will make us pay if we become complacent.”

The Beermen and the Elasto Painters are both coming off very impressive wins in their last outings.

San Miguel blasted Meralco, 101-85, while Rain or Shine trounced Ma-hindra, 108-94.

It’s still very early in the confer-ence but the resident stars of San Miguel and Rain or Shine are al-ready in top form as they’re able to dominate and lead their teams to victories in their initial games.

An interesting thing for Rain or Shine heading in is that it is well rested, coming off a nine-

day layoff.That can either work for

the Painters as they’ll come in with fresh legs or work against

then as rust might also be a factor.

The winner will claim solo first place with the oth-er unbeaten teams,

Alaska and NLEX, also both at 2-0, being at its tail.

While the Bolts dropped their opener against the Beermen de-cisively, the Elite was very com-petitive in its first two games but still lost both of those.

Blackwater gave Alaska a run for its money before bowing, 87-79, in its last assignment last Sunday.

MARHO Platinum set this weekend

THE Platinum (20th) edition of the Metropolitan As-sociation of Race

Horse Owners Championships this weekend at Santa Ana Park features five major stakes races and 16 trophy races with hefty prizes.

On Saturday (Nov. 7), all 10 races are MAR-HO special trophy races with added P100,000 prizes to the winner if a MARHO member and P50,000 if a non-MARHO member.

On Sunday (Nov. 8), 13 races will be held: five MARHO Platinum stakes races, the Philippine Racing Commission Amb. Eduardo M. Cojuango Jr. (ECJ) Cup, Philracom Manila Police District race, and six MARHO special trophy races.

Millions in prizes have been put up for the 2,000-meter MARHO-San Miguel Beer Classic, MARHO-Santa Ana Park 3YO Colt and Filly Mile, MARHO-Philracom Juvenile Colts, MAR-HO-Philracom Juvenile Fillies, and MARHO-Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office Sprint.

Mayor Benhur Abalos, owner of track icon Hagdang Bato, opted to run his champion in the MARHO-SMB Classic, which also fea-tures Biseng Bise, Hot and Spicy, Kanlaon, King Bull, Manalig Ka, and Marinx.

Declared for the P2 million, 2,000-meters ECJ Cup are Bentley, Eugenie, Low Profile, Messi, Oh Oh Seven, Penrith, Silver Sword, Strong Champion, and Top Dance. This is considered the championship race of of Phil-racom’s year-long import-local series.

* * * PCSO 2YO maiden trial race winner May-

or Sandy Javier’s Yongyong, sent off as second pick in the actual race held Oct. 31 at San Lazaro Leisure Park, proved that she was re-ally the one to beat.

Under regular rider Jonathan Hernandez, Yongyong jumped cleanly out of the gate and ran off-the-pace a length behind Striking Col-ors guided by Jordan Cordova. The race was pretty much between the two, with their four other foes strung out behind, until the home turn when Hernandez asked the Ruben Tu-pas-trained Yongyong for more.

The pair rallied down the stretch to win by 1.5 lengths, posting 1:22.8 (7-24’-24’-26’) for the filly-full 1,300-meter race. Places: 2nd Striking Colors, 3rd Yes Kitty, 4th Ellie’s Charm, 5th Guanta Na Mera, and last, the lone colt, Purging Line.

* * * The PCSO Racing Committee held a trial

race last Oct. 30 at Metroturf for its Nov. 14 2YO Open Maiden race.

Dance Again under Patricio Dilema came in first, posting 1:27.6 for 1,400-meters. Be-hind them arrived, in order: Love Hate (very close), Queen Cheetah, Johnny Be Good, Tagapagmana, Absoluteresistance, Nothing But Dtruth, Guatemala, and Eagle One.

* * * American Pharoah cemented his status as one

of the sport’s all-time greatest horses by winning the Breeders Cup Classic last Oct. 31 at Keeneland and breaking the track record by five seconds.

This year’s Triple Crown champion avenged his loss in the Travers Stakes with his 6.5 length victory in the BC Classic, finishing the one mile, two furlong (2,000-meter) race in a fraction over 2:00, crushing the previous track record of 2:05.36 set a year ago.

The Grand Slam of racing comprises the Triple Crown races—Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes—and the BC Classic. Ameri-can Pharoah is the first horse to attain the Grand Slam since the BC was established in 1984.

He is also the first horse in 37 years to sweep the Triple Crown. Only 12 horses, including him, have achieved that honor since 1919.

The colt owned by Zayat Stable has been retired to Coolmore Stud and will start breed-ing in February 2016 for an estimated stud fee of $200,000.

* * * Facebook: Gogirl Racing, Twitter: @go-

girlracing, Instagram: @jensdecember, Blog: http://jennyo.net

THIS early, the Letran Knights are looking for ways to fill the void left by stalwarts Mark Cruz and Kevin Racal who helped the team win the NCAA title in their last playing year.

Cruz and Racal played major roles as the Knights stopped the San Beda Red Lions in the deciding Game Three of the finals and nailed their first championship in 10 years.

The victory denied the Red Lions their sixth straight NCAA crown.

With the two key players now out of the picture, the Knights are eyeing their younger players to deliver when they try to defend the crown next year.

Assistant coach Louie Gonzales said Jerrick Balanza and Bong Quinto will be the players to watch next year in place of Cruz and Racal.

Also playing his farewell season for the Knights was Rey Publico.

“This year we tried to control him. Magaling yung bata. Mataas ang quality (He’s a quality play-

er),” said Gonzales of Balanza.“Definitely, he will shine next year.

We’re looking at him to replace Mark Cruz although it’s a big shoes to fill,” Gonzales told Tuesday’s Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Fo-rum at Shakey’s Malate.

“We’re also looking at Bong Quinto to replace Kevin Racal,” said the team official who graced the weekly forum on behalf of the Knights.

During the just-concluded sea-son, Letran coach Aldin Ayo made sure that the younger and upcom-ing players were given the opportu-nity to play.

“We wanted to see if they’re ready to play the roles to be given them. Balanza will be given a bigger oppor-tunity next year,” he said in the ses-sion presented by San Miguel Beer, Accel, Shakey’s, and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.

The Knights, tagged as the un-derdogs against the Red Lions, are

Letran seeks to fill void left by stars Racal, Cruz

Games today(Mall of Asia Arena, Pasay City)

4:15 p.m. • Blackwater vs. Meralco

7 p.m. • San Miguel vs. Rain or Shine

Letran assistant coach Louie Gonzales answers questions from sportswriters from sportsswriters during the PSA Forum.

looking at several off-season tournaments to break in their lineup for the next season.

“We are open to that. We are

just waiting for the offers. We want to expose the team and our new players to their new roles,” said Gonzales.

Chess winners. Grandmaster Richard Bitoon (center) holds aloft his trophy after ruling the 2015 Battle of Grandmasters-National Chess Championship held at the Philippine Sports Commission Athletes Dining Hall. Also in photo are (from left) National Chess Federation of the Philippines treasurer Red Dumuk, GM Joey Antonio (2nd placer), International Master Haridas Pascua and NCFP Executive Director GM Jayson Gonzales.

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 A14

CLEVELAND Cavaliers star LeBron James soared to another NBA milestone late Monday, jamming home a dunk against the 76ers in Philadelphia to become the youngest player to score 25,000 points.

Asian players ‘won’t miss out’ in tour merger

TURN TO A13

Pacquiao arrives in Dubaifor PBA game

‘King’ James youngest to reach 25,000 points

Volleyballbody to formnational pool

W E D N E S D AY : N O V E M B E R 4 , 2 0 1 5

The 30-year-old James came into the contest needing 21 points to reach 25,000. He got there in style, taking his tally for the night to 22 with an alley-oop dunk that he stuffed through the hoop with 8:06 to play in the Cavaliers’ 107-100 win over the 76ers.

James scored 22 points—that’s 25,001 for his career—with 11 assists and nine rebounds and re-ceived a standing ovation from the Philly crowd when his achieve-ment was acknowledged during an ensuing timeout.

“Obviously, they’re Sixer fans

to death, but they know and they respect the game of basketball,” James said. “To get a standing ova-tion reaching that milestone, it was very special.”

Cavaliers coach David Blatt called it an “extremely important, extremely impressive” mark.

“To be the youngest player in the history of the game to score 25,000 points—particularly when you’re every bit the passer that you are the scorer—is just a testament to his greatness,” Blatt said.

James became the 20th player in NBA history to record 25,000

THE Larong Volleyball sa Pilipi-nas Inc. (LVPI) will soon form a national pool that will keep the members focused on represent-ing the country in international competitions.

Once included in the pool, the players will be restricted from playing in too many tournaments other than those where they repre-sent their respective schools.

Peter Cayco, LVPI vice presi-dent, graced Tuesday’s Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum at Shakey’s Malate to talk about the plan recently hatched by the LVPI board.

“We noticed that during the last SEA Games, our players were al-ready burned out because of too many tournaments prior to the SEA Games,” said Cayco.

“Some of them nursed injuries,” added Cayco, who was joined at the forum by LVPI coaches com-mission chairman Atty. Ramon Malinao and coach Louie Hugo.

Cayco noted that since the play-ers have multiple teams to play for, they spend so much time on the court, practicing twice a day with barely little time to rest.

“Burned out,” said Cayco in the session presented by San Miguel Corp., Shakey’s, Accel, and the Philippine Amusement and Gam-ing Corp.

“When they join the national pool, they will only play for their schools and then the national team will be their club,” Cayco said.

career points.Kobe Bryant was the prior fast-

est player to the plateau, reaching it in 2010 at the age of 31.

Among active players, the Mav-ericks’ German star Dirk Nowitz-ki, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnet and Paul Pierce are the only others to have reached the plateau.

“For me, winning basketball games and then reaching mile-stones individually is a pretty cool thing, but obviously the team as-pect comes first,” James said before the game. “But anytime along that line you’re able to reach a mile-stone, it’s very humbling.”

Cleveland’s Australian guard Mat-thew Dellavedova lobbed the pass that produced the milestone, and James departed the game soon after.

Guard Mo Williams added 21 points for the Cavaliers, who won

their third straight game to im-prove to 3-1 for the young season.

Forward Kevin Love had 15 points and eight rebounds for Cleveland, who trailed by as many as 15 points in the first half but outscored Philadelphia 25-4 in a one stretch bridging the second and third quarters.

Dellavedova had 12 points, nine assists and five rebounds for the Cavs, and guard/forward James Jones chipped in 12 points.

Rookie center Jahlil Okafor scored 24 points to lead Philadelphia, who despite his exploits fell to 0-3.

The 76ers led by as many as 15 in the second quarter, when Oka-for scored eight of his 14 first-half points with an electric display that included posting up to score over Love and dribbling past Timofey Mozgov to nail a jump shot. AFP

LeBron James (#23) of the Cleveland Cavaliers complains to a referee as he is trapped between Jimmy Butler #21 and Joakim Noah #13 of the Chicago Bulls during the season opening game at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. AFP

BUSINESSRODERICK T. DELA CRUZASSISTANT EDITOR B1business@thestandardtoday.com.ph

extrastory2000@gmail.com

RAY S. EÑANOEDITOR

Telstra’s entry worries rivals

Bangko Sentral ng PilipinasTuesday, November 3, 2015

Foreign exchange rateCurrency Unit US Dollar PesoUnited States Dollar 1.000000 46.7960

Japan Yen 0.008282 0.3876

UK Pound 1.541600 72.1407

Hong Kong Dollar 0.129032 6.0382

Switzerland Franc 1.013171 47.4124

Canada Dollar 0.763650 35.7358

Singapore Dollar 0.716127 33.5119

Australia Dollar 0.714082 33.4162

Bahrain Dinar 2.657666 124.3681

Saudi Arabia Rial 0.266716 12.4812

Brunei Dollar 0.713572 33.3923

Indonesia Rupiah 0.000073 0.0034

Thailand Baht 0.028082 1.3141

UAE Dirham 0.272272 12.7412

Euro Euro 1.101400 51.5411

Korea Won 0.000879 0.0411

China Yuan 0.157781 7.3835

India Rupee 0.015248 0.7135

Malaysia Ringgit 0.232721 10.8904

New Zealand Dollar 0.674309 31.5550

Taiwan Dollar 0.030733 1.4382 Source: PDS Bridge

7,210.7311.88

Closing November 3, 2015PSe comPoSite index

43.50

44.60

45.40

46.20

47.00

HIGH P46.760 LOW P46.835 AVERAGE P46.798

Closing NOVEMBER 3, 2015PeSo-dollar rate

VOLUME 595.300M

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 PilipinasBangko Sentral ng Pilipinas

oilPriceS today

P417.00-P640.00LPG/11-kg tank

P35.85-P43.35Unleaded Gasoline

P24.55-P28.00Diesel

P34.55-P39.15Kerosene

todayP35.85-P43.35

P24.55-P28.00

P34.55-P39.15

PP417.00-P640.00

8000

7700

7400

7100

6800

6500

P46.815CLOSE

WEDNESDAY: NOVEMBER 4, 2015

By Darwin G. Amojelar

Another war is brewing in the telecom industry, ahead of Telstra Corp.’s planned en-try, as the incumbent players asked the government to auc-tion o� some of the “very pow-erful” mobile frequency band held by San Miguel Corp.

Ray Espinosa, head for regulatory affairs of Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co., said the 700-megahertz spectrum was “very important” to provide faster Internet broad-band services.

“Today, there is about 100 megahertz of that spectrum which is actually all of it, that is in the hands of a few possibly related companies,” Espinosa said.

� e 700 MHz band, located above the TV broadcast channels, penetrates buildings and walls and covers larger areas. Mobile wireless service providers in other countries have been using the spectrum to o� er mobile broadband services.

Telstra chief executive Andy Penn earlier said San Miguel would be a “very strong” part-ner in the Philippines because of its spectrum holdings.

Espinosa said the government allocated 80 megahertz of spectrum in the 700 MHz band to wi-Tribe Telecommunications Inc., 10 MHz to Hi-Frequency Telecommunications Inc. and 10 Mhz to New Century Telecommunica-tions.

San Miguel owns wi-Tribe and Hi-Freque-cy, which plans to form a mobile phone joint venture with Telstra.

Espinosa said the 700-MHz band is a “very powerful” frequency because the coverage is wider and the capital spending requirement is lesser. � e spectrum was previously used for analog television broadcasting.

“Countries all over the world are moving out of analog TV and therefore freeing this [700 MHz] very e� cient, very optimal spectrum for mobile telecommunications,” Espinosa said.

“So if we want the mobile, the Internet to be faster, to provide better quality service to con-sumers, PLDT Smart and Globe and the oth-ers should have access to this 700 MHz which is a very scare resource,” he said.

“All over the world, this particular spectrum

is being made available to existing operators as well as new entrants and there is no reason why PLDT and Smart cannot be given access especially if they are highly unutilized,” Espi-nosa said.

Espinosa said the company already request-ed the National Telecommunications Com-mission for its fair share in the 700-megahertz band.

“If they open 700 MHz to public bidding, we will obviously participate and that would actually be a monetary dividend to the gov-ernment. We want to participate in that digital dividend and by doing so, we will be able to address many of the speed requirements of mobile telecommunications,” he said.

Yolly Crisanto, spokesperson of Globe Tele-com Inc., said what her company wanted was the harmonization of the 700-MHz frequency.

“According to the GSMA the Philippines is one of only two countries in the world that have not used the 700 MHz despite new tech-nologies introduced to make mobile data ser-vices more cost e� cient,” she said.

PLDT chairman Manuel Pangilinan said his company was ready to compete with Telstra once Australia’s biggest telco entered the Phil-ippine market.

Packaging expo. Mecca Manufacturing

Philippines Inc. president Noel Cunanan (fi fth

from left) introduces the latest wood pallets

to leaders of the printing and packaging

industry associations during the Pack Print Plas Philippines expo

at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.

Shown (from left) are SME chairman

Lionel Chuacokiong, Philippine Center

for Print Excellence Foundation president,

Alberto Calaquian, Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of

Commerce and Industry Inc. vice president Mary

Ng, Japanese Society of Printing Science and

Technology president Toshifumi Satoh,

Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc.

president Sergio Ortiz-Luis and Philippine

Plastics Industry Association president Teo

Kee Bin.

BSP sees volatilities in shift to term deposit auction By Julito G. Rada

SOME volatilities in the do-mestic � nancial market may emerge once the term deposit auction facility is implemented in the early part of next year, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Deputy Governor Diwa Guini-gundo said Tuesday.

“... � ere could be some mi-gration of funds from the SDA [special deposit account facil-ity] to the higher interest rates of TDAF [term deposit auction facility],” Guinigundo said at the sidelines of the launching of the Parañaque Credit Surety Fund at the Bangko Sentral.

“� ere could be some vola-

tilities but the di� erence of inter-est rates between the SDA and TDAF would not be signi� cant because we have a lot of funds competing for a speci� c volume that we will be o� ering to the public or to the banks,” he said.

