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Palace cites past increases in base pay for rejection

Incoming AFP chief also wants martial law

VOL. XXX � NO. 125 � 3 Sections 32 Pages P18 � FRIDAY : JUNE 17, 2016 � www.thestandard.com.ph � editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Paneloreplacedby Davaoevangelist

Purisima,Napeñasindictedfor graft

PNOY VETOES PAYHIKE FOR NURSES

Sulu sortie. President Benigno Aquino lll answers questions from the media after receiving a briefing from the Armed Forces of the Philippines at Camp Teodulfo S. Bautista in Bus-Bus, Jolo, Sulu on Wednesday. MALACAÑANG PHOTO

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By Florante S. Solmerin

INCOMING Armed Forces chief Lt. Gen. Ricardo Visaya said he might rec-ommend to President-elect Rodrigo Duterte that he declare martial law in Basilan and Sulu and other parts of Mindanao where terrorist groups thrive.

Visaya will assume leadership of the Armed Forces of the Philippines on 

July 1, the same day Chief Supt. Ronald dela Rosa become chief of the Philip-pine National Police.

Visaya, currently chief of the Southern Luzon Command, said he will sit down with the service commanders immedi-ately after he takes office to assess the situ-ation in Sulu and Basilan as well as Zam-boanga Sibugay where the Abu Sayyaf Group and the other Maute group—com-

posed of former Moro Islamic Liberation Front guerrillas and foreign fighters led by Abdullah Maute—operate.

On two or three occasions, Duterte has said he will “invade Sulu” if the Abu Sayyaf do not surrender.

“The declaration of martial law is an option… Having said that we’ve to make an assessment first and see if

Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr., said the President has informed Congress that he has ve-toed the bill that seeks the enact-

ment of a comprehensive nursing law, Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said in a statement.

By Sandy Araneta and Maricel V. Cruz

PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III  on Thursday  ve-toed a bill seeking to raise the minimum monthly sal-ary of nurses to almost P25,000.

“In his message, President Aquino noted that the minimum base pay for entry-level nurses has already been increased through Executive Order No. 201, series of 2016, which raised their total guaranteed annual compensation from P228,924.00 to P344,074.00, apart from other benefits and al-lowances they receive, such as under the Magna Carta of Public Health,” Coloma said.

Aquino said that the bill, which proposes to further increase the entry level salary for nurses by four grades, will undermine the exist-ing government salary structure and cause wage distortion not only among medical and health care practitioners but also other profes-sionals in the government service.

Aquino said granting the in-crease will place the salaries of nurses over and above their other

similarly situated counterparts, such as optometrists and dentists.

Furthermore, Aquino said the proposed increase “seemingly disre-gards the financial capacity of most local government hospitals” and also affects the financial viability of pri-vate hospitals and non-government health institutions, and may possibly lead to downsizing of hospital per-sonnel and consequent increase in health care costs. Next page

A2editorial@thestandard.com.ph

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Panelo replaced as presssecretary by evangelist

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there are enough bases to implement martial law in Sulu and Basilan, including some parts in Zamboanga Sibugay,” he said.

Recently, the Army launched a major offen-sive against the Maute group in Butig town af-ter the self-declared sympathizer of the Islamic State tried to recover some of their bases that had been taken by the military earlier this year.

Visaya said the Abu Sayyaf problem in Sulu and Basilan was complicated by the “failure of governance” by local government units that are supposed to be partners of the national govern-ment, the military and the police in curbing ter-rorism.

Martial law, he said, could reestablish order in Sulu and Basilan and prevent the Abu Sayyaf from continuing its kidnappings.

At present, Visaya said, there are already 11 battalions or roughly 5,500 soldiers deployed in Sulu alone against about 200 ASG fighters.

“We have already 11 battalions there as of now in Sulu. We already have enough troops but the problem is our soldiers have no mas-tery of the terrain. It’s difficult because the Abu Sayyaf have built tunnels. If martial law is de-clared, we can control their movements,” Visaya said in Filipino.

Earlier, Maj. Filemon Tan, spokesman of the Western Mindanao Command, cited the same obstacles to eliminating the Abu Sayyaf.

Some senior officers have urged Duterte to order the 1st Marine Brigade back to Sulu be-cause they have been there for decades and have mastery of the terrain.

The brigade was pulled out in 2014 and de-ployed to Sultan Kudarat and replaced by the Army’s 501st Infantry Brigade, a unit of the 5th Infantry Division based in Camp Melchor dela Cruz in Gamu, Isabela.

One senior officer said that from 2001 to 2013, more than a dozen ASG bases were cut down to only two—until the 1st Marine Brigade was pulled out.

“Now, the ASG influence has spread like wildfire in the last two years and they are re-building their bases. You can’t just bomb these bases. There must be an operation on the ground,” the officer said.

Reelected Senator Panfilo Lacson said there is not better time to address the ASG problem than under a Duterte administration, which should engage the bandits in a “tit-for-tat” bat-tle.

“Kidnap them back or kill them,” he said—quickly adding that the intelligence work must be accurate to pinpoint the correct targets.

“There should be an end to ASG sowing terrorism. Based on experience and the pro-nouncements of Mayor Duterte, I can see all the elements required to decimate the Abu Sayyaf are present during his administration,” Lacson said.

President Benigno Aquino III, meanwhile, is assessing ongoing operations against the Abu Sayyaf, days after the bandits beheaded their Canadian hostage, Robert Hall.

Aquino went to Camp Teodulfo Bautista in Jolo, Sulu  on Wednesday  and was briefed by Western Mindanao Command officials on the military campaign against the Abu Sayyaf.

“I wanted to meet with the ground com-manders in order to get a more comprehensive picture of all the incidents here. And this was what we had discussed on how to refine the op-erations in order to make this more successfully and rescue the remaining hostages,” Aquino said.

Military officials said a total of seven hostages are still being held hostage by the Abu Sayyaf— five locals and two foreigners.

The military  on Monday  confirmed that the Abu Sayyaf had beheaded Hall after ransom de-mands were not met.

In late April, John Ridsdel, another Cana-dian, was killed by the Abu Sayyaf. His severed head was found in Sulu province.

The two Canadians, Hall’s Filipina girl-friend Marites Flor, and Norwegian Kjartan Sekkingstad were abducted by the Abu Sayyaf on  Sept. 21  last year from a resort on Samal Island. With Sandy Araneta and Macon Ramos-Araneta

“In view of this, the President was con-strained to veto the said bill,” Coloma said.

Aquino’s veto message has been trans-mitted to both House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. and Senate President Frank-lin Drilon.

The Aquino administration ends its six-year term on  June 30, paving the way for the Presidewnt-elect, Rodrigo Duterte.

In February, Aquino signed the execu-tive order that raises the salary of govern-ment employees.

The signing of Executive Order no. 201 came weeks after Congress adjourned without passing the proposed wage stand-ardization law, which would have imple-mented a four-year salary increase pro-gram for government workers.

The Salary Standardization Law (SSL4) in-creases the salary of about 1.6 million govern-ment workers by an average of 27 percent.

Coloma said that the executive order provides for the first of four parts in the proposed SSL4 that failed to pass Congress.

Lawmakers failed to reach an agreement over a proposal by the Senate to index the pension of retired military and uniformed personnel to the salary increases of their active duty counterparts.

The Budget Department previously said there are no funds in this year’s budget for the indexation, which is expected to bloat the government’s pension requirements.

The House of Representatives’ version of the measure, meanwhile, did not hike the retired uniformed personnel’s pension. House Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II earlier said that the SSL4 sets a four-year government-wide salary increase pro-gram, which will cost taxpayers an esti-

mated P850 billion.In the EO, Aquino said the salary ad-

justment would ensure that the compensa-tion structure of government personnel is comparable with the prevailing rates in the private sector.

The new scheme will raise the minimum salary for Salary Grade 1 from P9,000 to P11,068. Aquino said the adjustment would also maximize the net take-home pay of government through the inclusion of additional benefits.

Budget Secretary Florencio Abad said the EO would implement compensation adjustment for this year as an interim measure to implement the first tranche of the proposed SSL. He said the full year requirement for the salary standardization has already been provided for in the na-tional budget.

The modified salary schedule for civil-ian personnel will be implemented in four tranches.

The first tranche will be applied retroac-tively effective Jan.1, 2016. The succeeding tranches will be implemented every year until 2019.

The EO also grants civilian government personnel a mid-year bonus equivalent to one month’s basic salary, and the productiv-ity enhancement incentive worth P5,000.

The salary adjustment, however, will not cover workers of government-owned and-controlled corporations that are governed by their respective charters.

Coloma said salary adjustments for em-ployees of state-run firms are provided for in the GOCC Governance Act of 2011.

Ang Nars party-list Rep. Leah Pacquiz, one of the authors of the House version of the bill, lamented the President’s veto.

Pacquiz said the measure was supposed to provide relief to Filipino nurses by pro-viding a P24,887 entry-level monthly sal-

ary for nurses in both public and private hospitals, with yearly salary increases. The bill also prohibits contractual, job order, on-job-training, and volunteer nurses.

Outgoing House Minority Leader and Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares hit Aquino for vetoing the bill.

“It is a trademark move of President Aquino to veto laws that would be of great benefit to our countrymen like the [Social Security System] pension hike bill; and now the salary increase for nurses. But he throws all his support for the bonuses of the SSS board or d salary hikes of high government officials,” Colmenares said.

He saidAquino leaves a legacy of be-ing insensitive to the plight of his avowed bosses, adding that the President was “an-ti-people” and “anti-poor.”

On Thursday, the President also vetoed a bill seeking to remove conditions for the condonation of all unpaid income taxes of local water districts.

In his message, Aquino said the bill will re-move the laudable intent of Republic Act 10026 which is to grant tax reprieve only to local wa-ter districts that are financially incapable and committed to instituting fiscal reforms.

Moreover, the President said the bill “sends a message to errant taxpayers that delinquency is acceptable since amnesty or condonation may be given anyway, even without benefit of proper documentation.”

A bill that seeks to extend the period in which graft and corruption charges can be filed from 15 years to 20 years is still pend-ing in Congress.

House Deputy Speaker and Isabela Rep. Giorgidi Aggabao, one of the principal authors of the measure, expressed hope it would be ratified by the Senate and the House before its sine die adjournment last June 6 will be signed into law before the new administration takes office.

By John Paolo Bencito

DAVAO CITY—The previously designated press secretary for the incoming Duterte admin-istration, Salvador Panelo, has been named chief presidential legal adviser instead, while the evangelist Ernesto Abella will take the post as the new presi-dential spokesman.

The new appointments came as Duterte directed Panelo to ensure that the coconut levy funds are released to the country’s farmers, incoming Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said  Thursday.

In an interview with reporters at the Philippine International Convention Center in Manila, Abella announced that Duterte has appointed Panelo as chief presidential legal counsel.

“Mr. Panelo will be his chief legal coun-sel. As of this evening I am [the presiden-tial spokesperson],” Abella said, without offering any reason for the change.

Earlier, press groups objected to the ap-pointment of Panelo, who once served as lawyer for members of the Ampatuan clan accused of slaughtering 58 people, including 32 journalists, in the Maguindanao massacre.

Duterte, who named Panelo as his spokesman in May, later said the appoint-ment was temporary.

But incoming Communications secre-tary Martin Andanar said the plan “since day one” was to make Panelo the chief

presidential legal counsel.Abella had earlier said that he hopes to

have a warm relationship with the media.Andanar will gain sole control over

the Palace communications group after he changes the Aquino administration’s three-headed approach.

Speaking to reporters in Manila  Wednesday  night, Andanar said that he will reform the current set-up, which “has sparked confusion” so that it can better aid in the delivery of the President-elect’s mes-sage through the mass media.

The Presidential Communications Op-erations Office, which he will head, will be tranformed into the Presidential Commu-nications Office, akin to the old Office of the Press Secretary.

Andanar said there will be no Press sec-retary, and that Abella will be presidential spokesman, a Cabinet-level position.

Duterte, who met with the secretaries-designate  Wednesday  evening, ordered Panelo to act after Piñol requested the president-elect make a policy statement on the coconut levy funds.

“This is an emotional issue for the coco-nut farmers, including my late mother. The coconut levy funds should be given to the farmers,” Duterte told the members of his incoming Cabinet.

“I am directing Attorney Panelo to look into this matter and make sure that the co-conut levy funds are released to the farm-ers,” he said.

In his campaign speeches, Duterte vowed to order the distribution of the levy within a month of his taking office.

Duterte said political will was needed to enforce the Supreme Court decision to return the money to farmers after it ruled

that the levy was a public fund meant to develop the country’s coconut industry.

Last year, President Aquino issued Ex-ecutive Order No. 179, which governs the disposition and privatization of the coco levy assets, and EO No. 180, which pro-vides the guidelines for the use of the P74.3 billion recovered from San Miguel Corp. Its enforcement was stopped after coconut farmers obtained a restraining order from the Supreme Court.

Piñol said the release of coco levy funds can help grow the coconut industry.

“With the expected release of the co-conut levy funds to the real owners and the start of the massive national coconut planting program, the coconut industry is expected to regain its reputation as one of the country’s biggest foreign exchange earners for the country,” he said.

Piñol also reported to the president-elect of the plan for a six-year coconut planting program to cover 600,000 hectares.

The program, called Copra or Coconut Productivity and Rehabilitation Agenda, aims at the massive replanting of coconut in the country to regain the country’s status as the No. 1 coconut producer in the world.

“I was assured by PCA officials that the agency and its stakeholders are capable of producing planting materials to cover the 600,000-hectares of new coconut areas in the country,” Piñol said.

The Presidential Commission on Good Government earlier estimated the levy, in-cluding assets bought using it, to be worth P83 billion—P73 billion in cash (liqui-dated shares from SMC) and P10 billion in shares of stock in the United Coconut Planters Bank and oil mills operated by the Coconut Industry Investment Fund.

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Late filing of SOCEs approved

Purisima,Napeñasindicted for graft

Trial ordered for Romero, 2 others

Protest. Members of the animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals protest in front of an Hermes store at the Greenbelt mall, claiming Hermes keeps young ostriches in dirty feedlots until they are trucked to slaughterhouses, where the year-old birds are then turned upside down in a stunner, their throats slit and their feathers plucked out, creating the bumpy textured skin used for Hermès’ handbags. EY ACASIO

New lawyers. Bar examination topnotcher Rachel Angeli Miranda (leftmost) of the University of the Philippines leads the oathtaking of 1,731 new lawyers during the Supreme Court special session at the PICC in Pasay City on Thursday. DANNY PATA

THE Office of the Ombudsman has indicted ex-Philippine National Police Chief Alan Purisima and ex-Special Action Force director Getu-lio Napeñas for their involvement in the botched Mamasapano opera-tion in 2015.

At least 44 members of the PNP’s Special Action Force were killed in an encounter with Muslim fighters after they tried to serve arrest war-rants on two international terrorists on Jan. 25, 2015.

The encounter followed an op-eration called Oplan Exodus that Aquino had approved and was implemented by Purisima and Napeñas, who were both suspended at the time.

Ombudsman Morales ordered the filing of graft and usurpation-of-authority charges against the two before the Sandiganbayan.

Morales also found Purisima and Napeñas liable for grave miscon-duct, gross neglect of duty and con-duct prejudicial to the best interest of the service.

Purisima was dismissed in June 2015 and Napeñas in July 2015. They were fined the equivalent of one year’s salary, perpetually banned from government service and had their retirement benefits canceled.

“Purisima’s active participation and supervision of Oplan Exodus despite the 10 December 2014 pre-ventive suspension order of the Ombudsman and the 16 Decem-ber 2014 cease-and-desist order of OIC-PNP Chief Espina, both is-sued against him, violated the PNP chain of command and amounted to usurpation of official function,” the Ombudsman’s resolution read. Rio N. Araja

THE Justice Department has or-dered the indictment of billionaire and newly elected 1-Pacman Rep. Michael Romero and two other peo-ple for allegedly stealing P17.9 mil-lion from the waterfront firm Har-bour Centre Port Terminal Inc.

Justice Secretary Emmanuel Ca-paras said they had found probable cause to hold the three for trial for the offense over which bail is not al-lowed.

In a resolution dated June 13, 2016, Caparas said Harbour Centre president Romero, chief operating officer for administration Edwin Jeremillo, and chief finance officer Edwin Joseph Galvez conspired to take funds totaling P17.9 million be-longing to the company and placed the amount in their personal bank accounts.

“We find that there is enough evi-dence to show that, more likely than

not, the crime of qualified theft has been committed, the respondents committed the crime charged, and they should be held for trial.”

Caparas also ordered the Quezon City Prosecutor to file information for eight counts of qualified theft against the Romero group.

Romero’s group immediately de-scribed the ruling as a “midnight resolution.”

“In the administration of justice, there is no such thing as a midnight resolution. That is the reason why we have inquest cases and criminal cases that have to be resolved. Justice delayed is justice denied and even the Constitution guarantees speedy disposition of cases,” Harbour Cen-tre counsel Marlon Cruz said.

Lawyer Jerome Canlas, who acted as the complainant in the case in behalf of Harbour Centre, said the complaint filed against Romero had

been ongoing for more than two years and that it was unfair to call it a midnight resolution.

“The resolution of a criminal case cannot wait for the next administra-tion or the next Justice secretary,” Canlas said.

“There are aggrieved parties in a criminal case and that is why you have inquest cases, which should be resolved immediately. In our case, this has been dragging for more than two years and it is only now that it has been properly resolved.”

Romero’s group is accused of is-suing and cashing eight company checks on separate occasions be-tween February 2007 and December 2008.

Court records show that Rome-ro issued and cashed three of the checks, claiming it those were pay-ment for some advances he made to the company. Christine F. Herrera

THE Commission on Elections on Thursday granted the request of the Liberal Party and its losing presidential candi-date Manuel Roxas II to extend the filing of state-ment of campaign expen-ditures until June 30.

Meeting as a group and voting 4-3, the commission decided to allow three political parties, one presidential candidate; 15 senatorial bets, 115 congressional bets, and 40 candidates for governor another 14 days to file their Statement of Cam-paign and Expenditures or SOCE.

“Four [of our commissioners vot-ed] extending up to June 40 in view of the need to avoid the fallout of a different outcome, and three voted not to extend it,” Comelec spokes-man James Jimenez told the report-ers.

He made his statement even as outgoing Speaker Feliciano Bel-monte Jr. expressed hope that the Comelec would be able to come up with a favorable ruling on the cam-paign expenditure report of the LP that was submitted past deadline.

He said it was “unfortunate” that the LP failed to comply with the prescribed date of filing.

“But anyway, it can still be ap-pealed,” Belmonte said.

During the special en banc ses-sion, Jimenez said, Comelec com-missioners Rowena Guanzon, Ar-thur Lim, Al Pareño and Sheriff Abas favored the request of the LP and Roxas to avoid the negative implications if winning candidates could not assume office simply be-cause they or their political parties failed to submit their SOCEs on time.

But Comelec Chairman An-dres Bautista and Commissioner Luie Guia joined the firm stance of campaign and finance office chief Christian Robert Lim not to extend the filing of SOCE.

“The problem is you will defeat essentially the voice of the voters because these candidates were voted by the people. And then suddenly you will not allow them to assume their positions simple because they failed to submit their SOCE,” Jime-nez said.

“To a certain extent, they weigh down the evil that you wanted to prevent by forcing them to file a SOCE versus the evil that may be created if they failed to file.”

Lim had earlier maintained that the June 8 deadline for SOCE filing was “final and non-extendable.”

Guia and Bautista agreed.But Bautista said he may not

agree to extend the filing of the SOCE, but he favored accepting their documents as “late filers” and impose penalties.

Jimenez said the majority of the candidates failed to file their SOCEs on time due to the “complexity of the process” of submission that they had introduced.

“So a lot of the people who were requesting for the extension in the previous elections were citing dif-ficulties for example in the BIR requirements. Some of them were citing difficulties with the docu-mentation requirements,” Jimenez said. Sara Susanne D. Fabunan, John Paolo Bencito and Maricel V. Cruz

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SC juristto inductDuterteat Palace

Govt, NDF concludesinformal talks in OsloBy John Paolo Bencito

GOVERNMENT and National Democratic Front peace negotiators concluded preliminary talks in Oslo, Norway on Thursday and agreed on a five-point agenda when formal talks resume on the third week of July after being stalled since 2011.

In a joint statement, the pan-els said government negotiators, comprised of incoming Labor secretary Silvestre Bello III, former Agrarian Reform secre-tary Hernani Braganza and in-coming peace process secretary Jesus Dureza, will recommend the immediate release of de-tained NDF consultants.

The five-point agenda in-cludes an affirmation of pre-

viously signed agreements; and accelerated negotiation process, reconstitution of the previously signed Joint Agree-ment on Safety and Immunity Guarantees; an amnesty proc-lamation with the concurrence of Congress; and the mode of interim ceasefire.

The statement was signed for the National Democratic Front of the Philippines by its chief nego-

tiator Luis Jalandoni, peace panel member Fidel Agcaoili, and chief political consultant and Com-munist Party of the Philippines founder Jose Ma. Sison.

Ambassador Elisabeth Slattum, special envoy to the Philippine peace process of the Norwegian government, also witnessed the signing, as the Royal Norwegian Government hosted the talks and acts as third-party facilitator of the negotiations.

Among the key agreements the government and NDFP have signed in the course of the of-ten-stalled peace talks are The Hague Joint Declaration, which lays down the framework and agenda for the negotiations, the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and

International Humanitarian Law, and the JASIG.

Formal peace talks between the Aquino administration and the CPP-NDF-New People’s Army bogged down in February 2011 because the communist group has been insisting on the reactivation of the Jasig, a move rejected by the government after the original list, stored in an old floppy disk, got corrupted and could no longer be retrieved.

Sison had earlier asserted that the goal of the peace talks was to form a “coalition govern-ment” of the CPP and Duterte administration. This coalition would need to carry out “demo-cratic reforms that would lead to national industrialization and genuine land reform.”

By John Paolo Bencito

DAVAO CITY—Dispensing with an inauguration ceremony established in 1992, President-elect Rodrigo Duterte has cho-sen to take his oath of office in “simple yet meaningful” cer-emonies on June 30 before Su-preme Court Associate Justice Bienvenido Reyes at Rizal Hall of Malacañan Palace.

Incoming Special Assist-ant to the President Secretary Christopher Go said the ar-rangements for Duterte’s in-augural are meant to be “con-sistent with his principles on austerity.”

“This is also intended to cause the least disruption to the public,” Go said, adding that the oath of office will be admin-istered by Reyes, one of found-ers of the Lex Stalionis Frater-nitas of the San Beda College of Law, of which Duterte is also a member.

Go said there will be no luncheon after the inauguration and only “light finger food,” such as fried bananas and rice cakes will be served. Instead of wine, guests will be served co-coa from Malagos Chocolate in Davao City.

Go said there will also be a tour of the Presidential Mu-seum and Library after the program and Duterte will stay the evening at Bahay Pangarap, the current official residence of outgoing President Benigno Simeon Aquino III.

While Filipinos have wit-nessed nine inaugurations of seven presidents at the Quirino Grandstand in Luneta Park, it is not the first time a Philippine president would take his oath of office in Malacañang.

Former President Carlos Garcia took his oath of office at the Council of State Room in Malacañan on March 23, 1957 after the death of Ramon Mag-saysay. Former President Ferdi-nand Marcos was also inaugu-rated at the Maharlika Hall of Malacañang in 1986.

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

SENATOR Cynthia A. Villar clarified on Thursday that she was only absent once during the entire 16th Congress and the 36 days which were earlier reported as absences were actually days on which she was traveling for an official mission.

Based on Villar’s Senate attendance record, signed by Sen-ate directors Demetrio Navarro Jr. and Bernardino Cailao, the senator only failed to attend the Senate session on Feb. 26, 2014, during the first regular session.

The same document also showed that out of the 224 session days during the three regular sessions, the senator was present at the session hall for 187 times (not 180 as earlier reported).

During the remaining 36 days of the session days, the senator was on official travel mission either local or abroad. She was on official mission nine times in the first regular session, 19 times during the second regular session and eight times during the third regular session.

The senator, who chairs the Senate agriculture and food com-mittee and government corporations and public enterprises, was late eight times, arriving at the sessions after the roll call was made.

Police phalanx. Quezon City policemen array in phalanx as squatters throw bottles at them during a demolition of illegal structures in Barangay Tandang Sora on Thursday. LINO SANTOS

Child nutrition. Students show off nutritious food as the EcoWaste Coalition and the Sto. Cristo Elementary School in Quezon City launched a program to promote ‘healthy meals, healthy kids and healthy schools.’ LINO SANTOS

Villar clarifies attendance

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US boosts PH-based air force By Florante S. Solmerin

The United States Pacific Command has deployed four airborne electronic attack aircraft to beef up its force which consists of five A-10C Thunderbolt aircraft and three hh-60G Pave hawk helicop-ters already stationed at Clark Air Base, the head-quarters of the 1st Divi-sion of the Philippine Air Force based in Pampanga, according to a statement released  Thursday by the US embassy in Manila. 

“At the direction of the US Pa-cific Commander and with the approval of the Government of the Philippines, the United States stood up an air contingent in April 2016 to promote interopera-bility and US-Philippines security cooperation,” it said.

This was happening as Manila was expecting a favorable deci-sion from the Permanent Court of Arbitration on its arbitral case challenging the unilateral imposi-tion by Beijing of its “nine-dash line” claiming up to 90 percent of the disputed sea and intruding into the exclusive economic zone of Manila and other claimant-na-tions such as Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan. 

The embassy said the new de-ployment is meant to enhance inter-operability with the Armed Forces of the Philippines with its newly acquired lead-in jet fighters FA-50 “Golden Eagle” from South Korea. 

“As part of this contingent, the US Navy sent a detachment of EA-18G Growler airborne electronic attack aircraft to Clark Air Base on June 15, where it will train with Armed Forces of the Philippines FA 50 aircraft pilots,” the embassy said.

The AFP has ordered 12 units of the lead-in jet fighters worth P18.9 billion from manufacturer Korean Aerospace Inc. as part of the PAF’s program to modernize its aerial capability.

The deployed EA-18G Growl-ers contingent has 120 personnel assigned to the Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Washington. This is in addition to the 200 personnel deployed for the A-10C Thunder-bolt aircraft and Hawk helicopters contingent. 

“In addition to these bilateral training missions, Growler aircraft will support routine operational missions that enhance regional maritime domain awareness,” the embassy explained.

