The Standard - 2016 July 15 - Friday

Robredo, Bautista deny ‘secret’ meeting

Asean gagged: ‘Usual suspects’ blamed

VOL. XXX NO. 153 3 Sections 32 Pages P18 FRIDAY : JULY 15, 2016 www.thestandard.com.ph [email protected]

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CHINA TALKS EYED

Sunset at the Square. This photo taken on July 13, 2016 shows a child waving a Chinese flag during the daily flag-lowering ceremony at sunset in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. The Philippines urged Beijing on July 14 to respect an international tribunal’s ruling that rejected Chinese claims to most of the South China Sea, and said it would raise the issue at a regional summit. AFP

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Duterte taps FVR to start discussions

By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan

A FORMER Philippine repre-sentative to the United Nations on Thursday brushed aside the fail-ure of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to issue a joint state-ment on the Arbitral Tribunal’s ruling on the West Philippine Sea, describing such a document as “ir-relevant.”

“We should no longer expect in the future that there will be an Asean statement on China,” said former undersecretary and per-manent representative to the UN Lauro Baja. “A statement [from Asean] is becoming irrelevant.”

Baja was reacting to the decision of Laos, the chair for the Asean sum-mit this July, not to issue any joint statement on the tribunal’s ruling

invalidating China’s nine-dash line claim in the West Philippine Sea.

Baja said the reason there was no statement was the failure of the 10 Asean members to reach a con-sensus.

“A statement cannot be issued even if only one member objects to it,” Baja said.

Vietnam agreed to issue a joint statement but the “usual suspects”

such as Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos did not agree to one, he said.

Baja suggested that the Philip-pines no longer include the Asean in its dealings with China, given the lack of unity among the 10 member-states.

“The Philippines should [in-stead] concentrate among individ-ual Asean members. Don’t strive anymore for Asean statement,”

Baja said, noting that it was the fourth time that Asean failed to is-sue a joint communique about the West Philippine Sea.

But Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay said a joint statement from Asean was still important.

“We already have full support of many of the international com-munity members. But it will also

By Rey E. Requejo and Sara Susanne D. Fabunan

FOREIGN Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. said Thursday the Philip-pines remains open to bilateral talks with China and President Rodrigo Duterte him-self asked former Presi-dent Fidel Ramos to serve as the country’s special envoy to start the dialogue.

But, speaking hours before Du-terte made the request at a din-ner hosted by his college cronies, Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio warned such talks should not include joint develop-ment of the West Philippine Sea as that would be a violation of the Constitution. Next page

By Vito Barcelo and Rio N. Araja

COMMISSION on Elections Chair-man Andres Bautista denied Thurs-day that he secretly met with Vice President Leonor Robredo shortly after the Supreme Court, acting as Presidential Electoral Tribunal, or-dered her to answer charges of fraud in the last election.

In a statement, Bautista called as “mali-cious” suggestions that he had a meeting with Robredo after a video of showing him and Robredo at a private party host-ed by socialite Baby Cruz at the Urdaneta Apartments in Makati Tuesday night.

Bautista said he was among the sev-eral personalities invited to a party at-tended by at least 30 guests, including Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Mo-

rales and United States Ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg.

The video was posted on the Face-book page Dayaang Matuwid, which said Robredo met Bautista on July 12, eight hours after the high tribunal or-dered her to reply to the electoral pro-test filed by Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Both Bautista and Robredo are re-spondents in the case. Next page

Next page

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Duterte sets 1st foreign trip

“Maybe Laos because tradition-ally, the first state visit is to Asean neighbors,” Budget Secretary Ben-jamin Diokno said in a chance in-terview.

Malacañang, meanwhile, an-nounced Duterte will skip the 11th Asia-Europe Meeting Summit in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia this week-end to concentrate on domestic is-sues.

“The President wishes to stay close to his countrymen in the

first few months of his presidency,” Communications Secretary Mar-tin Andanar said in a text message to reporters.

Instead, Duterte asked Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay to represent him in the event, which will gather 53 leaders from Asia and Europe.

The announcement came after the Permanent Court of Arbitration issued its ruling rejecting as ground-less China’s claims over much of the

By John Paolo Bencito

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte’s first foreign trip as head of state will be to Laos for the turnover of the chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit, a senior cabinet officer said Thursday.

disputed South China Sea. Chinese Assistant Foreign Min-

ister Kong Xuanyou has said pub-licly that discussion of the issue will not be welcome at the summit.

At the same time, China Thurs-day threatened a “decisive re-sponse” to any provocations in the South China Sea, following an in-ternational tribunal ruling against its extensive claims in the disputed area.

The Asian giant has reacted fu-riously to the verdict issued by the PCA tribunal in The Hague, which on Tuesday sided with the Philip-pines in its ruling that China had no grounds for its claims in the strategically vital waterway.

“If anyone wants to take any provocative action against China’s security interests based on the award, China will make a decisive

response,” foreign ministry spokes-man Lu Kang said Thursday.

He said the tribunal had been “unlawful” and the ruling would “not have any effect on China’s ex-isting policy.”

China has insisted that it will ig-nore the decision while warning its rivals that increasing pressure on the issue could turn the resource-rich waters into a “cradle of war.”

It justifies its sovereignty claims by saying it was the first to have discovered, named and exploited the sea, and outlines its claims for most of the waterway using a vague map made up of nine dashes that emerged in the 1940s.

Those claims overlap with those of the Philippines, Vietnam, Ma-laysia, Brunei and Taiwan.

China has also in recent years built giant artificial islands capa-

ble of hosting military installations and airstrips in the Spratlys archi-pelago, one of the biggest groups of features in the sea.

The Philippines brought the case against China in 2013, asking the court to find that Beijing’s claims to much of the territory in the sea are invalid and violate the UN’s Con-vention on the Law of the Sea.

Aside from stating that China’s historical rights were without “le-gal basis,” the tribunal ruled that its artificial island building and the blocking of Filipino fishermen at Scarborough Shoal were unlawful.

Beijing boycotted the PCA pro-ceedings, saying the court had no jurisdiction to rule on the issues, and has mounted a huge diplomat-ic and publicity drive to try to dis-credit the tribunal and its decision. With AFP

“I would like to respectfully ask former President Fidel Ramos to go to China and start the talks,” Duterte told fellow alumni of the San Beda College of Law who hosted a testimo-nial dinner in his honor at the Club Filipino in San Juan City.

But Ramos, president from 1992 to 1998, said he was uncertain whether the incumbent president was serious or was just making a joke.

“I think he just made that in jest because I’m busy writing my legacy for young people and China is only one of my areas of interest,” the for-mer president said. “I have not seen the offer. I was out of range when he said it.”

But Yasay, who was preparing to go to Mongolia for the 11th Asia-Europe Meeting, said he would also urge the 51 leaders there to support the arbi-tration ruling that invalidates China’s nine-dash line claims.

“We are open to making sure that we will have bilateral talks with China in the implementation of this decision of the arbitral tribunal,” Yasay said in a radio interview.

He added that the government is still formulating the next steps to make sure that the decision will be carried out peacefully.

But Carpio warned the govern-ment would be violating the Consti-

tution if it enters into an agreement with China for the joint development of the country’s exclusive economic zone in the West Philippine Sea.

Carpio said the Constitution man-dates that the government protect its EEZ, including the West Philippine Sea, which the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled belongs to the Phil-ippines.

Carpio said the 381,000 square kilometers of marine space that the court awarded to the Philippines do not overlap with China’s EEZ.

“The Constitution says that the state shall protect its marine wealth in the EEZ and reserve its use exclusive-ly—use and enjoyment—to Filipino citizens,” Carpio said, in an interview over ANC’s Headstart.

Carpio said President Duterte can-not enter into agreement for a joint development with China within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.

“It’s prohibited by the Constitu-tion,” he said.

Nonetheless, Carpio admitted that the Constitution allows the government to contract foreign companies to drill, and be paid for the service, but not through a joint development.

“It cannot be a joint development state-to-state because that is our sov-ereign territory,” Carpio said.

Since the PCA has upheld the free-dom of navigation and overflight afforded to all nations, Carpio ex-pressed optimism that other naval

powers like the United States will do their part in enforcing the law.

“That part of the ruling will be en-forced by the naval powers. They’ve already said that,” said Carpio, who has been at the forefront of the cam-paign to establish sovereignty over the West Philippine Sea.

Carpio expressed hopes that China will comply with the international court’s decision, just like the other 95 percent of losing parties in the PCA’s arbitration cases.

He said compliance would take time because China must prepare its populace to accept the PCA decision.

“It will take time, but it will happen in the end. So we have to look at this from a very long-term perspective,” he said.

With the PCA award, Carpio said the Reed Bank may be the country’s replacement for Malampaya, a natu-ral gas field from which the country gets most of its supply. The Malam-paya supply is expected to ran out in about a decade.

Tension in the area rose in 2015, af-ter the Philippine Navy found a large steel marker bearing Chinese inscrip-tions and hundreds of yellow buoys in the waters near the Reed Bank.

“The ruling says the Reed Bank is ours. We will send there our survey ships again and please don’t harass them anymore. We will have to say that because we will have to alert them that we are sending our survey ships,” Carpio said.

While communication lines with China remain open, Manila should take some steps before meeting with Beijing, the magistrate said.

“We will have consultations with Asean friends—those who are also prejudiced by the nine-dash line but they are now free from the nine-dash line. We consult our friends and allies, and then we talk to China,” Carpio said.

The Philippines should also dis-cuss with Beijing steps for establish-ing a code of conduct for fishing in the Scarborough Shoal, which has been awarded as a common fishing ground, Carpio added.

“Let’s sit down with them first be-cause the tribunal says it’s common and we have to lay down the rules for common use so there will be no skirmishes and no fighting by fisher-men,” Carpio said.

Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto said Thursday the gov-ernment’s “no-gloating” policy was the best tack to take.

“If the Palace is curbing its enthusi-asm, then it is a mature and reasoned reaction which contrasts sharply to the tantrums thrown by other par-ties,” he said.

“We’re calm and collected. Com-pare this to other countries who are sending gunboats. What does this say? Let me quote a Chinese saying: ‘He who strikes the first blow admits he’s lost the argument’.” With Macon Ramos-Araneta

Bautista admitted seeing Ro-bredo during the party, but denied they had a lengthy talk.

“All I’d said was hi and she re-sponded hello,” Bautista said. “It was a social gathering. The mem-bers of the diplomatic corps were there. We didn’t talk about poli-tics… I just said hello to the VP.”

Robredo also denied a secret meeting.

“There was no such secret meet-ing. We just attended a dinner party. Maybe, there were about 40 people. One of the guests was the Comelec chairman. I do not remember any incident that we talked to one an-other. I think, we just greeted one another, but we did not talk,” she said.

She described suggestions of a secret meeting as “very malicious.”

“As far as I am concerned, I do not remember any exchange be-tween us. I just said ‘hi’ either when I entered or when I left… I can’t re-member. But we never talked,” Ro-bredo said.

She said she and Bautista were just both invited to the dinner par-ty.

Even her daughters—Aika, Tricia and Jillian—were at the event, she added.

“The dinner was over when I ar-rived there so I had to eat alone,” she said.

Marcos had earlier sought to nul-lify Robredo’s proclamation for al-leged poll fraud.

On Tuesday, a Supreme Court insider disclosed that the justices deliberated on Marcos’ poll protest and decided to require Robredo to comment on the allegation that her election was tainted with irregu-larities.

While the Court’s spokesman

Theodore Te admitted that the tribunal had acted on the Marcos, protest, he declined to offer any specifics.

In a media briefing, Te said he was only authorized to announce that the tribunal will issue a reso-lution on this matter in due course.

The PET is composed of the same 15 Supreme Court justices as its members.

In his protest filed June 29, Mar-cos questioned the election results in 39,221 clustered precincts in 25 provinces and five cities all over the country involving some nine mil-lion votes.

Marcos lost to Robredo by a mar-gin of 263,473 votes in the final and official tally of votes. He garnered 14,155,344 votes while Robredo got a total of 14,418, 817 votes.

Marcos sought the nullifica-tion of about a million votes cast in three provinces—Lanao del Sur, Basilan and Maguindanao—over

claims of massive cheating.Marcos also asked the PET to

order the reopening of ballots and manual recount of about eight mil-lion votes in 23 provinces and five cities.

Marcos sought the annulment of the proclamation of Robredo as vice president and his declaration as duly elected vice president.

It was earlier learned that the case has been raffled to Associate Justice Alfredo Benjamin Cagui-oa, the last appointee and known buddy of former President Benig-no Aquino III, who has vowed to stop Marcos from becoming vice president.

Caguioa and Aquino were class-mates from elementary to college at the Ateneo de Manila University. Prior to his appointment to the Su-preme Court in January, Caguioa was Aquino’s chief presidential le-gal counsel and then secretary of justice.

be important for the Ase-an to have a unified state-ment,” Yasay said in an interview.

Yasay said that after the lawyers interpreted the 501-page ruling, the De-partment of Foreign Af-fairs will then submit its findings to President Rod-rigo Duterte so they can chart the proper course of action.

“The objective for us is to implement and we should implement the arbitral tribunal deci-sion and we will do this through peaceful nego-tiations. But we must fully understand the implica-tion and coverage of that decision, it will take just a matter of few days. This is the time for us to really be restrained in our com-ments,” he added.

Asean has often been split on issuing joint state-ments commenting on the South China Sea dispute for fear of antagonizing China, which has become an important trade and investment partner for many of them, especially for poorer Indo-Chinese countries which also de-pend on China for finan-cial aid for infrastructure development.

Chinese Foreign Minis-ter Wang Yi announced in April this year that Beijing had reached a four-point consensus with Brunei, Cambodia, and Laos, by which they agreed that disputes over “some Nan-sha (Spratly) islands and reefs are not an issue be-tween China and Asean and should not affect Chi-na-Asean relations.”

They also agreed that such territorial disputes “should be resolved through dialogues and consultations by par-ties directly concerned,” rather than multilaterally. With AFP

China...From A1

Robredo,...From A1

Asean...From A1

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Marcos slams ban on reporters

Briefing. Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno briefs reporters at the Budget Department on Thursday. JOHN PAOLO BENCITO

Ombudsman indicts Binays for graft

Palace appointsJacinto, Cui-David

CHARITABLE TRADITION. In pursuance of its core value of “malasakit”, The Wong Chu King Foundation (WCKF) recently kicked off its annual initiative to help underprivileged students of Tikay Elementary School in Malolos, Bulacan. A total of 325 nursery, kinder and grade one pupils received school kits consisting of a backpack containing notebooks, various school supplies and food packs. In middle photo are (L-R) WCKF coordinator Ms. Cristina Villanueva, WCKF volunteers Ms. Sophia Gonzalo, PDir. Melito Mabilin (Ret.), PDir. Rodrigo de Gracia (Ret.) and Mr. Noel Navarro together with students, faculty and staff of Tikay Elementary School.

THE Office of the Ombuds-man has indicted former vice president Jejomar Binay for nine counts of falsifica-tion, four counts of graft and one count of misuse of public funds before the Sandigan-bayan for the allegedly over-priced, P2.28-billion Makati City Hall Building II.

Binay’s son, ex-Makati City Mayor Erwin Jejomar Binay, was also charged with two counts of graft, falsification of public documents and misuse of public funds.

The Ombudsman’s Office of the Special Prosecution rec-ommended a bail of P24,000 for each count of falsification of public documents, P30,000 for each count of graft and P40,000 for misuse of public

funds for the Binays’ provi-sional liberty.

The camp of former vice president Jejomar Binay lashed out at Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales for being biased and a protector of the Liberal party in filing the charges against him and his son.

In a statement, Binay’s spokesman Joey Salgado said Morales allowed herself to be a political tool of the previous administration whose politi-cal allies committed graft for using funds from the illegal Disbursement Acceleration Program.

The charges stemmed from the time the older Binay was mayor of Makati.

The Ombudsman claims

that the Binays connived with other city officials to award the contract to Mana Architecture and Interior Design Co. for the first and second stages or the design stage of the Makati City Hall Building II.

“Despite its failure to deliver the approved plans and speci-fications under the contract,” MANA was able to receive a payment of P11,011,294.77,” the Ombudsman claims.

The Ombudsman also up-held its indictment to hold the Binays liable for the construc-tion stage of the project by awarding to Hilmarc’s Corp. from 2007 to 2011 three con-tracts worth P11.486 million through “simulated public biddings.”

According to Morales, the

construction of the parking building began even without approved design standards, contract plans, cost estimates, detailed engineering and pro-grams of work.

The Commission on Audit earlier reported that the con-struction of the P2.28-billion Building II was irregular from budgeting to the execution. As a result, there was misuse of public funds.

Moreover, the Office of the Special Prosecutor said father and son approved the payment release to Hilmarc’s despite full awareness that its accomplishment report was “baseless” due to the absence of supporting documents. Rio N. Araja, Maricel V. Cruz and Vito Barcelo

MALACAÑANG on Thursday announced that a musician and a former lawyer of the daughter of al-leged pork-barrel queen Janet Lim-Napoles are its new appointees.

The Palace said musician and businessman Ramon Jacinto is now Presidential Adviser on Economic Af-fairs and Information Technology Communications with the rank of Undersecretary.

Lawyer Lanee Cui-David, a product of the San Beda College of Law and former legal counsel of Napoles’ daughter Jean Catherine Napoles for her tax-evasion cases, is now deputy commissioner for the information technology group of the Bureau of Internal Revenue.

Jacinto campaigned for Duterte. He has business interests in real estate, retailing and manufacturing under the RJ Group of Companies. He is an econom-ics graduate of Ateneo de Manila University, and he also took up law at the University of Santo Tomas.

Cui-David, senior partner of the Cui David Bue-naventura law firm, handled the cases of Napoles after a former high-profile legal counsel withdrew from all of her cases.

Due to possible conflict of interest, David said, she had separated from the law office and withdrew from all BIR cases.

The other new appointees were Presidential Ad-viser on Military Affairs Gen. Arthur Tabaquero and Raymundo de Vera Elefante as Undersecretary for Finance, Ammunitions, Installations and Materials of the Department of National Defense John Paolo Bencito

Lawyer Adrian Aumentado, counsel of former Abakada Rep. Jonathan Dela Cruz, Marcos’ political adviser, said it was highly irregular why Smartmat-ic would want to bar the media from attending the presentation of the AES when the case filed was all about transparency.

He insisted that excluding the media from the presentation was tantamount to denying the public’s right to know the processes used in their election.

“We are for transparency and that is what this case is all about, and we just find it highly unusual that the media would be excluded from such presentation when it is after all a clarificatory hearing,” Aumentado said.

The panel of prosecutors also expressed surprise during the hearing.

When a member of the Smartmatic team said they were merely concerned about the logistical and practical requirements if members of the media were around, the panel said such would not be a problem since they could always arrange for a place for every-one including the media to be accommodated.

This developed after Smartmatic personnel, in-stead of filing their Rejoinder to the complaint filed against them, filed a manifestation and motion to hold a clarificatory presentation to explain the AES and the other technical aspects of the case without the presence of any other party including the media.

Aumentado also expressed surprise that Smart-matic would be the one to initiate a clarificatory pres-entation when the initiative should be coming from the panel of prosecutors.

He also asked to be given time to file their opposi-tion and/or manifestation to the motion.

The panel, however, said the move would give them a chance to clarify certain technical aspects of the case without prejudice to whatever motion the former Senator’s counsels may file on the matter.

They then set the clarificatory presentation to July 21, 2016, at 1:30 p.m.

Dela Cruz filed charges against Smartmatic for “in-tentionally altering computer data without permis-sion and altering and interfering with the functioning of a computer and computer network by inputting, deleting and altering computer data and program without right or authority.” Macon Ramos-Araneta

THE camp of former senator Fer-dinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday de-plored the media ban imposed by Smartmatic during its “clarificatory presentation” of the Automated Elec-tion System before the Manila Pros-ecutors’ Office.

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DBM to junk Abad’sbottom-up budgeting By John Paolo Bencito

THE Duterte administration decided to junk the Bot-tom Up Budgeting (BUB) program of the previous ad-ministration and dismissed the system as useful only as a “political tool” but “a waste of funds,” Budget Sec-retary Benjamin Diokno said Thursday.

“That is really a political tool by the administration. When I saw it, it’s now down to the barangay lev-el,” Diokno told reporters in a press briefing, explaining that the Inter-nal Revenue Allotment mandated by the Local Government Code is more than enough.

“The first major change is to dis-continue the [BUB] because that was really politicized by the previ-ous administration. When I saw

it, it’s not going down to barangay level... That’s frittering away im-portant government resources,” Diokno said.

“We could have used [BUB funds] for more effective projects... I think it’s a no-brainer, it’s a waste of funds,” he said.

Diokno said the Internal Rev-enue Allotment mandated by the Local Government Code has bal-looned to P486 billion and that

should be enough for local projects.“I recognize IRA as an uncon-

ditional grant, P486 billion to be exact. That’s a lot of money on a formula basis. Its released to them automatically. They are supposed to do basic health services, social services, devolved responsibility of local governments,” Diokno said.

Diokno noted that the govern-ment has spent P74 billion for 54,000 BuB projects during the Aquino ad-ministration and yet it has not spent enough for infrastructure that would have brought more meaningful eco-nomic development.

“We have to make up for the past neglect of infrastructure,” he said, adding that building roads has more economic impact than gov-ernment office buildings.

Diokno also explained that while

the Supreme Court has outlawed lump-sum allocations, which the public calls pork barrel, in the budget, it is perfectly legal for law-makers to identify their priority projects because Congress, after all, is the paladin of the government purse.

He said lawmakers can identify their favored projects during the budget deliberation process but do-ing so after the budget has been en-acted would be violative of the high court’s decision.

“Congressmen and senators are supposed to authorize the budget. [They] have a right also to identify projects that they see their people need in their districts,” Diokno said, reiterating that there is actu-ally no definite amount allocated for lawmakers.

By Rio N. Araja

THE Commission on Human Rights created on Thursday a task force that will investigate extrajudicial killings of sus-pected criminals as human rights advocates slammed the Duterte administration for the spate of killings over drug-related cases.

Commissioner Gwen Pi-mentel Gana said Task Force Extrajudicial Killings will look into the summary ex-ecutions of robbers, snatchers, drug users and pushers, and other lawless elements after the CHR expressed concern over human rights violations.

“Our role here at CHR is to closely monitor human rights violations. This prompted us to form a task force,” she added, urging victims of human rights violations to file complaints be-fore the commission.

Gana announced the forma-tion of the task force as rights advocates slammed the Duterte administration for the spate of extrajudicial killings.

Max de Mesa, Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Alliance national chairper-son and Citizen’s Council for Human Rights convenor, said the President’s campaign for peace and order has only re-sulted in an alarming rise in summary executions.

“Stop the bloodshed,” he said. “At least 251 people have been victims of extra-judicial killings from May 10 to July 13.”

Arbitrary killing of suspect-ed offenders violates the right to due process and denies them the right to a fair trial, he said.

“We believe that summary methods violate the right to life, and will not solve the country’s crime and illegal drug problem,” he said. “It will only exacerbate the problem of lawlessness and violence.” With Macon Ramos Araneta

Palace: Drug war a successTHE Philippine government on Thursday hailed its war on drugs a “success” as po-lice confirmed killing nearly 200 people in a two-month blitz that has outraged rights groups.

President Rodrigo Du-terte’s office released a state-ment calling for authorities to “seize the momentum” of the anti-drug campaign, which has also led to a spate of vigilante killings that one media group said had claimed roughly 200 more lives.

“Anti-drug campaign a success,” said the title of the statement, released by Presi-dential Spokesman Martin Andanar.

“While the campaign against drugs is far from per-

fect, a generation of Filipinos have been saved from this scourge of society and de-stroyer of lives.”

His statement was issued as the national police released figures showing that officers had killed at least 192 people they said were involved in drugs from May 10 to July 10.

Duterte won the May 9 elections in a landslide after campaigning largely on a platform to eradicate crime within six months by un-leashing security forces with shoot-to-kill orders.

He vowed on one occasion during the campaign that 100,000 people would die, and so many bodies would be dumped in Manila Bay that the fish there would grow fat from feeding on them.

The killings since the elec-tion indicate his campaign promises that thousands would die during his six-year term may not have been hy-perbole.

Major TV network ABS-CBN said it had recorded 339 “drug fatalities” between May 10 and July 12, based on police and media reports.

The ABS-CBN’s tally in-cludes almost 100 people who were gunned down by unidentified men or simply found murdered.

Images of people killed in police anti-drug opera-tions, or corpses found with signs saying things like “I am a drug pusher” or “I am a drug addict,” have become daily fare in the local news-papers. AFP

Stop the killings. Human rights advocates raise clenched fists to condemn the spate of killings of suspected criminals during a media briefing in Quezon City on Thursday. EY ACASIO

Better alive than dead. About 800 suspected drug users and pushers surrendered to the Malabon Ciy Police, admitting that they wanted to reform their lives amid the killings of suspected drug personalities. ANDREW RABULAN

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AFP plan: Credible defenseBy Florante S. Solmerin

  Defense secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Thursday vowed to pursue the next phase of the military modernization pro-gram from 2017 to 2022 which focuses on having a credible defense and on securing mari-time territory.

“In the long run, we will still follow our modernization because it jibes with long-term plans like having credible de-terrence to secure our territory, maritime plan especially now that we have more water territory,” Lorenzana said.

The first phase of the AFP moderniza-tion used up P81 billion for the purchas-es of the jets and warships, Lorenzana said, expressing gratitude to the former administration.

The Defense chief said resupply mis-sions to a Marine contingent in Ayungin Shoal will continue following a UN tri-bunal decision upholding the Philippine position in a maritime dispute with China.

He made this statement Wednesday after noting that the scheduled resupply for Ay-ungin Shoal, slated for last week, was can-celled pending the ruling of the United Nations Permanent Court of Arbitration.

Lorenzana said the mission was scrubbed to avoid giving the impression that the Philippines was trying to provoke China.

“There was a scheduled resupply some-time last week, but we postponed it be-cause of the impending ruling to avoid giving the impression that we are trying to provoke China. I don’t know when the next resupply will be but definitely we are going there to resupply them by any means,” the DND chief stressed.

The Philippines has Marine units de-ployed in Ayungin Shoal, Pagasa (Thitu) Island, Lawak (Nanshan) Island, Parola (Northeast Cay) Island, Patag (Flat) Is-land, Kota (Loaita) Island, Rizal (Com-modore) Reef, Likas (West York) Island, and Panata (Lankiam Cay) Island.

At 5 p.m. July 12 (Manila time), the United Nations Permanent Court of Arbitration handed down its decision on the case which invalidated China’s claim over its “historic rights” to the disputed waters, stressing that its ‘Nine-Dash-Line’ claim has no legal basis.

The ruling also added that China vio-lated the Philippines’ sovereign rights in its exclusive economic zone through med-dling with Philippine fishing and oil explo-ration in the region, allowing the illegal en-try of Chinese fishermen into the disputed waters and causing harm to marine envi-ronment in the region through its massive reclamation activities. With PNA

CPR training nationwide pushedBy Macon Ramos-AranetaIN LINe with the Department of Health’s observance of the National  Disaster Con-sciousness Month, Health Secretary Paulyn Jean Rosell-Ubial called on Filipinos to learn basic life support techniques such as cardi-opulmonary resuscitation. 

Ubial said all Filipinos, and not only health workers, should be involved in solv-ing health problems.

Thus, the DoH will conduct a pilot project for CPR training, she related, and some schools hosted training on CPR Day last April. 

She also said the DoH will implement the Samboy Lim Bill or the CPR Bill that makes CPR training a requirement for graduation. The bill only needs President Rodrigo Duterte’s signature to make CPR training mandatory for elementary and high school students as part of the basic

education curriculum.  The bill was named after basketball

player Samboy Lim as a reminder that car-diac arrest can happen even to physically fit people such as athletes. 

Lim collapsed in the middle of an exhi-bition game featuring former Philippine Basketball Association superstars in 2014.

The health chief said demonstrations in schools, provided by the DoH and its partners, will also be scaled up to train students on the practical use of CPR.

“There should be a mannequin. everyone who sees the video should actually perform cardiopul-monary resuscitation,” Ubial said.

She also said the DoH plans to increase the number of barangay health facilities in schools for emergency evacuations. These centers are needed to separate the ill and vulnerable from healthy evacuees and give   them privacy, Ubial added.

Nine-hour fire. Firemen and employees wait outside a shopping mall along Katipunan Avenue in Quezon City that was hit by a nine-hour fire. Probers are still looking for the cause of the fire which damaged an estimated P10 million worth of goods. EY ACASIO

Arms show. National Police Director General Ronald de la Rosa shows off the Minimi NK3 5.56M Squad Automatic Weapon from Arsenal-DND Philippines during the opening of the 24th Defense and Sporting Arms Show at the Mega Trade Hall, SM Mega Mall, Mandaluyong City. MANNY PALMERO

By Rey E. Requejo   

THe Court of Appeals has affirmed its de-cision denying the petition filed by several physicians and health workers for the issu-ance of the privilege of the writs of amparo and habeas data to stop  harassments, threats and surveillance activities being carried out against them by state security forces.

In a three-page resolution, the CA’s Sev-enth Division through Associate Justice Victoria Isabel Paredes dismissed the mo-tion for reconsideration filed by the peti-tioners seeking the reversal of its decision issued last Dec. 10, 2015.

The CA stressed that the petitioners failed to raise new arguments that would warrant the granting of their petition.

“We have carefully reviewed our deci-sion vis-a-vis the motion for reconsidera-

tion, and we found that the issues raised in the present motion and the arguments ad-vanced in support thereof are mere rehash of those already considered and passed upon, and no new issue or substantial ar-gument has been presented to justify the reversal or modification of the assailed de-cision,” the appellate court ruled. 