Guinigundo said the initial plan would be to conduct the auction once or twice a week de-pending on the liquidity require-ments. He said the tenor would be seven to 28 days.

“All of these are subject to � -nalization because we want to consolidate the market reactions and feedbacks,” Guinigundo said.

� e Bangko Sentral just re-cently concluded its consulta-

tions with � nancial industry stakeholders to get their inputs and feedbacks on the planned interest rate corridor implemen-tation.

Guinigundo said bank presi-dents and trust o� cers wel-comed the plan because they be-lieved it would address the issue of excess liquidity in the system.

� e Bangko Sentral plans to implement the system by the second quarter of 2016 in a bid to support the development of Philippine capital market.

Bangko Sentral Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. earlier said the system would introduce key changes in the framework for monetary operations designed

to enhance the e� ectiveness of monetary policy.

He said these changes would help improve the transmission of policy rate adjustments to rel-evant money market rates, and ultimately to key macroeconom-ic variables. � e IRC framework involves the establishment of the required infrastructure to e� ec-tively implement the monetary policy stance.

Infrastructure requirements include two standing liquidity facilities-deposit and lending—whose rates will form a corridor around the central bank’s policy rate, and will be supported by auction-based monetary opera-tions.

business@thestandard.com.phextrastory2000@gmail.com

BUSINESSWEDNESDAY: NOVEMBER 4, 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, November 3, 2015

FINANCIAL7.88 2.5 AG Finance 2.83 2.9 2.8 2.9 2.47 8,000 11,200.0075.3 66 Asia United Bank 48.4 48.9 48.4 48.9 1.03 21,300 879,215.00124.4 88.05 Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. 103.00 103.50 102.50 103.00 0.00 1,960,190 -40,018,799107 88.1 Bank of PI 84.60 85.00 82.50 83.50 -1.30 1,710,850 -8,205,674.0056.5 45.45 China Bank 40.85 40.85 40 40.25 -1.47 360,500 225,245.002.49 1.97 BDO Leasing & Fin. INc. 2.49 2.41 2.41 2.41 -3.21 2,000 4.2 1.68 Bright Kindle Resources 1.87 2.00 1.84 1.85 -1.07 1,205,000 17 12.02 COL Financial 15.6 15.7 15.2 15.68 0.51 37,900 109,900.0030.45 19.6 Eastwest Bank 19.78 19.8 19.64 19.76 -0.10 22,200 0.002.6 1.02 I-Remit Inc. 1.82 1.72 1.70 1.70 -6.59 17,000 1.01 0.225 MEDCO Holdings 0.560 0.590 0.550 0.580 3.57 537,000 90,880.00100 78 Metrobank 85.25 85.75 85 85 -0.29 1,679,930 -6,298,127.0030.5 17.8 PB Bank 18.28 18.30 17.90 17.90 -2.08 942,200 75 58 Phil Bank of Comm 24.00 24.00 24.00 24.00 0.00 40,000 780,000.0091.5 62 Phil. National Bank 54.45 54.45 53.75 54.00 -0.83 51,340 -135,439.50137 88.35 Phil. Savings Bank 104 105 104 105 0.96 2,500 361.2 276 PSE Inc. 306 305 300 305 -0.33 90 57 41 RCBC `A’ 31.65 32 31.15 32 1.11 78,400 719,685180 118.2 Security Bank 142 143.8 141.7 142 0.00 340,670 10,858,588.001700 1200 Sun Life Financial 1555.00 1555.00 1530.00 1530.00 -1.61 295 124 59 Union Bank 56.95 57.00 56.55 57.00 0.09 198,060 -2,355,061.003.26 2.65 Vantage Equities 3.13 3.1 3.1 3.1 -0.96 2,000

INDUSTRIAL47 35.9 Aboitiz Power Corp. 42.1 42.5 42.1 42.45 0.83 842,700 -4,374,765.005 1.11 Agrinurture Inc. 1.88 1.88 1.85 1.88 0.00 22,000 1.46 1.01 Alliance Tuna Intl Inc. 0.87 0.88 0.87 0.88 1.15 55,000 2.36 1.86 Alsons Cons. 1.59 1.66 1.58 1.6 0.63 1,707,000 15.3 7.92 Asiabest Group 10.8 11.1 10.3 11 1.85 6,300 20.6 15.32 Century Food 17.3 17.5 17.3 17.5 1.16 135,000 401,282.0036 10.08 Cirtek Holdings (Chips) 23.4 24 22.65 23.9 2.14 162,300 65.8 29.15 Concepcion 46.75 47.2 46.55 47.2 0.96 272,600 8,210,9352.97 1.5 Crown Asia 2.49 2.5 2.45 2.45 -1.61 764,000 14,700.004.14 1.5 Da Vinci Capital 1.69 1.75 1.68 1.7 0.59 1,014,000 62,930.0021.5 10.72 Del Monte 10.74 10.74 10.42 10.7 -0.37 3,600 21.6 9.55 DNL Industries Inc. 9.900 9.920 9.7 9.800 -1.01 4,312,700 3,201,592.0011.96 9.04 Emperador 8.38 8.75 8.38 8.75 4.42 12,229,200 40,834,558.009.13 6.02 Energy Devt. Corp. (EDC) 6.60 6.65 6.35 6.52 -1.21 5,436,700 -14,914,922.0011.8 8.86 EEI 7.48 7.56 7.28 7.28 -2.67 961,400 -1,804,869.002.89 1.06 Euro-Med Lab 1.66 1.67 1.67 1.67 0.60 5,000 31.8 20.2 First Gen Corp. 25.95 26.05 25.5 25.9 -0.19 1,248,400 -10,229,320.00109 71.5 First Holdings ‘A’ 70.6 72.1 70.7 71 0.57 116,610 669,132.5020.75 13.86 Ginebra San Miguel Inc. 11.92 11.98 11.80 11.98 0.50 7,800 15.3 13.24 Holcim Philippines Inc. 14.60 14.60 14.00 14.00 -4.11 11,600 9.4 5.34 Integ. Micro-Electronics 6.08 6.17 6.06 6.14 0.99 562,000 201,650.000.98 0.395 Ionics Inc 2.690 2.890 2.500 2.720 1.12 26,640,000 1,643,700.00241 173 Jollibee Foods Corp. 207.00 209.00 206.60 207.00 0.00 1,005,220 -36,656,058.00 LBC Express 12.48 12.48 11.8 11.8 -5.45 5,100 79 34.1 Liberty Flour 35.50 39.00 35.50 39.00 9.86 2,500 4 1.63 Mabuhay Vinyl 3.88 3.54 3.54 3.54 -8.76 3,000 33.9 23.35 Manila Water Co. Inc. 23.3 23.2 22.5 22.5 -3.43 3,528,200 -53,518,180.0090 17.3 Maxs Group 24.1 24.3 23.7 24.3 0.83 76,700 627,525.0013.26 5.88 Megawide 6.91 6.91 6.7 6.88 -0.43 5,020,600 -33,950,000.00293 250.2 Mla. Elect. Co `A’ 321.00 329.80 321.00 329.00 2.49 598,540 58,113,538.005.25 3.87 Pepsi-Cola Products Phil. 4.28 4.38 4.24 4.24 -0.93 430,000 1,006,060.0012.98 8.45 Petron Corporation 8.11 8.32 8.12 8.16 0.62 3,669,700 6,419,455.006.75 3 Phil H2O 3.20 4.68 4.3 4.45 39.06 49,000 15 10.04 Phinma Corporation 11.60 11.90 11.60 11.90 2.59 9,000 7.03 3.03 Phoenix Petroleum Phils. 3.70 3.65 3.60 3.65 -1.35 47,000 3.4 1.95 Phoenix Semiconductor 2.04 2.12 2.04 2.09 2.45 1,258,000 4.5 1 Pryce Corp. `A’ 2.49 2.55 2.45 2.46 -1.20 257,000 6.3 4.02 RFM Corporation 4.18 4.20 4.12 4.20 0.48 394,000 1,278,010.007.86 1.65 Roxas and Co. 3.09 2.95 2.9 2.9 -6.15 13,000 238 161 San Miguel’Pure Foods `B’ 138 138 136.9 136.9 -0.80 7,840 -1,073,551.003.28 1.55 Splash Corporation 2.16 2.38 2.15 2.21 2.31 958,000 34,400.000.315 0.138 Swift Foods, Inc. 0.154 0.165 0.155 0.156 1.30 8,760,000 2.18 1.02 TKC Steel Corp. 1.27 1.24 1.14 1.15 -9.45 259,000 2.65 2.09 Trans-Asia Oil 2.22 2.24 2.19 2.22 0.00 291,000 403,910.00234 152 Universal Robina 205 206.6 203 206 0.49 1,736,870 111,394,930.005.28 4.28 Victorias Milling 4.73 4.73 4.73 4.73 0.00 5,000 1.3 0.640 Vitarich Corp. 0.68 0.74 0.68 0.69 1.47 7,032,000 41,400.002.17 1.2 Vulcan Ind’l. 1.25 1.57 1.27 1.42 13.60 24,163,000 -108,970.00

HOLDING FIRMS0.59 0.44 Abacus Cons. `A’ 0.400 0.410 0.410 0.410 2.50 20,000 59.2 48.1 Aboitiz Equity 57.0500 57.7000 57.1000 57.3500 0.53 679,700 -2,656,218.0030.05 20.85 Alliance Global Inc. 18.50 18.60 18.40 18.50 0.00 2,621,200 14,470,592.002.16 1.6 Anglo Holdings A 1.12 1.28 1.13 1.13 0.89 212,000 7.39 6.62 Anscor `A’ 6.50 6.50 6.45 6.45 -0.77 4,800 3.4 0.23 ATN Holdings A 0.248 0.249 0.249 0.249 0.40 200,000 823.5 634.5 Ayala Corp `A’ 787 792 770 778 -1.14 133,140 -45,166,045.0010.2 7.390 Cosco Capital 7.63 7.68 7.52 7.68 0.66 2,675,300 6,919,142.0084 12.8 DMCI Holdings 12.62 12.90 12.62 12.72 0.79 3,139,000 13,331,164.003.35 2.6 F&J Prince ‘A’ 4.8 5 4.02 4.3 -10.42 45,000 4.92 2.26 Filinvest Dev. Corp. 3.90 3.90 3.90 3.90 0.00 6,000 0.66 0.152 Forum Pacific 0.255 0.255 0.255 0.255 0.00 60,000 1455 837 GT Capital 1340 1365 1340 1350 0.75 186,260 24,126,395.0076 49.55 JG Summit Holdings 74.00 74.95 73.90 74.20 0.27 1,248,010 44,549,224.509.25 4.84 Lopez Holdings Corp. 7.05 7.43 7.08 7.25 2.84 6,406,200 878,352.000.85 0.59 Lodestar Invt. Holdg.Corp. 0.81 0.81 0.76 0.79 -2.47 971,000 17.3 12 LT Group 12.5 12.6 12.4 12.48 -0.16 3,503,700 3,373,344.000.71 0.580 Mabuhay Holdings `A’ 0.53 0.53 0.52 0.52 -1.89 780,000 5.53 4.2 Metro Pacific Inv. Corp. 5.34 5.58 5.34 5.44 1.87 67,160,200 18,516,801.006.55 4.5 Minerales Industrias Corp. 9.49 9.55 9.49 9.55 0.63 2,482,200 0.0670 0.030 Pacifica `A’ 0.0300 0.0340 0.0300 0.0330 10.00 205,400,000 102,300.001.61 0.550 Prime Orion 1.950 1.960 1.930 1.950 0.00 376,000 9,750.002.99 2.26 Republic Glass ‘A’ 2.82 2.84 2.82 2.84 0.71 32,000 84.9 59.3 San Miguel Corp `A’ 49.35 49.50 49.00 49.05 -0.61 221,200 -1,396,010.00974 751 SM Investments Inc. 875.00 881.00 870.00 880.00 0.57 368,880 -108,624,430.001.66 1.13 Solid Group Inc. 1.20 1.20 1.19 1.19 -0.83 367,000 1.39 0.93 South China Res. Inc. 0.74 0.95 0.75 0.89 20.27 3,489,000 -163,000.00390 170 Transgrid 185.00 188.00 188.00 188.00 1.62 20 156 80 Top Frontier 104.900 104.000 100.000 100.000 -4.67 37,300 -1,065,510.000.710 0.211 Unioil Res. & Hldgs 0.3350 0.3350 0.3250 0.3350 0.00 1,140,000 0.435 0.179 Wellex Industries 0.2350 0.2300 0.2220 0.2220 -5.53 610,000 18,000.000.510 0.310 Zeus Holdings 0.310 0.310 0.305 0.305 -1.61 280,000

P R O P E R T Y10.5 6.74 8990 HLDG 6.400 6.500 6.390 6.400 0.00 509,100 -1,453,814.001.99 0.65 A. Brown Co., Inc. 1.00 1.03 0.95 0.99 -1.00 27,092,000 3,526,080.001.75 1.2 Araneta Prop `A’ 1.170 1.170 1.170 1.170 0.00 8,000 41.4 30.05 Ayala Land `B’ 35.950 36.500 35.900 36.500 1.53 10,404,400 -134,358,045.005.6 3.36 Belle Corp. `A’ 3.5 3.58 3.5 3.58 2.29 987,000 2,502,390.005.59 4.96 Cebu Holdings 5.08 5.13 5.07 5.13 0.98 37,600 1.44 0.79 Century Property 0.61 0.61 0.59 0.61 0.00 3,149,000 -600,000.001.97 1.1 City & Land Dev. 0.94 0.94 0.94 0.94 0.00 1,000

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

Trading SummarySHARES VALUE

FINANCIAL 9,218,442 590,335,639.93INDUSTRIAL 116,103,984 1,332,498,629.99HOLDING FIRMS 305,059,657 1,464,620,215.82PROPERTY 160,411,528 1,023,719,510.16SERVICES 134,190,628 1,371,324,571.24MINING & OIL 324,589,601 121,302,893.514GRAND TOTAL 1,052,107,720 5,940,692,434.15

FINANCIAL 1,571.19 (DOWN) 7.79INDUSTRIAL 11,553.91 (UP) 44.19HOLDING FIRMS 6,702.42 (UP) 19.04PROPERTY 3,067.35 (UP) 18.74SERVICES 1,721.69 (DOWN) 6.76MINING & OIL 11,666.12 (UP) 165.41PSEI 7,210.73 (UP) 11.88All Shares Index 4,156.09 (UP) 3.74

Gainers: 98 Losers: 83; Unchanged: 37; Total: 218

STOCKS Close(P)

Change(%)

Swift Pref 2.3 -17.86

F&J Prince 'A' 4.3 -10.42

TKC Steel Corp. 1.15 -9.45

Oriental Pet. `B' 0.0100 -9.09

Mabuhay Vinyl 3.54 -8.76

I.C.T.S.I. 75.9 -6.87

I-Remit Inc. 1.70 -6.59

IRipple E-Business Intl 52.95 -6.45

Roxas and Co. 2.9 -6.15

PAL Holdings Inc. 4.60 -6.12

Top LoSerSSTOCKS Close

(P)Change

(%)

Phil H2O 4.45 39.06

South China Res. Inc. 0.89 20.27

Vulcan Ind'l. 1.42 13.60

Global-Estate 1.25 11.61

Pacifica `A' 0.0330 10.00

Oriental Pet. `A' 0.0110 10.00

Liberty Flour 39.00 9.86

Easy Call "Common" 3.86 9.35

IP E-Game Ventures Inc. 0.012 9.09

Marcventures Hldgs., Inc. 3.04 7.04

Top gainerS

1.48 0.97 Cityland Dev. `A’ 1.04 1.04 1.04 1.04 0.00 2,000 0.201 0.083 Crown Equities Inc. 0.126 0.125 0.124 0.125 -0.79 150,000 0.69 0.415 Cyber Bay Corp. 0.480 0.510 0.480 0.500 4.17 16,760,000 205,700.0010.96 2.4 Double Dragon 20.9 21.4 20.6 20.9 0.00 439,300 -1,941,360.000.97 0.83 Empire East Land 0.890 0.910 0.890 0.890 0.00 768,000 0.305 0.188 Ever Gotesco 0.162 0.163 0.162 0.163 0.62 1,650,000 2.22 1.15 Global-Estate 1.12 1.30 1.17 1.25 11.61 21,766,000 -5,884,930.002.1 1.42 Filinvest Land,Inc. 1.75 1.78 1.75 1.77 1.14 17,668,000 7,023,590.001.8 1.27 Interport `A’ 1.30 1.29 1.29 1.29 -0.77 220,000 5.94 4.13 Megaworld 4.76 4.83 4.74 4.77 0.21 6,006,000 -1,007,090.000.180 0.090 MRC Allied Ind. 0.088 0.091 0.086 0.087 -1.14 4,090,000 0.72 0.39 Phil. Realty `A’ 0.5500 0.5800 0.5100 0.5300 -3.64 1,014,000 -8,550.008.54 2.69 Primex Corp. 8.45 8.4 8.4 8.4 -0.59 13,200 31.8 22.15 Robinson’s Land `B’ 30.30 31.30 30.30 30.45 0.50 3,331,800 -1,086,170.002.29 1.6 Rockwell 1.5 1.51 1.5 1.5 0.00 710,000 36,000.004.9 3.1 Shang Properties Inc. 3.22 3.22 3.1 3.22 0.00 12,000 21.35 15.08 SM Prime Holdings 22.00 22.40 21.70 21.80 -0.91 13,112,800 -105,690,785.001.06 0.69 Sta. Lucia Land Inc. 0.76 0.78 0.75 0.77 1.32 491,000 7.56 3.38 Starmalls 8.18 8.18 8.15 8.15 -0.37 550,000 848,784.001.62 0.83 Suntrust Home Dev. Inc. 0.990 1.080 1.000 1.030 4.04 2,817,000 25,500.008.59 5.73 Vista Land & Lifescapes 5.720 5.900 5.760 5.830 1.92 4,740,300 2,045,420.00