“The Armed Forces of the Phil-ippines offered to host the US Air Contingent at Clark Air Base for the duration of their mission for the purposes of training the AFP’s FA 50 pilots and its support units for TDO, specifically on Mari-time Security Operations. Clark Air Base is the home of the FA 50 and its pilots in training. Plac-ing the US Air Contingent at this base gives the AFP an opportunity to train with US servicemen on Command, Control, Communi-cations, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance [C4ISR],” it added.

DTI official not authorized to clear China steel

Overweight kids a public health issue—EcowasteBy Joel E. ZurbanoTHE Ecowaste Coalition  on Thursday  expressed alarm over the rising number of overweight and obese Filipinos and their nega-tive implications on public health.

Citing data from the 8th Na-tional Nutrition Survey con-ducted by the Food and Nu-trition Research Institute, the group noted that the number of overweight and obese Filipinos doubled  in ten years  from from 16.6 percent in 1993 to 31.1 percent in 2013. 

On the other hand, the over-weight and obesity prevalence was 5 percent among children aged five to 10 and 8.3 percent for teenagers aged 10 to 19.

Physical inactivity, changing dietary patterns, child under-nutrition, and poor breastfeed-ing practices were cited as possi-ble reasons for the steady rise of obesity in the country.

Being overweight or obese is bad for the health, the group said.

The World Health Organi-zation confirmed that “child-hood obesity is associated with a higher chance of obesity, pre-mature death and disability in adulthood. But in addition to increased future risks, obese children experience breathing difficulties, increased risk of fractures, hypertension, early markers of cardiovascular dis-ease, insulin resistance and psy-chological effects.”

In a bid to prevent the health consequences of being over-weight and obese among chil-dren, Ecowaste recently organ-ized an event showcasing “baon” with good nutritional value that is within ordinary people’s reach and budget.

Dubbed as “Healthy Baon, Healthy Bata, Healthy Eskwela,” the event held at the Sto. Cristo Elementary School in Quezon City and featured healthful snacks and drinks prepared by the Edukasyong Pangtahanan at Pangkabuhayan teachers of the said public school.

Among their snack crea-tions were burger patty made of shredded banana heart, grated carrots and chopped malung-

gay leaves; pancake batter with mashed squash, coconut milk and malunggay water on it;   and spring roll with crushed camote and malunggay as fillings.

For healthier beverage options, the teachers concocted “Pinoy” drinks such as the malunggay, kalamansi and tanglad juice, guava juice and talbos ng kamote (camote tops) juice.

“We have staged this event to stir up interest and support for healthy school snacks and drinks as a way of reducing children’s consumption of junk food   that are high in fat, sugar and salt, which can lead to overweight and obesity problems at an early age,” said Aileen Lucero, Ecowaste Na-tional Coordinator.

Mechanized nursery. Environment and Natural Resources Undersecretary Jonas Leones and University of the Philippines president Alfredo Pascual (right and 2nd from right, respectively) lead the groundbreaking rites for the construction of a mechanized seedling nursery on a three-hectare land provided by the UP Los Baños in Laguna. The facility is designed to produce at least 15 million high-quality tree seedlings annually for the National Greening Program. With them are (from left) DENR-Region 4A Director Reynulfo Juan, UPLB Chancellor Fernando Sanchez, Jr. UPLB-CFNR Dean Willie Abasolo and Asean Center for Biodiversity Executive Director Roberto Oliva .

THE provisional import commodity clearance (ICC) issued for the release of 5,000 metric tons of steel rebars from China was signed by a Bureau of Products Standards official who was not an author-ized signatory.

In a position paper submitted to the Cus-toms head office, PISI asked that the alert order be maintained, and that the shipment be seized since it has no proper ICC.

It said Bureau of Product Standards pro-vincial head Leonila Baluyut was not au-thorized to sign the ICC and that under the law and existing orders, “provisional” ICCs are not allowed, and that only regular ones are legitimate.

It added that the shipment must first be subjected to testing to ensure the rebars are not substandard to protect public safety. But BPS officials claimed they conducted the required testing although no industry and Customs officials were present as required.

PISI said the BPS officials got only three samples when the rules, imposed on and followed by local producers for similar vol-umes, require about 250 samples to be cut and tested.

PISI filed a complaint for graft last week against Baluyut and BPS chief Ann Claire Cabochan with the Ombudsman.

PISI president Roberto Cola had earlier raised the alarm about the shipment given

the hurried and “secret” testing done by BPS, adding that substandard steel rebars were found in collapsed buildings and houses in Bohol and Cebu during the 2013 earthquake.

Those rebars also had no authorized logo which would identify the producer who will be liable in cases of product failure and sub-standard quality.

Cola said the current shipment’s logo is questionable since it is not among those in the official registry.

The shipment, worth around P95 mil-lion, was consigned to Mannage Trading Resources which was put up only last year with a capital of only P400,000.

A6 NEWSeditorial@thestandard.com.ph

Law schools’ dismal showing hit

4 drug suspects fall in Caloocan buy-bust raidSome 650 grams of shabu with a street value of P1.5 million were confiscated by the Caloocan police from an alleged bigtime drug pusher and arrested four persons during a buybust operation.

Senior Supt. Bartolome Bustamante, Caloocan police chief said that the illegal drugs were seized by the Station Anti-Illegal

Drugs operatives in two separate raids in North Caloocan headed by Sen-ior Inspector Bernard Pa-gaduan.

The four, who were presented to mayor os-car malapitan by Busta-mante and Supt. Ferdie del Rosario, were identi-fied as Abdul Aziz, 20, alias “major,” Alibiar macadato, alias “Bong-kay, 41, both residents of

Phase 12, Barangay 188; Sherilyn Hermia, 31, of Diamante St., Barangay 170, and Dario de Paz, 48, resident of Recon-ville Subd., Barangay 17, Caloocan.

Bustamante said resi-dents in the area sent him text messages about the alleged illegal activities of the suspects.

Police said the author-ities first arrested Aziz

and macadato through oplan Galugad. op-eratives recovered some 500 grams of suspected shabu while 0.5 grams of the illegal drugs were recovered from Hermia.

Police said Hermia pointed to De Paz as the source of the illegal drugs.

Police said De Paz, president of the Reconville Subdivision, is suspected of being a drug pusher.

Aziz and macadato, and Hermia were charged with violation of Section 11 of the RA 9165, while De Paz was charged with violation of  Section 5 and Section 11of RA 9165.

In the same press con-ference, malapitan vowed to offer reward to tipsters who provided informa-tion leading to the arrest of the four suspects.

Jun David

In a speech during the oathtaking of 1,731 Bar passers at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City  Thursday, Associate Justice Arturo Brion lamented the unsatisfactory performance of law schools in the 2015 Bar examinations.

Brion said of the 130 law schools nationwide that fielded graduates for the 2015 Bar exams, only three had passing rates of 70 percent and above, while 28 had zero passing rates and another 28 registered a passing rate of 10 percent or less. 

The SC magistrate admitted that of the 130 participating law schools, 56 or 43 percent had pass-ing rates of 10 percent. 

Brion said in the best perform-ers bracket, only three law schools had passing rates of 70 percent and above, and only 10 law schools fell within the 50 percent to 69 percent category. 

Because of this, the SC justice stressed that of the 130 participat-ing law schools in the 2015 Bar exams, only 13 law schools or 10

percent can say that half of their Bar candidates passed.

There are 140 law schools in the country, but only 130 have graduates taking up the 2015 Bar examinations. 

“Can we call this law school per-formance satisfactory? What should the concerned agencies do with these non-performing law schools?” Brion told the new lawyers. 

The SC justice, however, did not call for the immediate closure of these non-performing law schools, saying that such move is a mat-ter solely for the Legal education Board (LeB) which is under the executive Department to tackle. 

“Lest I be misunderstood, I do not suggest, by these questions and by citing these statistics, the imme-diate closure of law schools with a poor showing. This is a matter sole-ly for the LeB to consider.

But at the very least, a close inquiry into this matter should publicly be undertaken so that the public would be aware and con-crete and holistic actions can be

f r i D AY : j u n e 17, 2 0 1 6

Manalo siblings refuse to cooperate with CHR IS THIS a case of the boy crying wolf?

This is what investigators from the Commission on Hu-man Rights are asking them-selves after they were again denied entry inside a section of the Iglesia ni Cristo compound in Quezon City last monday by the very people who sought the agency’s assistance: expelled INC members Angel manalo and Lottie manalo-Hemedez.

CHR-NCR Special Investigator Jun Nalangan, who led a team of CHR personnel, expressed both frustration and confusion over manalo and Hemedez’s lack of cooperation, saying they them-selves called the agency for help but have repeatedly refused to see CHR personnel who seek to verify claims of harassment.

Nalangan said that the CHR had already made five previous at-tempts to enter 36 Tandang Sora, where the ex-INC members and their families are staying.

manalo and Hemedez have re-peatedly claimed that they were being harassed by the INC lead-ership for exposing irregularities within the church. The INC has sought the ejectment of the two manalo siblings because they were illegally occupying church property after losing their status as INC members. 

manalo and Hemedez have dis-puted INC’s ownership by filing a falsification case on the title of the property, but the complaint has since been dismissed by the Quezon City Prosecutor’s office for lack of evidence.

Nalangan likewise dispelled earlier media reports that man-alo and Hemedez were being de-prived of food, water and essential supplies. The two had alleged that deliveries of basic necessities were being screened and restricted by INC security personnel. manalo and Hemedez’s supporters have decried the restrictions on deliv-eries inside the compound, which were limited to “office hours.”

Nalangan said these secu-rity protocols were normal and within the rights of the INC to implement.

“The owners have every right to ensure the safety of everyone within the premises. Wala naman masama [sa] security concerns. [There is nothing wrong with these security concerns],” said the the CHR investigator.

The INC leadership for its part expressed relief that the misinfor-mation being spread in the media by the expelled members’ camp was slowly being exposed.

INC spokesperson edwil Za-bala said that “the general pub-lic is now beginning to realize the complete lack of credibility of these publicity-hungry peo-ple and their small group of supporters.”

Bay guardians. Members of Poro Sea Lovers Association emerge from patrol training as part of their roles as guardians of the 173-hectare marine protected area in Barangay Poro, San Fernando City, La Union. The city government of San Fernando recently passed City Ordinance No. 2015-03 establishing the Poro Marine Protected Area, creating its management council and providing for its management.” Among the members of the MPA management council is the Poro Sea Lovers Association, most of whose members are fisherfolk engaged in food and catering services, apart from serving as MPA guardians. PSLA was created based on a five-year partnership between Chevron Philippines Inc., marketer of Caltex fuels and lubricants, the Institute of Social Order and the City of San Fernando.

By Rey E. Requejo

There is a need to address the dismal performance of law schools in providing legal education in the country, according to a magistrate of the Supreme Court.

taken,” he stressed.  earlier, the high court said

6,605 law graduates took the 2015 Bar, but only 1,731 or 26.21 per-cent passed the examinations. 

In 2014, 1,126 of the 5,984 ex-aminees managed to passed the Bar. The SC said the passing rate is the 6th highest since 2001. 

The highest was in 2001 with 32.89 percent, followed by 31.95 percent in 2011, 31.61 percent in 2004, 30. 60 percent in 2006 and 27.22 percent in 2005. 

The passing rate for the 2015 Bar exams is higher than the 18.82 percent who passed the 2014 examinations.   

University of the Philippines Col-lege of Law graduate Rachel Angeli miranda  topped the 2015 Bar ex-ams with a rating of 87. 40 percent, followed by Athena Plaza of the University of San Carlos with a rat-ing of 87.25 and Jayson Aguilar of the UP College of Law with 86.75.

In fourth place was Reginald Arceo of Ateneo de manila Uni-versity with a rating of 86.70, while mandy Therese Anderson, also of Ateneo de manila, came in at fifth place with a rating of 86.15. 

In sixth place was Giselle Hernandez of the UP College of Law with a rating of 86.10, followed by Darniel Bustama-nte of San Beda College-manila

with a rating of 85.90.  In eight place were Jecca Jacildo

of the University of San Carlos, Soraya Laut of Xavier University and Jericho Tiu of Ateneo de ma-nila with a rating of 85.85.

In ninth place was Jedd Brian Hernandez of the UP College of Law with a rating of 85.80 while Ronel Buenaventura of the Bu-lacan State University and Lara Carmela Fernando of San Beda College-manila placed 10th with a rating of 85.75. 

Nonetheless, Brion challenged the SC and the LeB to do some-thing about the problem, suggest-ing that law schools with low pass-ing rates should be published so that parents and prospective law students would know the schools that they should enroll in. 

“For example and at the very least, the law school passing rates should be given the widest pub-lication so that the public can at least be informed that enrolling in a given law school poses an 80 per-cent, 90 percent even a 100 percent hazard of failing the Bar exams. I challenge the Court and the LeB to start now with the 2015 Bar ex-ams. And once we have arrived at a national consensus on solutions and approaches, then let us apply the agreed measures with an un-wavering will,” he pointed out. 

A7editorial@thestandard.com.ph

F R I D AY : J U N E 17, 2 0 1 6

NEWS

K-12 program to includehistory of Moro struggle

Authorities seize ammo, firearms inBukidnon

Incoming agri exec wants cold storage plant in Sulu

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY—Government agents seized several firearms and am-munition of various calibers in a raid in Bukidnon, a report reaching here said Thursday.

Armed with a search warrant, agents of the Crim-inal Investigation and Detection Group in Bukidnon swooped down on a residence in the village of Balila, Lantapan, Bukid-non on Wednesday morning.

Police investigator Richard E. Salcedo, team leader of the CIDG, identified the suspect as Eric R. Devibar, 49, of Balila, Lantapan, Bukidnon.

Recovered from the suspect’s house were six firearms of varied calibers, an M14 assault rifle, Thompson sub-ma-chine gun M-1, two units caliber .45 pis-tols, a .357 revolver and a Magnum 22 revolver.

Salcedo said that the raiding team also seized various ammunition for the seized firearms.

He said that the sus-pect was brought to the CIDG station in Bukidnon for the fil-ing of charges involv-ing violation of Re-public Act No. 10591 or illegal possession of firearms. PNA

By A. Perez Rimando

COTABATO CITY—Elementary and secondary school students will soon have a deeper understanding of the Bangsamoro struggle to attain genuine peace and order in Mindanao with the scheduled integration of its history in the Department of Education’s K-12 curriculum, a peace process officer said here recently.

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Zamboanga Sibugay—In-coming Department of Agriculture Secretary Em-manuel Piñol recently an-nounced here his plan to put up in Sulu a cold stor-age which will also serve as regional food terminal for Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao’s island provinces of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi (BaSulTa).

Piñol is currently un-dertaking a region-to-region visit and consulta-tion with leaders of local government units through his self-styled “Biyaheng

Bukid” caravan.He stressed that a cold

storage would no longer allow BaSulTa fishermen to look for the market “but would merely deliver their catch to the cold storage area.”

Piñol, who grew up in the agricultural town of Mlang, North Cotabato, learned that BaSulTa sea waters boast of abundant fish varieties, including tamban, known as sardine fish.

The former three-term governor of his native province stressed that the

establishment of a regional food terminal in the stra-tegically located Sulu will also “help stabilize prices of sea products since fisher-folk will no longer entirely rely on middlemen who buy their fish at low price and sell them at high cost.”

Piñol is conducting na-tionwide agri-fishery as-sessment “to determine what the incoming Presi-dent Rodrigo Duterte ad-ministration should do to help uplift the socio-economic condition of the country’s farmers and fisherfolk. A. Perez Rimando

Kindergarten, six-year el-ementary education, four-year junior high school (Grades 7, 8, 9 and 10) and two-year senior high school (Grades 11 and 12). Grade 11 was initially enforced last June 13, 2016.

A report received here by the Autonomous Re-gion in Muslim Mindanao Gov. Mujiv Hataman from the Office of the Presiden-tial Adviser on the Peace Process Secretary Teresita Deles said incorporating the history of Bangsamoro

in the K-12 curriculum “is part of the government’s continued initiatives for transitional justice and reconciliation (TJR) which is a major dimension of the Bangsamoro peace process.”

Deles said OPAPP had worked with DepEd even before the TJR Commis-sion report came out, add-ing that “the template for the pilot integration into the K-12 curriculum would be finished before the start of next SY.”

She added that OPAPP earlier held a seminar-workshop at the Cotabato City-based Notre Dame University for the govern-ment bureaucracy on the Bangsamoro narrative which later was piloted in several areas of Southern Philippines.

Deles said other initia-tives of the Aquino ad-ministration “to help heal the wounds inflicted by the decades-long Mind-anao conflict were also undertaken.”

The K-12 curriculum, introduced nationwide

by DepEd in school year 2011-2012, consists of

Finally. Twenty-one farmers from Barangay Maticaa, Ormoc City were finally awarded their Certificate of Land Ownership Award after 17 years of struggle. MEL CASPE

Hot enough. A tourist visits Barangay Mainit in Bontoc, Mt. Province where one can boil eggs in one of the hot springs. DAVID CHAN

A8

[ EDI TORI A L ] ‘DECENCY’WHEN he was asking us to vote for him as president, former Interior and Local Governments secretary Manuel Roxas II made much of the fact that he was the most “decent” among the candidates. Going around the country aboard government vehicles, sporting his yellow shirt and shaking the hands of those thankful to receive dole, Roxas extolled the straight path.

He lost, but that is not the end of his—and the Liberal Party’s—hypocrisy.

Roxas is the only presidential candidate who still has not submitted his Statement of Contributions and Expenditures. The law requires that all candidates and all political parties submit to the Commission on Elections their SOCE a month after the polls. The deadline was June 8.

Roxas and the Liberal Party failed to meet this deadline. They asked the Comelec for a 14-day extension, citing voluminous receipts that needed to be scanned and attached to the submission.

The LP itself finally managed to submit six days after the deadline, even as questions linger over how the form was filled out. But Roxas, the man President Aquino said was the best person to succeed him, still has to come up with his statement.

It could be that he is overwhelmed by a mountain of receipts that needs to be sorted and listed down, even as the idea is difficult to believe. With the party’s—and Roxas’ family’s—vast resources, could they not hire an army of clerks to go make sense of these voluminous documents?

Or it could be that the Roxas camp is at a loss in showing how it blurred the lines between campaign funds and taxpayers’ money. This is hardly an exercise in decency.

The Yellows have been so used to portraying themselves as righteous at all times—so what’s a few days of missed deadline when many others commit bigger breaches?

Now comes the Comelec en banc voting 4-3 granting the request for deadline extension. It is not just Roxas and the Liberal Party that are covered by the decision: Two other parties and 15 candidates for senator, 115 for House member, and 40 for governor were also given an additional 14 days from the original deadline to make good on their requirement.

The Comelec decided in favor of the delinquents despite the fact that its own campaign finance office had recommended that the LP’s request be denied, saying that the deadline for the filing is a hard deadline set by law, that the poll body had reiterated the final and non-extendible nature of the June 8 deadline through its own rules and press releases, and that all others tried their best to comply with the requirement.

It’s a good thing the extension applies only to the deadline for the SOCE. Imagine the horror of living one more day under an administration peopled by hypocrites.

ADELLE CHUAE D I T O R

OPINIONF R I D AY, J U N E 17, 2 0 1 6

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OPINIONF R I D AY, J U N E 17, 2 0 1 6

A10

I MUST start with a profound, reverential bow towards Dean Sedfrey Candelaria of the Ateneo Law School. He organized, with the cooperation of course of his colleagues, notable professor Ru-ben Balane, the “International Scientific Congress on Private Law of the Philippines and Spain” involving selected members of Philippine legal academia and the Facultad de Derecho of the Universidad de Malaga, headed by its dean, Señor Juan Jose Hi-nojosa Torralvo. I am grateful for having been asked to deliver my comments on “The Implicit Philosophy of the Civil Code,” in reaction to Justice Jose Vitug’s keynote address, but the whole congress was a most welcome step in the direction I have always be-lieved legal studies in the Philip-pines should go—away from the trade-school type schooling that is obsessed with the black-letter of codes and statutes, that drills into students mastery of proce-dure and technique—towards a more philosophical and scien-

tific treatment of the law. On the very same panel that

had the esteemed Justice Adolfo Azcuna discoursing on “The Constitutional Function of Hu-man Rights Principles Within the Context of Private Law in the Philippines,” Señor Gonzalo Martinez Etxeberria—the name already identifies him as Basque —delivered an interesting dis-course on “Forality” in Spain, and wondered whether it might be “an exportable model.” He did mention the issue of Muslim Mindanao and suggested that we explore the paradigm further for the possibilities it offers.

“Forality”—the term is itself exotic—derecho foral, in Span-ish, in contrast to derecho co-mun—refers to the legal system developed in the Basque Coun-try and Navarra that found its way into the national legal sys-tem of Spain and into the 1978 Spanish Constitution. Although professor Etxeberria was reti-cent about identifying it with a federal system, it is yet one more model of government decentral-ization and of local autonomy. If anything, it makes clear that rather than a clean line separat-ing the State from its political subdivisions, one has a “sliding continuum” rather so that there

can be something like a “Basque Country” within the one Span-ish Kingdom (or Republic, which it more factually is!).

The political pact underlying Spanish “forality” was originally an agreement between the King and the Community (such as the Basque Community or the Com-munity of Navarra) that balanced powers between these two foci of a political ellipse. In effect, it was a derogation of royal absolutism. In respect to the Basque Country, the pact is presently embodied

in the Basque Autonomy Act of 1979. The development of the system has not been straight-forward, however, and certain epochs of Spanish history saw bold claims made in the name of “forality,” other times, the near demise of the pact—and the so-cial and political unrest that fol-lowed in the wake of a tottering compromise.

The 1978 Constitution guar-antees protection and respect for the “historical rights of the Foral Territories.” This gives reason for many to claim for these “foral” rights not only a historical, but also a “supra-constitutional” character, in the sense that the rights of peoples within Foral Territories ante-date the Constitution. A similar argument may be constructed insofar as the Sultanates in Min-danao did enjoy self-governance and political autonomy prior to any Constitution. Of course, the more testy concern is whether or not those who now clamor for an autonomous Muslim Mind-anao fall within the territories of the traditional sultanates— and that just does not seem to be the case. Then follows the theoretical but all too important question: Is forality the consti-tutional acknowledgment of a

political reality, or is it, in effect, a fragmentation of the unitary State? We recognize that issue very well, for while some have argued that Muslim Mindanao is merely demanding that its his-toric rights be recognized, some maintain a kind of a “theory of concession”—whatever autono-my it may enjoy comes about as a concession of the Republic of the Philippines.

Very importantly, notwith-standing the fact that the Span-ish Constitution reserves for the State “civil legislation,” the Basque Country has, within the framework of forality, a Basque Civil Foral Law last revised in 2015. It is a deliberate effort to enable Basque Civil Law to con-front the realities no longer of a rural, agricultural society but of a 21st century country!

As we eagerly set our hands to drafting and crafting longer-lasting solutions to lingering problems in our own country, this suggestion coming from the sometimes tumultuous, many times cordial romance between Spain and the Basque Country may come in handy!

rannie_aquino@sanbeda.edu.phrannie_aquino@csu.edu.phrannie_aquino@yahoo.com

‘FORALITY’: A SPANISH SUGGESTION FOR THE PHILIPPINES

INCREASING PHILHEALTH’S PREMIUM CONTRIBUTIONS AND SIN TAXES

PHILHEALTH—probably taking seriously its stature as the national health insurance agency—calls the monthly dues that are remitted to it “premium contributions.”

Maybe, PhilHealth is simply adopting the term that the Govern-ment Service Insurance System is using in calling them. After all, they are both social insurance agencies, and like private insurance compa-nies, they probably want to empha-size that the remittances they re-ceive are insurance premiums.

The Social Security System, on the other hand, consistently avoids the word “premium” in its vocabu-lary despite being considered a so-cial insurance scheme long before it got its present categorization as a social protection agency. Although these remittances are mandatory—and not voluntary—SSS simply calls them “contributions.”

Notably, the amount of benefits in both SSS and GSIS pension pro-grams is based on paid contribu-tions. The more contributions are

paid—because of a high salary base and a longer contribution period—the higher the pension will be.

But PhilHealth’s premium con-tribution system entitles all to the same health insurance benefits after three contributions have been paid in the last six months prior to the month of availment.

PhilHealth premium contribu-tions, in other words, are like taxes. Whether they are paid in the hun-dreds or millions of pesos, taxpay-ers enjoy or suffer the same quality of public service.

This lack of relationship between premium contributions and ben-efits—or absence of incentive to pay more—is manifested in its premium contribution system.

An employed member remits as premium contributions to Phil-Health 1.25 percent of his actual salary credit, which his employer matches for a total of 2.5 percent. The total remittance for him could be as low as P200 a month or P2,400 a year if he is earning P8,000 or less a month, and as high as P875 a month or P10,500 a year if his in-come is P35,000 or more a month.

Consequently, whenever their wages are increased, their contribu-tion premiums are correspondingly increased but their benefits remain

the same unlike in the SSS and GSIS programs where any increase in contributions brings about a corre-sponding increase in benefits.

These employed members end up carrying much of the burden in financing PhilHealth’s programs. Others pay token premium contri-butions.

Employers of “kasambahay” helpers pay entirely for them the minimum PhilHealth dues of P200 a month if they earn P5,000 or less a month.

Considered modern-day he-roes, overseas Filipino workers were paying, before 2014, only P100 a month, but they now pay P200, still the minimum amount of contribu-tions. Obviously, they are in a posi-tion to pay more to PhilHealth but they don’t. In fact, they don’t even pay income taxes.

Self-employed and individually paying members also contribute monthly P200 if they earn P25,000 or less a month, and P300 if their monthly income is above P25,000.

The premium contributions of the sponsored program members—who must be indigents—are paid for fully or partially by their spon-sor local government units, private entities, legislators, and national government agencies at the same

minimum P200 a month.Without paying anything, pen-

sioners and senior citizens are now entitled to PhilHealth benefits. They are financed by sin taxes and from their previous premium contribu-tions, but this is a mystery to us.

This premium contribution sys-tem has slowly evolved under the PNoy administration, and it has resulted in a questionable if not un-sound PhilHealth financial condi-tion.

As disclosed on March 8 by Phil-Health board member Eddie Doro-tan in the presence of Albay Gov. Joey Salceda—

“PhilHealth lost almost P1 bil-lion last year…Payments of benefits to claimants reached P97 billion while earnings hit only P96 billion from PhilHealth’s share from sin tax, members’ contributions and yields from its investments.”

He explained this by also disclos-ing that “in the past two to three years, the company spent a large chunk of its financial pie for the enrollment of five million indigent Filipinos.”

