The digital edition of The Standard: a nationally circulated newspaper published daily in the Philippines since February 1987.
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VOL. XXIX NO. 250 3 Sections 32 Pages P18 TUESDAY : OCTOBER 20, 2015 www.thestandard.com.ph [email protected]A2 A4 ‘Lando’ death toll climbs to 20 people Bongbong says he’s proud to be a Marcos SMEAR CAMPAIGN ON MIRIAM NEXT Shored. Mary the Queen, a roll-on, roll-off vessel, ran aground on Manila Bay on Sunday after the winds whipped by Typhoon ‘Lando’ brought it near the shore. DANNY PATA Former FPJ ally wants Poe disqualified, too By John Paolo Bencito and Sandy Araneta ILOCOS Norte Gov. Imee Mar- cos warned Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago Monday that she could be the next tar- get in a smear campaign against presidential candidates running against the ruling Liberal Party’s bet Manuel Roxas II. e warning came aſter Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, once seen as a presidential hopeful, blamed the Roxas camp for rumors that he had throat cancer, an allegation that he denied. Marcos, in her Filipino-language column in a tabloid, dismissed Roxas’ protestations of innocence and lashed out at him for pick- ing off his opponents one by one. “For all we know, maybe in the next few days, it may be Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago who will be the next target of the feared Roxas camp,” she said. Marcos, sister of vice presidential candi- date Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr., said re- ports had also linked Roxas to Rizalito David, who filed the first disqualification complaint against the frontrunner in the 2016 presiden- tial race, Senator Grace Poe. Rumor had it, Marcos added, that a Lib- eral Party congressman even called up Poe to say that he did not pay David to file the complaint against her. Reports had earlier identified Caloocan Rep. Edgar Erice, the Liberal Party vice presi- dent for political affairs, as the one who paid David P1 million to file a complaint against Poe before the Senate Electoral Tribunal. “If they can do these things now, how about at the start of the campaign and in the coming elections? Scary right?” Marcos wrote. On Monday, former Senator Francisco Tatad filed the third disqualification com- plaint against Poe. In a statement, Poe responded: “Every Fili- pino has the right to avail of the remedies af- forded by law. e former senator is entitled to his opinion and we will respect that. In the end, the rule of law prevails and the vibrancy of our democracy is sustained. It is, however, Next page By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan, Sandy Araneta and Macon R. Araneta A FORMER ally of the late Fernando Poe Jr. during the 2004 elections filed a disqualification case Monday against his adopted daughter, Senator Grace Poe, charging that she was not qualified to run for President or hold public office. e case filed by former Senator Francisco Tatad was the third such complaint against Poe before the Commission on Elections. Tatad’s lawyer, Manuelito Luna, said the new complaint sought a stronger sanction against Poe—a permanent ban against her running for any elec- tive position in all elections. “If we will be favored or sustained here, then she will be forever barred from running for any elective position in the Philippines for being not a citizen of the Philippines,” Luna said. Next page
Shored. Mary the Queen, a roll-on, roll-off vessel, ran aground on Manila Bay on Sunday after the winds whipped by Typhoon ‘Lando’ brought it near the shore. Danny Pata
Former FPJ ally wants Poe disqualified, too
By John Paolo Bencito and Sandy araneta
ILOCOS Norte Gov. Imee Mar-cos warned Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago Monday that she could be the next tar-get in a smear campaign against presidential candidates running against the ruling Liberal Party’s bet Manuel Roxas II.
The warning came after Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, once seen as a presidential hopeful, blamed the Roxas camp for rumors that he had throat cancer, an allegation that he denied.
Marcos, in her Filipino-language column in a tabloid, dismissed Roxas’ protestations of innocence and lashed out at him for pick-ing off his opponents one by one.
“For all we know, maybe in the next few days, it may be Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago who will be the next target of the feared Roxas camp,” she said.
Marcos, sister of vice presidential candi-
date Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr., said re-ports had also linked Roxas to Rizalito David, who filed the first disqualification complaint against the frontrunner in the 2016 presiden-tial race, Senator Grace Poe.
Rumor had it, Marcos added, that a Lib-eral Party congressman even called up Poe to say that he did not pay David to file the complaint against her.
Reports had earlier identified Caloocan Rep. Edgar Erice, the Liberal Party vice presi-dent for political affairs, as the one who paid David P1 million to file a complaint against Poe before the Senate Electoral Tribunal.
“If they can do these things now, how about at the start of the campaign and in the coming elections? Scary right?” Marcos wrote.
On Monday, former Senator Francisco Tatad filed the third disqualification com-plaint against Poe.
In a statement, Poe responded: “Every Fili-pino has the right to avail of the remedies af-forded by law. The former senator is entitled to his opinion and we will respect that. In the end, the rule of law prevails and the vibrancy of our democracy is sustained. It is, however,
Next page
By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan, Sandy araneta and Macon R. araneta
A FORMER ally of the late Fernando Poe Jr. during the 2004 elections filed a disqualification case Monday against his adopted daughter, Senator Grace Poe,
charging that she was not qualified to run for President or hold public office.
The case filed by former Senator Francisco Tatad was the third such complaint against Poe before the Commission on Elections.
Tatad’s lawyer, Manuelito Luna, said the new complaint sought a stronger
sanction against Poe—a permanent ban against her running for any elec-tive position in all elections.
“If we will be favored or sustained here, then she will be forever barred from running for any elective position in the Philippines for being not a citizen of the Philippines,” Luna said. Next page
our position that all the require-ments to seek for higher office have been met by Senator Grace Poe.”
Poe’s spokesman, Valenzuela Mayor Rex Gatchalian, said it was unfortunate that dirty tactics were constantly being employed to de-rail Poe’s presidential bid.
“Since topping the presidential surveys, she has been in the receiv-ing end of baseless suits that are meant to harass. Clearly sinister minds have launched a premedi-tated and concerted effort to con-dition the minds of the public that Senator Poe will be disqualified,” Gatchalian said.
“Senator Poe is ready to face these harassment suits in the prop-er forum. We are confident that all these suits will be dismissed be-cause the law is on her side.
“The documents will show that she has met all the requirements to seek the presidency and which she has already made public. These documents will answer these suits... and will bear her out,” he added.
Gatchalian said the Poe camp would not respond in kind, but fo-cus on “positive campaigning” by laying out her platform of govern-ance.
Roxas on Monday again denied accusations that he was behind the attacks on Poe and Duterte.
“I mean, what are the facts, right? We’ll stick with the facts. We’re for what’s actual and truth-ful, because all of these, if they are intrigues, there is a saying that the truth will always come out,” he said in a chance interview at the LP headquarters in Quezon City.
He also denied he had anything to do with Tatad’s complaint.
“It’s clear that Senator Tatad and I are not colleagues or even party mates. Senator Tatad has his own opinion,” Roxas said.
He said he expected Poe to re-spond to the cases being filed against her, but said the Liberal Party would not get involved or jump on the issue.
Roxas said he had called Duterte to assure him that he wasn’t behind the cancer rumor, and told him that Philip Lustre, who spread the rumor, did not work for him.
Roxas also criticized his political opponent, Vice President Jejomar Binay, for accusing the police of harassing and intimidating the Bi-nay family.
He added that Binay had a chance to clear his name before the Senate investigation, but he never appeared before the Blue Ribbon subcommittee investigating cor-ruption allegations against him.
“What can you expect from the camp of Vice President Binay? What harassment?” Roxas said.
Roxas said there would be no campaign sorties this week as the Liberal Party shifts its focus to on-going relief efforts for victims of Typhoon “Lando,” which slammed into the northern provinces of Lu-zon over the weekend.
The Palace, on the other hand, said the accusations being hurled against Roxas was a sign that his opponents see him as a threat in the 2016 elections.
“Now, why is Secretary Mar [Roxas] being linked to this? Per-haps because his numbers were—in the last survey, getting better. Maybe they see him as a threat,” said Presidential spokesman Ed-win Lacierda.
Lacierda said there was a presi-dential candidate who filed under the same name as Roxas to confuse voters.
“That’s part of the campaign,” Lacierda said. “Whatever a candi-date has to do, the candidate will do it.”
Communication Secretary Her-minio Coloma Jr. added that Presi-dent Benigno Aquino III would never engage in smear campaigns.
“President Aquino only engages in higher level of political discus-sions, and not on smear campaigns or accusations with no basis at all,” said Coloma.
Earlier, the Binay camp criti-cized the Philippine National Po-lice for trying to harass and intimi-date the vice president as part of the administration’s grand plan to destroy and malign his character.
“By now it is evident that the Philippine National Police is part of the all-out administration effort to harass and intimidate the vice president,” Rico Quicho, Binay’s spokesman for political affairs, said in a statement.
“We will not be surprised if these police officers, to further demean their uniform and the integrity of the institution, will raise old is-sues against the vice president or even go to the extent of filing cases against him to divert attention from their unlawful and unconsti-tutional acts, knowing full well that the principle of immunity from suit applies to the vice president,” he added. With Vito Barcelo
Tatad, who was part of the Fernan-do Poe’s senatorial slate in 2004, filed the petition on Monday morning asking the Commission on Elections to disqualify Poe because she was not a natural-born Filipino citizen and failed to meet the residency require-ment to run for President in the May 2016 elections.
On Friday, lawyer Estrella Ela-mparo filed the second petition seeking to deny due course for Poe’s Certificate of Candidacy. Failed senate candidate Rizalito David filed the first complaint be-fore the Comelec and the Senate Electoral Tribunal.
As in the earlier petitions, Tatad argued that as a foundling, Poe was unable to determine if she was born of a Filipino father or mother.
“Considering that respondent’s bloodline is unknown, it is incum-bent upon her to prove that she is a Filipino, that is a natural-born citi-zen of the Philippines,” Tatad said in a petition.
Tatad also said Poe’s residency would fall short of the 10 years re-quired by law for a candidate run-ning for President.
Like his daughter, the elder Poe faced a disqualification case on the basis of his alleged questionable citizenship when he ran for presi-dent in 2004.
“That’s different. This is not a personal but a highly constitution-al issue. His daughter is blind; she can’t read the Constitution,” Tatad said of the senator.
Tatad, a known ally of Vice President Jejomar Binay, also said he has no political motives in filing the case and said he first raised the citizenship issues against Poe in his
newspaper columns.“Who are my political allies? Don’t
raise speculations because there are none. I have never been accused of false motives in any of my actions. I’ve been in public life for more than half of my life. My record is clear, it’s an open book,” he said.
Luna, was the same one working for Rizalito David, who filed a dis-qualification case against Poe be-fore the Senate Electoral Tribunal.
Asked why the two share the same lawyer, Tatad said he knew Luna to be “a good election lawyer.”
Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said the law department would likely consolidate both Tat-ad’s and Elamparo’s petition.
He also said it was unlikely that the petitions would be resolved soon, given the Comelec’s other tasks.
“If we are talking about a bench-mark, remember [that] the dis-
qualification [case] filed against a candidate for governor was re-solved after the elections. That’s the benchmark in terms of how long it will take,” Jimenez said.
Poe, the frontrunner in the 2016 presidential polls according to re-cent surveys, said she was unfazed by Tatad’s petition.
In a text message, Poe said, “It’s good they come out with it. We were expecting this. We are not hiding anything and we are ready to face their accusations.”
Poe has repeatedly said that de-spite her being a foundling, she is a natural-born Filipino citizen based on the existing provisions of the Constitution and international law.
She said the petitions against her were being filed to “subvert the will of the people.”
Her lawyer, George Garcia, maintained that Poe met all the re-quirements to seek the presidency.
“Truth to be told, Senator Grace has all the qualifications and none of the disqualifications provided for by the Constitution to aspire for the presidency,” he said in a text message.
Poe’s running mate, Senator Fran-cis Escudero, said he was confident that Poe can overcome all the cases being lodged against her.
Prodded on its impact on Poe’s presidential bid, Escudero noted that based on survey results, this was just a small issue, but could be an unwanted distraction.
The Palace distanced itself from the Tatad petition.
“There is a petition filed be-fore the Comelec so it’s up to the Comelec to decided on the peti-tion of Senator Kit Tatad. We cannot say anything about it... It’s up to the Comelec to decide,” said Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda.
By Francisco Tuyay, Ferdie Domingo
THE death toll from Typhoon “Lando” rose to 20 on Monday as the storm ripped through Luzon, displacing 60,000 families and inundating the low-lying and upland villages of Central and Northern Luzon.
Residents of flooded farming villages were trapped on their rooftops and animals floated down fast-rising rivers, as Lando (international name Koppu) dumped more rain on the already drenched provinces.
After making landfall on Sunday morning on the east coast of Luzon, the slow-moving typhoon has brought heavy rain to some of the nation’s most important farm-ing areas.
“I’ve never seen anything like this. It’s the worst flood I’ve seen in my entire life,” farmer Reynaldo Ramos, 68, said as he walked through knee-deep water in Santa Rosa, Nueva Ecija, about two hours’ drive north of Manila.
Military, local government and volunteer rescue units were trying to help residents in about 70 villages that were under water, with the floods spreading, said Nigel Lontoc, a regional rescue official.
“The floods are rising fast and some people are now on their rooftops,” Lontoc said.
“The water is now too deep even for big military trucks, so our people are trying to reach them using rub-ber boats,” he said, but added there were only 10 teams at their disposal at the moment.
Lontoc said many thousands of people may be strand-ed in those villages, although it was too early to deter-mine an exact number.
In Santa Rosa, water buffalo, pigs, goats, dogs, washing machines and furniture lined the sides of a storm-tossed highway, where about 200 residents had been seeking ref-uge from the floods since Sunday night.
Jun Paddayuman, 27, in shorts and a white singlet caked with mud up to his chest, pointed to his nearby house, where flood waters had risen to the roof.
“The waters arrived suddenly. We did not expect it at all,” he said.
When the waters first appeared in his house, he waded to the highway carrying his eight-month pregnant wife and leading his three-year-old son by the hand, Paddayu-man said.
He said he had seen geese, chickens and dogs being carried off by the rampaging waters.
Nearby, two men pushed pigs placed on top of truck tire inner tubes in an attempt to save their hog farm from 1.2-meter high flooding.
Wide expanses of rice paddies had disappeared under torrents of knee-deep water throughout the towns and villages north of Manila because of runoff from torrential rain unleashed by Lando on nearby mountain ranges.
Lontoc, the regional official, said many residents were lulled into complacency because the typhoon had passed north of the region and did not directly strike the low-lying areas.
Lando initially hit fishing and farming communities on
the east coast of Luzon with winds of 210 kilometers an hour, making it the second most powerful storm of the year.
By mid-morning on Monday, it was on the far north-west coast of Luzon and nearly out into the South China Sea, with its strongest winds weakening to 150 kilometers an hour, the state weather service said.
But the typhoon was still dumping heavy rain and it was forecast to cut back northeast over Luzon and not leave the country until Wednesday.
The Philippines is hit with about 20 major storms a year, many of them deadly.
The most powerful storm ever recorded on land, Super Typhoon “Yolanda,” hit the Philippines in 2013, killing or leaving missing at least 7,350 people.
Heavy rain and flooding isolated almost the entire cen-tral plains of Nueva Ecija, with the worst hit being Caba-natuan City, where roof-level flood waters prompted the closing of the Gapan-Nueva Ecija stretch of the Mahar-lika Highway.
The Department of Public Works and Highways closed 29 roads in the northern part of Luzon due to landslides, floods and debris caused by Lando. Eight of these were in CAR, seven were in Region II and 14 were in Region III.
Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson said Kennon Road leading to Baguio City was also closed.
President Benigno Aquino III flew to the city Monday afternoon, distributing relief packages to evacuees.
Aquino handed out goods to 204 families at the Nueva Ecija High School where the refugees were temporarily housed.
Nueva Ecija Gov. Aurelio Umali, chairman of the Pro-vincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Coun-cil, said they had identified two casualties.
The Palace said government agencies were working continuously to minimize the damage from the typhoon.
The Metro Manila Development Authority said it dis-patched a 45-man team to three provinces in Northern Luzon to help local government units in their clearing and rescue operations.
Emerson Carlos, officer-in-charge, said the teams would be equipped with chainsaws, rescue boats, tents, medical kits and other tools needed for rescue operation.
The Office of Civil Defense in Region III reported 244,921 people from 269 villages in the provinces of Aurora, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Bataan, Zamlabales and Tarlac were moved to higher ground due to rising flood waters cascading from the mountain ranges.
Provincial disaster offices reported 20 dead, but the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council had only tallied two so far.
Col. Joey Escanillas, commander of the Army 56th In-fantry Battalion based in Baler, Aurora, said 18 persons were injured in Casiguran, Aurora and several houses were also wrecked after Lando whipped the province during its landfall midnight Sunday.
Casiguran, Quezon, the center of Lando’s wrath, was left isolated for two days but soldiers from the 56th IB un-der were able to reach the town by foot and re-established communication links.
The typhoon rendered 18 road sections and 13 bridges in Regions 2, 3, 5 and the Cordillera Administrative Re-gion impassable, either because of floods or landslides. With Sandy Araneta, Vito Barcelo, Joel Zurbano and AFP
Registration. New voters flock to a Comelec branch in Arroceros, Manila, to register, Monday. Danny Pata
Sharing. Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, a senatorial candidate, shares his experience from Super Typhoon ‘Yolanda’ with more than 200 municipal officials from Camarines Sur in Quezon City on Monday. VeR noVeno
Number of votersoverseas hits 1.3m
Pacquiao’s move to run under UNA praised
Study criticizesPH tax system
THE United Nationalist Alliance on Monday welcomed the decision of Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao, a senatorial hopeful, to run under it and stick it out with Vice President Jejomar Binay.
Parañaque Rep. Gus Tambunting, an UNA stalwart, said Pacquiao’s de-cision to run for senator under UNA “shows he is loyal to the party.”
He said Pacquiao’s humble begin-nings and sympathy for the poor jibed well with the advocacy and plat-forms of UNA and Binay.
“We are proud he is joining us in our anti-poverty platform, some-thing I know is very close to his
heart,” Tambunting said.Pacquiao filed his Certificate of
Candidacy under UNA last week—even as he defended Binay from criti-cism.
He said Binay’s humble origin was the major factor that moved him to support the vice president’s candida-cy by running as part of UNA’s sena-torial lineup.
Tambunting said he was confi-dent that Binay would be able to pull through in the 2016 presidential elec-tions despite the case filed against him by the Ombudsman for alleged corruption.
“VP Binay has continued to enjoy
the support of our people at the grass-roots level. We are confident that the VP will make it in the presidential race,” Tambunting said.
Rep. Silvestre Bello III said the re-cent survey results showing Binay had been overtaken by administra-tion candidate Manuel Roxas II may not reflect the sentiment of the ma-jority of the Filipino people.
“The administration believes in its own propaganda that its candidate will win,” Bello said.
“But if you go around in many parts of the country, they still prefer a presidential candidate who is for the poor.” Maricel V. Cruz
THE Department of For-eign Affairs-Overseas Voting Secretariat says the 1.3-million mark in registered Filipino voters overseas for the 2016 elec-tions has been surpassed, with the total reaching 1,301,598.
“Since overseas Filipinos are considered to be their family’s bread winners, it is not a stretch to surmise that each overseas Filipino can influence the vote of at least three family mem-bers,” Foreign Affairs Un-dersecretary Rafael Seguis announced on Oct. 15.
“Thus, the 1.3-million active registered overseas voters are roughly equiva-lent to 5.2-million votes. This is a definite game changer for Philippine politics.”
Broken down by region, there are almost 550,000 active registered overseas voters in the Middle East and Africa; about 250,000 in the Americas; about 150,000 in Europe; and 320,000 in Asia and the Pa-cific, while seafarers reg-istered as overseas voters totaled about 30,000.
“Comelec lauds the ef-fort of the DFA-OVS and all the Philippine Em-
bassies in their aggres-sive campaign to increase the number of registered overseas Filipino voters,” Commission on Elections Chairman Andres Bautista said.
“I sincerely appreciate the initiatives to put up overseas registration cent-ers in the country as well as in our embassies. I also commend the embassies for including the overseas voting registration in their mobile consular services.”
Said Foreign Affairs Sec-retary Albert del Rosario: “The preparations by the Department and the Com-mission on Elections led to a successful start for the registration process.”
All Filipino citizens who expect to be abroad during the 30-day (April 9 to May 9, 2016) overseas voting period for the 2016 Presi-dential Elections, who are at least 18 years old on May 9, 2016, may personally reg-ister as an overseas voter at any Philippine Foreign Service Post, including the three Manila Economic and Cultural Offices, 15 OVRCs in the Philippines, and at other Comelec- approved field/mobile registration centers.
MALACAÑANG said Mon-day the government is trying to simplify the tax system in the country following an interna-tional audit firm’s findings that the Philippines’ system for filing taxes is very complicated and time-consuming.
“The government is continuing to find ways to simplify and make more convenient the filing of taxes,” Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said in a text message to reporters.
He made his comment in reaction to a study made by the international audit firm Pricewa-terhouseCoopers.
PwC says that, in the Philippines, it takes 193 hours for a businessman to pay 36 kinds of fees and taxes per year.
The average income tax rate and contribu-tions paid by a Philippine employer is 42.5 percent, or 6 percent higher than the average tax rate in the Asia-Pacific region, the audit firm says.
Coloma made his statement even as Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez on Mon-day welcomed a statement by House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. saying he will fight for the passage of a proposed measure adjusting the income tax rates in the country.
Romualdez said any proposal that would benefit Filipino workers should be passed.
He urged his fellow lawmakers to sup-port the measure to pressure Malacañang to change its position on it.
“We would definitely want this measure to get passed as this stands to benefit millions of
Filipino workers,” Romualdez said.Citing the PwC study, Senator Francis Es-
cudero said the Philippines implements one of the most tedious processes for paying taxes in the world and has the highest income tax rate in Asia.
The study ranked the Philippines 127th
among 189 economies it reviewed in terms of ease of paying business taxes.
It ranked Thailand 62nd and Malaysia 32nd.“The Philippines is just three notches above
Sierra Leone and 12 notches above Sudan in the rankings,” Escudero said.
“In fact, it’s even easier to pay taxes in Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan. What does that say about us?
“Where else will you find a country that taxes its people severely and then makes it hard for them to pay?”
The PwC study, called “Paying Taxes 2015,” is an annual research and is included in the “Doing Business” project by the World Bank Group.
The study measures the ease of paying taxes across economies by assessing the time it takes for a medium-size company to prepare, file and pay its taxes; the number of taxes that a company has to pay; the method of payment; and the total tax liability as a percentage of its commercial profits.