S E R V I C E S10.5 1.97 2GO Group’ 8.2 8.7 8.21 8.6 4.88 835,000 -43,264.0066 35.2 ABS-CBN 66.1 67.5 66.35 67.5 2.12 63,190 1.44 1 Acesite Hotel 1.12 1.13 1.13 1.13 0.89 25,000 1.09 0.63 APC Group, Inc. 0.600 0.620 0.580 0.580 -3.33 3,644,000 15.82 8.6 Bloomberry 5.98 6.47 6.00 6.40 7.02 17,489,200 -25,831,202.000.1430 0.0770 Boulevard Holdings 0.0560 0.0580 0.0560 0.0560 0.00 20,220,000 22,800.005.06 2.95 Calata Corp. 3.61 3.61 3.5 3.5 -3.05 997,000 99.1 56.1 Cebu Air Inc. (5J) 90.6 91 90.5 90.85 0.28 593,930 496,842.002.6 1.6 Discovery World 1.67 1.66 1.66 1.66 -0.60 9,000 7.67 4.8 DFNN Inc. 6.03 6.20 5.89 5.99 -0.66 614,400 -53,601.004 2.58 Easy Call “Common” 3.53 3.86 3.02 3.86 9.35 71,000 2720 1600 Globe Telecom 2304 2298 2252 2270 -1.48 123,145 -100,158,680.008.41 5.95 GMA Network Inc. 7.56 7.57 7.48 7.52 -0.53 532,800 1.97 1.23 Harbor Star 1.21 1.21 1.20 1.20 -0.83 25,000 119.5 102.6 I.C.T.S.I. 81.5 83.5 75.9 75.9 -6.87 1,883,190 -20,145,199.507 3.01 Imperial Res. `A’ 4.70 5.00 5.00 5.00 6.38 1,000 0.017 0.011 IP E-Game Ventures Inc. 0.011 0.012 0.010 0.012 9.09 2,400,000 0.8200 0.041 Island Info 0.182 0.185 0.182 0.185 1.65 2,300,000 -71,620.002.2800 1.200 ISM Communications 1.4000 1.4200 1.3900 1.4200 1.43 149,000 1,420.005.93 2.34 Jackstones 2.18 2.25 2.06 2.06 -5.50 66,000 12.28 6.5 Leisure & Resorts 8.95 9.02 8.97 9.01 0.67 580,500 -81,641.003.32 1.91 Liberty Telecom 3.72 3.81 3.70 3.75 0.81 1,159,000 776,370.003.2 1.95 Macroasia Corp. 2.30 2.29 2.20 2.29 -0.43 17,000 15.2 6 Melco Crown 3.66 3.85 3.66 3.71 1.37 4,632,000 -8,472,360.000.62 0.335 MG Holdings 0.285 0.280 0.278 0.280 -1.75 450,000 1.040 0.37 NOW Corp. 0.820 0.850 0.810 0.830 1.22 7,069,000 -41,630.006.41 3 PAL Holdings Inc. 4.90 4.60 4.52 4.60 -6.12 20,000 4 2.28 Paxys Inc. 2.8 2.8 2.8 2.8 0.00 5,000185 79 Phil. Seven Corp. 104.80 100.60 100.20 100.60 -4.01 150 -8,048.0022.9 4.39 Philweb.Com Inc. 19.94 20.00 19.20 19.50 -2.21 141,700 313,096.003486 2748 PLDT Common 2208.00 2258.00 2210.00 2234.00 1.18 121,055 39,904,000.000.760 0.435 PremiereHorizon 0.550 0.580 0.550 0.570 3.64 2,428,000 -5,800.002.28 1.2 Premium Leisure 1.140 1.170 1.130 1.140 0.00 15,006,000 -5,321,090.0046.05 31.45 Puregold 36.05 36.20 35.85 35.90 -0.42 4,409,700 16,288,100.0090.1 60.55 Robinsons RTL 76.50 77.00 76.50 76.50 0.00 1,232,250 5,476,759.00 SBS Phil. Corp. 6.37 6.45 6.26 6.30 -1.10 1,109,500 -126,000.0011.6 7.59 SSI Group 5.27 5.39 5.20 5.22 -0.95 4,419,400 -3,886,103.000.85 0.63 STI Holdings 0.48 0.52 0.48 0.50 4.17 33,740,000 -11,221,200.0010 5 Travellers 4.62 4.7 4.51 4.6 -0.43 4,356,000 -12,347,180.000.490 0.315 Waterfront Phils. 0.370 0.360 0.350 0.350 -5.41 240,000 1.9 1.14 Yehey 4.090 4.040 4.000 4.010 -1.96 55,000

MINING & OIL0.0098 0.0043 Abra Mining 0.0050 0.0050 0.0048 0.0049 -2.00 177,000,000 5.45 1.72 Apex `A’ 2.22 2.21 2.20 2.20 -0.90 233,000 17.24 6.47 Atlas Cons. `A’ 6.02 6.05 5.82 5.87 -2.49 26,700 137,474.000.330 0.236 Basic Energy Corp. 0.225 0.240 0.220 0.230 2.22 560,000 12.7 6.5 Benguet Corp `A’ 5.85 5.81 5.81 5.81 -0.68 500 1.19 0.85 Century Peak Metals Hldgs 0.79 0.87 0.74 0.75 -5.06 8,747,000 131,480.001.62 0.77 Coal Asia 0.68 0.7 0.67 0.69 1.47 471,000 9.5 5.99 Dizon 9.00 9.21 8.80 8.88 -1.33 82,900 4.2 1.17 Ferronickel 0.91 0.93 0.90 0.92 1.10 5,360,000 187,000.000.48 0.305 Geograce Res. Phil. Inc. 0.310 0.315 0.305 0.310 0.00 170,000 0.420 0.2130 Lepanto `A’ 0.190 0.193 0.190 0.192 1.05 830,000 0.022 0.013 Manila Mining `A’ 0.0100 0.0110 0.0100 0.0100 0.00 3,600,000 0.023 0.014 Manila Mining `B’ 0.012 0.012 0.012 0.012 0.00 10,000,000 -22,800.008.2 3.240 Marcventures Hldgs., Inc. 2.84 3.08 2.85 3.04 7.04 1,911,000 -620,840.0049.2 18.96 Nickelasia 7.85 8.12 7.75 8.06 2.68 6,645,600 -19,009,265.004.27 2.11 Nihao Mineral Resources 3.12 3.18 3.06 3.15 0.96 1,094,000 31,100.001.030 0.365 Omico 0.6000 0.6600 0.6000 0.6300 5.00 1,145,000 3.06 1.54 Oriental Peninsula Res. 1.5000 1.5000 1.4400 1.4500 -3.33 1,307,000 0.020 0.012 Oriental Pet. `A’ 0.0100 0.0110 0.0100 0.0110 10.00 21,100,000 0.021 0.013 Oriental Pet. `B’ 0.0110 0.0100 0.0100 0.0100 -9.09 3,500,000 -20,000.007.67 5.4 Petroenergy Res. Corp. 3.88 4.00 3.85 3.85 -0.77 26,00012.88 7.26 Philex `A’ 5.35 5.470 5.400 5.47 2.24 81,200 202,461.0010.42 2.27 PhilexPetroleum 1.51 1.550 1.470 1.53 1.32 891,000 12,660.000.040 0.015 Philodrill Corp. `A’ 0.0140 0.0140 0.0130 0.0140 0.00 77,200,000 420 115.9 Semirara Corp. 135.00 138.00 134.80 137.60 1.93 253,610 17,600,383.009 3.67 TA Petroleum 2.35 2.38 2.29 2.33 -0.85 1,214,000 0.00

PREFERRED70 33 ABS-CBN Holdings Corp. 67.45 68 67.45 67.65 0.30 185,870 -706,762.00553 490 Ayala Corp. Pref `B1’ 513.5 513.5 513.5 513.5 0.00 44,000 22,594,000.00525 500 Ayala Corp. Pref ‘B2’ 525 526 525 525 0.00 1,600 118 101 First Gen F 110 110.7 110.7 110.7 0.64 10 515 480 GLOBE PREF P 528 528 528 528 0.00 7,000 8.21 5.88 GMA Holdings Inc. 7.4 7.4 7.2 7.39 -0.14 15,900 12.28 6.5 Leisure and Resort 1.13 1.13 1.13 1.13 0.00 498,000 1060 997 PCOR-Preferred A 1065 1065 1065 1065 0.00 80 PCOR-Preferred B 1089 1080 1061 1061 -2.57 2,910 442,800.001047 1011 PF Pref 2 1030 1035 1030 1035 0.49 700 78.95 74.5 SMC Preferred B 79 79.05 79 79 0.00 1,000 84.8 75 SMC Preferred C 82 83 83 83 1.22 30,070 SMC Preferred D 79.1 79.05 79.05 79.05 -0.06 2,100 SMC Preferred F 80 80.1 80 80 0.00 119,800 1,404,000.001.34 1 Swift Pref 2.8 2.3 2.02 2.3 -17.86 2,000

WARRANTS & BONDS6.98 0.8900 LR Warrant 3.050 3.100 2.990 3.080 0.98 208,000 8,970.00

S M E15 3.5 Makati Fin. Corp. 2.78 2.85 2.79 2.79 0.36 453,000 88 13.5 IRipple E-Business Intl 56.6 56.5 52.05 52.95 -6.45 19,410 12.88 5.95 Xurpas 16.32 16.44 16.22 16.34 0.12 2,053,300 -6,566,106.00

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS130.7 105.6 First Metro ETF 118 118.7 118 118 0.00 8,170 118,250.00

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BUSINESSWEDNESDAY: NOVEMBER 4, 2015

B3

Remittances seen hitting $36b

Marketadvances;Meralco,MPIC up

Bloomberry incurred P187-m loss in 3rd quarter

Bozz awardees. PLDT Smart SME Nation gives top honors to five young tech savvy entrepreneurs at the first-ever Bozz Awards for harnessing digital tools and platforms to propel their businesses to success. Shown are (from left) Voyager Innovations first vice president Stephen Misa, Cignal TV chief operating officer Oscar Reyes Jr., Airbnb regional manager Jia Jih Chai, Uber country manager Laurence Cua, Boss for customer service Chino Atilano of TimeFree Innovations, Boss for social media Jason Magbanua, Mobkard chairman Jay Bernardo representing Boss for mobile readiness Carlo Calimon of MobKard, Boss for e-commerce Kim Lato of Kimstore, PLDT chairman Manuel Pangilinan, Boss for social responsibility Kristine Reyes-Lopez of Messy Bessy, Rappler chief executive Maria Ressa, PLDT Enterprise head Eric Alberto, PLDT Smart SME Nation head Kat Luna-Abelarde, Global Beer Zero president Luigi Nunez, and IdeaSpace Foundation president Earl Martin Valencia.

By Julito G. Rada

MONDAY sent home by Filipinos working overseas is expected to reach $36 billion by 2019 from $24 billion in 2014, buoyed by increasing Internet usage and mobile connectivity.

STOCKS rose for the second day, after the US and some European markets advanced overnight, though the hang-over from China’s slowing growth still lingered.

The Philippine Stock Ex-change index, the 30-com-pany benchmark, rose 11 points, or 0.2 percent, to close at 7,210.73 on Tuesday. The gauge was still down 0.3 per-cent since the start of the year.

The heavier index, represent-ing all shares, added 3 points, or 0.1 percent, to settle at 4,156.09, on a value turnover of P5.9 bil-lion. Gainers outnumbered losers, 98 to 83, while 37 issues were unchanged.

Bloomberry Resorts Corp., operator of Solaire Resorts and Casino, emerged as the biggest gainer among the 20 most ac-tive stocks, as it climbed 7 percent to P6.40. Bloomberry said revenues rose 14 percent in the first nine months.

Liquor maker Emperador Inc. gained 4.4 percent to P8.75, while power retailer Manila Electric Co. rose 2.5 percent to P329. Metro Pacific Investments Corp. went up 1.9 percent to P5.44. Property de-veloper Ayala Land Inc. added 1.5 percent to close at P36.50.

Meanwhile, most Asian stocks also traded higher Tues-day. A Reserve Bank of Aus-tralia decision to leave interest rates unchanged at a record low 2 percent gave the Aussie dollar a kick, and the S&P/ASX 200 index was also buoyed by more bullish sentiment.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average pushed back into positive territory for 2015 on Monday, rising 0.94 percent —lifted by a technical bounce in petroleum shares and data showing a seven-year peak in US construction spending.

US spending on building new homes, highways and other projects came in at an annual pace of $1.09 trillion in September, the highest level since March 2008.

That added to the cheer as an acceleration in eurozone manufacturing activity helped push most European stocks higher on Monday.

With AFP, Bloomberg

By Jenniffer B. Austria

BLOOMBERRY Resorts Corp., the operator of Solaire Resorts and Casino in Parañaque City and Jeju Sun Hotel & Casino in South Korea, said Tuesday it in-curred a net loss of P187.4 million in the third quarter, a reversal of the P991-million profit it booked a year ago.

This brought the company’s net loss in the first three quarters to P1.51 billion, a turnaround from a P3.29-billion net income recorded in the same period last year.

Bloomberry said on a quarter-on-quarter basis, the net loss nar-rowed from a P787-million loss

posted in the second quarter.Third-quarter gross revenues

increased 29 percent to P7.1 bil-lion from P5.51 billion in 2014, boosting nine-month revenues to P19.42 billion, up 14.4 percent from P16.975 billion in the same period last year.

“Our investments in the Sky Tower are beginning to show re-turns. Given the improvement in Philippine operations and the opening of a new revenue stream, we are hopeful that returns will continue to gain higher ground,” Bloomberry chairman and chief executive Enrique Razon Jr. said.

Sky Tower features a 312 all-suite five-star hotel; a 1,760-seat

Broadway-style theater; a luxu-ry cigar and whisky bar; 1,000 square meters of meeting space; an international karaoke bar; and more gaming facilities.

Gross gaming revenues in the first nine months rose 14 percent to P24.55 billion while non-gam-ing revenues jumped 53 percent to P1.38 billion.

Bloomberry said higher rev-enues were supported by strong growth across all gaming segments and additional incremental growth in non-gaming revenues with the opening of Sky Tower in Novem-ber 2014 and the consolidation of Korean operations beginning the second quarter of 2015.

Jeju Sun, in its first 15 days of casino operations, accounted for less than 1 percent of consoli-dated gross gaming revenues and 13 percent of consolidated non-gaming revenues.

Bloomberry said its cost-con-tainment initiatives continued to show tangible benefits with cash operating expenses in the third quarter declining 6 percent quar-ter-on-quarter to P3.985 billion.

Razon said he expected Bloomberry to be back in the black in 2016, as the local gaming market continued to grow while other markets in the region like Thailand, Korea and Taiwan re-mained strong.

Market research company Ken Research said in a report mobile money and other mobile financial services would play a vital role in the future expansion of the remit-tance market.

“Increasing Internet penetra-tion and mobile connectivity is improving access to remittance services as digital offerings drive a decline in transaction fees,” the report said.

It said the bills payment mar-ket was bolstered dramatically by growth in remittances and higher income of overseas workers.

Remittances fuel private con-sumption and one of the back-

bones of economic growth. In the first eight months of 2015, cash remittances reached $16.206 bil-lion, or 4.1 percent higher than $15.572 billion a year ago.

Personal remittances, which include non-cash items, reached $17.933 billion in the first eight months, up 3.9 percent from $17.268 billion a year earlier.

Bangko Sentral earlier said the efforts of banks and non-bank re-mittance service providers to ex-pand their international and do-mestic market coverage through their network of remittance busi-ness partners worldwide provided support to the steady remittance

flows.Alix Murphy, senior mobile an-

alyst at WorldRemit, said the re-port of Ken Research reflected the huge role that mobile technology was now playing in remittances to the Philippines.