Then he concluded—sounding dumb and not knowing what he was talking about—that PhilHealth “might have its last breath after 10 months.”

Sounding dumber, however, was

how PhilHealth’s president Alex Padilla corrected his statement of doom. Citing PhilHealth’s reserve funds of P127 billion, and employ-ing probably some weird math-ematical techniques, he assured us that “it has funds that would take more than a hundred years to be consumed.”

Remember Executive Orders 201 and 203 that PNoy signed in March?

They increased significantly the pay of 1.4 million government workers this year and in the next five years. They have, however, cre-ated huge unfunded pension liabili-ties to GSIS, which only a full actu-arial valuation could determine.

But these pay increases are fa-vorable to PhilHealth, as they would result in a modest increase in pre-mium contributions, and reduce PhilHealth’s funding deficit.

However, only those earning less than P35,000 a month would increase their premium contribu-tions. Sadly for them, they’ll have no matching increase in their Phil-Health benefits.

The rest of us PhilHealth ben-eficiaries could not expect benefit increases, either, unless premium contributions—and sin taxes—are increased. This is the only way to increase PhilHealth’s benefits.

PENSEES

FR. RANHILIO CALLANGAN

AQUINO

FILIPINOPENSIONER

HORACETEMPLO

We recognize that issue very well, for

while some have argued that Muslim Mindanao is merely demanding that its

historic rights be recognized, some

maintain a kind of a ‘theory of concession.’

lettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

signatures and one month for top agencies like the cabinet-level Na-tional Economic and Development Authority.

As mayor, Duterte was wary of Neda. It made him do tedious paper-work, secure as many as 47 signatures and wait for three years only to be told that his plan for a railway in his native Davao had been rejected. So Neda is now forewarned.

Studies indicate as much as 40

percent of the national government budget is stolen or lost to corruption. The 2017 budget is a record P3.5 tril-lion. So P1,400 billion of that will be pocketed by government men who number three million. That P1.4 tril-lion is more money than what is allot-ted by government for social services (36.8 percent) and for economic ser-vices (29.7 percent), and is twice the amount needed by the country each year, P700 billion, to modernize its infrastructure and bring it to about 5 percent of GDP.

To curb corruption in govern-ment, Duterte will employ a balance of outright communists (the cadres and the elite of the Communist Party of the Philippines) and outright right-ists (the police and military generals).

The last time a president em-ployed such a volatile mix, during the administration of Corazon Co-juangco Aquino (mother of the out-going president BS Aquino), she was hobbled by no less than seven coup attempts, two of which, the August 1986 and the December 1989, were

the bloodiest in the country’s history.The third C is cronyism. Studies

by the prestigious The Economist of London showed that between 2014 and 2016, cronyism worsened in the Philippines.

That cronyism gave rise to the corrupt and incompetent admin-istrators the nation’s mass transit railway system (its maintenance was monopolized by cabal from the rul-ing LP) and of the international air-port (the general manager there is Aquino’s cousin).

Now, who will jail or shoot these people? The evidence is there.

biznewsasia@gmail.com

Duterte’s... From A11

Mr. Robles’ column will resume on Tuesday.

LOWDOWN

JOJO A. ROBLES

A11F R I D AY, J U N E 17, 2 0 1 6

OPINIONlettertotheeditor@thestandard.com.ph

CHONG ARDIVILLA#FAILOCRACY

WANTED: A TRUE MINORITY LEADER

WITH many congressmen and senators rushing to jump into the “super coalition majority,” the essence of an opposition mi-nority party is fast making an independent House an extinct institution. The rush to join the party of incoming Presi-dent Rodrigo Duterte has been so shameless it smacks of con-venience and opportunism to partake of the presidential pork barrel. Watch and note mem-bers of both House and Senate who have flown to Davao like devotees of Duterte since the mayor won by a landslide in last month’s presidential polls. One of them is an aspirant to be House Minority Leader.

Money has been tight for the politicians since the Priority Development Assistance Fund spout was turned off after the arrest and detention of pork barrel scam queen Janet Lim

Napoles and the Supreme Court struck down the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) as illegal. These funds were di-verted to the Office of the Presi-dent. Because President Aquino had the discretion to dispense billions of funds only to Palace allies, it also serves as leverage used to the max to make even non-LP legislators toe the line for Malacañang-initiated mea-sures. Congressmen have to beg the President for funds for projects in their districts and benefits for their constituents. And of course, for getting re-elected and staying in power to perpetuate their political dynas-ties. Thus, the flow of turncoats traffic joining Duterte’s band-wagon has been heavier than the volume of vehicles on Edsa.This is the new normal—political butterflies crossing over to the party in power—dealing a death knell to the two-party system.

It is in this surreal setting that a true opposition party and a

credible minority floor leader are sorely needed. A working democ-racy needs an opposition whose role is not to be an obstructionist but to scrutinize bills the Duterte administration would certify as priority measures. Palace-pro-posed measures must be reviewed and studied lest the overwhelm-ing majority ram and railroad even onerous measures that serve vested interests.

One of those being looked at as a credible opposition leader is Buhay Party-List Rep. Lito Atienza. A three-term Manila mayor, former Environment and Natural Resources secretary and a member of the National Assem-bly during the martial law years, Atienza is a true-blue member of the Liberal Party founded by his uncle Herminigildo Atienza, a well-known figure in Manila pol-itics. Lito Atienza has remained loyal to the LP even when it was tempting to switch sides to en-joy the perks of power. He was marginalized by the LP infight-

ing manipulated by Senate Presi-dent Franklin Drilon. Atienza is, in fact, one of the few remaining survivors of the deadly Liberal Party miting de avance bombing in Plaza Miranda on August 21, 1971. The bombing killed nine people and injured many others, including prominent LP leaders like Senator Jovito Salonga, and former Manila Mayor Ramon Bagatsing.

This early, Atienza, instead of pandering to Duterte, is op-posing the incoming president’s plan to return the death penalty as a deterrence against rising criminality.

“Returning capital punish-ment will not solve the problem. It will only fan more violence,” said Atienza, a staunch pro-life advocate who also opposed the Reproductive Health Law ini-tiated by Aquino. At the clos-ing day of the 16th Congress, Atienza still fought to override President BS Aquino’s veto of the proposed P2,000 increase

in the monthly Social Security System pension of retired work-ers. He was, however, drowned out by a viva voce vote despite his motion for a roll call to get the true sentiment of the House. This latest House episode could be a portent of things to come under the “supermajority” in the House and Senate formed under Duterte. Those who sucked up to PNoy are now doing the same to Digong to get chairmanships of choice committees and a slice of the president’s pork.

We have a new president elected by an overwhelming ma-jority of voters. Call me an in-curable cynic but I doubt much will change. It will still be pa-tronage politics as usual. The people have seen it all—from Erap’s “walang kaibigan, walang kamag-anak” to PNoy’s “daang matuwid.” While there’s a new president who promises change, the deck of cards is stacked against the people. The players are still the same.

BACK CHANNEL

ALEJANDRO DEL ROSARIO

DUTERTE’S THREE CS

DURING his senior year at Ma-nila’s San Beda College of Law, Rodrigo Duterte was almost ex-pelled because of a shooting in-cident. A classmate was bullying him, pinching his ears and his by now prominent nose. Irritat-ed, the young probinsyano law student from Davao drew his gun from his waist and poked it at the face of the abusive rascal. Thinking Duterte was going to pull the trigger, a third classmate made a karate chop to avert di-saster. But the gun went off any-way. The bully was wounded but only slightly.

Quickly, Duterte’s classmates retrieved the bullet and hid it, along with his gun. Apparently, in those freewheeling pre-mar-tial law days, guns, licensed and unlicensed, flowed and were flouted freely and fearlessly in Manila campuses in what could be called the student council version of the Wild, Wild West. By September 1972, the strong-man Ferdinand Marcos had put a stop to the nonsense. His mar-tial law military and police col-

lected more than 500,000 illegal firearms, three times the com-bined firepower of the national police and the armed forces.

Back to the Bedan bully. Shaken after the incident, he was told to go, disappear. San Beda’s monks heard about the incident and conducted a dis-creet but earnest investigation. The acting law dean, a Harvard-trained lawyer, wanted to expel the delinquent would-be law-yers. Duterte’s classmates used their nascent knowledge of the law, however. There was no bul-let, no victim, no complainant. How could there be a crime?

Duterte went on to finish his law (Class 1972, though it is not clear whether he marched dur-ing his graduation, as a result of the shooting incident).

Attorney Duterte became a very successful state prosecutor, running after malcontents and criminal suspects. As a lawyer, he lived by one dictum—go by the evidence.

As Davao’s mayor of 22 years, however, he became known as The Punisher, for his swift and deadly approach towards criminals and suspects who just dropped dead

without authorities looking for the evidence of guilt.

On June 30, 2016, lawyer Rodrigo Duterte will start his job as the 16th president of the Philippines. With more than 16.5 million votes, 39 percent of the total votes cast for president, he won with an overwhelming mandate. The 16.6 million votes is the largest in history for a presidential winner, and his get-ting 6.62 million votes than the ruling Liberal Party’s Manuel Araneta Roxas, is also the big-gest winning margin ever.

Duterte’s massive mandate was an absolute rejection of the lackluster six-year reign of Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III, whose dismal perfor-mance as president earned him the sobriquet “BS”—for bullsh*t.

More importantly, ana-lysts, including this writer, see Duterte’s victory as a revolt of the masses, a change of govern-ment so revolutionary it will recast society so radically it will transform the nation for good hopefully forever.

The new President must grap-ple with the three main Cs that are cancer to society—criminal-

ity, corruption and cronyism.The country is in the grip of

criminals and criminal syndi-cates, particularly of drug lords. So entrenched are illegal drugs syndicates their leaders welcome being convicted and imprisoned at the National Penitentiary in suburban Muntinglupa south of the capital Manila. There, the drug lords are believed to oper-ate three drug laboratories turn-ing chemical precursors into highly valuable illegal drugs and prison guards and inmates into runners, drug couriers and their private bodyguards paid for by government.

In one of his press conferences, the incoming President vowed to lead an elite group of specially trained commandos to assault the Bilibid Prisons to flush out the drug lords and their henchmen and padlock the laboratories for good. “Anyone left standing will be shot dead,” Duterte declared. He thinks the drug lords and the labs exist with the tolerance of the Justice Department.

In succeeding statements, Duterte disclosed plans to con-duct 50 public executions, by hanging, twice— “until the head

is completely severed from the body”—of drug lords and other criminals.

He has quickly assembled an amazing “super majority” in both the House of Representatives and the Senate to enable him to rush an all-important death penalty bill. Capital punishment was de-clared illegal in 2006 by Presi-dent Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Malaysia, Singapore and Indone-sia routinely kill drug lords and drug couriers.

At the same time, Duterte has identified agencies which are supposed to be among the most corrupt in the bureaucra-cy. These include the Bureau of Customs, the Bureau of Internal Revenue, and the Land Trans-portation Office. Feeling hope-less, he has threatened to abol-ish these three if that is what it would take to stop their cor-ruption. He has named military men to Customs and the LTO.

The next President has or-dered all government bureau-crats to smile and to cut red tape to the minimum—five sig-natures and three days for most paperwork or permits, and five

VIRTUAL REALITY

TONYLOPEZ

Continued on A10

Last-gasp France makes Final 16A12

sports@thestandard.com.ph

FRI DAY: J UNE 1 7 , 2 0 1 6

SPORTS

M A R S E I L L E —Late goals from Antoine Griez-mann and Dimi-tri Payet booked hosts France’s place in the last 16 of Euro 2016 after overcoming stiff resistance from European Cham-pionship debu-tants Albania.

Atletico Madrid forward Griezmann came off the bench in Marseille to head the opener in the 90th minute before West Ham United’s Payet strength-ened his reputation by smashing home a second deep into stoppage time.

Payet also struck a late winner as France opened the tournament with a nervy 2-1 win over Roma-nia.

“This is becoming a bit of a habit, I’d prefer us to break the deadlock a bit earlier,” said a relieved French coach Didier Des-champs.

“Until the final whis-tle is blown there is still a chance to win the game, especially against teams who you have to wear down.”

However, two leave-it-late wins left doubts about whether Deschamps’s side can repeat the feats of French sides past at the 1984 Euros and 1998 World Cup by winning on home soil.

Deschamps surprising-ly left Juventus star Paul Pogba and Griezmann on the bench in the only two changes from the game against Romania.

Les Bleus only kicked into gear with Pogba and Griezmann reunited with the mercurial Payet after the break.

“We needed a win to qualify, and it’s done,” Griezmann told French television. AFP

Pro leaguerevives PBA

Campus TourTHE Philippine Basket-ball Association is re-viving the PBA Campus Tour as part of its out-reach program, bringing Barangay Ginebra and Mahindra to the Arel-lano University in Manila today to start the jaunt.

The Gin Kings and the Enforcers face off in a tune-up match at 1 p.m., kicking off a six-leg series with other stops at the Centro Escolar University, Arellano University-Pasig, Lyceum-Manila and Tar-lac State University.

A regular preseason event of the league in the past, the PBA Campus Tour brings PBA stars closer to the fans, with each stop providing op-portunity for interaction activities.

The Star Hotshots and the Phoenix Fuel Masters clash at the CEU Gym on June 22, the Tropang TNT Texters and the NLEX Road Warriors collide at the Arellano University-Pasig Gym on June 24, the Meralco Bolts and the GlobalPort Batang Pier slug it out at Lyceum-Manila on June 29 while the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters and the Alaska Aces square off in Tarlac State University on June 2.

Yet to be finalized is the venue of the San Miguel Beer-Blackwater tiff on July 1.

For the ball clubs, the se-ries serves as part of their preparation for the PBA Governors Cup set to open on July 15.

The season-ending tournament features regu-lar imports -- with a height ceiling of 6’5”, except for Mahindra and Blackwater which are allowed a height cap of 6’9” for their rein-forcements – plus an op-tional Asian recruit.

Hamilton unimpressed by BakuBAKU, Azerbaijan (AFP)--Lew-

is Hamilton heads to Baku for this weekend’s European Grand Prix, the first to be held in Azerbaijan frustrated at the stereotypical na-ture of the new street circuit.

The 31-year-old Briton, who is looking to complete a hat-trick of wins that could put him back above Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg on top of the drivers’ champion-ship standings, said he had tried the track in his team’s simulator.

“It’s just another new track,” said the defending three-time world champion of the controversial ad-dition to the F1 calendar under at-tack from human rights protesters.

Hamilton added: “There’s one very tight spot on it. It’s got a very long straight I don’t have a lot to say about it. I don’t know what I can say

“Monaco is the street circuit and they don’t make them like that. I don’t why they don’t, but why don’t

they just make street circuits like they used to?

“I don’t understand. It’s super wide in some places -- as wide as a motorway almost, but, hopefully, it will be fun.

“I’ve heard the weather will be good and hopefully they’ll have a good turn out.”

Just days after his second win of the season at the Canadian Grand Prix had trimmed German Ros-berg’s lead to nine points, Hamil-ton has the incentive he wants and the momentum to deliver a result.

But, as his team chief Toto Wolff has warned, Mercedes no longer can rely on outright performance superiority and recognized that Ferrari may, in some conditions, have the power to out-pace them.

Four-time champion Sebastian Vettel demonstrated that in Mon-treal where he took the lead at the start and might have triumphed if Ferrari had not switched him, er-

rantly, from a one-stop to a two-stop strategy.

Like Hamilton, however, Vettel has found early sightings of the Baku street track an elusive one to evaluate.

“It was a bit difficult to find my way round to be honest,” he said after testing the track in the Fer-rari simulator.

“So, I don’t think it’s fair to judge yet. We have to wait till we get there.

“It looks exciting in some parts and others a bit more straightfor-ward .”

In a revelation that will boost his hopes and those of Red Bull, Wolff said that Mercedes were no longer clearly the team with the fastest top speed.

“You could see the top speed of Red Bull and Ferrari is pretty much where we are,” he said after the Canadian race.AFP

France teammates celebrate their 2-0 win over Albania in the Euro 2016 group A football match between France and Albania at the Velodrome stadium in Marseille on June 15, 2016. AFP

3-way battle for last semis slot loomsGames tomorrow (Blue Eagle gym)

1 p.m. – Sta. Elena vs Bounty Fresh

4 p.m. – Pocari vs Iriga6:30 p.m. – Laoag vs Baguio

WITH four wins apiece, Po-cari Sweat, BaliPure and Air Force are assured of at least a playoff for the last semifi-nal berth, virtually leaving the fight for the last Final Four slot among three teams with five playdates left in the Shakey’s V-League Season 13 Open Conference.

That makes the remaining matches crucial for National University and Laoag, toting identical 2-3 cards, while Uni-

versity of the Philippines and Iriga, with 1-3 slates, knock each other out on Monday with the winner staying in the hunt for a playoff for the last semis seat.

Iriga actually faces elimi-nation when action in the season-opening conference sponsored by Shakey’s re-sumes Saturday at the Blue Eagle gym in QC when the Lady Oragons collide with the unbeaten Pocari Lady Warri-ors in the 4 p.m. match.

Laoag, on the other hand, is fancied to move to solo fourth as it takes on winless Baguio in the 6:30 p.m. main dish.

The Lady Bulldogs, coming off a stinging five-set setback to the surging Water Defend-

ers late Wednesday, hope to rebound against the Summer Spikers on Monday.

Both NU and Laoag’s last games will be against UP with the Lady Bulldogs squaring off with the Lady Maroons on June 25 and the Power Smash-ers facing the Diliman-based squad in the final elims day on June 27.

The playoff will be held on June 29, according to the or-ganizing Sports Vision.

Meanwhile, BaliPure and Air Force try to formalize their stint in the semis on June 22 with the Water Defenders tak-ing on the Summer Spikers at 4 p.m. and the Jet Spikers clash-ing with the Lady Oragons.

BaliPure’s Gretchel Soltones (right) defies Laoag’s Katherine Villegas and Mylene Paat’s defense as she fires away a kill during their Shakey’s V-League encoun-ter. BaliPure wore down a stubborn Team Laoag with its power game in the third set and fashioned out a 28-26, 25-23, 25-17 victory.

A13sports@thestandard.com.ph

SPORTS

Federer in winning Hallestart; Nishikori pulls out

Chiefs captureMartin Cup title

Bach hails‘beautifulRio village’

RIO DE JANEIRO—Interna-tional Olympic Committee pres-ident Thomas Bach oversaw the inauguration of the Rio Olympic Village on Wednesday and de-clared the $835 million complex as “one of the most beautiful” he had seen.

The village, which is made up of 31 buildings and will host more than 10,000 athletes at the Games from August 5-21, is based in the Olympic Park at Barra da Tijuca where most of the events will take place.

“It’s one of the most beauti-ful Olympic villages I have ever seen,” said Bach.

“It is the heart of the Games and it’s from here that the Olym-pic message will be spread to Brazil and the world.

“Athletes will be taking part in the most difficult competitions of their lives and, at the same time, will live together in peace and with respect for the entire world.” AFP

HALLE WESTFALEN, Germany—Roger Fe-derer got his bid for a ninth Halle grasscourt title off to a winning start on Wednesday with a 6-4, 7-6 (7/3) victory over Germany’s world number 88 Jan-Lennard Struff.

The top seed and world num-ber three will face Tunisia’s Malek Jaziri, ranked 64, for a place in the last eight, as he steps up his bid for another tilt at the Wimbledon title.

“It was hard to find a rhythm today. He took the ball early, went for a lot on the forehand, backhand. He has a big serve, especially the first one,” Federer said.

“So then you go back to ba-sics, you focus on your own serve. I thought I did that very well. He never really had chanc-es on my own serve, so that was

comforting.”The 34-year-old Federer, who

has now won 52 matches in his Halle career, has yet to win a ti-tle in 2016, his longest drought to start a year since he went title-less in 2000.

But Wednesday’s tie was just his 19th match of the season af-ter he struggled with a back in-jury and endured knee surgery in February.

His injury woes forced him to skip the French Open, end-ing his record run of 65 succes-sive Grand Slam appearances stretching back to 1999.

Last week, 17-time major win-ner Federer made the semi-finals of the Stuttgart grasscourt event, where he lost to Dominic Thiem, who went on to take the title.

Later this month, Federer will begin his bid for an eighth Wim-bledon title when the third Grand Slam tournament of the season starts on June 27.

“I feel after the first round, after having played last week, actually maybe something is really possi-ble here,” added Federer.

“I don’t want to get too car-ried away but I feel like if I serve the way I did today and I’m able to step it up just a little bit on the return from the baseline, all of a sudden I’m dangerous for any-body.

“We’ll see how it goes. But I take one match at a time and I hope just to keep on playing a bit better match by match.”

Japan’s world number six Kei

Nishikori suffered a pre-Wimble-don blow when he was forced to pull out of the Halle tournament with a rib injury.

Nishikori, seeded two in Ger-many behind Federer and a semi-finalist in 2014 and 2015, was to play Florian Mayer, who was given a walkover into the quarter-finals.

“I’m very sad to not be able to go on playing,” said Nishikori, whose status for Wimbledon is not yet certain.

German teenager Alexander Zverev made the quarter-finals when compatriot Benjamin Beck-er, 16 years his senior, withdrew with an injury at 7-5, 3-0 down.

Zverev will next meet Cypriot veteran Marco Baghdatis who put out Dustin Brown, also of Germa-ny, 7-5, 7-6 (10/8).

Philipp Kohlschreiber, the Stutt-gart runner-up, enjoyed a 6-2, 7-6 (7/4) win over Spanish clay courter Marcel Granollers. AFP

ARELLANO University secured its second con-secutive men’s division championship, Uni-versity of the East took its first women’s plum, while the National University Bullpups re-tained the junior divi-sion title last Thursday (June 9) in the 22nd Fr. Martin Cup Summer Basketball Tournament.

Jiovani Jalalon and Lervin Flores joined forces in scoring crucial baskets in the last three minutes to lead the Chiefs to an 84-79 beating of the Adamson Falcons in the senior finals.

Meanwhile, Daniel Atienza scored seven of his 11-point total in over-time to power the NU Bullpups past the Adam-son Baby Falcons, 91-83,

and keep the high school championship for a sec-ond straight year.

Ruth Tacula had 21 points, while Love Joy Do-mingo and Eunique Chan added 18 and 17, respec-tively, for the UE Lady Warriors, who edged the Adamson Lady Falcons, 74-70, and earned their first ever crown in the three-monthlong cagef-est.

The Falcons drew 12 points apiece from Ken-neth Miranda and Rob Manalang in their ef-forts to stop the Chiefs, who went on to earn their second straight crown since taking the Colle-giate Open honors a few months back.

They managed to trim down the Chiefs’ 10-point 74-64 lead in the last three

Mickelson out to shatter US Open jinxOAKMONT—Phil Mickelson seeks to end 26 years of US Open misery at Oakmont Country Club in the Pittsburgh suburbs this week, while battle is rejoined for golfing supremacy between the new spearheads of the sport -- Jason Day, Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy.

No other golfer has endured such heartache at one tourna-ment as Mickelson has at the second of the year’s four majors.

He has finished second a re-cord six times since he first played it in 1990, and having captured the British Open in 2013 to go with his three Masters titles and one PGA Champion-ship, the US Open is all that is stopping him from becoming just the sixth golfer to complete a career Grand Slam.

To do so though he will have to conquer one of the world’s fin-est and toughest golf courses in Oakmont.

Opened in 1904, the rugged par-70 layout features 210 bunkers that swallow up balls and aspira-tions in equal quantities, greens that confound the best of putters and rough so thick that sprained wrists are not uncommon.

On top of that it has the long-est par-three in US Open his-tory that can be stretched to 300 yards and the second longest par-five at a mind-boggling 667 yards.

Mickelson will know the dan-gers he faces when he steps out for the first round on Thursday on his 46th birthday.

“I think that it accomplishes the goal that the members want,

which is to have the hardest course in the world or in America or wherever, and I think they’ve accomplished that,” he said on the eve of the tournament.

“I think that there’s no reprieve off the tee, there’s no reprieve into the greens, and there’s cer-tainly no reprieve on the greens. These greens are way more dif-ficult to putt than Augusta’s.”

Still, Mickelson feels that he has the craft and the experience to finally come good in what would provide one of the most compelling golf stories in recent years.

Defending champion Spieth and McIlroy, the winner in 2011, have already been victorious in the US Open, both in their early 20s, while Day has time on his side too. AFP

Phil Mickelson of the United States plays a shot during a practice round prior to the US Open at Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pennsylvania. AFP

FRI DAY: J UNE 1 7 , 2 0 1 6

Arellano University Chiefs are shown after their senior division title conquest.

minutes off JD Tungcab’s three-pointer, 75-76.

But Jalalon’s jumper and two charities pushed the Chiefs out of trou-ble, 80-76, with 2:13 left

as they took a five-point cushion with 31.5 ticks to go, off Flores’ charity shot, 81-76.

“Bihira mangyari ang mag-back to back title

kami. Grabe ang laban. Pahirap nang pahirap. La-hat ng best teams kasi ng NCAA nandito,”said Arel-lano Chiefs coach Jerry Codinera, who noted that

some schools seeing action in the 92nd National Col-legiate Athletic Associa-tion season, fielded in two squads in their pre-season campaign.

Republic of the PhillippinesDepartment of Health

National Capital Regional OfficeVALENZUELA MEDICAL CENTERBIDS AND AWARD COMMITTEEPadrigal St., Karuhatan, Valenzuela City

Telefax No. 294-4625Email addressvmc_bac@yahoo.com

(TS-JUNE 17, 2016)

INVITATION TO APPLY FOR ELIGIBILITY AND TO BID

PROCUREMENT OF VARIOUS LABORATORY SUPPLIES CY 2016 (1ST SEMESTER) RE BID

1. FUNDING SOURCE:

The Valenzuela Medical Center (VMC) through INCOME/GAA/GOP intends to apply the amount of Four Million Two Hundred Ten Thousand Nine Hundred Fifty Five 50/100 Pesos Only (Php 4,210,955.50), being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) for the provision of public bidding for LABORATORY SUPPLIES CY 2016 1ST SEM (RE BID) . Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at Bid Opening.

2. The Valenzuela Medical Center now invites sealed Bids from eligible Bidders for laboratory supplies cy 2016 (1st Semester) Re-bid. The description of an eligible Bidder is contained in Section II of the Bidding Documents’ ITB.

3. Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using non-discretionary pass/fail criteria as specified in the Implementing Rules and Regulations Parts A (IRR-A) of Republic Act No. 9184 (RA 9184), otherwise known as the Government Procurement Reform Act, and 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 and regulations of which grant similar rights or privileges to Filipino citizens, pursuant to Republic Act 5183 (RA 5183) and subject to Commonwealth Act 138 (CA 138). Only Bids from bidders who pass the eligibility check will be opened. The process for the eligibility check is described in Section II of the Bidding Documents, ITB. The Bidder with the lowest calculated bid (LCB) shall advance to the post-qualification stage in order to finally determine his responsiveness of the bid to the technical and financial requirements of the project. The contract shall then be awarded to the Lowest Calculated and Responsive Bidder (LCRB) who was determined as such during the post-qualification procedure.

4. Interested Bidders may obtain further information from Valenzuela Medical Center and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below from 9:00AM-4:00PM starting June 15, 2016 to July 04, 2016.

5. A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested Bidders from the address below and upon payment of a non-refundable fee in the amount of Five Thousand Pesos Only (Php 5,000.00) (1M to 5M). The method of payment will be in cash. The Bidding Documents shall be received personally by the prospective bidder or his authorized representative. 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 nonrefundable fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids.

6. Eligibility Check and Bid Opening will be on July 04, 2016. Bids will be opened in the presence of the Bidders’ representatives who choose to attend at the address below.

7. Bids and eligibility requirements must be delivered to the address below on or before July 04, 2016, 10:00 AM, BAC Office. All bids must be accompanied by a Bid Security in the form of Cash, Manager’s Check or Cashier’s Check Bank Draft or Bank Guarantee of two (2%) percent of the total amount to bid. Late Bids shall not be accepted.

8. The Valenzuela Medical Center reserves the right to accept or reject any Bid, and to annul the bidding process and reject all Bids at any time prior to the contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected Bidder or Bidders.

(sgd.) DONA D. SALMOS, RN, MAN BAC Chairperson

AFFIDAVIT OF SELF-ADJUDICATION OF THE ESTATES OF TERESITA TARONGOY

Notice is hereby given that THE ESTATES OF TERESITA TARONGOY, who died on January 01, 2013 at 174 NIA Road, Wakas, Bocaue, Bulacan has been the subject of EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENT OF ESTATE OF TERESITA TARONGOYWITH ABSOLUTE DEED OF SALE AND DEED OF PARTITION of her heirs AURELIO TARONGOY, RAYMOND TARONGOY, RONALD TARONGOY, AUTER TARONGOY, and AUBREY TARONGOY, over two (2) parcels of land together with all the improvements covered by TCT No. T-9992-P(M), TCT No. T-365797 (M); the heirs hereby adjudicate themselves the above mentioned real properties and have agreed to sell one parcel of land under TCT No. T-365797 (M) to MARITA VILLAMAR; as per instrument dated April 07, 2016; known as per Doc. No. 43;Page No. 10; Book No. IV; Series of 2016 under the Notary Public ATTY. CLAUDETTE C. TOLENTINO.

( TS - JUNE 10, 17 & 24, 2016)

Republic of the PhilippinesPROVINCE OF QUIRINO

Cabarroguis-oOo-

BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE

INVITATION TO BID FOR Rehabilitation of Dagupan – Tres Reyes Road

Contract No. 2016-017 June 17, 2016

1. The Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) of the Provincial Government of Quirino, through the DILG-Trust Fund intends to apply the sum of P 31,284,927.40 being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for 2016-017 Rehabilitation of Dagupan – Tres Reyes Road, Saguday - Aglipay, Quirino. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.

2. The Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) of the Provincial Government of Quirino now invites bids for Rehabilitation of Dagupan - Tres Reyes Road. Completion of the Works is required by 142 Calendar Days. Bidders should have completed, within five (5) years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the Project. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II. Instructions to Bidders.

3. Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using non-discretionary pass/fail criterion as specified in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act 9184 (RA 9184), otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”.

Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least seventy five percent (75%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines.

4. Interested bidders may obtain further information from Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) of the Provincial Government of Quirino and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below from 9:00 AM to 4:00PM.

5. A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested Bidders from June 17, 2016 to July 4, 2016 from the address below and upon payment of a nonrefundable fee for the Bidding Documents in the amount of Twenty Five Thousand Pesos (P25, 000.00).

The BAC will issue hard copies of Bidding Documents at the BAC Secretariat, Capitol Hills, Cabarroguis, Quirino, upon payment of the applicable non-refundable fee. The Pre-Bid Conference shall open only to interested parties who have purchased the BD’s. Bids must be accompanied by a bid security, in the amount and acceptable form, as stated in Section 27.2 of the Revised IRR.

6. The Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) of the Provincial Government of Quirino will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on June 20, 2016, 3:00PM at Special Projects Unit Conference Hall, 2nd Floor, Commercial Building, Capitol Compound, Capitol Hills, Cabarroguis, Quirino, which shall be open to all interested parties.

7. Bids must be delivered to the address below on or before July 4, 2016, 3:00PM at Special Projects Unit Conference Hall, 2nd Floor, Commercial Building, Capitol Compound, Capitol Hills, Cabarroguis, Quirino. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18.

Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders’ representatives who choose to attend at the address below. Late bids shall not be accepted.

Prospective bidders shall submit their duly accomplished forms as specified in the BD’s in two (2) separate sealed bid envelopes to the BAC Chairman. The first envelope shall contain the technical component of the bid. The second envelope shall contain the financial component of the bid. Contract will be awarded to the Lowest Calculated Responsive Bid as determined in the bid evaluation and the post-qualification.

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

For further information, please refer to:

(SGD) ENGR. DENCIO A. PAGBILAO Chairman, Bids and Awards Committee Province of Quirino +639175007275 +639177756155

(TS-JUNE 17, 2016)

A14F R I D AY : J U N E 17, 2 0 1 6

SPORTSsports@thestandard.com.ph

Curry calls Game 6biggest of his careerCLEVELAND—Golden State’s Stephen Curry called game six of the NBA Finals the biggest contest of his career Wednesday while the revived Cleveland Cavaliers expressed con� dence they can dethrone the Warriors.

Cavs likeextra restCLEVELAND—An extra rest day between travel and games in this year’s NBA Finals has come as a wel-come break for the Cleve-land Cavaliers, but not for the Golden State Warriors.

The move was made to help ensure players were at their best when contesting for the championship tro-phy after last year’s finals, when Cleveland star LeBron James was exhausted after epic efforts against the even-tual champion Warriors.

This year, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love are healthy instead of sidelined by in-jury as in 2015, and no one has complained of too lit-tle rest while the quality of play has been top level.

“The one day in between was taxing on all of us,” James said. “It benefits all of us as a league, being able to get an extra day and pre-pare from coast to coast.”

The extra rest might certainly have helped four-time NBA Most Valuable Player James and team-mate Kyrie Irving on Mon-day when they each scored 41 points in a 112-97 road victory, pulling the Cava-liers within 3-2 in the best-of-seven series that contin-ues Thursday in Cleveland.

“It has been beneficial for me for sure,” Irving said. “That four and a half hour flight coming from the west coast and getting adjusted to the time, it can take a toll on your body. But I love the extra day—just coming in, able to get some work in and get treat-ment when you need to and prepare for the game. AFP

“He knows if he gets another flagrant he misses game seven,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “I’d be shocked if anything hap-pened on that front.”

But Golden State will be with-out Australian center Andrew Bogut, who will be sidelined at least six to eight weeks with a left knee injury suffered Monday.

“It sucks not having him out there. He has anchored our de-fense,” Golden State’s Shaun Liv-ingston said. “Not having his IQ, his passing ability, rim protec-tion, it’s going to hurt us. We’ve just got to grind it out.”

Where’s the Love?James called out Cavaliers for-

ward Kevin Love, who managed only two points and three re-bounds Monday in his first start since a concussion kept him out of game three.

“We definitely need Kev to play better,” James said. “But we don’t want to add no more stress on him or added pressure. Just need him to be aggressive. We definitely need him. He’s too big of a piece to our puzzle.”

Said Love: “If you can’t get yourself up for this, you might as well go home.”

James averages a record 32.4 points a game when facing play-off elimination. AFP

The defending champions lead host Cleveland 3-2 in the best-of-seven series entering Thurs-day’s tension-packed showdown, which will result in either a sev-enth game Sunday in California or the Warriors celebrating back-to-back titles clinched on the Cavaliers’ home court.

“We have a chance to win a championship, so definitely (my) biggest game and I’m ready for it,” NBA Most Valuable Player and scoring champion Curry said.

LeBron James and Kyrie Ir-ving each scored 41 points in a 112-97 road victory Monday that sustained Cleveland’s title hopes, the first time teammates cracked 40 points in a Finals game.

“For us, it’s just about coming out with that aggressive mindset, pushing in transition and getting easy opportunities,” Irving said.

No team has ever rallied from 3-1 down to win the NBA Finals and no team in 50 years has even forced a seventh game.

“We have confidence we can

win the series,” Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue said. “They have seen the blueprint is just being physical, being aggressive and at-tacking the basket. You don’t play Golden State, you attack them. So we’ve got to attack.”

The Warriors welcome back for-ward Draymond Green, banned from a game-five loss for accumu-lated playoff flagrant fouls. He is the only Warrior to play in every regular season and playoff win this season and is an emotional and de-fensive stalwart.

“He’s going to play with that same aggression, same passion, leave it all on the floor but be smart,” Curry said. “He can do that without having to take away a piece of what he does on the floor.

“He won’t get baited into any kind of altercations. I’m pretty sure he’ll be talkative, but hopefully in a very constructive kind of way.”

Green was suspended after his flailing hand struck the groin of James late in game four and was ruled a flagrant foul by the league.

Stephen Curry (left) of the Golden State Warriors battles for the rebound against LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 5 of the 2016 NBA Finals at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. AFP

A15F R I D AY : J U N E 17, 2 0 1 6

SPORTSsports@thestandard.com.ph

Uphill battle for champPetron in All-Pinoy tilt

After losing the core of Aby Ma-rano, Rachel Anne Daquis, Dindin Manabat and Fille Cayetano, the Tri-Activ Spikers will be marching with a new crew that features vet-eran Aiza Pontillas, Bang Pineda and CJ Rosario, who was tabbed as second overall pick in the recent PSL Annual Rookie Draft.

But it will not be a cakewalk for them this time as the rest of the field also beefed up their respective rosters in this prestigious women’s inter-club volleyball tournament bankrolled by Asics, Grand Sports, Mikasa, Muel-ler, Senoh and supported by Focus Athletics, KLab Cyscorpions, Island-

rose.net, LGR and Petron with TV5 as official broadcast partner.

Foton, which foiled Petron’s bid for a three-peat, added more offensive muscle when it recruit-ed EJ Laure and Cherry Rondina from UST and Carol Cerveza from La Salle, while retaining the core of Jaja Santiago, Angeli Araneta and Patty Orendain.

F2 Logistics also bolstered its roster as it acquired Kim Fajardo, Mika Reyes, Ara Galang and the entire core of reigning UAAP champion La Salle to team up with former Lady Spikers Marano, Cha Cruz and Paneng Mercado.

IT IS expected to be an uphill climb for Petron when it defends the 2016 Philippine Superliga All-Filipino Conference crown starting Saturday at � e Arena in San Juan.

Tabal makesit to Rio;

Torres outBy Peter Atencio

AN Olympic dream has finally come true.Mary Joy Tabal finally got confir-

mation that she will be in the women’s marathon event of the 2016 Rio de Ja-neiro Olympics.

Philippine chef de mission Joey Romasanta personally informed the 26-year0old Tabal of her status in a text message yesterday.

“Dream ko ito. Dream ito na na-buo na matagal na with Coach Philip Duenas,” said Tabal, as she and per-sonal mentor Duenas were heading for an evening workout at the oval of the Cebu Sports Complex.

Romasanta said he received an email on Wednesday evening from Rio Sports Entries Committee representative Wil-liam Souza of Tabal’s status, which has been posted on the International Asso-ciation of Athletics Federations website.

The confirmation on Tabal’s Olympic stint comes four days after officials of the Philippine Athletics Track and Field As-sociation, led by its president Philip Ella Juico, met with her, and reinstated the Cebuana runner as a member of the na-tional team a day later.

Juico, who said he is expecting con-firmation by July 11, is currently con-fiding with Romasanta on Tabal’s and status and that of long jumper Marest-ella Torres-Sunang.

Romasanta said Rio organizers are asking Philippine sports authorities to delist Torres-Sunang from their list of delegates.

“Wala na. Sobrang excited. Wala nang hindrance,” added Tabal.

Tabal placed eighth in the Scotia Bank Ottawa Marathon three weeks ago and passed the Olympic standard for the sport.

But she did not make the PH na-tional team going to the Rio Olympics outright as she was not a part of the PATAFA national team, hence the re-quest for reinstatement.

Three time champion RC Cola-Army remains formidable as it retained the core of Honey Rose Tubino, Nene Bautista, Tina Salak and Daquis, who emerged as Most Valuable Player during Petron’s championship run in the All-Filipino conference last year.

“Mukhang mahihirapan na kaming makaulit. Lahat ng teams malaki ang improvement,” said Petron coach George Pascua, who made history by becoming the first coach to lead his team to a clean 13-0 sweep last year.

Pascua added that although they lost some key players, the addition of Pontillas, Pineda and Rosario as well as the return of Ces Molina, Maica Morada, May-ette Zapanta, Mina Aganon and Jen Reyes will offset their losses.

“I like my team. We’re now

more aggressive because we got a little younger,” he said during the press launch yesterday graced by PSL chairman Philip Ella Juico and Peter Bratschi of Eventcourt, the co-organizer of the FIVB World Women’s Club Champi-onship here in Manila in October.

Petron will open its campaign against Foton at 4 p.m., while F2 Lo-gistics will face Cignal at 2 p.m. fol-lowing a colorful opening ceremony.

Also expected to make an im-pact are Cignal, Standard Insur-ance-Navy, Generika and Amy’s Kitchen.

The HD Spikers will parade the core of NCAA champion College of Saint Benilde in Djanel Cheng, Jeanette Panaga and Janine Na-varro, while the Corvettes will have Pau Soriano and Norie Jane Diaz as cornerstones.

P0.0 M+

P0.0 M+

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

6/42 00-00-00-00-00-006 DIGITS 00-00-00-00-00-003 DIGITS 00-00-00

P0.0 M+6/42 00-00-00-00-00-00

3 00-00-00

6 DIGITS 00-00-00-00-00-00

2 EZ2 00-00

LOTTO RESULTSM+M+

2016 Bea Zobel Cup

SYLVIA LOPEZ ALEJANDRO

IT WAS nearly a decade when Doῆa Beatriz Miranda de Zobel decided to hold her special tournament of all bridge players from the membership of the Philippine Tournament Bridge League.

The first Bea Zobel Cup was held in 2008 at the Manila Golf Club. A very memorable occasion for me as I was the first recipient together with Joseph Maliwat from Bea the silver miniature galleon trophy crafted from Madrid with inscription: Premio Bridge Zobel Cup. The next three Bea Cup were held at the Manila Intercontinental Hotel. The next three Bea Zobel Cup were held at the Manila Polo Club.

Madame Beatriz Miranda de Zobel welcomed all of us-the in-vited bridge players to the 2016 Bea Zobel Cup. The much waited event was held at Turf Room of the Manila Polo Club last June 8, 2016. This event is usually held in or on February to coincide Bea’s birthday on February 29. As Viksi Egan explained Bea had a very tight schedule this year. Earlier Bea had to attend the wedding of her grand daughter which took place in Colombia.

Bea nevertheless found the time to host this year’s event. The ever gracious host Bea feted us with a sumptuous lunch and she had also expanded the recipient only to first three winners: but to the placers

until the eight place. Imagine the traditional silver trophies from Ma-drid for the first three and miniature size ones from fourth to the eight place. On behalf all, Viksi thanked Bea for her kindness and generosity for persevering in hosting this annual event.

This year the format was reverted to the format as in the previ-ous years. The pairings could be both senior players paired together with unlimited masterpoints.

You can see that from the list of players it constituted bridge players from a varied field: from national players to immediate and to novices.

The list of the players as follows:1. Ito Velhagen & Viksi Egan 11. Marilen Espiritu & Harriet Velayo2. Isabel Wilson & George Soo 12. Mila Camus & Ellen Esteban3. Gemma Tan & Romy Virola 13. Lani Tayas & Dina Velasco4. Sylvia Alejandro & Albert Quigue 14. Cora Rodriguez & Titang Montinola5. George Francisco & Ann de Guzman 15. Toti Fernandez & Nena Ramirez6. Lyn Gavino & Hector Tarrazona 16. Bambi Harper & Fr. Ting7. Salma Lall & Satomi Suzuki 17. Dolly Montinegro & Ann Aspinall8. Tootsie Quiogue & Winnie Monsod 18. Isabel Maloles & Fusako Breckner9. Justo Manlongat & Alice Brione 19. Aiko Taylor & Cynthia de Guzman10. Ditas Jalbuena & Pocholo Lozano 20. Bea Zobel & Elena Colome

The Tournament Director was again Joseph Maliwat who not only kept the players moving in time and also kept us updated on the progress of the tournament. Kudos Joseph!

The first update:1. Cora Rodriguez and Titang Montinola

2. Sylvia Alejandro and Albert QuiogueLater updates had always named Cora Rodriguez and Titang

Montinola as being in the lead.Finally at the awarding the tandem emerged as winners.

Winners of 2016 Bea Zobel Cup1. Cora Rodriguez-Titang Montinola2. Justo Manlongat-Alice Briones3. Dina Velasco-Lani TayasAnother feast awaited us as merienda was served with yummy

halo-halo and goodies during the award.Thank you Bea for the lovely and the pleasurable time we had in your

hosting the Bea Zobel Cup as the Hostess with Mostest. Thanks be to God for allowing me to be strong and healthy to play all these years. My fervent and special thanks to Beatriz de Zobel for having given me at an early time and date carte blanche to choose and select my partner.

The parting words from Bea: See you next year!Hopefully— in January when playing with Margaret Kwok she said

she hoped to practice with partner to play at the Bea Zobel Cup. The Lord taketh her. When I receive my call I also do not tarry.

So, meanwhile Let’s Celebrate and Let’s Continue to play with passion our favorite game:

B R I D G ETHANK YOU, THANK YOU BEATRIZLOVE - SYLVIAComments to: sylvia.alejandro@yahoo

Players of the coming 2016 Philippine Superliga All-Filipino Conference are shown during the tournament’s press launching. They are (from left) Petron’s Frances Molina, Generika’s Wensh Tiu, Standard Insurance’s Lilet Mabbayad, F2’s Cha Cruz, Amy’s’ Cindy Imbo, Foton’s Angeli Araneta, Cignal’s Carmela Tunay and RC Cola’s Jovelyn Gonzaga. ROMAN PROSPERO

F R I DAY : J U N E 17, 2 0 16

A16RIERA U. MALL ARI

E D I T O R

sports@thestandard.com.ph

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

By Ronnie Nathanielsz

BACKED by its � � h-place world ranking by FIBA, France, which is loaded with a roster of outstanding stars from the National Basketball Association, are the favorites to win the only slot available for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games in the FIBA Qualifying Tournament to be held at the 20,000-seat Mall of Asia Arena.

The French national team fin-ished third in the Euro Basketball Championships, beating Serbia, 81-68, after outscoring the Serbs, 21-12, in the third quarter following a 10-0 run and at one point, led by as many as 16 points.

In a post-game interview, French coach Vincent Collet said that it was not what they went to Spain for, but that “it’s always good to finish with a win.”

France earned a qualifying berth in Manila and opens its bid against the host nation Philippines on July 5.

In fact, the French have shown their determination to make it to Rio that the squad, led by superstar Tony Parker of the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA, planned to arrive in Ma-nila on June 30.

Gilas Pilipinas team manager Butch Antonio pointed out that the FIBA time frame for the teams to be in Manila is July 3, but the French will fly in one week before their opening game against Gilas so they could get acclimatized to the weath-er and the playing conditions.

Canada and Senegal, which are in Group A, and the New Zealand Tall Blacks, who are bracketed with France and the Philippines, will be here on July 1, while Turkey which is bracketed in Group A will be the first team to arrive on June 28, in preparation for a tune-up game against Gilas Pilipinas on July 1.

The Philippine team is currently on a three-week training stint in Europe and is scheduled to return to

Nash alsocoming toManila FIBA meetTHE NBA’s newest sensation may not be coming to Manila for the Olympic Qualifying Tournament, but in his place is a legend who is now at the forefront of Canada’s bid to make it to back to the Sum-mer Games Rio de Janeiro is hosting come August.

Two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash, now the general manager of Canada’s national team, is set to come for the July 5 to 10 OQT at the Mall of Asia Arena and he is bringing with him a group of players all projected to make up for the absence of 2014-15 NBA Rookie of the Year Andrew Wiggins.

The Canadians also have this one overwhelming aim, which is to re-turn to the quadrennial meet after failing to make it in the Games’ last three editions.

Aside from the Minnesota Timber-wolves star, other NBA players Tristan Thompson (Cleveland Cavaliers), Andrew Nicholson (Orlando Magic), Kelly Olynyk (Boston Celtics), Robert Sacre (LA Lakers), Nik Stauskas (Phil-adelphia 76ers) and Dwight Powell (Dallas Mavericks) are not included in the initial 19-man pool Canada Bas-ketball bared last week. Olynyk is out for six months and has ruled himself out of the FIBA OQT.

Both Nash and coach Jay Triano have stated said absent players are welcome to join the pool should they decide to do so.

“Given the time of year, player availability is always changing,” said Nash, who was part of Canada’s squad in the 2000 Olympics, the last time it made the Summer Games, through Canada Basketball’s Twit-ter account @CanBball.

SPORTS

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Manila on June 27.France coach Vincent Collet said

that after the third-place finish in the Eurobasket championships, all the French stars, including Parker who had 13 points in the bronze-medal game would return.

“We all agreed that the main goal is to win an Olympic medal and this is the last chance for this generation to win an Olympic medal,” said Col-let. “But it won’t be easy to qualify.”

However, latest reports indicate that NBA players Rudy Gobert and Evan Fournier will skip the Manila quali-fier, although Nicolas Batum, who was earlier listed as likely to miss the Ma-nila qualifying tournament, remains in coach Collet’s roster .

A FIBA report said that Batum, who is in negotiations for a new con-tract with the Charlotte Hornets, will be in Pau, France when the team for-mally gathers to prepare for the six-day Manila tournament. But while doing physical work, he will not participate in the team’s scrimmages.

Gobert, who plays for the Utah Jazz, stands 7’1” and won the bronze medal in the 2011 FIBA Europe Un-der-20 championships and the silver medal at the 2012 FIBA Europe Un-

der-20 tournament. In addition, the towering center was named to the All-Tournament team.

Meantime, a back injury plaguing Fa-bien Causer, has forced him to withdraw from the FIBA qualifier in Manila.

The 28-year-old shooting guard has been playing well in the Eurole-ague this season before being side-lined with an injury last March 20.

The French Basketball Federation has indicated it has no plans of nam-ing replacements for the two players in the 17-man preliminary line-up.

While France may be handi-capped by injuries just like Gilas Pilipinas, who lost Paul Lee, the Most Valuable Player in the Philip-pine Basketball Association Com-missioner’s Cup, and shooting star Marcio Lassiter, who is slowly recov-ering from a bout with pneumonia and another top gunner Jeff Chan is also recovering from injury, the French have enough depth and ex-perience playing at a highly competi-tive level and remain the favorites to win a berth in the Rio Olympics, al-though they have shown some con-cern about how much the passionate fan support in Manila will spur Gilas Pilipinas to play like never before.

Can anybody beat

France?ASVEL’s owner Tony Parker poses with the trophy at the end of the Pro A basketball game 5 of the fi nal match between Strasbourg (SIG) and Villeurbanne (ASVEL) in Strasbourg, eastern France. AFP

RODERICK T. DELA CRUZASSISTANT EDITOR B1

FRIDAY: JUNE 17, 2016

business@thestandard.com.phextrastory2000@gmail.com

RAY S. EÑANOEDITOR

Govt starts coal policy review BUSINESS

PLDT, Globe agree to share Internet servicesBangko Sentral ng Pilipinas

Thursday, June 16, 2016

Foreign exchange rateCurrency Unit US Dollar PesoUnited States Dollar 1.000000 46.3940

Japan Yen 0.009434 0.4377

UK Pound 1.420900 65.9212

Hong Kong Dollar 0.128874 5.9790

Switzerland Franc 1.040799 48.2868

Canada Dollar 0.774533 35.9337

Singapore Dollar 0.739481 34.3075

Australia Dollar 0.740400 34.3501

Bahrain Dinar 2.654632 123.1590

Saudi Arabia Rial 0.266738 12.3750

Brunei Dollar 0.736757 34.1811

Indonesia Rupiah 0.000075 0.0035

Thailand Baht 0.028361 1.3158

UAE Dirham 0.272287 12.6325

Euro Euro 1.126100 52.2443

Korea Won 0.000856 0.0397

China Yuan 0.152008 7.0523

India Rupee 0.014910 0.6917

Malaysia Ringgit 0.243992 11.3198

New Zealand Dollar 0.703200 32.6243

Taiwan Dollar 0.030908 1.4339 Source: PDS Bridge

7,564.4762.82

Closing June 16, 2016PSe comPoSite index

48.00

46.00

45.00

44.00

43.00

HIGH P46.290 LOW P46.430 AVERAGE P46.351

Closing June 16, 2016PeSo-dollar rate

VOLUME 651.300M

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 Pilipinas

oilPriceS today

P427.00-P620.00LPG/11-kg tank

P36.35-P43.45Unleaded Gasoline

P24.75-P29.60Diesel

P34.55-P39.15Kerosene

todayP36.35-P43.45

P24.75-P29.60

P34.55-P39.15

PP427.00-P620.00

8300

7840

7380

6920

6460

6000

P46.430CLOSE

Electronics convention. Toshiba hosts the Philippine Semiconductor and Electronics Convention and Exhibition at SMX Convention Center in Pasay City. Toshiba showcases its cutting-edge technologies in storage and electronic devices solution, as the Philippines continues to experience rapid economic growth. Shown during the exhibition are (from left) Toshiba Philippines Inc. president and chief executive Tomoo Kobayashi, Toshiba Corp. corporate representative for Asia and Toshiba Asia-Pacifi c managing director Tatsuo Doko and Toshiba Information Equipment Philippines Inc. president and director Hiroshi Okamura. MANNY PALMERO

By Darwin G. Amojelar

THE country’s two biggest telecom companies on � ursday signed a bilateral Internet Protocol peering arrangement a� er six years of dispute in a bid to improve mobile and � xed-line broadband speed in the Philippines.