Associate Justices Magdangal M. de Leon and elihu Ybanez concurred with the ruling.

The petitioners include Dr. Darby San-tiago, chairman of the Health Alliance for Democracy; Imelda Gerali, registered nurse and administrative officer of the Samahang Operasyong Sagip, member of HeAD; Rebecca Abelong, member of Kilusang Mayo Uno; Neil Ambion, me-dia liaison officer of KMU; Renato C. Asa, member of KMU; and other health advocates. 

A part from police and military officials, the petitioners named former President Benigno Aquino as respondent in the case. 

A writ of amparo is a remedy available to any person whose right to life, liberty, and security is violated or threatened with vio-lation by an unlawful act or omission.

The writ of habeas data is a remedy avail-able to any person whose right to privacy in life, liberty or security is violated or threat-ened by an unlawful act or omission of a public official or employee, among others. 

In its Dec. 10, 2015 decision,  the CA ruled that the petitioners failed to mention Aquino’s involvement in any incident nar-rated by them. 

The appellate court also held that the petitioners have not provided any clear information on the identity of the person or persons responsible for the purported threats and alleged surveillance on them.

Health workers lose bid for amparo

A6F R I D AY : J U LY 1 5 , 2 0 1 6

[email protected]

Rody keeps Naia execs on alert

Immigration reforms proposed By Maricel V. CruzFORMER Speaker and Quezon City Rep. Speaker Feliciano Bel-monte Jr. has sought to reorgan-ize and convert the Bureau of Im-migration into a commission to institute reforms in the country’s present immigration system.

Belmonte, in filing House Bill 162 otherwise known as the “Philippine Immigration and Registration of Foreign Nationals Act,” stressed the need for Congress to pass a law that will expand the Bureau’s jurisdiction for the domestic and external inter-ests of the Philippines.

“The Bureau of Immigration should be clothed with a renewed mandate to deliver world-class im-

migration services that will promote the country’s image in the interna-tional community as a safe tourist destination and a potential invest-ment site,” said Belmonte.

Under the bill, the Commission shall be administered by the Board of Com-missioners headed by the commissioner as chairperson and four deputy com-missioners as members and shall all be appointed by the president.

The bill provides that the Board of Commissioners shall have the power to deport, revoke immigration status, recognize Philippine citizenship by birth or marriage, issue and revoke all visas, declare indigency and legalize residence in accordance with law.

The measure states appointed deputy commissioners shall be as-

signed by the commissioner to su-pervise relative to the operations of the different divisions in terms of regulation, border control, enforce-ment and management support.

Immigration officers shall have the power to exclude foreign nation-als that are not properly document-ed, search for foreign nationals on any vessel believed to be used to ille-gally bringing foreign nationals into the Philippines, the bill states.

They can also act as control offic-ers with authority to prevent the exit of passengers not complying with departure requirements, it adds.

Moreover, the Commission shall have field offices in each of the ad-ministrative regions including the National Capital Region.

nals this year.  Recto said President Du-

terte will be able to find out for himself “if X-ray ma-chines are working, if toi-lets are clean, if queues are short and move fast, if air conditioning works, if bag-gage carousels are moving, and there are enough taxis for passengers.”

With him as regular Naia user, “then perhaps congestion around and above Naia will now be at-tended to,” Recto said.

“With the right mix of incentives and occasional invectives from Duterte, Naia can transform from

world’s worst to best,” he added.

The senator conceded that these problems will take time and money to solve but if you have the president experiencing the inconven-iences then surely work will be done on a faster pace. 

Even if President Duterte will alternately take private planes and commercial jets in going home to Davao City, this will be enough to “audit” Naia passenger care services, Recto said.

The senator said govern-ment has enough money “to keep Naia’s ceilings from falling down or air

conditioners from conking out” as they repeatedly did over the past years.

Government, he said, collected P10.4 billion from Naia passengers and airlines in 2015. 

Out of this, government netted P5.44 billion: P1.22 billion as its 20 percent share from gross income, P1.27 billion in tax pay-ments, and P2.94 billion in net profit.

About a third of Naia’s gross income came the P550 international termi-nal fee and the P200 do-mestic terminal fee paid by passengers. 

In addition, Naia is a “major collection point” of travel taxes.

Bulk of the P3.85 billion travel tax collections in 2014 were paid by passen-gers who boarded flights in Naia, Recto said. 

Travel tax rates range from P2,700 for a first class passenger to P1,620 for an economy seat to P300 for an OFW dependent.

Recto also pointed out that a significant portion of the Civil Aviation Au-thority of the Philippines’ P6.6 billion gross income in 2015 came from Naia aviation activities.

This is the observation of Senator Ralph Recto, who said that if the chief executive board flights in the Naia terminal “then such will serve as presi-dential inspection tours” on the nation’s premier air gateway.

“If he becomes a Naia regular then he can see for

himself if services are be-ing improved. He will also see first hand the things which need to be done,” Recto said.

“This will have at least 37 million unintended beneficiaries,” Recto said, referring to the expected number of passengers who will use Naia’s four termi-

Binay urges traders: Help rebuild MakatiBy Joel E. ZurbanoMAKATI Mayor Abigail Binay on Thursday ap-pealed to businessmen to help her government rebuild and restore good governance in the city.

The mayor was invited to induct the Rotary Club of Manila’s new board of direc-tors and officers led by presi-dent Teodoro Ocampo.

In her speech at the New World Hotel, Binay said there was a need to rectify what she called the damage caused by the previous administration.

“We need to rebuild our city. We need to rebuild gov-ernance in Makati. We need to undo one year’s worth of inefficiency, neglect and misuse of government re-sources,” she claimed.

Binay said she was dismayed to find the city-run hospital lacking in the most basic needs such as hospital gloves and rea-gents, while its patients have suffered for months due to the breakdown in airconditioning. “For so many years, the Ospital ng Makati never experienced shortages in supplies and med-icine. Hospital facilities were well-maintained. The hospi-tal even garnered recognition from the International Stand-ards Organization or ISO,” she

said. She said she has directed the concerned offices to rectify the situation.

Binay said that after only two weeks in office, her ad-ministration has uncovered irregularities and violations of the law in the promotion and hiring of government employees.

“These were promotions not based on merit, but based on political connections. There were hirings made not based on competence, but by blood and political relations to the appointing authority and his operators. Hundreds were included in the govern-ment payroll, but their exact functions, assignments and whereabouts were not clear, if they reported for work at all,” Binay said.

“The Rotary Club of Ma-nila, for almost a century now, has been relentless in its mission to uplift the lives of poor and disadvantaged Filipinos. Your organization has helped rebuild the lives of countless victims of calami-ties in various parts of the country. You have also suc-cessfully supported core pro-grams of Rotary Internation-al, including its noble goal to eradicate polio. Indeed, you have done yourselves proud,” Binay said.

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte’s decision to take commercial flights in regularly shuttling between Manila and Davao would allow him to personally check on the improvements done on the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. 

Cleanup drive. Malabon City workers remove waterlilies to declog a river in Malabon on Thursday. ANDREW RABULAN

Two tigers’ tale. Zoo owner Manny Tangco introduces two cubs named Tiger Duterte and Tiger Leni at the Malabon Zoo Aquarium and Botanical Garden on Thursday. ANDREW RABULAN

THE Court of Appeals has upheld a resolution of the Department of Justice that dismissed the libel com-plaint filed by an oil company against former Bureau of Customs Commissioner Na-poleon Morales in 2010.

In a 19-page ruling writ-ten by Associate Justice Amy Lazaro-Javier, the CA’s Spe-cial Ninth Division denied

the petition filed by Pilipi-nas Shell Petroleum Corp. against Morales.

The CA upheld the ruling of the DOJ dated Feb. 13, 2012 and March 17, 2015.

Shell, through its vice presi-dent for Communications Roberto Kanapi, anchored its complaint-affidavit dated Aug. 16, 2010 on the alleged libelous statements of Mo-

rales during an interview with Erwin Tulfo over radio station DZXL on Jan. 18, 2010.

During the interview, Mo-rales accused Shell of com-mitting fraud in declaring its imported petroleum prod-ucts as “tetrapropylene,” a lu-bricant, instead of its correct classification as unleaded gas.

Shell filed a complaint for libel before the Makati City

Prosecutor’s Office but it was denied.

This prompted the oil company to seek redress before the DoJ and later el-evated the case to the appel-late court.

“Morales cannot be ac-cused of libel for he was merely stating the position of the government,” the CA ruling said. PNA

CA junks libel suit vs ex-Customs chief

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f r i d ay : j u ly 1 5 , 2 0 1 6

news

PDEA burns P1.77-b shabu

Poverty in Samar island down to 25% in two years, says Piñol

By F. Pearl A. Gajunera

The Philippine Drug enforcement Agency and the Philippine National Police on Thursday burned P1.77 billion worth of dangerous drugs at the Integrated Waste Management Inc. in Barangay Aguado, Trece Martires City, Cavite.

The Department of Public Works and highways office in Region 12 has integrated a vital road into General Santos City’s 19.6-kilometer circumferential road network.

DPWh Region 12 director, engineer Reynaldo Tamayo Sr., said Thursday the road from the junction of the Digos-Makar highway to the junction of the Filipino-American Friendship Avenue has been declared by their central office as part of the national road network.

Tamayo said the move, which mainly expanded the coverage of the circumferential road, was based on Department Order No. 140 issued last June 27.

The road will be under the supervision of the South Co-tabato II District engineering Office, he said.

“Its declaration as part of the primary road network will result to additional budgets for future maintenance activities like as-phalting and other improvements, such as widening and construc-tion of additional lanes, upgrading of road shoulders, and the instal-lation of drainage systems and guardrails,” Tamayo said.

DPWh-12 opened the P1.135-billion road network’s northern section last April following the full completion of its two vital components—the Silway bridge and the expansion of a portion of the 10.5-kilometer road section in Barangay Apopong in General Santos.

The northern section starts at the diversion road along the Digos-Makar highway in Baran-gay Katangawan and stretches to Sinawal road on the General San-tos-Isulan highway in Barangay Apopong.

The circumferential road stretches to the western part of the city through the diversion road in Barangays Apopong and Sinawal to the city airport road in Barangay Fatima.

The diversion road from the city airport to the fishport complex in Barangay Tambler is being constructed. PNA

DPWH extends GenSan roadnetwork

PDeA Director General Isidro Lapeña and PNP Chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa led the destruction of the seized contraband.

“Majority of the burned shabu, weighing 180,903.10 grams, were dug up in a beach resort in the far-flung area of Claveria, Cagayan last July 3, 2016,” said Lapeña.

”We want the public to wit-ness the destruction of dangerous drugs seized by drug enforcement officers in order to allay public ap-prehensions that these illicit sub-stances are being reused, recycled or sold back in the streets,” he said, adding that the destruction of il-legal drugs was also his first only two weeks after he took over the PDeA’s leadership.

A total of 400,356.25 grams of as-sorted pieces of drug paraphernalia

composed of methamphetamine hydrochloride, or shabu, cocaine, ketamine, marijuana, ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, and expired medicines; and liquid shabu weigh-ing 66,250 milliliters were burned to prevent reconstruction.

Lapeña lauded the efforts of the regional trial courts in the cities of Antipolo, Quezon, Makati, Pasay, Manila, Pasig, Parañaque, Taguig, Marikina, Valenzuela, Camiling, Tarlac, Sanchez Mira, Cagayan, Guagua in Pampanga and San Fernando in Pampanga, for the swift prosecution and disposi-tion of drug cases that led to the prompt destruction of these illegal drugs and substances no longer needed as evidence in court.

“There is no looking back, we started strong in this war and we will finish stronger,” Dela Rosa said.

Meanwhile, the Chief Director-ate for Operations of the Philip-pine National Police, Chief Supt. Camilo Cascolan, admitted that Project “Tokhang” of the PNP is only being conducted in slum ar-eas because they are still finding a legal basis for entering high-end subdivisions.

Cascolan said that the PNP has tasked a group to conduct “Tokhang” on big subdivisions, but they are hampered by the lack of a legal leg to stand on.

Meanwhile, he said, all police chiefs will be evaluated weekly based on their performance of the “Tokhang” operations.

he said Dela Rosa himself will lead the evaluation.

“If their performance rating will be low, in a matter of six weeks they will be relieved,” Cascolan said.

Police Chief Supt. elmer Cruz Belte-jar, Region 8 acting regional director, lauded the operatives of PNP Region 8 Anti-Illegal Drugs Operation Task Force and the Sogod Municipal Police Station who neutralized an ex-PNP member allegedly involved in the illegal drug trade on Wednesday af-ternoon in Barangay Zone 1, Sogod, Southern Leyte.

The operatives conducted a buy-

bust operation against ex-PNP Member PO1 emmanuel Salon, 39 years old, listed on the PNP Drug Watchlist in PRO8 and classified as a high-value target of the Re-gional Anti-Drug focus team.

Three PNP personnel were wounded and were taken to So-god District hospital and the RTR hospital, while the body of the suspect was brought to the fu-neral parlor in Sogod. The injured policemen will be awarded the “Medalya ng Sugatang Magiting.”

Over in Bulacan, policemen killed two pushers in a shootout in Baran-gay San Pablo-Sta. elena Diversion Road early Thursday morning.

In Bataan, two suspected drug dealers were killed in an encounter with the police on Wednesday night in Barangay Pagalanggang, Dinalupihan.  

David Cayanan,  who ranked high in the town’s  drug watchlist, and Arnel   Cayanan opened fire on policemen during a buy-bust operation and were killed in the ensuing gun battle.

Police said the two were mem-bers of the Cayanan Brothers Rob-bery holdup and Drug Group. With Mel Caspe, Florante S. Solmerin, Butch Gunio and PNA

By Mel CaspeCATBALOGAN CITY, SAMAR—Department of Agriculture chief Manny Piñol yesterday said the Duterte Administration will work to cut poverty incidence in Samar Island, whose three provinces were the Top 3 poorest in the country, by half in two years.

“This is urgent. Our target is, if you now reg-ister a 50-percent poverty incidence, we will have to cut it down to 25 percent, not during the entire incumbency of President Duterte, but only in two years,” said Piñol.

The DA chief was in Catbalogan to meet lo-cal leaders, farmers and fishermen groups in the eastern Visayas, as part of his promise to return to Samar to improve the lot of Samarnons. Before his assumption as DA chief, he vowed to transform the island into a major food producer of the country.

Piñol said the DA will provide free palay seeds good for two croppings, a working irriga-

tion system, pre- and post-harvest implements and technical assistance for inter-cropping.

“I want to see Samar thriving with coconuts and cacao and coffee. I also would like to inform you that we are supporting tree farming and we will pay a monthly honorarium for those who would want to engage in it, I will meet with en-vironment Secretary Gina Lopez on the 19th to discuss this program,” Piñol concluded.

however, during his visit, dubbed as “Aragtu-bang,” Piñol warned local leaders and regional officials of the DA not to make the department a milking cow and urged them to give the farmers what is due them.

“No nonsense plans this time, no Farm to Pocket Roads, come up with validated data-bas-es of farmers and include their locations and lot numbers. The farmers should be insured by the government. I will help you and I will give you all the funds that you need, provided we will do things right,” he stressed.

Writing for Peace. Center for Peace and Conflict Studies executive director, Dr. Emma Leslie (right), together with Institute of Bangsamoro Studies executive director Abhoud Syed Lingga (2nd from right) officially launch the book entitled Peace is for Everyone: Bangsamoro stories of hope, survival, pain and resilience on Wednesday at the Em Manor Hotel in Cotabato City. OMAr MANGOrSi

Price spike. World gold market prices have spiked from P1,600-P1,750 per gram a few months ago to P2,020-P2,040 per gram. Photo shows a gold trader weighing and checking the purity of 98.4 grams of gold worth P179,000. DAViD CHAN

that Aquino was the “archi-tect” of the landmark ruling by the arbitral court based in The Hague, please remember: If Aquino had not militarized the Scarborough conflict and given the Chinese a reason to set up a permanent base there, we would probably not have needed to file a case the following year.

But Aquino messed up big time in our dealings with Chi-na, beginning with his adamant refusal to punish his people for the killing of eight Chinese tourists at the Rizal Park in Au-gust 2010. It was Aquino who thought that calling the Chi-nese names like “Nazis” would make the Americans rush to our aid in the Spratlys, which the US never did.

OPINIONA8

[ EDI TORI A L ]

TRADE IMPLICATIONS

A9ADELLE CHUAE D I T O R

F R I D AY: J U LY 1 5 , 2 0 1 6

OPINION

IN THE hot months in the middle of 2012, in the disputed (but never really tense) Scarborough Shoal, then-President Noynoy Aquino sent the newly acquired Philippine warship BRP Gregorio del Pilar instead of a civilian Coast Guard vessel to arrest Chinese fishermen earlier reported to be engaged in illegal fishing. That was the start of an incident that became known as the

Scarborough Standoff, which ended with the de facto loss of a rich, traditional fishing ground for Filipino fishermen—and the takeover by the Chinese of an area right at our doorstep due west of Zambales province.

If you’ve forgotten what hap-pened in those tense months in Scarborough (known to our fishermen as Panatag Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc), then you probably wouldn’t be as lavish in your praise of Aquino’s sup-posed role in our long-running territorial dispute with China. It was Aquino who escalated the crisis with China because he wanted to show off his new

warship; it was he—and the Philippines—who lost face when the Chinese didn’t leave Panatag after a US-brokered deal that involved “simultane-ous withdrawal” of all vessels from both sides.

By rights, Aquino should be charged with treason for the loss of Scarborough to the Chinese, who have not left the area since. The favorable ruling by the Per-manent Court of Arbitration should not extinguish Aquino’s culpability in escalating the cri-sis because of his wrong-headed belief that he could stare down the Chinese in Panatag.

So, if you’re still convinced

SO NOT THE HERO

A DANGEROUS and scary scenario is de-veloping in the South China Sea. With its setback from The Hague arbitral court rul-ing, China is trying to save face by ramp-ing up its defiance with an air zone defense over the disputed area to assert its sover-eignty.

To what extent will the Xi Jinping cabal go to save face after The Hague court de-clared illegal China’s nine-dash line claim-ing nearly the entire South China Sea? The Chinese politburo is made up of China’s top military leaders who control the Peo-ple’s Liberation Army.

Clearly, China does not want to tangle with the more modern US aircraft carriers with their full complement of jetfighters on deck. The danger here is a miscalculation in the sky between Chinese aircraft and US jetfighters scrambled from US aircraft carriers plying the strategic waters. The US maintains the skies over the South China Sea are international air space. So are the sea lanes used by commercial cargo vessels.

Some wars were sparked by an isolated incident. “Remember the Maine” was the battle cry sparked by the1898 mysterious explosion of the ship USS Maine at Havana harbor in Cuba that started the Spanish-American War.

Aside from its own strategic interest to prop up the beleaguered regime of South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem, the US wanted to contain the spread of commu-nism and its domino effect in Southeast Asia.

A reader commented that the US is in the South China Sea because of its own strategic interest even if it’s not a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. That may be true, but the US interest in Southeast Asia serves the Philippine interest as a deterrent to China’s aggressive moves to dominate the region.

Certainly, the Philippines cannot stand up to the military might of China. But with US presence in the region, China will have to think twice before attacking its smaller neighbors. Recall that China did not have the guts to encroach on Philippine wa-ters when the US Seventh Fleet was based in Subic naval base in Zambales while a squadron of modern aircraft was based in Clark Field, Pampanga. The Chinese start-ed creeping up on us after the Senate, in a landmark vote, booted out the Americans from both Subic and Clark. Filipino fish-ermen who were driven out of their tradi-tional fishing grounds near Scarborough Shoal by Chinese gunboats exalted and started going out to sail, prompting the Duterte government to call for restraint.

Meanwhile, the name of former Presi-dent Fidel V. Ramos has cropped up as being considered by President Rodrigo Duterte as special envoy to Beijing. This is a good move. FVR has the stature to patch things up with China if the Chinese

SAVING FACE AND ITS

CONSEQUENCES

It was Aquino who refused to con-duct parallel negotiations with China even while the PCA case was going on, as lawyers familiar with arbitral cases encouraged him to do. And it was Aqui-no who sent Senator Antonio Trillanes to China as back-channel negotiator with the senator’s “politburo contacts,” that only resulted in tourist and fruit-export bans from Beijing.

Aquino is not the hero in the PCA ruling. Far from it: He was actually act-ing against his own country’s interest the whole time.

* * *Sass Rogando Sasot, a Filipino hon-

or student at Leiden College in The Hague, has come up with a hilarious (if totally imaginary) dialog between a sober person and a CHexit advocate. It’s so funny, I just have to share it here, with some editing for space:

Sober Mind: What do you mean by CHexit?

CHexit: I want China to exit the West Philippine Sea!

Sober Mind: The Tribunal decision didn’t say anything about that. So how

would you achieve what you want?CHexit: I will ask the US to help us.Sober Mind: Help you what?CHexit: Help me kick them out of

the West Philippine Sea.Sober Mind: So, you want war?CHexit: YES! I want dead Chinese! I

want them dead! I want them out of the West Philippine Sea!

Sober Mind: Let me get this straight. You want the United States to send their soldiers to die for you and spend the money of their taxpayers so that you can achieve what you want? Continued on A11

FISHING, mineral exploration and other commercial activities in the West Philippine Sea must be viewed in a different light from the hostile positions taken by claimants in the disputed water. That may be diffi-cult to achieve at the moment given the embarrassment created by the landmark ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague on China.

The Philippines and other nations contesting the disputed West Phil-ippine Sea, however, should strive to keep trade relations with China open and stable given the clout of the world’s second-biggest economy.

It may be too early to impose one’s will over the expanse of the Asian sea—one of the world’s most strategic shipping routes—following the international court ruling. Just the same, the protagonists in the area, especially the Philippines and a defiant China, must be cautious in their next move and wait for the right time to explain their respective agenda.

The Philippines has said it is not in a hurry to resume oil and gas ex-ploration in contested parts of the sea pending a thorough understand-ing of the decision. The Philippines has had success in the exploitation of natural gas in waters near Palawan province and minor oil discover-ies over the northwestern part of the island. This commercial activity should resume in the near future and it will not be counter-productive if Filipino companies invite their China counterparts in a joint explora-tion scheme.

The Philippines has exercised restraint over the West Philippine Sea when it imposed a moratorium on oil and gas drillings in the West Phil-ippine Sea. China should consider the Philippines’ self-restraint as an act of good faith and move forward in developing similar commercial activities under a formal arrangement.

Fishing by Filipinos over the previously “disputed waters,” meanwhile, should resume unhampered and with no intimidation from contesting claimants, as long as the activity does not endanger the ecosystem as The Hague decision correctly pointed out.

The Philippines and China have been trading partners since the olden days. They should remain that way and further the relation in the face of global trade headwinds.

Aquino was actually acting against his own

country’s interest the whole time

in the territorial dispute.

LOWDOWN

JOJO A. ROBLES

Continued on A10

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that Aquino was the “archi-tect” of the landmark ruling by the arbitral court based in The Hague, please remember: If Aquino had not militarized the Scarborough conflict and given the Chinese a reason to set up a permanent base there, we would probably not have needed to file a case the following year.

But Aquino messed up big time in our dealings with Chi-na, beginning with his adamant refusal to punish his people for the killing of eight Chinese tourists at the Rizal Park in Au-gust 2010. It was Aquino who thought that calling the Chi-nese names like “Nazis” would make the Americans rush to our aid in the Spratlys, which the US never did.

OPINIONA8

[ EDI TORI A L ]

TRADE IMPLICATIONS

A9ADELLE CHUAE D I T O R

F R I D AY: J U LY 1 5 , 2 0 1 6

OPINION

IN THE hot months in the middle of 2012, in the disputed (but never really tense) Scarborough Shoal, then-President Noynoy Aquino sent the newly acquired Philippine warship BRP Gregorio del Pilar instead of a civilian Coast Guard vessel to arrest Chinese fishermen earlier reported to be engaged in illegal fishing. That was the start of an incident that became known as the

Scarborough Standoff, which ended with the de facto loss of a rich, traditional fishing ground for Filipino fishermen—and the takeover by the Chinese of an area right at our doorstep due west of Zambales province.

If you’ve forgotten what hap-pened in those tense months in Scarborough (known to our fishermen as Panatag Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc), then you probably wouldn’t be as lavish in your praise of Aquino’s sup-posed role in our long-running territorial dispute with China. It was Aquino who escalated the crisis with China because he wanted to show off his new

warship; it was he—and the Philippines—who lost face when the Chinese didn’t leave Panatag after a US-brokered deal that involved “simultane-ous withdrawal” of all vessels from both sides.

By rights, Aquino should be charged with treason for the loss of Scarborough to the Chinese, who have not left the area since. The favorable ruling by the Per-manent Court of Arbitration should not extinguish Aquino’s culpability in escalating the cri-sis because of his wrong-headed belief that he could stare down the Chinese in Panatag.

So, if you’re still convinced

SO NOT THE HERO

A DANGEROUS and scary scenario is de-veloping in the South China Sea. With its setback from The Hague arbitral court rul-ing, China is trying to save face by ramp-ing up its defiance with an air zone defense over the disputed area to assert its sover-eignty.

To what extent will the Xi Jinping cabal go to save face after The Hague court de-clared illegal China’s nine-dash line claim-ing nearly the entire South China Sea? The Chinese politburo is made up of China’s top military leaders who control the Peo-ple’s Liberation Army.

Clearly, China does not want to tangle with the more modern US aircraft carriers with their full complement of jetfighters on deck. The danger here is a miscalculation in the sky between Chinese aircraft and US jetfighters scrambled from US aircraft carriers plying the strategic waters. The US maintains the skies over the South China Sea are international air space. So are the sea lanes used by commercial cargo vessels.

Some wars were sparked by an isolated incident. “Remember the Maine” was the battle cry sparked by the1898 mysterious explosion of the ship USS Maine at Havana harbor in Cuba that started the Spanish-American War.

Aside from its own strategic interest to prop up the beleaguered regime of South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem, the US wanted to contain the spread of commu-nism and its domino effect in Southeast Asia.

A reader commented that the US is in the South China Sea because of its own strategic interest even if it’s not a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. That may be true, but the US interest in Southeast Asia serves the Philippine interest as a deterrent to China’s aggressive moves to dominate the region.

Certainly, the Philippines cannot stand up to the military might of China. But with US presence in the region, China will have to think twice before attacking its smaller neighbors. Recall that China did not have the guts to encroach on Philippine wa-ters when the US Seventh Fleet was based in Subic naval base in Zambales while a squadron of modern aircraft was based in Clark Field, Pampanga. The Chinese start-ed creeping up on us after the Senate, in a landmark vote, booted out the Americans from both Subic and Clark. Filipino fish-ermen who were driven out of their tradi-tional fishing grounds near Scarborough Shoal by Chinese gunboats exalted and started going out to sail, prompting the Duterte government to call for restraint.

Meanwhile, the name of former Presi-dent Fidel V. Ramos has cropped up as being considered by President Rodrigo Duterte as special envoy to Beijing. This is a good move. FVR has the stature to patch things up with China if the Chinese

SAVING FACE AND ITS

CONSEQUENCES

It was Aquino who refused to con-duct parallel negotiations with China even while the PCA case was going on, as lawyers familiar with arbitral cases encouraged him to do. And it was Aqui-no who sent Senator Antonio Trillanes to China as back-channel negotiator with the senator’s “politburo contacts,” that only resulted in tourist and fruit-export bans from Beijing.

Aquino is not the hero in the PCA ruling. Far from it: He was actually act-ing against his own country’s interest the whole time.

* * *Sass Rogando Sasot, a Filipino hon-

or student at Leiden College in The Hague, has come up with a hilarious (if totally imaginary) dialog between a sober person and a CHexit advocate. It’s so funny, I just have to share it here, with some editing for space:

Sober Mind: What do you mean by CHexit?

CHexit: I want China to exit the West Philippine Sea!

Sober Mind: The Tribunal decision didn’t say anything about that. So how

would you achieve what you want?CHexit: I will ask the US to help us.Sober Mind: Help you what?CHexit: Help me kick them out of

the West Philippine Sea.Sober Mind: So, you want war?CHexit: YES! I want dead Chinese! I

want them dead! I want them out of the West Philippine Sea!

Sober Mind: Let me get this straight. You want the United States to send their soldiers to die for you and spend the money of their taxpayers so that you can achieve what you want? Continued on A11

FISHING, mineral exploration and other commercial activities in the West Philippine Sea must be viewed in a different light from the hostile positions taken by claimants in the disputed water. That may be diffi-cult to achieve at the moment given the embarrassment created by the landmark ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague on China.

The Philippines and other nations contesting the disputed West Phil-ippine Sea, however, should strive to keep trade relations with China open and stable given the clout of the world’s second-biggest economy.

It may be too early to impose one’s will over the expanse of the Asian sea—one of the world’s most strategic shipping routes—following the international court ruling. Just the same, the protagonists in the area, especially the Philippines and a defiant China, must be cautious in their next move and wait for the right time to explain their respective agenda.

The Philippines has said it is not in a hurry to resume oil and gas ex-ploration in contested parts of the sea pending a thorough understand-ing of the decision. The Philippines has had success in the exploitation of natural gas in waters near Palawan province and minor oil discover-ies over the northwestern part of the island. This commercial activity should resume in the near future and it will not be counter-productive if Filipino companies invite their China counterparts in a joint explora-tion scheme.

The Philippines has exercised restraint over the West Philippine Sea when it imposed a moratorium on oil and gas drillings in the West Phil-ippine Sea. China should consider the Philippines’ self-restraint as an act of good faith and move forward in developing similar commercial activities under a formal arrangement.

Fishing by Filipinos over the previously “disputed waters,” meanwhile, should resume unhampered and with no intimidation from contesting claimants, as long as the activity does not endanger the ecosystem as The Hague decision correctly pointed out.