“Mobile-based remittances can be a game changer: by eliminat-ing the need for cash and paper processes and the high costs asso-ciated with them, mobile money will play an increasingly impor-tant role in international money transfer,” Murphy said.

It was estimated that the cost of sending remittances through mo-bile money was 4 percent, lower than the global average of 8 per-cent to 9 percent.

“Filipinos are among the most digitally connected when it comes to staying in touch with friends and family. Mobile Internet pen-etration in the Philippines is the third highest in Southeast Asia, behind only Thailand and Malay-sia, with mobile Internet adoption

reaching 62 percent of total sub-scribers in 2014,” Murphy said.

He said with just 28 percent of the population having a bank ac-count but over half the population owning a mobile phone, mobile would be the first and only means of accessing financial services for many Filipinos.

“Although mobile money has taken longer to reach same levels of adoption as in other regions such as Africa and Latin America, there are signs that’s now chang-ing. One in 10 Filipinos have re-ceived money via a mobile phone, according to the latest national financial inclusion survey,” Mur-phy said.

He cited available data showing that as of end-2014, there were 26.7 million mobile money ac-counts, handling around 217 mil-lion transactions and P716 billion ($15 billion) during the year.

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas also cited the important role of mobile money in its strategy to

increase financial inclusion, for which it was cited by the World Bank and other institutions.

Murphy said WorldRemit could be part of this important transformation by serving Filipi-nos with low-cost instant inter-national money transfers directly from their smartphone to any bank, cash-pick up agency or mo-bile money account.

B4

Yao’s bank earned P513.4m in 3 quarters of 2015

ICTSI posted $144-m profit in nine months

Uber sayscustomerscan nowpay cash

Logistics conference. LBC Express Inc. senior vice president for supply chain Charlie Villaseñor discusses the importance of a well–trained and experienced staff following global standards in ensuring efficient supply chain and logistics. Villaseñor spoke at the 2015 Procurement and Supply Institute of Asia World Annual Procurement, Logistics and Supply Chain Conference at the Marriott Hotel. He recalled how LBC had grown from a retail courier service to an end-to-end logistics provider that serves companies across the Philippines. LBC’s international network is composed of 1,650 company-owned local branches, 63 overseas branches and 206 expert delivery teams with over 330 delivery vans and 1,500 motorcycles at its disposal.

By Darwin G. Amojelar

INTERNATIONAL Con-tainer Terminal Services Inc. on Monday reported a net in-come of $143.7 million in the first nine months of the year from $142.3 million last year, on the back of strong interna-tional and domestic trade.

The port operator owned by tycoon En-rique Razon Jr. said gross revenues from port operations amounted to $792 million in the January-to-September period, up 2 percent from $779.2 million year-on-year.

ICTSI attributed the revenue increase mainly to volume growth at most of the com-pany’s terminals and favorable volume mix and higher ancillary services at Subic Bay In-

ternational Terminal Corp. in Subic Bay.The port operator handled consolidated

volume of 5.77 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in the first nine months of the year, 7 percent more than 5.41 million TEUs handled in the same period in 2014.

The increase in volume was mainly due to the increase container traffic at Contecon Manzanillo S.A. in Manzanillo, Mexico, Op-eradora Portuaria Centroamericana S.A. de C.V. in Puerto Cortez, Honduras; Pakistan International Container Terminal in Karachi, Pakistan; Yantai International Container Ter-minal in Yantai, China, and the company’s new terminal, ICTSI Iraq in Basra, Iraq.

The company’s eight key terminal opera-tions in Manila, Brazil, Poland, Madagascar, China, Ecuador, Pakistan and Honduras, which accounted for 77 percent of the group’s consolidated volume in the first nine months of 2015, grew five percent compared a year ago.

ICTSI’s capital expenditures amounted to

$254.6 million in the first nine months, about 48 percent of the $530-million capex budget for the full year 2015.

“The established budget is mainly allo-cated for the completion of development at the company’s new container terminals in Mexico, Honduras and Iraq, capacity expan-sion in its terminal operation in Manila, and to start the development of the new terminals in Democratic Republic of Congo and Aus-tralia,” ICTSI said.

ICTSI invested $79.1 million in the devel-opment of Sociedad Puerto Industrial Agua-dulce S.A., its joint venture container termi-nal development project with PSA Interna-tional Pte Ltd. in Buenaventura, Colombia.

The company’s share for 2015 to complete phase one of the project is about $140 million.

Given the underspending trend recorded in the first three quarters of 2015, the company reduced its capex and investment budget in SPIA for the full year 2015 to $350 million and $97 million, respectively.

UBER, the on-demand platform that connects riders and drivers, on Monday launched a cash pay-ment option in Metro Manila.

This makes the Philippines only the fifth country globally and the second in Southeast Asia, where Uber is experiment-ing with cash payments.

“Having the option of paying with cash is really important for people in Metro Manila so this is an exciting experiment for us. We want everyone to enjoy the hassle-free convenience of or-dering a safe ride at the push of a button,” Uber general manager in the Philippines Laurence Cua said.

“The tests we’ve done in In-dia, Kenya, Saudi Arabia and Vietnam have been hugely suc-cessful. This cash experiment in the Philippines will give us more great insights and help us devel-op our technology to best meet the needs of Filipino riders,” he added.

Uber teams around the world have worked tirelessly over the last few months to create a seam-less cash payment option.

Hyderabad, India was selected for a global-first experiment in May, followed a few weeks later by Nairobi, Kenya. Today, all 22 cities in India where Uber is available have cash payments as an option, along with Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and Hanoi and Ho chi Minh City in Vietnam.

Riders in Metro Manila will have access to all the current Uber features and more when it comes to paying for their ride. Riders need to simply choose the CASH payment option, take a ride and pay their driver directly in cash at the end of the trip.

“If riders do not see the cash op-tion right away, don’t worry. Not all riders will see cash right away as we are testing different groups and user preferences. It will roll out gradually to all riders over the next few weeks,” Uber said.

Since the company’s experi-ments in other markets began, Uber has gained insight into us-age patterns, consumer prefer-ences, friction points and exten-sive feedback from drivers and riders who’ve used cash to pay for Uber rides.

“The interest in Uber from the people of Manila has been amazing, and we are excited to experiment with cash payments on the Uber platform. Uber rid-ers in Manila already have access to reliable, convenient and safe transportation and this cash test opens up the Uber platform to even more people,” Cua said.

Uber’s rapidly expanding global presence continues to bring people and their cities clos-er from its founding in 2009. To-day Uber is available in over 343 cities in 63 countries.

Darwin G. Amojelar

By Julito G. RadaPHILIPPINE Business Bank, the financial arm of the Yao Group of Companies, posted a 14-percent increase in net income in the first nine months to P513.4 million from P449.7 million a year ago.

The bank’s pro-forma recurring core income, however, was almost flat at P691.5 million against last year’s P690.1 million. The bank’s recurring net profit includes the earnings of Insular Savers Bank, a rural bank acquired by PBB ear-lier this year.

“The bank’s performance in light of the stiff competition in the industry is indicative of

PBB’s maturation as a financial institution, bank president and chief executive Roland Avante said in a statement.

“Maintaining our recurring core income and increasing our PTPP [pre-tax pre-provision profit] and net income against the backdrop of sustained low financing costs is a testament to PBB’s resiliency and discipline, especially as we kept our NPLs within reasonable bounds and still deliver an attractive NIM at 4.15 percent,” he said.

On a stand-alone basis, inter-est income from loans and other receivables grew 11.1 percent to P1.916 billion. PBB’s net interest

income increased 8.7 percent to P1.795 billion.

Non-interest income from ser-vice charges, fees and commis-sions expanded 14.5 percent, while miscellaneous income dropped 53.5 percent from P146.8 million. Through nine months, the bank’s core income decreased 10.3 percent from P704.9 million to P632.4 million this year.

The bank’s trading activi-ties contributed P74.3 million, a strong turnaround from last year’s net loss of P30.7 million. This brought the bank’s pre-tax pre-provision profit to P706.7 million, a 4.8-percent increase over last year’s P674.2 million.

“The bank’s continuing profit-ability as evidenced by our strong recurring core income and PTPP growth underscores my com-mitment to our shareholders. Since I joined PBB late in 2011, my to-do list of first, listing the bank, and second, expanding our nationwide presence has been completed or is in the process of completion. The next step will be to upgrade our capabilities to a unibanking license,” Avante said.

PBB has a total of 127 branch-es. Including its acquisitions, PBB has 140 branches, eight from Insular Savers Bank, three from Bataan Savers Bank and two from Rural Bank of Kawit.

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BUSINESS B5

Typhoon victims get funding package

W E D N E S D AY : N O V E M B E R 4 , 2 0 1 5

PLDT’s net incomedown 9% to P25.3bSowing fear

among OFWs

NEA accolade. The National Electrification Administration now holds the distinction of being the first government-owned and controlled corporation to join the roster of ‘Islands of Good Governance’ after successfully showcasing breakthrough results that have brought about transformations in the public sector. Shown during the awarding ceremony at the Philippine International Convention Center in Manila on October 21, 2015 are (from left) Governance Commission for GOCCs Commissioner Angela Ignacio, NEA manager Francisco Caymo, NEA board member Fr. Jose Victor Lobrigo, MEA administrator Edita Bueno, Finance Undersecretary Laura del Rosario and international panelist Robert Klitgaard.

By Darwin G. Amojelar

Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. said on Monday net income fell 9 percent in the first nine months on higher manpower reduc-tion expenses and lower earnings from its cel-lular business.

The country’s largest telecom company reported a net income of P25.3 billion in the January-to-September period, down from P28 billion year-on-year.

PLDT’s net profit dropped 17 percent to P6.61 billion in the third quarter from last year’s P7.93 billion.

Excluding foreign exchange transactions and other non-recurring items, core profit hit P27.08 billion, down 5 per-cent from P28.86 billion last year. Third-quarter core profit amounted to P8.15 billion, down

6.6 percent from P8.73 billion last year.

The company affirmed its profit guidance of P35 billion this year.

“We are seeing some encourag-ing signs of progress... The third quarter is seasonally ‘soft’ yet our revenues have shown a general improvement, both quarter-on-quarter and year-on-year. This is even more evident if we strip out the ‘drag’ of our legacy NLD/ILD businesses,” PLDT chairman Manuel Pangilinan said.

Consolidated revenue was flat at P127.87 billion in the first nine

months of the year from P127.32 billion last year.

The company’s wireless service revenues decreased 3 percent to P83.23 billion in the January-to-September period from P86.12 billion last year.

Fixed line service revenues, meanwhile, climbed 5 percent to P43.65 billion from P41.47 billion last year.

The PLDT Group’s total cellu-lar subscriber base at the end of the period stood at 67 million. Of the total, Smart had 24.6 million subscribers; TNT ended with 27.7 million subscribers; and there were 14.7 million Sun Cellular subscribers.

The group’s combined post-paid cellular subscriber base hit over 2.9 million at the end of the period, while the combined pre-paid base stood at 64.1 million. Combined broadband subscriber base reached 5 million at the end of September.

A CLIMATE of fear now engulfs overseas Filipino workers because of the “tanim bala” incidents that has placed the livelihood of OFWs like Gloria Ortinez, who was bound for Hong Kong when she was arrested for allegedly carrying a bullet in her luggage. Ortinez has been working in Hong Kong for more than two decades so she knows HK security is very strict, so why she would risk bringing in an old bullet is a big ques-tion whose answer would be obvious even to the most dimwitted: she was marked down for a shakedown.

Ortinez was given temporary liberty but her livelihood is now at stake and her name is being put under a negative light. OWWA mean-time has been mum about the issue despite the fact that she is a bona fide OFW—not an illegal—who has religiously paid the mandatory contributions to the government agency that’s supposed to look after her welfare.

Our OFW buddies told us they are sick and tired of being looked upon as milking cows, with one even remarking that corrupt airport security personnel must see them as big dollar signs. There’s too many stories about returning or vacationing OFWs being asked for “pasalu-bong” by these thick-faced employees who think our migrant workers are swimming in dollars. They rummage through the bags of OFWs and get goodies like chocolates or perfumes that are meant for family members and relatives, while the most kupal open the wallet of the worker and take out cash.

These “tanim bala” incidents are earning the ire of many Filipinos just like the controversy before about the OFW balikbayan boxes in-volving the Customs office. According to OFW advocate Susan Ople, who is seeking a Senate seat in the May 2016 elections, several freight forwarding company owners have told her that their revenues are down by 20 to 30 percent—something that is unheard of considering that it is a peak season.

Joel Longares, who owns Atlas Shippers International, told Ople that from 70 containers in October to November last year, the com-pany’s sales are down to only 50 containers, with some customers voic-ing their fears that Bureau of Customs personnel might tamper with their boxes. “I see the same climate of fear and trauma prevailing, but this time among NAIA passengers including OFWs who are about to leave the country and those looking forward to their Christmas vaca-tion,” remarked the former labor undersecretary, who also disclosed that some migrant workers are messaging her on Facebook to inform her that they are on their way to NAIA to catch a flight, and just want Ople to know about it so the Ople Center can come to their aid in case something happens to them at the airport.

There is strong suspicion that a “tanim bala” syndicate is operating to extort money—said to be hundreds of thousands every month—from local and foreign travelers who just decide to put up and pay up to avoid the hassle and be able to board their planes. It may look amusing to see OFWs’ bags and luggage wrapped in Saran plastic or packaging tape to “bullet proof” them from corrupt and unscrupulous airport personnel, but it’s a sad commentary to the kind of fear and distrust that is pervading.

Many are calling for an impartial investigation by the NBI into these “tanim bala” incidents and make the culprits accountable. Meantime, Ople is proposing confidence building measures to be put into place to reduce the climate of fear hovering above the NAIA terminal. For one, the heads of the Manila International Airport Authority, the Of-fice for Transportation Security and the PNP Aviation Security Group should take a leave of absence voluntarily—and not wait for the Presi-dent to tell them so—if they still have an ounce of delicadeza left in their bones. Vice presidential candidate Alan Peter Cayetano, the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption and the Network of Inde-pendent Travel Agents have lodged a complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman against MIAA GM Jose Angel Honrado, Transportation Secretary Jun Abaya, OTS Administrator Rolando Recomono and PNP Avsegroup Director Pablo Balagtas. The complaint also asked for the suspension of the said officials.

A full public disclosure on the breakdown and use of airport ter-minal fees is also being demanded. According to data shared by Ople, the monthly average collection of airport terminal fee is at P327,278,270. Only very few also know that an aviation security fee of P15 is included in domestic passenger service charge. So where does all this money go, and why can’t MIAA even afford to buy and install CCTV equipment in key areas throughout the terminals to ease the minds of travelers?

•••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 Anna Leah E. Gonzales

THE Agriculture Department said Tuesday the Philippine Rural Development Project will now ac-cept proposals for small livelihood projects in areas damaged by typhoon Lando in Northern Luzon.

The projects, proposed by local government units, aim to help farmers and fishers recover lost or damaged livelihoods in areas affected by calamities, such as typhoons and earthquakes.

The DA said the livelihood projects would be im-plemented under the enterprise development com-ponent of the PRDP, or I-REAP.

PRDP national deputy project director Arnel de Mesa said unlike other sub-projects proposed un-der the I-REAP component, SLPs require less strin-gent measures for approval.

“For instance, newly established agri-based coop-eratives and associations are allowed to be propo-nent groups for SLPs that cost up to a maximum of P1 million,” de Mesa said.

He said the proposed SLPs do not require PRDP tools such as the value chain analysis, or VCA, and

provincial commodity investment plan, or PCIP, to be approved, since the goal of SLPs was to help farmers and fishers quickly recover from losses due to calamities.

The VCA is a tool used to assess the status and the linkages and interplay of different value chain play-ers of a particular industry.

From the VCA, provincial local government units will prepare a PCIP, which is a strategic three-year rolling plan containing possible interventions to be undertaken by a province for priority commodities.

De Mesa, however, said just like the other enter-prise development sub-projects proposed under the PRDP, a 20 percent equity from the provincial or municipal government is required.

“These SLPs are short-gestating projects so affect-ed farmers and fishers can easily bounce back from their losses,” de Mesa said.

Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala said it would be ideal for the provincial governments to propose for assistance on the production and mar-keting of high-value crops widely grown in the ar-eas of Luzon.

business@thestandard.com.phextrastory2000@gmail.com

BUSINESSWEDNESDAY: NOVEMBER 4, 2015

B6

New law to upgrade forestry profession—Paje

Cebu poised to create 1m jobs

BSP expands guidelines on marketing of financial products

Apec preparation. Trade Secretary Gregory Domingo (left) emphasizes the benefits of the Philippines’ hosting of this year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders’ Meeting especially to local micro, small and medium enterprises during the Kapihan sa Manila Bay at Luneta Hotel in Manila. With Domingo are (from left) Philippine Ambassador Marciano Paynor Jr., director general of the APEC 2015 National Organizing Council and Police Chief Superintendent Manuel Gaerlan, joint task force commander on peace and order for Apec 2015.