The PwC study measured corporate income and other profit taxes, labor taxes, property taxes, dividend taxes, capital gains taxes, road and vehicle taxes, waste collection taxes, and other fees and social contributions required of employers.
The auditing firm says the results of pay-ing taxes illustrate both successful tax reforms and reform challenges and provide a platform for government and business to engage in con-structive discussion around tax reform across a broader range of issues. Sandy araneta and Maricel V. Cruz
NINETY aspirants are vying for the six new posts in the Sandiganbayan that was created by Repub-lic Act 10660 even as the Judicial and Bar Council scheduled its voting on the shortlists on Oct. 26.
Lawyer Jose Mejia, member of the seven-member body tasked to screen the nominees, announced the names of the candidates for the six vacancies in the two new divisions of Sandiganbayan.
Among the nominees are As-sistant Solicitor Genera Karl Mi-randa, Undersecretary for Spe-cial Concerns Michael Frederick Musngi, Ombudsman lawyer Rudiger Falcis II, Department of Justice’s witness protection program director Martin Men-ez, and Maguindanao massacre Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes.
The other bets, mostly lower court judges, interviewed by the council include Philip Aguinal-do, Elmo Alameda, Ma. Lourdes Alarcon-Leones, Reynaldo Al-hambra, Tita Alisuag, Rowena Apao-Adlawan, Juanita Areta, Edgar Avila, Ma. Rita Bascos-Sarabia,
Ana Celeste Bernad, Lily Biton, Thelma Bunyi-Medina, Ofelia Calo, Evangeline Castillo-Marig-omen, Edwin Carillo, Maryann Corpuz-Mañalac, Luisito Cortez, Reynaldo Cruz, Ma. Celes-tina Cruz-Mangrobang, Henry Damasing, Isaac De Alban,
Ma. Antonio Edita Dizon, Bernelito Fernandez, Victoria Fernandez-Bernardo, Evelyn Gamotin-Nery, Vicente Gengos Jr., Teodora Gonzales, Frances Guanzon, Georgina Hidalgo, Bayani Jacinto, Wilhelmina Jorge-Wagan, Globert Justalero,
Tita Marilyn Payoyo-Villor-don, Esperanca Isabel Poco-Deslate, Rodolfo Noel Quimbo, Renan Ramos, Felix Reyes, Caro-line Rivera-Colasito, Efren San-tos, Primo Sio Jr., Rowena Tan, Buenaventura Albert Tenorio Jr., Fernando Sagun Jr., Rowena Tu-
ringan-Sanchez, Ma. Bernardita Santos and Zaldy Trespeses.
The other nominees who had already been interviewed for other posts earlier this year were Arthur Abundiente, Jeoffre Ace-bido, Cesar Aganon, Selma Alar-as, Perpetua Atal—Paño, Celso Baguio, Jose Bautista Jr., Divina-gracia Bustos—Ongkeko, Danilo Cruz,
Ma. Teresa De Guzman-Alva-rez, Zaldy Docena, Lorna Nav-arro Domingo, Garaldine Faith Econg, Teodoro Fernandez, Ma. Amifaith Fider-Reyes, Geraldine Fiel-Macaraig, Alice Gutierrez, Vilma Pauig, Angeline Mary Quimpo-Sale, Gabriel Robeniol,
Ruben Reynaldo Roxas, Dani-lo Sandoval, Edgar Dalmacio, Andres Bartolome, Esteban Tacla Jr. Salvador Timbang Jr., Kevin Narce Vivero, Merianthe Pacita Zuraek.
The JBC opened last July the nomination and application for the six newly created positions for associate justice that would constitute the two additional di-visions of Sandiganbayan.
The vacancies have been cre-ated by the passage of Republic Act 10660, or An Act Strength-ening the Functional and Struc-tural Organization of the Sandi-ganbayan, which was signed by President Aquino last April 16.
Under the new law, there will now be a total of seven divisions with three members each or a to-tal of 21 justices in the anti-graft court.
Currently, all 15 posts are filled. The most junior member is Associate Justice Sarah Jane Fernandez, who was appointed last May to replace dismissed Senior Justice Gregory Ong.
Apart from expanding the composition of the anti-graft court, R.A. 10660 also amended the decades-old three-vote rule among justices in a division, where rulings will only be con-sidered valid if there is unanim-ity among the magistrates.
By Macon Ramos-Araneta
WHILE Senator Ferdinand Mar-cos Jr. is not afraid to take on those who criticize him for be-ing a Marcos, the vice presiden-tial hopeful believes Filipinos are more concerned with proposals to make their lives easier or help solve their daily problems.
“We should prioritize the is-sues that our citizens really think about and need every day,” Mar-cos said during an interview on ABS-CBN’s Umagang Kay Gan-da program.
“Filipinos want to hear solu-tions to the problems of illegal drugs, high prices, corruption and joblessness. That is what they are worried about,” Marcos said. “Let us start with these first because people are hoping for a government that will act on the problems they face every day.”
The senator said his family
was only being raised as a po-litical ammunition although he has so far remained silent on the ancestors of his oppo-nents or their failings as na-tional leaders.
“I’m lucky that I was born a Marcos,” the senator said, adding that that obliges him to serve the nation the best way he can.
“Some of the candidates [for vice president] can simply return to their [Senate] post if they don’t win. That does not apply in my case,” Marcos said, referring to the end of his six-year term as senator next year.
“We used to vote for the Presi-dent and vice president together. But when the constitution man-dated a separate vote for the two positions I believe it expanded the role of the vice president. Now the vice president can do a lot more,” Marcos said.
Marcos had earlier said he
would be a team player if elected to office and work with whoever is elected President to usher na-tional unity and address pressing problems.
“I think the position of vice president will provide me with the opportunity to continue my own brand of public service, so I think I made the right decision,” said Marcos.
According to Marcos, it was this desire to do more to provide a better life for our people that prompted him to risk his entire political career and run for vice president instead of the safer op-tion of seeking a reelection in the Senate.
The Standard Poll ranked Marcos in 3rd to 4th place, tied with former Senator Panfilo Lacson, and behind reelection-ist Sen. Vicente Sotto on top place and Sen. Ralph Recto in second place.
Downed seawall. San Fernando City Mayor Pablo Ortega inspects the part of the seawall in the La Union city that collapsed due to strong waves brought by Typhoon ‘Lando.’ The seawall protects the houses near the seashore in Barangay Ilocanos Norte. CHRISTINE JUNIO
Execs jailed over aid fundBy Rio N. ArajaTHE Sandiganbayan sentenced on Monday former Sarangani Gov. Miguel Escobar and his provincial agricultur-ist to 18 years in prison for malversa-tion of P1.44 million in public funds that were meant to help farmers suffer-ing from the La Niña episode 14 years ago.
In a 23-page order penned by Associate Justice Alex Quiroz, the anti-graft court’s Special Third Division also convicted former provincial agriculturist Romeo Miole of diverting agricultural relief items to Escobar’s political supporters, and not to the farmers.
In a vote of 3-2, the Sandiganbayan sen-tenced Escobar and Miole to a minimum imprisonment of 10 years to a maximum imprisonment of 18 years and fined each of them P1.44 million.
Escobar and Miole were also meted out
with the accessory penalty of perpetual disqualification from holding any govern-ment position.
In 2001, the provincial government es-tablished the Sagip Taniman program to help farmers whose agricultural crops were damaged by strong typhoons and floods due to La Niña through the dis-tribution of sacks of hybrid rice and corn seeds.
Based on documents obtained from the provincial government, at least 1,875 sacks of rice grains, and 240 sacks of hybrid corn and rice seeds were given away to the af-fected farmers as well as to the indigenous peoples in the area.
A year later, some farmers and tribal leaders surfaced and sought help from the provincial government, citing they were not able to receive any help from the local government. The Commission on Audit was prompted to conduct a probe of the program.
Saving piggy. A man uses the interior tube of a tire to rescue his pig after Typhoon ‘Lando’s’ heavy rain flooded the town of Santa Rosa in Nueva Ecija province. AFP/ TED ALJIBE
“We are strongly opposed to China’s construction and operation of lighthouses on Cuarteron Reef and Johnson Reef,” Foreign Affairs spokesman Charles Jose said.
China has finished the construc-tion of two lighthouses in the dis-puted South China Sea, as tensions in the region mount over Beijing’s maritime ambitions.
Both the United States and the
Philippines have opposed the con-struction.
China claims most of the ener-gy-rich South China Sea, through which $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year, and the Philip-pines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei have overlapping claims.
Refusing to recognize Chinese sovereignty over the said features, Jose said “these actions are obvi-
ously intended to change the actual conditions on the ground and aimed at bolstering China’s territorial claim in the South China Sea.”
“We will not accept these unilat-eral actions as a fait accompli,” Jose said.
The two formerly submerged features, along with five other con-tested rock formations, were rapidly transformed by China into artificial islands in two years despite protests from several nations, which include the United States and Japan.
Philippine officials and diplomats have reiterated that these features are either part of the country’s continen-tal shelf or exclusive economic zone as mandated by the UN Convention on the Law of Sea, of which China, the Philippines and 162 other nations
are signatories.China insisted it would not stand
for violations of its territorial wa-ters in the name of freedom of navigation.
The US has signalled it does not recognize Beijing’s sovereignty over the several islands China has built on reefs in the Spratly archi-pelago and says the US Navy will continue to operate wherever inter-national law allows.
UNCLOS gives each maritime nation the right to manage, ex-plore and exploit features in areas within a 200-nautical mile limit from its coast.
The Philippines accused Chi-na of unlawfully interfering with ex-ercising its right to navigation under the UNCLOS.
Red Cross, PCSO come to victims’ rescueTWO institutions, the Philippine Red Cross and the Philippine Char-ity Sweepstakes Office, are coming to the aid of ty-phoon-ravaged provinces in Northern Luzon.
PRC chairman Richard Gordon on Monday said the Red Cross’s water search and rescue (Wasar) teams have rescued 78 people in Nueva Ecija which was flooded be-cause of typhoon “Lando.” As of Monday, 53 individuals were rescued from flooded homes in Sumacab, Cabanat-uan City and 25 people in San Jose, Sta. Rosa.
“We immediately sent res-cue teams bound for Nueva Ecija as soon as we received
reports of flooding and pleas for rescue from people strand-ed in their homes and other areas. We have deployed nine Wasar teams from NHQ, Tarlac, Bulacan, and Olonga-po, three 6X6 trucks and two Humvees,” said Gordon.
Wasar team members said that flooding in Nueva Ecija reached chest-deep and up to the second floor of houses in some areas. Several roads are impassable in the province, which include Daang Mahar-lika due to toppled tree, Rizal-Pantabangan, Langka in Ca-banatuan City, San Miguel, and San Antonio.
Five people were also res-cued by PRC teams from a van that was trapped in flood
waters the night of Oct. 18, in San Jose-Sta.Rosa road in Nueva Ecija.
So far, PRC has provided hot meals to 2,902 individu-als in Aurora (1,172), Kalinga (310), and Isabela (745). The social welfare team also pro-vided psychosocial support to 100 people in Aurora and welfare support for 15 people. The Pangasinan chapter has also distributed blankets and plastic mats for affected fami-lies.
PRC OpCen said that as of 8 a.m on Oct. 19, there are now 19 provinces affect-ed by Typhoon Lando, 39 municipalities/cities, 98 ba-rangays, and 6,140 families or 18,769 individuals. A member of PRC’s Wasar team carries an infant to safety amid the onslaught of typhoon Lando.
High court takes up Arroyo bail petition
On foreign policy. Former Ambassador Alejandro del Rosario discusses the Philippine foreign policy at the weekly forum ‘Tapatan Sa Aristocrat’ while UP professor Rolando Simbulan of the Department of Social Sciences and former National Security Adviser and former Congressman Roilo Golez (right) listen intently.
By Vito Barcelo
The Philippine government has protested China’s construction and operation of two lighthouses in the South China Sea reefs, which is part of the Philippine territory, the Department of Foreign Affairs said on Monday.
By Rey E. Requejo
THE Supreme Court will deliberate the latest petition for bail of for-mer President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
The 115-page petition filed by Mrs. Arroyo through lawyer and for-mer Solicitor General Estelito Mendoza last week has been included in the agenda of the SC justices in their regular full court session today.
The detained leader had filed a petition with the SC last April seek-ing the reversal of the ruling of the Sandigan-bayan First Division last February denying her motion for bail, in the remaining plunder case against her involving the P366-million Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office fund anomaly.
Acting on this peti-tion, the SC already directed the Sandigan-bayan last June to answer the petition.
But in her latest pleading, Mrs. Arroyo urged the high court to now rule on her case as she cited the recent report from the Unit-ed Nations Technical Working Group on Arbi-trary Detention said rec-ommending her release from detention.
The UN panel has rec-ommended the reconsid-eration of Mrs. Arroyo’s application for bail “in accordance with the rel-evant international hu-man rights standards.”
Arroyo asserted that the UN panel’s position was consistent with the petition for bail and de-murrer to evidence her defense lawyers filed be-fore the Sandiganbayan First Division.
Romualdez issued the statement following the move of a civil so-ciety group for a House panel to summon concerned government officials and make them explain how the funds meant for Yolanda victims have been spent.
“The NGOs for Fisheries Re-form has asked us to help them compel agencies of government accountable for Yolanda funds, both foreign and local, to explain where the money went. It has been almost two years and yet,
many families are still living in unsafe zones and transitional houses,” said Romualdez, who is eyeing a Senate seat in the next year’s elections to push for genuine compassion among less-fortunate groups such as person with disabilities and victims of Yolanda.
The Leyte lawmaker has been consistently pressing for an audit and probe into billions of dona-tions for Yolanda victims and survivors from local and foreign
groups and countries.Dennis Calvan, executive direc-
tor of NGOs for Fisheries Reform, has written a letter to House Spe-cial committee on climate change to compel concerned agencies to explain how Yolanda funds have been utilized.
Calvan explained that thousands of families in affected areas are still living in transitional houses, which lack basic amenities such as clean water and electricity.
Two survivors of super ty-phoon Yolanda died at the tem-porary shelter in Tacloban, local officials said.
“Napakataas pa rin ng backlog ng pamahalaan sa pagtatayo ng housing unit. Kaya naman nagtata-ka ang karamihan kung saan na na-punta ang pondo at mga donasyon. Napakabagal talaga ng pagbibigay
ng ayuda sa ating mga kababayan na naapektuhan ni Yolanda,” said Romualdez.
The National Housing Authority had only built 16,544 houses since September from the targeted 205,128 housing units in six regions in Yolanda-stricken areas.
“Families who relocated to per-manent resettlement sites also complain of the additional costs entailed by the distance of their new homes from their sources of income and their children’s schools,” Calvan said.
A technical working group had been convened by the Phil-ippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Develop-ment to come up with policy proposals based on a study that documented various issues in post-Yolanda housing.
The PLCPD study on govern-ment policies on post-Yolanda housing found out incoherent policies particularly in identi-fying permanent resettlement sites while some areas in Samar and Leyte have yet to receive any government support to af-fected communities.
The TWG urged the govern-ment to speed up Yolanda reha-bilitation efforts, particularly on housing, in Yolanda-affected ar-eas and lay out a clear and con-crete plan to ensure that such a disaster will not happen again.
“We need to harmonize and coordinate programs and policies to facilitate immediate and effective disaster preparedness, response, and rehabilitation,” said Romeo Dongeto, PLCPD executive director, said.
By Maricel Cruz HOUSE Independent Bloc Leader Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez is urging the government to hasten its rehabilitation efforts in areas devastated by Super Typhoon “Yolanda” almost two years ago.
By John Paolo BencitoAFTeR his loss in the 2010 vice presi-dential polls, Bayani Fernando is back in the limelight. This time, the former Marikina mayor and erstwhile chair-man of the Metro Manila Develop-ment Authority is seeking a congres-sional seat for Marikina’s frst district in the 2016 elections.
A source in Fernando’s camp confirmed that he has “indeed filed a Certificate of Candidacy be-fore the Comelec-NCR office in In-tramuros through a Special Power of Attorney last week.”
Fernando will be pitted against
Sam Ferriol of the Liberal Party, who will be vying for the same post to be vacated by Rep. Marcelino “Marcy” Teodoro, who is running for the mayoral post against the in-cumbent Del de Guzman.
In a last-minute move, Teodoro, and former Vice Mayor Marion An-dres filed their Certificate of Can-didacy before the local Comelec on Friday afternoon under the ban-ner of the Nationalist People’s Coali-tion, facing Liberal incumbents De Guzman, Vice Mayor Jose Fabian Cadiz, and Second District Rep. Romero Quimbo, who filed their CoC also on Friday.
Sources in the Fernando camp said that he “plans to initiate legisla-tive reforms that the city of Mariki-na needs” in the halls of Congress.
De Guzman, who is now on his third and final term as city mayor, had a “falling out” with Fernando after De Guzman sought the may-oral post vacated by Fernando’s wife—former Mayor Marides Fer-nando in 2010.
In 2010, the Fernando couple sup-ported the mayoral bid of then Vice Mayor Marion Andres to succeed them over their political “protege”—De Guzman.
After his failed bid in the 2010 VP
race, placing third against Vice Presi-dent Jejomar Binay of Makati, Fer-nando focused on his construction and metal fabrication business.
As MMDA chairman during the Arroyo administration, Fernando became notable for his signature “pink” urinals and other projects of the MMDA. He built U-Turn slots on many major roads, increased the number of pedestrian overpasses at road intersections (called footbridg-es), pioneered radio broadcast-ing for the MMDA, embarked on sidewalk clearing operations, and revitalized the assets and fleet of the government agency.
World-class beauties. The 2015 Miss World-Philippines winner and her consort pose during the coronation night at Solaire Hotel and Casino in Parañaque City. From left: 3rd runner-up Ma. Vanessa Wright, 1st runner-up Marita Cassandra Naidas, 2015 Miss World Philippines winner Hillarie Danielle Parungao, 2nd runner-up Mia Allyson Howell and 4th runner-up Emma Mary Tiglao. Parungao will represent the Phil-ippines in the Miss World International pageant. DANNY PATA
By Alena Mae S. Flores
THe country’s oil firms cut pump prices by as much as P0.85 per liter starting Monday evening to reflect the movement in world oil prices.
Petron Corp., Pilipinas Shell Pe-troleum Corp., PTT Philippines, Phoenix Petroleum Philippines and eastern Petroleum Corp. announced their respective price cuts.
The oil firms reduced kerosene prices by P0.85 per liter, gasoline by P0.55 to P0.60 per liter and diesel by P0.55 to P0.65 per liter.
Petron will rollback the following products effective 12:01 a.m. Oct. 20: P0.55 per liter for Blaze 100, XCS, Xtra Advance and Super Xtra, P0.60 per liter for Turbo Diesel and DieselMax, and P0.85 per liter for kerosene.
eastern cut pump prices starting Monday 6 p.m. while others rolled back prices starting 12:01 a.m. and 6 a.m. Tuesday.
Fernando Martinez, eastern Petro-leum chairman and chief executive, said the latest price adjustments re-flected the downward trend in world oil prices at the close of last week’s trading.
Some analysts forecast the reen-try of Iranian crude to the market could push fuel prices to continue its downward trend for the rest of the year amid the price increases noted these days.
“Some are also expecting the oil price recovery to proceed at a mea-sured pace along with a supply glut in petroleum products continuing through the first half of 2016,” Mar-tinez said.
With the latest price cut, oil prices in Metro Manila now cost P24.60 to P28.05 per liter while gasoline sells from P35.35 to P42.85 per liter. Prices vary depending on the brand, location and market forces.
Last Oct. 13, the oil companies implemented an increase in diesel by P0.65 per liter, kerosene by P0.70 per liter and gasoline by P0.10 per liter.
Warring candidates make ghost town out of Lanao municipality
By Francisco Tuyay
A SECURITY official yesterday played down politics as the motive behind the slaying of three-term Tungawan, Zamboanga Sibugay Mayor Randy Climaco, who was ambushed last week just after he filed his Certificate of Candidacy for vice mayor.
The official, who spoke on con-dition of anonymity, linked the ele-ments of the Moro Islamic Libera-tion Front’s113rd Base Command as
behind Climaco’s ambush.“The ambushed was not likely
politically motivated. It was only timed for the first day of filling
San Roque dam reaches spilling point, lets out water
By Froilan Gallardo PANTAR, Lanao del Norte—This municipality at the border of the two Lanao provinces has become a ghost town for citi-zens’ fear that violence would erupt after two warring clans fielded their own candidates last week.
The police and the military deployed tanks and troops to prevent the followers of former Mayor Mohammad Exchan Gabriel Limbona and his oppo-nent town Mayor Magondaya Tago from killing each other.
Police Insp. Wilson Dima-flores, chief of the Lanao del Norte Police Public Safety Company, said more than 200 policemen and soldiers arrived
to provide security when Lim-bona and his opponent filed their Certificates of Candidacy at the Pantar municipal hall last Friday.
Tago did not seek his reelec-tion and instead fielded his nephew, Jabbar Tago, 29, an ukay-ukay trader, to run for mayor in this fifth-class munic-ipality in Lanao del Norte.
Dimaflores said six Simba armored personnel carriers were deployed around the Pan-tar municipal hall and along the known routes the clans would use to go to the office of the Commission on Elections at the Pantar municipal hall.
Last week’s filing of Certificates of Candidacy went without incident after the
opposing parties agreed they would file their certificates separately so their followers would not be at the municipal hall at the same time.
Dimaflores said Limbona and his candidates filed their certificates at the municipal hall from Monday to Wednes-day while the followers of Tago filed theirs on Thursday and Friday.
Still, traders closed their shops and residents left their homes temporarily to make way for the electoral exercise.
Rido or feuds between clans is a major source of conflict in Muslim Mindanao and Lanao del Norte is one of the four provinces with the highest inci-dence of clan wars.
By Alena Mae S. Flores
NATIONAL Power Corp. on Mon-day announced that the San Roque Flood Forecasting and Warning System Dam Office has released water from the San Roque dam.
The San Roque dam in Pangasinan released water at 6 p.m. Monday.
Napocor said water had to be released as water levels in the dam reached spilling levels.
It said the San Roque dam’s el-evation had reached 280 meters above sea level, its spilling level.
The San Roque dam released water from Gate 1A, one of the six gates. The gate was opened by 0.5 meters with water released at 340 cubic meters per second.
Napocor said water will be re-leased slowly starting today to avoid any effects to the neighboring com-munities of the San Roque dam.