PLDT Inc. and Globe Telecom Inc. signed a memorandum of agreement, which will serve as a preamble to a formal peering agreement between the two parties.

� e agreement provides for the two companies to implement a bilateral domestic peering within 30 days. A formal peering agreement is set to be signed by

both companies within 90 days. “A� er six years of actively

advocating for an IP peering, Globe welcomes PLDT’s decision to have a meaningful and applicable IP peering arrangement with us. We are happy with this landmark development considering the bene� ts to our customers in terms of internet experience,” Globe chief technology and information o� cer Gil Genio said.

“With an e� ective domestic internet peering in place, Globe customers will gain direct access to content and applications hosted by PLDT data centers and vice-versa. We are con� dent that this agreement will redound to a better experience on internet

services bene� tting customers of both parties and the country as a whole,” Genio said.

� e IP peering agreement means that content and applications hosted by the PLDT group which are being accessed by Globe customers will be treated as local content and do not have to be routed overseas, causing additional IP transit costs, delay in data transmission and latency in downloading sites.

About 20 percent of internet tra� c is local, which means that tra� c originates in the Philippines and terminates in the Philippines

Globe pushed for a mandatory IP peering with PLDT as early as 2011 to improve internet speeds

in the country, but rival PLDT said such arrangement would not really address the objective of improving the speed of Internet services given that 80 percent to 90 percent of tra� c goes overseas.

PLDT also earlier said the mandatory IP peering could lead to a situation where some parties “free ride” on the networks of others.

PLDT on � ursday, however, entered into a bilateral IP peering with Globe in line with the former’s digital pivot. With the peering arrangement, PLDT and Globe will now allow direct local exchange of tra� c between PLDT’s Philippine Internet Exchange and Globe Internet Exchange.

By Alena Mae S. Flores

THE Climate Change Commission on � urs-day started reviewing the government’s energy policy to reshape the country’s power develop-ment plans and eventually replace coal with renewable sources of energy.

CCC, together with key gov-ernment agencies, has six months or until the end of the year to con-duct a national review and cra� a framework development on ener-gy, in accordance with Commis-sion Resolution No. 2016-001 it issued last month.

CCC vice chair and Secretary

Emmanuel De Guzman said in a statement the policy review was vital to ful� lling the country’s commitments under the Paris climate agreement to keep global temperature rise below 1.5 de-grees Celsius and avoid the worst impacts of climate change.

“With time running out to ad-

dress climate change and prevent the worst e� ects of rising tem-peratures, countries must act fast and more decisively to cut down their respective greenhouse gas emissions in order to keep global temperature rise to below 1.5C,” De Guzman said.

CCC is under the O� ce of the President and is the lead policy-making body of the government mandated to coordinate, moni-tor and evaluate state programs to mitigate the impact of climate change.

CCC said a comprehensive re-view of the government’s energy policy involved a whole-of-nation approach to achieve a low-carbon development pathway and na-

tional goals and targets for cli-mate change mitigation and adap-tation, disaster risk reduction and sustainable development.

“One sure way to defuse the ‘ticking time bomb’ of global warming is to shi� away from fossil fuels to renewable energy, which is the main thrust of the most recent resolution issued by the Climate Change Commission and signed by no less than the President,” De Guzman said.

� e CCC resolution calls for the development of a clear policy on coal-� red power plants, which are the biggest sources of man-made carbon emissions, account-ing for about 35 percent of global GHG emissions.

De Guzman said CCC strongly believed that “transitioning away from coal is a cost-e� ective path to a low-carbon economy for the Philippines.”

Aside from the CCC, other agencies called to participate in the energy policy review are the Environment and Energy Depart-ments and the National Economic and Development Authority.

De Guzman said the CCC would facilitate at least three meetings of the CCC advisory board, serv-ing as steering committee; three sub-national business summits; 10 roundtable discussions; and 10 technical working group meet-ings throughout the six months of the policy review process.

business@thestandard.com.phextrastory2000@gmail.com

BUSINESSFRIDAY: JUNE 17, 2016

B2

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

The STandard BuSineSS daily STockS review Thursday, June 16, 2016

FINANCIAL7.88 2.5 AG Finance 3.9 3.99 3.7 3.79 -2.82 346,000 75.3 66 Asia United Bank 45.7 45.8 44.6 45.8 0.22 83,800 -40,730.00124.4 88.05 Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. 104.00 106.80 103.90 106.10 2.02 1,469,950 83,667,079107 88.1 Bank of PI 96.60 97.10 96.50 97.00 0.41 1,160,860 -6,323,376.0056.5 45.45 China Bank 37.5 37.65 37.5 37.65 0.40 61,800 1,169,160.002.49 1.97 BDO Leasing & Fin. INc. 3.10 3.18 3.10 3.18 2.58 31,000 4.2 1.68 Bright Kindle Resources 1.48 1.41 1.40 1.40 -5.41 25,000 17 12.02 COL Financial 13.98 14.1 14 14 0.14 11,800 30.45 19.6 Eastwest Bank 17.5 18 17.6 17.66 0.91 274,200 -1,268,340.0010.4 6.12 Filipino Fund Inc. 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 0.00 600 2.6 1.02 I-Remit Inc. 1.77 1.9 1.77 1.77 0.00 39,000 890 625 Manulife Fin. Corp. 595.00 595.00 595.00 595.00 0.00 10 1.01 0.225 MEDCO Holdings 0.560 0.550 0.550 0.550 -1.79 144,000 100 78 Metrobank 85.45 87.4 84.75 86.15 0.82 1,299,210 -14,341,970.501.46 0.9 Natl. Reinsurance Corp. 0.92 0.93 0.92 0.92 0.00 96,000 30.5 17.8 PB Bank 15.06 15.04 15.00 15.00 -0.40 96,100 22,500.0075 58 Phil Bank of Comm 23.00 23.00 23.00 23.00 0.00 2,200 91.5 62 Phil. National Bank 52.50 52.90 52.55 52.80 0.57 57,130 -1,258,027.50137 88.35 Phil. Savings Bank 105 106.9 101.1 106.5 1.43 2,120 361.2 276 PSE Inc. 262 263 262 262 0.00 1,710 -144,630.0057 41 RCBC `A’ 31.45 32 31.45 32 1.75 306,400 9,408,190180 118.2 Security Bank 199 203 196 202 1.51 647,070 52,282,828.001700 1200 Sun Life Financial 1380.00 1374.00 1361.00 1374.00 -0.43 305 124 59 Union Bank 65.20 65.30 65.20 65.30 0.15 248,910 3,716,840.003.26 2.65 Vantage Equities 1.54 1.54 1.54 1.54 0.00 1,000

INDUSTRIAL47 35.9 Aboitiz Power Corp. 45.35 46.2 45.5 45.5 0.33 883,200 -1,508,115.005 1.11 Agrinurture Inc. 4.03 4.05 3.89 4.01 -0.50 415,000 1.46 1.01 Alliance Tuna Intl Inc. 0.83 0.83 0.81 0.83 0.00 246,000 2.36 1.86 Alsons Cons. 1.96 1.98 1.95 1.96 0.00 1,057,000 15.3 7.92 Asiabest Group 12.38 12.88 12.5 12.5 0.97 300 89 40.3 Bogo Medelin 59.9 58.5 58.5 58.5 -2.34 910 148 32 C. Azuc De Tarlac 175.00 189.00 185.00 189.00 8.00 150 20.6 15.32 Century Food 21.05 21.7 21.05 21.4 1.66 54,100 -10,824,780.00125 62.5 Chemphil 142 142 142 142 0.00 10 85 20.2 Conc. Aggr. ‘A’ 188 194 187 188 0.00 2,360 36 10.08 Cirtek Holdings (Chips) 16.8 17.16 16.7 17.16 2.14 417,300 2.97 1.5 Crown Asia 1.99 2.02 1.99 1.99 0.00 2,429,000 4.14 1.5 Da Vinci Capital 5.34 5.35 5.24 5.24 -1.87 245,800 21.5 10.72 Del Monte 11.22 11.48 11.2 11.46 2.14 12,400 21.6 9.55 DNL Industries Inc. 9.700 9.800 9.700 9.750 0.52 1,936,200 7,294,531.0011.96 9.04 Emperador 7.08 7.30 7.11 7.12 0.56 348,700 -597,926.009.13 6.02 Energy Devt. Corp. (EDC) 5.32 5.37 5.33 5.35 0.56 14,766,200 -3,667,337.0011.8 8.86 EEI 7.50 7.67 7.51 7.61 1.47 355,000 319,085.002.89 1.06 Euro-Med Lab 1.79 1.75 1.74 1.74 -2.79 29,000 -3,500.0031.8 20.2 First Gen Corp. 22 22.4 22.1 22.15 0.68 620,600 1,617,595.00109 71.5 First Holdings ‘A’ 64.85 65.9 64.8 65 0.23 201,710 -557,580.5020.75 13.86 Ginebra San Miguel Inc. 11.98 11.98 11.98 11.98 0.00 1,100 15.3 13.24 Holcim Philippines Inc. 14.72 14.72 14.60 14.66 -0.41 38,900 -249,900.009.4 5.34 Integ. Micro-Electronics 5.59 5.7 5.58 5.59 0.00 147,000 -416,892.000.98 0.395 Ionics Inc 2.370 2.370 2.290 2.300 -2.95 2,155,000 -1,038,920.00241 173 Jollibee Foods Corp. 230.00 235.00 231.20 234.00 1.74 380,010 24,250,330.004 1.63 Mabuhay Vinyl 3.37 3.28 3.15 3.28 -2.67 12,000 33.9 23.35 Manila Water Co. Inc. 27.05 27.2 26.95 27.05 0.00 3,659,400 -39,906,085.0090 17.3 Maxs Group 26.5 28 26.5 26.85 1.32 605,300 230,830.0013.26 5.88 Megawide 6.61 6.64 6.6 6.6 -0.15 87,200 -9,240.00293 250.2 Mla. Elect. Co `A’ 315.00 325.00 315.00 325.00 3.17 469,590 5,295,056.000.62 0.335 MG Holdings 0.280 0.285 0.270 0.285 1.79 120,000 5 3.37 Panasonic Mfg Phil. Corp. 4.35 4.45 4.16 4.45 2.30 7,000 5.25 3.87 Pepsi-Cola Products Phil. 3.38 3.42 3.38 3.38 0.00 105,000 132,940.0012.98 8.45 Petron Corporation 11.00 11.34 11.00 11.12 1.09 2,308,800 8,473,410.006.75 3 Phil H2O 3.1 3.09 3.02 3.09 -0.32 10,000 15 10.04 Phinma Corporation 11.64 11.64 11.64 11.64 0.00 1,000 7.03 3.03 Phoenix Petroleum Phils. 5.95 6.00 5.81 5.99 0.67 439,100 3.4 1.95 Phoenix Semiconductor 1.65 1.73 1.67 1.72 4.24 429,000 4.5 1 Pryce Corp. `A’ 2.74 2.81 2.7 2.8 2.19 430,000 539,270.006.3 4.02 RFM Corporation 4.24 4.24 4.20 4.24 0.00 700,000 1,410,970.007.34 5.9 Roxas Holdings 4.17 4.17 4.11 4.17 0.00 9,000 1450 801 San Miguel ‘Pure Foods `A’ 212 216.4 214.8 216.4 2.08 5,050 3.28 1.55 Splash Corporation 2.51 2.51 2.5 2.51 0.00 240,000 -87,850.000.315 0.138 Swift Foods, Inc. 0.150 0.149 0.148 0.148 -1.33 4,860,000 2.18 1.02 TKC Steel Corp. 1.63 1.73 1.60 1.66 1.84 592,000 2.65 2.09 Trans-Asia Oil 2.54 2.54 2.51 2.51 -1.18 1,171,000 234 152 Universal Robina 197.3 200.4 197 200.4 1.57 813,370 30,957,083.001.3 0.640 Vitarich Corp. 0.89 0.9 0.88 0.89 0.00 3,716,000 2.17 1.2 Vulcan Ind’l. 1.22 1.29 1.23 1.23 0.82 277,000

HOLDING FIRMS0.59 0.44 Abacus Cons. `A’ 0.385 0.385 0.370 0.385 0.00 500,000 59.2 48.1 Aboitiz Equity 72.90 73.00 72.90 73.00 0.14 1,618,440 -1,279,010.5030.05 20.85 Alliance Global Inc. 15.96 16.00 15.84 15.90 -0.38 543,000 -330,662.002.16 1.6 Anglo Holdings A 1.13 1.16 1.12 1.16 2.65 33,000 7.39 6.62 Anscor `A’ 6.10 6.10 6.10 6.10 0.00 1,300 3.4 0.23 ATN Holdings A 0.345 0.360 0.345 0.355 2.90 219,000 3.35 0.23 ATN Holdings B 0.345 0.350 0.340 0.350 1.45 230,000 70,000.00823.5 634.5 Ayala Corp `A’ 820 835 818 831 1.34 306,050 73,360,520.0010.2 7.390 Cosco Capital 7.73 7.95 7.73 7.93 2.59 635,200 1,962,452.0084 12.8 DMCI Holdings 12.78 12.96 12.70 12.78 0.00 2,408,500 -8,827,798.004.92 2.26 Filinvest Dev. Corp. 6.40 6.52 6.39 6.50 1.56 1,149,000 1455 837 GT Capital 1438 1444 1433 1439 0.07 97,285 13,943,020.0076 49.55 JG Summit Holdings 83.40 84.20 83.50 83.80 0.48 4,977,590 27,154,245.509.25 4.84 Lopez Holdings Corp. 7.45 7.56 7.44 7.56 1.48 279,600 -520,450.000.85 0.59 Lodestar Invt. Holdg.Corp. 0.69 0.7 0.69 0.69 0.00 152,000 17.3 12 LT Group 15 15.02 14.94 15 0.00 3,791,400 -39,879,542.005.53 4.2 Metro Pacific Inv. Corp. 6.38 6.55 6.41 6.5 1.88 37,491,100 4,850,767.009.66 3 MJCI Investments Inc. 3.2 3.75 3.3 3.3 3.12 9,000 0.0670 0.030 Pacifica `A’ 0.0330 0.0320 0.0320 0.0320 -3.03 200,000 2.31 1.23 Prime Media Hldg 1.390 1.500 1.390 1.470 5.76 114,000 1.61 0.550 Prime Orion 1.820 1.820 1.800 1.800 -1.10 2,290,000 -794,400.002.99 2.26 Republic Glass ‘A’ 2.6 2.60 2.6 2.6 0.00 64,000 -166,400.0084.9 59.3 San Miguel Corp `A’ 79.80 79.80 78.55 79.00 -1.00 494,420 -8,349,108.50974 751 SM Investments Inc. 955.00 968.50 955.00 965.00 1.05 203,640 37,953,480.001.66 1.13 Solid Group Inc. 1.18 1.17 1.17 1.17 -0.85 105,000 5,850.00156 80 Top Frontier 185.000 186.500 181.100 186.500 0.81 19,120 0.710 0.211 Unioil Res. & Hldgs 0.3050 0.3100 0.3050 0.3100 1.64 1,340,000 -9,300.000.435 0.179 Wellex Industries 0.1960 0.2020 0.1960 0.1970 0.51 1,390,000 0.510 0.310 Zeus Holdings 0.320 0.345 0.325 0.325 1.56 20,380,000

P R O P E R T Y10.5 6.74 8990 HLDG 7.680 7.790 7.650 7.650 -0.39 95,000 -422,201.0026.95 12 Anchor Land Holdings Inc. 7.55 7.40 7.40 7.40 -1.99 100 1.99 0.65 A. Brown Co., Inc. 1.26 1.27 1.23 1.25 -0.79 1,802,000 1.75 1.2 Araneta Prop `A’ 2.180 2.250 2.190 2.210 1.38 44,000 0.375 0.192 Arthaland Corp. 0.280 0.270 0.265 0.270 -3.57 1,150,000 29,700.0041.4 30.05 Ayala Land `B’ 37.950 38.050 37.550 37.850 -0.26 9,002,500 41,799,215.005.6 3.36 Belle Corp. `A’ 3.23 3.27 3.22 3.26 0.93 637,000 1,165,810.005.59 4.96 Cebu Holdings 5.19 5.19 5.19 5.19 0.00 5,500 1.44 0.79 Century Property 0.510 0.51 0.500 0.510 0.00 846,000 61,000.001.97 1.1 City & Land Dev. 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 0.00 10,000 10,000.001.48 0.97 Cityland Dev. `A’ 1.100 1.090 1.050 1.050 -4.55 110,000 -94,050.000.201 0.083 Crown Equities Inc. 0.130 0.132 0.129 0.131 0.77 3,530,000 0.69 0.415 Cyber Bay Corp. 0.610 0.620 0.570 0.580 -4.92 64,897,000 1,869,000.0010.96 2.4 Double Dragon 56.1 61.35 57.3 59 5.17 5,366,060 27,569,016.000.97 0.83 Empire East Land 0.810 0.810 0.790 0.790 -2.47 263,000

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

Trading SummarySHARES VALUE

FINANCIAL 7,324,000 632,148,679.05INDUSTRIAL 48,529,337 809,544,991.15HOLDING FIRMS 92,503,888 1,703,789,928.59PROPERTY 170,598,064 1,393,038,925.10SERVICES 168,873,968 994,053,759.71MINING & OIL 863,306,322 293,106,703.2092GRAND TOTAL 1,371,340,194 5,915,123,779.81

FINANCIAL 1,721.16 (up) 18.23INDUSTRIAL 11,662.74 (up) 146.26HOLDING FIRMS 7,463.57 (up) 50.73PROPERTY 3,292.34 (up) 19.78SERVICES 1,583.52 (up) 13.99MINING & OIL 11,916.83 (up) 269.57PSEI 7,564.47 (up 62.82All Shares Index 4,517.26 (up) 38.36

Gainers: 117; Losers: 61; Unchanged: 58; Total: 236

STOCKS Close(P)

Change(%)

Oriental Pet. `A' 0.0100 -9.09

Phil. Tob. Flue Cur & Redry 40.20 -6.51

Bright Kindle Resources 1.40 -5.41

Phil. Realty `A' 0.460 -5.15

Cyber Bay Corp. 0.580 -4.92

Cityland Dev. `A' 1.050 -4.55

Lorenzo Shipping 1.04 -3.70

Arthaland Corp. 0.270 -3.57

Omico 0.5800 -3.33

Phil. Racing Club 8.7 -3.23

Top LoSerSSTOCKS Close

(P)Change

(%)

Italpinas 4.39 24.01

Manila Mining `B' 0.0170 13.33

Apex `A' 2.57 12.23

C. Azuc De Tarlac 189.00 8.00

Philex `A' 9.32 7.75

Ever Gotesco 0.156 7.59

Atok-Big Wedge `A' 11.82 7.45

Bloomberry 5.69 7.36

Coal Asia 0.490 6.52

First Gen F 116.1 6.42

Top gainerS

0.305 0.188 Ever Gotesco 0.145 0.156 0.156 0.156 7.59 110,000 2.22 1.15 Global-Estate 0.97 0.97 0.96 0.97 0.00 706,000 19,400.002.1 1.42 Filinvest Land,Inc. 1.98 2.05 1.96 2.05 3.54 30,789,000 9,447,980.005.94 4.13 Megaworld 4.32 4.4 4.36 4.36 0.93 14,460,000 14,997,360.000.180 0.090 MRC Allied Ind. 0.089 0.089 0.088 0.088 -1.12 520,000 0.72 0.39 Phil. Realty `A’ 0.485 0.460 0.450 0.460 -5.15 80,000 27 23 Phil. Tob. Flue Cur & Redry 43.00 42.70 40.05 40.20 -6.51 2,200 8.54 2.69 Primex Corp. 9.49 9.64 9.5 9.5 0.11 73,500 31.8 22.15 Robinson’s Land `B’ 29.30 29.65 28.95 29.50 0.68 1,778,500 5,049,025.002.29 1.6 Rockwell 1.61 1.61 1.61 1.61 0.00 66,000 48,300.0021.35 15.08 SM Prime Holdings 25.20 25.95 25.35 25.40 0.79 16,111,800 51,393,175.001.06 0.69 Sta. Lucia Land Inc. 0.89 0.9 0.88 0.89 0.00 885,000 7.56 3.38 Starmalls 6.5 6.55 6.55 6.55 0.77 100 1.62 0.83 Suntrust Home Dev. Inc. 1.020 1.020 1.000 1.000 -1.96 170,000 8.59 5.73 Vista Land & Lifescapes 5.270 5.270 5.210 5.230 -0.76 3,880,000 -5,594,767.00

S E R V I C E S10.5 1.97 2GO Group’ 7.35 7.3 7.18 7.18 -2.31 71,700 -118,113.0066 35.2 ABS-CBN 48.3 48.85 48 48.3 0.00 118,400 1.44 1 Acesite Hotel 1.27 1.28 1.25 1.25 -1.57 19,000 1.09 0.63 APC Group, Inc. 0.610 0.650 0.610 0.610 0.00 2,884,000 14.88 10.5 Asian Terminals Inc. 11.46 11.3 11.3 11.3 -1.40 10,100 28.5 18.2 Berjaya Phils. Inc. 29 30.5 29 30.3 4.48 11,200 15.82 8.6 Bloomberry 5.30 5.72 5.30 5.69 7.36 26,758,600 16,031,841.000.1430 0.0770 Boulevard Holdings 0.0580 0.0590 0.0580 0.0590 1.72 5,900,000 5.06 2.95 Calata Corp. 2.81 2.85 2.79 2.79 -0.71 1,161,000 125,800.0099.1 56.1 Cebu Air Inc. (5J) 98.7 101 97.4 98.55 -0.15 1,441,570 5,581,819.0012.3 10.14 Centro Esc. Univ. 9.85 9.85 9.85 9.85 0.00 1,500 7.67 4.8 DFNN Inc. 6.55 6.60 6.39 6.60 0.76 27,500 2720 1600 Globe Telecom 2270 2312 2280 2290 0.88 103,590 -75,336,790.008.41 5.95 GMA Network Inc. 6.32 6.32 6.23 6.32 0.00 50,900 1.97 1.23 Harbor Star 1.14 1.16 1.13 1.16 1.75 112,000 119.5 102.6 I.C.T.S.I. 60 61.8 59.7 59.95 -0.08 683,760 -5,857,183.507 3.01 Imperial Res. `A’ 12.86 13.90 12.32 13.00 1.09 49,800 12.5 8.72 IPeople Inc. `A’ 11.5 11.5 11.5 11.5 0.00 30,000 0.017 0.011 IP E-Game Ventures Inc. 0.0110 0.0110 0.0100 0.0110 0.00 27,400,000 IPM Holdings 9.62 9.61 9.45 9.61 -0.10 712,000 1,921,200.000.8200 0.041 Island Info 0.325 0.330 0.325 0.330 1.54 13,080,000 9,750.002.2800 1.200 ISM Communications 1.6200 1.6100 1.5600 1.6000 -1.23 3,414,000 -11,060.005.93 2.34 Jackstones 2.39 2.45 2.38 2.45 2.51 37,000 LBC Express 12.04 12.1 12 12 -0.33 15,400 12.28 6.5 Leisure & Resorts 7.78 7.78 7.56 7.56 -2.83 233,000 -406,3433.32 1.91 Liberty Telecom 3.31 3.31 3.28 3.30 -0.30 539,000 65,800.002.53 1.01 Lorenzo Shipping 1.08 1.07 1.04 1.04 -3.70 10,000 95.5 3.1 Manila Broadcasting 19.00 20.00 19.00 19.00 0.00 1,500 1 0.650 Manila Bulletin 0.580 0.590 0.590 0.590 1.72 22,000 2.46 1.8 Manila Jockey 1.95 1.96 1.95 1.95 0.00 93,000 -162,000.0015.2 6 Melco Crown 2.48 2.64 2.5 2.6 4.84 22,464,000 8,395,580.00 Metro Retail 3.96 4.01 3.94 3.94 -0.51 461,000 -138,020.001.040 0.37 NOW Corp. 2.810 2.910 2.820 2.820 0.36 3,977,000 399,090.0022.8 14.54 Pacific Online Sys. Corp. 12.42 12.78 12.14 12.36 -0.48 2,700 6.41 3 PAL Holdings Inc. 4.83 4.87 4.83 4.83 0.00 31,000 4 2.28 Paxys Inc. 2.41 2.41 2.4 2.41 0.00 42,000 -28,920.0018 8.8 Phil. Racing Club 8.99 8.7 8.7 8.7 -3.23 300 185 79 Phil. Seven Corp. 120.00 120.00 120.00 120.00 0.00 50 6,000.0022.9 4.39 Philweb.Com Inc. 24.30 24.35 24.00 24.35 0.21 36,300 -14,510.003486 2748 PLDT Common 2000.00 2044.00 2020.00 2022.00 1.10 52,645 32,126,990.000.760 0.435 PremiereHorizon 0.430 0.440 0.430 0.440 2.33 4,160,000 2.28 1.2 Premium Leisure 1.040 1.080 1.020 1.060 1.92 30,453,000 -5,579,880.0046.05 31.45 Puregold 41.00 41.85 41.10 41.35 0.85 1,554,200 -35,037,080.0090.1 60.55 Robinsons RTL 80.10 81.00 79.00 80.10 0.00 471,520 12,384,708.50 SBS Phil. Corp. 6.30 6.51 6.30 6.33 0.48 599,600 11.6 7.59 SSI Group 2.70 2.82 2.66 2.75 1.85 9,005,000 132,760.000.85 0.63 STI Holdings 0.580 0.580 0.570 0.570 -1.72 7,141,000 -4,060,400.002.95 1.71 Transpacific Broadcast 1.89 1.97 1.97 1.97 4.23 1,000 10 5 Travellers 3.36 3.41 3.35 3.39 0.89 1,716,000 -1,947,150.000.490 0.315 Waterfront Phils. 0.325 0.330 0.330 0.330 1.54 40,000 1.9 1.14 Yehey 6.300 6.630 6.250 6.300 0.00 66,600