By Gabrielle H. Binaday

METRO Cebu is ex-pected to become a leading growth center which will generate 1 million jobs by 2050, a study by Japan In-ternational Coopera-tion Agency shows.

Jica said about 1 million new jobs would be created by 2050, once the roadmap for sustain-able urban development in Metro Cebu was implemented.

The study assumed a solid growth of 5.8-percent gross do-mestic product in the Philippines within the 35-year time frame.

“We hope that the Philip-pine government will approve the roadmap in the same way that they supported the infra-structure roadmap for Mega Manila,” Jica chief representa-tive in the Philippines Noriaki Niwa said.

“The study showed that Central Visayas can become a leading growth center in the country, and therefore has the potential to sustain the Philip-pines’ economic gains and jobs for Filipinos,” he said.

According to the study, eco-nomic activities in Cebu are expected to increase 15 times from the 2010 level.

The city’s GDP per capita is expected to rise to $20,000 by 2050, almost the same as Ko-rea’s level in 2010.

Metro Cebu’s economy is also projected to expand by 8.3 percent year-on-year between 2010 and 2020; 7.8 percent per year from 2020 to 2030; and 5.8 percent a year from 2030 to 2050.

The Metro Cebu Roadmap study was initiated by Metro Cebu Development and Coor-dinating Board, in collabora-tion with Jica and Yokohama City, Japan to attain the Mega Cebu Vision 2050.

Under the study, seven sub-roadmaps were also identi-fied, including metropolitan competitiveness enhancement; urban structure and land use; highway network and public transport; water supply, storm water and wastewater man-agement; solid waste man-agement; smart South Road Properties development and metropolitan governance.

Ten flagship projects would be implemented until 2020 while Jica also outlined 14 anchor programs to be imple-mented by 2050.

Niwa cited the support and cooperation of Cebu stake-holders in finalizing the road-map. He underscored the need to “immediately start working on flagship projects under the Metro Cebu Roadmap.”

“We are also expecting that the roadmap will be support-ed by future administrations,” Niwa said.

By Anna Leah E. Gonzales

ENVIRONMENT Secretary Ra-mon Paje said Tuesday the sign-ing into law of Republic Act No. 10690, or the Forestry Profession Act, will upgrade the practice of forestry profession.

RA 10690, which was signed by President Benigno Aquino III on Oct. 23, repealed RA 6239 that was enacted in 1971.

The new law upgrades the qual-ifications, skills and education of foresters in managing forest eco-systems, especially in coping with environmental threats by indus-trialization, population growth and climate change.

“As this law recognizes the im-portance of forestry in nation-building and development, it will help current and future foresters not only to look on the economic benefits of forest management, but add a social dimension to it as well,” Paje said.

The Environment Department, which is primarily mandated to protect and conserve the environ-ment, employs forestry graduates nationwide.

Paje said forestry graduates would help formulate policies and implement laws and programs related to forestry, biodiversity conservation and coastal man-agement.

Under the new law, future for-esters shall be degree holders in forestry, forest products engi-neering or agroforestry. They are required to pass a licensure ex-amination.

They are also required to un-dergo mandatory continuing professional development, such as training, seminars and higher education to develop their profes-sional competence.

Temporary or special permits can be issued to registered for-esters from other countries to allow them to practice in the Philippines, subject to certain conditions. The permit is valid for a period of one year, but can be

renewed thereafter.RA 10690 punishes with per-

petual disqualification from prac-tice anyone found violating the law, such as practicing forestry without a valid certificate of reg-istration and professional iden-tification card, or temporary or special permit.

The law also creates the Professional Regulatory Board of Foresters which, while under the administra-tive supervision and control of the Professional Regula-tion Commission, possesses executive, rule-making and quasi-judicial powers to carry out the law’s provisions.

By Julito G. Rada

BANGKO Sentral ng Pilipinas has issued new guidelines cover-ing the sales and marketing of financial products in a bid to pro-tect the investors.

The Monetary Board, the poli-cy-making body of Bangko Sen-tral, endorsed the issuance of reg-ulations governing the sales and marketing of financial products in its meeting on Oct. 29.

“With the distribution of fi-nancial products gaining more significance as a business line for BSP-supervised financial institu-tions and the increasing complex-ity of financial products being offered in the market, the risks

arising from clients transacting in unsuitable products are height-ened,” Bangko Sentral said in a statement.

“The proper conduct of client suitability is therefore deemed a crucial part not only of consumer protection but also of the self-protection of supervised entities against adverse claims,” it said.

Under the guidelines, BSP-su-pervised institutions are required to have appropriate policies, pro-cedures and controls in place to ensure the suitability of products being offered to clients.

The new regulations build on the existing sales and marketing guidelines for derivatives by ex-tending the coverage of the rules

to a wider spectrum of instru-ments that include debt and equi-ty securities, hybrid securities and similar products with substantial investment characteristics.

“The regulations enhance the existing guidelines by explicitly defining the minimum informa-tion to be obtained from a cli-ent during the initial stage of the suitability assessment, requiring BSFIs to classify clients according to their risk tolerance in addition to their sophistication, and set-ting out the suite of products that may be offered to conservative cli-ents,” Bangko Sentral said.

It also articulated circum-stances for the acceptable use of waivers, such that clients are not

made to automatically and com-prehensively waive the outcome of the client classification process and the resulting protections even before a product is recommended or offered.

Bangko Sentral-supervised en-tities are also required to regularly review compensation and incen-tive programs for sales personnel and ensure that these are designed in a way that will prevent conflicts of interest.

The guidelines also emphasized the role of control functions in ensuring that the BSFI complies with its own policies and proce-dures and relevant laws, rules and regulations in respect of the sales and marketing activities.

B7CESAR BARRIOQUINTOE D I T O R

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

W E D N E S D AY : N O V E M B E R 4 , 2 0 1 5

WORLD

‘Problem of statelesschildren intensifying’

Climate pact success ‘not certain’

CITRINE PAWNSHOP CO., INCAll unredeemed pledges during the month of JUNE 2015 will be sold to public auction on NOVEMBER 5, 2015 at RITZ - 12:00 PM at Stall # New Muntinlupa Public Market, Alabang Muntinlupa City JUAN LANUZA & SONS- AUCTIONEER

AUCTION SALE

( T S - N OV. 4 , 2 015 )

MAKATI LUXURY JEWELRY PAWNSHOP CO.,

All unredeemed pledges during the month of JUNE 2015 will be sold to public auction on NOVEMBER 05, 2015 at BF Homes – 10:00 AM # 43 President’s Ave., BF Homes, Parañaque City SPL - 3:00 PM at Casa Hacienda San Pedro, Laguna on NOVEMBER 07, 2015 at the ff. branches: ROMULO - 10:00 AM at 135 13TH Ave., Cor. P. Tuazon, Cubao, QC SANTOLAN – 4:00 PM 526 ADR Bldg., Dela Paz, Santolan, Pasig City on NOVEMBER 12, 2015 JP RIZAL – 11:00 AM # 529 Olympia St., JP Rizal, Makati City ALPHALAND – 5:00 PM G11 South Gate Towers, P. Tamo Ext., Makati City MANUELA – 3:00 PM G/F Starmall, Wack2, Mandaluyong City NOVEMBER 19, 2015 LALOMA – 11:30 AM # 67 Calavite St., Brgy., P. Bundok, QC RETIRO - 12:30 PM # 270 N.S. amoranto Street, Retiro QC. ROTONDA – 2:00 PM # 1 Sto. Tomas St., Rotonda QC at JUAN LANUZA & SONS- AUCTIONEER

AUCTION SALE

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WESTCHESTER All unredeemed pledges during the month of JUNE 2015 will be sold to public auction on NOVEMBER 12, 2015 at the ff. branches: HERRAN - 8:00 AM at # 1101 P. Gil St., Paco, Manila STA. ANA – 10:00 AM # 390 AP Reyes Cor. JP Rizal St., Makati City at JUAN LANUZA & SONS- AUCTIONEER

AUCTION SALE

TAMCAR PAWNSHOP CORP.

All unredeemed pledges during the month of JUNE 2015 will be sold to public auction on NOVEMBER 12, 2015 at the ff. branches: BUSTILLOS -2:00 PM at # L2522-28 Road 216, Earnshaw Bustillos, Manila NOVEMBER 23, 2015 CALOOCAN – 1:00 PM # 434 J. RODRIGUEZ ST., at JUAN LANUZA & SONS- AUCTIONEER

AUCTION SALE

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PANG NEGOSYO PAWNSHOP

All unredeemed pledges during the month of JUNE 2015 will be sold to public auction on NOVEMBER 07, 2015 at the ff. branches: COUNTRYSIDE - 12:30 PM at 49 Countryside Ave., Sta. Lucia, Pasig City JUNCTION – 2:30 PM # Star Valley Plaza Mall, Junction at JUAN LANUZA & SONS- AUCTIONEER

AUCTION SALE

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POB CASA DE EMPEÑOS

All unredeemed pledges during the month of JUNE 2015 will be sold to public auction on NOVEMBER 22, 2015 at the ff. branches: ST. FRANCIS - 10:30 AM at # 40 Kingfisher St., St. Francis, Meycauayan, Bulacan POBLACION – 11:30 AM # 721 Barrera St., Poblacion, Baliuag, Bulacan at JUAN LANUZA & SONS- AUCTIONEER

AUCTION SALE

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NORTHERN LEGASPI Al l unredeemed pledges dur ing the month of JUNE 2015 wi l l be sold to publ ic auct ion on NOVEMBER 23, 2015 at NAVOTAS - 2:30 PM at # 256 Champaca St. , Navotas Metro Mani la at JUAN LANUZA & SONS- AUCTIONEER

AUCTION SALE

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N.C. TAMBUNTING All unredeemed pledges during the month of JUNE 2015 will be sold to public auction on NOVEMBER 7, 2015 at PATEROS - 8:00 AM at # M. Almeda Cor. B. Morcilla St., Pateros, Metro Manila at JUAN LANUZA & SONS- AUCTIONEER

AUCTION SALE

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PENTHOUSE PAWNSHOP

Al l unredeemed pledges dur ing the month of JUNE 2015 wil l be sold to publ ic auct ion on NOVEMBER 5, 2015 at BETTER - 8:00 AM at # 82 Better l iv ing Subd. Parañaque City at JUAN LANUZA & SONS- AUCTIONEER

AUCTION SALE

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CINTHY PAWNSHOP Al l unredeemed pledges dur ing the month of JUNE 2015 wil l be sold to publ ic auct ion on: NOVEMBER 23, 2015 STA. MESA – 8:00 AM # 3630 Ramon Magsaysay Blvd. Sta. Mesa, Mani la at JUAN LANUZA & SONS- AUCTIONEER

AUCTION SALE

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LUIROM PAWNSHOP CO., INC.

All unredeemed pledges during the month of JUNE 2015 will be sold to public auction on NOVEMBER 5, 2015 at the ff. branches: SUCAT - 9:00 AM at #3 Dr., A. Santos Ave., Sucat, Parañaque City MUNTI – 1:30 PM #659 National Road, Poblacion St., Muntinlupa City NOVEMBER 07, 2015 SAN JOAQUIN – 1:30 PM # 9 M. Concepcion San Joaquin, Pasig City NOVEMBER 23, 2015 10TH AVE. – 2:00 PM # 245-B 10TH Ave., Brgy., 60 Zone 6, Caloocan City NOVEMBER 23, 2015 MARILAO – 1 PM #5 NETWORK AVE., MERALCO VILL. LIAS MARILAO BULACAN NOVEMBER 12, 2015 SAGRADA – 11:00AM #1978 ESTRADA ST., FORMER SAGRADA FAMILIA STA. ANA, MLA. NOVEMBER 19, 2015 GAGALANGIN – 8:45 AM #2 JUAN LUNA ST., COR. GUIDO ST., TONDO MANILA NOVEMBER 22, 2015, STO NIÑO – 9:30 AM #30 ST., THERESE COR, ST. PETER, P3 STO NIÑO MEYCAUAN BULACAN at JUAN LANUZA & SONS- AUCTIONEER

AUCTION SALE

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PEARLAS PAWNSHOP CO., INC.

A l l u n r e d e e m e d p l e d g e s d u r i n g t h e m o n t h o f JUNE 2015 w i l l b e s o l d t o p u b l i c a u c t i o n o n NOVEMBER 05, 2015 a t t h e f f . b r a n c h e s : M O N T I L L A N O - 1 2 : 3 0 P M a t 2 4 9 M o n t i l l a n o S t . , A l a b a n g , M u n t i n l u p a C i t y NOVEMBER 07, 2015 S U M U L O N G – 9 : 0 0 A M # 2 4 S u m u l o n g H w a y S t o . N i ñ o , M a r i k i n a C i t y C O N C E P C I O N – 1 0 : 0 0 A M # 1 9 B a y a n B a y a n a n A v e . , C o n c e p c i o n , M a r i k i n a C i t y NOVEMBER 12, 2015 G . N U E V O – 9 : 0 0 A M Ta n H o c k B l d g . , C o r. E D S A , M a k a t i C i t y NOVEMBER 2 3 , 2 0 1 5 B . B A R R I O - 11 : 3 0 A M # 3 5 M a l o l o s A v e . , B . B a r r i o , C a l o o c a n C i t y NOVEMBER 2 3 , 2 0 1 5 VA L E N Z U E L A – 1 2 : 0 0 P M # 11 5 F a u s t i n o S t . , P u n t u r i n , Va l e n z u e l a C i t y a t J U A N L A N U Z A & S O N S - A U C T I O N E E R

AUCTION SALE

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RACATAM PAWNSHOP CO., INC.

All unredeemed pledges during the month of JUNE 2015 will be sold to public auction on NOVEMBER 19, 2015 at the ff. branches: PRITIL - 8:00 AM at 1833 N. Zamora St., Pritil, Tondo, Manila BLUMENTRITT – 10:30 AM #1687 M. Hizon St., Blumentritt, Manila VARONA – 8:30 AM 1872 F. VARONA ST., BRGY 95, ZONE 8, TONDO, MANILA NOVEMBER 23, 2015 ALTURA – 9:00 AM # 418 Altura St. Sta. Mesa, Manila at JUAN LANUZA & SONS- AUCTIONEER

AUCTION SALE

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NOTICE OF ELECTION OF NEW BOARD OF DIRECTOR

CECILIA G. AFABLE

PRIME MARINE SERVICES, INC.1337 A. MABINI STREET,

ERMITA 1000(TS-NOV. 4, 2015)

NOTICE OF DISSOLUTIONThe public is hereby notified that the Philippine Representative Office of GET INTERNATIONAL PTE. LTD., with registered address at Unit 607 Page 1 Bldg., Acacia Ave., Madrigal Business Park, Ayala Alabang, Muntinlupa City, will be CLOSED. The closure of the Philippine representative office will take effect upon approval by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

(TS-OCT. 21,28 & NOV. 4, 2015

ERRORS & OMISSIONSI n C l a s s i f i e d A d s s e c t i o n must be brought to our attention the very day the advertisement is published. We will not be responsible for any incorrect ads not reported to us immediately.