Napocor stressed that while water to be released is minimal, it reminded residents near the Agno river to prepare.
The National Grid Corpora-tion of the Philippines, mean-while, said Typhoon “Lando” had minimal impact on the country’s transmission system.
The company said there were no 500-kV transmission line that were affected in north Luzon al-though 10 230-kV lines were af-fected of which five lines were already restored.
Most affected are 69-kV trans-mission lines in North Luzon with 26 line after and 16 lines in South Luzon, bulk of which are already restored.
National Grid said other trans-mission lines that are due for inspection and repair includes the Binga-La Trinidad 230-kV line 2, Binga-San Manuel 230-kV Line 2 and 1, Cabanatuan-San Isidro-Bulualto 69-kV line, Cabanatuan-San Luis 69-kV line, Cabanatuan-Fatima 69-kV line, Tumana-Bayambang 69-kV line segment, Bauang-San Fabian 69-kV line, Labrador-Bolinao 69-kV line, Labrador-Malasiqui 69-kV line, La Trinidad-Ampucao 69-kV line, Itogon-Ampucao 23-kV line and La Trinidad-Bauang 230-kV Line 2 and 1.
South Luzon transmission facili-ties that are undergoing inspection and repair includes Famy-Infanta 69-kV line and Pitogo-Mulanay line.
of candidacy. We are looking at grudge between the mayor and some elements of the MILF,” the se-curity official said.
Climaco’s Vice Mayor Abison Abduraok, who is running for may-or, five escorts and a driver were wounded in the attack.
It has been reported that Climaco is at odds with some MILF groups over control of rubber plantations in the town.
Philippine National Police chief Ricardo Marquez also said he does not believe politics is the reason for
the attack and that he shares the Commission on Elections’ outlook that the week-long filling of Certifi-cates of Candidacy nationwide was peaceful.
He added that the PNP’s secu-rity preparations for the CoC was successful.
The PNP aims to reduce election-related violent incidents posted in two previous national elections in 2010 and 2013, “we have to further reduce election-related incidents. The direc-tion today is adopted whole-of-gov-ernment approach,” Marquez said.
Fanboy. A man decides which shirt to buy at a stall in Koronadal City. AMIEL MARK CAGAYAN
Lando’s doing. Residents of Barangay San Isidro, San Luis, Aurora, evacuate their homes due to the flooding brought by Typhoon ‘Lando.’ FERDIE G. DOMINGO
Just a few months before his term ends, it appears that President Noynoy Aquino finally understands that it’s an important part of his job to be visible in times of calamity. Of course, you could also say that Aquino is acting the way he does because there’s an election coming up—but, hey, better late than never, right?
Aquino went to flood-stricken Nueva Ecija province yesterday, when the wind and rain brought about by typhoon “Lando” had not yet stopped. For those keeping score at
home, this is probably the first time that the President abandoned his ironclad policy to “monitor the situation” from somewhere inside the bowels of Malacañang Palace whenever a natural calamity strikes.
Long after he is gone, people in tacloban City, for instance, will remember how long it took Aquino to visit them
No more ‘moNitoriNg’
HALFwAy through the historic synodal assembly on the family, ongoing at Vatican City, what has been called the hermeneutic of conspiracy and suspicion has reared its ugly head. It has been reported that a few synod fathers have voiced their concern over the integrity of the whole process as being pre-determined or rigged; others have expressed confusion or even doubted its direction. The Vatican has not been remiss in allaying these fears saying that the differences of opinions and views make conflicts and disputes inevitable.
In any deliberative collegial body, vigorous discussions accentuated by disagreements and divergence of opinions are bound to happen. More so in this case where there are hot-button issues that are up for discussion. On the table for example is the controversial issue of Holy Communion for civilly remarried divorcees and whether decision-making powers on these issues be given more to national and regional bishops’ conferences.
One side of the debate is represented by the German bishops, the majority of whom wish to admit remarried divorcees to Communion. For them, this is not about changing doctrine but more about relaxing the discipline given the circumstances. For these bishops, the Church is there to minister to everyone, including the wounded. so long as there is sincere effort to return to the fold, they should be welcomed. On the other side of the spectrum, Archbishop stanislaw Gadecki, president of the Polish bishops, said that the Polish bishops’ conference “excludes the possibility” of Communion for remarried divorcees given the grave implications to the soul of receiving Jesus in the Eucharist without the minimum requirements for doing so. The challenge is how to fully integrate these couples in the Church life without undermining the indissolubility of marriage, believing that this is at stake in the relaxing of Church discipline.
This divide, in my view, has been mistakenly framed as a choice between doctrine and mercy. One can be doctrinal and still be merciful. And definitely one can be merciful and still be faithful to doctrines.
Nonetheless, such matters as same-sex marriage and communion for divorced and remarried Catholics is taking a toll on the unity of the synod fathers and distracting them from the bigger, more important issues destroying families worldwide—for example poverty, the state of refugees, and war.
John Allen, associate editor of the Catholic Publication Crux and who is
Debate aND DisseNsioN
iN the syNoD
get in the way of rescue and relief workers by attracting attention to himself. In the case of the families of the Mamasapano massacre victims, who were waiting for Aquino to visit them at Villamor Air Base after he came from the opening of a car-assembly facility, his flacks came up with a new and even more incomprehensible excuse—Aquino wanted to give the bereaved “space” to grieve by themselves.
Of course, what Aquino has always
failed to comprehend is that, as the supposed father of the nation, he should do what all of his predecessors have done. He needs to be where the people are hopeless and in despair, if only to reassure them that their government is looking out for those at the end of their rope.
It’s one of those things that Aquino has never really gotten the hang of. And his absence in dire situations has reinforced the belief that he is seriously lacking in empathy and is
merely engaged in noynoying when he is nowhere to be found.
But maybe he’s really changed. Or perhaps Aquino has decided that he can’t keep disappearing in emergencies—not when an election that could directly affect his life after he leaves the presidency is on the horizon. simply put, Aquino will do everything to make his candidate, Mar Roxas, win, because he could end up in jail if that doesn’t happen.
Continued on A11
The Commission on elections and the Securities and exchange Commission signed a memorandum of agreement this week, committing to be stricter in their monitoring of violations of election and commercial laws as these pertain to campaign contributions for the coming elections.
The two agencies also vowed to share information with the other in identifying illegal contributions made by registered firms to national and local candidates.
The Corporation Code of the Philippines says: “no corporation, domestic or foreign, shall give donations in aid of any political party or candidate or for purposes of partisan political activity.”
Meanwhile, the Omnibus election Code identifies numerous examples of prohibited contributions, all defined by their sources: “public or private financial institutions; natural and juridical persons operating a public utility or in possession of or exploiting any natural resources of the nation; natural and juridical persons who hold contracts or sub-contracts to supply the government or any of its divisions, subdivisions or instrumentalities, with goods or services or to perform construction or other works; natural and juridical persons who have been granted franchises, incentives, exemptions, allocations or similar privileges or concessions by the government; natural and juridical persons who, within one year prior to the date of the election, have been granted loans or other accommodations in excess of P100,000 by the government; educational institutions which have received grants of public funds amounting to no less than P100,000.00; and foreigners and foreign corporations.”
Many Filipinos are either unaware of these provisions or are aware of them but violate them anyway, confident that it would be difficult for anybody to track them down or show proof of their contribution to the candidate of their choice.
It’s an investment decision, choosing which candidate to support. elections in the Philippines are like this, have always been and will always be like this. Government jobs do not pay a lot, and those who wish to run for office have to rely on the kindness of strangers that will enable them to campaign.
By way of thanks after they do get the post, they make life easier for these strangers-no-more. Favorable laws are enacted; unfavorable ones blocked. Local government process are made easier. Tax concessions are given. Sometimes, there are interventions in the judicial processes involving the contributors. Life is generally made easier.
It is perhaps human nature to do something good for the person—or corporation —who does something good for you. There must be a distinction, however, between returning a favor and using your office to pay back a donor.
That this has been something done countless times by local and national politicians alike does not make the practice any less wrong. Businessmen are perfectly within their bounds to try to turn a profit out of every decision they make—but not at the people’s expense.
(nine days) after yolanda hit two years ago. It took Aquino only four days, however, to visit Compostela Valley after typhoon Pablo-ravaged large areas of Mindanao in 2012.
Aquino let three full months pass before visiting Zamboan-ga City after government forc-es nearly leveled the regional commercial and cultural center of western Mindanao in an effort to crush forces of Nur Misuari’s Moro National Liberation Front. And he let a whole, meaningful day pass before he visited the wake of
the 44 special Action Force commandos who were killed by Moro rebels in Mamasa-pano, Maguindanao.
There are many other incidents to prove that Aquino has always disliked the part of his job that forces him to appear in public and
sympathize with the people in their hour of greatest need. In fact, it’s no longer news when the President goes missing for days on end during a crisis situation.
The default reason given by his spokesmen never changes: The President doesn’t want to
aquino can’t keep disappearing in emergencies when an election that could
directly affect his life is on the horizon.
Rolando G. Estabillo Publisher Jojo A. Robles Editor-in-Chief Ramonchito L. Tomeldan Managing Editor Chin Wong/Ray S. Eñano Associate Editors Francis Lagniton News Editor Joyce Pangco Pañares City Editor Adelle Chua Senior Deskman Romel J. Mendez Art Director Roberto Cabrera Chief Photographer
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Just a few months before his term ends, it appears that President Noynoy Aquino finally understands that it’s an important part of his job to be visible in times of calamity. Of course, you could also say that Aquino is acting the way he does because there’s an election coming up—but, hey, better late than never, right?
Aquino went to flood-stricken Nueva Ecija province yesterday, when the wind and rain brought about by typhoon “Lando” had not yet stopped. For those keeping score at
home, this is probably the first time that the President abandoned his ironclad policy to “monitor the situation” from somewhere inside the bowels of Malacañang Palace whenever a natural calamity strikes.
Long after he is gone, people in tacloban City, for instance, will remember how long it took Aquino to visit them
No more ‘moNitoriNg’
HALFwAy through the historic synodal assembly on the family, ongoing at Vatican City, what has been called the hermeneutic of conspiracy and suspicion has reared its ugly head. It has been reported that a few synod fathers have voiced their concern over the integrity of the whole process as being pre-determined or rigged; others have expressed confusion or even doubted its direction. The Vatican has not been remiss in allaying these fears saying that the differences of opinions and views make conflicts and disputes inevitable.
In any deliberative collegial body, vigorous discussions accentuated by disagreements and divergence of opinions are bound to happen. More so in this case where there are hot-button issues that are up for discussion. On the table for example is the controversial issue of Holy Communion for civilly remarried divorcees and whether decision-making powers on these issues be given more to national and regional bishops’ conferences.
One side of the debate is represented by the German bishops, the majority of whom wish to admit remarried divorcees to Communion. For them, this is not about changing doctrine but more about relaxing the discipline given the circumstances. For these bishops, the Church is there to minister to everyone, including the wounded. so long as there is sincere effort to return to the fold, they should be welcomed. On the other side of the spectrum, Archbishop stanislaw Gadecki, president of the Polish bishops, said that the Polish bishops’ conference “excludes the possibility” of Communion for remarried divorcees given the grave implications to the soul of receiving Jesus in the Eucharist without the minimum requirements for doing so. The challenge is how to fully integrate these couples in the Church life without undermining the indissolubility of marriage, believing that this is at stake in the relaxing of Church discipline.
This divide, in my view, has been mistakenly framed as a choice between doctrine and mercy. One can be doctrinal and still be merciful. And definitely one can be merciful and still be faithful to doctrines.
Nonetheless, such matters as same-sex marriage and communion for divorced and remarried Catholics is taking a toll on the unity of the synod fathers and distracting them from the bigger, more important issues destroying families worldwide—for example poverty, the state of refugees, and war.
John Allen, associate editor of the Catholic Publication Crux and who is
Debate aND DisseNsioN
iN the syNoD
get in the way of rescue and relief workers by attracting attention to himself. In the case of the families of the Mamasapano massacre victims, who were waiting for Aquino to visit them at Villamor Air Base after he came from the opening of a car-assembly facility, his flacks came up with a new and even more incomprehensible excuse—Aquino wanted to give the bereaved “space” to grieve by themselves.
Of course, what Aquino has always
failed to comprehend is that, as the supposed father of the nation, he should do what all of his predecessors have done. He needs to be where the people are hopeless and in despair, if only to reassure them that their government is looking out for those at the end of their rope.
It’s one of those things that Aquino has never really gotten the hang of. And his absence in dire situations has reinforced the belief that he is seriously lacking in empathy and is
merely engaged in noynoying when he is nowhere to be found.
But maybe he’s really changed. Or perhaps Aquino has decided that he can’t keep disappearing in emergencies—not when an election that could directly affect his life after he leaves the presidency is on the horizon. simply put, Aquino will do everything to make his candidate, Mar Roxas, win, because he could end up in jail if that doesn’t happen.
Continued on A11
The Commission on elections and the Securities and exchange Commission signed a memorandum of agreement this week, committing to be stricter in their monitoring of violations of election and commercial laws as these pertain to campaign contributions for the coming elections.
The two agencies also vowed to share information with the other in identifying illegal contributions made by registered firms to national and local candidates.
The Corporation Code of the Philippines says: “no corporation, domestic or foreign, shall give donations in aid of any political party or candidate or for purposes of partisan political activity.”
Meanwhile, the Omnibus election Code identifies numerous examples of prohibited contributions, all defined by their sources: “public or private financial institutions; natural and juridical persons operating a public utility or in possession of or exploiting any natural resources of the nation; natural and juridical persons who hold contracts or sub-contracts to supply the government or any of its divisions, subdivisions or instrumentalities, with goods or services or to perform construction or other works; natural and juridical persons who have been granted franchises, incentives, exemptions, allocations or similar privileges or concessions by the government; natural and juridical persons who, within one year prior to the date of the election, have been granted loans or other accommodations in excess of P100,000 by the government; educational institutions which have received grants of public funds amounting to no less than P100,000.00; and foreigners and foreign corporations.”
Many Filipinos are either unaware of these provisions or are aware of them but violate them anyway, confident that it would be difficult for anybody to track them down or show proof of their contribution to the candidate of their choice.
It’s an investment decision, choosing which candidate to support. elections in the Philippines are like this, have always been and will always be like this. Government jobs do not pay a lot, and those who wish to run for office have to rely on the kindness of strangers that will enable them to campaign.
By way of thanks after they do get the post, they make life easier for these strangers-no-more. Favorable laws are enacted; unfavorable ones blocked. Local government process are made easier. Tax concessions are given. Sometimes, there are interventions in the judicial processes involving the contributors. Life is generally made easier.
It is perhaps human nature to do something good for the person—or corporation —who does something good for you. There must be a distinction, however, between returning a favor and using your office to pay back a donor.
That this has been something done countless times by local and national politicians alike does not make the practice any less wrong. Businessmen are perfectly within their bounds to try to turn a profit out of every decision they make—but not at the people’s expense.
(nine days) after yolanda hit two years ago. It took Aquino only four days, however, to visit Compostela Valley after typhoon Pablo-ravaged large areas of Mindanao in 2012.
Aquino let three full months pass before visiting Zamboan-ga City after government forc-es nearly leveled the regional commercial and cultural center of western Mindanao in an effort to crush forces of Nur Misuari’s Moro National Liberation Front. And he let a whole, meaningful day pass before he visited the wake of
the 44 special Action Force commandos who were killed by Moro rebels in Mamasa-pano, Maguindanao.
There are many other incidents to prove that Aquino has always disliked the part of his job that forces him to appear in public and
sympathize with the people in their hour of greatest need. In fact, it’s no longer news when the President goes missing for days on end during a crisis situation.
The default reason given by his spokesmen never changes: The President doesn’t want to
aquino can’t keep disappearing in emergencies when an election that could
directly affect his life is on the horizon.
Rolando G. Estabillo Publisher Jojo A. Robles Editor-in-Chief Ramonchito L. Tomeldan Managing Editor Chin Wong/Ray S. Eñano Associate Editors Francis Lagniton News Editor Joyce Pangco Pañares City Editor Adelle Chua Senior Deskman Romel J. Mendez Art Director Roberto Cabrera Chief Photographer
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have an ailing chief executive.This is why I see a two-way presidential race
between Binay and Mar Roxas.* * *
The results of the latest Standard Poll on senatorial candidates once again validate what I have said that it would be a tight race for newcomers and also-rans.
The survey showed that among the top 12 picked by respondents for the Senate are old faces: Senators Tito Sotto and Ralph Recto, followed by Senator Bongbong Marcos, former Senator Ping Lacson, former Senator Kiko Pangilinan, former Senator Migz Zubiri, Senate President Frank Drilon, Senator Serge Osmeña, newcomer former Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, former Senator Jamby Madrigal, Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao and Las Piñas Rep. Mark Villar.
If we erase the names of Senator Bongbong Marcos, who is running for Vice President; Madrigal, who has not filed her CoC for the Senate; and Mark Villar, Las Piñas representatives who withdrew from the race, then Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista, who is running for reelection, former Senator Dick Gordon, followed by Taguig Rep. Lino Cayetano, PhilHealth Director Riza Hotiveros, and Manila vice mayor Isko Moreno would have a chance in the Magic 12. The cliff-hanger is Senator TG Guingona, who is placed by the poll survey behind Moreno.
Name recall is the name of the game in the Senate
race. This is so because a voter has so many names to choose from. Comelec records show that in many instances in the provinces, voters can only write seven names on their ballots.
This is why those aspiring for the Senate must have their names in sample ballots distributed by political parties. Those running as independents may as well forget their Senate aspirations.
Among the “balik-senado” I would like to see is Dick Gordon, whose track record in the Senate speaks for itself. I would also like to see Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez, whose qualifications as Philconsa president and track record as congressman are outstanding. I am also supporting resigned Metro Manila Development Authority Chairman Francisco Tolentino, who was the most hardworking MMDA chairman I have ever known.
* * *The significance of the 130 “presidentiables,”
among them clearly nuisance candidates, is the need to review the qualifications of those aspiring for top positions.
What should be erased from the Constitution is the provision that anybody who can read or write can aspire to be President. This should be replaced with the need for a formal education or college degree. Presidential candidates should also be given a mental test.
If we cannot learn from the past, we are doomed to repeat it.
DAVAO City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte said that in due time, he would reveal something that people don’t know
about the administration candidate for President, Mar Roxas.
This was after Duterte said that Roxas was behind the rumor that he was suffering from throat cancer, which compelled him to withdraw from the race.
I don’t know what Duterte said—about that “something” that people don’t know about Mar. We can only guess.
Now comes Mar’s wife, Korina Sanchez, posting on her Facebook wall that she was falling in line at NAIA 3 on her way to Cebu for a speaking engagement. She sure takes pride in her humility.
It comes as no wonder that the handlers of Mar do not want Korina to be seen in public with him. She says the wrong things at the wrong time. And she has done it again.
* * *With the filing of Senator Miriam Santiago of
her Certificate of Candidacy for President, it is said that the presidential race in 2016 becomes a four-way fight among her and Senator Grace Poe, Vice President Jojo Binay and administration candidate Mar Roxas.
With eight months more to go until Election Day, I’m inclined to say that it could, in the end, continue to be a two-way fight between Binay and Mar as it was for the vice presidency in 2010.
Why do I say this?The disqualification case against Mrs. Mary Grace
Poe Llamanzares, now pending at the Senate Electoral Tribunal, is serious and cannot at all be discounted. The SET decision is expected to be handed down by November 10, but of course it could still be elevated to the Supreme Court.
There are also cases filed at the Comelec against Poe for allegedly failing to meet the residency requirement of 10 years under the Constitution. One is by a former lawyer of the Government Service Insurance System, and still another one by former Senator Kit Tatad.
These citizenship and residency issues raised against Mrs. Llamanzares are so serious that I have been told that businessmen who had promised to fund her campaign have now withheld their support until she is deemed qualified to run for President. So how can a presidential candidate move without money?
Miriam Santiago for her part has said she is cured from lung cancer, and is suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome that prevents her from attending Senate sessions. Can we expect her to run a stressful presidential campaign?
Ask any oncologist, and they will tell you once you have a stage 4 lung cancer, that is already a death sentence. Miriam tells us that she is already recovered from it. Well, Miriam may now be in a stage of remission, but no one can predict how long that can take.
I believe that Miriam has the track record and qualification to become President. But we need a strong and healthy President, who must hit the ground running after election. We cannot afford to
it’s LikeLy a two-way race
santiago’s poLiticaL decision
Next year’s presidential race will most probably be a repeat of the 2010
vice presidential contest.
SENATOR Miriam Defensor Santiago has always been a political gadfly. She has never been known to conform to anyone’s idea of what is acceptable, consequences be damned. She has also been renowned for never holding her punches, often spewing what many would consider outrageous statements. She has never been known to have long-term loyalties, or to have a core ideology, other than looking at herself as a Messiah of sorts.
It would seem as if Santiago’s main purpose in life is to challenge conventions and in the process, annoy or infuriate others. Of course there are those who think the world of her, but it would be difficult to find someone other than her family members who has consistently been pleased with her actuations or statements. Santiago is who and what she is; and it is unreasonable to pick the things about her that we admire and those we find repulsive.
Her decision to run for President, therefore, should not have come as a surprise. It’s in her nature to be a maverick.
However, while it really is too early to predict the results of the 2016 elections, I think it’s also important to be realistic. It is an understatement to say that this election will be steep uphill climb for her. And while I sincerely pray that she continues to enjoy the medical miracle that she has been blessed with, I am afraid that the rigors of the campaign might be punishing. I hate being morbid, but we can all draw parallels from what happened to the late Senator Raul Roco. Still, I will not stand
in the way of someone who wants to fight. I understand just how important it is for someone who has been dealt with something as overwhelming as cancer to want to fight. My late mentor, Dr. Celia Jessica Villarosa, spent eight years valiantly fighting and overcoming the many challenges that life offered her, including cancer. To the very end, she refused to allow cancer to define her.
So yes, I have great empathy for Santiago. I am even willing to make allowances for her choice of running mate. I think it’s mainly a political decision; the Marcoses do continue to have a solid following in the North and among diehard loyalists. It’s not much of a consolation, but at least she has brought once again to the surface the horrors of Martial Law and the many reasons why the Marcoses should never be allowed to return to Malacañang.
I will not demonize Santiago for her political choice. It’s, quite frankly, a futile waste of time and energy. But I will vigorously question many of her assertions.