The Philippines and China have been trading partners since the olden days. They should remain that way and further the relation in the face of global trade headwinds.

Aquino was actually acting against his own

country’s interest the whole time

in the territorial dispute.

LOWDOWN

JOJO A. ROBLES

Continued on A10

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BACK CHANNEL

ALEJANDRO DEL ROSARIO

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

Published Monday to Sunday by Philippine Manila Standard Publishing Inc. at 6/F Universal Re Building, 106 Paseo de Roxas, corner Perea St., Legaspi Village, Makati City. Telephone numbers 832-5554, 832-5556, 832-5558 (connecting all departments), (Editorial), 832-5546, (Advertising), 832-5550. P.O. Box 2933, Manila Central Post Office, Manila. Website: www.thestandard.com.ph; E-mail: [email protected] Anita F. Grefal Treasury Manager Maan Ilustre Advertising and Marketing Head Edgar M. Valmorida Circulation Manager

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ONLINE

OPINIONF R I D AY: J U LY 1 5 , 2 0 1 6

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WHEN an international court or tribunal hands down a judg-ment, expect not a sheaf of pa-pers but a tome. That was exactly what we got from the Permanent Court of Arbitration that ruled on our plaint against the Peo-ple’s Republic of China. Arbi-tration is generally classified as an alternative dispute resolution method—“alternative” to formal adjudication. In international law, however, arbitration has been a fecund source of doc-trine, and the pronouncements of many arbiters and umpires have made it to the corpus of international law classics, cited by most learned treatises on the subject.

A slam dunk—that is how many commentators have de-scribed the victory of the Phil-ippines, because almost all of its submissions found favor with the tribunal. And that was not really because the PROC chose to recuse itself from the pro-ceedings. China’s position—ex-pressed in official statements, policy declarations, unilateral pronouncements—was carefully and diligently paid heed. The ar-biters also did what most courts in the Philippines would not do: Ask independent researchers to supply it with detailed reports on the facts.

China claimed exclusive rights to exploit marine resourc-

es in the contested area on the basis of “historic title.” Even before the Philippines went to court, the Chinese had retrieved from their archives ancient maps with strange markings and even stranger configurations that, they claimed, clearly showed that all the contested portions of ocean, islands, islets, shoals and reefs were appurtenances of the Middle Kingdom. For some time, we were flustered, but what more is one to expect from a kingdom that has always thought itself to be at the mid-dle of the world and everything and everyone else as marginal, including “barbarians” claims to rights? Of course, there is the very good point made by Justice Antonio Carpio—who should be receiving plenty of national acclaim for his schol-arly contribution to the Philip-pine case—that we are not even sure that those maps show what they purport to show, having been plotted centuries before cartography became a science! One has only to remember that charming scene from the origi-nal “King and I” (the Yul Bryn-ner version) screenplay where Lady Thiang, chief wife, uses an ideological map to show, by sheer magnitude, the might of Siam in contrast to the misery of Burma! Geographical hogwash, but politically useful! We did no less, of course, and Tony Carpio had an armful of maps himself. But the tribunal ruled that his-

toric title would not stand in the face of express provisions of conventional (treaty) law—such as the articles of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. The coastal state by provi-sion of positive law enjoys sov-ereign rights over its Exclusive Economic Zone that not even claims resting on historic title may trump. This is certainly an affirmation of the positivity of modern law. Rosalyn Higgins, at one time president of the In-ternational Court of Justice, has argued persuasively for the con-ception that international law is to be thought of not so much as a set of rules but of processes

by which decisions in the inter-national arena are made. Con-sidered thus, the Unclos was a process by which nations of the world (with the notable excep-tion of the USA) agreed on a re-gime for the world’s waters. The vagaries of historic recall cannot stand in the way of those pro-cesses by which the global com-munity arrives at consensus!

There are many other no-table findings of fact and state-ments of the law that are better developed in specialized dis-courses. Such is the finding that the features in the disputed area does not qualify as islands and are incapable of generating an exclusive economic zone of their own. When is a forma-tion an island and when is it not? Here, one sees how even geography’s definitions yield to the characterizations of law in the conduct of human affairs. While it seems that the arbiters made us of habitability and the capacity to sustain prolonged human occupation as criteria, that triggers very interesting questions in light of decisions of the ICJ and other interna-tional tribunals that have made pronouncements on the degree of “effective occupation” neces-sary to consolidate a claim to sovereignty over a non-habit-able island!

But now, it seems, we are pursuing a policy of placation, with President Digong plan-ning on making a trip to China,

I hope, not to apologize that we won the battle. To ask for so-briety and charity in victory is all very well. There is no point to useless provocation. But the tantrums of the Chinese, even if it should be the rabid “nation-alism” of a humongous nation with which we deal, should not tempt us into a position of mis-placed reticence! We won, and most countries of the world that have spoken out have called on China to abide by the judg-ment. It contributes greatly to the cause of world peace when a people who have nurtured the myth that theirs is the “Middle Kingdom” are taught the politi-cal implications of that to which Ferdinand Magellan’s voyage (though ill-fated) gave practical demonstration: that the earth is round, and that there can be no middle kingdoms, really! The British saw their empire shrink, their monarch reduced to a figure-head. It was the same thing with Spain’s dreams of a global empire. And Europe, after Brexit, is less sure of itself now and more aware of the ten-uousness of the vision of One Europe. The Chinese have to learn that important lesson, too —because when they do, the world will be better off. Cater-ing to myths by flattery is never a good idea!

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LESSONS LEARNED

KA BLAS OPLE’S VISION

WE HAD to temporarily set aside, in the heat of the last presidential campaign period, the resolution of major prob-lems that our active and retired workers face daily such as low wages, stagnant pensions, and the “endo” practice of employ-ers to terminate—instead of regularizing—a worker’s em-ployment at the end of his usual six-month contract.

We had the comfort then, anyway, of having all of the five presidential bets taking the same populist side on how to solve them. The exception was PNoy’s anointed candidate, who chose to adopt his position in vetoing the P2,000 increase in the Social Security System’s pensions that Congress had already passed.

Mayor Rodrigo Duterte has won the presidency, and now we are waiting earnestly the imple-mentation of his actions to these problems the way he had earlier promised.

Meantime, my senior citizen friends and I would continue to browse over the electronic book copy of “Blas Fajardo Ople: Phi-losopher King,” which is a col-lection of quotations of the late

Ka Blas that his daughter Susan had compiled from his essays, columns, and speeches.

There is a lot to learn from that book. Clearly, if Ka Blas were still alive today, he would be siding with President Digong in resolving our problems.

Ka Blas has become our most outstanding labor secretary while in the service of former President Ferdinand Marcos during the early years of his Martial Law. Known for picking only the best and the brightest to serve in his cabinet, FM did not err in ap-pointing Ople on the basis of his reputed intelligence, writing skills, and grasp of labor issues.

His greatest achievements, according to Ka Blas himself, was in authoring the Labor Code of the Philippines that un-til now protects the rights of our workers, and in launching the overseas employment program that has improved the lives of millions of Filipino families.

The Labor Code created the Employees’ Compensation Commission, which now pro-vides sickness, disability, death and rehabilitation benefits that result from work-related illness-es and injuries.

To support the overseas em-ployment program, Ka Blas cre-

ated the tandem agencies Phil-ippine Overseas Employment Administration and Overseas Workers’ Welfare Administration.

He also launched the country’s manpower development program through the National Manpower and Youth Council. It is now the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.

He initiated the payment of the 13th month pay and the Cost of Living Allowance that ordi-nary workers now enjoy. Because of him, unionists have main-tained their rights to self-organi-zation and collective bargaining, and settle their labor disputes at the National Labor Relations Commission in a non-adversari-al and non-litigious process.

His accomplishments, all to-gether, have raised the labor de-partment from a mere bureau to a major force in national affairs.

His brilliance and leadership were recognized by the interna-tional labor community. Conse-quently, it elected him president of the 60th International Labor Conference in Geneva, Switzer-land in 1975.

In 1953, Ka Blas joined the Magsaysay-for-President Movement, headed its Execu-tive Planning Committee, and wrote speeches for Nacionalista

Party candidates. Thereafter, he worked under Labor Secretary Terry Adevoso while also report-ing directly to President Ramon Magsaysay as his technical assis-tant on labor and agrarian affairs.

He was appointed by Presi-dent Cory Aquino to help draft the 1987 Constitution. He was later elected senator in 1992, reelected in 1998, and became Senate President briefly from 1999 to 2000 before eventually accepting the appointment of President Gloria Macapagal-Ar-royo as foreign affairs secretary in July 2002.

He died abroad while on a diplomatic mission on Dec. 14, 2003.

Ka Blas joined the policymak-ing body of SSS—the Commis-sion—as an ex-officio member representing government during his incumbency as labor secre-tary from 1967 to 1986. Strange-ly, he first joined it as a manage-ment representative in 1966.

But unknown to most of us —and even to Susan, perhaps —he had almost succeeded in merging SSS and the Govern-ment Service Insurance System through a bill that he authored at the Senate. This was enacted into law as Republic Act No. 7699 or the “Portability Law” on

May 1, 1994.Its Section 1 reiterates the of-

ten-declared “policy of the State to promote the welfare of our workers by recognizing their efforts in productive endeavors and to further improve their conditions by providing benefits for their long years of contribu-tion to the national economy.”

But this section is unique in its mandate on what must be done later—

“Towards this end, the State shall institute a scheme for total-ization and portability of social security benefits with the view of establishing within a reason-able period a unitary social se-curity system.”

Sadly, nothing has been done to establish that “unitary social security system” despite the pas-sage of a reasonable period—22 years—since the enactment of the Portability Law. The best that SSS and GSIS could do was totalized their members’ credit-able years of contributions and paid pro-rata pensions.

If President Digong really wants to, he can finish establishing in the next six years the unitary social security system that Ka Blas had envisioned a long time ago.

All he has to do is merge SSS and GSIS.

PENSEES

FR. RANHILIO CALLANGAN

AQUINO

FILIPINOPENSIONER

HORACETEMPLO

The tantrums of the Chinese, even if it should be the

rabid ‘nationalism’ of a humongous

nation with which we deal, should

not tempt us into a position of misplaced

reticence.

A11F R I D AY: J U LY 1 5 , 2 0 1 6

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CHONG ARDIVILLA#FAILOCRACY

HIGH CRIME IN THE HIGH SEAS

THE decision or award given the Philippines is stunning in its scope and clarity and breathtak-ing in its regional and global im-plications.

At 5 p.m. on July 12, The Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration, at 117 years old, the oldest global institution for the settlement of international disputes, gave the Philippines its biggest legal victory ever in any international arena, and China, its biggest and most humiliating setback in its campaign for inter-national maritime and economic supremacy and unbridled terri-torial expansion.

Not since 1521 when Filipino warrior Lapu-Lapu defeated Por-tuguese explorer Magellan in the now famous Battle of Mac-tan nearly 500 years ago, has the Philippines won so convincingly a moral and legal victory of glob-al import.

To me, there are two basic is-sues in the Philippines vs. China maritime case filed in January 2013. The so-called ownership by China of some 80 percent of the South China Sea by “historic title,” and the issue over seven reefs or rocks occupied by China but which rocks and reefs are claimed by the Philippines as part of its sovereign maritime resources to which it alone is en-titled to exploit, by reason of its

200-nautical mile Exclusive Eco-nomic Zone.

These seven islands/rocks are: Mischief Reef or Second Thomas Shoal, Cuarteron Reef, Fiery Cross Reef, Gaven Reef (North), John-son Reef, Hughes Reef, and Subic Reef. The tribunal rejected China’s claim to entitlement to these rocks. However, Chinese activities on these rocks such as reclamation, construction of artificial islands, installations and structures “do not constitute ‘military activities,’” the tribunal concluded.

The tribunal declares that “Scarborough Shoal, Gaven Reef (North), McKennan Reef, John-son Reef, Cuarteron Reef, and Fiery Cross Reef, in their natural condition, are rocks that cannot sustain human habitation or eco-nomic life of their own. Accord-ingly, “they generate no entitle-ment to an Exclusive Economic Zone or continental shelf.”

Under the United Nations Conference on Law of the Sea (Article 121, Unclos)—there are three kinds of features above the water—island, rock, and low-tide elevation.

An island is a naturally formed area of land surrounded by water and above water at high tide. An island is entitled to 12-nautical mile territorial sea, 200 NM Ex-clusive Economic Zone or Conti-nental Shelf.

A rock is a reef mainly below water but have rocky formations that protrude above water at high

tide. But it cannot sustain hu-man habitation or economic life on its own. Such a rock is enti-tled at most to 12 NM TS but not to EEZ or CS.

LTE are reefs or artificial is-lands which are not visible or above water at high tide. They are submerged in the water most of the time. They have no TS, EEZ or CS.

The Hague tribunal absolutely rejects China’s nine-dash line theory by “historic title” that en-ables it to claim 80 percent of the South China Sea.

“The tribunal notes that his-toric rights are, in most instances, exceptional rights. They accord a right that a State would not oth-erwise hold, were it not for the operation of the historical process giving rise to the right and the ac-quiescence of other States in the process. It follows from this, how-ever, that the exercise of freedoms permitted under international law cannot give rise to a historic right; it involves nothing that would call for the acquiescence of other States and can only repre-sent the use of what international law already freely permits,” says the 500-page unanimous decision of the five PCA judges ruling on the Philippine case.

Prior to the Unclos, the deci-sion recalls, “the international legal regime for the oceans rec-ognized only a narrow belt of territorial sea and the vast areas of high seas that comprised (and

still comprise) the majority of the oceans. Under this regime, nearly all of the South China Sea formed part of the high seas.”

This portion of the decision renders bogus, null and void, and an absolute lie China’s claim of sovereignty—in terms of terri-tory and right to exploit resourc-es—over 80 percent of the South China Sea. SCS is part of the high seas. It is owned by man-kind, not by the Chinese.

Sneers the PCA decision: “For much of history, therefore, China’s navigation and trade in the South China Sea, as well as fishing beyond the territorial sea, represented the exercise of high seas freedoms. China engaged in activities that were permit-ted to all States by international law, as did the Philippines and other littoral States surrounding the South China Sea. Before the Second World War, the use of the seabed, beyond the limits of the territorial sea, was likewise a freedom open to any State that wished to do so, although as a practical matter the technologi-cal ability to do so effectively has emerged only more recently.”

“Historical navigation and fishing, beyond the territorial sea, cannot therefore form the basis for the emergence of a his-toric right,” says the PCA.

In effect, the PCA is telling the Chinese: “Just because you have been allowed to use the ocean for a period of time, as all other na-

tions have been, does not mean the ocean belongs to you.”

Mischief Reef is not entitled to a 12 NM TS nor to EEZ or CS for China. It belongs to the Phil-ippines because it is part of Ma-nila’s EEZ and CS and China vio-lated the Philippine EEZ and CS.

In this connection, China, said the tribunal, also violated the Philippine EEZ and CS by ban-ning fishing on waters surround-ing rocks and reefs which part of the Philippine EEZ and CS. It also violated the Philippine sovereign rights (which is basically right to exploit) over “the non-living re-sources of its continental shelf in the areas of the Reed Bank.” Reed Bank is supposed to be rich in oil and gas.

The tribunal also found Chi-na guilty of doing harm to the environment in the South China Sea. Chinese vessels harvested “endangered species on a signifi-cant scale,” have been harvesting giant clams “in a manner severely destructive of the coral reef and ecosystem,” and that “China was aware of, tolerated, protected, and failed to prevent the afore-mentioned harmful activities.”

Because of repeated violations of the Philippines’ EEZ sovereign rights and destruction of endan-gered species in the South China Sea, China, to use a metaphor, has been found by the Court of multiple murder and rape.

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VIRTUAL REALITY

TONYLOPEZ

CHexit: America loves us! They will defeat China!

Sober Mind: But you know that the world will become very unsta-ble if the US launches a war against China, right?

CHexit: I don’t care! I want Chi-na out of West Philippine Sea!

Sober Mind: So you would rath-er have World War 3 rather than talk to China and work on how you can reconcile your interests?

CHexit: Are you pro-China? You are a traitor! I want China out of West Philippine Sea! We won our case. The world is behind us. What are you afraid of?

Sober Mind: Don’t you think the world wants you to negotiate with China rather than go into war with

them?CHexit: No! The world wants

us to defeat China! China is evil! We are the David that the world is waiting for to defeat Goliath! And no negotiation! It’s either our way or war.

Sober Mind: Okay, so let’s say the US went to war with China. And the US won. How will the Philippines repay the US?

CHexit: They don’t need to be repaid. The US will not do that. I love the US. US loves me. So we love each other. The US will die for me!

Sober Mind: What’s this? Ro-meo and Juliet?

CHexit: No. It’s the battle of good against evil. We are good. China is evil. So we will win!

Sober Mind: So, why didn’t you

release Arroyo when a UN body said that she was being arbitrarily detained and her continued deten-tion is a violation of international law?

CHexit: Huh? Why would we re-lease her? It would be against justice!

Sober Mind: So, you can choose not to follow international law if it’s against your national interest and your beliefs about what’s legitimate or not, but China cannot do the same?

CHexit: Yes! Because our inter-ests are legitimate. China’s interests are not legitimate.

Sober Mind: So how many dead Filipinos can you take before you realize that you are absolutely stu-pid?

CHexit: “Ang mamatay ng dahil sayo!”

So not... From A9

leadership is willing to deescalate tension in the region.We hope FVR does a better job than Senator Antonio Trillanes IV

who was tapped by former President Benigno Aquino as special envoy to China at the height of the Scarborough Shoal standoff. Ramos’ hand was rumored to be behind Duterte’s presidential run. Being named special envoy to China would validate that suspicion. Generel Hermo-genes Esperon, the Armed Forces chief of staff under Ramos, is now one of the top men in Duterte’s inner circle.

New ‘Iron Lady’ for BritainBritain is going to have a new prime minister in the aftermath of its

referendum vote to leave the European Union. Member of Parliament Theresa May is being looked at as the new Margaret Thatcher.

“Theresa May is not someone you want to tangle with. But she’s good,”said one Conservative MP of the former Home [Interior] Secre-tary who at this early is being described as the new “Iron Lady.”

PM David Cameron stepped down last week after failing to muster the votes that would have kept Britain in the European Union. At least, it will be another Conservative government to take charge of Britain after Brexit.

Saving... From A9

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FRI DAY: J ULY 1 5 , 2 0 1 6

SPORTS

NBA players (from left) Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James speak onstage during the 2016 ESPYS at Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California. AFP

NBA stars James, Melocall for end to violence

Day, Johnson mento beat in Open

Recordpurse up in

IronmanTHE premier triathlon race to hit local shores – the Cobra Energy Drink Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championship presented by Ford – blasts off Aug. 7 in Cebu, offer-ing the biggest prize money ever put up in the country.

A total of $75,000 will be at stake in the hotly anticipated race with a whopping $14,000 going to the champions in the professional category. Big prizes also await the rest of the Top 10 pro finishers.

The runner-up will get $7,000 while the next eight placers will receive $4,500, $3,000, $2,500, $2,000, $1,500, $1,250, 0$1,000 and $750, respectively.

Prizes will also be handed out to the Top 3 finishers in the Fili-pino Elite division of the event backed by Cobra Energy Drink as title sponsor, and Ford as present-ing sponsor, and organized by Sunrise Events, Inc.

Close to 3,000 participants from 43 countries, led by a crack roster of pros will answer the starting gun in the centerpiece 1.9K swim, 90K bike, 21K run race set to start and end at Shan-grila-La Mactan Resort and Spa in Lapu-Lapu City.

“This will be the biggest tri-athlon in the history of the Phil-ippines,” said Wilfred Steven Uytengsu, founder of event pro-ducer SEI.

Uytengsu and SEI’s partners and sponsors are leaving no stone unturned to make the event, held outside Australia and New Zea-land for the first time, a resound-ing success.

“We’re truly privileged and also pressured because this is the chance for the Philippines to shine and show what we can do, together with our Aussie and Kiwi friends and show how we do it in the Philippines. We’ll show them why triathlon is more fun in the Philippines,” said Uytengsu.

LOS ANGELES—Four NBA stars issued a plea for an end to the violence in America on Wednesday with LeBron James calling on athletes in all sports to use their influence make their cities safer.

James delivered his message of hope at the opening of the an-nual ESPN awards show, taking the stage alongside fellow NBA players Dwyane Wade, of the Chicago Bulls, Chris Paul, of the Los Angeles Clippers and Car-melo Anthony, of the New York Knicks.

“Tonight we’re honouring Muhammad Ali, the GOAT (greatest of all time),” James said. “To do his legacy any jus-tice, let’s use this moment as a

call to action for all profes-sional athletes to educate our-selves, explore these issues, speak up, use our inf luence and renounce all violence.

“And most importantly, go back to our communities and invest our time our resourc-es. Help rebuild them, help strengthen them, help change them. We all have to do better.”

The NBA players were react-ing as many Americans took to the streets in the past sev-

eral weeks in a series of protests against police brutality and per-ceived racial bias.

Protesters were demanding answers over the killings of two black men by police in two days, Philando Castile in Minnesota and Alton Sterling in Louisiana.

“It is time to look in the mirror and ask ourselves ‘what are we do-ing to create change?” James said at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.

The killings of the two black men was followed the slaying of five police officers on Friday when gunman Micah Xavier Johnson opened fire during a protest rally in Dallas, Texas.

Wade said the shootings on both sides has to end, decrying not only

the killing of black Americans but the retaliatory shootings of the police officers in Dallas.

“Racial profiling has to stop,” Wade said. “The shoot-to-kill mentality has to stop. Not seeing the value of black and brown bod-ies has to stop. But also retaliation has to stop.

- ‘Endless gun violence’ -“The endless gun violence in

places like Chicago, Dallas, and not to mention Orlando. It has to stop, enough. Enough is enough.”

Anthony was the first to speak.“We cannot ignore the realities of

the current state of America,” said Anthony. “The events of the past week have put a spotlight on the injustice, distrust, and anger that plague so many of us. AFP

TROON—All eyes were on golf’s so-called ‘Big Four’ as the 145th British Open started at Royal Troon on Scotland’s west coast on Thursday, with Dustin Johnson in the best shape.

Beautiful early morning sunshine greeted the first players to tee off, with local hero Colin Montgomerie hit-ting the first shot of the cham-pionship at 6:35 am local time (0535 GMT) in front of enthu-siastic galleries.

Now 53 and seen as one of the best players never to win a major, Montgomerie came through qualifying for this year’s Open.

Playing in a group with Luke Donald and Australia’s Marc Leishman, Montgomerie did not start well, however, finding a greenside bunker and eventually carding a dou-ble-bogey six.

Conditions are expected to remain fine throughout Thursday, with wetter and windier conditions forecast to come in from the Firth of Clyde on Friday and Saturday.

Laid-back American John-son comes into the champion-ship fresh from finally win-ning a major at the US Open last month and he shares the status of favourite with world number one Jason Day of Aus-tralia.

“The game’s in good form, and I’ve got a lot of confidence in it, so we’ll see what hap-pens,” said Johnson, who gets his first round underway at 2pm local time (1300 GMT).

By then, the rest of the ‘Big Four’ -- Day, Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy -- could all be finishing their opening rounds as they each tee off be-fore 10am. AFP

Guidicelli keen on vying in Cobra tourneyACTOR Matteo Guidicelli will be showcasing his skills on a different stage when the Cobra Energy Drink Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championship, featuring some of the world’s top triathletes, unfolds on Aug. 7 in Cebu.

“This is one triathlon that I don’t have to do but look for-ward to doing,” said Guidicel-li, who will be literally rubbing shoulders with triathlon’s elite in the continental showcase being held in the Philippines for the first time and powered by the country’s leading en-ergy drink.

Sponsored by Cobra, the 2016 Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific competition has drawn a ban-ner field of 2,900 entries, led by Australian defending men’s champion Tim Reed and Aus-tralia-based Caroline Steffen, the reigning women’s champ and considered the “Xena” of

triathlon, of Switzerland.Expected to share the spot-

light in the grueling one-day competition are Aussie Tim Van Berkel, who went toe-to-toe with Reed last year before placing second in a thrilling down-the-wire finish, and veteran Craig Alexander, a three-time Ironman world champion.

Providing Steffen stiff challenge in the women’s pro division is New Zealander Kathryn Marie Haesner, who placed fourth in the 2015 edi-tion and has three straight top five triathlon finishes earlier this year in a build-up to the Cebu event offering a total of $75,000 (over P3 million) in cash prizes.

Carrying the colors for the Philippines in the pro division is Manila-based Dan Brown, a trainer-coach and married to Ani de Leon-Brown, the first

Filipina to compete in the tax-ing Ironman world champion-ship in Kona, Hawaii.

A total of 50 slots will also be up for grabs in the blue-ribbon event in the various age group categories to next year’s World Ironman 70.3 championship in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

“We have been a partner of the Ironman 70.3 for the past eight years,”Hubert Tan, Asia Brewery, Inc. Senior Vice Pres-ident Commercial Division, noted. “And for the first time, the Asia-Pacific championship will be held outside of Australia and in the Philippines. We celebrate and share this well-deserved success with everyone behind Cobra Ironman.”

“The sport embodies the qualities of hard work, endur-ance, and perseverance that we associate with our (Cobra) brand,” Tan, himself a triath-lon enthusiast, added.

Matteo Guidicelli – Looking forward to Cobra 70.3 Ironman Triathlon in Cebu.

First time in PBA history. Ginebra San Miguel, Inc. recently released limited edition collectible figures of Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Gin Kings JayJay Helterbrand, Japeth Aguilar, LA Tenorio, Mark Caguioa and Greg Slaughter. Simply collect five (5) seals of Ginebra San Miguel or Vino Kulafu or any three (3) caps of Primera Light Brandy, GSM Blue and GSM Blue Flavors to purchase a collectible figure for only P150 at any Puregold and GSMI partner outlets nationwide. Promo runs until Sept. 15. For more details and updates on “Bring Home the Kings” promo, check out the official Facebook page of Ginebra San Miguel www.facebook.com/barangayginebra, log on to www.ginebrasanmiguel.com or call the customer care hotline at 632-2564.

Saso cards a 73, keeps share of world golf leadYUKA Saso found the going rough, battling windy conditions in the afternoon and carded a one-over par 73, but still held on to a share of the girls’ 15-17 years’ division lead with American Yui Kawamato after the second round Wednesday (Thursday in Manila) of the IMG Academy Junior World Championships at the La Costa Resort and Spa Legends course in Carlsbad, California.

14-stroke deficit.The boys bets couldn’t do

any better with Miko Granada (70-137) sharing 14th place in boys’ 7-8 years at Oaks North for the worthiest showing on the second day.

All eyes will be on Saso in the final two rounds as she tries to prove her mettle against a talented international field as about 20 players are within five shots or less off the joint lead-ers.

“I had a hard time getting it close to the pins today be-cause of the winds, I just tried to minimize my errors,” said Saso, who placed 14th the first time she played in the 13-14 years’ division two years ago. “It’s hard to force it because one mistake can lead to a big score.”

Saso, competing here just for the second time, could only produce a single birdie on the par-5 12th against two bogeys, compared to her eight-birdie 68 start and was lucky to have remained on top with Kawamato, the San Diego native, who took advantage of the calmer winds in the morning with a four-under 68, at 141 through 36 holes.

The 15-year-old Saso, however, appeared to be the only one among the 35 players in the Philippine

contingent sponsored by Philip-pine Airlines left with a chance for a victory as those playing in the 54-hole lower divisions fell too far behind to contend.

Bernice Ilas made the biggest move among the PH bets with a two-under 70 to barge into the Top 10 from 26th in the girls’ 13-14 years competition at The Coun-try Club in Rancho Bernardo. But with a 144 total after an opening 74, the former 7-8 years’ division winner was still 11 shots behind

Riona Higa of Japan, who shot 68-133, going to the final round.

Coco Ong was the best-placed PH bet at solo sixth in the girls’ 6-years-and-under following a 64-129, but she was 27 shots off an-other Japanese leader, Mao Nag-amine.

Annyka Cayabyab also rallied with a two-under 70 that included a hole-in-one on the third hole but can only improve her placing in the girls’ 11-12 at Sycuan Resort-Oak Glen to 18th and facing a

Raterta rules Clean-Up RunFILIPINO pride prevailed when marathon stal-wart Luisa Raterta won the 21-kilometer race for women in this year’s Ma-nila Bay Clean-Up Run, even as the Kenyan trio of Eric Kibiwott Chep-siror, Jackson Chirchir, at Abraham Klimo, made short work of their Fili-pino rivals in the men’s division.

This was the second time the Sta Rosa-Based running coach emerged victorious in the MBC event, after capturing the 42K pennants in previous marathons.

In the 10 km race, Rich-ard Salano, Reynaldo Villafranca, and Gilbert Laido earned gold, silver,

and bronze medals re-spectively, together with Lani Cardona, Marcose Dichoso, and Michelle Gilbuena, who triumphed in the women’s division.

Among the 5km racers, Mervin Duarte, Christo-pher Ulboc, Immanuel Camino, Joneza Sustitue-do, Catherine Bristol, and Celia Rose Jaro emerged winners.

And in the 3 km run, James Darelle Arcu-na, Michael Icao, and Pernille Siason took first, second,a nd third, along with their counterparts female Jenilyn Taller, Ra-chelle Ann Beltran, and Mariette Rementilla.

DZRH Operation Tulong and Land Bank

jointly won the award for Biggest Delegation, field-ing 487 and 449 runners, respectively.

Sofitel Philippine Plaza gave the fun run a novel spin when its 10-strong team for the 5-kilometer race showed up in their service uniforms and emulated the famous “course des garcons” or waiters race popular in Eu-ropean marathons.