Republic of the PhilippinesDEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONCaraga Administrative Region

Division of Agusan del Sur

INVITATION TO BID FOR SCHOOL BUILDING REPAIR CY 2015 BATCH I AND II

The Depar tment o f Educat ion (DepED) – Agusan de l Sur D iv is ion in tends to app ly the sum of Th i r t y Three Mi l l ion Seventeen Thousand Two Hundred Fi f t y Pesos Only (Php33,017,250.00) be ing the Approved Budget fo r the Cont rac t (ABC) to payments under the cont rac t fo r the works descr ibed be low, to w i t :

ClusterNo. School Location Item Description

Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) in Pesos

1Tagapua ES San Francisco Repair of 12 CLSB 1,931,000.00Cuevas ES Trento Repair of 6 CLSB 1,510,000.00

Total ABC of Cluster 1: 3,441,000.00

2

La Suerte ES Prosperidad Repair of 1 CLSB 331,650.00

San Martin ES Prosperidad Repair of 4 CLSB794,970.00

Mikit ES Prosperidad Repair of 2 CLSB 666,270.00Sta. Irene CES Prosperidad Repair of 4 CLSB 975,150.00San Jose ES Prosperidad Repair of 2 CLSB 594,000.00

Total ABC of Cluster 2: 3,362,040.00

3New Maasin ES Prosperidad Repair of 4 CLSB 1,074,150.00Sta. Maria ES Prosperidad Repair of 7 CLSB 2,442,330.00

Total ABC of Cluster 3: 3,516,480.00

4La Purisima ES Prosperidad Repair of 7 CLSB 2,427,480.00Patin-ay CES Prosperidad Repair of 3 CLSB 1,009,800.00

Total ABC of Cluster 4: 3,437,280.00

5

Asuncion ES Prosperidad Repair of 2 CLSB 502,920.00Libertad ES Prosperidad Repair of 6 CLSB 1,876,050.00

San Agustin ES Prosperidad Repair of 2 CLSB 673,200.00Nuevo Trabajo

ESSan Luis Repair of 2 CLSB 356,400.00

Total ABC of Cluster 5: 3,408,570.00

6Los Arcos ES Prosperidad Repair of 9 CLSB 3,268,980.00Las Navas ES Prosperidad Repair of 4 CLSB 1,247,400.00

Total ABC of Cluster 6: 4,516,380.00

7San Vicente ES Prosperidad Repair of 11 CLSB 3,722,400.00

Total ABC of Cluster 7: 3,722,400.00

8Lucena ES Prosperidad Repair of 11 CLSB 3,564,000.00

Total ABC of Cluster 8: 3,564,000.00

9San Luis NHS San Luis Repair of 5 CLSB 1,861,200.00

Kalilid ES San Luis Repair of 8 CLSB 2,187,900.00Total ABC of Cluster 9: 4,049,100.00

TOTAL ABC (Clusters 1+2+3+4+5+6+7+8+9): 33,017,250.00

The Department of Education (DepED) – Agusan del Sur Division now invites bids for the above-mentioned works. Bids received that exceed the total ABC shall be rejected at bid opening. Bidding shall be by cluster. Interested bidder/s may bid for in any or all of the clusters stated above but not in one school only. Late bid shall be rejected. Evaluation and award shall be made on a per cluster basis.

Prospective bidders must have completed a similar contract within the last ten (10) years from date of submission and receipt of bids with an amount of at least 50% of the ABC to be bid.

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

Open competitive bidding will be conducted using the non-discretionary pass/fail criterion, evaluation and post-qualification procedures specified in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of R.A. 9184. Information is also available at www.philgeps.net .

Activity Date and Time VenueIssuance of Bidding Documents Until Nov. 3, 2015 at 10:00AM LRMDC Office,

, Agusan del Sur Division Patin-

ay, Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur

Pre-Bid Conference Nov. 9, 2015 at 10:00AMSubmission and Opening of Bids (Including Eligibility Check)

November 23, 2015 at 10:00AM

A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested Bidders from the address indicated herein and upon payment of a nonrefundable fee for the Bidding Documents in the amount of Php5, 000.00 per cluster upon completion of filing of Letter of Intent not later than November 09, 2015 at 9:00 AM.

It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the website of the Procuring Entity, provided that bidders shall pay the fee for the Bidding Documents not later that the submission of their bids.

The Department of Education (DepED) – Agusan del Sur Division reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bids, to annul the bidding process, or declare failure of bidding at any time prior to contract award without thereby incurring any liability to the affected parties.

For further information, please refer to:

RIZA O. MUANAGThe DBAC SecretariatDepED – Agusan del Sur DivisionGov. D.O. Plaza Gov’t. Center, Patin-ayProsperidad, Agusan del Sur

(SGD.) ELIZABETH M. HERMOSO DBAC Chairperson ( TS - NOV. 4, 2015)

“There are still a few issues that have to be settled,” the French leader told Europe1 radio during an offi-cial visit to China.

“Yes, failure is still possible, but today I am confident,” said Hollande.

The November 30-December 11 UN summit in Paris will be opened by world leaders, including US President Barack Obama, China’s Xi Jinping and Narendra Modi of India.

The aim is to unite all the world’s nations in a single agreement on tackling climate change, with the goal of capping warm-ing at two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) over pre-Industrial Revolution levels.

The agreement will be backed by a roster of national pledges for reducing green-house gas emissions blamed for global warming.

Hollande said it was encouraging that major emitters like China and the United States, as well as de-veloping nations were all deeply engaged in the notoriously com-bative negotiating process.

Asked if he thought the conference would be a success, Hollande said: “It is possible, not certain.”

Among the key points still in dispute, he cited $100 billion (91 billion euros) in annual climate fi-nance that rich na-tions had promised for developing coun-tries from 2020.

Some $65 billion has been secured and another $20 bil-lion promised, said Hollande, but “we are not yet at $100 bil-lion”.

On Monday, Hollande and Xi said the new agree-ment must include five-yearly reviews of nations’ compliance with their own car-bon-cutting under-takings.

They also agreed

PARIS—President Francois Hollande of France, host of a cru-cial year-end conference to agree a global pact on climate change, said Tuesday the meeting’s success was “possible, not certain”.

that the pact must be legally binding.

China is the world’s

largest greenhouse gas polluter and will be a key player at the Paris event.

It is an important member of the larg-est negotiating bloc, the G77 group of developing nations, which insists that rich nations must bear bigger respon-sibility for cutting

emissions, since they have been polluting for longer.

Developed nations point the finger, in turn, at emerging gi-ants like China and India burning mas-sive amounts of fos-sil fuel to power their fast-growing econo-mies and populations. AFP

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B8 CESAR BARRIOQUINTOE D I T O R

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Murderchargesoughtfor Pistorius

Concern as Erdogan returns to power

Present. Model Jean Campbell attends the 12th annual CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Awards at Spring Studios on November 2, 2015, in New York City. AFP

The exodus continues. Migrants and refugees try to warm up in a train traveling from Gevgelija at the Greek-Macedonian border to Serbia on November 3, 2015. More than 218,000 migrants and refugees crossed the Mediterranean to Europe in October, a monthly record, and more than during the whole of 2014, the United Nations said. AFP

WORLD‘Problem of statelesschildren intensifying’

GENEVA—A stateless child is born every 10 minutes, the United Nations said Tuesday, warning that the prob-lem has intensified as the conflict in Syria has sparked a global migrant and refugee crisis.

A new report by the UN refugee agency high-lights the long-term consequences of statelessness for children, such as being deprived of medical care, education and future access to employment.

The problem is particularly severe among mi-grants and refugees affected by conflict, said the report, which is to be launched by UNHCR chief Antonio Guterres at UN headquarters in New York on Wednesday.

In Syria, children can acquire nationality only through their fathers, but the four-year civil war has forced more than four million people to flee the country and left 25 percent of refugee families fatherless.

Women who fled Syria while pregnant told UN interviewers that their hopes of one day returning home with their families could be crushed without a birth certificate to prove that their children are Syrian.

Syria’s war has also forced hundreds of thou-sands of people to seek refuge in Europe, including women who have given birth while trying to move across borders. 

The agency said that in the 20 countries hosting the largest stateless populations, “at least 70,000 stateless children are born each year”―or one about every 10 minutes. 

“In the short time that children get to be chil-dren, statelessness can set in stone grave problems that will haunt them throughout their childhoods and sentence them to a life of discrimination, frus-tration and despair,” Guterres said. 

“Several million children are watching their childhoods slip away without the sense of belong-ing and protection that comes with a nationality,” the report said.

The report notes that in 30 countries national documentation is required to access basic medical treatment, while in 20 countries stateless children cannot even be vaccinated. 

The UN agency proposed several measures to eliminate the scourge of statelessness, including the reform of discriminatory laws that prevent mothers from passing on nationality to their children. AFP

BLOEMFONTEIN, South Africa—South African state prose-cutors on Tuesday argued in court for Oscar Pistorius to be convicted of murder and sent back to jail, two weeks after he was released on house arrest.

The disgraced Paralympic sprinter was found guilty last year of culpable homicide—a charge equivalent to manslaughter—after shooting dead his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day in 2013.

At the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein, state prosecutors tried to convince judges that Pistorius should be found guilty of murder and sen-tenced to a minimum of 15 years in prison.

He was released on October 19—just one year into his five-year jail term—to spend the remainder of his sentence at his uncle’s man-sion in Pretoria.

Pistorius, 28, said he thought there was an intruder in his house when he blasted four bullets through the toilet door of his bed-room, killing Steenkamp, a model and law graduate.

Prosecutor Gerrie Nel began his case, arguing that Pistorius inten-tionally meant to kill whoever was behind the door.

The state lawyers have described the sentence as “shockingly light, inappropriate” and said “not enough emphasis was placed on the horrendous manner” in which Steenkamp died.

A panel of five judges will hear the arguments from the state and defense, with the proceedings scheduled to last one day.

The judges are then expected to announce a future date to deliver their ruling.

“I’m here to support Gerrie Nel and the team,” Reeva’s mother June Steenkamp told AFP, sitting in court.

“We are saying he must stay in jail,” said Khosi Mojapi, a 33-year-old member of the African National Congress Women’s League, outside the court building.

“As women, we need to make sure the law is behind us. We say stop abusing women.” AFP

ISTANBUL—Turkey’s Western al-lies have voiced deep concerns over media intimidation in the run-up to the election that returned President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s party to power.

The surprise outcome of Sunday’s vote could further entrench power in the hands of Erdogan, the domi-nant figure in Turkish politics for more than a decade who critics warn is becoming more autocratic.

In a turnaround that confounded pollsters, Erdogan’s Islamic-rooted Justice and Development Party or AKP reclaimed the majority it lost just five months ago, returning the Muslim majority country to single-

party rule once more.Erdogan on Monday declared

the outcome a vote for “stability” after renewed conflict with Kurdish rebels and a wave of bloody jihad-ist attacks, and called on the entire world to respect the result.

But the United States, a key ally, and two European observer mis-sions expressed concern over the campaign, particularly the crack-down on media critical of Erdogan.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the US was “deeply concerned that media outlets and individual journalists critical of the government were subject to pres-sure and intimidation during the

campaign”.“We have both publicly and pri-

vately raised our concerns about freedom of the press, freedom of speech and freedom of assembly in Turkey,” he said.

His remarks echoed the findings of European election observers.

While voters were given a choice between genuine alternatives, “the rapidly diminishing choice of me-dia outlets, and restrictions on freedom of expression in general” caused “serious concerns,” said Ignacio Sanchez Amor, head of an Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe mission. AFP

One of the exciting things children and the young at heart look forward to when the “ber” months come rolling along, is the Christmas tree. I remember our Christmas tree at home when I was younger. I would stare at the blinking lights all night and imagine myself to be a chipmunk like Disney’s Chip and Dale so I could explore the tree to my heart’s desire. The memory remains dear to me, so when a project to style a hotel’s Christmas tree was presented, I was really excited to do it.

The idea of a Christmas tree originated from the 16th century in Germany. Towards the end of the 19th century, it gained popularity beyond the country. Traditionally, the tree is adorned with edibles such as fruits and nuts. Today, there is definitely more than one option to decorate one.

For this year, I came across some trends for Christmas and applied them to my tree concept. Here are some of the common trends:

METALLICSThe metallic palette has been dominating the trends the whole year as key colors, but is now going beyond the predictable silver and gold. We are now introduced to fresh perspectives with the use of bronze, brass, copper and jeweled tones. Brass, in particular, exhibits a modern luster that designers find appealing. Check out as well

“blanched copper” which is a subtle copper tone and gold in an opulent yellow tone.

SCANDINAVIAN / NORDICIt is rustic, simple and inviting all at once and is one of the major trends in interiors globally. How to create the feel? Apply natural accents such as wood, antlers, bare branches, fir tree wreaths, pine cones and rustic lanterns. Add some black and white elements into the mix as well. If you find this too minimalist, add some red color through berries, stockings, rugs and fabric tree decorations. Animals are also represented well here with the stag reigning supreme over the wolves and reindeer. These animals usually decorate the faces of cushions, dishes and tablecloths.

WHITE CHRISTMASPile on layers of different shades of white from ivory, cream to off-white mixed with metallics for texture and richness of color. This is perfect for those who prefer a more understated ambiance. The all-white theme can be applied to different designs from an elegant shabby chic look with French country influences to a modern take by combining white with copper and silver. Frosting is also popular this year. It can add some opulence to an all-white theme with its glitter and sparkle. For DIY projects, try using spraying glitter or apply flakes to surfaces that can create a winter wonderland in an instant. If you want to decorate your tree with some local flavor, try maximizing our resources and experiment with capiz shells to make it unique.

FROZEN PARADISEAn innovative idea that created a big influence on Christmas decorations this year is the wildlife in spring. Think nature, fruits, forest animals such as bunnies and chicks and flowers in bloom. Here, the shiny whites are accompanied by deep greens. “Birds of paradise” will also make an exotic appearance but we will continue to see the popular woodland creatures such as foxes, owls, bear, deer and squirrels in their updated stylish forms.

ORGANICWe have witnessed more restaurants adopting the “farm-to-table” interiors that speak earthy, organic and natural. An example would be the Wholesome table restaurant design. This design is not only limited to interiors but to other aspects as well. In recent times, studies show that we are more open to purchase eco-friendly products. Buyers have become more interested in materials like hemp, sisal, burlap and papier-mâché which they can recycle, repurpose and are environmentally-friendly. For an organic Christmas theme, create rustic-themed trees with natural accessories and woodland creatures. On trend are wreaths hand-braided with wool and other natural pieces. Try wrapping transparent candleholders with pieces of cloth and lace for a more cozy and personal feel.

Follow me on Instagram @cal_tavera

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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

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CALEIDOSCOPE WORLD

BY CAL TAVERA

CHRISTMAS TRENDS FOR 2015

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“Home is where the hearth is,” goes this popular saying, underscoring the widespread notion among many that the

hearth is the most charming feature in any home as it evokes warmth and welcome.

For its Fall collection for 2015, leading home furnishings destination Crate & Barrel gets its inpiration from the cozy lifestyle and warm colors of the autumn hearth and home. With a range of seasonaly refereshing products for every room, the collection speaks of the brand’s casual decorating style and entertaining expertise, all at an affordable price point.

The new collection showcases a mix of colors, patterns, shapes and textures that reflect nature and the changing season. Deep crimson, orange, indigo and rich charcoal are paired with soft neutrals, evoking the fire and glow of a fireplace, suffusing the home with warmth and evoking a peaceful and relaxed ambience.

"We're thrilled to share our Fall 2015 range of products with customers. The new collection evokes the warmth, light and coziness of all things hearth and home, while still embracing our clean and classic design philosophy,” says Raymond Arenson, Crate & Barrel’s executive vice president of Merchandising and Design.

“The fall assortment is both inspiring and approachable, featuring beautifully designed products meant to be enjoyed every day,” he reiterates.

The carefully curated assortment offers inspired design solutions for every room in the home including unique seasonal accessories, entertaining essentials, quality kitchenwares and Crate & Barrel’s exclusive furniture collection.

SELECT TRENDS FROM THE FALL 2015 COLLECTION INCLUDE: • Fall Into Texture: Beautiful textures and

handcrafted details enhance accessories that are perfect for layering and add personality in the home. Crate & Barrel’s Merle Wall Clock, Brass Circle on Stand and Allegra Centerpiece Bowl add subtle, metallic touches; while the Gracie Pillow, Harmon Pillow and Lima Throw offer softly textured warmth, just right for a relaxing evening by the fireplace.

• Warming Trends: New fall throws such as the Humphrey Stripe Throw and Luna Throw add a vibrant layer of welcome, especially when combined with the deep colors of the Elder Vases and the sunset hues of the Elyse Chair, upholstered in Pablo Santa Fe fabric. To complete the setting, Crate & Barrel introduces a collection of new fireplace

accessories – Gingko Fireplace Screen and the Bronze Twisted Fireplace Tools.

• New in the Kitchen. Celebrate great design in the kitchen with the Russell Pinch Cast Iron Collection, an exclusive introduction by the noted British designer. Whether it’s the Hollandaise 8.5 qt. Dutch Oven or the London Gray 10” Skillet, the elegant modern lines of the collection will add timeless style to any kitchen.

• Artfully Crafted: Elevate autumn dining in shades of deepest indigo, layering on designs that celebrate craftsmanship, style and value. Inspired by the hills of Portugal, the exquisitely patterned Lisbon Rectangular Platter and Lisbon Plate add tabletop drama, especially when paired with the Makena Runner and Dinner Napkins.

• Go For The Bold: New fall offerings such as the Hobbs Bar Cart and Cab Wine Tower offer great style and value and make entertaining a breeze. Layer in a range of bright entertaining accessories with the Array Cocktail Napkins and Party Plates.

• Modern Elegance: Offering a fresh take on timeless designs, Crate & Barrel’s fall furniture ranges from the mid-century style of the Gia Sofa, Cloister Lamp and Cavett Chair, upholstered in Twine, to the city chic of the Dryden Chair and Metropole Chair to the lodge-inspired Oakton Chandelier, Teton Trunk and Crowne 57” Media Console.

Check out the Crate & Barrel Fall 2015 Collection in stores beginning this November. For more information, visit www. crateandbarrel.com.

Enjoy the fine art of living at The Proscenium Residences, the fifth tower in the latest master-planned development

from premiere developer Rockwell Land. Experience a new lifestyle where art becomes a daily companion, with a well planned center offering amenities that maximize leisure and recreation.