Santiago said that the Marcoses, as a family, do not owe the Filipino people any apology. I have mixed feelings about this, mainly because I think the time for apologies have long lapsed. An apology needs to be sincere, must be offered while it still matters, should include an admission of guilt,
and more importantly, must offer amends—all of which the Marcoses are incapable of doing. Besides, we’re talking of crimes, the scale of which remains unparalleled in this country’s history, so I am afraid an apology will not suffice. Quite frankly, I would have preferred that they all went to jail.
Santiago also said that Ferdinand Marcos Jr. should not be punished for the sins of his father. I disagree. Marcos Jr. may have been a child when his father rose to power, but he was already wearing a military officer’s uniform and wielding a high-powered gun when they were forced out of the Palace by People Power. He was not a passive observant of the large-scale kleptocracy that defined his parents’ conjugal rule; he was a party to it!
I think that the Filipino people have really tried to move on from the horrors of the dictatorship, which is why the Marcoses have acquired some semblance of respectability despite the grave injustice they have inf licted on the Filipino people. We’ve allowed them to return to power. It would be a major slap on the face of the Filipino people to allow them to return to Malacañang. First, because such would represent full redemption for the Marcoses and second, because they do not, have not, deserved forgiveness.
But, like I said, I will respect everyone’s right to run for office, or even make utter fools of themselves. I have bigger respect for the Filipinos’ ability to do what is right—which is to trounce undeserving candidates at the polls in May 2016.
from Poe and honasanBarely a few days after they filed their respective Certificates of Candidacy at the head office of the Commission on elections, Senators Grace Poe and Gregorio “Gringo” Honasan II quickly embarked on a disinformation campaign through the news media—disinformation because both candidates made less-than-truthful statements about their respective candidacies.
last week, estrella elamparo, a lawyer and registered voter, filed a suit with the Comelec seeking to cancel or deny due course to Poe’s Certificate of Candidacy for President on the grounds that Poe is not a natural-born citizen of the Philippines, and that she does not meet the 10-year residency requirement for the presidency mandated by the Constitution.
Valenzuela City Mayor and Poe spokesman rex Gatchalian immediately denounced the disqualification suit, branding it a strategy intended to subvert the will of the people. Gatchalian also complained that the suit smacks of harassment because the issue about Poe’s citizenship is already pending before the Senate electoral Tribunal.
Poe’s lawyer added that their camp is aware of who are behind the disqualification suit and other “evil plans” against his client.
The arguments raised by Poe’s camp are hollow and completely off-tangent. Disqualification
suits are allowed under the Omnibus election Code so that persons who are legally disqualified from running for office are prevented from doing so. The elimination of the disqualified assures the electorate that whomever they vote for, if victorious, will not be subsequently unseated from office. This way, the precious votes of the sovereign Filipino people will not be wasted on disqualified candidates. How then can a disqualification suit, one allowed by law at that, constitute harassment against Poe?
Poe’s claim that the disqualification suit is intended to subvert the will of the people is a misleading, desperate appeal to emotion. It is also premised on the self-serving assumption that Poe will win the presidential derby.
By denouncing the disqualification suit, Poe herself subverted the will of the people. Since the Constitution was ratified by the people, its provisions embody the will of the people. Considering that the Constitution mandates that only natural-born citizens of the Philippines are qualified to run for President, that mandate also embodies the will of the people. Thus, when a registered voter seeks to disqualify a presidential candidate on the ground that the candidate does not meet the
constitutional requirements for that office, the disqualification suit is deemed authorized, likewise by the will of the people. Being so, what is Gatchalian complaining about?
Contrary to what Poe’s spokesman claims, the citizenship issue against Poe currently pending before the SeT does not bar or hold in abeyance the disqualification suit filed against her in the Comelec. In the first place, the two cases are different. The petition against Poe in the SeT seeks her ouster from the Senate, and has no legal tie to Poe’s moist eye for Malacañang. On the other hand, the petition filed against Poe before the Comelec seeks to disqualify Poe from running for President. Secondly, a ruling of the SeT is not binding on the Comelec in issues involving the qualifications of candidates for President. In other words, both cases can proceed independently of each other because the SeT has no jurisdiction over disqualification cases against candidates for President, and the Comelec has no jurisdiction over disqualification cases against
incumbent senators. To insist otherwise, as Gatchalian does, is to allow either tribunal to usurp each other’s jurisdiction.
Whether or not Poe’s camp knows who is behind the disqualification case in the Comelec is immaterial. even assuming that the said disqualification suit has the blessings of Malacañang, or of any of the other candidates for President, that fact alone is not enough reason to label the disqualification case as one of other “evil plans” of Poe’s challengers.
according to Poe’s camp, Poe expects more disqualification cases against her in the next few weeks, and that she is ready to face them. If so, then Poe should focus her attention on defending her candidacy instead of making less-than-truthful statements about her electoral bid for the highest office in the land.
like Poe, Honasan has not been above-board in his statements to the news media regarding his candidacy for vice president under the United Nationalist alliance headed by Vice President Jejomar Binay. In a recent television interview, Honasan claimed that he was nominated by the party in accordance with its internal procedures. When Honasan was asked how that was possible, when it seems like it is Binay himself
who personally calls all the shots in UNa—including the choice for the party’s vice presidential candidate—Honasan avoided the question by giving evasive, circuitous answers. all in all, the interview revealed that Honasan is a typical politician and a specialist in making equivocal, meaningless statements.
everyone monitoring the political scene, Honasan included, knows that as early as July this year, Binay had been shopping around for a vice presidential candidate. By august, Binay’s first choice was Poe, and by early October, Binay seemed open to an alliance with Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., who had already announced his plans to run for vice president. a few days before the start of the week-long period for filing Certificates of Candidacy, Binay finally announced that Honasan will be his running mate. and so it came to pass that Binay settled for Honasan.
Perhaps Honasan peddled that story about the UNa nominating him, because he is uncomfortable admitting that he is Binay’s third choice. even so, Honasan’s refusal to tell the truth about his last-minute selection by Binay is already an indication that Honasan can be expected to make less-than-truthful statements to the people in the event that he succeeds in his bid for the vice presidency.
currently covering the synod, wrote about his conversation with another journalist who pointedly observed that issues facing the family today are not limited to giving communion to couples in adulterous marriages. In doing so, the synod is missing the bigger picture. Those big-picture issues are legions. One illustrative example is the problem of migrants and refugees in europe. Despite the magnitude of the problem, there seems to be little conversation at the synod about whether that’s actually happening all across europe.
another dominant issue is war which now affects a large swathe of the world population, especially in the Middle east and africa. Pope Francis has consistently and regularly sounded the clarion call on all peoples to open their doors to these refugees and try
to alleviate the sufferings of the poor and the war victims. Sadly, at this late stage, it’s not clear whether the synod has identified new ways to mobilize the Church’s considerable human and political capital to support refugee families from war-torn areas.
and of course, in many countries all over the world, it is poverty that is still the number one-enemy of the family. In the Philippines, that is certainly the case, as families separate and break up for the sake of a better life.
Ultimately, the pope will be the one to decide on the recommendations of the synod fathers. How will the drafting committee reconcile the different views of the synod fathers? What if the differences are irreconcilable?
In the midst of these uncertainties, there is reason to be hopeful. Indeed, we saw this last
Sunday, during the canonization of four new saints.
In his homily, during the canonization ceremony, Pope Francis emphatically pointed out: “There can be no compatibility between a worldly understanding of power and the humble service which must characterize authority according to Jesus’ teaching and example. ambition and careerism are incompatible with Christian discipleship; honor, success, fame and worldly triumphs are incompatible with the logic of Christ crucified. Instead, compatibility exists between Jesus, “the man of sorrows”, and our suffering.
The pope further explained that: ”Jesus exercises a true priesthood of mercy and compassion. He knows our difficulties at first hand, he knows from within our human condition; the fact that he is without sin does not prevent him
from understanding sinners. His glory is not that born of ambition or the thirst for power; it is is the glory of one who loves men and women, who accepts them and shares in their weakness, who offers them the grace which heals and restores, and accompanies them with infinite tenderness amid their tribulations?
He then proceeded to praise the four new saints, starting with Saint Vincent Grossi who “was a zealous parish priest, ever attentive to the needs of his people, especially those of the young” and Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception, who devoted her life, with great humility, to serving the least of our brothers and sisters, especially the children of the poor and the sick.
Most relevant to the Synod is the canonization of louis Martin and Marie-azélie Guérin, parents of Saint Therese of lisieux. according to Pope Francis, the
Guerins “practiced Christian service in the family, creating day by day an environment of faith and love which nurtured the vocations of their daughters, among whom was Saint Therese of the Child Jesus.”
We can only pray that the synod, guided by the Holy Spirit, will come up with a final document that will foster unity within the church, addressing all pastoral concerns facing families and marriage couples in the contemporary world, not only the issues now being hotly contested concerning communion of divorcees and civilly remarried but also other problems such as poverty, refugee crisis and war victims, for the pope to decide based on the primordial mission of the Church, as taught by Christ, that is to ease the burden of the heavily laden.
Facebook: Dean Tony La Vina Twitter: tonylavs
debate... From A9
So no more “monitoring the situation” from hereon in, apparently. aquino’s very freedom depends on it.
* * *Speaking of freedom, anyone
can post whatever they want, within the bounds of common decency, in the social media. But when you’re the wife of a presidential candidate, you really have to be careful what
you put out there for the whole world to see.
I guess Korina Sanchez-roxas learned this the hard way, when she posted about how proud she was to be falling in line to enter the Ninoy aquino International airport’s Terminal 3 over the weekend. Sanchez said in her Facebook post that she was on her way to Cebu to give a speech, which explains why she was at the
airport.“Aba, opo,” she crowed.
“Pumipila po ako.” [Oh, yes. I do fall in line.]
Perhaps it was the first time that Sanchez-roxas fell in line like an ordinary person for anything since she became a big media star. and perhaps she wanted to show that, now that her husband is running for President, she is forced to pretend that she is part of the hoi polloi and
should engage in hoi polloi endeavors, like queueing up at the airport.
The commenters on Sanchez-roxas’ FB page were merciless and almost united in their criticism of her condescending post. and thereby hangs a cautionary tale.
Candidates and their kin who attempt to convince voters that they are regular people who feel for the masses
must realize that they have to deal with a public that is not easily swayed by what they used to call “slumming.” If the candidate is roxas, whose only campaign promise is to continue the work of his boss aquino (such as it is), he has to be doubly wary of blowback.
Oh, well. It’s still a long ways to the May elections; maybe Mar—and Korina—will still learn.
The Mets seized a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven Nation-al League Championship Se-ries, which shifts to Chicago for game three on Tuesday.
“It’s great, but we can’t take anything for granted,” said Granderson, a Chicago native. “Their fans are going
to be enthusiastic and ener-getic. It’s going to be a great atmosphere.”
The Cubs seek their first World Series title since 1908 and their first World Se-ries appearance in 70 years, while the Mets have not won the crown since 1986 and
NEW YORK—Daniel Murphy belted a home run and Curtis Granderson scored twice, powering the New York Mets over the Chicago Cubs 4-1 Sunday in their Major League Baseball playoff series.
PhilamLife’sMusicRun set
Odom remains in ICU, but is recovering
By Peter Atencio
SOME 15,000 music lovers and running enthusiasts will answer the starting gun when the Music Run by Philam Life kicks off at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan on Nov. 14.
Philam Life CEO Axel Bromley said during the launch held at the 12 Mon-key Restaurtant at the New Century Mall in Makati that the event will bring together families who love good music and running the 5-km run that makes the event a fun-filled activity.
“This is a perfect conver-gence of that things that can be done in a run. This is more about having fun, and not much about a marathon,” said Bromley.
The Music Run, which will be held for the first time in the country, had already made waves when it was staged to sellout crowds in Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Tai-pei and Yangon.
The activity starts at 4 p.m. with runners going through an exciting odyssey of sound. The participants will pass through five music zones, namely rock, pop, old school , hip hop and dance.
Concert quality speakers will line up the entire course, which will be called the “Sound Track.”
The evening will begin with a pre-run party, featur-ing a mass warmup session and a live performance from rock band Sponge Cola.
have not played in the World Series in 15 years.
Either the Mets or Cubs will face the American League champion, the Kan-sas City Royals or Toronto Blue Jays, in the World Series starting October 27.
Teams taking a 2-0 lead in a best-of-seven Major League Baseball playoff series have eventually advanced 78 per-cent of the time.
Murphy smacked his fifth homer in seven playoff games this year, matching a club record for a playoff run
set by Mike Piazza.“The coolest part of that
is we’re winning baseball games and we’re up 2-0 so far,” Murphy said.
Mets punish ace ArrietaThe Mets defeated Cubs
star right-handed pitcher Jake Arrieta, who had not lost since July 25 in compiling a 22-6 season record, and delivered the victory for rookie right-hander Noah Syndergaard on a chilly night.
New York opened the scoring quickly as first in-ning leadoff batter Grander-
son singled and scored on a David Wright double to the centerfield wall.
Murphy followed with a two-run homer that just stayed inside fair territory down the right field line to give the Mets a 3-0 lead, New York fans standing and screaming his name until he came back out of the dugout and took a Broadway curtain call.
“That was a lot of fun,” Murphy said. “It was more fun to have the 3-0 lead in the first but that was defi-nitely fun.” AFP
LOS ANGELES—Lamar Odom, the two-time NBA champion and reality TV star left fighting for life after a brothel binge, continues to improve in a Las Vegas hospital, US media reported Sunday.
The 35-year-old remained in the intensive care unit at Sunrise Hospital with serious medical concerns. But E! News, without
citing its source, reported on its website that Odom had shown he could swallow—a sign of neurological function—and had been helped out of bed and into a chair for the first time since he was admitted on Tuesday night.
Odom regained conscious-ness on Friday and offered his first words since he was found
unconscious at the Love Ranch brothel outside Las Vegas on Tuesday.
Nye County Sheriff Sharon Wehrly has said officers who responded to an emergency call were told Odom had used co-caine and sexual performance enhancer supplements in a multi-day stay at the brothel.
Amid reports of brain damage or other organ fail-ure, hospital officials have declined to comment on Odom’s condition.
There has been an outpour-ing of support from Odom’s for-mer NBA teammates and his es-tranged wife Khloe Kardashian has been at his side. AFP
Bike champs. Members of the Team Excellent Noodles display the trophy they won from the Giro de Pilipinas held at the Subic Freeport recently. They are (from left) Joel Balucos (second place, 36-above, stage winner); Alexander Billan, President/ CEO Jeverps Manufacturing Corp (third place, managers’ category, 46-above, second stage); Resty Aragon (first stage winner); Kiko Valenzuela (overall champion); Razali Bin Shaharin from Malasia; Ysmael Gendrano (second overall champion 46 above); Anecito Juanio (stage winner); Emanuel Ojerio; EJ Sotto (fifth place, 46-above, stage winner); and Pedi Untalan and Philip Sainz (seated).
By Ronnie NathanielszDODONG Donaire, the father/trainer of five-division world champion Nonito Donaire, believes that the best way to beat un-defeated pound-for-pound No.1 Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez is to out-box him and not go toe-to-toe on the inside.
Donaire spoke to The Standard/boxingmirror.com after World Boxing Organization light flyweight champion Donnie Nietes reiterated his desire to fight Gonzalez.
Nietes scored a near shut-out win over Mexican champion Juan “Pinky” Alejo at the StubHub Center in Carson City, Cali-fornia, while Gonzalez battered former two-division champion Brian Viloria, scoring a ninth-round TKO at Madison Square Garden some hours earlier.
Donaire cautioned Nietes: “Don’t go toe to toe. Hit and run, because Gonzalez is very good inside.”
“I saw Chocolatito’s fights a couple of times with a guy with no power, but could box. If you outbox him, you’ll win, but if you go toe to toe, he is very good on the inside and has very good defense. Punch and move let him make the mis-takes,” said Donaire.
Among the fighters that went the distance with Gonzalez was one-time minimum weight champion Katsunari Takayama in a World Boxing Association title fight on July 14, 2009; Francisco Rosas, also in a title fight on Feb. 28, 2009; Manuel Vargas in a light flyweight title clash on March 19, 2011; and Juan Francisco Estrada, also in a light flyweight battle on Nov. 17, 2012.
One common opponent was Vargas, against whom Nietes won a split decision on September 12, 2009.
The World Boxing Council reported that Gonzalez “bril-liantly defended his WBC flyweight title, wearing down and ultimately overwhelming Viloria by TKO in the ninth round, underlining his accolade of Pound for Pound Best in the whole wide World.”
Donaire tells Nietes: If you outbox Roman, you’ll win
Grillonails 1st
PGA titleNAPA—Rookie Emiliano Grillo sank a birdie putt on the second playoff hole to outlast Kevin Na and claim his first USPGA Tour title in the season-opening Frys.com Open on Sunday.
The 23-year-old from Ar-gentina, who earned his PGA Tour card just two weeks ago by winning the Web.com Tour Championship, fired a three-under 69—draining a long birdie putt on the 72nd hole to set up the playoff.
Grillo, already being touted as rookie of the year contender, won in his first tournament as a card-carrying tour member. His previous appearances on the US Tour came through sponsor’s invitations.
“I was just really focused on my putt and I hit a great putt to win,” said Grillo, who had showed he could compete on the big stage before, losing in a playoff to Alex Cejka of Ger-many in the Puerto Rico Open and tying for 10th in the Bar-basol Championship. AFP
Daniel Murphy (28) of New York celebrates with his teammates after the Mets defeated the Chicago Cubs in Game 2 of the 2015 MLB National League Championship Series at Citi Field in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. The Mets defeated the Cubs with a score of 4 to 1. AFP
PSA Forumtackles AAANUVALI has announced that it will be staging this
year’s Philippine qualifying leg of the Union Cycliste Internationale Mountain Bike World Champion-ship at the annual “Dirt Weekend” on Nov. 6, 7 and 8 at Nuvali in Laguna.
UCI is the international gov-erning body on sports cycling and competitive cycling events.
Started in 2009, Dirt Weekend is now recognized as one of the country’s premium racing events among professional MTB riders and enthusiasts alike.
“We are honored that Nuvali is hosting this prestigious inter-national cycling event. Biking is part of the environmentally-re-sponsible culture that we are cul-tivating in Nuvali. We continu-ously develop programs that are attuned to the local biking com-munity - programs that promote
a healthier lifestyle by encourag-ing biking as a mode of transpor-tation and recreation. Also, we would like to serve as a platform for globally competitive athletes from the Philippines to get a chance to compete in the global stage,” said John Estacio, Nuvali General Manager.
Nuvali is a 2,290-hectare mas-terplanned mixed-use develop-ment that straddles the cities of Sta. Rosa, Cabuyao and Calamba in Laguna. It is Ayala Land’s larg-est estate development to date with approximately 50% of the whole development dedicated to
NO. 2 Jacob Martin wore down top seed Justin Suarez in a gruel-ing final showdown and eked out a 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 victory to capture the boys’ 16-and-under crown in the Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala regional age group tennis circuit presented by Technifibre at the Monta-Panaad Tennis Court in Bacolod City yes-terday.
La Carlota’s Kiana de Asis, meanwhile, continued to dish out top form and came away with an-other two-title romp in the girls’ side of the Group 2 tournament sanctioned by Philta headed by
president and Paranaque May-or Edwin Olivarez and held in conjunction with the province’s Masskara Festival celebrations.
Martin, the 16-year-old ace from Xavier School backed by Wilson, leaned on his solid serve-and-volley game in the decider, breaking Suarez once to snare the hotly contested crown in the event sponsored the country’s leading pawnshop, remittance and claim center.
The match took two hours and 50 minutes to finish with Suarez failing to recover and dropping a 4-1 ret. loss to Karl Baran in the
18-U finals.“Martin and Suarez’s title duel
spoke well of the quality of play in the circuit with three more rever-sals posted underscoring the level playing field among our junior players,” said Palawan Pawnshop president and CEO Bobby Castro.
The No. 2 De Asis reasserted her mastery over Tracy Lla-mas, humbling the top-seeded bet twice, 6-4, 6-3, for the 14-U crown and 6-2, 7-5 for the 18-U diadem. Llamas, also from La Carlota, averted a shutout by tak-ing the 16-U plum via a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Bliss Bayking.
BingoBonanzabadmintonunwrapsTHE chase for badminton su-premacy and ranking points begins today with 39 matches, including the centerpiece Open singles, on tap in the P1.5 Bingo Bonanza National Open Bad-minton Tournament at the Rizal Memorial Badminton Hall.
Timothy Alvar slugs it out with Arsen Alvarez at 9 a.m. while Renz Lumaday and Christian Sioson clash at 9:20 a.m. in the first two men’s singles matches firing off the week-long championship fea-turing the country’s leading shuttlers and rising stars and a slew of Indonesian players.
Yappies Badminton Group’s JC Clarito and Almira Ramos tangle with PBA-Smash mainstay Ronel Estanislao and Indonesian Ma-rissa Vita; Joper Escueta, also of PBA-Smash, teams up with anoth-er Indonesian Keshya Hanadia as they face Vince Lagnada and Mae Pomar of FEU/Equiparco-BBC; Sidney de Jesus and Fatima Cruz of Meralco take on Carlos Cayan-an and Alyssa Geveruan of PBA-Smash; and Mike Minuluan and Minarti Timur, also of Indonesia, battle Gines Alvare and Marie Lu-cas in four Open mixed double matches tipped to go down-to-the-wire.
green and open spaces. Through the years, it has become a notable stomping ground for outdoor ad-venture enthusiasts via its nature amenities such as the 35-kilome-ter mountain bike and running trail. It also features a multi-functional lake, hiking paths, and a Wildlife and Bird Sanctuary. To get to Nuvali, one can get off the South Luzon Expressway at the Mamplasan, Sta. Rosa, Eton-Greenfield, Silangan and Canlu-bang exits. Nuvali is also acces-sible via public buses that ply to and from the estate from major centers like Makati, Bonifacio Global City and Balibago.
Dirt Weekend will feature four MTB races, each requiring a unique set of mountain biking skills, throughout a three-day period of non-stop festivities revolving around the popular
cycling sport. The main event is the UCI Cross Country Mara-thon World Series qualifying race which enables top finishers to move up to the 2016 Cross Coun-try Marathon World Champion-ship in France.