The 2016 Manila Bay Clean-Up Run was a pro-ject of Manila Broadcasting Company, in cooperation with the cities of Manila and Pasay, with support from Enervon, Petron, M. Lhuillier, Silka Papaya, Tapa King, Shakey’s, 555 Tuna, Kenny Rogers, May-nilad Water, and Lizalis.

Gin Kings releasecollectible figuresGINEBRA San Miguel Inc. recently released, for a limited period only, collectible figures of Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings’ stars team LA Tenorio, Mark Caguioa, JayJay Hel-terbrand and the Gin Kings’ twin towers Greg Slaughter and Japeth Aguilar.

“This is the first time in Philippine basketball history that we will have collectible figures of the PBA players, particu-larly of the Barangay Ginebra players,” said. Ginebra San Miguel brand manager Paolo Tupaz. “Barangay Gine-bra San Miguel is of the most beloved basketball teams in the PBA which has inspired Filipinos with their never-say-die spirit. Through the col-lectibles, fans can now own an important part

of the team’s history.” To avail of the col-

lectibles, just buy any GSMI product. Every five (5) seals of Gine-bra San Miguel or Vino Kulafu or any three (3) caps of Primera Light Brandy, GSM Blue and GSM Blue Flavors en-titles customers to pur-chase one collectible figure for only P150 at any Puregold and GSMI partner outlets nation-wide. “Bring Home the Kings” promo is ongo-ing until September 15.

For more details and updates on “Bring Home the Kings” pro-mo, check out the of-ficial Facebook page of Ginebra San Miguel www.facebook.com/barangayginebra, log on to www.ginebrasan-miguel.com or call the customer care hotline at 632-2564.

FOTON Pilipinas is looking to come up with at least a semifinal finish when it competes in the AVC Asian Women’s Club Championship from Sept. 3 to 11 at the Alonte Sports Center in Binan City.

Team manager Alvin Lu yester-day bared that hopes are high on the Tornadoes, who vowed to go all out to surpass the 7th-place finish reg-istered in Vietnam by Petron in the previous edition last year of this pres-tigious continental tourney, where the best Asian club teams collide.

Foton Pilipinas had already kicked off its preparation and will switch to a high-er gear once imports Lindsay Stalzer and Ariel Usher arrive next month.

So far, showing up consistently in their twice-a-week training sessions are reinforcements Aby Marano of F2 Logistics, Jen Reyes of Petron and Ra-chel Anne Daquis and Jovelyn Gon-zaga of RC Cola-Army.

Foton stars Santiago, Angeli Aran-eta, Patty Orendain, Maika Ortiz, Ivy Perez and Rhea Dimaculangan are also training regularly, proving that they are serious in giving other teams a very good fight.

Foton PHeyes semis

Luisa Raterta (center) is flanked by beauty queens during the awarding ceremonies of the Manila Bay Clean-Up Run, where she won the 21-k race.

[email protected]

FRI DAY: J ULY 1 5 , 2 0 1 6

SPORTS

Pacquiaoopen tocomebackGENERAL SANTOS—Filipino boxing hero Manny Pacquiao has declared he still has the passion for the sport and may come out of retirement, although there are no plans for a fight this year.

Santo. Tomas,FEU jins debut inMVP-Meralco tiltUAAP powerhouses University of Santo Tomas and Far Eastern University make their debuts in the men’s seniors’ division as the MVPSF-Meralco Philippine Taekwondo League resumes action at the SM City Center Point in Sta. Mesa, Manila Saturday,

Bracketed in Group C, the UST jins, UAAP runners-up last season, and their FEU counter-parts, who placed third in the meet, take to the mat at 1 p.m., ushering in five matches of the event organized by the Philippine Takewondo Association and supported by the MVP Sports Foundation and Meralco.

UST then returns to face College of St. Benilde at 3 p.m., while FEU takes a crack at CSB at 5:30 p.m. winding up the day’s schedule of the tournament also backed by the Philippine Olympic Committee and the Philippine Sports Commission.

In Group B matches in the women’s senior divi-sion, the Lady Blazers try to bounce back from their opening-day loss at the SM Bicutan mall two weeks ago in their 2 p.m. battle with the Lady Tigresses, who then tackle the Lady Tamaraws at 4:30 p.m. following a 30-minute break before the match.

Over the weekend at the SM Masinag mall in Antipolo, National University nipped Ateneo, 13-12, in Group C, while San Beda College routed Far Eastern University, 49-18, in Group B in the women’s senior division.

The Red Cubs also asserted their mastery in the men’s junior division, sweeping their matches in Group A by beating Juan Sumulong Memorial College, 46-27, and Ateneo, 53-43, respectively.

A Taytay-based school noted for its strong taek-wondo program, Juan Sumulong humbled Ateneo, 43-21, rounding out play in the event serving as a spawning ground for future taekwondo talents, who one day can compete for the country in inter-national competition.

Pacquiao, 37, a newly elected senator in the Philippines, told AFP on Wednesday night that his top priority was his political career but that his love for boxing had not diminished.

“When you put your passion and your dedi-cation in one sport, you cannot say you’re leav-ing that sport if your passion is there,” Pac-quiao said in an inter-view in his hometown of General Santos.

“Boxing is always my passion and I grew up (as a boxer). The Lord helped me (make) a name in boxing history.”

Pacquiao added he was still physically fit to return to the ring.

“I am still strong. I am still young,” he said.

Pacquiao’s promoter, Bob Arum, said on Tues-day that the eight-divi-

sion world champion planned to fight on ei-ther October 29 or No-vember 5 as a main event bout in Las Vegas.

But while leaving open the option of a comeback, Pacquiao said he had not made such plans nor dis-cussed arrangements with Arum.

Pacquiao retired af-ter winning a unani-mous decision in April against American Tim-othy Bradley.

He said he wanted to hang up his gloves to focus on his politi-cal career. After serv-ing two terms as a con-gressman in the House of Representatives, Pac-quiao was elected to the Senate in May.

Pacquiao has previ-ously said he eventu-ally wants to become president. AFP

FRIDAY : JULY 15, 2016

SPORTSA14Department of Transportation and CommunicationLAND TRANSPORTATION OFFICE

Regional Office IV-AB. Morada Avenue Interior, Lipa City, Batangas

NOTICE OF DISPOSALThe LAND TRANSPORTATION OFFICE is inviting offers for public bidding by way of sealed bids the following impounded motor vehicles for disposal on an “As is Where is” basis;

ITEM NO.

PLATE NO. BODY MAKE

NAME OF OWNER

OR TRADE NAME

LOCATION REMARKS

1 - MC EURO ABSCONDED LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

2 8249NA MC SKYSTAR MARISONA NEPOMOSENO LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

3 NO PLATE MC MOTORSTAR ARVIN REY MESIAS LTO BIÑAN DO SERVICEABLE

4 7351PH MC - SAMY VILLASIS LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

5 WQ6533 MC RUSI ABSCONDED LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

6 UK6847 MC HONDA - LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

7 NO PLATE MC HONDA ROMMEL AMA LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

8 TB2893 MC YAMAHA KENNETH BAYANI LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

9 BP2901 MC SUZUKI - LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

10 OF3132 MC HONDA ABSCONDED LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

11 HK1425 MC HONDA LUCILO MABAIT LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

12 RE3917 MC BIG BIKE ANDRES IGNACIO LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

13 WD2540 MC JIANSHE RESARE GESUM LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

14 PJ2034 MC HONDA EDWARD ASINO LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

15 WF1228 MC SUZUKI XERXES HILADO LTO BIÑAN DO SERVICEABLE

16 PU4031 MC HONDA DANDY PORRAS LTO BIÑAN DO SERVICEABLE

17 UG9159 MC MOTORSTAR JEFFREY ALOJADO LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

18 TU4220 MC HONDA MARLOU NAVASA LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

19 TV8159 MC KAWASAKI ARNEL MARCELIANA LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

20 NO PLATE MC YAMAHA - LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

21 NO PLATE MC HONDA - LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

22 NO PLATE MC YAMAHA - LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

23 NO PLATE MC YAMAHA - LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

24 NO PLATE MC SUZUKI - LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

25 NO PLATE MC HONDA CHRISTIAN JANSEN RAMOS LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

26 NP2700 MC YAMAHA JOSEPH BUSARIN LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

27 NO PLATE MC HONDA - LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

28 WH3608 MC HONDA RYAN SORIANO LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

29 NO PLATE MC HONDA LORD WALLY CAGALADA LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

30 7130DK MC MITSUKOSHI PEPITO ALVAREZ LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

31 WO9037 MC MOTORSTAR ARPAN BANUCAG LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

32 OY7116 MC HONDA NELSON DIONEDA LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

33 PS8426 MC SUZUKI JEFFREY UMALI LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

34 OV2294 MC MOTORSTAR CHRISTOPHER DISCHOSO LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

35 TA7028 MC SUZUKI WILLIAM CAPANAYAN LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

36 NN4903 MC KAWASAKI EUGENIO CAMACHO LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

37 PT3282 MC YAMAHA JOSELYN DAVID LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

38 NO PLATE MC YAMAHA C/O ALAMINOS LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

39 NO PLATE MC YAMAHA - LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

40 NO PLATE MC HONDA ADRIAN JASARENO LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

41 NO PLATE MC SUZUKI WILLIE VILLANUEVA LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

42 NO PLATE MC HONDA NOE TAN LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

43 VL3063 MC YAMAHA MIGUELA PALMERA LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

44 DR3907 MC YAMAHA MARTY LLAGAS LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

45 PU5577 MC - ISAGANI ORTIZ LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

46 NO PLATE MC HONDA - LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

47 NO PLATE MC YAMAHA RANDY YATCO LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

48 DY6588 MC KAWASAKI - LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

49 UK5939 MC JIANSHE REVO VILLANUEVA LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

50 UJ3604 MC YAMAHA EDWIN DEORO LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

51 TO4282 MC HONDA PETER SAN DIEGO LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

52 DG5517 MC YAMAHA DOMINIC CARDANA LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

53 NO PLATE MC EURO JOSIE LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

54 OV6794 MC HONDA NESTOR LAMADRID LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

55 WI3152 MC HONDA ANGEL PUNZALAN LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

56 WL4319 MC LIFAN ATANACIO BAYO LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

57 9161WA MC YAMAHA RODERICK FRIAS LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

58 NO PLATE MC HONDA ARISTOLE SANTOS LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

59 NO PLATE MC YAMAHA - LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

60 NO PLATE MC SYM DAVE LANE BASCONCILLO LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

61 VR9903 TC YAMAHA - LTO BIÑAN DO SERVICEABLE

62 NO PLATE TC SUZUKI REYNALDO DEPEDRO LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

63 NO PLATE TC KAWASAKI ISABELO FLROES LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

64 DU5675 MC KAWASAKI DOMINGO DIAGO LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

65 NO PLATE MC YAMAHA CHRISTOPHER SASANAS LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

66 NO PLATE TC YAMAHA JEROLD LABATETE LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

67 DN6465 TC SUZUKI DANILO PAULIN LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

68 NO PLATE MC KAWASAKI DONATO ALBERT LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

69 NW3877 MC YAMAHA NOEL LEGASTO LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

70 BR3629 MC YAMAHA ROBERTO QUIHILAG LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

71 WL6119 MC KAWASAKI EDUARDO MILLAN LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

72 NO PLATE MC EURO CRIS CHARLES VIZCARRA LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

73 NO PLATE MC SUNRISER MHIKO BRUCELIS LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

74 NO PLATE TC YAMAHA DANILO LONGA LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

75 VM6296 TC YAMAHA GAUDENCIO CATINDIG LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

76 VM6452 TC YAMAHA ABSCONDED LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

77 VT7066 TC YAMAHA JAYSON FEDERICO LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

78 AV1214 MC KAWASAKI PINLEY GLEN PADILLA LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

79 VG3875 TC YAMAHA JOEY ARANETA LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

80 NO PLATE TC YAMAHA LEONARIO ESPELETA LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

81 9859DU MC KAWASAKI LEONEL GONDERMA LTO BIÑAN DO SERVICEABLE

82 OR6100 TC KAWASAKI ALVIN VILLAPANDO LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

83 NO PLATE MC HONDA ROBERT MANUEL LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

84 NO PLATE TC KAWASAKI RUDY PRADO LTO BIÑAN DO SERVICEABLE

85 1457DH MC SUZUKI TRISTAN HERNANDEZ LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

86 VP1600 TC YAMAHA RAMIRO COSE LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

87 NO PLATE MC SUZUKI RUEL QUIOHILAG LTO BIÑAN DO SERVICEABLE

88 NO PLATE MC SUZUKI VICTORIANO GONZALES LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

89 NO PLATE TC YAMAHA HERMIE PABALAN LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

90 NO PLATE MC KYMCO MARCO SUSTAL LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

91 NO PLATE MC SUZUKI EDWIN SANTOS LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

92 9220WP TC KAWASAKI MARK CASTILLO LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

93 NO PLATE EURO ERNESTO ORIAS LTO BIÑAN DO SERVICEABLE

94 MI5149 MC SYM MI5149 (ALARMED) LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

95 OV4599 MC HONDA ABSCONDED LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

96 NO PLATE MC HONDA RYAN INVENTO LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

97 NO PLATE MC HONDA ROBERTO ALFEJOS LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

98 UU4255 MC SUZUKI MAYO JOVEN LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

99 PT4252 MC SUZUKI MENDOZA ROSEL LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

100 WH9911 MC SUZUKI GARICA PEEJAY LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

101 WK6850 MC HONDA BUNO RAINIEL LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

102 WI7127 MC RAMJET PILLA GLEN SUZETTE LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

103 VT2763 MTC KAWASAKI ATIENZA REGGIENALD LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

104 NO PLATE MC HONDA - LTO BIÑAN DO JUNK

105 VJ3615 MC JIANSHE CARULASAN, RODRIGO C

LTO BATANGAS DO JUNK

106 8561DS MC SUZUKI PARILLA RUEL ODOG

LTO BATANGAS DO SERVICEABLE

107 WQ3645 MC HONDA BASI RONNIE C LTO BATANGAS DO SERVICEABLE

108 5982WB MC HONDA LIBIO REYMON LTO BATANGAS DO SERVICEABLE

109 NO PLATE MC MOTORSTAR AGPAD JONATHAN A

LTO BATANGAS DO SERVICEABLE

110 DQ5917 MC HONDA PAALAM JHUCEL H

LTO BATANGAS DO SERVICEABLE

111 YK7011 MC HONDA DELA ROSA LARRY

LTO BATANGAS DO SERVICEABLE

112 NO PLATE MC HONDA ANDAL MARIA GRACIA D

LTO BATANGAS DO SERVICEABLE

113 9253PF MC SYM CHAVEZ ROMEL C

LTO BATANGAS DO SERVICEABLE

114 UT9431 MC HONDA LEAN BERLIN H LTO BATANGAS DO JUNK

115 9247XP MC MOTOPOSH BENITEZ GEROME O

LTO BATANGAS DO SERVICEABLE

116 WK1055 MC MITSOKOSHI ANTONIO ALFONSO

LTO BATANGAS DO JUNK

117 3474DO MC RAMSTAR LALO LEONARD C

LTO BATANGAS DO JUNK

118 DC9591 MC YAMAHA DIMAANO DAVID C

LTO BATANGAS DO JUNK

119 WE5380 MC HONDA VERGARA RENIER

LTO BATANGAS DO SERVICEABLE

120 UU4255 MC SUZUKI MAYO JOVEN LTO TAAL EO JUNK

121 PT4252 MC SUZUKI MENDOZA ROSEL LTO TAAL EO JUNK

122 WH9911 MC SUZUKI GARICA PEEJAY LTO TAAL EO JUNK

123 WK6850 MC HONDA BUNO RAINIEL LTO TAAL EO JUNK

124 WI7127 MC RAMJET PILLA GLEN SUZETTE LTO TAAL EO JUNK

125 VT2763 MTC KAWASAKI ATIENZA REGGIENALD LTO TAAL EO JUNK

126 NO PLATE MC HONDA - LTO TAAL EO JUNK

ACTIVITY DATES VENUE1. Availability of Bid

FormThursday,

July 18, 2016LTO Regional Office IV-A, B.Morada Ave. Interior, Lipa City

2. Submission of Sealed Bids

Monday, July 25, 2016

(8:00am -1:00pm)

LTO Regional Office IV-A, B.Morada Ave. Interior, Lipa City

3. Opening of Bids Monday, July 25, 2016

(2:00pm)

LTO Regional Office IV-A, B.Morada Ave. Interior, Lipa City

Bid tender should be properly addressed as specified below:

FRANCISCO P. RANCHES JR., CESO VIChairman, Committee on Disposal of Unclaimed Impounded Motor VehicleOld City Hall Compound, B. Morada Ave., Lipa City, Batangas

The LTO reserves the right to reject any or all bid offers, or any part thereof or to wave any required formalities an accept offers most advantageous to the interest of the LTO.

(SGD) FRANCISCO P. RANCHES JR., CESO VIAssistant Regional DirectorChairman,Committee on Disposal of Unclaimed Impounded Motor Vehicle

(TS-JULY 1/8/15, 2016)

A15FRIDAY : JULY 15, 2016

[email protected]

Gonzales kicks off PH’sDavis Cup bid vs Taiwan

Francis Casey Alcantara, meanwhile, will face Liang-chi Huang on the same day for the second singles’ match.

Wimbledon doubles finalist Treat Huey and junior standout Jeson Patrombon have been nom-inated to battle against Jui-Chen Hung and Chieh-fu Wang on Sat-urday’s crucial doubles’ match.

“I’m very confident about the team’s chances against Chinese Taipei.  Everyone is in excellent shape after competing exten-sively in international tourna-ments the past months and have done well.  Treat is coming off a semifinal stint in Wimbledon and Ruben just won an ITF Fu-

tures tournament in France.  Nino and Jeson have been very active also. Of course, we have the home court and home crowd advantage, as well.  The goal is to move back to Group 1 of Asia Oceania Davis Cup competitions and I like our chance of achiev-ing that,” said Cebuana Lhuillier-Philippine Davis Cup team man-ager Jean Henri Lhuillier.

The Philippines and Chinese Taipei have met in seven previ-ous encounters, with the Filipi-nos holding a slim 4-3 advantage, but have lost the last three ties. The winner of this second-round Davis Cup match will face the winner of the Thailand-Vietnam

FRESH from his win in an International Tennis Federation tournament in France, Cebuana Lhuillier-Philippines’ Davis Cupper Ruben Gonzales jumpstarts the host’s bid when he plays Chinese Taipei’s Ti Chen, opening the second round of the Asia/Oceania Zone Group II Davis Cup tournament at Philippine Columbian Association courts in Paco, Manila.

Iloilo to hostMilo Marathonnational finals

By Peter Atencio

THE city of Iloilo will serve as the of-ficial venue of the 40th National Milo Marathon finals on Dec. 4.

This is the first time that a city in the Visayas has been chosen to host the last stage of this premier run-ning event, which will see two-time champion Rafael Poliquit and Olym-pian Mary Joy Tabal coming back to defend their titles in the men’s and women’s divisions.

“This is the first time that we will bring the national finals outside of Lu-zon. Because we wanted to bring our most elite event closer to Filipinos down south. Also, runners in Metro Manila can experience better scenery and race with less traffic,” said Milo Sports mar-keting manager Andrew Neri.

Poliquit and Tabal, who is prepar-ing to see action in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, are expected to make mat-ters interesting for their rivals and earn another chance to compete in an international race.

They won the men’s and women’s titles in the national finals last year, which was held for the first time out-side Metro Manila at Clark Field in Angeles City, Pampanga.

Organizers also recently sponsored their stint in the 2016 Boston Mara-thon as part of their prize.

The races will now be sanctioned by the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association starting this year and the route of the national finals had been measured with the help of the PATAFA and the IAAF, through course measurer Dave Cundy.

PATAFA president Philip Ella Juico has given his blessings to members of the national team to participate out-right in the national finals and forego the need to qualify through the elimi-nation legs.

The first leg out of a total of 14 re-gional races kicks off in Dagupan on July 17, followed by the second leg in Tarlac on July 24. Then, it heads off to Metro Manila on July 31, and Batan-gas on Aug. 7.

tiff for the right to move to Group 1 of Asia-Oceania next year.

Meanwhile, Huey is eager to bounce back after falling short in Wimbledon.

Huey had a dream run, reach-ing the men’s doubles’ semifinals of the prestigious tournament with Max Mirnyi before bowing out to french duo Pierre-Hagues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut in the championship match.

Now, he is raring to continue his stellar run of performance in the Davis Cup slated July 15 to 17.

“I’ve gained a lot of confidence (after Wimbledon) and I think it’s going to be an exciting match especially that we lost to them last year,” said the Fil-American Huey on Tuesday at the Philip-pine Sportswriters Association Forum in Shakey’s Malate.

Asked about his boys’ prepara-tions for the Davis Cup, non-play-ing captain Carl Sta. Maria said: “I don’t think they can be more ready than what they are right now. They are match-fit, tourna-ment-fit.” Peter Paul Duran

P0.0 M+

P0.0 M+

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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

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LOTTO RESULTSM+M+

Inspiring more Filipinos

THE Milo National Mara-thon is introducing a lot of firsts to make this year’s 40th edition a bigger and better one.

For the first time, it is partnering with the Philip-pine Athletics Track and Field Association under the leadership of Philip Ella Juico, making sure

that this year’s races will be managed professionally by official and international standards.

Milo and race officials are also making sure that race environment is safe for all runners by provid-ing enough hydration and fielding more marshals for assistance.

Andrew Neri, Milo Sports Marketing Manager, said they have launched an in-formation campaign to edu-cate participants in equip-ping themselves to better

prepare for their runs, like in the aspect of nutrition and technical skills.

More than 200,000 run-ners participated last year in all their races in the elimi-nations nationwide. Neri hopes to surpass that num-ber this year, “as we contin-ue to inspire more Filipinos to take up running and be at their best.”

Of all the beauties that envelope this prestigious event, the most important for me is the social compo-nent wherein participants

are encouraged to bring their old shoes which in turn, will be donated to se-lected public schools.

Some 60,00 pairs of shoes have already been given out to beneficiaries. And Milo execs are expecting an addi-tional of more than 10,000 for this year.

Milo has also expressed support for a sports clinic project for street children, which I am putting in the near future. It’s already in the works and more stake-holders in sports are more

than willing to do their share.

* * *Some active members of

the Philippine Olympians Association have gathered yesterday to provide moral support to the national ath-letes competing in the Rio Olympics this August.

Most of the Rio Olym-pians area already abroad training but, the POA still managed to get their mes-sage across.

“It’s all about going for excellence. I think we

have to continue doing our role of inspiring the youth and the athletes who are already there. It’s the more important role that we can play,” said Akiko Thompson-Guevarra, who is acting president of the association.

The POA is composed former national athletes who participated in the Olympics. It has a yearly gathering to continue ca-maraderie among them-selves and help maintain the Olympic spirit.

LOCKERROOMRANDY

CALUAG

Proponents of the National Milo Marathon make a toast during the event’s launching. They are (from left) Robbie De Vera, Milo Sports Execu-tive; Sherilla Bayona, Business Executive Manager for Beverages; Rio Dela Cruz, race director; PSC Commissioner Arnold Augustin; PATAFA president Philip Ella Juico and Milo Marketing Manager Andrew Neri. LINO SANTOS

Members of the Phili and Chinese Taipei Davis Cup teams are shown.

F R I DAY : J U LY 1 5 , 2 0 16

A16RIERA U. MALL ARI

E D I T O R

[email protected]

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

By Peter Atencio

THE Letran Knights � nally showed the stu� that made them champions in a � ursday game at the 92nd National Collegiate Athletic Association men’s basketball tournament at the Arena in San Juan.

The Knights’ defense worked wonders in the final period as they the managed to almost shut down the prolific Jiovani Jalalon in an 89-79 win over the Arellano University Chiefs.

This gave the Knights their third win in four games, while the Chiefs fell to their first loss in three outings.

Jalalon showed the way with

17 points for the Chiefs, but he was held to just two points by the defensive stops of JP Calvo and McJour Luib in the final period.

Calvo and Luib forced Jalalon to commit a maze of errors in the last 1:45 and this helped the Knights move away by as much as 12 points.

Luib’s triple handed Letran an

Soltones isShakey’sV-League best playerSHE might have failed to help carry BaliPure to a dream cham-pionship but Gretchel Soltones achieved a personal milestone, bagging the coveted MVP honors in the Shakey’s V-League Season 13 Open Conference.

“I feel happy winning this award but this is not what I expected be-cause all I wanted was to help the team make it to the semis and then finals,” said Soltones, also the reigning NCAA MVP from San Sebastian College.

Norming 15 hits a game from the elims to the semis, the power-hitting, jump-serving ace bested more fancied players for the covet-ed plum, including BaliPure team-mate Alyssa Valdez, Pocari Sweat’s Myla Pablo, Michele Gumabao and National U’s Jaja Santiago and Air Force’s Judy Ann Caballejo and Joy Cases.

“But we’re not fortunate enough to make it to the finals although we’re still thankful to be in contention for third and being blessed to get the MVP award,” said Soltones.

She will head the roster of play-ers to be cited in the season-open-ing conference of the league spon-sored by Shakey’s tomorrow as the Water Defenders try to finish off the Laoag Power Smashers in their battle for third.

Air Force also guns for its first V-League championship as it clashes Pocari Sweat in Game Two of the Finals at the Philsports Arena.

85-73 spread.Rey Nambatac pow-

ered the Knights with 22 points, while Luib had 17 points and Jer-rick Balanza made 12.

“Credit to the boys, they ex-ecuted the game plan. Lumalabas na ang tunay na laro ng Letran na nag-champion. Ito na ang pinakamagandang laro nila in four games,” said Knights’ coach Jeff Napa.

Meanwhile, big man Bright Akhuetie registered his first double-double for the season as he led the University of Perpetual Help Altas in stopping the San Sebastian Stags, 76-61.

The 6’8” Bright put in 20 points and 20 rebounds, along with two assists in powering the Altas to their sec-ond win in four games.

The Stags absorbed their sec-ond loss in three games.

Akhuetie banged in seven in the second period as the Altas went on to move away, 44-37. Then, he was at the forefront in the fourth, scoring eight as the Altas kept the Stags at bay and limited them to seven points in the last period.

“Buti na lang nanalo kami ka-hit masama laro namin,” said Al-tas coach Jimwell Gican.

Knights live up to favoritetag, crush Arellano Chiefs

Meralco faces a rebuilt Phoenix as PBA opens shopBy Jeric Lopez

AFTER a lengthy two-month break, the Philippine Basketball Associa-tion is back in action.

The 41st season of the PBA con-tinues as the season-ending 2016 Governors’ Cup kicks off with an intriguing double-header, featuring two squads considered as contenders and two teams looking to see some improvement after disappointing campaigns last conference.

In the conference opener, Meralco goes head-to-head with revamped

Phoenix Petroleum at 4:15 p.m., fol-lowed by a clash between Star and Mahindra in the nightcap at 7 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Following a successful campaign in the Commissioner’s Cup wherein they reached the semifinals for the second time in franchise his-tory, the Bolts are looking to capitalize and continue their growth.

They will parade returning im-port Allen Durham and Iran’s Mo-hammad Jamshidi as its Asian im-port to reinforce them.

Meralco will face a rebuilt Phoenix, which was involved in tons of trades in the off-season as well as a coach-ing change.

The Fuel Masters, now coached by Ariel Vanguardia, will have new faces on their roster such as recently acquired Ronjay Buenafe, Simon Enciso, Norbert Torres and Mark Borboran.

Phoenix also acquired veteran gun-man Cyrus Baguio in exchange for two future second-round picks. Like the other Phoenix newbies, he is ex-pected to suit up right away as well.

Along with those newcomers, Phoenix will have help from import Marcus Simmons and Asian import Lee Kwan Hee.

The Hotshots also made some moves in an attempt to get better. Though they will once again have resident import Marqus Blakely back in harness to lead the team, Star now has vastly improving guard RR Gar-cia for more firepower.

Star will take on a Mahindra team that has James White as its import and Iran’s Iman Zandi as its Asian reinforcement.

SPORTS

Games Today (Smart Araneta Coliseum)

4:15 p.m. - Meralco vs. Phoenix7 p.m. - Star vs. Mahindra

BaliPure’s Gretchel Soltones, shown here scoring against two defenders, bested more fancied players for the MVP plum, including BaliPure teammate Alyssa Valdez, Pocari Sweat’s Myla Pablo, Michele Gumabao and National U’s Jaja Santiago and Air Force’s Judy Ann Caballejo and Joy Cases.

Games Today (The Arena in San Juan)

12 noon San Beda vs CSB 2 p.m. EAC vs Mapua 4 p.m. Lyceum vs JRU

RODERICK T. DELA CRUZASSISTANT EDITOR B1

FRIDAY: JULY 15, 2016

[email protected]@gmail.com

RAY S. EÑANOEDITOR

SMC selling 49% of power unit

BUSINESS

Trader of fake cigarettes falls in Isabela

Hilton returns to PH. Resorts World Manila continues the third phase of its expansion, with the recent topping out ceremonies for Hilton Hotel Manila. The first five-star hotel in the country back in the late 1960s, Hilton Hotel Manila makes its return this time setting up shop in the country’s pioneer integrated resort. Shown are (from left) Casas + Architects managing partner Carmelo Casas, Datem president Leverito Espiritu, RWM chief operating officer Stephen Reilly, RWM president and chief executive Kingson Sian, Hilton Worldwide SE Asia Pacific Design and Projects director Andrew Meier, Hilton Worldwide regional general manager Peter Webster, Datem vice president for engineering Morris Agoncillo and EELHI area manager Joel Jacobe.