MINING & OIL0.0098 0.0043 Abra Mining 0.0042 0.0043 0.0042 0.0043 2.38 164,000,000 215,000.005.45 1.72 Apex `A’ 2.29 2.57 2.34 2.57 12.23 4,913,000 -4,218,080.0017.24 6.47 Atlas Cons. `A’ 4.46 4.80 4.48 4.65 4.26 764,000 -220,730.0025 9.43 Atok-Big Wedge `A’ 11.00 12.00 10.50 11.82 7.45 28,400 0.330 0.236 Basic Energy Corp. 0.229 0.234 0.228 0.228 -0.44 70,000 12.7 6.5 Benguet Corp `A’ 7.1500 7.9 7.5 7.5000 4.90 21,000 12.8 5.11 Benguet Corp `B’ 7.2100 7.6900 7.1100 7.3000 1.25 8,000 -22,654.001.19 0.85 Century Peak Metals Hldgs 0.64 0.63 0.62 0.63 -1.56 378,000 1.62 0.77 Coal Asia 0.460 0.500 0.475 0.490 6.52 2,020,000 9.5 5.99 Dizon 8.53 9.00 8.53 8.90 4.34 51,400 4.2 1.17 Ferronickel 0.910 0.920 0.910 0.910 0.00 10,573,000 4,346,370.000.48 0.305 Geograce Res. Phil. Inc. 0.300 0.305 0.295 0.295 -1.67 230,000 0.420 0.2130 Lepanto `A’ 0.260 0.280 0.265 0.275 5.77 91,480,000 0.440 0.2160 Lepanto `B’ 0.285 0.295 0.285 0.295 3.51 8,120,000 -29,500.000.022 0.013 Manila Mining `A’ 0.0150 0.0160 0.0140 0.0150 0.00 416,400,000 0.023 0.014 Manila Mining `B’ 0.0150 0.0170 0.0150 0.0170 13.33 42,500,000 8.2 3.240 Marcventures Hldgs., Inc. 1.84 1.97 1.84 1.9 3.26 839,000 49.2 18.96 Nickelasia 4.86 5.04 4.82 4.95 1.85 10,863,000 -11,465,900.004.27 2.11 Nihao Mineral Resources 2.65 2.67 2.6 2.65 0.00 98,000 107,970.001.030 0.365 Omico 0.6000 0.5800 0.5800 0.5800 -3.33 26,000 3.06 1.54 Oriental Peninsula Res. 1.2400 1.2800 1.2500 1.2800 3.23 75,000 0.020 0.012 Oriental Pet. `A’ 0.0110 0.0110 0.0100 0.0100 -9.09 15,300,000 0.021 0.013 Oriental Pet. `B’ 0.0100 0.0110 0.0100 0.0100 0.00 1,100,000 7.67 5.4 Petroenergy Res. Corp. 4.04 4.07 4.07 4.07 0.74 2,000 12.88 7.26 Philex `A’ 8.65 9.35 8.67 9.32 7.75 12,712,300 -1,153,294.0010.42 2.27 PhilexPetroleum 5.00 5.09 4.75 4.90 -2.00 5,710,700 124,500.000.040 0.015 Philodrill Corp. `A’ 0.0130 0.0130 0.0130 0.0130 0.00 59,000,000 420 115.9 Semirara Corp. 128.80 129.20 128.50 128.50 -0.23 218,980 -4,811,851.009 3.67 TA Petroleum 4.02 4.1 3.98 4.05 0.75 364,000 0.016 0.0100 United Paragon 0.0120 0.0120 0.0110 0.0120 0.00 15,100,000 27,400.00

PREFERRED70 33 ABS-CBN Holdings Corp. 47.6 48 47.6 47.8 0.42 32,400 48,450.00553 490 Ayala Corp. Pref `B1’ 532.5 539.5 539 539.5 1.31 200 118 101 First Gen F 109.1 116.1 116.1 116.1 6.42 290 515 480 GLOBE PREF P 535 535 535 535 0.00 200 12.28 6.5 Leisure and Resort 1.08 1.07 1.07 1.07 -0.93 45,000 111 101 MWIDE PREF 111 111.8 111 111.8 0.72 17,500 1060 997 PCOR-Preferred A 1028 1034 1034 1034 0.58 10 1047 1011 PF Pref 2 1030 1038 1038 1038 0.78 100 PNX PREF 3A 106 106.4 106.4 106.4 0.38 400 84.8 75 SMC Preferred C 81 81 81 81 0.00 610 -49,410.00 SMC Preferred F 78.5 78.5 75.9 78.5 0.00 5,000 SMC Preferred G 78 78 77.9 77.95 -0.06 49,760 SMC Preferred H 77 77 77 77 0.00 26,600 SMC Preferred I 77 77 75.2 77 0.00 343,600 1.34 1 Swift Pref 2.18 2.3 2.2 2.3 5.50 12,000

WARRANTS & BONDS6.98 0.8900 LR Warrant 3.050 3.320 2.950 3.100 1.64 1,213,000

S M E Alterra Capital 3.98 4 3.87 3.91 -1.76 848,000 3,890.0015 3.5 Makati Fin. Corp. 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.5 0.00 5,000 Italpinas 3.54 4.42 3.54 4.39 24.01 18,670,000 1,866,670.0012.88 5.95 Xurpas 16.7 16.74 16.2 16.32 -2.28 668,100 -1,659,222.00

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS130.7 105.6 First Metro ETF 123.2 124.4 123.2 124.4 0.97 8,400

business@thestandard.com.phextrastory2000@gmail.com

BUSINESSFRIDAY: JUNE 17, 2016

B3

Govt, Shell may quit arbitration

2

Golden Haven eyes pre-need plans Stock mart advances;Philex, Bloomberry up

Globe-PLDT agreement.

Telecommunications operators Globe

Telecom Inc. and PLDT Inc. make another

positive step at improving internet

services for millions of customers through

a bilateral IP peering arrangement that will

make downloading/uploading of web

content faster and more efficient. Shown

during the signing of the memorandum of agreement are (from

right) Globe president and chief executive

Ernest Cu, Globe chief technology and

information officer Gil Genio, Senator

Paolo Benigno Aquino, PLDT executive vice

president Eric Alberto and PLDT director Ray

Espinosa.

STOCKS rose for a second day, bucking the downtrend in regional markets, after the US Federal Reserve kept interest rates unchanged.

The Philippine Stock Exchange index, the 30-company benchmark, gained 62 points, or 0.8 percent, to close at 7,564.47 Thursday. The bellwether was up 8.8 percent since the start of the year.

The broader all-share index also rose 38 points, or 0.9 percent, to settle at 4,517.26, on value turnover of P5.9 billion. Advancers led gain-ers, 117 to 61, while 58 issues were unchanged.

Eighteen of the 20 most active stocks ended in the green, led by Bloomberry Resorts Corp. which climbed 7.6 percent to P5.70 and Phi-lex Mining Corp. which gained 7.1 percent to P9.26. DoubleDragon Properties Corp. advanced 4.3 percent to P58.50, while power retailer Manila Electric Co. added 2.8 percent to P323.80.

Meanwhile, Asian markets sank Thursday after Federal Reserve boss Janet Yellen sounded a warning over a possible British exit from the EU, while the yen soared to a 22-month dollar high as the Bank of Japan refused to pump up its stimulus.

The Fed on Wednesday lowered its growth forecasts for this year and the following two, and flagged interest rates rises to be lower and slower, high-lighting increasing concern about the US and global economic outlook.

Her comments dragged New York stocks lower and sent the dollar tumbling against the yen and even the British pound despite fears of Britain leaving the EU.

In a news conference after the Fed kept interest rates unchanged, Yel-len voiced confidence in the US economy but said there were concerns about the impact a British exit would have across the world.

with AFP, Bloomberg

By Alena Mae S. Flores

THE government filed a motion to dismiss the arbitration case initiated by the operator of the Malampaya natural gas project in Palawan, Energy Secretary Zenaida Monsada said Thursday.

By Jenniffer B. Austria

GOLDEN Haven Memorial Parks Inc., a company con-trolled by the Villar family, said Thursday it plans to venture into pre-need industry.

Golden Haven chief operat-ing officer Maribeth Tolentino said during the investors brief-ing the company planned to form a new subsidiary offering pre-need plans to customers.

“We hope to do this before the end of 2016 or early 2017,” Tolentino said.

The move to venture into the pre-need sector will not only expand Golden Haven’s servic-es but will also allow the com-pany to play in all five segments of death care services.

Golden Haven is now into development of memorial parks and columbaria and will soon start operating memorial chapels and a crematorium in Las Piñas City.

Golden Haven has devel-oped 55.2 hectares of land and currently operates six memo-rial parks and four columbaria in the cities of Las Piñas and Cagayan de Oro and the prov-inces of Bulacan, Cebu, Zam-boanga and Iloilo.

The company has recently ac-quired two properties in Nueva Vizcaya and Bulacan that would add over 19,000 memorial lots to its inventory.

Tolentino said the company also planned to start selling products and services to over-seas Filipino workers through sister company Vista Land & Lifespaces Inc., which is the in-tegrated real estate firm of for-mer Senate president Manuel Villar.

“Our vision is to provide pre-mier private memorial parks and services to all Filipinos. We also aim to improve the quality of death care services available in the country,” Golden Haven

president Jerry Navarete said.“The company has mapped

out a strategy to having a park in every hometown that targets to achieve its vision of becom-ing the nationally-recognized brand in the deathcare prod-ucts and services industry,” he said.

Golden Haven in the first company in the death care in-dustry to be listed with the Philippine Stock Exchange.

It plans to raise up to P778 million in proceeds, represent-ing 15 percent of the total is-sued and outstanding capital stock of the company after the initial public offering.

Proceeds are intended for land acquisitions, land devel-opment and completion of Las Piñas memorial chapel and cre-matorium. Listing date was set on June 29.

Golden Haven will be the first company to list with the PSE this year.

Monsada said the Office of the Solicitor General filed a motion to dismiss the arbitration case filed by Shell Philippines Exploration B.V. with the arbitration tribunal in Singapore.

“I think we moved to dismiss the arbitration. Our lawyers at the OSG filed it. They [Shell] might agree to it, so it may not be passed on to the next administration,” Monsada said

Shell sought the intervention of the arbitration tribunal in Sin-gapore against the government, following the Commission on Audit’s decision to collect P53.14 billion in taxes from the contrac-tors of Malampaya-gas-to-power project.

“What I’m saying is we elevated it to the Office of the President. And we don’t know what will hap-pen,” Monsada said.

COA ruled in May last year that the service contractors’ payment of income tax for the Malampaya project was not included in the government’s 60-percent share of the Malampaya royalties.

The department, in its filing with COA, also agreed that im-posing the P53.14-billion taxes on the contractors of the Malampaya project would create havoc on the petroleum industry.

Members of the consortium running service contract 38 in-clude Spex, Chevron Malampaya Llc and state-owned PNOC Ex-ploration Corp.

The department said in its 30-page motion for reconsid-eration that the COA decision had “sent a very wrong signal to the existing and future pe-

troleum exploration investors in the country.”

It said petroleum exploration, especially offshore, involved great risk, huge capital and high tech-nical capability and foreign inves-tors decided where to put their money based on “the certainty and stability of investment riles and regulatory regime of a coun-try.”

“The trust and confidence of foreign investors in the stability and certainty of our investment laws and regulations that the government, for a long period of time, has painstakingly built and nurtured, has been greatly dam-aged,” the department said.

“In the face of this tight com-petition with other countries for foreign investors, the Philip-

pines, if it is to achieve its aim of energy security and inciden-tally, overall economic progress, needs to discover other Malam-paya by intensifying the explo-ration and production of its in-digenous petroleum resources,” it said.

The department said a stable and sufficient supply of energy was one of the primary requisites to attain sustainable economic development.

“What the Philippines needs is a continued investment in petro-leum exploration and develop-ment and convince those already existing investors in the country to remain and stay for the long haul notwithstanding the domes-tic difficulties and challenges they have to face,” it said.

B4

Steady Fed rates good for PH

FRIDAY: JUNE 17, 2016

business@thestandard.com.phextrastory2000@gmail.com

BUSINESS

IN BRIEF

Still no LTO stickers

ONLY 13 more days to go before this self-praising administration fi nally bows out, but each day that BS Aquino and his minions spend in the Palace feels like a lifetime for people who can no longer endure the blindness, hypocrisy, incompetence and self-righteousness that has spread like a virus all around Malacañang. The fi rst thing incoming President Rodrigo Duterte should do is to have someone spray the whole area with some kind of “anti-yellow fever” disinfectant so that the next occupant and his offi cial family will not be affl icted.

Hopefully, the new administration will be more responsive to the concerns of the people and the new Cabinet offi cials will really do something to look for solutions (we’re not deluded into thinking everything will be fi xed overnight) knowing they cannot BS their way around Mayor Duterte, whose impatience is also well-known but only when it comes to taking action over reported problems, even something as simple as a lamppost that fell down and is obstructing traffi c.

One source of extreme irritation is the LTO which keeps promising that stickers and car plates will soon be available at a certain date, even claiming recently that 93 percent of the license plates turned over by the Bureau of Customs has been delivered to its regional offi ces, following the issuance of a temporary restraining order by the Supreme Court. Funnily though, LTO chief Roberto

Cabrera says he does not know exactly how many license plates have been distributed. (And did we mention that the agency also promised last April that 2016 plates and stickers are going to be available by May?)

In many places though, the number is a big fat zero—with car owners told that 2016 stickers and car plates are still unavailable, and for people to just drop by the LTO branch or keep calling to follow up. Thick faced, defi nitely, because these offi cials just shrug when asked about the 2015 stickers that motorists paid for but did not receive. Until now, nobody can (or wants to) answer where all that money from these non-existent stickers went. Simply out, people paid for a product that was not delivered so in all probability there was no product at all in the fi rst place, meaning money was not spent for production.

Motorists renewing their registration are also angry because they have to pay a penalty of P200 even if they were only a day late in registering their vehicles. So what about this government, they ask us—shouldn’t they also be penalized for the delay in issuing the stickers and car plates? And that’s more than one year, mind you. So again, what happened to the money people paid for undelivered stickers?

One of our buddies made an “educated guess,” reminding us about the recent May elections and the quandary faced by the Liberal Party because it was unable to fi le the statement of contributions and expenses on time. Why these LP guys were unable to comply with the deadline is now the source of numerous speculations. After all, aren’t there a lot of yellow minions who could have fi led and monitored the expenses if the LP machinery was really so organized and well oiled as they claim? How come ailing (yet still colorfully feisty) Senator Miriam Santiago was able to comply with the Comelec’s deadline?

Good thing Comelec commissioner Christian Robert Lim—who heads the Campaign Finance Offi ce—has made the recommendation to grant the request of the LP for an extension. What—are they special people that they need special treatment? Let’s see though if the rest of the Comelec offi cials including chairman Andy Bautista will not waffl e and make some excuse again to grant LP’s request.

Lim said the SOCE should be fi led within 30 days after the elections per Republic Act 7166, which means June 8 was the deadline. The LP was only able to fi le its SOCE on June 14. “To grant the request for extension would not only be unfair to other candidates and parties who complied within the prescribed period but also would be a reversal of the commission’s own resolution on the matter,” Lim rightfully pointed out in his memo. A consequence of the failure to fi le the SOCE on time would be the inability of winning candidates under the LP to occupy their respective positions.

As expected, the LP mouthpiece has slammed Lim’s memo, calling it “absurd” and that the fi ling is just “ministerial” (implying that it is unimportant?). He has the nerve to say that preventing Leni Robredo from occupying the position of VP would be a dismissal of the will of the people—hello? Doesn’t he know that majority of voters continue to doubt Robredo’s win since there have been a lot of allegations—with corresponding proof—of cheating and manipulation to shave votes from Senator Bongbong Marcos?

•••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!

CSR expo. League of Corporate Foundations chairperson and Bato Balani Foundation Inc. executive director Natalie Christine Jorge (left) talks to LCF advisory council member and LCF trustee Lydia Sarmiento-Enrile during the media forum and launching of the LCF 20th Anniversary and Corporate Social Responsibility Expo Conference 2016 at Discovery Primea Hotel in Makati City. LINO SANTOS

By Julito G. Rada

BANGKO Sentral ng Pilipi-nas Governor Amando Tet-angco Jr. said Thursday the latest move by the US Fed-eral Reserve to keep inter-est rates steady will benefit emerging markets, includ-ing the Philippines.

“The Fed standing pat on rates was expected by the market. But that the policy path chart refl ected a more dovish stance was new. The FOMC also continued to be mindful of external developments [e.g. Brexit],” Tetangco said in a text message to reporters.

“These may give some more room for EME markets, including the Philippines, to remain supported. There are also domestic factors that market participants will be looking at in the different markets,” Tetangco said.

He said the policy-setting Monetary

Board would consider this development during its meeting Thursday next week.

“We will consider these in our next policy meeting to see if there is need to adjust policy settings, including the amount of liquidity to be siphoned off in the succeeding TDF [term deposit facility] auctions,” he said.

The US Fed kept interest rates unchanged Wednesday, but hinted it could still raise rates for the remainder of 2016. Reports said six of the Fed’s 17 policymakers projected just one increase this year.

Fed Chair Janet Yellen said there was a need to see clear signs of economic strength before lifting rates. A sharp slowdown in US hiring in May cast doubts about the strength of the labor market.

The Fed also said the economy would grow only 2 percent in 2016 and 2017, or 0.1 percentage point lower than previously forecast for each year. Yellen was uncertain on the timing of the rate increase.

ING Bank Manila senior economist Joey Cuyegkeng said earlier the Monetary Board would likely maintain the current policy rates steady in its next meeting amid low infl ation and robust economic growth.

Cuyegkeng said while infl ation accelerated to 1.6 percent in May from 1.1 percent in April, it remained within Bangko Sentral’s forecast for the month of 1.1 to 1.9 percent.

“[The] BSP-MB is likely to keep policy rates steady at next Thursday’s meeting… May infl ation of 1.6 percent is in line with BSP’s 1.1 percent to 1.9-percent infl ation forecast,” Cuyegkeng said.

“The higher May infl ation is still in line with our 2016 average infl ation forecast of 1.7 percent which implies steadily higher infl ation to end of this year. Infl ation expectation remains steady at 3 percent for 2017 while infl ation for the rest of the year is expected to trend higher to end the year above 2 percent,” Cuyegkeng said.

PH gets $73-m foreign infl owsFOREIGN portfolio investments or hot money

posted net infl ows of $73 million in May, a reversal of the $569-million net outfl ows registered a year ago, on renewed investors’ interest in the domestic market and peaceful conduct of national elections.

Data from Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas showed the May net infl ows marked a turnaround from the $354-million net outfl ows in April. Total infl ows in May reached $1.78 billion, while outfl ows amounted to $1.71 billion.

Net infl ows in the fi rst fi ve months amounted to $129 million, lower than the $1.2-billion net infl ows last year, which included large infl ows for stock rights offerings by two holding fi rms, two universal banks and a property company.

About 83.8 percent of investments in May were in Philippine Stock Exchange-listed securities mainly involving holding fi rms, property companies, banks, food, beverage and tobacco fi rms and telecommunication fi rms. The 16.2-percent balance went to peso-denominated government securities. Julito G. Rada

Wells Fargo expands in PHWELLS Fargo Enterprise Global Services Llc-

Philippines broke ground on a new 50,000-square-meter facility in Taguig City.

The center is Wells Fargo’s second building in the McKinley Hill area and is targeted to begin occupancy in the second quarter of 2018. The new 12-story building will seat 5,000 team members.

Wells Fargo EGS provides end-to-end analysis of business operations and delivers services that currently support more than 60 percent of Wells Fargo’s business lines and staff functions. Ongoing service delivery includes support for technology, operations, customer support and knowledge functions.

“Wells Fargo started in the Philippines in 2011, and we continue to believe strongly in the capability of this market,” said Charlie Roberson, head of Wells Fargo EGS.

ERC bucks Meralco petitionTHE Energy Regulatory Commission asked the Pasig

City regional trial court to dismiss the petition fi led by power retailer Manila Electric Co. to declare void its issuances on retail competition and open access.

Meralco asked the court on May 27 to issue a temporary restraining order and subsequently a writ of preliminary injunction, enjoining the Energy Department from enforcing Department of Energy Circular 2015-06-0010 and implementing Article I, Sections 2 and 3 of ERC Resolution No. 05, Resolution No. 10 and Resolution No. 11, all Series 2016.

ERC said in its 30-page fi ling with RTC Pasig Branch 157 that Meralco “had all the chance and opportunity to mitigate probable losses by virtue of the implementation of the RCOA.”

The regulator said Meralco had known since 2006 of the imminent transition from the captive market to the contestable market where customers could choose their own suppliers as these underwent public consultations. Alena Mae S. Flores

Car fi rms to start productionTOYOTA Motor Philippines Corp. and Mitsubishi

Motors Philippines Corp. on Thursday welcomed the Board of Investments’ approval of their application for the Comprehensive Automotive Resurgence Strategy program.

Both companies received Wednesday their certifi cate of registration as participants to the Cars program. “Toyota is truly grateful to DTI for approving our application in the Cars program. We are optimistic that Cars will improve the cost-competitiveness of the Vios and, likewise, open a lot of opportunities for the growth and development of both the vehicle and parts manufacturing industries in the country,” said TMP president Satoru Suzuki.

Mitsubishi vowed to bring in a fl eet of automotive parts makers to support the local production of Mirage, its entry model to the program. Mirage is currently being imported and produced from Thailand. “This signifi es MMPC’s more than half a century commitment to developing the automotive manufacturing industry in the Philippines. Under the Cars program, our projected production volume is 200,000 units within a period of six years. In order to meet this target volume, MMPC plans to increase its plant’s capacity by adding another work shift. Along with this, more jobs are likely to be generated nationwide,” said MMPC president and chief executive Yoshiaki Kato. Othel V. Campos

PLDT to hike stake in iFlixPLDT Inc. said Thursday it is open to raise its investment

in iFlix to support the expansion of Southeast Asia’s leading Internet TV service, its top executive said.

“We are happy with our investment. Well, we’re always open to it. They did their second round of funding and most of the $45 million were picked up by Sky Plc and Emtek Group, which is a media group in Indonesia, “ PLDT chairman and president Manuel Pangilinan told reporters, when asked if the company was willing to increase its investment in iFlix.

PLDT’s $15-million investment in ifl ix was converted into a 7.5-percent equity in Southeast Asia’s leading Internet TV service after the $45-million investment by Sky Plc and the additional investment by Emtek.

The fresh funds raised by ifl ix will be used to accelerate its growth in Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines and for expansion into new markets.

Darwin G. Amojelar

F R I D AY : J U N E 17, 2 0 1 6

B5CESAR BARRIOQUINTOE D I T O R

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Heading heading heading heading

Tribute. Civilians and policemen take part in a march from Mantes-la-Jolie, in the western suburbs of Paris, on June 16, 2016, in tribute to French policeman Jean-Baptiste Salvaing and his partner Jessica Schneider who were killed outside their home in the Paris suburb of Magnanville. During the June 13 assault, 25-year-old Larossi Abballa, who was previously convicted for jihadism, killed the two before streaming his claim for the murders live on Facebook. AFP

Rescue. Indonesian environmental activists redirect a disoriented a short-finned pilot whale to sea during a rescue operation in Probolinggo on June 16, 2016. Eight pilot whales have died after a mass stranding on the coast of Indonesia’s main island of Java that sparked a major rescue operation, an official said on June 16. Thirty-two of the short-finned pilot whales came ashore during high tide early on June 15 in Probolinggo, East Java province. AFP

WORLD

Senate to consider gun controlPage ‘hadn’t heard’ songhe allegedly plagiarized

Gravitational waves detected again

The move, which could break a years-long logjam on gun control, follows demands for action after the weekend massacre of 49 people at a gay nightclub in Florida.

Democrats took to the floor of the Republican-controlled Senate Wednesday to launch a procedural obstruction, known as a filibuster, to press colleagues to accept the so-called “no-fly no buy” legislation.

Under it, people on watch lists or no-fly lists would be barred from buying firearms.

The filibuster was led by Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut, where a 2012 school shooting left 20 children dead.

“I’m at my wits’ end,” said Murphy as he began on Wednesday morning his hours-long takeover.

“I’m going to remain on this floor

until we get some signal, some sign that we can come together.”

Murphy, with support from 40 senators including Republican Pat Toomey, spent hours discussing ways to reduce gun violence.

At 1:53 am (0553 GMT) Thursday he claimed victory on Twitter.

“I am proud to announce that af-ter 14+ hours on the floor, we will have a vote on closing the terror gap & universal background checks,” Murphy wrote.

The chamber’s Republican and Democratic leaders agreed “on a path forward to get votes ... on a measure to assure that those on the terrorist watch list do not get guns,” as well as an amendment that would expand background checks to sales at gun shows and on the Internet, Murphy said.

LOS ANGELES—Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page told a court Wednesday he hadn’t heard a song he is accused of plagiariz-ing for the iconic “Stairway to Heaven” until a few years ago.

Page and bandmate Robert Plant are accused of stealing the rock epic’s opening bars from “Taurus,” an instrumental track from the first album of the long-defunct psychedelic Los Angeles rock band Spirit.

The 72-year-old, who was wearing a tailored black suit and his white hair tied back in a po-nytail, said he had three Spirit albums among a collection of around 10,000 vinyls and CDs.

But he told the court on the second day of the trial he only realized Spirit’s first record was among them when he searched

for it after his son-in-law played an Internet posting in which the tracks were compared side by side.

“I knew I’d never heard it be-fore,” Page said, adding that the concept of comparing the two songs “was just totally alien to me.”

Spirit, who enjoyed a niche following but never attained the superstardom of Zeppelin, claim the melancholic guitar that opens “Stairway” was taken from the riff that builds after the first 45 sec-onds of “Taurus.”

Spirit’s guitarist Randy Wolfe—who went by the nickname Randy California—never took le-gal action and drowned in Hawaii in 1997, but a lawsuit was filed by his trustee and friend Michael Skidmore. AFP

WASHINGTON—A team of inter-national scientists said Wednesday that they had detected gravitational waves—ripples in space and time that Albert Einstein predicted a century ago—for the second time.

Einstein predicted the existence of the waves in his theory of rela-tivity a century ago, and scientists have been able to detect them with an instrument known as the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, or LIGO.

The first detection of the waves—in September—was announced in February, in a landmark discovery for physics and astronomy after de-

cades of efforts.On Wednesday, researchers an-

nounced they had found the waves a second time in December, pro-duced by the collision of two black holes some 1.4 billion years ago, which sent forth a wobble that hur-tled through space.

“We know from this second de-tection that the properties being measured by LIGO will allow us to start to answer some key questions with gravitational astronomy,” said Sheila Rowan, a member of the discovery team and director of the University of Glasgow’s Institute for Gravitational Research.