The XCM course on Nuvali runs for 70 kilometers and is riddled with technical descents as well as rocky paths and obstacles, designed to mimic a mountain terrain. The UCI Cross Country Olympic is similar to the XCM but shorter at 35 kilometers. The XCO is a “Reg-istered Class 3” UCI race that lets elite riders earn UCI points. The Four Cross Race is a gravity or downhill event that features four riders racing at the same time through a challenging BMX-like trail of jumps, drops and obstacles, with the top finisher proceeding to the next round.
THE latest in Philippine track and field will be tackled no less by the country’s athletics chief in today’s session of the Philippine Sports-writers Association Forum at Shakey’s Malate.
Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association president Philip Ella Juico appears as special guest in the weekly public sports program aired live over DZSR Sports Radio 918 and presented by San Miguel Corp., Accel, Shakey’s, and the Philippine Amuse-ment and Gaming Corp.
Juico specifically is expected to delve on the country’s host-ing of the Asian Athletics Asso-ciation Council Meeting and the re-ascendance of the Philippines in the Asian stage following his election as Asian Athletics Asso-ciation vice president.
Organizers of Nuvali’s Dirt Weekend take questions at the launch. From L: event participant Frank Garcia, Fox representative Aica Danas, event organizer Tena Mendoza, UCI Technical Delegate Geoff Kronenburg and Nuvali General Manager John Estacio.
Jacob Martin (center) displays his trophies as he poses with Palawan Pawnshop president and CEO Bobby Castro (right) and PPS-PEPP area manager Daisy Agnes after winning the 16-and-under crown.
In the main event, World Boxing Organization light flyweight champion Donnie “Ahas” Nietes, the longest-reigning Filipino world champion, dominated chal-lenger and Mexican champi-on Juan “Pinky” Alejo, who is ranked No. 8 in the world, to score a near shut-out victory with judge Lou Moret turn-ing in a 120-108 scorecard and the two other judges, Pat
Russell and Marshall Walker giving Alejo one round for a 119-109 scorecard.
Nietes worked behind a rapier-like left jab and vi-cious uppercuts, as well as terrific combinations to the body and then to the side of the head to keep the pressure on the challenger, who bat-tled gamely but had no an-swer to the precision punch-ing of the champion.
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
FOUR boxers from the famed ALA Gym made a smashing US debut before a pre-dominantly flag-waving Filipino crowd at the StubHub Center in Carson City, California on Sunday.
Lions face Bombers;Knights vs CardinalsBy Peter Atencio
THE DEFENDING cham-pion San Beda Red Lions start their bid for a record 10th straight finals appear-ance and a pos-sible unprec-edented sixth straight cham-pionship when they take on the Jose Rizal University Heavy Bombers in the Final Four of the 91st National Colle-giate Athletic Association men’s basketball tourna-ment today at the Mall of Asia Arena.
The Red Lions do not only enjoy a twice-to-beat advantage against the Heavy Bombers, they are also com-ing into today’s match with a full arsenal led by veterans Baser Amer, Art dela Cruz and Ola Adeogun.
The Lions and the Bombers play at 4 p.m., after the other Final Four pairing between the Letran Knights and the Mapua Cardinals at 2 p.m. The second-seeded Knights also enjoy a twice-to-beat edge over the Cardinals.
“I’m very happy, I have 15 players ready to play,” said San Beda coach Jamike Jarin of his wards. The Red Lions turned back the Knights last Wednesday,
83-85 to take the no. 1 spot in the playoffs.
The Heavy B o m b e r s , meanwhile, are
coming off a 76-81 loss to the Cardinals in their battle for the no. 2 spot. The loss sent them into a collision with the Red Lions.
The Bombers, however, will have one key player back in the line-up in Paolo Pon-tejos, who did not see action in the team’s last two games following the death of his fa-ther Joey two weeks ago due to a heart attack.
The Knights, mean-while, will also try to bounce back from their setback to the Red Lions when they battle the dan-gerous Cardinals.
Letran coach Aldin Ayo said the Knights have learned valuable lessons from their loss to the Red Lions.
4 ALA boxers in smashing US debutNietes rocked Alejo a
couple of times early in the fight and wobbled him with a cracking left hook and a clubbing right hand in Round 5, which resulted in a welt under his right eye and a bloodied nose.
Nietes also suffered a slight nick on his left eyebrow, but it wasn’t something to worry about as Dr. Ed de la Vega, serving as cut-man, handled it perfectly.
Two of the youngest and most promising undefeated fighters Mark “Magnifico” Magsayo, the International Boxing Federation Youth world featherweight cham-pion and IBF Interconti-nental super bantamweight champion Prince Albert Pagara, both scored truly
impressive victories.Magsayo ripped into un-
defeated Mexican Yardley Suarez, who boasted that he would stop the 20-year-old Filipino within two rounds and claimed he had power in both hands and that if he hit him in the body or the chin, he would go down.
It was exactly the opposite as the speed, movement and power of Magsayo proved far too much for Suarez, who was dropped twice in the very first round with thun-dering flurries by the Fili-pino, who won by a TKO at exactly two minutes of the round to take his record to 12-0, with 10 knockout.
Magsayo’s rousing first-round victory put additional pressure on the other young
rising star of the Philip-pines, 21-year-old undefeated Prince Albert Pagara, who faced tough William “Chir-izo” Gonzalez, the southpaw from Nicaragua, who won the World Boxing Association NABA featherweight with a shocking seventh-round TKO over highly fancied Cornelius Lock, dropping him three times in the seventh round to win handily.
Prince Albert gradually wore down Gonzalez with his relent-less offense and his punching power in a fight, where both men traded big shots.
Referee Jack Reiss penal-ized Prince Albert a point for hitting Gonzalez after he had dropped the Nicaraguan in Round 2 and warned him that one more such infractions
would mean disqualification.While Gonzalez grew in
confidence in Rounds 3 and 4, a more careful Pagara bid-ed his time before he nailed his foe with a devastating straight right that sent the Nicaraguan reeling across the ring and into the ropes, where he appeared dazed and unaware of where he was before being counted out.
Prince Albert’s elder brother Jason, the WBO International super lightweight champion, was the least fancied among the ALA boxers but he set the tone for a glorious American debut when he battered Ni-caraguan southpaw Santos Benavides, dropping him three times in the second round to kick-start “Pinoy Pride 33” on a high note.
Eye on the rebound. Amar’e Stoudemire (back) of the Miami Heat battles for a rebound against Mike Muscala of the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. AFP
Games Tuesday (MOA Arena, Pasay)
12 nn. • Mapua vs Arellano (jrs)2 p.m. • Letran vs Mapua (srs)
4 p.m. • San Beda vs. Jose Rizal (srs)
RC Cola tossers in 1st serious testRC Cola-Air Force gets its first serious test when it confronts reigning champion, but skidding Petron in what could be another exciting battle in the 2015 Philip-pine Superliga Grand Prix wom-en’s volleyball tournament today at The Arena in San Juan.
Opening serve is at 4:15 p.m., while Philips Gold guns for another victory when it clashes with win-less Meralco in the 6:15 p.m. main encounter of this inter-club tourney presented by Asics and backed by Milo with Mikasa, Senoh and Muel-ler as technical partner and TV5 as broadcast partner.
Drawing firepower from UCLA standout Bojana Todorovic, the Lady Slammers registered their first win as they clobbered the Blaze Spikers in five sets; 25-20,
21-25, 16-25, 25-22, 15-12, in a game that could easily match—or even surpass—ac-tion, intensity, excite-ment and high level of competition seen in international tournaments.
The angelic Todorovic proved she’s more than just another beau-tiful face as she delivered 23 kills for a total of 25 points, including that fantastic drop ball from the back row that sealed the win for Philips Gold.
Her partner, Alexis Olgard, tal-lied 21 points, while rising star Myla Pablo chipped in 20 markers as the Lady Slammers formally barged into the win column and forged a tie with idle Foton with 1-1 win-loss card behind leader Cignal (3-0), RC
Cola-Air Force (1-0) and Petron (2-2).
“It feels good to fi-nally get that win, but it will feel better if we can sustain it and get
the crown,” said Philips Gold coach Francis Vicente following the marathon match that lasted for almost two hours. “As what I’ve been telling the team, this is just the start. We still have a lot more tests to come. So, we have to be ready.”
Vicente added that they will be prepared against Meralco’s upris-ing, especially since the young members of De La Salle Univer-sity like Mika Reyes, Kim Fajardo and Cyd Demecillo as well as im-port Liis Kullerkann and Christina Alessi are hungry for a victory.
Arielle Usher (right) of Cignal scores against Mika Reyes and Mika Esperanza of Meralco in a Saturday Superliga game. ROMAN PROSPERO
Goalkeeper Ritesh � apa told police investigators in Nepal of his involvement following his arrest last week, admitting he received money for his involvement in � xing some games.
He said it was his teammate KC Anjar, who made arrange-ments when he went to Manila and Kuala Lumpur before their games with the Philippine Azkals and the Malaysian national men’s
By Peter Atencio
ONE of five former and current members of the Nepal national football team have confessed and admitted that he and his teammates were involved in game-fixing, including friendly games with the Philippine Azkals and Malay-sia back in the 2011.
PBA to refundtickets frompostponed
league openerBy Jeric Lopez
AS THE Philippine Basketball Association shi� s from the Smart A r a n e t a Coliseum to the Mall of Asia Arena for its postponed opening playdate, it would refund the sold tickets from the original scheduled opener.
PBA Media Bureau Chief Willie Chief Willie Marcial said tickets bought for the original opening day on Sunday at the MOA Arena will be refunded. � e league moved the opening and the game pitting Star against Rain Or Shine of the 41st sea-son to Wednesday, because of bad weather brought about by Typhoon Lando. Ticketh-olders for the postponed original opening date have until Nov. 15 to get their refunds.
Marcial said the PBA opening was moved to MOA because the Smart Araneta Coliseum had already scheduled the UAAP games on Wednesday.
As for the schedule of the Philippine Cup, only the � rst two playdates will be a� ected.
Since the ti� between the Painters and the Hotshots had been moved to Wednes-day, the supposed games on this playdate, Barako Bull against Mahindra and Baran-gay Ginebra versus Meralco, will be moved to a later date.
� e rest of the original schedule remains intact.
Interestingly, instead of making his coaching debut for Ginebra on its original opener against the Bolts, Gin Kings’ Tim Cone will face his former team Star on Sun-day in a much-anticipated tussle in the sto-ried coach’s � rst game with his new squad.
PUP, Enderun fives stun WBL favoritesPOLYTECHNIC University of the Philippines and Enderun College scored the big-gest upsets at the start of the 28th Women’s Basket-ball League orga-nized by the Best Center and backed by Milo recently at the Xavier High School gym.
PUP held on de-spite the repeated rallies by Ateneo, emerging a 47-42 winner in their 25-Under match to join St. Scholastica’s College, which beat
St. Paul College-QC, 32-31, in the early Group A lead.
Enderun Col-lege, meanwhile, scuttled a De la Salle- College of St. Benilde combine, 47-30, for the early Group B lead with University of San-to Tomas, which tripped UP-Los Ba-nos, 49-29.
Also scoring their debut tri-umphs were: De la Salle-Zobel, St. Paul College-Pasig and St. Ste-phen High School in the 13-Under
Developmenta l ; Kalayaan National High School, St. Paul-Pasig, New Era High School, Immaculate Con-ception Academy, Miriam College, St. � eresa’s Col-lege, and Assump-tion College-Anti-polo in 17-Under Developmenta l ; and La Salle-An-tipolo, St. Bridget School, Assump-tion, Chiang Kai Shek College, and University of Per-petual Help-Dalta in 17-Under Com-petitive.
football team.“Anjar visited Manila and Kuala
Lumpur. We decided to � x matches as we concluded that they were just friendly matches,” said � apa in his confession which was published by goalnepal.com.
Thapa said he was told that they will get good money for doing so.
“We are to lose the matches against the Philippines and Ma-laysia. Anjar said we will get good money, and we did the same,” � a-pa told probers.
� e Azkals won against Nepal, 4-0, at the Rizal Football Stadium in Manila, back in 2011.
Aside from � apa, also arrested were team captain Sagar � apa, Sandip Rai, Bikash Singh Chhetri and Anjan KC, who admitted that they had been involved in alleged match-� xing since 2008.
Former national coach Gra-ham Roberts also admitted there was match � xing during a friendly game with the Philippine Azkals way back in 2011.
Probers said that a bookie from Singapore was also involved in � x-ing the match against the Philip-pines.
Formal investigations in Nepal have been launched since � ursday week.
Meanwhile, the Asian Football Confederation is set to launch appropriate disciplinary pro-ceedings, according to a state-ment from AFC secretary general Windsor John.
John said the AFC has adopted a zero tolerance policy towards match-� xing.
Investigators also discovered that a 2012 Nehru Cup match involv-ing Nepal and Cameroon played in Delhi was also � xed.
� apa also reportedly con-fessed to the local police that the team was promised a sum of $100,000 if they lose by a 4-0 score to Cameroon.
Jr Warriors steal Game 1UNIVERSITY of the East hacked out a surprisingly easy 25-21, 25-15, 25-19 victory over thrice-to-beat National University to steal Game 1 of the UAAP boys’ volleyball championship series yester-day at the Adamson Univer-sity Gym.
Losing nine players, includ-ing the entire starting six, to graduation from last year’s championship squad, the Ju-nior Warriors looked doomed a� er � nishing only second in the double-round elimina-tions and entering the Finals as underdogs.
But in the opener, UE looks pumped up for another crown.
Seeking to extend their reign to 12 years, the Junior
Warriors used their tremen-dous championship experi-ence, needing only one hour and 13 minutes to hand the Bullpups their � rst loss of the season.
NU clinched an automat-ic Finals berth after com-pleting a 12-game sweep of the double-round elimi-nations. The Bullpups are gunning for a high school championship double, as their girls’ team won a sec-ond straight title over the weekend at the expense of University of Santo Tomas.
Game 2 is scheduled at 9 a.m. today at the Adamson Gym, while Game 3 is set tomorrow at the same time. Game 4, if necessary, will be played on � ursday.
Outreach program. Globalport owner Mikee Romero (standing, 2nd from right), team manager Bonnie Tan (far right), coach Pido Jarencio (3rd from right) and player Doug Kramer pose with a group of Aetas wearing Globalport uniform during the team’s outreach program that benefited the Foundation of Our Lady of Peace Mission in Galas, Zambales. The team also donated P250,000 cash, goods, tumblers and towels to the foundation.
Game Wednesday (Opening Day - Mall of Asia
Arena, Pasay City)5 p.m. - Opening ceremonies7 p.m. - Star vs. Rain or Shine
SHANGHAI—Men’s tennis has not been short of as-tonishing feats in recent years but Novak Djokovic is eclipsing even the great Roger Federer and Rafael Na-dal as his record-breaking season reaches a crescendo.
Two titles in two weeks in Chi-na, including the Shanghai Mas-ters, show there’s no slowing down for the world number one, who has climbed above the competition this year and keeps rising higher.
Record points and prize money and three of the four Grand Slams, plus an aura of surreal calm, mark one of tennis’s best ever seasons —and all emerging from the most unlikely of beginnings.
Serbia was at war when Djoko-vic was a child in Belgrade, and he remembers dodging NATO bomb-ing raids and practising his tennis in a disused swimming pool.
Those are experiences which he says keep him grounded as he me-thodically pieces together a career which could yet surpass anything seen in modern times.
Gluten-free Djokovic, who got married and became a father last year, says his current season is even better than 2011, when he also grabbed three Grand Slams and had a win-loss record of 70-6.
This year only an inspired Stan Wawrinka in the French Open final denied him a calendar-year Grand Slam, and he has nine titles already with the Paris Masters and World Tour Finals still to come.
With only five defeats and 73 wins this year, the 10-time Grand Slam-winner hasn’t lost a set since
the US Open final and has con-vincingly beaten Federer, Nadal and Andy Murray along the way.
16 million dollar man“It’s the best year of my life. No
question about it. Everything is working great. I’m very grateful for the opportunity to be able to play this well, to be successful,” he said in Shanghai.
“I don’t want to get carried away by success obviously because I want to be playing on this level for many more years to come.”
Federer lost only four times in 2005, achieving one of the best winning percentages on record and winning two Grand Slams, but an ankle injury stopped him clos-ing out the year in style.
The following season he won all the major titles bar the French Open, but a 2-4 record against Na-dal prevented total dominance and pointed to trouble ahead.
John McEnroe had only three defeats in 1984, one of them in the French Open final, as he compiled the best winning percentage in the Open era of 0.965. Ten years ear-lier, Jimmy Connors went 93-4.
Now Djokovic has become only the third man, after Federer and Rod Laver, to reach all four Grand Slam finals in the same year and on current form, he has no consist-ent rivals to slow him down. AFP
Novakcaps bestyear ever
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Novak Djokovic of Serbia celebrates with the trophy after beating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France in the men’s singles fi nal at the Shanghai Masters tennis tournament in Shanghai. AFP
Balance of payments posted $1.8-b surplus in nine months
Bangko Sentral ng PilipinasMonday, October 19, 2015
Foreign exchange rateCurrency Unit US Dollar PesoUnited States Dollar 1.000000 45.9750
Japan Yen 0.008371 0.3849
UK Pound 1.543800 70.9762
Hong Kong Dollar 0.129041 5.9327
Switzerland Franc 1.048438 48.2019
Canada Dollar 0.774653 35.6147
Singapore Dollar 0.722700 33.2261
Australia Dollar 0.726480 33.3999
Bahrain Dinar 2.656395 122.1278
Saudi Arabia Rial 0.266724 12.2626
Brunei Dollar 0.720098 33.1065
Indonesia Rupiah 0.000074 0.0034
Thailand Baht 0.028313 1.3017
UAE Dirham 0.272301 12.5190
Euro Euro 1.135100 52.1862
Korea Won 0.000885 0.0407
China Yuan 0.157408 7.2368
India Rupee 0.015452 0.7104
Malaysia Ringgit 0.239808 11.0252
New Zealand Dollar 0.679486 31.2394
Taiwan Dollar 0.031065 1.4282 Source: PDS Bridge
7,054.860.88
Closing October 19, 2015PSe comPoSite index
43.50
44.60
45.40
46.20
47.00
HIGH P46.010 LOW P46.155 AVERAGE P46.089
Closing OCTOBER 19, 2015PeSo-dollar rate
VOLUME 686.300M
Bangko Sentral ng PilipinasBangko Sentral ng PilipinasBangko Sentral ng PilipinasBangko Sentral ng PilipinasBangko Sentral ng PilipinasBangko Sentral ng PilipinasBangko Sentral ng PilipinasBangko Sentral ng PilipinasBangko Sentral ng PilipinasBangko Sentral ng PilipinasBangko Sentral ng Pilipinas
oilPriceS today
P417.00-P640.00LPG/11-kg tank
P35.85-P43.35Unleaded Gasoline
P24.55-P28.00Diesel
P34.55-P39.15Kerosene
P20.75-P21.75Auto LPG
todayP24.55-P28.00
P34.55-P39.15
P20.75-P21.75
PP35.85-P43.35
8000
7700
7400
7100
6800
6500
P46.070CLOSE
PhilPost partner. Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp. renews its partnership with Philippine Postal Corp. to ensure depositors with account balances of up to P100,000 and who are eligible for early payment of their insured deposits will receive their reimbursements less than two weeks from bank closure. Sealing the agreement at the PDIC offi ce in Makati Cityare PDIC president Cristina Que Orbeta (second from left) and PhilPost Postmaster General and chief executive Ma. Josefi na Dela Cruz (second from right). With them (from left) are PDIC fi rst vice president Elizabeth Oller and PhilPost assistant Postmaster General Luis Carlos.
By Ian Sayson and Cecilia Yap
BILLIONAIRE Manuel Villar, who made a fortune building a� ordable homes, is consid-ering merging his residential and shopping mall units as he turns housing projects across the country into self-contained communities.
Combining Vista Land & Lifescapes Inc., the biggest Philippine homebuilder, with the income stream from shopping center develop-er Starmalls Inc. “could make sense,” accord-ing to Villar, a former politician who’s chair-man of both companies.
� e two have a combined market value of about $2.5 billion and the stakes held by the tycoon and his family are worth together more than $1 billion, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
“� at is always a topic of debate among our o� cers and among our bankers,” Villar said
in an interview on the sidelines of the Forbes Global CEO Conference in Manila last week. “We are looking into that.”
Vista Land rose 1.1 percent Monday to close at P5.46.
A similar move in 2013 by billionaire Henry Sy, the nation’s richest man, catapulted his SM Prime Holdings Inc. from the country’s big-gest shopping mall operator into the biggest developer by market value, unseating Ayala Land Inc. � e merger allowed SM Prime to undertake projects other than shopping cen-ters and develop what it calls “micro cities” around its malls.
Vista Land, which sells homes priced as low as P500,000 ($10,900), has a market value of P45.3 billion, while Starmalls, which has nine shopping centers, is worth P68.8 billion.
Villar’s plan “allows immediate diversi� ca-tion,” said Robert Ramos, Manila-based chief investment o� cer at Union Bank of the Philip-pines. “While the housing market is expected to continue growing, there is also a preference for developers with a steady income from leas-ing and rent,” he said.
Vista Land, which has a presence in 92 towns and cities in 35 provinces, has identi-
� ed 23 residential projects that can be devel-oped into what Villar calls “communicities” by adding shopping malls, grocers, department stores, schools, hotels and hospitals. In areas where there’s demand, o� ces will be built for outsourcing companies, he said.
Vista Land will develop these communities, while Starmalls provides the large-box shopping centers and o� ces, Villar said. Vista Land has also built shopping arcades in some of its projects.
“What do homeowners need? You need to shop. You need to watch movies,” Villar said. “We want to provide all of that.”
� e tycoon’s All Day convenience stores has 70 outlets that will continue to expand, while his supermarket, which just started, is rolling out its second and third outlets. All Home, his home-improvement shop, will have 12 stores by year-end, with the prospect of growing into a chain of 50 outlets across the country, he said.
Villar, a former senator who lost in the 2010 presidential elections, is estimated by Forbes magazine to have a $1.56 billion net worth. He returned as Vista Land chairman in 2013 to work with his son Manuel Paolo Villar, who’s president of the company. With Bloomberg
By Julito G. Rada
THE country posted a balance of payments surplus of $219 million in September, a reversal of the $450-million de� cit in August, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said Monday.
Data showed the September surplus was also higher than the $98-million surplus recorded in the same period last year.
� e � gure brought the BoP po-
sition to a surplus of $1.8 billion in the � rst nine months, improv-ing from the $3.4-billion de� cit a year ago.