By Alena Mae S. Flores

SAN Miguel Corp. said Thursday it is selling a 49-percent stake in affiliate South Premiere Power Corp., the independent power producer administrator of the 1,200-megawatt Ilijan natural gas power plant, to Manila Electric Co.

San Miguel confirmed it was in talks with Meralco “for a possible investment of up to the extent of 49 percent by Meralco in South Premiere.”

The conglomerate said in a disclosure to the stock exchange the sale was subject to the resolution of the pending case initiated by South Premiere against Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp.

“SMC plans to sell 49 percent of power generating plant. By doing that, we are sure to have market for our power because our off-take agreement is up to 2022,” San Miguel

president Ramon Ang told reporters.Meralco is the country’s biggest power

distributor with over 5.8 million customers in its franchise area. San Miguel sold its stake in Meralco to JG Summit Holdings Inc. in 2013.

“So far we have agreement with Meralco on Ilijan and Mariveles. So far, that’s it,” Ang said.

Meralco chairman Manuel Pangilinan and Ang recently forged a first joint venture in power generation.

Meralco Powergen Corp., a subsidiary of Meralco, acquired a 49-percent stake in Mariveles Power Generation Corp., a wholly-owned subsidiary of SMC Global Power Holdings Inc., the power arm of San Miguel.

Meralco president Oscar Reyes earlier said “talks are very preliminary” on the Ilijan IPPA contract sale.

South Premiere won the contract as the independent power producer administrator of the Ilijan plant during a bidding conducted by PSALM in 2010 with an offer of $870 million.

South Premiere has an ongoing dispute with PSALM over the Ilijan contract. The dispute arose from interpretations of certain provisions related to generation

payments under the Ilijan IPPA agreement. PSALM advised South Premiere on Sept.

4, 2015 that it was terminating the Ilijan IPPA agreement because of the latter’s alleged failure to settle the alleged outstanding generation payments. PSALM was demanding payment of unpaid obligations amounting to P6.6 billion from South Premiere.

The Mandaluyong City regional trial court issued last year a preliminary injunction in favor of South Premiere, enjoining the government from further proceeding with the termination the IPPA contract for the Ilijan natural gas power plant.

PSALM called on the performance bond in the form of a stand-by letter of credit of South Premiere with ANZ Bank in the amount of $50 million.

South Premiere filed a complaint before the court on Sept. 7, 2015 to nullify the termination notice of PSALM and the drawing of the standby letter of credit “for lack of factual and legal basis.”

The TRO previously issued in favor of South Premiere prevented PSALM “from disposing in any manner of the payment

received from ANZ under the performance bond except as directed by the Court.”

The court also prohibited PSALM from treating South Premiere “as being an administrator in default and from performing any act to pursue the collection of supposed unpaid generation payments.”

It also prohibited the agency from collecting “VAT on generation payments for Meralco nominations under the Meralco-National Power Corp. power supply contracts to service Sunpower and Ecozone requirements.

AUTHORITIES arrested a trader selling counterfeit Mighty and Marvels cigarettes to a sari-sari store in Barangay Barucboc, Quezon, Isabela on Wednesday.

The Bureau of Internal Revenue and law en-forcement agencies have been vigilant against dealers of fake products over the past few months. These traders do not pay taxes and elude contribution to the economy, according to authorities.

Barangay officials said the trader was ar-rested, after a store helper went to the ba-rangay hall of Barucboc and sought the assistance of ‘tanods’ to report that a dubi-ous male tried to sell cartons of suspicious cigarettes to the storeowner’s daughter, who held the suspect by pretending she was buy-ing the items.

Barangay officials immediately proceeded to

the store and caught Arnel Contado Altavano, 33, in the act of selling fake Mighty and Marvels menthol and full flavor variants to the sari-sari store.

A Mighty Corp. representative came by the store and confirmed that the cigarette variants were indeed counterfeit.

The suspect, a resident of Barangay Manano, Mallig, Isabela, was arrested and subsequently turned over to the Philippine National Police station in Quezon town for violating section 155, in relation to section 170 of Republic Act 8293, or the Intellectual Property Code.

Authorities cited the law as the basis for fil-ing a criminal case docketed as No. INQ-II-04-2016G-00036 and Criminal Case no. 16-214 at 12th MCTC Malling, Quezon, Isabela.

The suspect, however, was released from police custody after posting a P10,000 bond

recommended by the provin-cial fiscal.

Tax officials warned coun-terfeiters, individuals and busi-ness establishments against the sale and distribution of fake cigarettes or any counterfeit products.

Mighty Corp. representatives have coordinated with authori-ties from Customs, BIR, Nation-al Bureau of Investigation and Philippine National Police for the arrest of unscrupulous indi-viduals and businesses trying to sell counterfeit cigarettes in Met-ro Manila, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija and various parts of Visayas and Mindanao.

[email protected]@gmail.com

BUSINESSFRIDAY: JULY 15, 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, July 14, 2016

FINANCIAL7.88 2.5 AG Finance 3.8 3.84 3.64 3.8 0.00 68,000 75.3 66 Asia United Bank 47.4 47.5 47 47.5 0.21 11,600 387,530.00124.4 88.05 Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. 113.40 114.00 112.70 113.00 -0.35 1,914,540 -46,614,555107 88.1 Bank of PI 99.00 99.00 98.10 98.80 -0.20 816,450 -7,352,133.0056.5 45.45 China Bank 38 38.1 37.9 38 0.00 85,100 2.49 1.97 BDO Leasing & Fin. INc. 4.07 4.30 4.07 4.09 0.49 9,866,000 25,250.004.2 1.68 Bright Kindle Resources 1.36 1.36 1.34 1.35 -0.74 37,000 17 12.02 COL Financial 15 15.2 14.3 15 0.00 233,100 4,506.0030.45 19.6 Eastwest Bank 19.38 19.4 19.32 19.32 -0.31 779,500 -10,920,436.0010.4 6.12 Filipino Fund Inc. 6.80 7.00 6.70 7.00 2.94 3,600 2.6 1.02 I-Remit Inc. 1.97 2.15 1.97 2 1.52 449,000 890 625 Manulife Fin. Corp. 620.00 610.00 609.00 609.00 -1.77 100 1.01 0.225 MEDCO Holdings 0.560 0.580 0.540 0.570 1.79 2,259,000 100 78 Metrobank 93.85 94.05 93 94 0.16 3,002,060 139,504,796.501.46 0.9 Natl. Reinsurance Corp. 0.91 0.98 0.93 0.98 7.69 2,755,000 30.5 17.8 PB Bank 14.82 14.84 14.78 14.8 -0.13 146,700 75 58 Phil Bank of Comm 23.10 23.10 23.10 23.10 0.00 2,000 91.5 62 Phil. National Bank 59.35 60.00 59.45 59.90 0.93 362,050 -9,857,701.00137 88.35 Phil. Savings Bank 105 102.5 100 102.5 -2.38 890 361.2 276 PSE Inc. 272 276 272.4 276 1.47 10,380 1,614,450.0057 41 RCBC `A’ 32.2 32.5 32.05 32.3 0.31 379,500 -1,505,055180 118.2 Security Bank 197.4 201 195.1 199.1 0.86 752,330 -9,494,768.001700 1200 Sun Life Financial 1410.00 1420.00 1410.00 1420.00 0.71 480 124 59 Union Bank 66.75 67.80 66.75 66.95 0.30 101,000 1,999,516.003.26 2.65 Vantage Equities 1.5 1.48 1.47 1.48 -1.33 82,000

INDUSTRIAL47 35.9 Aboitiz Power Corp. 44.95 45.15 44.4 45.05 0.22 1,136,800 6,445,485.005 1.11 Agrinurture Inc. 3.84 3.9 3.77 3.85 0.26 927,000 1.46 1.01 Alliance Tuna Intl Inc. 0.85 0.85 0.82 0.82 -3.53 448,000 2.36 1.86 Alsons Cons. 2.02 2.03 1.99 2.02 0.00 3,094,000 806,290.0015.3 7.92 Asiabest Group 12.18 12.2 11.5 12.2 0.16 300 20.6 15.32 Century Food 16.22 16.28 16.08 16.08 -0.86 2,535,100 -11,752,330.0085 20.2 Conc. Aggr. ‘A’ 151.5 158 152 155.2 2.44 1,240 36 10.08 Cirtek Holdings (Chips) 21.4 21.5 20.3 21 -1.87 8,103,600 1,324,725.0065.8 29.15 Concepcion 48.2 50 48.7 49.8 3.32 34,100 1,298,6252.97 1.5 Crown Asia 2.11 2.13 2.07 2.12 0.47 1,232,000 117,600.004.14 1.5 Da Vinci Capital 5.5 6.12 5.61 6 9.09 7,090,800 -48,600.0021.5 10.72 Del Monte 12.4 12.5 12.36 12.46 0.48 28,600 21.6 9.55 DNL Industries Inc. 9.730 9.730 9.620 9.620 -1.13 1,263,200 -5,087,929.0011.96 9.04 Emperador 7.16 7.36 7.19 7.25 1.26 7,701,000 22,324,302.009.13 6.02 Energy Devt. Corp. (EDC) 5.70 5.72 5.64 5.65 -0.88 17,732,000 6,339,877.0011.8 8.86 EEI 7.92 8.68 7.95 8.62 8.84 4,641,400 2,335,277.002.89 1.06 Euro-Med Lab 1.75 1.83 1.71 1.83 4.57 3,000 31.8 20.2 First Gen Corp. 24.9 25.2 24.8 24.85 -0.20 1,306,600 -4,790,815.00109 71.5 First Holdings ‘A’ 70.3 70.35 69.7 69.75 -0.78 100,030 -1,436,729.5020.75 13.86 Ginebra San Miguel Inc. 11.94 12.02 12.00 12.00 0.50 33,700 15.3 13.24 Holcim Philippines Inc. 15.22 15.28 15.18 15.18 -0.26 149,100 -1,791,878.009.4 5.34 Integ. Micro-Electronics 5.57 5.66 5.57 5.64 1.26 559,900 27,900.000.98 0.395 Ionics Inc 2.400 2.400 2.350 2.360 -1.67 2,074,000 -829,000.00241 173 Jollibee Foods Corp. 249.80 250.00 249.40 250.00 0.08 580,410 30,579,702.0079 34.1 Liberty Flour 41.95 41.00 41.00 41.00 -2.26 400 3.95 2.3 LMG Chemicals 1.94 1.94 1.94 1.94 0.00 3,000 4 1.63 Mabuhay Vinyl 3.25 3.3 3.16 3.21 -1.23 45,000 74 33 Macay Holdings 35.60 35.60 35.60 35.60 0.00 10,500 33.9 23.35 Manila Water Co. Inc. 27.5 27.55 27 27.5 0.00 752,800 1,650,855.0090 17.3 Maxs Group 28.5 28.5 28.3 28.45 -0.18 364,500 -6,200,520.0013.26 5.88 Megawide 7.31 7.9 7.36 7.65 4.65 2,439,000 468,937.00293 250.2 Mla. Elect. Co `A’ 309.00 312.20 309.00 309.40 0.13 230,390 -13,510,830.000.62 0.335 MG Holdings 0.280 0.275 0.275 0.275 -1.79 20,000 5 3.37 Panasonic Mfg Phil. Corp. 4.40 4.39 4.39 4.39 -0.23 30,000 5.25 3.87 Pepsi-Cola Products Phil. 3.44 3.45 3.45 3.45 0.29 5,538,000 1,790,550.0012.98 8.45 Petron Corporation 11.10 11.10 10.78 11.10 0.00 2,382,500 2,226,166.006.75 3 Phil H2O 3.34 3.05 3.05 3.05 -8.61 25,000 7.03 3.03 Phoenix Petroleum Phils. 6.42 6.42 6.33 6.38 -0.62 3,482,700 -18,869,444.003.4 1.95 Phoenix Semiconductor 1.67 1.69 1.63 1.68 0.60 190,000 4.5 1 Pryce Corp. `A’ 3.08 3.34 3.04 3.2 3.90 3,950,000 99,000.006.3 4.02 RFM Corporation 4.18 4.20 4.18 4.19 0.24 172,000 -25,570.007.34 5.9 Roxas Holdings 3.89 3.96 3.86 3.96 1.80 4,000 1450 801 San Miguel ‘Pure Foods `A’ 210 215 215 215 2.38 1,060 -208,550.003.28 1.55 Splash Corporation 3.01 3.03 3.01 3.02 0.33 726,000 -69,230.000.315 0.138 Swift Foods, Inc. 0.149 0.154 0.149 0.154 3.36 1,680,000 2.18 1.02 TKC Steel Corp. 2.16 2.30 2.14 2.20 1.85 3,686,000 2.65 2.09 Trans-Asia Oil 2.54 2.60 2.50 2.59 1.97 7,552,000 860,800.00234 152 Universal Robina 200 200 199.5 199.7 -0.15 954,610 -7,830,829.005.28 4.28 Victorias Milling 4.4 4.69 4.48 4.69 6.59 20,000 1.3 0.640 Vitarich Corp. 0.96 0.97 0.95 0.96 0.00 5,381,000 24,000.002.17 1.2 Vulcan Ind’l. 1.28 1.35 1.28 1.28 0.00 368,000

HOLDING FIRMS0.59 0.44 Abacus Cons. `A’ 0.400 0.410 0.390 0.410 2.50 1,280,000 59.2 48.1 Aboitiz Equity 78.80 78.85 77.70 78.85 0.06 1,333,360 39,501,486.5030.05 20.85 Alliance Global Inc. 15.60 16.24 15.56 16.00 2.56 13,099,200 71,605,416.002.16 1.6 Anglo Holdings A 1.25 1.42 1.25 1.33 6.40 1,403,000 7.39 6.62 Anscor `A’ 6.04 6.10 6.05 6.05 0.17 1,400 3.4 0.23 ATN Holdings A 0.370 0.390 0.370 0.385 4.05 14,580,000 3.35 0.23 ATN Holdings B 0.365 0.390 0.375 0.390 6.85 2,160,000 -441,400.00823.5 634.5 Ayala Corp `A’ 876 877.5 863 875 -0.11 10.2 7.390 Cosco Capital 8.01 8 7.85 7.91 -1.25 1,020,300 -184,004.0084 12.8 DMCI Holdings 12.80 12.86 12.70 12.70 -0.78 3,449,400 27,862,320.003.35 2.6 F&J Prince ‘A’ 5.88 6.35 5.9 6 2.04 173,100 3.68 1.15 F&J Prince ‘B’ 6.59 6.5 6 6 -8.95 20,900 -28,950.004.92 2.26 Filinvest Dev. Corp. 6.75 6.90 6.80 6.90 2.22 1,756,500 -4,646,128.000.66 0.152 Forum Pacific 0.250 0.250 0.245 0.245 -2.00 140,000 1455 837 GT Capital 1510 1540 1493 1530 1.32 185,970 50,247,455.007.5 5.3 House of Inv. 6.45 6.45 6.45 6.45 0.00 20,800 76 49.55 JG Summit Holdings 85.65 86.00 84.90 85.90 0.29 2,397,630 51,743,776.006.5 3.43 Jolliville Holdings 3.69 3.74 3.74 3.74 1.36 10,000 9.25 4.84 Lopez Holdings Corp. 7.83 7.87 7.75 7.84 0.13 1,475,000 2,468,513.000.85 0.59 Lodestar Invt. Holdg.Corp. 0.71 0.74 0.71 0.73 2.82 329,000 17.3 12 LT Group 16 16 15.86 16 0.00 3,740,400 24,793,460.000.71 0.580 Mabuhay Holdings `A’ 0.490 0.520 0.510 0.520 6.12 50,000 5.53 4.2 Metro Pacific Inv. Corp. 7 7.15 7 7.15 2.14 18,151,600 97,706,906.009.66 3 MJCI Investments Inc. 3.3 3.31 3.31 3.31 0.30 10,000 0.0670 0.030 Pacifica `A’ 0.0320 0.0350 0.0320 0.0350 9.38 66,900,000 1.61 0.550 Prime Orion 1.910 1.950 1.920 1.920 0.52 706,000 2.99 2.26 Republic Glass ‘A’ 2.70 2.65 2.65 2.65 -1.85 5,000 84.9 59.3 San Miguel Corp `A’ 78.00 78.00 77.70 77.90 -0.13 99,340 2,021,318.00974 751 SM Investments Inc. 998.00 1005.00 970.00 1000.00 0.20 447,090 56,175,330.001.66 1.13 Solid Group Inc. 1.21 1.23 1.20 1.22 0.83 382,000 1.39 0.93 South China Res. Inc. 0.89 0.94 0.87 0.94 5.62 457,000 156 80 Top Frontier 191.000 192.500 190.000 192.500 0.79 7,470 0.710 0.211 Unioil Res. & Hldgs 0.3050 0.3100 0.3050 0.3100 1.64 3,060,000 0.435 0.179 Wellex Industries 0.2010 0.2070 0.2000 0.2070 2.99 1,190,000 0.510 0.310 Zeus Holdings 0.295 0.320 0.295 0.305 3.39 4,550,000

P R O P E R T Y10.5 6.74 8990 HLDG 7.640 7.790 7.600 7.790 1.96 12,609,500 94,497,467.001.99 0.65 A. Brown Co., Inc. 1.30 1.32 1.29 1.32 1.54 1,399,000 -6,500.001.75 1.2 Araneta Prop `A’ 2.280 2.350 2.230 2.300 0.88 1,179,000 -254,690.000.375 0.192 Arthaland Corp. 0.290 0.290 0.290 0.290 0.00 950,000 41.4 30.05 Ayala Land `B’ 40.000 40.100 39.700 40.000 0.00 16,794,600 146,830,485.005.6 3.36 Belle Corp. `A’ 3.44 3.44 3.38 3.4 -1.16 1,682,000 1,559,740.005.59 4.96 Cebu Holdings 5.02 5.03 5.02 5.02 0.00 2,000 1.44 0.79 Century Property 0.520 0.56 0.510 0.550 5.77 16,343,000 -17,250.001.97 1.1 City & Land Dev. 1.09 1.09 1.03 1.09 0.00 120,000 1.48 0.97 Cityland Dev. `A’ 1.050 1.050 1.050 1.050 0.00 5,000 0.201 0.083 Crown Equities Inc. 0.131 0.139 0.130 0.133 1.53 18,870,000 -10,560.00

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

Trading SummarySHARES VALUE

FINANCIAL 24,118,778 843,293,590.02INDUSTRIAL 100,845,229 1,157,554,122.025HOLDING FIRMS 145,150,561 1,707,121,036.93PROPERTY 216,490,046 2,652,299,758.67SERVICES 1,379,030,498 1,194,513,784.76MINING & OIL 511,240,444 304,586,934.851GRAND TOTAL 2,436,365,904 8,210,715,283.85

FINANCIAL 1,792.20 (UP) 1.07INDUSTRIAL 11,923.91 (UP) 5.58HOLDING FIRMS 7,802.12 (UP) 32.32PROPERTY 3,623.75 (UP) 3.92SERVICES 1,653.18 (DOWN) 3.03MINING & OIL 11,352.11 (UP) 25.34PSEI 7,956.14 (UP) 12.12All Shares Index 4,811.33 (UP) 7.95

Gainers: 121; Losers: 73; Unchanged: 48; Total: 242

STOCKS Close(P)

Change(%)

PhilexPetroleum 4.68 -13.01

F&J Prince 'B' 6 -8.95

Phil H2O 3.05 -8.61

Oriental Pet. `A' 0.0110 -8.33

SSI Group 3.55 -3.79

Alliance Tuna Intl Inc. 0.82 -3.53

Bloomberry 6.60 -3.37

TA Petroleum 4.03 -3.36

Harbor Star 1.14 -2.56

Filinvest Land,Inc. 1.95 -2.50

Top LoSerSSTOCKS Close

(P)Change(%)

Boulevard Holdings 0.0880 49.15

Italpinas 5.6 25.56

Jackstones 2.86 16.73

Alterra Capital 5.7 10.25

Pacifica `A' 0.0350 9.38

Da Vinci Capital 6 9.09

EEI 8.62 8.84

Natl. Reinsurance Corp. 0.98 7.69

FEUI 974.5 6.97

ATN Holdings B 0.390 6.85

Top gainerS

0.69 0.415 Cyber Bay Corp. 0.690 0.700 0.680 0.680 -1.45 5,187,000 10.96 2.4 Double Dragon 62.85 66.9 63 63.05 0.32 3,564,540 27,942,775.000.97 0.83 Empire East Land 0.810 0.810 0.800 0.810 0.00 183,000 0.305 0.188 Ever Gotesco 0.150 0.155 0.155 0.155 3.33 10,000 2.22 1.15 Global-Estate 1.01 1.02 0.99 1.02 0.99 9,714,000 1,711,370.002.1 1.42 Filinvest Land,Inc. 2.00 2.00 1.93 1.95 -2.50 27,451,000 -12,177,710.001.8 1.27 Interport `A’ 1.24 1.27 1.18 1.24 0.00 923,000 2,490.005.94 4.13 Megaworld 5 5.07 4.93 5.07 1.40 37,597,600 69,467,826.000.180 0.090 MRC Allied Ind. 0.104 0.104 0.101 0.104 0.00 6,030,000 -10,400.000.72 0.39 Phil. Realty `A’ 0.440 0.495 0.440 0.470 6.82 1,920,000 -47,500.0027 23 Phil. Tob. Flue Cur & Redry 37.00 39.75 37.10 39.50 6.76 2,400 8.54 2.69 Primex Corp. 14.5 14.94 14.6 14.92 2.90 748,000 -592,200.0031.8 22.15 Robinson’s Land `B’ 30.60 31.50 31.00 31.30 2.29 1,595,600 32,164,600.002.29 1.6 Rockwell 1.73 1.75 1.71 1.75 1.16 335,000 4.9 3.1 Shang Properties Inc. 3.28 3.29 3.28 3.29 0.30 131,000 21.35 15.08 SM Prime Holdings 29.95 30.00 29.65 29.90 -0.17 41,123,400 298,748,655.001.06 0.69 Sta. Lucia Land Inc. 0.98 0.98 0.97 0.98 0.00 2,865,000 1.62 0.83 Suntrust Home Dev. Inc. 1.030 1.070 1.030 1.050 1.94 861,000 8.59 5.73 Vista Land & Lifescapes 5.860 5.850 5.730 5.750 -1.88 4,568,000 7,444,869.00

S E R V I C E S10.5 1.97 2GO Group’ 7.33 7.35 7.27 7.28 -0.68 81,800 73,250.0066 35.2 ABS-CBN 49 49.4 49 49.4 0.82 64,000 1.44 1 Acesite Hotel 1.25 1.25 1.25 1.25 0.00 2,000 1.09 0.63 APC Group, Inc. 0.590 0.610 0.580 0.600 1.69 1,025,000 14.88 10.5 Asian Terminals Inc. 11.2 11.2 11.2 11.2 0.00 1,900 28.5 18.2 Berjaya Phils. Inc. 6.5 6.75 6.41 6.7 3.08 80,300 15.82 8.6 Bloomberry 6.83 6.85 6.60 6.60 -3.37 3,629,600 -1,708,052.000.1430 0.0770 Boulevard Holdings 0.0590 0.0880 0.0580 0.0880 49.15 1,213,700,000 -172,770.005.06 2.95 Calata Corp. 2.84 3.02 2.82 2.92 2.82 6,572,000 -1,061,710.0099.1 56.1 Cebu Air Inc. (5J) 99.7 99.7 98.4 98.8 -0.90 235,020 -4,722,255.5012.3 10.14 Centro Esc. Univ. 9.84 9.84 9.84 9.84 0.00 3,300 2.6 1.6 Discovery World 2.05 2.05 2.05 2.05 0.00 24,000 7.67 4.8 DFNN Inc. 5.00 5.20 5.00 5.08 1.60 261,300 4 2.58 Easy Call “Common” 3.22 3.22 3.22 3.22 0.00 2,000 1700 830 FEUI 911 974.5 974.5 974.5 6.97 10 2720 1600 Globe Telecom 2314 2326 2290 2304 -0.43 70,950 -40,596,990.008.41 5.95 GMA Network Inc. 6.37 6.40 6.35 6.37 0.00 146,800 Golden Haven 17.70 18.00 17.58 17.88 1.02 470,100 -142,960.0070.5 17.02 Grand Plaza Hotel 21.00 21.00 21.00 21.00 0.00 36,400 1.97 1.23 Harbor Star 1.17 1.16 1.14 1.14 -2.56 106,000 5,750.00119.5 102.6 I.C.T.S.I. 63 63.5 62.85 63 0.00 768,850 18,596,436.507 3.01 Imperial Res. `A’ 13.80 14.30 13.72 13.88 0.58 58,400 0.017 0.011 IP E-Game Ventures Inc. 0.0091 0.0092 0.0092 0.0092 1.10 3,000,000 IPM Holdings 9.40 9.38 9.30 9.35 -0.53 338,100 2,805,000.000.8200 0.041 Island Info 0.350 0.365 0.345 0.365 4.29 55,660,000 -127,500.002.2800 1.200 ISM Communications 1.7800 1.8500 1.7400 1.7700 -0.56 3,791,000 21,760.005.93 2.34 Jackstones 2.45 2.98 2.43 2.86 16.73 1,852,000 -13,700.00 LBC Express 13 13.1 12.78 13 0.00 15,800 12.28 6.5 Leisure & Resorts 6.53 6.55 6.40 6.51 -0.31 119,100 3.32 1.91 Liberty Telecom 3.02 3.12 3.04 3.10 2.65 435,000 -156,000.001 0.650 Manila Bulletin 0.580 0.590 0.580 0.580 0.00 116,000 2.46 1.8 Manila Jockey 1.99 1.99 1.98 1.98 -0.50 23,000 15.2 6 Melco Crown 4.09 4.15 3.99 4.12 0.73 14,298,000 -3,956,140.00 Metro Retail 4.76 4.90 4.63 4.85 1.89 23,953,000 29,749,970.001.040 0.37 NOW Corp. 3.920 3.950 3.840 3.890 -0.77 7,019,000 377,160.0022.8 14.54 Pacific Online Sys. Corp. 12 11.98 11.88 11.94 -0.50 37,900 6.41 3 PAL Holdings Inc. 5.20 5.25 5.02 5.18 -0.38 50,200 4 2.28 Paxys Inc. 2.46 2.5 2.46 2.5 1.63 6,000 185 79 Phil. Seven Corp. 134.00 140.00 125.00 135.00 0.75 3,860 295,290.0022.9 4.39 Philweb.Com Inc. 15.90 16.60 16.10 16.50 3.77 1,631,000 -2,261,522.003486 2748 PLDT Common 2088.00 2096.00 2074.00 2088.00 0.00 115,770 50,086,860.000.760 0.435 PremiereHorizon 0.450 0.450 0.445 0.445 -1.11 3,080,000 2.28 1.2 Premium Leisure 1.190 1.190 1.170 1.190 0.00 6,090,000 46.05 31.45 Puregold 46.60 46.70 45.35 46.00 -1.29 1,464,700 3,525,525.0090.1 60.55 Robinsons RTL 88.00 89.00 87.30 88.00 0.00 491,950 4,676,511.00 SBS Phil. Corp. 6.38 6.62 6.35 6.37 -0.16 3,168,300 -6,350.0011.6 7.59 SSI Group 3.69 3.69 3.53 3.55 -3.79 5,821,000 17,000.000.85 0.63 STI Holdings 0.590 0.630 0.590 0.630 6.78 12,669,000 -1,633,940.002.95 1.71 Transpacific Broadcast 1.92 1.9 1.9 1.9 -1.04 1,000 10 5 Travellers 3.43 3.6 3.44 3.49 1.75 2,686,000 -2,184,880.000.490 0.315 Waterfront Phils. 0.340 0.335 0.320 0.335 -1.47 1,650,000 1.9 1.14 Yehey 6.200 6.380 6.200 6.380 2.90 45,200

MINING & OIL0.0098 0.0043 Abra Mining 0.0040 0.0041 0.0040 0.0040 0.00 279,000,000 528,000.005.45 1.72 Apex `A’ 3.30 3.45 3.31 3.35 1.52 1,832,000 2,053,090.0017.24 6.47 Atlas Cons. `A’ 4.33 4.35 4.27 4.30 -0.69 400,000 -86,130.000.330 0.236 Basic Energy Corp. 0.227 0.230 0.227 0.230 1.32 620,000 12.7 6.5 Benguet Corp `A’ 6.3000 6.6 6.3 6.6000 4.76 16,000 1.19 0.85 Century Peak Metals Hldgs 0.62 0.62 0.61 0.62 0.00 710,000 1.62 0.77 Coal Asia 0.500 0.510 0.500 0.510 2.00 1,142,000 510.009.5 5.99 Dizon 8.75 8.86 8.70 8.70 -0.57 300 4.2 1.17 Ferronickel 0.890 0.900 0.880 0.900 1.12 8,658,000 2,708,030.000.48 0.305 Geograce Res. Phil. Inc. 0.290 0.295 0.290 0.290 0.00 1,130,000 0.420 0.2130 Lepanto `A’ 0.246 0.247 0.242 0.243 -1.22 15,070,000 0.440 0.2160 Lepanto `B’ 0.255 0.260 0.250 0.260 1.96 70,000 0.022 0.013 Manila Mining `A’ 0.0120 0.0130 0.0120 0.0120 0.00 12,400,000 0.023 0.014 Manila Mining `B’ 0.0130 0.0130 0.0130 0.0130 0.00 72,100,000 8.2 3.240 Marcventures Hldgs., Inc. 1.86 1.89 1.82 1.82 -2.15 405,000 49.2 18.96 Nickelasia 5.74 5.87 5.66 5.79 0.87 5,913,100 671,152.004.27 2.11 Nihao Mineral Resources 2.85 2.89 2.75 2.85 0.00 268,000 27,900.001.030 0.365 Omico 0.5600 0.5700 0.5400 0.5700 1.79 17,000 3.06 1.54 Oriental Peninsula Res. 1.2000 1.2000 1.1800 1.1800 -1.67 230,000 21,420.000.020 0.012 Oriental Pet. `A’ 0.0120 0.0120 0.0110 0.0110 -8.33 4,700,000 7.67 5.4 Petroenergy Res. Corp. 4.03 4.11 4.06 4.07 0.99 35,000 12.88 7.26 Philex `A’ 8.67 8.93 8.70 8.90 2.65 4,210,100 863,388.0010.42 2.27 PhilexPetroleum 5.38 5.40 4.51 4.68 -13.01 38,733,600 -23,827,643.000.040 0.015 Philodrill Corp. `A’ 0.0120 0.0130 0.0120 0.0120 0.00 6,200,000 420 115.9 Semirara Corp. 121.00 122.00 120.80 120.80 -0.17 113,830 7,612,063.009 3.67 TA Petroleum 4.17 4.19 4.02 4.03 -3.36 660,000 97,460.000.016 0.0100 United Paragon 0.0110 0.0110 0.0100 0.0110 0.00 56,400,000

PREFERRED70 33 ABS-CBN Holdings Corp. 49.35 49.95 49 49.95 1.22 246,900 8,970,240.00553 490 Ayala Corp. Pref `B1’ 543 540 540 540 -0.55 4,000 -2,160,000.00525 500 Ayala Corp. Pref ‘B2’ 545 545 545 545 0.00 2,080 120 101.5 First Gen G 115.4 115.6 115.6 115.6 0.17 500 515 480 GLOBE PREF P 540.5 541 541 541 0.09 50 8.21 5.88 GMA Holdings Inc. 6.1 6.1 6.07 6.1 0.00 269,600 -1,626,260.00111 101 MWIDE PREF 112 112 111.7 111.7 -0.27 45,650 PCOR-Preferred B 1121 1120 1120 1120 -0.09 520 1047 1011 PF Pref 2 1022 1021 1019 1019 -0.29 2,435 84.8 75 SMC Preferred C 79.8 81 80 80 0.25 39,540 -1,600,000 SMC Preferred D 77 76.05 76 76 -1.30 6,700 SMC Preferred E 78 78 76.6 78 0.00 7,100 SMC Preferred F 78 78 77.9 77.9 -0.13 38,030 389,500.00 SMC Preferred G 78.5 79 78.8 79 0.64 136,470 -1,580,000.00 SMC Preferred H 77.8 77.7 76.25 76.25 -1.99 60,700 -722,610.00 SMC Preferred I 76.9 76.95 76.9 76.95 0.07 98,400 -6,879,330.00

WARRANTS & BONDS6.98 0.8900 LR Warrant 2.600 2.630 2.530 2.600 0.00 349,000

S M E Alterra Capital 5.17 6.48 5.6 5.7 10.25 41,503,700 68,830.0015 3.5 Makati Fin. Corp. 3.67 3.66 3.66 3.66 -0.27 2,000 -3,660.00 Italpinas 4.46 5.7 4.39 5.6 25.56 17,304,000 -6,255,750.0012.88 5.95 Xurpas 16.44 16.5 16.36 16.42 -0.12 668,100 1,816,490.00

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS130.7 105.6 First Metro ETF 130.3 130.6 130 130.6 0.23 3,040

[email protected]@gmail.com

BUSINESSFRIDAY: JULY 15, 2016

B3

Stock market gains; GT Capital climbs

Manila Water details expansionConnections

I CAUGHT the movie adaptation of the classic novel Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, on television this week. It is one of those stories beloved by generations of readers—so beloved the makers of the film dared not stray from the core of the narrative. This is not a story of epic proportions. There is neither great tragedy nor grand adventure. It is not a story of limitless imagination. Rather, it is a story of the day to day, of family, friends, and relationships.