At 59 floors, The Proscenium Residences is awe-inspiring, its two-leaf design manifesting the vision of world-renowned visionary Carlos Ott whose architectural creations dot the skylines of Paris, Toronto, Dubai, Florida, and many other world capitals. The Proscenium Residences is the tallest of the

five residential towers within the Proscenium enclave and hosts a mix of 100 Studio Units, 122 1-Bedroom Units, 241 2-Bedroom Units, and 100 3-Bedroom Units, making it suitable for all kinds of living preferences.

A few steps away from The Proscenium Residences is a Performing Arts Theater that can accommodate over 500 guests. Here, residents and visitors can enjoy feature performances from local and international acts without having to travel to Manila.

An addition to the Proscenium will be the Lopez Museum with an unrivaled Filipiniana archive of books, manuscripts and maps. Currently, the museum is

distinguished by its collection of paintings by old masters, Juan Luna and Felix Ressurreccion Hidalgo, as well as works by National Artists including Carlos “Botong” Francisco, Vicente Manansala, H.R. Ocampo, Cesar Legaspi, and Arturo Luz.

A wide range of shops and boutiques are also just an elevator ride away, offering residents the opportunity to enjoy “retail therapy” from luxurious and fashionable brands. Multiple dining options are also conveniently located within The Proscenium development.

An almost one-hectare Amenity Deck is also found on the fifth floor, complete with a sprawling garden, jogging paths, a number of pools, a floating river, gazebo, a splash pad and an outdoor tennis court.

For those who prefer to work in between moments of play, The Proscenium Residences offers a Business Center within the tower for its residents’ convenience.

The Proscenium promises to elevate the Rockwell lifestyle to even greater heights without losing the exclusivity, security and sense of community Rockwell residents are enjoying.

Hearth and Home Inspires Crate & Barrel’s Fall Collection

ARTFUL LIVING AT THE PROSCENIUM

RESIDENCES

The Crate & Barrel Fall collection celebrates modern, classic design and relaxed living

Celebrating the art of the cocktail, these appetizer plates feature vibrant modern graphics designed exclusively by Derrick Castle for Crate & Barrel

Crate & Barrel’s Hearth & Home-Inspired Fall 2015 Collection

Minimally outlined in slim tubes of black-coated tubular metal, this industrial-inspired cart gets a dose of urban glamour with bronze mirrored shelves

Lobby

The Proscenium Residences

An aerial perspective of the Amenity Deck

Performing Arts Theater

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URBAN MATTERS

BY KARIMA PALAFOX

PHOTO COURTESY OF TOOYKRUB / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

Every year, planners from more than 30 countries around the world celebrate World Town Planning Day on November 8. � e international

community of professionals – that work on the built and natural environment – exchange ideas and best practices on how to make our cities more livable. Our own organization of planners, the Philippine Institute of Environmental Planners, meet annually near this date. PIEP has members that include urban and regional planners, local government and national agencies, architects, engineers, economists, foresters, lawyers, real estate brokers and developers. It is our mandate to promote and ensure the development of national and local planners, and pursue related policies and advocacies on sustainability. � e Philippines has 81 provinces and 1,634 towns and cities, with each of them requiring a planning and development o� cer to lead land use planning and zoning in their local government. However, we only currently have 1,130 licensed environmental planners. � e leadership of PIEP has been promoting the profession with the hope that more people – particularly the youth and professionals in allied � elds – will choose a career in planning. � is year, our meeting theme of “Reimagining the Filipino City” will allow the participants to re� ect on who we are as Filipinos and recognize that our natural and urban environment are inherent to our identity as a people. It will also allow us to come up with alternative urban futures through tried-and-tested solutions to be shared by the expert resources, and consider

REIMAGINING THE FILIPINO CITYhow to create better cities through foresight, imagination, technologies and innovation. � e � rst of � ve sessions, “� e Filipino Identity,” aims to examine the foundations that in� uence how Filipinos shape cities, and how we can build on – or challenge – them in the pursuit of livable communities. � e conversation will be led by DENR Secretary Ramon Paje and Dr. Fernando Zialcita of UNESCO, and PIEP president Lara Togonon de Castro. Our environments say a lot about who we are as a people. � e Tagalog, for example, anecdotally derived its name from the word taga-ilog, in reference to the Ilog Pasig. In other words, the Tagalog are the people of the Pasig River. On the other hand, Cebu may have gotten its name from the word sibu, which means the place for trading. One can also determine when cities were established through its urban forms and patterns. � e oldest towns have settlements surrounding waterways and seas, while newer cities tend to be lined along roads and highways. In the session entitled “Rede� ning Sustainable Development for Filipino Cities,” the panel will share fresh approaches to sustainable development, recognizing global frameworks while advancing a

distinct Filipino perspective to urban planning and development. � e Philippines has committed to the Sustainable Development Goals, also known as the Global Goals. Targets that we will try to achieve with other countries by 2030 include ending all forms of poverty and hunger, and making cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. Environmental planners in the panel will discuss the government’s strategy in addressing informal settlements, as well as how the nation is performing in its objective of inclusive development. I will be moderating the “Mobility and the City” session. Transportation should be planned together with land use; however, road projects and tra� c regulations have been seemingly implemented without reference to development plans of the city in relation to the wider region. � e speakers are Dr. Primitivo Cal of the University of the Philippines, Robie Siy of the Department of Transportation and Communication and Julia Nebrija, one of the most visible advocates of biking as a mode of transport. Dr. Cal will present previous and present initiatives in trying to solve our tra� c. It will be interesting to hear how the government leaders intend to address congestion, in relation

to the increasing number of city dwellers and cars, sprawl, and increasing property values in city centers. Robie Siy, senior consultant for the DOTC, will present the prospects of a Bus Rapid Transit in Manila. Autodesk’s Mr. Sunil M K, together with a panel of so� ware experts, will discuss in the session on “Planning Tools for the Future: Data Democracy and Urban Planning” how to imagine, design and create a better world through technology. Autodesk has been collaborating with places around the world in Mapping for Smart Cities. He will be joined by experts from XP Solutions and Open Data Philippines. � e day’s events will be capped by the session on “Alternative Urban Futures,” which presents an array of alternative futures for the Filipino City. It is most � tting that students from Grades 10-11 of Singapore School of Manila will be setting the tone of the discussion. � ey won this year’s Young Mayor’s Competition, and bested several schools from around Asia with their proposals for the City of Manila. Arnel Casanova will share BCDA’s (Bases and Conversion Development Authority) plans for Clark Green City, and how they are seeing the new city as an alternative to congested Metro Manila. Environmental Planner Mark de Castro will talk about agricultural urbanism, particularly in Enchanted Farm in Bulacan. � e community is home to social entrepreneurs and local farmers, and was established by Gawad Kalinga as an alternative to poverty for many. Joel Luna, Ayala Land’s Head of Innovation and Design Group, will talk about the new cities that the country’s oldest corporation has been building all over the Philippines.

� e PIEP national convention will be held on November 6, Friday at AIM Conference Center in Makati City at 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Everyone who has an interest in recreating our cities is invited to join the conversation. To register or inquire, please contact Arlene Ty or Beth Luna at secretariat@piep.org.ph (02)920-9705 and (0917)831-6694.

Follow me on Instagram @karmipalafox 

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Makati dwellers know it’s already Christmas when they pass by Ayala and the rows of glass window displays in Rustan’s

is already filled with Christmas designs and decors. In a recently held luncheon with special guests and the media, Rustan’s family kicked o� with their annual Christmas launch headed by Rustan’s patriarch and chairman emeritus Amb. Bienvenido Tantoco Sr. and chairman and CEO Zenaida Tantoco.

“Christmas is always associated with rejoicing and happiness, and these twin factors are manifested through the pleasures of giving and receiving gi� s, so with that in mind our theme for Christmas 2015 is ‘Experience Rustan’s with Pleasure’,” opens Ms. Zenaida Tantoco as she welcomes everyone to an early Merry Christmas. Inspired Christmas home lifestyle and decors are abundant in the � oors of Rustan’s. Whether you’re gearing up for your house décoration or entertaining guests for the holiday, the shops are beaming with endless theme inspirations for you to choose from. Take a trip down the aisles of displays and feast your eyes with inspirations for your holiday theme – from Winter Wonderland,

Woodland, Traditional, Glammed up, or Country style, they have everything in store for your creative decorating ideas. � ere are at least more than a dozen Christmas tree ornaments you can choose from to highlight the centerpiece of your Christmas. Are you into peacocks? Santa Claus? Frost? Snowglobes? Elves? � e possibilities are endless. Complete your home with dinnerwares and appliances with elaborate or simple (up to you) designs from brands Casa Bugatti, Regent and Gamma, Vacu Vin, Novita Home and Khala, Lalique, among others. “Rustans is the place to visit to enjoy in abundance the joyful Christmas spirit and in the process solve that dilemma that always comes around at this time of the year as to what to give family and friends for Christmas,” says Ms. Tantoco. You may opt to register and list down your gi� ideas at the Rustan’s Christmas Gi� Registry, and don’t forget to take a well-deserved sel� e with Santa Claus under the magical Christmas tree � lled with glittering lights. Don’t be late in � lling up your Christmas list; make sure you head out early to avoid foot tra� c. Visit Rustan’s today and experience what they have to o� er… with pleasure.

RUSTAN’S WITH PLEASURE

The Rustan’s family at the annual Christmas launch: Senior Buyer for Men’s Division Paolo Lobregat, VP for Merchandising Home Division Marilen Tantoco, Chairman and CEO Zenaida Tantoco, SSI Group President Anton Huang, President Donnie Tantoco, VP for Store Planning and Expansions Michael Huang, (seated) Member of the Board Maritess Tantoco Enriquez, and Marketing Communications Head Dina Tantoco

Make gift giving more fun and exciting at the Rustan’s Christmas Gift Registry Christmas mood inspirations for your holiday decor

Rustan’s Chairman and CEO Zenaida Tantoco and Rustan’s Patriarch and Chairman Emeritus Amb. Bienvenido Tantoco Sr.

Tessa Prieto-Valdes leads the guests near the Christmas Registry with lovely fairies and royal guards during the Rustan’s Christmas Launch at Rustan’s Makati

Inspired Christmas Fashion by Rustan’s with jewellery designer Tamara Comolli

Be inspired with endless possibilities for your Christmas home decor

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 : NOV EMBER 4, 2015

To inspire aspiring comedy writers in their craft, Atty. Eugenio “Toto” Villareal, Chairman of the Movie

and Television Review and Classifi-cation Board (MTRCB) was at The Michael V Creative Writing Work-shop on Oct. 24 at the Executive Lounge of GMA Network Center. 

The MTRCB Chief shared his knowledge and expertise with the participants. Villareal is a practic-ing lawyer and professor of media and entertainment law.

“Dito ay ibinahagi natin ang iba’t ibang aspeto ng effective

comedy writing mula sa per-spective ng audience. Nagbigay din tayo ng tips kung paano nila maitatawid ‘yung kanilang gag. Sa experience naming sa MTRCB, kailangan sigurong bigyan nila ng pansin ‘yung tinatawag na sensi-tivities ng vulnerable sectors gaya ng women, children, and persons with disability,” said Villareal.

He acknowledged that a writer plays an important role in the so-ciety. “Para sa akin, ang writer, siya ‘yung kaluluwa ng isang show. Sa kanya nagmumula kung ano ang ipo-portray ng isang character. At

dahil diyan, kailangan malinaw sa ating writers ang kahalagahan ng pagtataguyod, sa anumang laran-gan, ng human dignity,” he added.

With the MTRCB celebrating its 30th anniversary, Villareal en-couraged aspiring writers to al-ways wear the parent’s hat.

The Michael V Creative Writ-ing Workshop is a one-of-a-kind learning opportunity launched by one of the biggest names in Phil-ippine comedy and show busi-ness, Michael V himself, to help hone and discover the skills of aspiring comedy writers.

MTRCB Chief inspiRes aspiRing wRiTeRs

got all the to-dos on your checklist ticked off? Do yourself a favor and have an amazing time

outdoors. You know what they say, “YOLO!” You only live once, so make every moment count. Spend your free time wisely; get some #inspo from BUM’s squad of young celebrity endorsers as they talk about their favorite pas-times and #OOTDs to match.

For Ella Cruz, frequenting cof-fee shops is a great stress-buster and is perfect for some alone time. But when she feels like loosening up, her go-to is a bowling alley.

Ella loves an off-duty, laid-back chic outfit of shirt, skinny jeans and sneakers; these days, she’s also crazy about denim jumpers which, with its removable straps, can be styled in different ways.

Like Ella, Bianca Umali’s defi-nition of a “hangout” is simple and fuss-free. This bookworm loves cozying up in a coffee shop with a good read. Even on lazy days, you can tell she’s cool with the way she stylishly sports a classic pair of jeans and a trendy denim jumper.

At 15, Alexa Ilacad—a foodie who can’t get enough of restau-

rant hopping—has a fashion style that’s fun, girly and playful. One of her key closet is a simple and comfy dress. But, she also likes experimenting with trend-ier picks like denim overalls and jogger jeans, which she likes pairing with heels for more atti-tude and flair.

The boys of BUM are also thrilled about chilling, and they do so in style! Miguel Tanfelixloves dining out. If he has noth-ing on his showbiz calendar, he always goes for a basic shirt worn with a dark pair of jeans. But for dressier occasions, he dons piec-

es like a black button-down from BUM’s holiday collection.

Nash Aguas loves eating out and watching movies, pastimes he enjoys spending with his love team partner, Alexa. He’s all about keeping it cool and comfy in outfits of pullovers with sneak-ers—laid-back but with a hint of edgy style. Pieces from BUM’s holiday collection, like denim, button-downs and statement tees, also fill his daily wardrobe.

The Christmas season is around the corner. There’ll be a lot of parties and celebrations to go to. Avoid the Holiday rush

and shop for your hangout ba-sics now! BUM’s Holiday col-lection features a balanced mix of options for both casual and dressy occasions. BUM’s Holiday collection offers hip and trendy pieces that will have your friend’s double-tapping your #OOTD or #OOTN in a jiffy. BUM’s latest collection is now available at BUM boutiques and leading de-partment stores nationwide. For more information about BUM’s latest Collection, visit www.bu-mequipment.com.ph or follow us “@officialbumph” on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.