BoP summarizes the country’s economic transactions with the rest of the world, with a surplus indicating that foreign exchange in� ows exceeding out� ows.
Persistent surpluses help build up the country’s gross interna-tional reserves, an ample supply of which helps support the value
of the peso against other curren-cies.
� e peso closed at 46.07 against the US dollar on Monday, slightly weaker than Friday’s 46.05.
Bangko Sentral said it was ex-pecting a BoP surplus of $2 bil-lion in 2015, taking into account the improvement in the global economy.
Bangko Sentral Deputy Gov-ernor Diwa Guinigundo earlier said the bank remained optimis-
tic about sustaining a BoP surplus this year, on the back of a strong current account.
� e current account registered a surplus of $2.8 billion in the sec-ond quarter alone, data showed. � is was partially o� set by the � nancial account, which yielded net out� ows.
Guinigundo said as a result, the country’s gross international re-serves increased to $80.6 billion in the second quarter from $80.5
billion in the � rst quarter.Guinigundo said the latest ac-
tion of the US Federal Reserve of maintaining interest rates in September could have an im-pact on the financial markets, as “the cloud of uncertainty still remains.”
BoP incurred a $2.858-billion de� cit in 2014, amid the global uncertainties. It was also the � rst time in nine years that the BoP ended in the negative territory.
P R O P E R T Y10.5 6.74 8990 HLDG 6.330 6.400 6.320 6.390 0.95 48,900 60,127.001.99 0.65 A. Brown Co., Inc. 0.78 0.83 0.75 0.76 -2.56 4,010,000 61,700.001.75 1.2 Araneta Prop `A’ 1.150 1.120 1.100 1.100 -4.35 125,000 0.375 0.192 Arthaland Corp. 0.225 0.225 0.225 0.225 0.00 120,000
52 Weeks Previous % Net ForeignHigh Low STOCKS Close High Low Close Change Volume Trade/Buying
SEC, Comelec to share information on election contributions
WTO forum. Trade Secretary Gregory Domingo (middle) speaks at the WTO Public Forum opening plenary to provide his perspectives on ‘Making Trade Work for Business’ at the plenary debate. Domingo stressed the importance of integrating micro small and medium enterprises in global trade. The forum is the World Trade Organization’s largest annual outreach event. Shown with Domingo are organizers of the working ses-sion led by (from left) Maria Emmanuelle Burgos of the Trade Department’s Foreign Trade Service Corps, Ambassador Esteban Conejos of the Philip-pine Mission to the WTO, and Celynne Layug and Magnolia Uy of the PMWTO.
By Julito G. Rada
Global debt watcher Fitch Ratings gave a BB rating, or non-investment grade speculative, to the proposed $400-million worth of senior notes issuance of Rizal Commercial Banking Corp.
RCBC will issue the notes un-der the bank’s $1-billion medium-term note program.
“Fitch Ratings has assigned Philippines-based Rizal Com-mercial Banking Corp.’s proposed US dollar-denominated senior notes an expected ‘BB(EXP)’ rat-ing... The final rating is contingent on the receipt of final documents conforming to information al-ready received,” Fitch said in a re-port Monday.
“The senior notes are rated at the same level as RCBC’s ‘BB’ long-term issuer default rating.
This is because the notes con-stitute direct, unsubordinated and unsecured obligations of the bank, and rank equally with all its other unsecured and unsubordi-nated obligations,” Fitch said.
Fitch said the rating was sensi-tive to changes in RCBC’s issuer default rating, which is driven by its viability rating of ‘bb.’
RCBC president and chief ex-ecutive Lorenzo Tan in Septem-ber said the bank would issue the $400-million senior notes before the year ends to finance its me-dium and long-term asset growth
and “other general corporate pur-poses.”
“We might raise this before the end of the year, subject to mar-ket conditions,” Tan said in a text message.
RCBC is one of the biggest lenders in the country. The bank in the first half of the year post-ed a consolidated net income of P2.53 billion, 25 percent higher than P2.02 billion a year ago on the back of the strength of its core businesses.
The profit translated into an an-nualized return on equity and re-turn on assets of 9.3 percent and 1.1 percent, respectively.
Net interest income reached P7.45 billion and represented 63 percent of gross income, which increased 12.4 percent to P11.8 billion. The bank achieved an an-nualized net interest margin of 4.2 percent, which remains one of the highest in the sector.
Tan said the bank was on track and advancing on all fronts, espe-cially from core lending to depos-its to fee-based income.
Core lending business was also sustained with loan book excluding interbank loans ex-panding by 18 percent to P275.7 billion. All market segments sustained their growth with av-erage loan volumes of corporate, consumer, and SME increasing by 20 percent, 18 percent, and 30 percent, respectively.
Loans for small and medium enterprises comprised 12 percent of the bank’s total loan portfolio as planned. Meanwhile, micro-finance lending through Rizal Microbank continued its consis-tent climb with outstanding loan portfolio increasing by 46 per-cent. The interest income from the lending business contributed 83 percent of the total interest in-come of the bank.
By Jenniffer B. Austria
THE Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commission on Elections on Monday signed an agreement to share information about the upcoming presidential elections.
The two state agencies agreed to act as “information-sharing part-ners” in developing a policy that will ensure the effective implemen-tation of election laws and the en-forcement of the Corporation Code of the Philippines.
Among the salient provisions of
the agreement is for Comelec to furnish the SEC with names of cor-porations and other SEC-registered entities engaged in partisan politi-cal activities within 30 days from receipt of the disclosure reports, starting from the 2016 national and local elections.
These include political contribu-tions or donations to candidates and parties, as disclosed in the cam-paign submissions of candidates and parties.
Comelec will provide the SEC with advertising contracts fur-nished by mass media outlets to the election body.
Meanwhile, the SEC commit-ted to provide the Comelec with names of corporations or other SEC-registered entities who are recipients of primary franchisees and secondary licenses or permits and other information that Come-lec requires.
Both parties also agreed to share information with the other if they reciprocally discover violations of the other laws being enforced by the respective agencies.
The SEC said the mutual as-sistance and information sharing agreement will take effect in time for the upcoming 2016 national and
local elections.The Corporation Code states that
“no corporation, domestic or for-eign, shall give donations in aid of any political party or candidate or for purposes of partisan political activity.”
Violation of the Corporation Code is punished by a fine rang-ing from P1,000 to P10,000, or by imprisonment for not less than 30 days and not more than five years, or both.
The Omnibus Election Code pro-hibits public or private financial in-stitutions,
operators of public utility or
those in possession of or exploiting any natural resources of the nation from making any contributions for purposes of partisan political activ-ity.
Also prohibited are contractors or subcontractors that supply the government with goods or ser-vices or perform construction or other works; grantees of govern-ment-granted franchises, incen-tives, exemptions, allocations, or similar privileges or concessions, and those who have been granted loans or accommodations worth more than P100,000 by the gov-ernment
THE stock market closed virtu-ally flat Monday to erase early gains in trading, weighed down by China’s weak economic growth in the third quarter of 2015.
The Philippine Stock Exchange Index slipped 0.88 point, or 0.01 percent, to 7,054.86 on a value turnover of P5.45 billion. Losers edged gainers, 95 to 89, with 30 issues unchanged.
Philippine Long Distance Tele-phone Co., the biggest telecom-munications firm, declined 2.3 percent to P2,208, while Interna-tional Container Terminal Servic-es Inc., the largest port operator, dropped 1.3 percent to P77. BDO Unibank Inc., the biggest lender in terms of assets, fell 0.6 percent to P103.70
Universal Robina Corp., the largest snack food maker, rose 3 percent to P199.60, while LT Group Inc. of tobacco and airline tycoon Lucio Tan climbed 2.5 percent to P11.60.
China’s economy, meanwhile, grew at its weakest pace since the global financial crisis in the third quarter, official data showed Monday, fueling speculation Bei-jing will unveil fresh stimulus measures.
While the figures were slightly better than expected, early gains in Asian equities dissipated al-though emerging market curren-cies pared losses on growing ex-pectations a US interest rate rise will be put back to next year.
China’s National Bureau of Sta-tistics said the economy grew 6.9 percent in July-September, the weakest since 2009 at the height of the global recession but bet-ter than the 6.8 percent tipped by analysts in an AFP survey.
The result is the first official con-firmation of investors’ fears over growth in the world’s number two economy and follows a string of weak indicators including on trade and manufacturing activity.
Shanghai rose almost one per-cent straight after the data release on hopes for fresh stimulus but eventually ended the day 0.14 per-cent lower. Sydney, where several firms with close links to China are listed, closed flat, as did Seoul.
Tokyo finished 0.88 percent off, with profit-takers also weighing on prices after a recent rally, while a stronger yen hit exporters. Howev-er, Hong Kong reversed early losses to eke out a minor gain as dealers bet on fresh stimulus. With AFP
B4
MNTC eyes Plaridel toll road
RCBC receives more international, local awards
Germanfirms keenon solarprojects
BCT milestone. Sustaining its solid growth since 2014, the Batangas Container Terminal managed by Asian Terminals Inc. achieves another operations milestone early in October after breaking through the 100,000-TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) mark for the first time in a single year since its startup in 2010. Shown are BCT executives as they celebrated BCT’s 100,000th TEU, which was delivered on Oct. 4 aboard MCC Clyde, operated by intra-Asia carrier MCC Transport.
By Darwin G. Amojelar
MANILA North Tollways Corp. has expressed interest in joining the auction for the proposed P9.39-billion expressway in Bulacan province under the government’s public private part-nership program.
By Alena Mae S. Flores
EIGHT solar and micro-grid com-panies from Germany are look-ing at opportunities to invest in renewable energy projects in the Philippines.
German government-owned international cooperation com-pany Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH and the German-Philip-pine Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. are organizing the fifth business trip of German re-newable enegy companies to the Philippines on Oct. 26 to 30.
GIZ said the eight German solar PV and micro-grid companies and three renewable energy experts would comprise the delegation.
The German companies will include 8p2 Ingenieurspartner-schaft, an engineering firm spe-cializing in technical inspection and consulting; Autarsys GmbH, a provider of modular energy storage systems; IB Vogt GmbH, a global solar EPC company; IBC SOLAR AG, an international pro-vider of comprehensive solar solu-tions; PV2 Energie GmbH, a solar project developer; Qinous GmbH, a provider of plug and play energy storage solutions; SaEnergy Sys-tems GmbH, whose “Power&Life Container” provides independent and stand-alone energy supply; Solea AG, a leading turnkey PV systems provider; and the experts from eclareon GmbH, a consult-ing firm focusing on renewable energy.
RIZAL Commercial Banking Corporation Corp., now on its 55th year, has emerged as one of the leading universal banks in the country, receiving nu-merous recognitions from both local and international award-giving bodies.
RCBC has been cited for three consecutive years by World Fi-nance, a leading international financial publication as Best Banking Group in the Philip-pines for pioneering innova-tive efforts in its products and services, as preparation for the implementation of the Asean integration economic model.
It has also won the publica-tion’s Best Commercial Bank three times. In August, the bank was recognized as Domestic Bank of the Year, and Small and
Medium Enterprise Bank of the Year during the 2015 Asian Banking and Finance Retail Banking Awards.
RCBC’S eWMN program, the first-ever women-centered bank-ing platform in East Asia also bagged the International Finance Corp.’s 2015 IFC CEO Gender Award for promoting gender smart solutions in banking.
Recently, the Bank’s Treasury Group received the Best Do-mestic Provider for Overall FX Services in the Philippines and Best Domestic Provider for FX Options Awards in the Philip-pines, as voted by Corporates Awards from the 2015 Asia-money FX Poll.
Moreover, the bank’s Retail Banking Group and RCBC Sav-ings Bank bagged twin awards
as the Best Product Program Award and Best Kiddie Savings Program Award from the Bank Marketing Association of the Philippines during the Bank Marketers Awards Night which was graced by the Bangko Sen-tral ng Pilipinas Governor AmandoTetangco Jr.
RCBC has also been widely recognized for its initiatives to promote environmental stew-ardship. Recognized as the bank with the first green ATM network in the Philippines, the company once again bagged the prestigious Green Leader-ship Award given by the Asia Responsible Entrepreneurship Awards in June.
The Green ATM project, which was created in partnership with ABS-CBN Foundation’s Bantay
Baterya Program has donated hundreds of used-lead acid bat-teries for recycling, funding the preservation of 18 ecotourism communities in the country.
“It is truly humbling and in-spiring to have our efforts rec-ognized by the international award-giving bodies. We owe all these achievements to the leadership and guidance of our Board of Directors and Advi-sors, the unwavering commit-ment of our employees, and of course, the continued trust and confidence given by our clients. RCBC is now more determined than ever to continue working towards our vision of spear-heading innovations and smart-er solutions to banking servic-es,” said RCBC president and chief executive Lorenzo Tan.
“Yes, we are interested in the project. It is connected to NLEX [North Luzon Expressway] and will expand our expressway footprint in Bulacan,” MNTC president and chief executive Rodrigo Franco said, referring to the Plaridel Bypass Toll Road Project.
The Plaridel Bypass Toll Road, which was approved by
the National Economic and Development Authority’s In-vestment Coordination Com-mittee-Cabinet Committee, is a 23.3-kilometer road starting at the Balagtas interchange in NLEx up to San Rafael, Bulacan.
The road project traverses five towns of Bulacan, includ-ing Balagtas, Guiguinto, Pla-ridel, Bustos and San Rafael. It
involves the conversion of the existing road into a toll road.
The road will be expanded into a four-lane road, with 3.5-meter width per lane and 2.5-meter shoulder.
The project includes the con-struction of additional inter-changes, overpass/underpass and other miscellaneous works as well as the operation and maintenance of the toll road and provision for service roads.
Franco earlier said the com-pany was also awaiting the auc-tion of Central Luzon Link Ex-pressway Phase 2.
The P14.2-billion CLEX Phase 2 is a two-lane express-way that stretches 35.7 kilome-ters, which will also be bid out under PPP.
The project is an extension of CLEX Phase I and will connect Cabanatuan City to San Jose City, also in Nueva Ecija. Phase 1 will be constructed by the gov-ernment with funding from the government of Japan.
MPCALA Holdings Inc., a unit of Metro Pacific Invest-ments Corp., last month topped the bidding for the Cavite-Lagu-na Expressway with a premium offer of P27.3 billion, besting the P22.2-billion bid of Optimal Infrastructure Development Inc., a unit of San Miguel Corp. MPIC also controls MNTC.
Other DPWH projects award-ed under PPP were the P15.5-billion NAIA Expressway and the P1.96-billion Daang Hari-SLEX Link.
Manulife in Mindanao. Insurance company Manulife Philippines inaugurates two new branches in Mindanao, including one in Dipolog City and another in Butuan City, to bring Manulife’s network to 38 outrlets nationwide. Shown during the ribbon cutting ceremony at Manulife Butuan branch are (from left) Manulife Philippines Mindanao 2 agency director Joey Griño, VisMin territory head Bing delos Reyes, president and chief executive Ryan Charland, Butuan City representative from the mayor’s office Antenedo Milloren and Manulife Philippines chief agency officer Stephen Ong,
By Alena Mae S. Flores
POWER retailer Manila Electric Co. said electricity sales rose 4.6 percent in the first nine months from a year ago, boosted by strong demand in September.
By Othel V. Campos
THE Philippines will pursue the-bid to join the Trans-Pacific Part-nership as a part of its foreign trade strategy, the Trade Depart-ment said Monday.
TPP is a landmark agreement that eliminates or reduces tar-iffs, lowers the cost of trade, and sets new and high standards for global trade while addressing next-generation issues among pioneering members Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zea-land, Peru, Singapore, the United States and Vietnam.
“The Philippines indicated very clearly that we would like to join the TPP and would want to start discussions for our entry once it opens its doors to new members. Even before the TPP
was concluded, the Philippine government had undertaken technical consultations with 6 countries, and the talks will con-tinue,” said Trade Undersecre-tary Adrian Cristobal.
The Philippines previously conducted technical discussions with Malaysia, the US, New Zealand, Australia, Mexico and Canada and will soon initiate the same with Japan, Peru, Chile, Singapore, Brunei and Vietnam.
The Philippines will need an endorsement from the 12 parties of the trade agreement to become a member of the TPP.
“This is consistent with our international trade strategy of forging free trade agreements and obtaining market access for our products and services. For our European strategy, the Phil-ippines obtained access to the
European market through the EU Generalized System of Pref-erences plus in December 2014,” Cristobal said.
“We have also commenced for-mal talks for a PH-EU FTA, while negotiations are ongoing with the European Free Trade Area,” he said.
Philippine products already en-joy favorable market access to the US, with 70 percent of US-bound Philippine exports enter duty-free either through the most favored nation status or the Generalized System of Preferences.
Cristobal, however, acknowl-edged concerns over challenging chapters in the deal, particularly those involving intellectual prop-erty rights, government procure-ment and investor-state dispute settlement that the country must face when it enters negotiations.
Meralco senior vice president Alfre-do Panlilio said September sales alone grew 7.5 percent from a year ago.
Panlilio said Meralco sold 27,113 gigawatt-hours in the January-Sep-tember period from 25,930 gWh in the same period last year.
“All segments [industrial, com-mercial and residential] are up,” Panlilio said.
Meralco’s September sales this year climbed to 3,231 GWh from 3,005GWh recorded in Septem-ber last year.
“Likewise, a growth of 7.5 per-cent for the month of September this year was reflected. This is
3,231 gWh for September 2015, or plus 226 gWh versus September 2014 of 3,005Gwh,” he said.
Meralco is set to release the third-quarter financial results next week.
Meralco said core net income rose 17.9 percent in the first half to P11.64 billion ffrom P9.87 bil-lion in the same period last year, on strong sales of commercial customers.
Meralco’s reported net income also went up 21.9 percent in the six-month period to P11.747 bil-lion from P9.637 billion.
Total electricity sales volume
grew 3 percent in the first half to 17,753 gWh, with an all-time high volume realized in the month of June at 3,441 gWh.
Commercial sales volume grew strongest in the first six months of 2015, registering a record 4 percent increase, with real estate, hotels and restaurants and trade driving the growth.
Residential customers’ sales volume expanded 3 percent as per capita consumption of the mid-to-low customer segments was higher with record-low in-flation rate of 1.2 percent at the end of the first half, the lowest in two decades.
Industrial sales volume grew one percent supported by food and beverage, rubber and plastic products and basic metals.
Meralco chairman Manuel Pangilinan earlier said the sec-ond-half financial performance would have its challenges.
EVERY time I install a new ver-sion of Ubuntu, I go through the same routine of installing extra programs that give me the con-venience and extra functionality I need on my home computer. I’ve not been terribly organized about it, however, and often end up doing a number of online searches each time to recall what it was I did to get those applications and utilities onto my machine.
With a new update coming up this month (Ubuntu 15.10 a.k.a. Wily Werewolf), I thought I would make things easier on myself this time around and work from one list. This list might be handy, too, for other folks who are similarly situated and want to find all this information on one page. To keep thing simple, I will use the command line—to carry out the command, simply type it into a terminal window (Ctrl-Alt-T) and hit Return.
On my home PC, I like to run the latest version of Ubuntu, but replace the Unity interface with the simpler and more lightweight XFCE desktop. I then weigh this down with Compiz special effects and the Emerald window decorator to get the eye candy I have come to expect on my desktop.
If you like Unity, you can skip Nos. 1 to 3.
1) Install XFCE.sudo apt-get install xfce4To use XFCE instead of Unity, log off, then choose XFCE in the new log-in screen.
2) Install Compiz Settings Manager. This will let you choose special ef-fects for the desktop.
3) Install Emerald windows decorator. Emerald is not in the regular software repository, so you will need to tell Ubuntu where to get it. Use these lines (three lines executed sequentially) in a terminal window:
sudo apt-add-repository ppa:noobslab/themessudo apt-get updatesudo apt-get install emeraldTo activate your new window decorations, use the commandemerald—replace
4) Install Restricted Extras to get MP3 and unencrypted DVD playback, other multimedia codecs and Microsoft core fonts. Bear in mind you will have to agree to a software licensing agreement some time during the installation process to get the core Microsoft fonts (which includes New Times Roma and Arial)
sudo apt-get install ubuntu-restricted-extras
5) Install Gimp. Ubuntu dropped Gimp, a powerful image editor, from its list of pre-installed programs some time ago. I use it a lot, so it is one of the first things I install.
sudo apt-get install gimp
6) Install Synapse. This is a great search utility that also serves as an ap-plications launcher, much like Spotlight Search on the Mac. To install Syn-apse, type the following (executing one at a time) into a terminal window.
8) Install VLC. This player will play any multimedia file you throw at it. To install:
sudo apt-get install vlc
9) Install Deluge. Hands down, the best torrent application on Ubuntu.sudo apt-get install deluge
10) Install Dropbox. The most convenient way to synchronize a shared folder among several computers. Simply visit the website (www.dropbox.com), click on “Download the app” and follow instructions.
If you are sticking it out with Unity, you might want to disable its most annoying features.
11) Protect your privacy. By default, Ubuntu will do online searches when you use its Dash search. To prevent Ubuntu from sharing your search information with third parties, go to System Settings > Security & Privacy > Search and turn off online results. Of course, if you don’t use Dash, this is not a big deal.
12) Disable Global Menus. I like my menus on top of application windows, not in the task bar ala the Mac. To enable the local menus, click the System Set-tings icon on the Unity bar. Select Appearance, then click on the Behavior tab. Under Show the menus for a window, click the In the window’s title bar option.
13. Install NVidia graphics drivers. If you use Nvdia, go to Dash and search for “Additional Drivers.” This will give you the option to use propri-etary drivers that make the most of your graphics card’s capabilities.
Column archives and blog at: http://www.chinwong.com
PLDT, Globe link up in IloiloBy Darwin G. Amojelar
PHILIPPINE Long Distance Telephone Co. agreed to interconnect its landline network to rival Globe Telecom Inc. in Iloilo province in the Western Visayas region to allow free local calls between their subscribers.
The interconnection agree-ment enables PLDT customers to make local calls to Globe lines subscribers for free covering the municipalities of Ajuy, Alimo-dian, Banate, Barotac Nuevo, Barotac Viejo, Cabatuan, Calinog, Dingle, Dueñas, Dumangas, Es-tancia, Iloilo, Janiuay, Leganes, Leon, Oton, Passi, Pavia, Pototan, San Miguel, Sara, Tigbauan and Zaraga.
“With this new interconnec-tion, our subscribers in Iloilo may now call their friends, fam-ily members, and business as-sociates, regardless of their telco connection, anytime without hav-ing to worry about long distance
charges,” PLDT Panay customer service operations zone head Rene Lescano said.