In one of the story’s pivotal moments, two of the four March family sisters at the heart of the story share a final moment. Beth, who has always been the sickly one, turns to the sister who has always been her champion—Jo, the wild tomboy, the one with strong opinions and dreams about writing stories that will stir the passions of her readers. “I never had grand dreams like you, Jo,” Beth explained. “All I ever wanted was to stay at home.” When Beth dies, the family shatters for a short time. The quiet, shy one – she was the calm voice that kept the four sisters together. Their parents were protectors and advisers. But Beth, she was their glue.

GlueIn every group of people, there is a

person who is the glue – the one who keeps people together, the one who somehow finds the time to make sure relationships stay strong. They are the connectors. They are invaluable in business and critical in politics. We love them and hate them. They force us to pay attention to all the things we sometimes forget. They demand we forgive when we are still angry, move forward even when we are still hurt. Without them, families and organizations would fall apart. In organizations, this role is often played by the head of the human resources department. In families, it is less clear cut.

My earliest memories include her. Almost before I could properly hold a writing implement, I imagined how to draw her face. It was a very simple face: chubby cheeks, a button nose, a ready grin, eyes stretched to slits by her wide smile, porcelain skin, black hair all askew. Of course, I always ended up with a circle topped with squiggly lines, a semi-circle smile, and two upside down crescents for the eyes. But I always know who that was. She was my constant companion, my friend, my nemesis, my sister.

This week is her birthday. She will spend it at work opening a branch of one of the chains she manages. The rest of us, her friends and her family, will find some way to get to wherever she is. Because, like it or not, she is our glue.

RolesI am the first child of an eldest

child. In my paternal family, I was the oldest of our generation of cousins. To everyone, I was Ate Maya, eldest sister, with all of the burden and authority that entailed. When we were with cousins, and even friends, I was Ate Maya. But when it was just us, the siblings, that got shortened to just “Mai.” There are many explanations for this but, I suspect, it comes simply from the fact that that is what she called me. She was the sibling who somehow kept our motley group balanced.

She is the second child in the family, born a scant 15 months after I was. Like most middle children, she spent much of her childhood in competition with me, routinely dreaming up schemes to make sure that in the two sisters against one dynamic that is almost unavoidable

in a family of three girls and a youngest boy all born within 17 months of each other—which was our family dynamic for the 13 years separating the two boys—I would be the one against the two which she led.

I was the bookworm. She was the performer, the natural dancer. I was the plain one. She was the pretty one. Our middle sister was the quiet one, the one who looked like our mom. She was the baby sister. The boy—well, he was special. There was never any comparison.

Labels I never rebelled against the

shorthand labels that the people around us gave us. I felt it was easy. That was who I was. I couldn’t be bothered to think about what to wear or what to do with my hair. I had two left feet and being good at mathematics somehow did not help my rhythm any. Sure, I could hold a melody but I was never comfortable in front of an audience. She was the colorful, social child – the one who made friends easily. She was the one who had an entire gaggle of girls following her around. I was the child sitting in a corner, absolutely amazed there were people who knew I existed. And while I knew some teachers liked me because I did well in exams, there were almost an equal number who despised me because I corrected them in front of my classmates and drew pictures and read storybooks while they were lecturing.

But it was at home where the world became really uneven. In our household, my father was special. His job kept him away most of the time so the few times we actually had him home was special. We had this in common with the March family. And I was his favorite. My brother was special, of course. He was the boy. But I was the one my father talked to. I was his eldest, the one he engaged, the one he entrusted with his nuggets of wisdom.

BalanceMy sister, she balanced me. She

challenged me. All throughout her childhood, she made it her job to learn everything I learned and beat me at it. And the few times she couldn’t, she found something else she could be better in.

And as much as she competed against me, she held me close. She knew all my friends and kept track of them. And she made sure I knew all her friends. She butted heads with me about everything but told me all her secrets.

When we were very little, I used to call her the Social Welfare Administration. She routinely gave entire loaves of bread to children who looked hungry. Every beggar who knocked on our door were given everything she could lay her hands on. As she grew older, she tempered here decisions. But she is still always the first one who looks for the good in people, even those who hurt her.

In our family, the girls are in Manila and the boys are in California. My brother and she always joke that they each have a younger sibling to nurture but I am the one they both run to. That’s not really true. She is our glue. She keeps us together.

In a world that is constantly trying to tug people apart, people who are connectors, those who find ways to strengthen relationships—they are invaluable. In our family, she is the one. I don’t often tell her, but she is one of my heroes. Happy birthday, Enya!

Readers can email Maya at i nte g rat i o n s _ m ani l a @ y ah o o.com. Or visit her site at http://integrations.tumblr.com.

By Melissa Cheok

MANILA Water Co. Inc. plans to provide water to industrial parks and offer sanitation services in Southeast Asian countries as it expands to meet a target of doubling earnings in five years.

Manila Water has the expertise for industrial needs as it oper-ates two of the largest industrial parks in the Philippines, Perry Rivera, chief operating officer for the company’s new business op-erations, said in an interview in Singapore. “We want to replicate in other Asean countries,” he said, referring to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Entering markets outside the Philippines would help com-pany president Gerardo Ablaza meet its goal to double earnings by 2020 from 2015, when net in-come rose 2 percent to P5.96 bil-lion ($126 million). The company, one of two main water suppliers

in the greater Manila region, has branched out to other parts of the Philippines through six subsidiar-ies, which are all profitable, Rivera said July 13.

Manila Water was unchanged at P27.50 at the close of trding in Manila to keep its gain this year to 13 percent. The Philippine Stock Exchange PSEi Index has ad-vanced 15 percent in the period.

Outside the Philippines, Manila Water distributes water in the Cu Chi district of Ho Chi Minh city. The company is also conducting pilot projects in Yangon, Myan-mar, and Bandung in Indonesia, Rivera said.

“While initially the capital cities

of Asean countries are attractive, they are also the most difficult to manage,” the executive said. “It is best to look at second-tier mar-kets, prove you can make a differ-ence and from there, you can look at other opportunities.”

Manila Water in January signed an agreement to provide water and used water services to all real estate developments of sister com-pany Ayala Land Inc. as well as its subsidiaries and affiliates.

Manila Water said wholly-owned unit Manila Water Philip-pine Ventures signed the agree-ment with Ayala Land’s 24 other subsidiaries and affiliates, includ-ing Cebu Holdings Inc., Cebu Property Ventures and Develop-ment Corp. and Ayalaland Hotel and Resorts Corp.

The Ayala Land Group earlier provided in-house water and used water services and facilities in it property development projects. Ayala Land and Manila Water are both majority-owned by con-glomerate Ayala Corp.

With Bloomberg

THE stock market rose Thurs-day after another record close on Wall Street overnight, with the Philippine Stock Exchange Index inching closer to the 8,000-point mark.

The PSEi added 12.12 points, or 0.2 percent, to a year-high of 7,956.14 on a value turnover of P8.2 billion. Gainers beat los-ers, 121 to 73, with 48 issues un-changed. The PSEi closed at an all-time high of 8,127.48 on April 10, 2015.

GT Capital Holdings Inc. of tycoon George Ty climbed 1.3 percent to P1,530, while Alliance Global Group Inc. of tycoon An-drew Tan advanced 2.6 percent to P16. Megaworld Corp., the big-gest lessor of office spaces and a unit of Alliance Global, gained 1.4 percent to P5.07.

Philex Petroleum Corp. re-treated 13 percent to P4.68, while

parent Metro Pacific Investments Corp. fell 2.1 percent to P7.15.

Japanese stocks, meanwhile led a broad rally on Asian markets Thursday, posting a fourth straight gain, while the pound rose ahead of a key central bank meeting.

The Nikkei index has now wiped out all the losses sustained after Britain’s shock vote to leave the EU, while the yen sank fur-ther as traders await details on promised government economic stimulus.

The gains extend a global ad-vance this week fueled by talk of growth-boosting measures from central banks and governments around the world.

Hong Kong rose 1.1 percent but Shanghai ended down 0.2 per-cent, a day after China unveiled data showing imports and exports both fell last month, reinforcing worries about the slowing econ-

omy.The figures bode ill for Friday’s

release of second-quarter eco-nomic growth figures, which is expected to come in at a seven-year low of 6.6 percent, according to a survey by AFP.

China’s yuan dropped to its lowest in nearly six years on the back of the trade data. The unit was at 6.6878 against the dol-lar Thursday—just off levels last reached in November 2010.

“All eyes are on China’s eco-nomic data for the second quar-ter—if the numbers turn out to be weak, the yuan may depreciate beyond 6.7 per dollar,” Andy Ji, a foreign-exchange strategist at Commonwealth Bank of Austra-lia, said.

Elsewhere, Sydney edged up 0.4 percent and Seoul added 0.2 per-cent, while Wellington and Taipei also posted gains. With AFP

Reality game. April O’Neil (left), Ariana Nussdorf (center) and Julia Voth display their cellphones while playing Pokemon Go on July 13, 2016 at Pershing Square in Los Angeles, California, one of a number of landmark locations across communities in southern California which served as gathering point for people playing the game. The location-based augmented reality mobile game was released on July 6th. AFP

B4

Dominguez stops DBP merger

FRIDAY: JULY 15, 2016

[email protected]@gmail.com

BUSINESS

IN BRIEF

Paradigm shift for SMEs

Citi bags gold award. Citi Philippines wins the gold award for the tenth consecutive year from Reader’s Digest for the Card Issuing Bank Category. Citi also won the Asia Trusted Brand award. Shown is Citi Philippines’ consumer banking head Bea Tan (third from left) receiving the gold award from Reader’s Digest group advertising and retail sales director for Asia Pacifi c Sheron White (second from left). With them are Citi credit product management head Ramon del Rosario (left) and credit payment products head David Stoughton.

THE appointment of Go Negosyo executive direc-tor Ramon Lopez has buoyed up the hopes of small and medium entrepreneurs to have a fi ghting chance against giant businessmen who could easily gobble them up. Lopez is known for advocating an entre-preneurial mindset, believing that Filipinos have the opportunity to rise out of poverty.

Realistically, however, SMEs—whose growth has been hyped-up with 99 percent of all registered businesses composed of these startups – cannot expect to become profi table in their fi rst year of operation. However, success is not also impossible as these SMEs can fl oat above the sea of competition if they learn the paradigm shifts necessary in building a strong foundation for their businesses.

One thing that newbie entrepreneurs should know is that to go beyond survival, they have to go beyond the traditional, be abreast of changes in an evolving and every dynamic market, and think of ways to maintain customer patronage and loyalty.

For one, they have to understand that sell-ing is also science, not just art. Selling as an art means maximizing a team’s existing poten-tials and leveraging individual strengths. This involves emotional intelligence training, where a salesperson’s interpersonal skills, empathy and self-awareness are improved. Selling as a science means that increasing sales by growing

the pool of “performers” with the use consistent processes such as sales technology training uti-lizing customer relationship management solu-tions and other sales enablement tools.

Next comes the realization that behavior triumphs over attitude. Why? Attitude is like words while behavior is action. Ergo, actions speak louder than words. A salesperson’s atti-tude should be complemented by his behavior. Talk must be supported by action. When a sales-person promises something to a customer, that promise should be matched with corresponding (immediate if possible) action.

The last paradigm shift shows why competency is more valuable than knowledge. Knowledge is all in the mind; it’s about what a businessman thinks about, while competency goes a step fur-ther and applies that knowledge. Competency is also about choosing the right solutions to achieve business goals. It focuses on how a business owner makes sense of what he knows. Ideas and plans should be translated into action and smartly applied to the customer’s operations. Maximizing the right knowledge to stay on top of the game will make all the difference.

Jennifer Ligones, president and chief execu-tive of Third Pillar Business Applications Inc., shares that another factor that can help ensure that a business stays on a competitive level is through an effective customer CRM platform.

“The relationships you build with your custom-ers are far more valuable when aiming for sus-tainable growth. This is why businesses that put a customer-centric approach at their core take a lead in the industry: They create scalable solutions for their customers not only to keep them coming back but also to boost sales,” Ligones says.

Third Pillar is known as an information tech-nology consultancy company dedicated to pro-viding best-in-class services and solutions. It is engaged in a strategic partnership with Salesforce

to help provide best-in-class CRM solutions to its customers. “These paradigm shifts, when com-plemented with the right business solution like a CRM, can help build a stronger foundation for up-and-rising companies,” Ligones stresses.

Salesforce’s CRM platform is a smart strat-egy to maximize a company’s profi tability by safeguarding its relationship with its custom-ers. It is a cloud-based CRM solution that does away with expensive setup and maintenance costs. It may also be utilized using different devices like smartphones, tablets or laptops for added convenience. It also tracks all customer interactions, from calls, emails, meetings, pre-sentations up to closing the deal.

“It lets you work on one platform where ev-erything works systematically. With a unifi ed customer view, a businessman can have access to all the data businesses need to optimize his company’s performance for better strategic planning to win more customers and partners and keep them,” Ligones says, adding that this can ultimately improve the way an entrepreneur runs his organization.

According to Ligones, Third Pillar always explores new ventures to help address the chal-lenges that may come with success. This in-cludes the partnership with Salesforce for CRM solutions. The company executive promises that they will continue to eye business development to help SMEs compete in the market, equipping stratups with the latest technologies that are at par with international standards. After all, every Filipino start-up business deserves this chance.

•••For comments, reactions, photos, stories and

related concerns, readers may email to [email protected]. You may also visit and like our Facebook page https://www.face-book.com/happyhourmanilastandard. We’d be very happy to hear from you. Cheers!

Mining reduces povertyTHE Chamber of Mines of the Philippines on Thursday

denied that mining companies cause suffering in their area of operations.

CoMP made the statement after Environment Secre-tary Regina Lopez said “the poorest areas in the Philip-pines are mining areas.”

“We do not cause suffering in areas where we oper-ate contrary to Lopez’s belief. In fact, we ease these suf-ferings by complementing the government’s delivery of social services and by implementing our environmental protection and enhancement programs,” said CoMP ex-ecutive vice president Nelia Halcon.

The group cited data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showing that in 2015, the ten poorest provinc-es were Lanao del Sur, Sulu, Saranggani, Northern Samar, Maguindanao, Bukidnon, Sultan Kudarat, Zamboanga del Norte, Siquijor and Agusan del Sur. “None of these provinces play host to mining fi rms,” Halcon said.

CoMP said another report from PSA showed that in 2012, the mining towns of Benguet in the Cordillera Ad-ministrative Region posted low poverty incidence. The group said poverty incidence in Itogon which hosts Ben-guet Corp. and Philex Mining Corp. was at 4.8 percent. In Mankayan, where the operations of Lepanto Consoli-dated Mining Co. is located, poverty incidence during the same period was at 6.2 percent. CoMP said in Tuba which hosts Philex Mining Corp., poverty rate was at 4.6 per-cent. Anna Leah E. Gonzales

Philex seeks oil partner PHILEX Petroleum Corp., a unit of Philex Mining Corp.,

said Thursday it may look for a new foreign partner in ex-ploring the West Philippine Sea, after the country received a favorable decision from the international tribunal in the Netherlands over a territorial dispute with China.

“I think we have to study ourselves, the decision and of course, we have to take our cue from the government. We don’t want to move without the government guid-ing us on what to do,” Philex Petroleum chairman Man-uel Pangilinan told reporters Wednesday night when asked about the possibility of reviving talks with China National Offshore Oil Corp. to develop a part of the Recto Bank in West Philippine Sea.

Pangilinan said Philex Petroleum had no communica-tion with CNOOC for a long time, after the government fi led a case before the United Nations-backed Perma-nent Court of Arbitration.

He said Philex would need a foreign partner for the exploration of Recto Bank once it secured an approval from the government.

“It’s a big [project]. Assuming there’s gas there, we will need a partner—foreign partner most likely,” Pan-gilinan said. The Malampaya natural gas discovery off northwest Palawan was developed by Shell Philippines Exploration B.V and Chevron Malampaya LLC.

“I’m not saying it will be them but yes, we do need a foreign partner or partners,” Pangilinan said.

Darwin G. Amojelar

PLDT investing P48bPLDT Inc. raised its capital expenditures this year to

P48 billion to fi nance the transformation of its network from legacy to purely digital, a top executive said.

“We have disclosed that this year the capex would be at around P43 billion and this week the PLDT board met and there’s a further allocation of $100 million on top of the P43 billion. So our spend for this year is gonna be in the neighborhood of P48 billion,” PLDT chairman and chief executive Manuel Pangilinan told reporters Wednesday night.

“Late last year, we are behind with our rival on our 3G [third-generation]. There was huge efforts in catching up. Today, I believe that we have a better network in 3G than Globe as well as there has been a signifi cant effort in building our LTE [long-term evolution] network and that’s proceeding very well,” he said.

“Maybe for the past years or so we have been rather asleep, but I think starting this year, we will see more innovations, more progress and more activity that this digital world demands of us and customers demand of us as well,” Pangilinan said.

Smart, the wireless unit of PLDT, unboxed its latest in-novations that aim to change the way Filipinos connect, enrich their passions and ultimately optimize their digi-tal life. Darwin G. Amojelar

Hot money nets $451mFOREIGN portfolio investments or “hot money”

posted a net infl ow of $451 million in June, a reversal of the $522-million net outfl ow a year ago on sustained investors’ optimism, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said Thursday.

The June fi gure was also a sharp improvement from the $73-million net infl ow in May 2016. Total infl ows in June climbed to $1.8 billion from $1.7 billion a year ago, while outfl ows declined to $1.4 billion from $2.2 billion.

This brought foreign infl ows in the fi rst half to $580 mil-lion, lower than the $638-million net infl ows a year ago.

About 83.8 percent of investments were in Philippine Stock Exchange-listed securities. The balance of 15.7 per-cent were investments in peso government securities, while the 0.5 percent were invested in other peso debt instruments. Julito G. Rada

Dispute won’t affect ratings The Philippines’ credit rating will not be directly af-

fected by the maritime dispute with economic power-house China, Fitch Ratings said Thursday.

Fitch said the South China Sea dispute, along with the East China Sea row between Japan and China, the cross-strait relations between Taiwan and the mainland and North Korea-related issues were causing geopoliti-cal tensions in the region.

“Maritime disputes in the South China Sea under-score the growing importance of geopolitics in shaping the international policy agenda of countries in the Asia Pacifi c. Fitch Ratings believes shifts in the regional and global balance of power mean geopolitical risks will re-main prevalent in the long term,” Fitch said.

“These risks have the potential to cause signifi cant economic and political instability, though are not cur-rently a direct ratings driver for sovereigns in the region,” it said.

The International Tribunal on the Laws of the Sea based in The Netherlands ruled against China in a bit-ter row over territorial claims in the South China Sea or West Philippine Sea. The court concluded there was no legal basis for China to claim historic rights within the sea areas falling within the so-called “nine-dash line.”

The Philippines enjoys an investment grade score from Fitch Ratings, with a stable outlook. Julito G. Rada

By Gabrielle H. Binaday

THE Duterte administra-tion will not implement the merger of the government’s two largest banks, Finance Secretary Carlos Domin-guez III said Thursday.

Dominguez told reporters the executive order issued by former President Benigno Aquino III to consolidate Land Bank of the Philippines and Development Bank of the Philippines would likely be repealed.

“First, we are not going to implement it, that’s number one. If it has to repealed, then we’ll repeal it,” Dominguez said.

Dominguez, who as Finance chief serves as Land Bank chairman, earlier

expressed strong opposition to the merger, saying the two banks were established for different purposes.

“We will not implement it, because I really think you can not do it by EO, that’s number one. Number two, I am really not sure that you’re going to be serving the public right because these institutions were put up to address two different kinds of problems—the problem of the farmers and the problem of the industry,” Dominguez said.

The merger of the banks is expected to create a mega bank with total assets of P1.71 trillion, based on end-2015 data, challenging local tycoons’ dominance in the banking sector. The merger would make the surviving entity (Land Bank) the country’s second largest lender in terms of assets.

Under the merger, Land Bank will be

the surviving entity. Landbank is the country’s fourth largest bank in terms of assets (P1.14 trillion), while DBP has P465 billion and ranked seventh.

The executive order issued by Aquino stated that the merger would enhance the fi nancing of priority projects and sectors such as infrastructure, public services, agriculture and small and medium enterprises.

“The merger of DBP and LBP will provide better access and extend quality fi nancial services and products to more unbanked and underserved areas,” the EO stated.

The Governance Commission on Government Owned and Controlled Corporations submitted in April to Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and Philippines Deposit Insurance Corp. a fi nal business plan of the merger.

F R I D AY : J U LY 1 5 , 2 0 1 6

B5CESAR BARRIOQUINTOE D I T O R

[email protected]

Protest. This file photo taken on July 05, 2016, shows an activist covered in fake blood to protest against bullfighting and bull-running during a demonstration called by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and Anima Naturalis pro-animal groups in Spain. AFP

Winner. Sable Jade Robbert (front) of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, reacts as she is crowned Miss Hooters International 2016 by Miss Hooters International 2015 Meagan Pastorchik during the 20th annual Hooters International Swimsuit Pageant at The Pearl concert theater at Palms Casino Resort on July 13, 2016, in Las Vegas, Nevada. AFP

WORLDJapanese royals deny abdication

Jailed for hacking US defense firms

The respected national broad-caster NHK—citing palace and other sources—said Wednesday that Akihito wanted to pass the throne to his son.

Any such abdication—the first since 1817—would be a severe jolt to a country where the 2,600-year-old royal family symbolizes stabil-ity and continuity.

Media watchers say NHK and Kyodo News, which separately car-ried a similar report, would be ex-tremely careful before committing on such an explosive story.

But the Imperial Household Agency, the tradition-steeped gov-ernment body that runs royal af-fairs, was categorical in its denial.

“It is absolutely not true,” Vice Grand Steward Shinichiro Yamamoto told reporters late Wednesday.

The emperor “has long refrained from discussing systematic issues out of consideration for his maj-esty’s constitutional position,” he told reporters.

The throne, which Japan claims to be one of the world’s oldest, is held in deep respect by much of the public, despite being largely stripped of its mystique and quasi-divine status in the aftermath of World War II.

Akihito’s father, Hirohito, in whose name Japan’s military cam-paigns of the 20th century were prosecuted, was treated as a living god until defeat in 1945.

While the role of emperor is now largely ceremonial, it remains in-

tensely important to right wingers, especially because of the monarch’s position at the apex of the native Shinto religion.

Among their number is Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who at the weekend scored an election win that may give him the momen-tum to soften Japan’s pacifist con-stitution.

An abdication—for which there is no modern legal prec-edent—could throw a spanner in the works, tying up legislators and preventing any such constitutional backsliding.

Hidehiko Kasahara, professor of politics at Keio University, noted that Akihito has made clear his ceremonial workload is getting harder to perform.

One of his sons in 2011 floated the idea of a retirement system for emperors after one of Akihito’s ill-nesses, and a weekly magazine in 2013 carried a report similar to the current wave of speculation.

The emperor, who has suffered from numerous health issues, in-cluding prostate cancer and heart problems, himself spoke late last year of his growing limitations.

He acknowledged making “mis-takes” in his duties, which range from native Shinto religious cer-emonies to visiting residents in re-gions hit by Japan’s frequent natu-ral disasters.

Akihito may also be cognizant of the public awkwardness of his father’s death from cancer in 1989. AFP

LOS ANGELES—A Chinese national was sentenced on Wednesday in Los Angeles to three years and 10 months in prison for hacking American defense con-tractors to steal trade secrets on Beijing’s behalf.

Su Bin, 51, who went by the names Stephen Su and Stephen Subin, was also ordered by a fed-eral judge to pay a $10,000 fine.

Su in March had admitted in a plea agreement with US authorities to conspiring with two unnamed military officers in China to try to acquire plans for F-22 and F-35 fighter jets and Boeing’s C-17 mili-tary transport aircraft.

According to court documents, the trio managed to steal sensitive data by hacking into the computer networks of major defense con-tractors and sent the information to China

Su, who ran a China-based avia-tion and aerospace company from Canada, was arrested in July 2014

and after waiving extradition was transferred to the United States to face charges.

“Over the course of years, this defendant sought to undermine the national security of the United States by seeking out information that would benefit a foreign gov-ernment and providing that coun-try with information it had never before seen,” prosecutor Eileen Decker said in a statement.

According to court documents, Su traveled to the United States at least 10 times between 2008 and 2014, working with his co-conspir-ators to steal the data.

He admitted to sending emails to his two accomplices with guid-ance on which persons, companies and technologies to target.

Once the data was stolen, Su ad-mitted to translating it into English and then seeking to sell it.

His spying activities have been lauded in China where the state-run media has described him as a

hero.“We are willing to show our grat-

itude and respect for his service to our country”, said a March edito-rial in the Global Times, a nation-alistic newspaper with close ties to the ruling Communist Party.

“On the secret battlefield with-out gunpowder, China needs spe-cial agents to gather secrets from the US,” it added.

Washington and Beijing have re-peatedly clashed over what the US describes as rampant cyberspying by the Chinese government on US industry.

Last year, the US indicted five Chinese military officers on charg-es of cyberspying.

In the 1990s, Taiwanese-American Wen Ho Lee was ac-cused of spying for the Chinese government, but eventually plead-ed guilty to only one minor charge in an embarrassing debacle that ended in an apology from then US president Bill Clinton. AFP

TOKYO—Japan’s ancient monarchy was in tumult Thursday, with the imperial household insisting its ag-ing emperor had no plans to abdicate after reports he wanted to step aside.