“Mysteries still to be explained include: how do such black hole systems form? In future we’ll study this through cosmic history aiming to fill in the ‘missing links’ in our knowledge.”

Scientists announced their findings at the meeting of the American Astronomical Society in San Diego, California, this week, publishing their findings in the Physical Review Letters journal.

LIGO consists of two identical detectors sitting about 3,000 kilo-meters apart—one in Livingston, Louisiana, and the other in the city of Hanford in Washington state. AFP

WASHINGTON—Senate Democrats claimed a small victory early Thursday, forcing the US upper house to consider legislation to help keep guns out of the hands of terrorism suspects.

The filibuster “captured the at-tention of our nation,” Booker said early Thursday.

“How many of our children’s dreams must be destroyed by gun violence before we do the com-mon-sense things that we agree on to begin to shrink those num-bers?” he asked.

“When you attack one American you attack us all.”

A Senate measure that would have stopped FBI terror suspects from buying firearms and explo-sives failed in December, with ev-ery Senate Republican but one vot-ing in opposition.

Some Republicans appear to be reconsidering, including congress-man Bob Dold, who is locked in a tough re-election fight in Illinois.

“Thoughts and prayers are not enough,” Dold said Tuesday on the House floor. “It’s time for action.”

Republican Toomey, whose bill to expand gun sale background checks failed in 2013 and again in 2015, worked with Democrats in a bid to break the gridlock. AFP

B6 CESAR BARRIOQUINTOE D I T O R

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

F R I D AY : J U N E 17, 2 0 1 6

WORLD

The state of the art market in Basel

Van Gogh exhibit. A worker walks through an exhibition about the life and works of Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh in Beijing on June 16, 2016. The exhibition, titled ‘Meet Vincent van Gogh’, was created by the Van Gogh Museum and had its global launch in Beijing on June 15. Featuring reproductions of his work and recreations of scenes he painted, the exhibition is scheduled to tour cities across Greater China over the next five years. AFP

Senate to consider gun control

Criticized for hosting Dalai LamaEXTRA JUDICIAL

SETTLEMENTNotice is hereby given that the estate of the late Rene M. Sayo has been extrajudicially settled with Extra-Judicial Settlement of Real Estate with Quitclaim with transfer of rights among his heirs as per Doc. No. 463, Page No. 93; Book No. 264; Series of 2016 before Atty. Primo Percival J. Marcos. Notary Public PTR No: NV 1729549

( TS - JUNE 3 ,10 & 17, 2016)

Be it known that below employees are no longer connected with

TORM SHIPPING PHILS., INC.7F Salcedo Towers, 169 HV Dela Costa St.,

Salcedo Village Makati City Tel No. (02) 9886500

No Name Designation Date Hired

Effectivity Date

1 Ponciano, Emerle Dianne

Documentation Assistant 07-

Jan-16 03-Feb-16

2 Pradanos, April Joy

Crewing Assistant

02-Mar-16 10-Mar-16

3 Angon, Jaybee

Senior Manager for Projects, QA and Office Management

16-Apr-12 19-Mar-16

4 Collamat, Jeral Kim

Crewing Assistant

09-Feb-16 26-May-16

No Name Designation Dat

NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC

This advertisement is adhere to POEA requirement only.(TS-JUNE 17, 2016)

I n C lass i f i ed Ads section must be brought to our attention the very day the advertisement is published. We will not be responsible for any incorrect ads not reported to us immediately.

ERRORS & OMISSIONS

Request for Expression of Interest for the

Consulting Services for the Testing of the Credit Information System

1. The Credit Information Corporation, through its Corporate Budget for F.Y. 2016 intends to apply the sum of Php 1,800,000.00 being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for Consulting Services for the Testing of the Credit Information System / PB16-003. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at the opening of the financial proposals.

2. The CIC Credit Information Corporation now calls for the submission ofeligibility documents for Consulting Services for the Testing of the Credit Information System. Interested consultants must submit their eligibility documents on or before June 28, 2016 at CIC Office, 6F Exchange Corner Building, 107 V.A. Rufino cor. Esteban and Bolanos Sts., Legaspi Village, Makati City. Applications for eligibility will be evaluated based on a non-discretionary “pass/fail” criterion.

3. The BAC shall draw up the short list of consultants from those who have submitted eligibility documents/Expression of Interestand have been determined as eligible in accordance with the provisions of Republic Act 9184 (RA 9184), otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”, and its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR). The short list shall consist of three (3) prospective bidders who will be entitled to submit bids. The criteria and rating system for short listing are:1. Applicable experience of the consultant and members in

case of joint ventures, considering both overall experiences of the company – 40%

2. Qualification of Key Personnel – 40%3. Current Workload – 20%

4. Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using non-discretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the IRR of RA 9184.

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

5. The Credit Information Corporation shall evaluate bids using the Quality Based Evaluation/Selection (QBE/QBS)procedure.

6. The contract shall be completed within sixty (60) calendar days, subject to extension as warranted.

7. The Credit Information Corporation reserves the right to reject any and all bids, annul the bidding process, or not award the contract at any time prior to contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

8. For further information, please refer to:

BAC Secretariat Credit Information Corporation 6F Exchange Corner Building 107 V.A. Rufino cor. Esteban and Bolanos Sts. Legaspi Village, Makati City bacsecretariat@creditinfo.gov.ph Telefax: (02) 893 7159 www.creditinfo.gov.ph

(SGD) AILEEN L. AMOR – BAUTISTA BAC Chairperson

6F Exchange Corner Building107 V. A. Rufino Street corner Esteban St., Legaspi Village, Makati City 1229(02) 893-7159 | www.creditinfo.gov.ph

(TS-JUNE 17, 2016)

Obama carried out what has be-come a political rite in Washington, spiriting the exiled Tibetan re-ligious leader into the White House through the back door—and prompting the usual Chinese denunciations.

“No matter in what way the US leader met with the Dalai Lama, the meeting violated the US promises of ac-knowledging Tibet as a part of China, not sup-porting Tibet indepen-dence and not support-ing separatist activities,” Lu Kang, a Chinese for-eign ministry spokes-man, told reporters in Beijing.

“Such a meeting will

hurt China-US mutual trust and cooperation.”

Since coming to of-fice, Obama has hosted the Dalai Lama four times. Each time, Obama has tried to limit the fallout by hold-ing the meeting behind closed doors.

Obama was criticized in 2010 for obliging the 80-year-old, clad in his characteristic red robes and flip flops, to leave the White House through a rear entrance and walk past piles of snow and bags of rub-bish.

This latest confab took place in the Map Room, not the Oval Office, and the press was not invited—which

BASEL—Hundreds of suitcases hang eerily from the ceiling, old publications depict colonial scenes of dark “savages” commit-ting horrific acts of violence, and an anti-protestor gun blasts into life... with rounds of birdsong.

A common theme—of angst at a world in political turmoil, beset by a migration crisis and dread of terrorism—unites many of the works at this year’s Art Basel, the world’s biggest contemporary art fair.

“As anyone knows who reads the papers, these are very dy-namic times,” Art Basel director Marc Spiegler told AFP ahead of the show’s public opening on Thursday.

“We have major political elec-tions coming up, we have major referenda coming up, we have mass migration in Europe, we

have economic uncertainties,” he said, pointing out that “from an artistic standpoint (this) creates a lot of material for artists to work with.”

“Interesting times make for in-teresting art,” he insisted.

Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota’s 120-square-meter installation “Accumulation: Searching for Destination”, for instance appears to speak to the large numbers of people on the move.

Suspended from the ceiling by red yarn, the vintage suitcases slope gently towards the floor, some bobbing and twitching in the air, perhaps uncertain of where their journey will lead them. 

Elsewhere, Hong Kong art-ist Samson Young has mounted a sound cannon usually used to violently disperse crowds of protesters to shoot melodic bird

songs across the vast hall.And French artist Kader Attia’s

installation “The Culture of Fear: An invention of Evil”, with its 19th and early 20th century newspaper and book covers dis-playing horrific images of “wild men” murdering and raping whites, examines the conceptual construction of Western fears of “harmful Otherness” that contin-ues to colour our anxieties in an age of terrorism.

The angst infusing politics and economies around the world does not meanwhile appear to have rubbed off on the deep-pocketed collectors amassing at Art Basel.

Elegantly dressed art enthusi-asts braved the rain to throng to the advance VIP opening of the show on Tuesday to check out what the 286 galleries on site had to offer. AFP

BEIJING—China criticized US President Barack Obama on Thursday for hosting the Dalai Lama at the White House, despite efforts to avoid irking Beijing by holding the meeting off-camera and out of the public eye.

meant no images of the two Nobel peace laure-ates emerged from the meeting.

“The personal na-ture of their meeting would explain why the president received the Dalai Lama in the White House residence, as opposed to the Oval Office,” said White House press secretary Josh Earnest.

Obama calls the monk, who is revered by Tibetans but por-trayed by Beijing as a dangerous separatist, “a good friend”.

He made a highly-publicized public ap-pearance with the Dalai Lama last year at a prayer breakfast in Washington, calling him “a powerful exam-ple of what it means to practice compassion”.

The spiritual leader-who has lived in exile in the north Indian town of Dharamsala since a failed 1959 uprising—has for decades called

for more Tibetan au-tonomy rather than in-dependence.

Beijing maintains he is a “wolf in monk’s clothing” and vigor-ously lobbies—often successfully—against foreign leaders meeting him.

In a statement after the meeting, the White House said Obama had “encouraged meaning-ful and direct dialogue between the Dalai Lama and his representatives with Chinese authori-ties to lower tensions and resolve differences”.

Obama also “empha-sized his strong support for the preservation of Tibet’s unique religious, cultural and linguistic traditions, and the equal protection of human rights of Tibetans in China”, according to the White House statement.

But some exiled Tibetans questioned the value of such meetings, urging bolder action from Washington. AFP

B7mst.daydesk@gmail.com

RAMON L. TOMELDANE D I T O R

F R I D AY: J U N E 17, 2 0 1 6

MOTORING

Eco-run yields impressive results

Camping is more fun with Rhino Racks

FASTLANEA record 22 carmakers took part in the Petron-Department of Energy fuel economy run.

One of the oil firms Petron Corporation joined forces with the Department of Energy to stage a fuel economy run with the help of 21 car companies which fielded 70 different variants for the DOE Euro 4 Fuel Economy Run. The event also highlighted Petron’s TriActiv performance ad-vantages such as (1) better engine protection for longer engine life; (2) better mile-age for longer drives; and (3) better power.

Capping the fuel econ-omy run which was held early this month, the DOE and Petron issued Fuel Economy Rating certifi-cates to the participating automotive manufacturers, which participated in the pioneering event that aims to provide vital information on the fuel economy perfor-mance of vehicles and raise public awareness on the use of cleaner and more efficient Euro 4 fuels.

The certificates were given during a presenta-tion ceremony at the Maka-ti Diamond Residences. Twenty-one car companies in the Philippine market fielded a total of 70 models of various body types and engine displacements last May 27 to mark the 12th Fuel Economy Run led by the DOE. They traversed a preset route of 280-kilom-eters starting from Petron Clark station in Angeles City, Pampanga, through SCTEX (Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway), TPLEX (Tar-lac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway), and back, in a controlled run to approxi-mate standard driving con-ditions.

Fueled by Petron XCS (95-RON), 27 out of 38 gasoline vehicles, or a significant 71% of the entries, produced fuel economy ratings exceed-ing 20 kilometers for every liter. For vehicles powered by Petron Turbo Diesel, 21 out of 32 participants (66%) achieved over 20 km/l. The best performances were registered by a Suzuki Ce-lerio with 29.14 km/L using Petron XCS, and an Isuzu D-Max getting 38.46 km/L on Petron Turbo Diesel. The fuel economy ratings obtained in the run serve to expand the Philippine Energy Standards and La-beling Program (PESLP) of the DOE.

The car companies that received Fuel Economy Ratings include: Asian-brands Motors Corpora-tion (Mahindra), Automo-bile Central Enterprise Inc. (Volkswagen), Bayan Auto-motive Industries Corpora-tion (BAIC), Berjaya Auto Philippines (Mazda), British United Automobiles Inc., Columbian Autocar Cor-poration (Kia), Eurobrands Distributor Inc. (Peugeot), Ford Group Philippines, Foton Motor Philippines Inc., Honda Cars Philip-pines Inc., Hyundai Asia Resources Inc., Isuzu Phil-ippines Corporation, Mit-subishi Motors Philippines Corporation, Motor Image Pilipinas Inc. (Subaru), Ni-ssan Philippines Inc., PGA Cars Inc. (Audi / Porsche), Pilipinas Taj Autogroup Inc. (Tata Motors), Suzuki Phil-ippines Inc., The Covenant Car Company Inc. (Chev-rolet), Toyota Motor Phil-ippines Corporation, and Volvo Philippines.

The DOE Euro 4 Fuel Economy Run, the first in the country, forms part of DOE’s efforts to promote ju-dicious utilization of energy. Results of the run also aim to guide consumers buy-ing vehicles by highlight-ing the importance of fuel economy rating aside from performance, quality, and safety. In addition, the DOE also wishes to promote the use of Euro 4 fuels, which it mandated in January this year. Euro 4 fuels are more environment-friendly, as they contain significantly lesser amount of sulfur and benzene.

On the part of Petron, the results confirm the TriActiv performance advantages of their specially-formulated Euro 4 fuels, including: (1) better engine protection for longer engine life; (2) better mileage for longer drives; and (3) better power. The excellent fuel economy rat-ings achieved by a major-ity of the participating ve-hicles also serve to reaffirm Petron’s massive US $2-bil-lion investment to upgrade its Bataan Refinery. Petron is now the only oil company capable of locally producing environment-friendly and premium fuels while assur-ing reliable supply of fuel variants that meet the needs of Filipino motorists. Photo by megabytes.com

By Dino Ray V. Directo III

WITH the volatility of oil prices, consumers have added fuel efficiency to their list of re-quirements when shopping for a new car. To persuade the local market from using their fuel, oil companies have been putting one over the other by coming up with advanced fuel technology that promotes fuel efficiency.

MOTUL’S line of oil and lubricants has been tested in actual conditions and has been proven to provide ultra low-friction for more horsepower, incredibly smooth and almost no no-ticeable drop in rpms when shifting and instantaneous engine revs with notice-able gains in horsepower. Its high performance anti-wear additive increases engine life duration and decreases wear by reduc-ing engine internal fric-tions resulting in smooth

and light acceleration.As a company dedicated

to protect your engine and maximize its output, Mot-ul’s SPECIFIC CRDi Diesel 5W-30 is a 100% synthetic lubricant specially de-signed for new generation cars, powered by Common Rail Direct Injection Die-sel engines. It is engineered to be compatible with cata-lytic converters and Diesel Particulate Filters (DPF). SPECIFIC CRDi Diesel 5W-30 also provides ex-cellent lubrication proper-

Diesel engine protection from Motul

ties and reduced volatility. It is especially formulated to provide protection for diesel engines operating at high temperatures. The CRDi 5W30 also ensure engine cleanliness by way of a modern detergent and

Motul’s innovative disper-sant technology, which also assures excellent anti-wear, anti-corrosion and anti-foam properties

Motul’s diesel motor oil are certified to be compli-ant with Euro IV or Euro V emission regulations requiring an ACEA C3 engine oil. It is engineered and designed to handle diesel soot and protects emission control systems in modern turbocharged die-sel vehicles.

For details on how to improve your car’s per-formance, visit Autoplus Sportzentrium or log on to www.motul.com.ph. Motul oil and lubricants are also available in select dealers nationwide.

has finally released one which is ready to be tested on public roads. The car needs no input from the driver other than to tell it where you wish to go. Should the design be successful the car will become an office on wheels or a playroom whilst travelling between destinations.

Several of the world’s big-gest car makers may be look-ing into developing robotic cars. This won’t happen in a couple of years, although eventually it might be con-sidering that technology is advancing so fast. At the 2015

Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas, the car exhibits took people’s breaths away. The car that wowed those present was a Mercedes FO15 prototype, also known as the “luxury in motion” car. It generated a lot of buzz mainly because it claimed to be a blend of ro-botic and driverless vehicle.

Digital gauges: This tech-nology is now being used by some automotive manu-facturers such as Toyota, Volkswagen, BMW, Audi and Mercedes Benz. Most of today’s mechanical gauges are tough to read; they’re in-accurate and to some extent look outdated. Fully digitized dashboards are the future.

Innovations...From B8

Google jumped the gun with their driverless car that will take you anywhere.

Digital gauges are gradually being seen in modern cars such as the Volkswagen Passat.

This software allows you to locate your car by simply tapping the App on your smartphone.

MOTORING

F R I D AY : J U N E 17, 2 0 1 6

B8RAMON L. TOMELDAN

E D I T O R

editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Coined by the U.S. Department of Transportation as a “revolu-tion in safety”, sophisticated car technologies are being introduced every year and most center around occupants’ convenience and vehi-cle safety. Historically, automakers have focused on engineering vehi-

cles to enhance occupant protec-tion in the event of a crash. That’s why automobiles today have a range of airbags – front, rear, side and even curtains – as well as a long list of safety enhancements, including structural reinforce-ments to the passenger compart-

Innovations that will change the way we driveText and photos by Dino Ray V. Directo III

WITH the threat of global warming, and the quest for fun and safe driving, automotive manufacturers are comparing notes on how to advance vehicle technology.

ments and advanced safety belts.The future of vehicle safety has

expanded into technologies that help prevent or mitigate crashes. Crash avoidance, or “driver assist,” technologies employ sophisticated software to interpret data from sensors, cameras, and radar based technologies that allow vehicles to sense the environment around them and assist drivers by alerting them to impending dangers.

At the recent Computer and Electronics Show (CES) and Ge-neva Autoshows, automotive manufacturers introduced the lat-est in passenger comfort, conveni-ence and vehicle safety. Here are AQ’s top innovation picks that will soon be available in most cars as a standard feature.

Pre-collision technology: This is a complimentary innovation with the autonomous driving and the vehicle-to-vehicle communication

modules. The pre-collision tech-nology system utilizes two sen-sors; a front mounted camera and tiny radar located in the front of the car, probably behind the radia-tor grill. These devices calculate distance and speed to another ve-hicle or object and sound a warn-ing for the driver. If this warning goes unheeded the car will apply the brakes itself. Toyota has been working on such an ingenious sys-tem. Basically, we’re talking about a device that warns drivers when a potential collision is sensed. There will be visual and immediate au-dible warnings to assist with the avoidance maneuvering.

Driver assistance: Currently being developed by Hyundai, this software can easily be incor-porated into almost any vehicle. The system is a new approach to the heads up display that has be-come common in many vehicles.

The display will show an array of information, such as speed limits, distance to traffic lights, time un-til the lights change and even the weather forecast. It is designed to improve the information available to a driver and, therefore, improve safety.

Driver-less cars: We all recently got amazed at Tesla’s driverless car when the innovative manu-facturer began uploading videos of their robotic cars driving their occupants while asleep behind the wheel. It was a stunt that gave us a preview of what the future of au-tomobile technology has in store for us. This has been a dream for many manufacturers and drivers for some time but it is an incred-ibly difficult and  complex task to create a truly autonomous car. Aside from Tesla, Google has been working on several prototypes and

Turn to B7

Toyota’s ingenious innovation warns the driver of an impending collision.

Hyundai has developed a software that provides information to the driver, from speed down to the weather conditions of your destination.

C1F R I D AY : J U N E 17, 2 0 1 6

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

ST Y L E & BE AU T Y

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Continued on C4

BECAuSE EvEn mEn nEED ACCESSORIESGIfT IDEAS fOR ThE SpECIAl mAn In yOuR lIfE On fAThER’S DAy

Father’s Day is just two days away and if you still haven’t gotten dad something for his special day, we’ve gathered a few more ideas on what you can box up for him. Men always say that there are more fashion options for women than men, but that would mean they have not gotten around to shopping for some accessories to spice up their wardrobe. Here are a few picks that might make your dad, stepdad, grandpa, brother, best friend, significant other, boss or whoever might be a father figure to you smile this Sunday.

Artisan handcrafted jewelryMen can wear jewelries aside from their

trusty wedding rings. For children who are finally earning their keep and would love to honor dad with a memento, then going for artisan jewelry might be a good option. The John Hardy Classic Chain collection

of silver bracelets and magnificent marine blues make for versatile gifts for dads who can wear them on any occasion. Crafted by master artisans, these one-of-a-kind pieces make for a truly memorable gift designed specifically for the fashion forward man.

John Hardy Classic Chain collection

Walking StickWe all remember Scott Disick (the on-

again, off-again boyfriend of Kourtney Kardashian) in 2011 sporting a walking stick as his fall fashion accessory during that time, and while some critics may have split opinions about it as a cool fashion accessory, walking sticks have different functions for different men. While they are used mainly by older or disabled people as a walking aid, during the olden times, the walking

stick was a symbol of power, authority and social class. The make (kind of wood for instance) and where it was made also add up to its value, hence it’s a sought after item for collectors. Though lolo might appreciate this gift, the younger dads might like it, too, as a collector piece. Handles come in different designs, shapes and material, and some items even have a sword inside or a pillbox. You may find cool designs from Balcas and Walking Sticks brands in Rustan’s.

Balcas and Walking Sticks brands

BeltsSometimes, the only thing a man needs to

complete his ensemble is a tight belt to cinch his waist. While some men look at belts as just a leather material worn to hold up his

trousers, it is a classic accessory that can add a clear distinction between his top and pants. Adolfo Dominguez has new belt designs that can be a good addition to dad’s closet, whether it’s for his casual, formal or corporate wear.

Adolfo Dominguez belts

ShoehornsSleek shoes can be a stressor when dad

is trying to fit a new pair. For the trendy dad who is always buying more shoes than

mom, a classic shoehorn can be a good item to give him. Just like the walking sticks from Balcas, you can find classic design shoehorns of the same brand in Rustan’s.

Wallet or cardholderSince dad

has been the one giving you money when you were still a kid (hopefully y o u ’ v e g r a d u a t e d from that), maybe it’s your turn now to give to him. But if you don’t have enough moolah yet, maybe a wallet will do so he can neatly put his riches together when he goes out with his dough. But do put some amount in it so that daddy will have good luck and will never run out of money. For corporate dads who always go out in meetings and functions, a fashionable cardholder will be a good item to purchase.

Cole haan shoesCole Haan is finally opening its first New

York concept store in Manila at the new high-end retail complex S Maison located

in Conrad Manila – the Hilton Group’s newest luxury hotel along Manila Bay.

This might be the best time to get a good pair of Cole Haan shoes

for your dad. For the young and fashionable father,

get him a cool pair of ZeroGrand Wingtip Oxford that not only

looks great, but also very comfortable because the

shoe follows the shape of the foot, engineered to maximize flexibility and

cushioning in a very trendy stylish pair of footwear.

ZeroGrand Wingtip Oxford

Faconnable card holder and wallet

Balcas shoe horn

C2F R I D AY : J U N E 17, 2 0 1 6

LIFE l i f e @ t h e s t a n d a r d . c o m . p h @ L I F E a t S t a n d a r d @ L I F E a t S t a n d a r d @ L I F E a t S t a n d a r d

Even the strictest and strongest dad needs pampering, too. On his special day this Sunday, introduce him to an at-home spa experience with The Body Shop’s Spa of The World range.

The all-natural spa line is composed of Hawaiian Kukui Cream with kukui oil that helps restore the natural suppleness

of the skin; French Lavender Massage Oil with lavender essential oil from the south of France that has a relaxing scent which promotes a sense of well-being; the invigorating Thai Lemongrass Massage Oil that boosts vitality, awakens the senses and revitalizes skin; and the Polynesian Monoi Radiance Oil that leaves skin

and hair silky soft when used as a hair treatment, massage oil or bath soak.

Aside from luxurious creams and oils, The Body Shop also offers dads Maca Root Shave Cream, Kistna Hair & Body Wash, Activist Shower Gel, White Musk Sport Anti-perspirant Deodorant and Red Musk Eau De Parfum – all

of which are made with organic and cruelty-free ingredients.

Furthermore, The Body Shop makes it possible for consumers to give their dads and the other special men in their life cruelty-free products as the beauty brand slashes 30 percent off the prizes of items under the Men’s category until June 29.

Pampering products for pops

VANITY BOX

In a sea of neckties, socks and statement mugs, one of the oft-overlooked Father’s Day gifts is dad’s grooming kit. He would probably not ask for a

new soap or a refill for his shampoo, but these are the kinds of gifts that he would appreciate receiving.

On his special day—or any day, really—give the father who works extra hard for his family bath and grooming supplies that work just as hard in keeping him clean and good-looking, while being gentle to the planet.

Dad’s me-time during bath timeDad will feel clean and energized with

the help of Human Nature for Men Black Diamond Natural Shampoo, Human Nature Bamboo Charcoal Cleansing Bar and Human Nature for Men Natural Refreshing Shower Gel in Citrus Chili.

The Black Diamond Natural Shampoo is powered by deep cleansing bamboo charcoal which eliminates itch-causing dirt and effectively removes buildup from styling products, thereby keeping his scalp and hair grime-free with every wash. The all-natural shampoo is boosted by cool and fresh peppermint.

After a day’s work, dad can wash away dirt, oil and impurities with Bamboo Charcoal Cleansing Bar and Natural Refreshing Shower Gel which are both packed with cleansing bamboo charcoal and coconut-derived cleansers.

In addition, the shower gel’s foamy lather helps gently get rid of sweat and filth, while its zesty blend of mint and citrus gives an instant mood booster.

Primped papaFor the father who spends additional

minutes making sure he’s looking his best, Human Nature for Men’s range has got him covered.

All-natural grooming goodies for daddies

Make sure dad never leaves the house with a single strand of hair out of place with Human Nature for Men 100% Natural Hair Shaper. This styling product uses kaolin clay to keep his hair in place all day. Kaolin clay is gentle on hair and scalp and is easy to rinse, thus avoiding buildup.

Help him rock the clean shaven look with a shaving cream that cares after every shave like Human Nature for Men 100% Natural Shaving Cream. The shaving cream has natural glycerin that promotes easy glide, helps soothe razor

burns and keeps skin moisturized with the help of aloe vera.

Dad can stop worrying about breakouts when you give him Human Nature for Men 100% Natural Oil-fighting Face Wash which is infused with deep-cleansing bamboo carbon and bamboo scrubs that help get rid of oil and impurities.