PLDT’s business office in Iloilo which covers Panay Island serves walk-in telephone applicants, in-stalls and repairs telephone and DSL lines, accepts bill payments, serves report repairs and bill-ing concerns. It also offers voice, video, and data or triple play ser-vices on a single Internet protocol platform.
“Enabling the IP backbone is PLDT’s Domestic Fiber Optic Network, the most extensive fi-ber optics network in the coun-try which now spans more than 100,000 kilometers long. DFON
facilitates the direct transmission of the Internet data to our gate-way, providing subscribers fast and reliable internet experience,” Lescano said.
Earlier this year, PLDT set up interconnection links in 17 Capiz municipalities, namely Mambusao, Pontevedra, Roxas City, Cuartero, Dao, Dumalag, Dumarao, Ivisan, Jamindan, Maayon, Mambusao, Panay, Pa-nitan, Pilar, Pres. Roxas, Sapian and Tapaz.
PLDT last year set up links in Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Zambales and Misamis Occidental, which has enabled PLDT customers to call the other telco’s subscribers in the area for free.
In July and August last year, PLDT’s services in Pangasinan in Northern Luzon as well as the Bi-col region in the provinces of Al-bay and Sorsogon were intercon-nected with Globe lines, allowing subscribers to make free phone calls locally to various towns and cities.
LEGAZPI CITY—Albay will host the New Tourism Frontiers Forum 2015, organized by the Pacific Asia Travel Association, on November 25 to 27 at the Oriental Hotel here.
The province bested other ma-jor bidders in the Asia-Pacific region to host the meeting. The event will be jointly presided over by Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez and PATA corporate ex-ecutive officer Mario Hardy.
PATA, the premier travel orga-nization in the Asia Pacific, has close to 1,000 associate groups, education and hospitality agen-
cies, tourism destinations, as well as corporate, government and in-dustrial links, and about 70 avia-tion carriers as partners.
Aside from more economic benefits for their province, Al-bay Gov. Joey Salceda said the forum venue in Legazpi City further firmed up Albay’s reputa-tion as a leading Philippine tour-ism growth area and a showcase in transcending the ill effects of climate change through novel ap-proaches to tourism promotion, among others.
Salceda has been asked to dis-
cuss the forum’s theme, “Eco-tourism: Transcending Climate Change.” He is expected to share with foreign delegations Albay’s experiences, especially its highly effective climate change adapta-tion and tourism strategies.
The forum will bring together world tourism experts and play-ers in Albay to discuss current and emerging issues related to adventure, travel and responsible tourism, in the face of threats of weather disturbances brought by climate change. It also aims to share with participants new
insights on eco-tourism, market updates on emerging destinations and practical knowhow in tour-ism management.
“As host of PATA 2015, Albay shares its unique experiences in transcending the inevitable effects of climate change,” Salceda said. The United Nations declared Al-bay its global model in climate change adaptation or adapting to the impacts of climate change. Af-ter suffering 46 percent damage in 2006, the province quickly recov-ered by using tourism as one of its principal tools for reconstruction.
The November forum in Albay serves as the opening salvo for the destination-based objective of “Visit the Philippines Again (VPA) 2016,” the country’s first massive retail-focused tourism campaign, with Albay and the Department of Tourism as part-ners in the endeavor.
The DoT has declared Albay as the Philippines’ fastest grow-ing tourist destination. It posted an impressive 47 percent tour-ism growth in 2012; 66 percent in 2013 and 52 percent in the second quarter of 2014.
Cemex cited. Cemex, the cement expert, is included in this year’s ‘Change the World’ list of Fortune Magazine. Cemex ranks 16th out of 50 dynamic companies in the world that made a sizeable impact on major social and environmental issues. The recognition goes to Cemex’s Patrimonio Hoy program, a market-based housing program for low-income families in Mexico and other Latin American countries. Shown during the 3rd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Senior Officials’ Meeting and Related Meetings in Cebu city are Chito Maniago, Cemex Philippines corporate communications and public affairs director; Trade Undersecretary Zenaida Maglaya; Arturo Rodriguez, Cemex Philippines business development director; and Erlinda Lizardo, Cemex Philippines corporate communications manager.
Albay wins bidding to host PATA tourism conference in November
THIS December’s COP (Conference of the Parties) 21 conference in Paris, organized by the UN Framework Convention on Cli-mate Change, will be attended by a number of ironies. Regrettably, one of them relates to the Philippines, which has been determined to be one of the two countries most vulnerable to climate change.
The irony involves the interplay between this country’s climate-change situation and its government’s strategy for dealing with the energy requirements of Philippine economic development. Given the determination of the Philippines’ high vulnerability, one would think that the Philippine government’s policy would be highly averse to anything likely to increase global warming and would embrace anything likely to reduce the level of carbon emissions in this coun-try. But that does not appear to be the case.
Consider the Aquino administration’s attitude toward coal as a source of fuel for power plants. One does not have to be a recipient of the Nobel Prize for chemistry to be able to appreciate that coal-fired plants are comparatively the dirtiest sources of energy and pollute the air like no other energy source does. Coal may have fueled the In-dustrial Revolution—thereby placing today’s developed countries on the road to economic maturity—but times have changed in the last three centuries. Since the 18th century numerous other sources of energy—nuclear, fossil fuel, natural gas and renewable sources such as hydro, geothermal and solar—have taken their places alongside coal as viable energy sources to fuel the energy requirements of a country’s factories, offices and homes.
Despite this wide array of options—the present administration (1) has displayed no strong commitment to augmenting the Philippines’ energy supply principally with clean and renewable energy sources and (2) has manifested an inclination toward expanding the coal-fired component of that supply. My eyes could well have misread the figure, but I think I saw 36 as the number of proposals submitted to the Department of Energy for coal-fired power projects. The more prominent of those proposals, all situated in Calabarzon, have been generating much vocal and broad-based opposition.
The other major alternative energy sources yearn for government at-tention and support. Given the number of significant river systems in this country, the potential for hydropower development is still ample. In a Ring of Fire country like the Philippines, geothermal power is a major alternative power source. The potentials of solar and wind power—espe-cially the former—await determined harnessing. And of course there is the 600-megawatt BNPP (Bataan Nuclear Power Plant), which has not yet convincingly been shown to be a hazardous proposition.
This brings me to the irony that is the title of this column.To me it is nothing short of supremely ironic that a country that
is known to be one of the world’s most climatically vulnerable coun-tries should be engaged in energy-supply expansion mainly using fuel of a highly environmentally-unfriendly kind. True, the Philip-pines apparently accounts for only .02 percent of total world carbon emissions. But, surely, any contribution that this country can make, however small, counts, considering that the Philippines is in the di-rect line of fire of the worst disasters associated with global warming.
Without a doubt, because of “Yolanda” and other major typhoons that in recent years have visited this country with devastating effect, the Philippines will be one of the centers of attention in the forth-coming Paris conference. For that reason, the Aquino administration should do something serious about the irony presented by its policy of ambivalence and indifference toward coal-fired plants.
Otherwise, the Philippines will not really be credible in the French capital in December.
Onstage. Musician Nanna Bryndis Hilmarsdottir of Of Monsters and Men performs to benefit MusiCares at the El Rey Theater on Oct. 18, 2015, in Los Angeles, California. AFP
Anti-migrant rallyhighlights backlash
West to end sanctions on IranWASHINGTON—The United States and Europe began preparing to lift the trade sanctions that have hobbled the Iranian econ-omy on Sunday, as a his-toric nuclear deal came into effect.
The procedure to lift the em-bargo began 90 days after the UN Security Council endorsed the ac-cord signed in Vienna in July, a milestone referred to as “Adoption Day.”
But foreign firms will not be able to resume ties with Iran’s oil indus-try and banks right away: sanctions will remain in place until Iran ful-fills its end of the bargain.
The next stage in the process”—implementation day”—will only come when UN nuclear watchdog the IAEA confirms Iran has dra-matically scaled back its nuclear program.
Iran said that lengthy process will probably start this week.
On Monday, envoys of the deal signatories—Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States—will meet in Vienna to form a commission to oversee the implementation of the accord.
Tehran will have to surrender or dilute the bulk of its enriched nuclear fuel stocks, dismantle most of its centrifuges and halt a reactor capable of making plutonium.
Only then will the sanctions “waivers” that US President Barack Obama ordered his administration to issue on Sunday come into effect and trade can begin to resume.
“Today marks an important milestone toward preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and ensuring its nuclear program is exclusively peaceful going for-ward,” Obama said in a statement.
US Secretary of State John Kerry, who played a central role in the painstaking negotiations between Iran and the West, added: “If fully implemented, it will bring unprec-edented insight and accountability to Iran’s nuclear program forever.”
The European Union also ad-opted a legal framework for lifting sanctions imposed on Iran.
The accord “brings us a step closer to the beginning of imple-mentation of the (July deal), to which we are strongly committed,” EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said in a joint statement with Iranian Foreign Minister Ja-vad Zarif.
US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew said: “As Iran begins taking its nuclear-related measures and the United States and our partners prepare to lift nuclear-related sanc-tions in response, we move one step closer to a successful JCPOA and a more secure international community,” using the acronym for the nuclear accord.
Ali Akbar Salehi, head of Iran’s nuclear agency, was awaiting Presi-dent Hassan Rouhani’s order to remove thousands of centrifuges from sites at Natanz and Fordo.
“What we need to accomplish is a huge task. We hope to start this week or next week,” he told state television. AFP
BONN—As UN diplomats con-vened in Bonn Monday, developing nations were balking at the latest draft of a global climate agreement to be inked in Paris in December, negotiators and experts said.
The five-day session is the last formal parlay before heads of states and ministers gather in the French capital to seal a deal to beat back the threat of global warming and help poor nations cope with its im-pacts.
Monday will be the first oppor-tunity for rank-and-file negotiators to weigh in on a new draft whittled down from 80 pages to 20 by two senior diplomats—one from Al-geria, the other from the United States—leading the process.
Reactions from developing na-tions and veteran analysts of the talks, now in their third decade, suggest that sparks will fly at the opening session.
Many countries are likely to insist that deleted passages be re-stored before the arduous job of line-by-line revisions can even be-gin.
“The text cannot be used as a basis for negotiation, as it is unbal-anced,” the African Group said in a statement released hours before the opening session.
The new draft “does not reflect the African Group positions, and crosses the group’s red lines,” it said.
The African nations’ viewpoint is shared by other blocs under the more than 100-strong “G77 plus China” umbrella.
“There is no question that this new text will definitely anger some parties, or all parties in some ways,” said Jens Mattias Clausen, a climate change adviser for Greenpeace.
One make-or-break issue is fi-nance.
Rich nations have pledged to mobilize $100 billion (88 billion euros) per year from 2020 to help vulnerable countries reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and cope with the impacts of global warm-ing.
Developing nations want firm commitments, not just on the to-tal amount but also where it will come from and what it will be used for. They favor public monies, and demand that funds be balanced be-tween mitigation—cutting carbon emissions—and adaptation.
The draft agreement “completely ignored the submissions of (the) G77 on finance”, said Gurdial Singh Nijar, a Malaysian negotiator and spokesman for the Like-Minded Developing Countries, a grouping which includes China and India, as well as many African, Asian and Latin American nations.
There is nothing, for example, “on the obligations of developed countries to provide the means of implementation” for relevant tech-nology, he told AFP. AFP
JERUSALEM—Israel was to voice its opposition Monday to French proposals to send international observers to Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque compound, the latest in a diplomatic push to quell fears over a full-blown Palestinian uprising.
The international efforts fol-low more than two weeks of near-relentless violence that has seen 41 Palestinians killed, including alleged assailants, while eight Is-raelis have died. Most of the attack-ers have been young Palestinians wielding knives and believed to be acting on their own.
In the latest unrest, an Israeli soldier was killed on Sunday in a shooting at a bus station in the southern city of Beersheba, the first such attack after a day in which violence seemed to somewhat ebb.
Police said a man, thought to be Palestinian, entered the bus station armed with a pistol and knife, killing the soldier and wounding 10 other people, including four officers.
The gunman himself was then killed and an African bystander was shot by security forces who mistook him for a second gunman.
The identity of the assailant was not immediately known, and there was no claim of responsibility for the attack.
But it was praised by militant groups in Gaza, with Hamas call-ing it a “natural response” and Is-lamic Jihad saying it was a “normal answer to Israeli crimes”.
Diplomatic moves to halt the more than two weeks of unrelent-ing violence gained steam, mean-while, with US Secretary of State John Kerry saying he planned to meet both the Israeli and Palestin-ian leaders in the coming days.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, rejected an idea from France that would see international observers sent to the Al-Aqsa mosque compound.
Clashes at the compound be-tween Israeli police and Palestinian
protesters in September preceded the current wave of violence.
Muslims fear Israel will seek to change rules governing the site, located in Israeli-annexed east Je-rusalem.
The site is sacred to Muslims and Jews, who refer to it as the Temple Mount. Jews are allowed to visit but not pray there to avoid provoking tensions, and Netanyahu has said repeatedly he has no intention of changing the rules.
France’s ambassador was sum-moned to the Israeli foreign min-istry for 0730 GMT Monday over the resolution, French and Israeli diplomatic sources said.
Elsewhere, clashes also broke out in the West Bank city of Hebron, where three attacks occurred on Saturday, while on the Gaza border, three Palestinians were moderately wounded by small caliber bullets during clashes with Israeli forces Sunday after they tried to breach the border fence. AFP
The migration continues. A Croatian police officer carries a child as migrants wait to enter Croatia from the Serbia-Croatia border, near the western Serbian village of Berkasovo, on Oct. 19, 2015. Long lines have formed on Croatia’s border with Serbia. as several hundred people remained stuck there after having spent the night in rain and cold weather. AFP
European tour. Spain’s King Felipe VI poses with US Secretary of State John Kerry at the Zarzuela Palace in Madrid on Oct. 19, 2015. Kerry, on a European tour, has already traveled to France and Italy and will then make a stop in Germany after his visit in Madrid. AFP
world
Anti-migrant rallyhighlights backlashDRESDEN—Germany’s PEGIDA movement holds an anti-migrant rally Monday a year on from its formation, highlighting a European backlash towards a massive influx that has heaped pressure on Chan-cellor Angela Merkel.
The demonstration comes a day after Swiss voters returned a historically strong result for a populist party known for its virulent campaigns against immigrants and Islam, and following a knife attack on a German mayoral candidate who championed refugee issues.
Monday’s rally, due to start at 1600 GMT in PEGIDA’s stronghold of Dresden, marks a con-trast to efforts by Merkel who over the weekend made a crucial one-day trip to Turkey, where she hailed the progress in helping Ankara deal with the migrant crisis and vowed to push for-
ward its long-stalled EU membership bid.The European Union wants Turkey to do
more to tighten its border security and help contain the historic influx of Syrians and others escaping conflict, persecution and poverty.
In return, Ankara wants greater recognition for its role in hosting more than two million Syrian refugees, an increase in financial help and an accel-eration of its stuttering drive for EU membership.
Merkel and the Turkish leadership indicated officials were making progress towards a deal on cooperation, although neither suggested a final agreement had been reached.
She said Berlin was prepared to support open-ing EU accession talks on economic and mon-etary affairs, and would also consider opening more of the 35 total so-called “policy chapters”.
Speaking after her talks with Turkish Presi-dent Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Merkel said the EU and Turkey were in agreement to work closer “on dynamizing the accession process” towards Turkey’s EU membership and also visa liberal-ization for Turks wanting to travel to the EU’s
Schengen zone.“The talks in that direction are very promis-
ing and will be continued,” said Merkel.Erdogan, who for months has bitterly criti-
cized the EU’s attitude towards Turkey, also called for more accession chapters to be opened, while Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu praised a “better approach” from the 28-nation bloc.
Germany has been Europe’s top destination for refugees, most of whom travel through Tur-key and the Balkans, and is expecting to register up to a million asylum requests this year.
While many Germans have welcomed the refugees, there has also been a backlash with Merkel’s party losing support while the long-dormant anti-Islamic PEGIDA protest move-ment has again drawn thousands of followers.
Simmering tensions ended in violence in the western city of Cologne on Saturday when a man with a knife attacked independent may-oral candidate Henriette Reker, who is active in helping refugees, leaving her with serious neck wounds and injuring four others. AFP
SOKCHO, South Korea—Close to 400 South Koreans, many of them elderly and nearly all in a state of fevered anticipation, gath-ered Monday before crossing into North Korea for a rare reunion with separated family members.
Beginning Tuesday in the North Korean resort of Mount Kumgang, it will be only the sec-ond such reunion in the past five years—the result of an agreement the two Koreas reached in August to de-escalate the tensions that had pushed them to the brink of armed conflict.
Tens of millions of people were displaced by the sweep of the 1950-53 Korean War, which saw the front line yo-yo from the south of the Korean peninsula to the north-ern border with China and back again.
The chaos and devastation sepa-rated brothers and sisters, parents and children, husbands and wives.
“We were separated at the be-ginning of the war when I was just nine years old,” Choi Kum-Sun, 75, said of her elder brother in the North.
“I had no idea that he was still alive, but then I got the notifica-tion that he wanted to see me. I still can’t believe it,” she wept.
Like a significant number of the elderly or infirm participants, Choi was in a wheelchair. She told AFP she had packed clothes, food and US$1,000 in cash to take as a gift.
Because the Korean conflict concluded with an armistice rather than a peace treaty, the two Koreas technically remain at war and di-rect exchanges of letters or tele-phone calls are prohibited.
The reunion program began in earnest after a historic North-South summit in 2000, but the numbers clamoring for a chance to participate have always far out-stripped those actually selected.
The 394 people gathered in Sok-cho city on South Korea’s northeast coast were called to the reunion by 100 North Koreans chosen to take part in the event.
All were to spend the night in the Hanwha resort in Sokcho be-fore an early start to the heavily-fortified border nearby and then on to Mount Kumgang. AFP
HONG KONG—Seven Hong Kong police officers appeared in court Monday, charged with as-saulting a pro-democracy protester in a beating captured on video and beamed around the world.
Some of them wore dark glasses and surgical masks as they entered the court, while around 50 sup-porters gathered outside waving Chinese flags and shouting: “Sup-port police” and “Democrats will be doomed”.
The courtroom was packed with both pro-democracy and pro-gov-ernment supporters, reflecting the deeply divisive case.
Footage of the attack on Civic
Party activist Ken Tsang a year ago was broadcast globally at the height of the mass protests seeking free leadership elections in Hong Kong.
The seven police, who include se-nior officers, are charged with caus-ing grievous bodily harm with intent.
One also faces an allegation of common assault on Tsang, which the justice department said happened in an interview room after his arrest.
All were released on HK$1,000 ($130) bail at Eastern Magistrates’ court and are due to appear again on Nov. 17.
In a twist to the case Tsang was also last week charged with as-sault—on the same day the seven
officers were charged.Authorities say he “splashed
liquid” on officers—not those ac-cused of subsequently attacking him—and resisted arrest.
Tsang, 40, appeared in court af-ter the seven accused officers Mon-day. He was also released on bail and his case adjourned to Dec. 9.
“I will face this bravely and seek justice,” he told reporters.
Tsang and his legal team have questioned why the assault and obstruction charges have been brought against him a year later, and have accused authorities of trying to deflect attention from the case against the officers. AFP
Mindanao is a region suffused with myths, folklore and traditions that come to life through theater. This is what the Cultural Center of the
Philippines has been successfully doing, bringing together different performing groups and artists from Mindanao to work together and create a production that will showcase the cultural expressions and traditions of Southern Philippines through its Cultural Exchange Department that conducted an outreach tour of a collaborative production entitled “Panaghabi: Weaving Mindanao’s Triumphs of Life.”
Community performances and exchange tours last September reached thousands of audiences in Iligan, General Santos and Tagum. This was the same production that also went on the road for the first time in Batangas, Baguio and Malolos-Bulacan last year, performed before an audience of more than 12,000. The tour was one of the highlights of the celebration of the CCP Outreach’s 35th Anniversary, which had for its theme “Sining ay Buhay, Buhay ang Sining” (Art is Life, Art is Alive).
In 2004 when the CCP Outreach Program commemorated its Silver Year, three regional productions were also organized, featuring a number of regional performing groups. For its Ruby year in 2014, the CCP Outreach put together a group of practitioners and culture specialists from various communities to collaborate on Panaghabi. These include Hobart Savior (Cagayan de Oro City); Sunnie Noel (Marawi); Felimon Blanco (Pagadian); Romeo Narvaez (General Santos); Bing Cariño (Gen. Santos); Michael Yambok (Lake Sebu); and Maan Chua (Davao), with the final production concept written and directed by Savior.
Savior relates that Panaghabi’s concept is based on Mindanao’s rich cultures and heritages which are manifested through its folks’ lives, folk ways, customs and traditions that are not only true in the past but are still evident in the present. Mindanao, being inhabited by “tri-people” – Lumads, Muslims
and Christians – has a history that enriches and completes our nation.
This history is never singularly taken from experiences of the past but is also taken from the lore that these people believe in order to define the mysteries of Mindanao’s beginnings. It is thereby fitting to promote such triumphs that have been handed down from generation to generation as told by the ancestors of the different communities/cultural groups as these triumphs are intricately woven to the present ways, beliefs and practices of the people.
The Mindanao collaborative production showcases mythical and mortal women, whose stories bestow the qualities of strength and fertility. These women are sources, givers and takers of lives, mothers, nurturers of nature, weavers of dreams and faiths as well as traditions and celebrations. These women are Fu Dalu (T’boli), Mebuyan (Bagobo), Matabagka (Bukidnon), Potri Rainalaut (Meranao), Maguindanao and Subanen women.
Panaghabi: Weaving Mindanao’s Triumphs of Life is therefore a deliberate call for a deep understanding and appreciation of what Mindanao is all about as seen through the eyes of women.
CCP’s Chinggay Bernardo shares how they managed the regional collaboration and the tours. “It was a difficult but really exciting process especially when you listen to the creative ideas and see and feel the energy and enthusiasm of the artists in the regions,” she recalls. “This was enough reason for us to move forward and facilitate despite the odds. We faced a lot of challenges but in the end it was all worth it. The heartfelt response from the huge audience in each site is truly inspiring,” she enthuses.