B6 CESAR BARRIOQUINTOE D I T O R

[email protected]

F R I D AY : J U LY 1 5 , 2 0 1 6

WORLD

US to offer Russia pactagainst terror in Syria

Japanese royals deny abdication

Tutor teacheslessons in love

Republic of the PhilippinesPROVINCE OF QUIRINO

Cabarroguis-oOo-

BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEEINVITATION TO BID FOR

Purchase of Aggregates with Binder for the Improvement/Rehab. of Various Provincial and Barangay Roads (Batch A)

Contract No. 2016-024 July 15, 20161. The Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) of the Provincial Government of Quirino,

through the 20% Development Fund intends to apply the sum of P 1,000,000.00 being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for 2016-024 Purchase of Aggregates with Binder for the Improvement/Rehab. of Various Provincial and Barangay Roads (Batch A). 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 Purchase of Aggregates with Binder for the Improvement/Rehab. of Various Provincial and Barangay Roads (Batch A). Completion of the Works is required by 90 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 July 15, 2016 to August 1, 2016 from the address below and upon payment of a nonrefundable fee for the Bidding Documents in the amount of Five Thousand Pesos (P5, 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 July 18, 2016, 3:00PM at Special Projects Unit Conference Hall, 2nd Floor, Commercial Bldg., 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 August 1, 2016, 3:00PM at Special Projects Unit Conference Hall, 2nd Floor, Commercial Bldg., 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-JULY 15, 2016)

His “Theory and Practice of Romantic Relations” course at Tianjin University in-cludes lectures on pick-up techniques, self-pre-sentation and how to entice the opposite sex.

“How should you re-act when you’ve been rejected?” Xie asked his young charges at one lecture, in a cafe on the campus in the northern port city. “Clearly, don’t throw the roses that you bought the girl at her—keep calm.”

Tianjin is China’s first university to integrate such a course into its curriculum, giving stu-dents credit towards their degrees for at-tending—an indication of slowly loosening social norms in China after decades of more straight-laced tradition-alism.

It also demonstrates officials’ increasing

concern over the social acumen of the country’s youth—many of whom grew up as pampered “Little Emperors” with-out brothers or sisters as a result of China’s one-child policy.

“The generation of only children lack rela-tionships with people their own age,” China’s most prominent sexolo-gist Li Yinhe told AFP, adding: “A boy who has a sister might have a better understanding of how to interact with a girl.”

At the cafe Xie flipped through Powerpoint slides, showing the boys how to “upgrade their look” by avoiding “tank tops and long shorts”, and urging them not to “ask girls questions like it’s a police investiga-tion”.

“Be courteous. Serve the girl before yourself. But don’t go overboard,

PARIS—The United States is to offer to co-operate with Russia in joint military action against the Al-Nusra Front and Islamic State extremist groups in Syria, the Washington Post reported Thursday.

US Secretary of State John Kerry, who was on his way to Moscow for talks with President Vladimir Putin, did not deny the report, but refused to discuss the proposal in detail until he had been to the Kremlin.

According to the Post, which cited sec-tions of what it said was a draft agreement, US and Russian com-manders would set up a joint command and control center to direct intensified air strikes against the groups.

Currently, Russian forces in Syria are op-erating in support of Bashar al-Assad’s re-gime against a variety of rebel factions while a US-led coalition focus-es its fire on the Islamic State jihadist group.

Any deal between the great power ri-vals would be con-troversial, since for many—including the critics of President Barack Obama in Washington—it would amount to a tacit ac-ceptance of Putin’s efforts to shore up Assad’s regime.  

Kerry was due in Moscow later Thursday and was to hold talks first with Putin at the Kremlin then on Friday with his oppo-site number Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

Asked if he wanted to comment on the reported US offer of a military pact, Kerry said: “I don’t right now. I’ll have comments. I’m going to Moscow, meeting with President Putin tonight, and we’ll have plenty of time to talk about it.” 

“I’ll give you all a sense of where we are,” he added.

According to the Post, Kerry was to propose to Putin that Russia and the

United States set up a “Joint Implementation Group” or JIG to “en-able extended coordi-nation” between their militaries on the Syrian battlefields.

Both the Islamic State and the Al-Nusra Front are defined as terror-ist groups by the UN Security Council, and they are not party to the much-breached cease-fire in place between Assad’s forces and more moderate rebel groups.

But, while the Islamic State’s so-called “caliphate” has global ambitions, Al-Nusra—an affiliate of Al-Qaeda—has con-centrated on battling Assad, fighting along-side other rebel groups backed by US allies.

Any deal between Russia and the United States to fight both groups would in ef-fect strengthen Assad’s position, and could undermine US efforts to press him to agree a negotiated political settlement to the civil war. AFP

Bastille Day. The La Defense business district is seen in the background as a Boeing C135 flies ahead of four Mirage 2000D jets during the annual Bastille Day military parade on the Champs Elysees avenue in Paris on July 14, 2016. France holds annual Bastille Day military parades with troops from Australia and New Zealand as special guests among the 3,000 soldiers who will march up the Champs Elysees avenue. They will be accompanied by 200 vehicles with 85 aircraft flying overhead. AFP

TIANJIN—Chinese university tutor Xie Shu’s core subject is Communist ideology, but he has diversified from the dry annals of political doctrine for a more hands-on subject: seduction.

either,” he advised.His female charges,

he suggested, should run their hands through their hair and “look the boy in the eye even if they feel intimidated”.

Sitting towards the back of the pack, Zijun Qian, 23, who has nev-er had a relationship, diligently typed up the teacher’s advice on her laptop.

“When I learned that a class like this existed, I thought it was incred-ible,” she said.

Xie occupies a partic-ularly Chinese academ-ic role as a fudaoyuan, who instructs students in Marxism-Leninism-Mao Zedong Thought as well as social coun-seling, but his authority on the issue of relation-ships is open to ques-tion.

He is single, he ad-mitted sheepishly. “I don’t have a wife or a girlfriend,” he laughed, “which is a bit embar-rassing”.

Many young Chinese entering university have little practical experi-ence in matters of the heart.

Conservative atti-tudes are widespread and most simply have not had time to date in high school, due to the intensive study neces-sary to pass the dreaded “gaokao” exam, which determines college placement and is seen as a key to one’s future.

Parents generally frown upon relation-ships that might distract their children from their all-important studies.

As soon as students graduate from univer-sity, however, the oppo-site becomes true: fami-lies often push for them to marry quite quick-ly—preferably before 27 for girls and before 30 for boys—prolonged singledom can prompt taunts, concerns, and unrelenting pressure.

Even as China’s econ-omy boomed between 2000 and 2015, trans-forming material wealth, the average age for first time sexual intercourse declined only fraction-ally, from 22.7 years to 22 years, according to a study from the Renmin University Institute of Sexology. AFP

[email protected]

RAMON L. TOMELDANE D I T O R

F R I D AY: J U LY 1 5 , 2 0 1 6

MOTORING

BMW GROUP’S NEW HQ

FASTLANE

This situates the history of the BMW Group in a new home during the centenary year of the company and at the same time roots it in its historic location. The site at Moosacher Straße 66 measuring around 13,000 square meters includes one of the first production buildings of what was at that time still a fledgling com-pany. It was preserved during the restoration work, as was the her-itage gatehouse, which is today a listed building, and now forms the entrance to the history of the BMW Group.

“Now we have everything un-der one roof and this provides us with the ideal conditions for maintaining our historic herit-age,” commented Ulrich Knieps, Head of BMW Group Classic. “We have already been able to manage the first major events like the Concorso d’Eleganza

Villa d’Este, the Mille Miglia and the Festival of Speed from our new site. And the event venue has already proved its worth, for ex-ample at the press conference to celebrate 100 years of existence of the company.”

The new location for BMW Group Classic also provides a touchpoint for owners and fans of classic vehicles of the brands BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce with information and services relating to the preservation and care of their automobiles and mo-torcycles. Vehicles and numerous other exhibits from the com-prehensive collection of BMW Group Classic are presented in the historic production hall. The facilities and event spaces cre-ated there can also be booked for events. Guided tours are offered to give participants an overview of the new venue and provide

UNDER ONE ROOF

HONDA’S automobile business unit in the Philippines adds three new sportier versions to the Civic line-up with the introduction of the Civic 1.8 E CVT Modulo, RS Turbo Modulo, and RS Turbo Modulo Sport variants.

Since its launching through the Philippine media last April, the Civic has already accumu-lated over 2,300 reservations.

HCPI responds to the positive feedback the Civic received from the market by amplifying its ag-gressive sporty appeal.

Designed and engineered to en-hance the customer’s Honda ex-perience, the Civic Modulo vari-ants are equipped with Modulo genuine accessories for both the exterior and interior. The three All-New Civic Modulo variants sport a Front Under Spoiler, Side Under Spoiler, Rear Under Spoil-er, Exhaust Pipe Finisher (1 pair

for the RS Turbo Modulo and RS Turbo Modulo Sport variants), and a Modulo emblem. Inside, these three Modulo variants are each equipped with a Side Step Garnish.

The 1.8 E CVT Modulo Variant also gets an additional Deck Lid Spoiler, while the RS Turbo Mod-ulo Sport Variant is made more distinctive with its 17-inch matte

black Modulo Alloy Wheels.Customers are sure to enjoy

the Modulo genuine accessories, which have undergone rigorous testing to ensure the best quality. Modulo genuine accessories also come with a three-year warranty.

Under the hood, the RS Turbo Modulo and RS Turbo Modulo Sport variants are powered by a DOHC VTEC Turbo Engine  that

delivers a maximum torque of 22.0 kg-m at 1,700--5,500 rpm, and a maximum power output of 173 PS at 5,500 rpm. The 1.8 E CVT Modulo variant is equipped with a 1.8 liter engine, which produces a maximum torque of 17.4 kg-m at 4,300 rpm, and a maximum power output of 141 PS at 6,500 rpm. Both engines are  mated to a Continuously Variable Trans-mission (CVT)  developed under  Earth Dreams Technology. The RS Turbo variants are equipped with paddle shifters for an even sportier driving performance.

At the recent Department of Energy (DOE) Fuel Eco Run, the All-New Civic RS Turbo recorded an impressive result of 27.56 km/L, which highlights its powerful driving performance with uncom-promised fuel efficiency.

HCPI is now accepting reserva-tions for the All-New Civic Mod-

ulo Variants, with the following suggested retail prices: RS Turbo Modulo Sport: Php 1,510, 000; RS Turbo Modulo: Php 1,445,000; 1.8 E CVT Modulo: Php 1,143,000.

The All-New Civic is also avail-able in  1.8 E (Php 1,088,000 SRP) and RS Turbo (Php 1,398,000 SRP) variants.

Customers may choose from the following colors for the All-New Civic:

Cosmic Blue Metallic (new color)

Midnight Burgundy Pearl (new color)

Lunar Silver MetallicWhite Orchid Pearl (additional

Php 20,000)Rallye Red (RS Turbo, RS Turbo

Modulo, RS Turbo Modulo Sport variants only)

Modern Steel Metallic (1.8 E CVT and 1.8 E CVT Modulo vari-ants only)

FORD Philippines is now accept-ing entries for the 16th Henry Ford Awards (HFA), the country’s premier award giving body that recognizes the work of journalists that drive the automotive indus-try’s progress in the country.

Through the HFA, Ford Phil-ippines celebrates and recognizes print, online and broadcast me-dia practitioners who continue to drive positive change within the automotive industry through their stories.

“For the past fifteen years, our annual Henry Ford Awards pro-gram has served as the platform to celebrate the hard work our media friends and partners do in the automotive industry. Beyond what manufacturers like Ford do in marketing their products, it is the media who have borne the responsibility of empowering our customers to know the truth be-hind every product through cred-ible and honest reportage. This is the kind of integrity and passion

that the HFA seeks to honor every year,” said Joseph Ayllon, assis-tant vice president for communi-cations, Ford Philippines.

Ford has added three new cat-egories to the Awards this year:

Automotive Green Feature, for stories that show how green tech-nology, energy conservation en-gineering or alternative fuel tech-nologies truly help reduce carbon foot print;

Smart Technology Feature, for entries that highlight a leading technology that makes the driv-ing and passenger experience more convenient; and

Best Automotive Magazine, which will award the best auto-motive print magazine that deliv-ers accurate reportage of relevant news and trends that shape the Philippine motoring industry, automotive experts’ opinion, and comprehensive reviews of auto-motive products. This category will also consider a magazine’s overall layout and visual appeal.

Civic Modulo lineup enhanced

16th Henry Ford Awards open

BMW GROUP Classic has completed the move to its new headquarters located on a historic site. The company archive and the vehicle collection, the workshop and the customer center together with the parts service for classic automobiles and motorcycles are now located together in an ensemble of buildings in the district of Milbertshofen in Munich.

information about the history of the company. Café “Mo 66” is open to visitors and gives them a vantage point looking directly into the glass vehicle workshop of the BMW Group Classic Centre.

At its new location, BMW Group Classic has significantly expanded opportunities for staging activities relating to the history of the com-pany and its three brands BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce. Questions about the history of the company, brands and products are answered in the BMW Group Archives. The teams responsible for communica-tion with the media and for mar-keting now also carry out their work in the new centre alongside the specialists involved in organ-izing events and exhibitions. The staff of the BMW Group Classic Centre has a long track record of experience, expertise, and passion. They work on the preservation and restoration of historic automo-biles and motorcycles, and offer support for purchasing or selling a classic vehicle. The offering of BMW Group Classic also includes the loan of classic vehicles and the parts shop. The range of parts of-fered comprises more than 55 000 items and it is continuously grow-ing. Owners of collectables on four wheels and two will benefit from this supply of original spare parts.

AS AN industry pioneer in syn-thetic oils, Motul oils and lubri-cants were developed to provide lubrication for modern day so-phisticated engines, while assur-ing fuel savings and automotive efficiency. To better serve the needs of the motoring public, Motul is now offering its line of 100 percent fully synthetic motor oils at an affordable price.

The Multigrade Plus Mineral group 2 base oil in 10W40 viscos-ity now retails for only P290/liter; Multipower Plus semi-synthetic group 3 base oil in 15W40 viscos-ity now at only P400/liter and the Multipower Plus techno-synthe-ses 5W40 and 10W40 viscosity retailing at P450/liter.

The Multipower Plus semi-synthetic oils are perfect for gaso-line and diesel powered sedans and AUV’s and Motul’s anti-de-posit and anti-black sludge power

help maintains a clean engine, and has properties for anti cor-rosion, anti-foam properties that protects both the oil and engine from unwanted elements the car accumulates from usage. Mo-tul’s patented synthetic technol-ogy that has been tested in actual conditions to provide ultra low-friction for more horsepower, incredibly smooth and almost no noticeable drop in rpms when shifting and instantaneous en-gine revs with noticeable gains in horsepower.

Affordable protection

MOTORING

F R I D AY : J U LY 1 5 , 2 0 1 6

B8RAMON L. TOMELDAN

E D I T O R

[email protected]

Complimenting safety guide-lines and measures set by the gov-ernment in our main thorough fares are the various technologies to counter erring bus and truck drivers who drive like speed de-mons. One such product was launched recently, Autokontrol Speed Limiter which enables bus and truck operators to control the speed of their vehicles by way of Geo tagging.

Autokontrol can provide di-rections to the engine to travel at only specific speeds for specific areas making sure that when the trucks or buses enter a highly ur-banized area they remain within safe speeds at all times. Because Autokontrol manages the throttle of the engine, it is has also been certified as an efficient emission

control. The bus and trucks have better emissions and improved fuel efficiency.

A seal and cable system ensures that the gadget is not tampered with and can be monitored and controlled by any government agency.

Autokontrol speed limiters is a fly by wire technology used world-wide for years and have produced fuel savings where the vehicles have been used on long distance operations, cleraner emmissions and safer travel through the use of speed controls.

Autokontrol Ltd. has been pro-viding such services in over 40 different countries, having been in the business of developing and fit-ting of speed controls and vehicle speed control technology for the

SPEED LIMITERS FOR TRUCKS AND BUSES

Text and photos by Dino Ray V. Directo III

Flash floods that occur each year pose a significant threat to Fili-pino motorists. We are the lucky ones considering that flash floods have only caused damaged to property, unlike in the United States where an average of 75 lost their lives due to these severe weather conditions.

Areas such as the Lagusniland in Manila, Banawe in Quezon City and the Maysilo in Mandalu-yong City are low lying areas that have poor drainage systems and are notorious for flash floods. For motorists caught in a heavy rain-fall, the single worst decision that you can make is driving your ve-hicle into floodwaters of unknown depth. It is easy to miscalculate the depth of floodwaters particu-larly at night and in poorly lit road networks. Driving through rains and flooded streets are made even worse by unmarked road repairs which are prevalent among erring contractors.

According to the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority

(MMDA), flash flood events occur in a localized area, with some se-vere flooding affecting passage of vehicles and the roads a danger to motorists in a matter of hours.

According to the MMDA, here are points to consider during heavy rain and when floods are imminent:

• Six inches of water will reach the bottom of most passenger cars, causing loss of control and poten-tial stalling.

• A foot of water will float many vehicles.

• Two feet of rushing water will carry away most vehicles, includ-ing SUVs and pickups.

In a report conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey, water 1 foot deep typically exerts 500 pounds of lateral force on a vehicle.Once your vehicle is floating, the floodwater becomes your steer-ing wheel. If that water is moving, your vehicle could be swept away,

tipped on its side or flipped.Rising water can enter your

vehicle in a manner of minutes, even seconds.The best advice we can give is to never drive through flood waters of unknown depth. As the National Weather Service has campaigned for years: “Turn around, don’t drown!”

If you are stuck in your vehicle underwater, you need to act quick-ly:

• Find a pocket of trapped air, usually against the rear window or roof.

• Roll a window down slowly, take a deep breath and be ready to swim.

• If the window won’t open, break the window with a rescue tool (Swiss Army knife, for exam-ple).

Driving through floods is a big mistake

Don’t be too confident when wading through floods even if you are driving an SUV. If flood-water is powerful enough to float and/or trap your vehicle, trying to wade through it is a recipe for disaster. Just six inches of flow-ing water can knock you off your

feet. If you slip and fall face first, you might drown before you come to and is particularly dan-gerous situation for babies and small children.

Flowing at just 15 kph throug water exerts the same force per unit area as air blowing at EF5 tor-nado wind speeds, according to Dr. Greg Forbes,  severe weather expert for The Weather Chan-nel. Water moving at 30 kph has the pressure equivalent of wind blowing at 790 mph, faster than the speed of sound .Forbes says the fastest flood water speeds are thought to be around 67 mph, which may occur in steep, elevat-ed terrain.

In general, awareness of the weather can save your life in a flash flood. You can monitor flooded areas by listening to the radio by way of weather bulletins or find a weather app on your smartphone to receive flood watches, warnings and what areas to avoid. Next time there is a risk of flash flooding, take it seriously. Stay safe, drive cautiously and be defensive on the road. Don’t be the topic of the six o’clock news.

past 30 years.Autokontrol speed limiters have

worldwide certification in coun-tries that have already established speed control legislation such as Egypt and India. The Philippines has just recently passed a bill for

speed controls on trucks and buses at the bicameral committee level and is waiting for presidential signature to become law.

Every Autokontrol speed lim-iter is affordable, costing as low as tracking devices with no recurrent

Text and photo by Dino Ray V. Directo III

DUE TO sheer neglect or ignorance of the law, count-less lives and damage to property amounting to mil-lions of pesos have been lost due to accidents involving speeding trucks and buses. To curb this road menace, the government has enacted laws to minimize, if not eradicate such deadly occurrences.

cost and any that is installed by TSS carries a warranty of 150,000 km or 3 years.

According to Autokontrol data, a leading haulage company in Ni-geria, ABC Transport Plc, was able to reduce major accidents involv-ing its fleet by 40% by installing speed limiters on 30% of its vehi-cles.

Also, British Gas, a British fuel company, achieved a 10% saving in fuel consumption by installing speed limiters on their vehicles, while Angus Council achieved a 4.4% fuel consump-tion saving on 65 Renault Clios, over the first three months of installation.

WHO and the Global Road Safety Partnership have consist-ently advised that speed limiters be introduced in every country, because these devices not only help in extending the lifespan of vehicle engines, a fact now known to most leasing compa-nies, but also help in reducing fleet downtime as well as insur-ance costs.

Autokontrol is distributed by AutoKontrol Philippines Corpo-ration at 341 G. Araneta Avenue, Quezon City. You can also contact them at [email protected].

Motorists are also at risk during flash floods

A gadget like the speed limiter can save lives.

C1F R I D AY : J U LY 1 5 , 2 0 1 6

LIFE

ISAH V. REDE 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

DEST IN AT IONS

i s a h r e d @ g m a i l . c o m

Tacloban City’s celebration of the 127th Sangyaw Festival was a big success.

The month-long festivities capped off with the inauguration and oathtaking of Mayor-elect Cristina Gonzales-Romualdez and the members of the local city government on June 30.

Three years after the destruction brought about by super typhoon Yolanda, the city kicked off the annual festival in honor of its patron Señor Sto. Niño de Tacloban on the first of June.

The celebration featured socio-cultural events for every Taclobanon and guests for the whole month of June. That include agro-trade fairs, nightly barbecues with live shows by Calla Lily, 6 Cycle Mind, Banda ni Kleggy, Parokya ni Edgar, Aegis, Itchyworms, Rocksteady, Regine Velasquez, Side A, Yeng Constantino, the REO Brothers, Kitchie Nadal, and Wolfgang. It also featured a ballroom dancing, the search for Ms. Tacloban 2016, the 8th Sangyaw Awards night, and the most awaited “Parade of Lights.”

On  June 29, 10 barangay contingents and 10 school contingents participated in the Parade of Lights that has become a symbol for the city’s resilience and hope.

“Resilient, Vibrant for a Better Tacloban—this was the theme of the festival this year. Through the beautiful lights showcased by the barangays and schools, no doubt, Tacloban showed the world its strength and beauty,” said Romualdez, who takes the position held by her husband, Alfred Romualdez, in the last nine years.

In one of the nightly concerts, Sofia, the 16-year-old daughter of Cristina and Alfred, surprised her parents and thousands of viewers with her performance at the annual Sangyawan Music Festival on June 28.

Dubbed the “Next Phenomenal Teen Star,” Sofia said her performance was her gift to her mother, the second female mayor of the city.

“I will continue the seed we planted in Tacloban. With our leadership, the city will continue to flourish,” said the new mayor.

TACLOBAN’S SANGYAW FESTIVAL

A BIG SUCCESSBY ROBBIE PANGILINAN

than not, harms the coastal ecosystem.  She said that the third day of SarBay was devoted to coastal clean up activities and environmental projects. 

Five civic organizations joined “I Love Clean SarBay,” the program this year to help maintain the ecological balance of the Bay’s coastal ecosystem.

Some 100,000 bangus (milkfish) fingerlings were released into the Bay after the two-day festival  in cooperation with Spectrum, Conrado-Ladislawa-Alcantara Foundation Inc. and Smart Communications. 

Still part of this year’s environmental advocacy is the e-trash bag given as part of the environmental fee given upon entrance. Every kilogram of gathered garbage submitted by every person has an equivalent token given by SarBay corporate partners Globe, Talk N’ Text, 2Go, and Coca-Cola.

The Bay Bodies 2016 will turn on the evening heat as babes and hunks strut down the catwalk in their swimwear, while the Talk and Text-sponsored Foam Party wrapped up the first night featuring the sultry duo of Natalia Moon and Luane de Lima known as DJ Lunatics.

Day Two began with the SarBay Swim-Bike-Run for the Environment, a triathlon which tested the mettle of the local “Iron Men”.

Both days included beach volleyball and football, skim boarding, Ultimate Frisbee Competition, fire dancing exhibitions, and Zumba with the Legendz,  Gen.  Santos City’s home-grown league of dance instructors.

Curtains closed with a Globe Telecoms-hosted evening party with deejays Cathy Frey, Jennifer Lee, Ron Poe and Italo, and Franco band rocking the night away.

Local stakeholders also launched the cruise tour of the

Bangsi Watercraft Service which sailed around the coastal towns around Sarangani Bay. 

Once a best-kept tourist secret, Gumasa has become one of the country’s most sought-after getaways because of its unspoiled talcum sand, minus the madding crowd of popular beaches.

A Best Tourism Event Awardee from the Association of Tourism Officers in the Philippines for several years now, SarBay Fest is organized by the Provincial Tourism Council and supported the  Provincial Government, the  Department of Tourism Region 12 and the Municipality of Glan.

A beach party for Mother Nature

The inauguration and oathtaking of Mayor-elect Cristina Gonzales-Romualdez capped off the month-long celebration in Tacloban

Beautiful lights paraded to showcase Tacloban's vibrancy and resiliency amid the calamities that struck the city

Tacloban City lit up in June as the province celebrated its 127th Sangyaw Festival with a lineup of fun, colorful and notable festivities

You may as well call it the country’s definitive a beach party.

For the past decade, tens of thousands  of party people from all over the archipelago have been trooping to southern Mindanao for the  Sarangani Bay  (SarBay)  Festival,    the country’s biggest beach party.

And just like the Bay’s mouth-watering tuna which have found their way to the world’s plate, this long stretch of white in  Gumasa Beach in Glan sizzled once more

in  the event’s  11th installment, but with a unique twist.

Themed  #SarbayEvolution, this year’s version celebrated the innovations it has embraced through the years, most notably its advocacy for environmental sustainability.

Sarangani First Lady and Provincial Tourism Council President Michelle Lopez-Solon said this year’s edition was more than the usual beach party, which, more often

Ultimate Frisbee, among other physical activities, tested the mettle of guests and locals dur-ing SarBay Festival

The country's biggest beach party, Sarangani Bay (SarBay) Festival once again attracted thousands of party people to celebrate the province's beauty and advocacy for environmental sustainability

C2F R I D AY : J U LY 1 5 , 2 0 1 6

LIFEi s a h r e d @ g m a i l . c o m

They say travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer, but wouldn’t it be nicer to earn more than experience and memories

whenever you venture out to some other parts of the world?

Acknowledging the universal love of traveling, Maybank Philippines goes out of its way to offer its credit card holders the best of both worlds while they explore all corners of this world.

Maybank Platinum MasterCard sure knows how to be the ideal travel companion one would love to have in his pocket as it offers amazing perks that allow for rewarding as well as safety features that ensure worry-free and convenient traveling and spending.

“We’ve taken extra step for our Maybank Platinum cardholders by expanding the world of travel in two ways,” said Maybank Head of Marketing Maria Tanya Medina.

On one hand, cardholders can earn miles for Asia Miles and KrisFlyer Miles for all their purchases anywhere in the world. For every P50.00 spent using the Maybank Platinum MasterCard, cardholders earn one Asia Mile or one KrisFlyer Mile, which they can use for a wide network of airlines including Singapore Airlines, Virgin Airlines, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, among a couple more others.

On the other, every purchase using the credit card from any merchant outside of the Philippines earn the cardholders one percent cash back rebate credited back to their card.

Aside from miles and cash rebates, Maybank Platinum MasterCard cardholders

can also enjoy regional treats, which are programmed for all Maybank banks across Asia.

“Being a regional bank we are present in all ASEAN countries, and being part of such large network of branches all around the region, we are able to partner with different merchants to offer our cardholders discounts and privileges,” shared Medina.

This means, Maybank Philippines cardholders have cross-border privileges offered at the bank’s partners in the region. “For instance, when you use your Maybank credit card at Universal Studios in Singapore, you get 10 percent off the entrance fee,” explained Medina.

Being partnered with MasterCard, Maybank Platinum MasterCard cardholders can also enjoy MasterCard’s Priceless Cities program, which offers exclusive access to some of the most coveted places and events around the world.

“MasterCard has identified key cities around the world to enjoy cultural dining experience and other experiences that normal tourists do not enjoy,” said Mastercard Philippines Vice President Judith Dayrit.

In an interview with Medina, she said Maybank Platinum MasterCard is geared towards their affluent to high net worth clients such as business owners and CEOs.

“That’s the reason why it’s more eschewed towards travel-related [perks] because that’s the profile of the clients: they travel extensively. They will benefit from these treats because they’re already used to earning miles, it’s like an extra add-on for them,” Medina told The Standard Life.

Rieseling Boracay Beach Resort has been recognized as the top performing beach hotel in Boracay. That is according to guests who posted their reviews on social media.

Skyjet Airlines, Manila’s boutique airline, also recognized Rieseling Boracay as  one of the hotel partners of the inter-island aircraft.

Rieseling Boracay Beach Resort  is a place for relaxation. It creatively combines comfort and privacy to pamper each guest. The beachfront resort is designed to reflect the Filipino lifestyle. The interiors of its suites are uniquely decorated with indigenous furnishings.

The resort is situated away from the area where the crowd hang out and make a festive noise at night, and even during

the day. Its pleasant ambience makes it a perfect hideaway soothing and calming to the stressed nerves of guests. However, through the access either on the beachfront or roadside, guests can walk to the WhiteBeach.

Bulabog Beach is the island’s watersports capital, noted for its attractive, laid-back community vibe. This is one of the world’s windsurfing and kite surfing hubs,

Rieseling Boracay Beach Resort is located at Bulabog Beach, Boracay island, Malay

town, Aklan please contact; Landline: +63 36 288.2505; Mobile: +63 919.994.4992; [email protected], Instagram: 

@rieselingboracay, Facebook: Rieseling Boracay

A ‘POCKETABLE’ TRAVEL COMPANION

BY BERNADETTE LUNAS

Guests prefer Rieseling Boracay hotel

On top of rewards and privileges, the credit card boasts of its safety and security features.

To ensure the safety of the cardholders, every Maybank credit card contains an EMV-compliant chip to help prevent fraudulent transactions. No matter where they are in the world, an SMS is sent to the customer’s mobile phone after every transaction when they use the credit card. This allows cardholders to track their purchases and protects them from unauthorized transactions.

Further security measures are in place with Maybank Secure Online Shopping

(MSOS), which requires cardholders to enter a one-time password received via SMS before an online transaction at 3D secure websites—this ensures that nobody else can use one’s credit card to shop online.

“Not a lot of people talk about that, but fraud is a really big problem in the credit card industry and we’d like to think that Maybank credit card is one of the, if not the most, secured card in the market today,” enthused Medina.

To learn more about Maybank Platinum MasterCard, visit  www.maybank.com.ph, and like Maybank Philippines on Facebook.