Body odor, even on days when he has to work overtime, will be the least of his concerns with the help of Human Nature for Men Natural Deodorant, as it is powered with natural antibacterial ingredients that help prevent the proliferation of underarm

odor-causing bacteria. Better yet, complete dad’s bath and

grooming items by getting him Everyday Care Essentials (Facial Wash, Natural Shaving Cream, Cleansing Bar and Deodorant) for P399 or the Refreshing Shower Trio (Refreshing Shower Gel, Face Wash and Cleansing Bar) for P299. Both sets come with a special Father’s Day greeting card for the man of the day.

Find a Human Nature store via www.humanheartnature.com to know

where to get these products.

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F R I D AY : J U N E 17, 2 0 1 6

Being a father is not an easy job. Despite what parenting books say, many can attest that there is no one formula or one-size-fits-

all rule for being a great – or at least a decent – dad. Nonetheless, many men, with different personalities and backgrounds, work hard to be the best example to their children.

This Father’s Day, men’s casual wear label Perry Ellis takes a look into the different lives of four different dads and their respective sons, and reveals how despite their unique differences, they all share a bond that is unbreakable.

Troy and Hunter MonteroIn the eyes of his young son, Troy Montero

is Superman (and rightfully so considering his physique). Thus, the first-time dad knows how much of a responsibility it is for him to set a good example.

“I wouldn’t say that Hunter favors me over his mom, but we are very close. I do think he is a daddy’s boy,” beams Troy. “Hunter always wants me to tuck him in at night, read him bedtime stories, and he usually comes to me and gives me morning hugs. It’s funny and cute. When it comes to me, he doesn’t want to let me down.”

As he tries to become a good role model to his son, Troy thankfully has many great men in his life who have shown him what it means to be a good man and father, starting with his own dad.

“It’s funny because having a son, you’re forced to look back on your own childhood, trying to remember what your own parents did. As a parent, I try to incorporate my own style and everything. I know with Hunter, hopefully he will appreciate the things I am teaching him and hopefully (when he has his own son and family) it will be the same thing for him,” enthuses Troy.

Philip and Luca Cu-UnjiengWith Philip Cu-Unjieng’s years of

experience raising three boys, it would seem that he knows everything about parenthood. But even he admits that with the changing times, there is more to learn about being a father and raising children.

“With my dad, he came from a generation where it was more, ‘I’m here, I’m the father, and you just follow.’ But that won’t work anymore, especially with this generation,” Philip admits.

While he does get inspiration from his own childhood and takes a leaf from his own dad’s example, Philip has had to figure out what works and what doesn’t work as a parent on his own.

“With my family and in my case, I try to accept each of the kids as unique individuals, because they are all different. I’ve learned that what works for one doesn’t necessarily mean it will work with another,” he shares.

Luca, the youngest of Philip’s three boys, admits that he and his dad don’t necessarily see eye-to-eye on every matter. “I understand that he has to be strict when he has to. He sticks to his ideals. He stays true to what he believes in, and he shows that to us. Sometimes our relationship is a love-hate relationship, but at the end of the day, he is still my father."

“What I love about my dad is that he is funny. He’s really clever and quick on his feet,” the young Cu-Unjieng raves.

Conrad and Kenji OnglaoArchitect Conrad Onglao and

photographer Kenji are two very creative minds with a strong visual aesthetic. From their work down to the clothes they wear, there is a common thread that can be seen – both have an appreciation for the finer things.

LIkE FAthER, LIkE SoNPerry ellis celebrates the stories of four doting dads

But more than nurturing their similarities, Conrad works hard to make sure he’s always there for his children.

“My own father was very busy. I couldn’t recall if we had much of a father and son relationship. He was always working,” relates Conrad. “Though my brothers and I admired my dad for his discipline and dedication, I wanted to be a little different when I became a father.”

Though Conrad pours himself into his work, he never forgets to dedicate time and energy into taking care of his family. “When they were growing up, I purposely

didn’t get any sport, and didn’t have any barkada, so that my weekends could be for my kids. I was very conscientious of time, because I knew that time flies by so fast. Before you know it, they all have a life of their own.”

Parenthood comes with so much responsibility, but Conrad is proud and grateful to have been blessed with the opportunity to become a father. “There was time I had asked my other son, ‘What’s your measure of success?’ And to my surprise, he answered, ‘If I can give the same comfort and luxury

to my family that you were able to give me and my brother, I’d consider myself successful.’ It touched me; that was the best compliment I ever got from anyone,” the proud dad shares.

Alvin and Angelo PatrimonioPhilippine basketball icon Alvin

Patrimonio and and his son Angelo share a bond that goes way beyond basketball. But the love of the game will always be a shared passion.

Alvin, who has always been supportive of Angelo’s choices, is a proud father and describes his son as very obedient, responsible and hard working. “Angelo is such a great brother as well,” he says.

On the other hand, Angelo admires his dad because “he’s such a hard worker. He always gives his 100 percent. Even when he was busy as a basketball player and team manager, he would always have time for us.”

Today, both revel in the simple family time they share together, whether it’s eating out, watching a movie together, or going to the beach for a quick getaway.

If there’s one thing that Alvin would like his son to learn and remember him by, it would be “To be good and do good to those around you. I remind them often to do what’s right and know what’s wrong. But thankfully, all my children are very kind-hearted and generous. I’m blessed to have them,” ends Alvin.

Perry Ellis currently has five boutiques in the country: SM Aura Premiere, SM North Edsa The Block, SM Megamall, SM Mall of Asia and Glorietta 5.

Hunter and Troy Montero

Alvin and Angelo Patrimonio

Luca and Philip Cu-Unjieng

Kenji and Conrad Onglao

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F R I D AY : J U N E 17, 2 0 1 6

BEcAUSE EvEN mEN NEED...From C1

Happy SocksSo your father has so many socks in his

closet already, but it’s probably filled with plain or drab colors that add to the monotony of his corporate life. Give him something that he can actually smile about every time he feels down. Go get him new pairs of Happy

Socks and tell him that every time work gets tough and he is feeling down, these fun and vibrant socks can actually lift his spirit and he will always remember you trying to cheer him up. Catch the boxed pairs that come in fours in Rustan’s so he can have something new to wear for consecutive hectic days.

Shiny cufflinksSometimes, aside from his watch and

wedding band, cufflinks are the closest dad gets to have as bling. For that well-groomed man, it is usually his most essential accessory. So, it won’t hurt if

you get him another shiny one for his collection. Oleg Cassini accessories have a variety of classic silver cufflinks that will suit his personal style and can suit any occasion for his formal, casual or corporate wear.

Oleg Cassini 995 cufflinks

Neckties and pocket squaresFor a working man

who’s always out on public engagements or speaking functions, a necktie is what he usually gets as gift. And if you do not know what else to give to your dad and you’re already set in making a beeline for the necktie section, then head towards Thomas Pink. Their versatile ties are made of 100 percent silk and come in a multitude of colors, patterns and styles including some playful car or animal prints. While you’re at it, add a little more color to his look by getting him some pocket squares that will surely make a difference to his usual suit-and-tie look. These little wonders can add pizzazz to his gentleman ensemble. Thomas Pink neckties and pocket squares

Ferrari merchandiseFor dads whose love for cars transmits to

his apparel, make your way to the Ferrari Philippines showroom in Bonifacio Global City for the latest Ferrari merchandise curated specially for Father’s Day. These collectors’ items are usually by order basis, so take advantage of this occasion so you don’t have to pay for shipping fees. They have items ranging from caps, jackets,

gloves, key rings, even cool items like ashtrays and golf balls all with the brand’s signature prancing horse and logo. You still have time to get your father a special gift today so visit the showroom at 32nd & 4th, Crescent Park West, Bonifacio Global City to see the entire Ferrari merchandise line. There are limited stocks so message sales@ferrariphils.com or call or (02) 801-7777 to reserve the items today.

Undone watchFor a customized gift specially made

for dad, head to Rustan’s until the end of June and take advantage of the pop-up Undone watch booth. Undone watch gives everyone a chance to design a watch that will be personalized by the wearer. You can

even add dad’s signature in it if you want. Choose from a variety of styles for the customized watch from the base, crystal, dial, crown, lugs, and bracelet. The price usually varies but the month of June, take advantage of Rustan’s Urban Man exclusive promo and get any design for only P22,000.

Photos of brands Balcas and Walking Stick, Adolfo Dominguez, Façonnable, Oleg Cassini, Thomas Pink, Happy Socks and Undone taken by STAr SABrOSO

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filipino festivalgoers witnessed the merging of music and fashion through bold run-way shows scored by world-

class musical performances at the Manila X Festival held on June 4 at the Globe Circuit Event Grounds.

Aimed at empowering and con-necting innovators in music and fashion, each show was curated by some of the country’s most sought-after celebrity stylists paired with live acts from brilliant and well-known musical artists and DJs. Hence, making Manila X Festival an active statement of Filipinos’ creative talents proving to exceed expectations.

Welcoming the crowd were catchy beats from DJ Jess Mil-ner. Drilling down the different strands of music were Pop Rock Princess Yeng Constantino and Kiana Valenciano. Yeng sang Sia’s “Titanium” and her hit sin-gle “Chinito” and other mashed-up songs. Meanwhile, Gary V’s daughter kept the vibe smooth and sophisticated with the help of DJ Mars Miranda.

Live musical acts, intensified with the presence of various artists and celebrities, had the crowd dancing and singing the night along. One of the crowd favorites was Gloc 9 whose al-bum Sukli under Star Music was launched recently in ABS-CBN’s variety show ASAP. Also the headliners in the fest were some of the country’s much-anticipated and well-received bands like Kjwan, Up Dharma Down, and The Juans. They cruised through their original hit songs while fashion models stun the audience with their im-peccable style.

Once everyone was prepped up, hip online retailer Zalora filled the runway with bold tribal prints and romantic night out pieces, pumped up by perfor-mances from up and coming band The Juans and singer-songwriter duo Thyro and Yumi. This was followed by stylist John Paul Di-zon’s sleek-themed show, with ensembles worn by his models and celebrity clients and friends including Roxanne Barcelo, Koreen Medina, Pauline Men-doza, Phytos Ramirez, Yas-ser Mata, Ayra Mariano, Jake Ejercito, Wynwyn Marquez, and Lance Serrano.

The third, Coachella-inspired show styled by Myrrh Lao To was paired with laidback hits

Manila X: Where music and fashion collideCelebrities KZ Tandingan, Angel Locsin, Pokwang and ylona Garcia flanked by runway models Rock band Kwjan performs while models strut the runway

from crowd-favorite Up Dhar-ma Down. With soft chiffon and laces, the Coachella seg-ment ended with Myrrh’s power squad of celebrity clients and friends starring Ylona Garcia, KZ Tandingan, K Brosas, Pok-wang and Angel Locsin.

The energy was brought back up by stylist duo Rain Dagala and Em Millan through youth-ful, editorial, street looks in their sportswear-dominated show. It was complemented by powerful,

collaborative performances from Gloc 9 and DJ Badkiss.

With Bang Pineda’s flair for menswear, the stylist/designer went forward with a show pre-senting a legion of men imbib-ing the grunge spirit. Complet-ing the vibe was a high-dosage rock performance from Kjwan led by vocalist Marc Abaya. DJs Marc Marasigan and duo Curse & Bless spun in between shows to keep everyone on their toes. To end the festival with a bang,

DJs Tom Taus and Ace Ramos spun their best beats, making the crowd dance the night away.

Directed by Paolo Valenciano, this revolutionary merging of music and fashion came from the aspiration of Founder and Cre-ative Director, stylist John Lo-zano to give every Filipino access to fashion and styling, and ulti-mately help realize and embrace individuality through the merg-ing of runway shows and musical performances.

Both Valenciano and Lozano saw a good potential in revolu-tionizing both industries by put-ting up a good show that is musi-cally and aesthetically inspired.

Sponsored by make-up label BYS, and powered by Zalora and TaskUs Philippines, the fast-est growing startup firm in the country, Manila X is the first of its kind in the Philippines — and proudly local event where music and fashion collide. - Angelica Cruz. Photos: Sonny Espiritu

Models. fashion models showcase the creations of several designers that participated in this year’s Manila X

Top DJs (clockwise) Jessica Milner, Tom Taus and Curse & Bless serving some cool beats Jake Ejercito (left) walks for fashion designer John Paul Dizon (right)

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ACROSS1 Tomato jelly6 Oklahoma town9 Nonswimmer,

maybe14 Bow of the silents15 Toshiba rival16 Humble17 Kafka topic19 Taste or smell20 Golf ball stand21 Resembling

22 Lieu 23 Cobblers’ tools 25 Smart-mouthed 26 Flowering shrub 29 Chevalier musical 31 Small flat-

bottomed boats 32 Deer’s rack 36 Melody 37 Good times 38 Warrior princess 40 Growled at

43 Pekoe packet 45 Strong, as venison 46 Something to pay 47 Rose pest 50 Antarctic explorer 51 Herring 52 Floor 54 Muscle spasm 57 Where the fat lady

sings 58 Distance east or

west 61 Swift-footed 62 Leo mo. 63 Slander’s kin 64 Rigid 65 Qt. parts 66 MinimumDOWN 1 No. on a bank

statement 2 Fruit of the

blackthorn 3 Gait 4 Vex 5 Ford product 6 Diarist — Nin 7 Knock flat 8 Yearn for 9 Holiday quaff 10 Is a party to 11 “Great” dogs 12 Term paper 13 Bulrush or cattail

18 Crocks 23 Put in a row 24 Minuscule 25 U.S. Army rank 26 Classifieds 27 Camera lens 28 Handel

contemporary 29 Loud 30 Tavern 33 Checkups 34 McEntire of

country music 35 Pitfall 37 Not masc. 39 Make cheddar

better 41 Shake 42 No gentleman 43 Flip-flop 44 Goddess of dawn 47 Doctor’s bane? 48 Admire oneself 49 “Share” anagram 50 Way to climb 51 Too lenient 52 Smack 53 Tipster 54 Big brass 55 “Et tu” time 56 Stonehenge

builder 59 Not well 60 Dead heat

answer PreVIOUs PUZZLe

cROsswORD puzzlE FRIDAY,JUNE 17, 2016

pEOplE¼ are talking about ¼ are not talking about

Trumpet Dance challengeEverybody is doing it. Almost every showbiz celebrity and wannabe have a video

uploaded on Facebook or Instagram. What’s even more interesting though, both Eat Bulaga and It’s Showtime hosts are claiming that they were the first to make the dance craze popular. This tug of war is just another story of network rivalry and we can no longer wait for the next development. In the meantime, let’s do the dance – which is a Sak Noel and Sean Paul original, by the way.

Mark HerrasA number of stars feel unmoti-

vated when from starring in a pri-metime series they are relegated to doing an afternoon soap. But Mark’s case is different. He feels even more inspired to work af-ter he’s given not one but two as-signments that will be shown on GMA-7 afternoon block. That, we know for sure, is a kind of career strategy that will make Mark not a short-term actor.

Kristine HermosaHer husband set the record

straight – she doesn’t have any existing contract with ABS-CBN hence her being part of an upcom-ing series on GMA Network won’t break any rules. In line with her showbiz comeback, she said that she chose to be with GMA-7 be-cause she wants to stay close to her family. If by family she meant her husband and children then why didn’t just stayed home? She’s an expectant mother to begin with. She will need all the rest and all the time with her three children.

Baron GeislerHis bad behavior has been

caught on video yet again. This begs the question wheth-er the videos featuring Baron on “beast mode” were meant to send an important mes-sage or they were just plain stunts to desperately seek public attention. Either way, these videos just validate the kind of showbiz personality Baron is.

Rufa Mae QuintoFor the longest time,

people thought her boy-friend was just imaginary and that her wedding plans were just her illusions un-til “a real person” appeared and professed his love for the comedienne. Proud of her settling down, she took to Instagram and asked her followers which wed-ding ring to buy. Since when choosing a wedding ring became someone else’s business?

Kiray celisEven talented makeup artists or

heavy photoshopping cannot change the way she looks. But why would she still want to change her appearance? Besides, that’s what makes her “bank-able.” Just a few months after top bill-ing a movie alongside Derek Ramsay, the young starlet is again headlining a big screen project. This time with En-chong Dee. So, who says only pretty girls can be a sought after talent?

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The lead star of the no.1 primetime series FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano, Coco Martin,started the school year by

bringing smiles to students of San Jose del Monte in Bulacan as he led the launch of “Saludo sa Pamily-ang Pilipino, Oplan Balik Eskwela 2016” last Monday.

Coco personally went to Para-dise Farm Elementary School, his chosen beneficiary, and gave away 800 school bags containing school supplies, raincoats, slippers, etc. He also donated 18 electric fans and boxes of teaching aid for teachers.

Because of the Kapamilya actor’s help, both students and teachers

were thankful for the donations, which will surely help the kids in learning their lessons.

“Public school students are really close to my heart because I was one back then. I hope I could send out help to other public schools as well,” said the award-winning actor.

Joining Coco in the charity event was the Dreamscape management, led by Deo Endrinal, Biboy Ar-boleda, Dagang Vilbar, and the staff of FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano and Dreamscape unit.

The event was made possible by Dreamscape Television Entertain-ment with the help of ABS-CBN Integrated Public Service.

Araneta Center joined the nation in the celebration of Philippine In-dependence Day highlighting the Filipinos love for food, art and music.

Shoppers and Bb. Pilipinas of-ficial Facebook page registrants enjoyed the native foods served during a boodle fight at the Farmers Plaza on June 11 partici-pated by Bb. Pilipinas Interconti-nental 2016 Jennifer Hammond and Bb. Pilipinas 2016 First Run-ner up Angelica Alita.

Gateway Food Park took the oc-casion to make a name as the place for freedom and fun-loving people by showcasing native foods from the different Philippine regions in their respective activity areas cul-minating with the boodle fight. A

street mural painting activity for Filipino art lovers followed and towards the evening, a music hub was held with #ATMKalayaan, a Pinoytuner-powered concert that featured celebrated singer-song-writer Ebe Dancel, pop-rock pow-erhouse Mayonnaise, emerging indie favorites Autotelic and the U.P. Music Circle Bands, Slow Sink, Rayf Panotes Band, Mod-ern Romans, Lamb street and Cupcake Alliance.

Hammond, a 25-year-old, BS Nursing cum laude graduate of Perpetual Help Laguna and a member of the Professional Models Association of the Phil-ippines (PMAP), took time out from her preparation for the

Miss Intercontinental pageant later this year, where she aims to become the first Filipina to win the title. “Happy Indepen-dence Day, Alita and I are hon-ored to join everyone present in this event, and we’re especially excited with the boodle fight, as we both are food lovers like most Filipinos,” the statuesque, sweet smiling beauty said.

Alita, a 20-year-old, Culinary degree graduate and a former ‘star magic’ artist and finalist of ABS-CBN’s popular contest “My Girl” , also expressed appreciation to be a part of the celebration. She is not closing her door to a return stint at the annual Bb. Pilipinas pageant. – Eton B. Concepcion

Globe Broadband brings won-derful surprises to customers in line with the much-awaited movie premiere, Disney/Pixar’s Finding Dory. As the official broadband service partner of Disney in the Philippines, Globe Broadband customers are in for a whole lot of fun with its latest events, ticket giveaways, and special prizes. 

Directed by Andrew Stanton and Angus McLane, Finding Dory is the highly anticipated sequel to the suc-cessful 2003 movie Finding Nemo. Now, the main protagonist, Dory the forgetful blue tang fish, explores her childhood through flashbacks. This eventually leads her to embark on a life-changing quest to go back home and be reunited with her parents.

“Disney’s brilliant storytell-ing has made most if not all, look forward to what movie they are going to premiere next. Finally af-ter over a decade, Finding Nemo’s sequel makes its way to theatres and this gives us another opportu-nity to give our customers access to exciting giveaways and exclusive events. By taking that extra mile we provide our customers a more im-mersive experience.” shares Martha Sazon, Globe senior vice president for Broadband Business.

Headlining Finding Dory’s Phil-ippine premiere was the homecom-ing tour of Pixar Studios Filipino sketch artist, Paul Abadilla. Mak-

ing his way back home, Abadilla conducted a by-invitation anima-tion workshop and shared his work on Finding Dory and his experience as part of one of the most presti-gious animation studios.

Globe Broadband customers in Metro Manila were also entitled to join the exclusive block screen-ings via free movie invites when they subscribe to a broadband plan or upgrade their current subscription until June 16. New customers are eligible to get four tickets while plan upgraders get six tickets.

One lucky customer will also get a chance to hold a private block screening with 50 of his friends. To join, customers simply need to catch the Finding Dory artwork on the @enjoyglobe Twitter account and re-tweet with the hashtag #GlobeBroadband. Participants

with at least 50 likes and re-tweets combined are qualified for the raffle and should stay tuned for the an-nouncement on June 22.

With speeds of up to one Gbps, Globe Broadband currently offers a wide range of Internet services for home. Customers can enjoy seamless Internet connectiv-ity for the family alongside free entertainment content bundled with their plans such as Spotify, HOOQ and NBA League Pass.

Disney/Pixar’s Finding Dory opens in cinemas on June 16. For more information on pro-mos and free movie invites, visit www.globe.com.ph/broadband/promos/movie-invites. Tickets will be confirmed via the applica-tion email provided and can be claimed from Globe representa-tives in participating cinemas on the day of the screening.

Manila hosts the prestigious international hair and beauty competition with 18 Asia Pacific member countries competing against each other for pride and honor.

APHCA, a brainchild of beauty expert and philanthropist Ricky Reyes, is a premiere association of professionals in the beauty, health and wellness industry in the Asia Pacific region, fostering camaraderie and sharing of trends and knowledge among beauty practitioners in member countries. The “Hair Olympics” is usually held in different APHCA member countries like Macau in 2011, Indonesia in 2012, Malaysia in 2013, and Thailand in 2014. Last year’s event was hosted by Taipei. This year, it is going back here in Manila where it officially started.

Be awed and be dazzled with the creations of the best hair and beauty masters of the country and the world on Oct. 26at Hall 4, SMX Convention Center, Mall of Asia, Pasay City, Philippines.

During the official launch were, from left, (standing), Johnny Tai, Taiwan country leader, Pasay City first Lady Edna Calixto, Airene Wong, Malaysia country leader, Maribel Costan  of Shawill Cosmetics; (Sitting): Dr. MJ Torres of Zen Institute, Air Asia’s Gerard Peñaflor, Ricky Reyes and Steve Tamayo, official caterer of the event.

APHCA 20th International Hair Olympics 2016

in Manila

i P H O T O

Coco gives back, shares blessings with 800 students

The pupils at Paradise farm Elementary School with Coco Martin

Globe Broadband’s surprises with premiere of Disney/Pixar’s ‘finding Dory’

Boodle fight with Bb. Pilipinas beauties

Globe officers during the premiere of Disney/Pixar’s “finding Dory”

Happy 118th Independence

Day! Celebrating it with the

Bb. Pilipinas family @ The

Araneta Center with Binibining

Pilipinas-Intercontinental

2016 Jennifer Hammond and

Binibining Pilipinas 2016 1st Runner-

up Angelica Alita :) Boodle

fight l unchtime. Concurrent to the

celebration is a live mural painting

at the Gen. Araneta St. and

concert at night

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after romancing a hunk actor in the box-office hit romantic-comedy Love is Blind, diminutive comedi-enne Kiray Celis pays lip service

to a handsome chinito in a movie that will launch her to full stardom on July 6.

Yes, you heard it right. Celis had a ro-mantic interlude with the desirable hunk Derek Ramsay in Love is Blind. This time she gets to be passionate, short of being lu-rid, in her love scenes with Enchong Dee in I Love You To Death.

The movie is this year’s most riotous comedy horror movie from Regal Enter-tainment, Inc., producer of such blockbust-ers The Haunted Mansion and Love is Blind.

In the film, Gwen (Kiray) and Tonton (Enchong) are childhood sweethearts born and raised in the province. They promise to love, marry and be with each other until death do they part.

Tonton proposes marriage to Gwen with an heirloom piece from his late grandmother.

When she leaves for Manila, Gwen, who is at the top of her class, meets new friends. Her newfound companions are a bunch of gorgeous women, only they are natural bitches.                 

Tonton has remained the nerdy type whose look is often the butt of joke among his friends. Because of this, he and Gwen part ways. She then loses con-tact with him permanently.

As days pass, Gwen notices how dif-ferent she is from her group of gorgeous friends. They all have boyfriends. She never had one.

  Gwen then grows tired of being the brainy kind. She wants change… to be con-fidently beautiful with a heart. So, on her 20th birthday, she wishes to meet the guy who would die for her.

And so, Gwen gets her wish. The man of her dreams suddenly appears – handsome, hunky and desirable Tonton. Bent on hav-ing a love life, she accepts her childhood friend’s marriage proposal despite her loved ones’ and friends’ disapproval.

Gwen and Tonton set their altar date but on their very wedding day, the bride uncovers the mystery behind her groom’s undying love.

Catch Kiray in her wackiest performance in “ILYTD,” inspired as she is working with real-life crush Enchong.

No wonder, director Miko Livelo’s work at bringing out Kiray’s comic talent was ef-fortless. Enchong, in fact, says this of Kiray: “She’s an actress!”

Witness Gwen and Tonton’s odd love story in I Love You to Death and find out if it this line is true: “Nakakamatay nga ba ang pag-ibig?” Which is apt, “’Til death do us part” or “I love you to death?”

‘Doble Kara’ continues to rule afternoon TV

Julia Montes’ star shines even brighter as her top-billed Kapamilya series ‘Doble Kara’posted another all-time high rating recently.

Last Thursday, it recorded an all-time high national TV rating of 20.2 percent, easily beating rival show Hanggang Makita Kang Muli, which posted a mere 13.9 per-cent, according to data from Kantar Media.

Meanwhile, as the story continues, Alex (Maxene Magalona) is slowly brainwash-ing Kara (Julia Montes) and Seb’s (Sam Milby) adoptive daughter Hannah and in-stills in her that she is not well-loved, build-ing hatred in the child’s heart. And their situation gets even more complicated now that Sara has returned to her family.

Will Alex succeed in her plans? Will the Suarezes achieve peace in their home with the return of Sara?

Don’t miss the newest chapter of the top-rating afternoon teleserye Doble Kara, weekdays after It’s Showtime on ABS-CBN or on ABS-CBN HD (SkyCable ch 167).

Catch up via iWanTV or skyondemand.com.ph for Sky subscribers.

Kiray Celis is one lucky girl

Enchong dee (center) and his male co-stars in the movie

Enchong dee and Kiray Celis are the new romantic pair in the horror comedy “i Love you To death”

The bridesmaids in the wedding scene of “i Love you To death”