Young stars step out in stYle

MTRCB Chairman Eugenio Villareal talks to participants to the workshop on comedy writing

Nash AguasAlexa Ilacad Ella Cruz Miguel Tanfelix Bianca Umali

SHOWBITZC6i s a h r e d @ g m a i l . c o m

WEDNES DAY : NOV EMBER 4, 2015

ACROSS 1 Mariachi gig 7 Yes in Yokohama 10 “For the Boys” actor 14 Treaty members 15 Thunder Bay prov. 16 Low voice 17 Mildew 18 Not sm. or med. 19 Aloha in Rome 20 Source of some genes

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,

NOVEMBER 4, 2015

23 Rocky debris 26 Grand Tour cont. 27 Ticket info 28 Apron wearer 29 Sports award 30 Natural elev. 31 CPR pro 32 — — step further 33 Snoopy and others 37 Open meadow 38 Cylindrical bar 39 Jacket part

40 Birthday count 41 Tortilla fried until crisp 43 Memo acronym 44 Hex halved 45 Codgers’ queries 46 Broncos org. 47 Spotted 48 “Maria —” 51 Fossil fuel 52 Nut cake 53 Easy to deal with (hyph.) 56 Lorre’s detective 57 Tie-dyed garment 58 Orchid-like flowers 62 Unknown auth. 63 Horse’s morsel 64 Vacation option 65 Nine-digit IDs 66 Paper towel thickness 67 Tiny village

DOWN 1 “When We Was —” 2 Under par 3 Ivy Leaguer 4 Gave autographs 5 Snicker (hyph.) 6 Movie terrier 7 Delay

8 High dudgeon 9 Roman route 10 Hoarding away 11 Pen name 12 In the least (2 wds.) 13 Bronco snagger 21 Carson City’s state 22 Japanese mat 23 Silvery fish 24 Antique brooch 25 Hayworth and Rudner 29 Frames of mind 30 Ms. Streep of films 32 Kind of cracker 33 Stump 34 Down the road 35 Leggy bird 36 Trawler net 42 Sinews 46 XC 47 Element in salt 48 Peel and Bovary 49 Veld prowlers 50 — John of “Crocodile Rock” 51 Cager Shaq 52 — incognita 54 Upon 55 Made with cream 59 — vous plait 60 Wind dir. 61 Clique

Globe Telecom will offer iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, the most ad-vanced iPhones ever, on Nov. 6. iPhone 6s 16GB will be available on Plan 1799 with P450 monthly cash out. iPhone 6s Plus 16GB will also be available on Plan 1799 with P650 monthly cash out. iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and iPhone 5s will also be available. iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus bring a powerful new dimension to

iPhone’s revolutionary Multi-Touch interface with 3D Touch, which senses force to enable intuitive new ways to access features and interact with content. The new iPhones in-troduce a transformative new ap-proach to photography called Live Photos, bringing still images to life by capturing a moment in motion. Live Photos, 3D Touch, 12-megapix-el iSight camera, 5-megapixel Face-Time HD camera with Retina Flash and more are powered by the Ap-ple-designed A9 chip, the most ad-vanced chip ever in a smartphone, delivering faster performance and great battery life. iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus are designed with Retina HD displays made from the

strongest glass on any smartphone and 7000 series aluminum, the same alloy used in the aerospace industry, in gorgeous metallic finishes that now include rose gold. On Plan 1799, customers can en-joy a best-value postpaid plan pack-age with bigger data allocation and free access to exclusive content for a complete digital experience. Under the postpaid plan bundle, customers get 10GB* of mobile data per month for worry-free connectivity, access to non-stop music, movies, and games with free access to Spotify Premium, HOOQ and top mobile games for 3 months, free access to Facebook, Viber and Instagram for 24 months, and unlimited calls to Globe and TM

and unlimited texts to all networks all for 24 months. Customers availing of the new iPhones from Globe can also enjoy seamless browsing experience as the telco continues to expand its Long Term Evolution (LTE) footprint to further strengthen its mobile data infrastructure. The expansion, which involves activation of more than 4,300 cell sites with LTE technologies, is part of the company’s continuing adoption of more advanced technol-ogies to future-proof its network. “We are very excited to be offering the new iPhones in the Philippines once again with our unbeatable of-fers for the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus to cater to the burgeoning

shift to the digital lifestyle. With the Globe postpaid plan, customers can maximize the features of the new iPhones with more than double the data allocation for uninterrupted surfing and free access to music, movies and games. Completing the best digital experience in a post-paid plan is an entire 24-month free access to the world’s top social net-working and messaging sites as well as unlimited calls to Globe and TM and unlimited texts to all networks for an iPhone experience definitely made more wonderful,” said Globe Senior Vice President for Consumer Mobile Marketing Issa Cabreira. For more information on iPhone, please visit: www.apple.com/iphone.

iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus on nov. 6

A good friend asked why he hardly sees any Felix Mana-lo movie posts on his Face-book newsfeed when in fact with a 150-million-peso production cost it is consid-ered the biggest film of the year, not to mention its stel-lar cast of more than 50 ac-tors and a thousand mem-bers of Iglesia Ni Cristo.

I retorted, “Why do you share something with your friends on social media? Three things - you want them to see something really funny, interesting-ly inspirational or some-thing very entertaining.”

Case in point, Hener-al Luna once flooded our Facebook walls when it was shown in local theaters in September. On its opening

week, only a few people were watching the historical film, but through positive word of mouth and a number of favorable reviews shared on social media, people were encouraged to see the his-torical biopic. People were intrigued and those who saw the film encouraged more people to see it. Some cinemas that pulled out the film after five days (the nor-mal shelf life of an indie film in commercial cinemas) had added additional dates to accommodate growing demand and surging ticket sales. Hence, it’s whopping P250 million box office gross makes perfect sense now. It is a surprise hit and now a certified box office.

But same thing cannot be said of Felix Manalo. Although it has already earned P193 million as of Oct. 25, scorched box of-fice records earning P50 million on its opening day, and received two certifica-

tions from Guinness World Records, still we don’t see the same response and ex-citement local moviegoers have for the film. Perhaps quoting what Cherie Gilsaid would give you a bet-ter picture. The character actress “was enthusiastical-ly waiting” for the Oct. 30 showing of Heneral Lunain New York but got disap-pointed when Felix Manalowas the one being shown.

“Ayoko manuod neto[sic]! (I don’t want to watch this),” she punctuated her Facebook post, which is accompanied by a poster featuring Dennis Trillo as the first executive minister of the religious group.

Both films are big in many ways – they stand out with one being the high-est-grossing historical film and with the other being the most expensive local film ever produced. And they obviously did well in furthering the film career of

the actors playing the star-ring roles.  But in the metric of success, a successful film is the one whose earnings exceed its expenses. Addi-tionally, beyond this mon-etary aspect, the film that has reached and engaged more audience is consid-ered more successful.

‘YOU COmPLEtE mE’This famous line from the Tom Cruise-starrer film, Jerry Maguire (1996), was borrowed by Ariel Fer-min, EVP and Head of Consumer Business of Smart Communications, to describe the mobile company’s partnership with the world’s leading community-driven hospi-tality company, Airbnb.

Smart, together with PLDT and Voyager Inno-vations, and Airbnb offer a complete and convenient travel experience regard-less of what the travelers’ destination is.

At a lunch hosted by Smart, Fermin said that the mobile company is provid-ing Filipino travelers a con-venient access to millions of the most unique accom-modations through their “groundbreaking partner-ship” with Airbnb.

“Airbnb has revolu-tionized the way travelers search and book a suitable place to spend their get-aways wherever they’re headed around the world. It is very much aligned with our vision of a mo-bile-empowered lifestyle,” Fermin stated.

From Oct. 29 to Jan. 2016, Smart subscribers will receive P2,500 dis-count for any Airbnb book-ing with a minimum spend of P8,000. The booking has to be made by March 31, 2016 and the date of travel must be between Oct. 29 and December 2016. More information is available on Airbnb.com/smart. 

Smart officials join JJ Chai (center), Managing Director of Airbnb for Southeast Asia

A SURPRiSE bOx OffiCE hit

NiCKiE WANGNiCKiE WANG

SHOWBITZ C7i s a h r e d @ g m a i l . c o m

Mega Manila remains the bai-liwick of GMA Network. Majority of the country’s urban households is in this

area. And advertisers see this as an im-portant market as the residents in this area have the purchasing power.

From Oct. 12 to 18 (according to Nielsen TV Audience Measurement), 24 of the 30 top programs in Mega Ma-nila are Kapuso shows. Pepito Manalotois the no. 1 show, and the rest of the Top 10 is also Kapuso shows.

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Betong SuMaya Supportive of alden richardSBetong Sumaya admitted to being an avid fan of the Kalyeserye segment in Eat Bulaga. In fact, he watches it ev-eryday. Yet, more than being a fan, the Bubble Gang star is verg happy for the success that Alden Richards is enjoying these days. And anything that the Pam-bansang Bae wants to achieve, he will be very supportive.

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grace underStandSheart’S MoMSenator Grace Poe understands Heart Evangelista’s mother for supporting an opponent in the presidential race in 2016. Cecile Ongpauco is a friend of Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago.

Cecile is close to Senator Santiago. That Poe is very much aware of and even if Senator Chiz Escudero, Heart’s hus-band, is her running mate, that doesn’t affect Cecile’s closeness to Santiago. “I understand her sentiments. I only met her maybe a month ago, saman-talang matagal na niyang kilala at men-tor niya si Senator Miriam,” Poe said in reference to Heart’s mother.

Poe clarified the issue when Heart’s mother went to the s “meet and greet” event of Senator Santiago at the UP ong Oct. 26.

Escudero remains unfazed even af-ter his mother-in-law openly admitted to supporting Poe’s fellow presidential candidate.

Chiz said that he and Heart would try to persuade Cecile to support Grace as well.

“Friendships and relationships go be-

yond politics. While I respect the posi-tion of Heart’s mother, who is admitted-ly very close to Senator Miriam, it will not deter me and Heart from trying to convince her to support Senator Grace,” Escudero posted on his Facebook ac-count with the hashtag #‎KeriYan.

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of tapaS, tanninS and tarotSHave you ever experienced an evening filled with earthly Castilian flavor? Your eyes feast on sultry flamenco move-ments while your thoughts roam about what the fortuneteller just told you about what lies ahead in your life. And as these visions influence your senses, your palate enjoys a feast of excellent wines and delectable tapas. 

These and more was what trans-pired recently as the famous Chilean wine, Santa Rita, brought “Of Tannins, Tapas and Tarots”.  Santa Rita is in fact a brand of wines from Chile with the sole mission/vision of making people’s moments enjoyable. During the event, Santa Rita featured a combination of its “120 Wines”, Sauvignon Blanc, Carme-nere and cabernet Sauvignon.

According to legend, 120 patriots, ex-hausted after a long, hard battle during the fight for Chile’s independence, reached the land belonging to Santa Rita. On that fateful night in 1814, these forces of liberty found refuge in the es-tate cellars. Today, within these same cellars, our award-winning 120 wines are crafted to honor their heroic charac-ter. These are young, elegant and fruity wines, perfectly balanced with soft tan-nins and good acidity. Exceptional val-ue makes “120” an outstanding line of wines for everyday drinking. 

And on Oct. 1, at Tapeo in BGC, San-ta Rita presented a sensuous night of what could be called a post-structural Chilean flair: flamenco dancers, a for-tuneteller on the side, and overflow-ing Santa Rita wines and a multitude oftapas. Tapeo at the Fort Strip was packed that night as everyone truly had a genuinely enjoyable Santa Rita night to talk about for a lifetime holding true to Santa Rita’s mission of making peo-ple’s moments enjoyable. We did.

Sundalong Kanin bagged the Best Feature Film Global at the recently concluded Internation-

al Film Festival Manhattan 5th

Year (IFFM). The Film Screenings were held

from Oct.23 to 25 at the Produc-ers Club in New York.

Directed by Janice O’Hara and written by Jerry O’Hara, Sund-along Kanin is set in the 1940s during the Japanese occupation. It is about four young boys de-termined to become soldiers and fight for their country. How they survive the realities of war that threatened to destroy their fam-ilies and their friendship despite their innocence, the pain and the hardships they had to go through

is one of, if not the best, beauti-fully executed films depicting this era in the local film industry. S

Sheila Bugia- Ambray of Front Media Entertainment pro-duced the film.

Sundalong Kanin is Janice O’Hara’s directorial debut and en-try to the 2014 Cinemalaya Film Festival under the New Breed Category. It won the Audience’s Choice Award in that festival. Her first Cinemalaya experience was Ang Paglilitis ni Andres Bonifacio, directed by Mario O’Hara based on her screenplay.

Sundalong Kanin also gar-nered the Inding-Indie Gawad Parangal Asian Best Indie Mov-ie Excellence Award 2015 by the founder of Inding-Indie Film Fes-

tival multi-awarded director Ron Sapinoso, for t wholesome and uniqueness in acting and story flow. Also set to receive an Ind-ing-Indie Gawad Parangal Most Promising Actor of Indie Films are the cast members, who played the four young boys, Nathaniel Brit, Isaac Cain Aguirre, Elijah Canlas and Akira Morishita.

IFFM is committed in show-casing entertaining and diverse films in all genres and scope to equal the diversity of New York. It is also committed in exploring all opportunities to promote the artists, his work, his vision, and his cause if he has any, during the showing of the films and the events during the festival. The other featured films were Asin-

tado directed by Louie Ignacioand Lihis by Joel Lamangan.

IFFM 2015 featured diversi-fied films from the USA, Israel, Belarus, Singapore, Australia and a special spotlight of the Philip-

pines in celebration of the Octo-ber Filipino History Month in the USA. This year’s Official Media Sponsor of the festival is GMA Pinoy TV, GMA Life TV and GMA News TV International.

WEDNES DAY : NOV EMBER 4, 2015

Fun and horror will surely fill the airwaves this month with Boo-merang, Disney Junior, Fox Fam-ily Movies, Fox Action Movies, Fox Movies Premium, and Thrill. If these channels are not yet in your line-up, you can choose to add any of these through SE-LECT – a unique service avail-able only on SKY that enables SKYcable and Destiny Cable sub-scribers to add channels to their basic plan for as low as P20 per month. To instantly activate and watch these channels, subscribers may go to www.mysky.com.ph/addchannels. A selection of over 140 movie, kids, sports, learning, lifestyle, general entertainment, news, music, and foreign lan-guage channels awaits.

SKYcable, the country’s lead-er in cable TV, offers the widest selection of premium entertain-ment with over 200 channels and top-of-the-line services that allows subscribers to choose and add channels to their basic plan through SELECT, record, pause and rewind live TV through iRE-CORD, and watch real-time ex-clusive coverage of live concerts and sporting events via PAY-PER-VIEW and FREE VIEW. Destiny Cable also lets you enjoy these benefits on digital, and the best value for your money with a plan that consists of over 90 chan-nels for only P550 per month.

For more information on how to subscribe, contact SKYcable through www.mysky.com.ph or their customer service hotlines at 02-381-0000 for Metro Ma-nila, CAMANAVA, and Rizal, 046-484-4701 for Cavite, 049-534-1555 for Calamba, Binan and Sta. Rosa, Laguna, 02-520-8560 for San Pedro, Laguna, 044-693-5877 for Bulacan, 032-421-1818 for Cebu, 082-305-5456 for Davao, 074-442-4841 for Bagu-io, 034-432-0051 for Bacolod, 033-300-1210 for Iloilo, 035-225-1010 for Dumaguete, and 083-301-3134 for Gen. Santos City; or Destiny Cable through www.destinycable.com.ph or their hotline at 02-418-0000.

‘Sundalong Kanin’ winS BeSt Film

thrillS on SKY SeleCtKapuSo prograMS

continue to lead in the ratingS race

from c8

Betong Sumaya

Cecile and Heart

Julia Clarete

Senator Grace Poe

Sundalong Kanin

Natalia Moon, Model and YouTube Sensation Moana and Magic 89.9’s Andrew Santiago

C8 ISAH V. REDE D I T O R

SHOWBITZ

WEDNES DAY : NOV EMBER 4, 2015

2015 is indeed a big year for Al-den Richards. With a string of TV shows, a new chart-topping single, and a swarm of product endorse-ments under his belt, one could really say that the Philippines’ Pam-bansang Bae is now the hottest male celebrity in the country today.

At the Winter Christ-mas-themed launch for oral glu-tathione brand Snowcaps, Alden’s most recent product endorse-ment, the heartthrob wasn’t coy in sharing his struggle during his early years as an actor.

“It’s no secret the challenges I had to go through to get to this point. Maraming pagsubok early on in my career pero ngayon, napatunayan ko talaga na hard work pays off. I can definitely say na dumating na talaga

ang moment ko,” quipped Alden. He has the Filipinos’ cult fol-

lowing of the ubiquitous Eat Bu-laga “Kalyeserye” to thank for his massive success as an actor. His hit single “Wish I May” re-cently topped the iTunes PH Top Singles list during its pre-selling period and with over two million followers in Twitter alone, there’s no denying that there’s no other way for this talented actor but up. Alden continues to display humil-ity and gratitude despite his over-night success. He shares that his past experiences help him keep his feet on the ground and he has no problems showing it with his tearful EB performances.

“I just can’t help but be over-whelmed by the love and support I am getting now from my net-work, the ALDENatics, and of course my friends in the industry. Thinking about these really makes me emotional kasi matagal-tagal ko din ‘tong hinintay,” Alden said.

It’s no wonder why millions of Filipinos here and abroad take in-spiration in Alden. Alden’s story is proof that wishes do come true. It’s his determination and success that made him the perfect em-bodiment of Snowcaps.

Snowcaps is the first oral glu-tathione in the Philippines and is among the leading skin whitening supplements in the market to-day. As a brand which in the past managed to gather and sustain a strong following through word of mouth, Snowcaps today rises to the occasion - and is ready to play alongside the bigwigs - by partnering with one of the hottest stars in Philippine showbiz today.

Snowcaps contains the pre-mium, FDA-approved 500mg of L-Glutathione formulation, also known as the miracle enzyme, Alpha Lipoic Acid and Vitamin C for safe and effective whitening in as fast as six weeks.

It also contains 50 percent

more glutathione than more ex-pensive brands.

Glutathione is also a compound naturally produced by the liver and is considered one of the most pow-erful antioxidants which inhibit the production of toxins and free radicals caused by stress and other external lifestyle factors – perfect for busy individuals like Alden who not only want to maintain luminous and fair skin but also a sound and healthy body.

When asked why he entrusts his skin and overall health to the brand, Alden only had one thing to say, “Bawat tao may hiling. With hard work, I’m lucky that mine has come true and I trust brands that recognize that. That means they probably had the same challenges too,” Alden concluded.

For more information about Snowcaps Glutathione, visit https://vidanutriscience.com/ or facebook.com/snowgluta

Alden continues to display

humility and gratitude despite

his overnight success.

He shares that his past

experiences help him keep his feet on the ground and he

has no problems showing it with

his tearful EB performances

ISAH V. RED

➜ Continued on C7

Alden RiChARds hAs AnotheR endoRsement

1 Snowcaps newest endorser with models

2 Alden Richards during the Q&A at the

Snowcaps press do 3 Pambansang Bae with

Snowcaps executives

1

2 3

i s a h r e d @ g m a i l . c o m