Maybank and MasterCard join forces to give the best travel experience to their customers. From left: MasterCard Account Manager Rochelle Mayuga, MasterCard Philippines Vice President Judith Dayrit, Maybank Cards and Unse-cured Lending Marketing Head Tanya Medina, Maybank Cards and Unsecured Lending Head Eden Estrella, MasterCard Philippines Vice President Mike Miranda, and Maybank Marketing Officers Kyle San Diego and Samantha Alberto

Rieseling Boracay hotel guests get to enjoy comfort and privacy while staying in the resort situated away from the crowd but near to the beauty of the island paradise

Travel and shop anywhere in the world without worry as Maybank's credit cards have safety and security features that protect cardholders from fraud

The best of both worlds. Maybank Platinum MasterCard offers miles and cashback rebate perks to cardholders whenever they use their credit card for purchases

C3LIFEF R I D AY : J U LY 1 5 , 2 0 1 6

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These next few months mean a lot of family bonding. With the kids out of school, there’s no better time to go on that exciting vacation together. Hong

Kong, where their summer sun is a great alternative to our rainy weather, might just be the perfect place to head to. The city is booming with thrilling events and activities for tourists and locals to experience.

The season’s lineup starts with the International Arts Carnival, an annual event to encourage an interest in the arts in children, young people, and their families. Several performances of different forms of art such as puppetry, dance, clown theatre, music theatre, magic, and more will be presented throughout the summer until Aug.7.

This year’s opening program is the spellbinding and beloved tale of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Other programs in the season include a laugh-out-loud version of Romeo and Juliet, performed by clowns, and a captivating show that combines magic with enthralling acrobatics. There are even museum tours, workshops, and parties to further establish enjoyment for the arts.

When wanting more interactive fun, visit a theme park that both kids and parents will love. Everyone can once again visit the iconic Lai Yuen, formerly Hong Kong’s largest family entertainment venue from decades past. Until Aug. 7, Lai Yuen Super Summer will be open for fun-filled activities

and games in an indoor and outdoor setting at the AsiaWorld-Expo. Expect exciting mazes, interactive games, crafts, science experiments, T-shirt- making workshops, electric go-karting, bumper cars, and an indoor inflatable obstacle course, and more. Book your package tickets for HK$140.00 at laiyuen.hk.

It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet one of the biggest boy groups in Asia and the Kings of K-Pop. On July 22 to 24, South Korean boy group, Big Bang, will be holding a concert and interactive fan meeting at AsiaWorld-Expo. Don’t miss the chance to get up close and personal with the boys. Book your tickets at hkticketing.com.

Sports fans are also in for a treat. The world’s largest annual multi-sport festival is coming to Hong Kong on Aug. 19 to 21 at the AsiaWorld-Expo. The Arnold Classic Asia Multi-Sport Festival is set to present all kinds of live sports action, fitness seminars, and opportunities to meet your favorite sports stars. Get ready to witness thrilling and adrenaline-pumping live sports events such as bodybuilding, wrestling, martial arts, and more.

It’s just the start of summer in the city, and there are already so many exciting things to check out. Don’t miss a summer of fun and sun at Hong Kong. Log on to DiscoverHongKong.com for more information.

For the second consecutive year, thousands of Latin American customers voiced their preference for Delta.

Delta received the award for best United States airline to Central America, South America and Mexico at the 2016 World Travel Awards Gala Ceremony held in Lima, Peru

“We are honored and humbled by the preference and loyalty that thousands of our customers have shown by taking their time to vote for Delta,” said Nicolas Ferri, Delta’s vice president – Latin America and the Caribbean.

He added, “To be recognized by our industry peers with a prestigious award like the WTA is important, and it becomes even more significant when it also represents the opinion of our customers. These awards increase our resolve to continue working every day to be the best U.S. airline in Latin America and the Caribbean. Our commitment to our customers and to the region could not be stronger.”

World Travel Awards are awarded based on an online voting process open to the

There are a thousand reasons to plan and book your next meetings and events at Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria.

For a limited time only, Crowne Plaza offers Whole Day Meetings and Events Package at P1,000.00 nett per person. This is inclusive of buffet lunch, morning and afternoon snacks, welcome fruits, snack attack (nuts, chips, and hearty alternatives), bottled water, and complimentary use of an LCD projector.

Take advantage of this great deal and earn IHG Business Rewards points for every confirmed booking. This offer is available for meetings and events happening from Aug. 1 until Sept. 30 with

minimum guarantee of 30 guests.Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria stays

true to its commitment that Your Success Matters by being the business expert that turns meeting to a success. From your weekday business rest to weekend family staycation, Crowne Plaza got it covered.

Available now until Aug. 31, stay in a Deluxe Room on weekends (Friday to Monday) for only P5,099.00 nett and on weekdays (Tuesday to Thursday) for only P5,799.00 nett, inclusive of buffet breakfast for two.

For more information and reservations, please call 633-7222 or email [email protected].

Newest meetings and events package

Delta is still Latin Americans preferred airline

public, who must select their preferred U.S. global airline in each category. Delta won its first World Travel Award in 1996.

With more than 1,600 weekly flights between the United States and Latin America and the Caribbean, serving 32 countries and 55 destinations in the region, Delta has invested in understanding its customers’ needs. The airline has focused its efforts on what is most valuable to

customers to grow closer to the Latin markets, strengthening the quality of its products and providing a more reliable service for regional travelers.

“We are changing the game as an industry-leading global airline, and Latin America is a key tenet for our international expansion strategy,” shared Ferri. “Along with our alliance partners GOL Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes in Brazil, Aeroméxico

in México and Aerolíneas Argentinas in Argentina, we are building an unparalleled footprint, providing our customers with an extensive network of benefits across the region.”

The WTA was established in 1993 to acknowledge, reward and celebrate excellence across all sectors of the tourism industry. Today, WTA is recognized globally as the ultimate hallmark of quality.

The Delta team receives the airline's second WTA recognition as the preferred US airline in Central America, South America and Mexico

Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria turns meeting to a success with its Meetings and Events package

SUMMER SPELLS FUN IN HONG KONGPuppetry, dance, music theater and other art performances are currently presented at the International Arts Festival in Hong Kong

The world’s largest annual multi-sport festival, Arnold Classic Asia Multi-Sport Festival, is coming to Hong Kong on August 19 to 21

C4 LIFEF R I D AY : J U LY 1 5 , 2 0 1 6

i s a h r e d @ g m a i l . c o m

YOUR FRIDAY CHUCKLEBARACK OBAMA: A good wife always forgives her husband when SHE is wrong.

The only time I learned a little bit more about Bohol was when I had my first job straight out of college.

The job was with an international airline and the province was part of the territory I had marketing supervision on. From my younger years until then, all I knew about Bohol was the Blood Compact or Sandugo (Visayan for One Blood) between Spain, the Spanish explorer Miguel López de Legazpi and Bohol chieftain Datu Sikatuna. This dramatic episode was to seal the first ever treaty of friendship between the Spanish conquistadores and the Filipino natives.

Even with that airline job, I would get to visit Bohol only on day trips, to meet with some travel agents and a few potential travelers. I never got to see anything else of the province.

Some three years ago, I had to escort a foreign dignitary on another day trip to the province, although this time, we were on a helicopter that hovered over the island’s topography, for us to get a

better idea of the development in its white sand beaches. Since we were already up there, we decided to fly over the world-famous Chocolate Hills. That was all I saw of Bohol.

A few days ago, a very good friend treated me to an all-expense paid trip to the province as his advance birthday gift for me, knowing fully well that I am still a stranger to the place. He also invited a few other close friends of ours to join in on the fun. Naturally, I jumped at the golden opportunity and joined the small fun-loving group on a three-day holiday in The Land of the Blood Compact. This time, I made sure I’d get to have a closer look of the attractions Bohol is known for.

First on the itinerary was an evening cruise along Loay River where tourists are enthralled by the sight of thousands of fireflies inhabiting some trees. After a sumptuous buffet dinner on the riverboat, our group prepared ourselves for, what everybody told us, a magical night. The darkened boat sailed along the river at a leisurely pace, and we were reminded not to use our camera’s flash when we see the fireflies.

Sure enough, after a few minutes of sailing, we saw a large tree festooned with what looked like a million flickering miniature Tivoli lights. A similar sight showed itself on the other side of the river, and another one a few meters beyond, and yet another

one, etc. There were about eight trees like that throughout the cruise. These magical sightings made for a beautiful evening!

We set off early the following day as we had to travel more than an hour to get to Carmen town, where the Chocolate Hills are. We had a very efficient, knowledgeable and effective tour guide, Cathlynne Guigue, who could talk a blue streak about anything and everything---politics, culture, comedy, history, music, social events, geography, anything under the sun. We even teased her that what she knows could make her eligible for the position of Tourism Secretary.

When we got to our destination she gave us two options---to content ourselves with the view of the hills from the ground, where our van was going to park, or climb the 217 steps to the Viewing Deck, for the 360-degree view of the 1700-plus limestone hills, spread over an area of 50 square kilometers.

I decided to push myself to the limit and conquered the 217 steps for that priceless view of the world-famous hills. It was an awesome feeling, one of those precious moments when I am overwhelmed by the sight of God’s creation. I could sit there the whole day and wouldn’t get bored. Everywhere I turn, those cute little mounds showed me how special I am for having been born into this wonderful world.

BOHOL, UP CLOSE

Another attraction I heard so much about was the Man-Made Forest, which is between Carmen town (Chocolate Hills) and our next stop, the Tarsier Sanctuary. Since it was along our way, we decided to stop and experience the splendor of this much talked about forest, 1800 hectares planted with mahogany trees. Driving through it was surreal because the green, refreshing canopy formed by the trees over the road made me feel like I was on my way to a secret Shangri-La, as described by James Hilton in his book, Lost Horizon.

When we finally got to the Tarsier Sanctuary, we were repeatedly told by Cathlynne, our guide---no loud conversation, no flash cameras, and we must not touch the Tarsier or anything near it. These are nocturnal animals and are in various stages of rest during the day. They are also loners and position themselves very far from one another. If their routine is disturbed, they commit suicide by banging their head on the tree trunks. Aware of such warnings, we walked through the forest-like Sanctuary silently and carefully, making sure we do not shake any branch or leaf along our path.

Just a few steps from the entrance, we right away saw one, fast asleep. A few meters away, there was another one, wide awake, but we had to be careful not to disturb it as we

didn’t want it to commit suicide before our eyes. Even with such big round eyes, these lovable creatures can’t see anything on both sides of their faces as they have straight vision. But such deficiency is compensated for by a very sensitive sense of smell and hearing in a body frame which is only five or six inches long.

A fun adventure, similar to those extreme rides at any of the amusement parks in the US, was our trip to Balicasag Island. We were on a small speedboat, which had to tackle humongous waves along the way. Tossed several feet up in the air many times by the waves, the boat would fall down on the rough sea with a loud thud, accompanied by a big splash of sea water. This went on for about 15 long minutes. Scary, but fun…and very wet!

This visit to Bohol finally made me acquainted with everything I needed to be familiar with, as far as the island’s tourist offerings are concerned. Well almost, as I still have to try all the delicacies the province is known for, but that will have to be for another topic, another day. Meantime, as the Boholanos would say, “Salamat Jamo” to my host and dear friend, Johnny Litton, and to our efficient tour guide, Cathlynne Guigue, for this chance of seeing the province up close.

For feedback, I’m at [email protected]

The Man-Made Forest’s mahogany trees provide a refreshing canopy over the Road

Tarsiers in various stages of rest during the day are scattered around Tarsier Sanctuary

Bohol’s famous limestone mounds, popularly known as Chocolate Hills, as seen from the Viewing Deck, 217 steps above the ground

MERCURY RISINGBY BOB ZOZOBRADO

C5ISAH V. REDE D I T O RSHOWBITZ

F RIDAY : J ULY 15, 2016

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AT SM CINEMAS NATIONWIDE

Ma Rosa, Brillante Mendoza’s film that recently brought honor to the Philippines at the recently concluded 69th Cannes Film Fes-

tival in France, is showing at selected SM Cinemas nationwide.

The film not only competed at the fes-tival’s Official Selection, but also gave us much to celebrate when lead actress Jaclyn Jose won the Best Actress award for her ex-ceptional performance in the film.

Prior to its run, Ma Rosa had special screenings at SM City Davao, SM Mega-mall, the S Maison Cinema at the Conrad, and Light Mall where government officials, film lovers, corporate executives, and the media gathered together to find out why the film received a five-minute standing ovation when it was premiered at the Palais Main Theater at the Cannes Film Festival, and why Jaclyn Jose won the award over acclaimed actresses like Isabelle Huppert, Marion Cotilliard, and Charlize Theron.

These included Presidential Com-

munications Operations Office Secre-tary Martin Andanar, Quezon City Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte, and Solar Enter-tainment CEO Wilson Tieng. National Artist Bienvendio Lumbera was among the film lovers who attended the film together with directors Quark Henares and Elwood Perez, and the French Em-bassy’s Martin Macalintal. Corporate Executives Annaise Fagrante of Sam-sung, Lans Bularan and Sonia Tejada of Shell, Solar Entertainment’s Butch Ibañez and Joey Alvarez and AG Con-stantino of Power Mac also attended the event. And they were not disappointed.

Director Mendoza and members of the cast led by Jaclyn Jose, Julio Diaz, Baron Geisler, Jomari Angeles, Mon Confiado, and Aaron Rivera welcomed them.

Ma Rosa spotlights poverty in a Fili-pino Family where the family matriarch Rosa (Jaclyn Jose), owns a small commu-nity convenience store connected to their home in the slums of Metropolitan Manila.

‘MA’ ROSA’Cannes Best Actress Jaclyn Jose with Director Brillante Mendoza, John Paul Duray, Mon Confiado, and assistant director Raymund Ribay Gutierrez.

National Artist Bienvenido Lumbera with his wife Cynthia and daughter, SM SVP for Marketing Ms. Millie Dizon and Director Brillante Mendoza

Julio Diaz and Baron GeislerKath Sison and Monique Suzara of IFlix with Quark Henares and Director Brillante Mendoza

Secretary Martin Andanar of the Presidential Communications Operations Office

Together with her husband, Nestor (Julio Diaz), they use their convenient store as cover-up for selling illegal narcotic, Meth-amphetamines. Their fate changes when their neighbor sets them up for a police raid, leading to the couple’s arrest. This is a ploy for extortion. Backed against the wall, Rosa seeks help from her children, Jackson (Felix Roco), Raquel (Andi Eigenmann), and Erwin (Jomari Angeles) as they do the daunting task to buy their parent’s freedom.

The film also stars Mark Anthony Fer-nandez, Mon Confiado, Neil Ryan Sese

and Baron Geisler who all played as cops in the movie.

Ma Rosa is Director Mendoza’s 4th film to be shown at Cannes, the first one was Serbis in 2008, which was nominated for the coveted Palme d’Or (Golden Palm). In 2009, Brillante won Best Director at Cannes for his film Kinatay, and in 2015, his movie Taklub was given the Ecumenical Jury-Prize Special Mention.

Distributed by Solar Entertainment, Ma’ Rosa, is showing in SM Cinemas nationwide.

C6 ISAH V. REDE D I T O R

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F RIDAY : J ULY 15, 2016

SHOWBITZ

PEOPLE¼ are talking about ¼ are not talking about

AlDub first anniversaryMany people predicted, especially those

who were threatened by their astronomic rise, that Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza’s tandem would last only for a few months, and that the fever surrounding their surprise yet manu-factured love team would eventually die naturally. As we can see, the in-describable spark be-tween the two is very much visible and it generates rabid and diehard loyalist every single day.

Myrtle SarrozaLittle did many people

know that apart from be-ing active as a cosplayer, the former PBB Teen housemate also excels in the academe. In fact, Myrtle is down to her last semester at the University of the Philippines and is hop-ing to graduate with a cum laude honors. Since, stardom seems elusive for her, we are definitely sure that she’s got brighter future than her con-temporaries.

Manny PacquiaoAfter his absence at

the orientation at the Senate, the Pambansang Kamao is planning to take a break at the Sen-ate, even before he could actually perform his real duty as an elected legis-lator to prepare for his next fight. How thick Manny’s skin has to be? We understand that he has developed a thick face due to boxing but that doesn’t give him the license to act he’s embattled in the ring all the time. He’s got some serious job to do and he seems very oblivious to it.

Xian Lim

Kim Chiu defended her onscreen part-ner against bashers saying that her part-ner is a multi-talented star. True enough, in his recent performance at the Kia The-ater, Xian proved that he is a lot of things - he sings, dances and plays multiple mu-sical instruments. We can’t argue on the fact that he’s multi-hyphenated celebrity. But the real question is: Has he mastered any of those skills?

Honor Thy FatherTen months since its re-

lease, the John Lloyd Cruz-starrer film is still mak-ing waves on international scene. Honor Thy Fatherhas recently won Best Asian Film in Switzerland. This recognition came just a few days after Cruz won Best Actor at the New York Asian Film Festival for the same film. It’s obvious that critics and international audiences see something in the film our Filipino audience have failed to notice.

ACROSS1 Arroyo5 Chocolate bean

10 Armor-crushing weapon

14 Pitcher Nolan —15 Rolling, in a way16 Shout from the

bridge17 Mendicant’s shout18 Parting word19 Cowgirl

— Evans 20 Briefcase

contents 22 Finished (3 wds.) 24 Grooves 26 Faculty honcho 27 Well-bred 30 Used a finger bowl 34 Left Bank pal 35 Munchies 38 Espresso with milk 39 — Fernando

40 Fixed gaze 42 TV band 43 Ship of 1492 46 Turbaned seer 48 Opposite of

“paleo” 49 Most furtive 51 Wheedle 53 Surmounting 55 Clucks 56 Rough, as a dirt

road 60 Woodsy 64 Rani’s wear 65 Pulitzer category 67 Icicle site 68 Bridge section 69 Floating hotel 70 Sufficient, in verse 71 Called the butler 72 Poem of lament 73 Cooped upDOWN 1 Bubble — 2 Jean Auel heroine 3 Choke the fire 4 Advertising

circular 5 Reproves 6 Respond to an SOS 7 Fleece a sheep 8 Audibly 9 R-month food 10 White lily 11 Whaler of fiction

12 Merry king of rhyme

13 Got a load of 21 Wishes undone 23 Shadow 25 Ribs, slangily 27 Big breaths 28 Click “send” 29 Dingbat 31 Hurt a little 32 Fred Mertz’s wife 33 Friday’s creator 36 Cornfield sound 37 Big name in

cheese 41 Representative

sent on a mission 44 Ripping open 45 “The Thin Man”

pooch 47 Black as night 50 Start walking 52 Out like a light 54 Jeopardy 56 Gorby’s realm 57 AutoZone

competitor 58 Mom’s mom 59 “Great” dog 61 Windmill blade 62 Bard’s river 63 Kid in “Aliens” 66 Ryan of “Sleepless

in Seattle”

ANSWER PREVIOUS PUZZLE

CROSSWORD PUZZLE FRIDAY,JULY 15, 2016

Kris AquinoJust when we were re-

ally beginning to believe that she is ready to leave showbiz, she goes out to meet with ABS-CBN ex-ecutives to plan out her TV comeback. We told you, she can’t turn her back on showbiz. It’s al-ready deeply entrenched in her DNA. So, the next time she says she’s tak-ing a break from the limelight, expect that she would be gone for a few weeks and she’ll be back on TV sooner than you expected.

C7ISAH V. REDE D I T O R

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F RIDAY : J ULY 15, 2016

SHOWBITZ

GMA’s Afternoon Prime series Hanggang Makita Kang Muli comes to its touching finale today. 

Kapuso viewers followed the intriguing drama about a feral child who was isolated from human contact from a

very young age, and has little or no experience of human care, behavior, or, crucially, of human language.

Bea Binene reveals playing the role of Ana is the most memo-rable for her. She is thankful for the viewers’ and netizens’ support and positive feedback for her performance considering this is her most challenging role so far.

“Lahat masasabi ko po na memorable mula sa pagiging aso hanggang sa naging malinis at maayos ako. Hindi ko makakalimutan yung  feeling na hindi ko na kailangan pang mag-make up para maging feral child. Marami rin akong natutunan sa show especially yung hirap na pinagdadaanan ng isang feral child, hindi lang physically, psychologically, emotionally, etc. Kaya kailangan mas maging grateful tayo sa blessings na nasa atin kasi we’re very lucky. Kahit may problema tayo sa buhay ay meron pa rin pa lang mas worse pa yung pinagdadaanan kaysa sa atin.”

She is likewise grateful to GMA Network for entrusting her the role of Ana and to director Laurice Guillen for her guid-ance all throughout the show.

Derrick Monasterio, on the other hand, says it’s an honor to play the role of Calvin. He has learned many things while doing the soap and he hopes that through his role he was able to impart the values of sympathy and compassion to others. 

“Yung pagiging kind ni Calvin, especially sa creatures. Feeling ko naapektuhan ko ‘yung tao kung paano maging kind-hearted sa mga creatures na wala sa tamang pag-iisip. Feeling ko ‘yun ‘yung pinaramdam ko sa mga tao. At sana ‘yun ‘yung na-feel nila.”

As the series comes to an end, will Ana finally be reunited with her real parents Evelyn (Angelika dela Cruz) and Larry (Raymart Santiago)? Will Odessa (Ina Feleo) remain evil till the very end?

Catch the finale of Hanggang Makita Kang Muli this Friday after Magkaibang Mundo on GMA Afternoon Prime today.

DZBB reporter Nimfa Ravelo recently received the Manila Rotary Club 2016 Journalism Award as Radio and Television Female Broadcaster of the Year.

Nimfa is a veteran broadcast journalist who has worked as a radio reporter for 23 years.

She is currently assigned as DZBB’s Sen-ate reporter and she also hosts a weekend program on GMA’s flagship radio station. Her interviews are often quoted by print and new media.

Upon receiving her award, Nimfa said that she is now even more committed and more inspired to continue striving for ex-cellence in her work.

Grammy Award-winning super-star Kenny Rogers will treat local fans to an awesome array of more-than-five decades of hit songs in a one-night concert on Aug. 11 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. Ovation Productions is presenting the show.

The musical event is part of the Asian leg of Rogets’ world tour. Af-ter Singapore on Aug. 6 and Bang-kok on Aug. 9, The Gambler’s Last Deal, which celebrates his hugely successful and colorful career span-ning close to 60 years as the singer, songwriter, actor and record pro-ducer heads to Manila.

To be featured as special guest is American country singer Linda Davis in her debut performance in Manila.

Considered as one of the most popular entertainers and top-selling artists in the music and recording industry, Rogers has captivated millions of music lov-ers from all over the world with his universal appeal, marvelous songs, distinctive voice, inspiring perfor-mance, and gift for storytelling.

Though he has been highly successful with country audiences, Rogers has chart-ed more than 120 hit singles across various genres, topped the country and pop album charts for more than 200 individual weeks in the United States alone and has sold more than 120 million records worldwide.

The pop superstar has endeared himself to countless fans across the globe with his wonder-ful performances of songs from his catalog of 24 no.1 hits, such as “The Gambler,” “Lucille,” “Coward Of The Country,” “Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love To Town,” “Lady,” “Islands In The Stream,” “She Believes In Me,” “We’ve Got To-night,” “Daytime Friends,” “Through The Years,” “You Decorated My Life” and “Buy Me A Rose.”

His other hits include “Someone Who Cares” “You And I,” “Love Song” and “Don’t Fall In Love With A Dreamer.”

Rogers established an amazing mark in the music industry when he charted a re-cord within each of the past seven decades (‘50s, ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s, ‘90s, 2000s, 2010s). His feat of selling more than 120 million records worldwide landed him on the list of the Top Ten Best-Selling Male Solo Art-ists of All Time, according to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

He was voted the “Favorite Singer of All Time” in a 1986 joint poll by readers of both USA Today and People magazine.

Later achievements include the 2006 re-lease of the album, Water & Bridges, an

across-the-board hit that reached the Top 5 in the Billboard Country Albums sales charts, and which also charted in the Top 15 of the Billboard 200. The first single from the album, “I Can’t Unlove You,” also became a huge chart hit.

In 2007, Rogers completed a tour of the United Kingdom and Ireland, during which he told BBC Radio 2 disc jockey Steve Wright that among his catalog of hit songs, his favorite was “The Gambler.”

As an actor, Rogers has also per-formed in a variety of movies and television shows, most notably the title roles in Kenny Rogers As The Gambler and the MacShayne se-ries as well as his appearance in The Muppet Show.

Kenny Rogers As The Gamble be-came a ratings and critical success that spawned four sequels. It won a Best Edited Television Special Ed-die Award and garnered two Emmy nominations (for cinematography and editing of a limited series).

On Sept. 25, 2015, Rogers an-nounced on NBC’s Today program that he was retiring from show business after a fi-nal tour to spend more time with his wife and twin boys. He launched The Gambler’s Last Deal final world tour on May 13 in Mahnomen, Minnesota, followed by shows in major cities in the United States and Canada and selected capitals in Europe and Asia, including the Philippines. The tour is expected to run until 2017.

Kenny Rogers Final World Tour In Manila is presented by Ovation Productions. Tick-ets are priced at P7,920, P6,865, PP5,810, P4,755, P3,700, P2,640 and P1,060.and are available, at all regular Ticketnet outlets and online at www.Ticketnet.com.ph.)

‘HANGGANG MAKITA KANG MULI’S’ TOUCHING FINALE

DZBB reporter wins

Journalism Award

Kenny Rogers coming FOR FINAL WORLD TOUR

Actor and singer-songwriter Kenny Rogers in concert at the Big Dome

Radio reporter Nimfa Ravelo

Derrick Monasterio and Bea Binene recall memorable experience in “Hanggang Makita Kang Muli” shoot

C8i s a h r e d @ g m a i l . c o m

F RIDAY : J ULY 15, 2016ISAH V. RED

E D I T O RNICKIE WANG

W R I T E R

SHOWBITZ

ISAH V. RED

THE fourth and most exciting in-stallment of Gary Valenciano’s critically acclaimed and commer-cially successful Gary V Presents

series is set to happen today and tomor-row at the Kia Theater, Araneta Center, Cubao, Quezon City.

Gary V Presents is mounted for the fourth time due to insistent public de-mand and to commemorate his 33rd an-niversary in the business and the 30th anniversary of his management company, Manila Genesis Entertainment and Man-agement Inc.

Gary’s career has been a major source of inspiration amongst countless Filipinos. He is one of the country’s most influential and most accomplished musical artists. He has conquered film and television. He is a credible product endorser. And he is able to sustain and further strengthen his massive popularity for over three decades.

As the countdown to Gary V Presents drew nearer and as a treat to his loyal fans, Manila Genesis mounted an amaz-ing Gary V memorabilia exhibit at The Activity Center, Level 1 of Gateway Mall in Araneta Center, Cubao, Quezon City. The exhibit, which runs till tomorrow, showcases Gary’s awards; legendary cos-tumes; magazine covers; concert and movie posters; merchandising materi-als such as Gary V mugs, t-shirts, and notebooks; never-before-seen photos; and vintage vinyl and cassette records, among many others. These rare collect-ible items will surely evoke a sense of nostalgia and pride to every Gary V fan from then until now.

Gary, who was MTV’s Dance Icon Of The Year in the recently concluded MTV Music Evolution that happened at the SM MOA Open Grounds, Best Male Performer Of The Year by the Guillermo Mendoza Memorial Awards for his collaborative work with Martin Nievera, Lani Misalucha, and Regine Velasquez in the smash hit Valentine concert Ultimate, and

recipient of the coveted Concert Of The Year for Arise: Gary V 3.0 in the PMPC Star Awards For Music, have gathered a fabulous sampling of the industry’s finest singers in Gary V Presents.

Directed by Gary with son Paolo Va-lenciano and with musical direction by Mon Faustino, Gary V Presents is a must-see musical extravaganza that will feature Gary with his personal choice of new and up and coming artists, which consists of The X-Factor Philippines season one top finalist Allan Silonga of the all-male vo-cal group Daddy’s Home; world music singer Bullet Dumas; award-winning theater actress Carla Guevara-Laforteza; the talented singers of The Voice Of The Philippines such as season one grand win-ner Mitoy Yonting, season one grand fi-nalist Janice Javier, season one finalist RJ Dela Fuente, and season two finalist Timmy Pavino; Star In A Million season two grand finalist at R&B singer Jimmy Marquez; award-winning recording artist at singer-songwriter Kiana Valenciano; and suklay diva and internet sensation and Katrina Velarde and classical-pop singer Lara Maigue of TV-5’s top-rating series Trenderas. To spice up the line-up, singer-songwriter Abby Asistio will be featured as the concert’s opening act.

These artists come from a range of dif-ferent musical stylings such as pop, R&B, jazz, musical theatre, and contemporary folk. With a roster like this, Gary is sure to surprise the audience with his classics, rearranged to specifically highlight the talent of each of the featured artists in the concert. With such diversity in his chosen artists, the audience is surely in for an un-forgettable treat.

Gary V Presents is for the benefit of the scholarship and diabetes programs of Shining Light Foundation Inc. For ticket inquires call Ticketworld at 911-5555 or contact 0917-5413389 and (632) 535-0786. For more details, visit www.garyv.com, like GaryValencinaoOfficial on Facebook, follow Gary V. on Twitter (@garyvalenciano1), Instagram (@thereal-garyv), and YouTube (Gary Valenciano/Gary V TV); like ManilaGenesisEM on Facebook, and follow Manila Genesis on Twitter (@manila_genesis), Instagram (@manilagenesis), and YouTube (Manila Genesis TV).

‘GARY V PRESENTS’AT KIA THEATER

Mr. Pure Energy: Gary V stages the fourth leg of his anniverssary concert at the Kia Theater