This year’s exchange tours posed a bigger challenge for the performers and the creative team as they were to perform before audiences in their own regions, eliciting concerns that they might not be able to “live
up” to the standards and be accepted by their peers. However, that fear was overcome by their desire to excel, as seen for instance in the “Tinalak” number. Bing Cariño’s and Teatro Ambahanon’s choreography paid tribute to Lang Dulay – gawad manlilikha ng bayan, a T’boli tinalak weaver of Lake Sebu, South Cotabato. The music was an original composition of Maan Chua of Mebuyan from Davao; vocals were also rendered by Mebuyan with the notable Bayang Barrios (a Manobo from Agusan del Sur). Since the music was a combination of traditional and popular style, the dance movements had to be in the same genre, and so Ambahanon interpreted it using an amalgam of contemporary, hip-hop, classical and traditional moves. The result: a production number that consistently mesmerized the audiences in both Luzon and Mindanao.
The local organizers and presentors in each site faced several challenges such as accommodation for the touring group, and the venue as well as technical facilities. The MSU-IIT Cultural Development Office (CDO) saw it as an important project because it was one of the first events that would allow the students to enjoy the “cultural fees” paid to the university and as such, the two performances were free for all students. The CDO also used the project relink with the city government of Iligan and strengthen ties with local government officials and the private sector. Though Tagum City has been a long time partner of the CCP Outreach, the presentation of Panaghabi served a noble purpose because all proceeds of the shows will help build a new Sacred Heart of Jesus Church.
Panaghabi has indeed united and enflamed the aspirations and vitality of the Mindanao artists and have re-connected them with the young audiences today, who may have forgotten that Mindanao has rich and unique art forms, traditions and expressions that they should always be proud of. Panaghabi was also a revelation that there are outstanding artists who are capable of creating masterpieces, and who deserve support and admiration.
C1T U E S D AY : O C T O B E R 2 0 : 2 0 1 5
A RTS, CU LT U RE & T ECH
TATUM ANCHETAE D I T O RBING PARELA S S O C I AT E E D I T O RBERNADETTE LUNASW R I T E R
l i f e @ t h e s t a n d a r d . c o m . p h @ L I F E a t S t a n d a r d @ L I F E a t S t a n d a r d @ L I F E a t S t a n d a r d
LIFE
WEAVING MINDANAO’S TRIUMPHS OF LIFE
The Cultural Center of the Philippines conducts regional tours to celebrate 35 years of outreach
'Matabagka'
Opening number
Teatro Ambahanon's interpretation of 'Matabagka'
Panaghabi cast
Panaghabi reconnects Mindanao artists with young audiences
C2TUESDAY : OCTOBER 20 : 2015
LIFE l i f e @ t h e s t a n d a r d . c o m . p h @ L I F E a t S t a n d a r d @ L I F E a t S t a n d a r d @ L I F E a t S t a n d a r d
T E C H T A L K
The family is a very strong unit of society especially in countries like the Philippines where familial values continue to be observed. Ballet
Philippines celebrates the Filipino family with a new ballet, “Sarong Banggi,” which features exciting new works by six Filipino choreographers set to classic folk songs from around the country, arranged and orchestrated by the inimitable composer Ryan Cayabyab, with renowned fashion designer Rajo Laurel designing the costumes for this ballet.
Featuring choreography by Carissa Adea, Ronelson Yadao, Cyril Aran Fallar, Paul Alexander Morales, Nonoy Froilan, and Carlo Pacis, the production will highlight each choreographer’s unique impression of the Filipino family in this new contemporary ballet with the cast led by Jean Marc Cordero, Earl John Arisola, Rita Angela Winder and Monica Amanda Gana.
Nostalgic music in Sarong Banggiwill tug at the audience’s heartstrings, says Ballet Philippines artistic director Paul Alexander Morales. “It will be exciting to see these choreographers’ different takes on familiar themes; love, loss and reconciliation that cements the Filipino family,” he adds.
Hon g Kon g - b a s e d choreographer Carlo Pacis admits that he was excited at the chance to work with Ballet Philippines again. “As a Filipino living overseas, I felt that it was my
responsibility to give back.” Pacis, former soloist of the Hong Kong Ballet, is a two-time awardee for Outstanding Choreography at the Philstage Gawad Buhay Awards.
Sarong Banggi’s opening night on October 16 is a Filipiniana Gala featuring the live performance of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Cayabyab himself. The music of the show is in the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ special Collector’s Edition CD entitled “Serenata: Well-loved Philippine Folk Songs and Melodies.” Included in the album are the Kapampangan “Atin cu Pung Singsing,” the Hiligaynon “Ay Kalisud,” the Tagalog “Dalagang Pilipina” and “Saranggola ni Pepe,”
among others. Sarong Banggi’s libretto is by Dennis Marasigan with lighting design by
Meliton Roxas Jr., and sets by Ohm David.
Sarong Banggi will be performed from October 16 to 18 at the Tanghalang Nicanor
Abelardo (CCP Main Theater). For inquiries, visit www.ballet.ph, send an email to [email protected], or call Ballet Philippines at 551-1003. For tickets and reservations, call the CCP
Box Office at 832-3704 or Ticketworld at 891-9999.Connect to Ballet Philippines online through the following social media networks: Facebook: www.facebook.
com/balletphilippines; Twitter: @balletph; Instagram: @balletphilippines; YouTube: balletph. To join in the Ballet Philippines conversation, use official hashtags: #balletph, #dancespring, #sarongbanggi
Traveling nowadays always comes with documenting your photos and posting them on social media. We’ve gone
from big DSLRs to small compact digicams and now down to handy mobile phones. It just seems more practical to bring smaller handheld gadgets when travelling, and with the advent of Instagram and Snapchat, experiences are easier to share via mobile.
Most mobile tech companies up their game by highlighting and packing their mobile phones with the highest pixels with a variety of mode options, including professional camera settings. Lenovo is joining the bandwagon with its VIBE ON campaign platform that features cutting-edge innovation and premium technology that specifically caters to the Millennial lifestyle. Built for delivering pixel-perfect photos is the Lenovo VIBE Shot, a perfect gadget to travel with.
It has a 7.6mm thin body and actually looks like a camera when turned at the back. The highlight is the 16MP camera perfect for people looking for a camera-focused smartphone. It has a 5-inch full-HD (1080x1920p) IPS display with Gorilla Glass 3 protection that makes viewing display vibrant. For travelling in rough areas or places that have a lot of movement, its Optical Image Stabilization helps in taking that unforgettable shot and keeps the photos sharp even in low light conditions.
And for that oh-can’t-miss selfies, the 8MP front-facing camera does the job. It also automatically lightens features of the face to make you look good and snap-ready. The camera mode setting also boasts of a “Pro” mode that can easily customize white balance, focal length, shutter speed, ISO and aperture. The system runs in Android 5.1.1 Lollipop and features multiple connectivity options. The
VIBE Shot’s octa-core chip lets users upload and download data quickly with 4G, connect via Wi-Fi hotspots, and manage separate data plans on two SIMS at once (a feature that most high-end phones are quickly facing out). Another old feature that comes in handy for taking tons of photos is the micro SD that can hold up to 40 thousand shots if boosted together with the 32GB built-in storage.
The Lenovo VIBE Shot is now available at Lenovo Mobile Exclusive Stores and authorized retailers nationwide. Priced at P17,999, it’s got a good camera technology and not so pricey compared to its competitors. The package is bundled with a free screen protector (worth P299) and a free back cover (worth P599).
For the latest Lenovo news, subscribe to Lenovo RSS feeds or follow Lenovo on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
CELEBRATE THE FILIPINO FAMILY WITH BALLET PHILIPPINES’ SARONG BANGGI
Jetsetting with the best VIBEFruits at a market in Cebu12 People at an amusement park - Manila
Ballet Philippines' Monica Amanda Gana and Earl John Arisola in Sarong Banggi
Monica Amanda Gana and Earl John Arisola in Ballet Philippines' Sarong Banggi
Earl John Arisola in Ballet Philippines' Sarong Banggi
Junior Principal Dancer Earl John Arisola in Sarong Banggi
Lenovo Vibe Shot
For the final installment of Triple Threats: The Composers, the series brings multi-awarded composer and Hong Kong Disneyland music director Rony Fortich as its third featured artist. Repertoire for the concert consists of excerpts from the Trumpets musicals “Mr. Noah’s Big Boat” and “Bluebird of Happiness,” Upstart Productions’ “Breakups and Breakdowns” as well as a number of songs Fortich has written for different artists and productions.
Joining Fortich onstage are Ring Antonio, Cathy Azanza-Dy, Caisa Borromeo, Mayen Cadd, Steve Cadd, The CompanY, Red Concepcion, Bituin Escalante, Topper Fabregas, Sheila Francisco, Audie Gemora, Carla Guevara-Laforteza, Lana Jalosjos-de Leon, Cole Laparan, Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo, Franco Laurel, Fred Lo, OJ Mariano, Pinky Marquez, Lorenz Martinez, Simone Martinez, Gab Medina, Giannina Ocampo, Timmy Pavino, Sweet Plantado-Tiongson, Kyla Rivera, Kakki Teodoro, Gabo Tiongson, Shiela Valderrama-Martinez, Mikki Villa, Morissette Amon, Cris Villonco and The Philippine Madrigal Singers.
Ticket prices range from P800 to P1200. For details, contact the CCP Box Office at (02) 832-3704.
In his latest exhibition, Mariano Ching brings his primary character Naoto Matsumura to Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant after the multi-reactor meltdown. Each oil painting showcases a bleak palette that depicts the destruction with a sense of eye-of-the-storm calm.
Matsumura returns to Fukushima’s highly radiated exclusion zone because he feared for the animals that were left behind. As he walks through the ruins, the audience can see scavenging feral dogs, hairy dismembered limbs, and pastel limbo giving way to the creeping undergrowth in the artist’s psyche.
Don’t let this exhibit pass without seeing it, visit www.silverlensgalleries.com or contact [email protected] or call (02) 816-0044 for inquiries and more details.
Being well acquainted with personal tragedies that could cost a man his reason, Leonardo Onia Jr. exhibits paintings and installations that feature Hitchcockian nightmare of headless human beings who have literally and figuratively lost their minds.
According to Onia’s dark fantasy, there are only three possible endings for a man struggling with depressing circumstances: death, madness or a lifetime of misery. The resilience of the human is nowhere to be found in his current series. Suicide cases lie still on the floor or hang from the ceiling, while mentally ill patients live out their days straightjacketed or bound to their hospital beds. The collection serves as an insane asylum. And before the artist deemed his paintings finished, he burned specific areas in each canvas, the result of which is a ghostly cloud of soot where the subject’s head should be.
For more information, visit http://blanc.ph
In her latest show, Christina Ramilo presents a collection of works that imaginatively repurpose what is abandoned, discarded, remembered, recovered, saved and loved – or basically the raw and random things that people encounter through their lifetime.
Such is the stuff that outlives us: good ideas, good art and wit, all of which are unfortunately uncommon. Instead, they are residual consequences of practice teeming with attempts, blunders, mistakes and miscalculations. The pieces showcase how we are able to carry it out – wit and good art – eloquently at the time when it’s most appropriate.
Visit www.artinformal.com for more information.
Through the partnership of Ayala Foundation, Inc. and National Historical Council of the Philippines, 25 reproductions of Carlos “Botong” Francisco’s paintings from institutional and private collections are on display to share the life and legacy of the artist to students and general audiences outside of Metro Manila.
Accompanying these more than two dozen images is a film produced by AFI and directed by acclaimed filmmaker Peque Gallaga on Botong’s vision and artistry. This outreach initiative of AFI’s Arts and Culture Division is a traveling version of the museum exhibition held last December 2012 to March 2013 in celebration of Botong Francisco’s centennial birth anniversary at Ayala Museum.
RONY FORTICH: Best Seat in the House 2Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino, Cultural Center of the Philippines, ManilaOctober 22
MARIANO CHING: These Are Happening Without Your PermissionSilverlens Galleries, Makati CityOngoing until October 24
SOLITARY GARDEN: Leonardo Onia Jr.Blanc Gallery, Quezon CityOngoing until October 31
BOTONG FRANCISCO: A Nation ReimaginedPresident Ramon Magsaysay House, Zambales CityOngoing until November 3
WIT OF THE STAIRCASE: Christina Quisumbing RamiloMain Gallery, Artinformal, San JuanOctober 22 to November 21
C3LIFETUESDAY : OCTOBER 20 : 2015
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ARTS AND CULTURE ROUNDUPWhat’s on in theaters and galleries this week
EXHIBITS
As an early Halloween treat for children, the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, led by conductor Olivier Ochanine, presents a concert for all ages.
The concert introduces the symphony orchestra and its music to children and families in a fun way. Flowanda the explorer of the land of Volcano Milava will lead kids to learn more about volcanoes. Pre-concert activities starting at 2:30 p.m. will include a musical instruments petting zoo where children can experience playing different orchestral instruments assisted by the members of the PPO.
For more information, call the CCP Marketing Department at (02) 832-3704 or Ticketworld at (02) 891-9999.
CONCERTS
Tricks and Musical Treats, A PPO Family ConcertTanghalang Nicanor Abelardo, Cultural Center of the Philippines, ManilaOctober 25
Atlantis Theatrical Entertainment Group (ATEG) announced the full cast of Tony Award-winning Broadway musical based on the
best-selling novel by Robert James Waller, The Bridges of Madison County.
The musical is about the love affair of two soul mates that just happen to meet too late in their lives. Traveling photographer Robert Kincaid, assigned to take photographs of the historic bridges of Madison County, meets Iowa housewife Francesca Johnson whose husband and children are away on a trip. The Broadway musical that will run on November 20 to December 6 at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Makati is directed by Bobby Garcia and will feature soulful music by Tony Award-
winning composer Jason Robert Brown (Parade, The Last Five Years).
Leading the cast, as Francesca and Robert are two iconic performers of the international musical theatre stage, Joanna Ampil and MiG Ayesa. “It will be my first musical in Manila after a long hiatus. The last one was The Sound of Music in 2012. I’m hungry for a new challenge and this role of Francesca will certainly give me that challenge, stretch and creativity that
I’m always craving for as an artist,” shares Ampil who is known for her performances in London’s West End as Kim in Miss Saigon, Mary Magdalene in Jesus Christ Superstarand Christmas Eve in Avenue Q.
For MiG Ayesa, it will be his second production with
ATEG. “I cannot wait to show such a different side to me, as the last time Manila audiences saw me was as the crazed rocker ‘Stacee Jaxx’ in Rock of Ages. The chance to be working opposite
such a world-class performer as Jo Ampil, as well as under the direction of Bobby Garcia, promises to be an experience I will never forget,” he says.
Also part of the cast are Carla Guevara-Laforteza in the dual role of Marian and Chiara, Nino Alejandro as Bud, Emeline Celis-Guinid as Marge, Jamie Wilson as Charile, Bibo Reyes as Michael and Mikkie Bradshaw as Caroline. Joining them in the ensemble are Steven Conde, Nel Gomez, Franz Imperial, Yanah Laurel, Abi Sulit and Teetin Villanueva. Cecile Martinez will choreograph the play, under the musical direction of Ceejay Javier.
Book your tickets at www.ticketworld.com.ph or call Ticketworld at 891-9999.
C4 LIFET U E S D AY : O C T O B E R 2 0 : 2 0 1 5
l i f e @ t h e s t a n d a r d . c o m . p h @ L I F E a t S t a n d a r d @ L I F E a t S t a n d a r d @ L I F E a t S t a n d a r d
FULL CAST ANNOUNCED FOR THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY
The city government of Makati paid tribute to the “Linggo ng Kasuotang Pilipino” by holding a fashion show at the Glorietta 2 Activity Center.
Spearheaded bythe Makati local government’s Museum and Cultural Affairs Office in collaboration with the Liga ng mga Barangay and Ayala Malls, creations inspired by traditional costumes from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao were modelled by city officials, senior citizens and members of the private sector.
According to MCAO head Rosalinda Cervantes, the annual event is an excellent venue to showcase the creations of local designers, not to mention that it promotes pride in authentic Filipino fashion especially among the youth. Many of the creations from Makati-based designers skilfully merged traditional with modern styles, resulting in designs that are appealing to younger generations.
Luzon traditional costumes were showcased by Makati-based designers Luis Delos Santos, Bryan Peralta, Albert Andrada, Albert Figueras, Raymund Saul, Ronaldo Arnaldo, Jinggo Inoncillo, Kaye Morales, Joel Bautista, Janet Castro, Noel Crisostomo and Val Taguba. For Visayas and Mindanao, selected creations of the dean of the Philippine fashion Ben Farrales were featured.
First held in 2000, the Kasuotang Pilipino Fashion Show has since become an anticipated event by Makati residents and fashion watchers.
LOCAL DESIGNERS SHINE IN KASUOTANG PILIPINO FASHION SHOW
Joanna AmpilMiG Ayesa
SHOWBITZi s a h r e d @ g m a i l . c o m
C5ISAH V. REDE D I T O R
T UES DAY : OCTOBER 20 : 2015
Global action hero Vin Diesel heads an impres-sive cast of actors in the non-stop action film The
Last Witch Hunter, a gorgeously rendered, explosively physical and thoroughly original fantasy adven-ture. The will propel audiences into a complex mythological universe packed with intense battles, un-thinkable treachery and unforget-table characters. Set in a world nev-er before seen on screen, the story
spans over 800 years of one man’s quest to keep an army of vicious supernatural creatures determined to wipe out humanity at bay.
Diesel takes on the role of Kaulder, the centuries-old guard-ian of the human world who has lost his family, friends and per-haps even his hope in the battle against the dark forces. The inspi-ration for Kaulder and his story came from Diesel’s days as an avid gamer—particularly his more
than 20-year fascination with the popular fantasy role-playing game Dungeons and Dragons. His dedication to the game is so com-plete that he was asked to write the forward for the book, 30 Years of Adventure: A Celebration of Dungeons & Dragons.
Diesel’s muscular charisma is crucial to Kaulder, the last sur-viving fighting member of The Axe and Cross, the fellowship dedicated to keeping sorcery in
check. Kaulder has been accom-panied on his long journey by a succession of priestly advisors, all known as Dolan. Members of the Axe and Cross, the Dolans whom Michael Caine and Elijah Woodare a part of, have documented Kaulder’s activities throughout the ages in handwritten journals that are passed on, so each Dolan is in-timately familiar with his history.
Rose Leslie plays Chloe, Kaulder’s unexpected new ally in
his quest, a modern-day witch who runs a Memory Bar, a bohemian paradise hidden behind a magic door. Rounding out the cast are Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, Julie En-gelbrecht, Isaach de Bankolé, Jo-seph Gilgun, and Rena Owen.
Also appearing are Lotte Ver-beek, Michael Halsey, Inbar Lavi, Sloane Coombs, and Ar-mani Jackson.
The Last Witch Hunter opens tomorrow from Pioneer Films.
‘The LasT WiTCh hunTer’s aLL sTar CasT
Filming a re-imagining of Frankenstein was, jokes director Paul McGuigan, rather like giving life to a
movie monster. McGuigan, ad-mirably lauded for his thrilling works in exceptional movies with A-list actors such as Bruce Willis, Josh Hartnett and Ben Kingsleyin Lucky Number Slevin, Chris Evans and Dakota Fanning in Push, Tom Hardy, Paul Bettanyand Willem Dafoe in The Reck-oning, Bettany and David Thewlisin Gangster No. 1 and Wicker Parkwith Josh Hartnett and Rose By-rne and who has also directed sev-eral episodes of the acclaimed BBC television series Sherlock, which stars Benedict Cumberbatch now helms an electrifying monster of a movie in Victor Frankenstein starring James McAvoy (X-Menfilms) and Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter films) as loyal allies at a time when scientific break-
throughs from the period’s great-est minds are at its peak.
Mary Shelley’s classic Gothic novel about the eccentric scientist, Victor Frankenstein, and his quest to create life, was first published in 1818 and has captivated genera-tions of readers and later, cinema audiences, ever since. At the core of this new Frankenstein story – just like with (Sherlock) Holmes and Watson – is the friendship be-tween Frankenstein and Igor.
McAvoy plays Doctor Victor Frankenstein a brilliant scien-tist at the forefront of pioneering medical research. He wants to save lives and then becomes ob-sessed with the idea of creating life itself. Igor – a character that first appeared in movie versions of the story, but was not in the novel – is a lowly, downtrodden, disfigured clown at a travelling circus where his only friend is a trapeze artist, the beautiful Lorelei (played by
Jessica Brown Findlay). “He starts off in the script
just known as ‘the hunchback’, and he works at the circus,” ex-plains Radcliffe. “He’s grown up there, and he’s worked there all his life. His retreat, mentally, is to surround himself with medical books, medical dictionaries. He’s self-taught, very intelligent, and incredibly capable.
“One day, when there is an accident at the circus and Lorelei falls, he rushes out to treat her. Victor happens to be there and sees him performing impromp-tu surgery. He saves this person’s life, with Victor’s help, and that’s how they meet. At that point Victor obviously sees that he is this undervalued, abused, savant, who has been treated terribly.”
With a screenplay by Max Landis, McGuigan and his stellar ensemble cast – including James McAvoy as Frankenstein and
Daniel Radcliffe as Igor – filmed their version of Frankenstein at Longcross Studios, and on loca-tion in the UK. It was, the director admits, challenging. “We have animatronics, we have action, we have electricity and lightning and, of course, we have a monster – things that are quite inventive and on paper you go ‘yeah, that would be a good idea…’ and then you have to figure out how to do it. So it’s been a big challenge, but it’s been fun, too.”
McGuigan’s says that Landis has taken the essence of the book – and elements of Frankenstein’s rich cinema history – and cre-ated a unique take on the sto-ry. “It’s taking the core themes of the book – the re-birthing idea, bringing the dead back to life and the science of that and the moral issues it brings up and all of those things – but at the same time we’ve kind of shied
away from being quite heavily over wrought with melodrama, which Mary Shelley’s book was.
“We have plenty of spectacle in the film but we are not the $200 million movie that people are going to put their 3D glasses on to watch; this is done old school and a lot of the effects are done through the camera, we blow up things through the camera. And in that way it’s been quite exhaust-ing and the boys have done their own action, which has been fan-tastic. When you have two great actors like this, you want to see them do this stuff and they do it. It’s great,” McGuigan reveals.
See the monster come alive in “Victor Frankenstein” when it opens Nov. 25 in cinemas na-tionwide from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.
41 Redhead’s tint 42 Hot-plate coil 44 A pox upon thee! 45 Fair offering 46 Dangerous current 50 Wingspreads 52 Shrill bark 53 Cell habitant 54 Comb, in a way 55 Bent out of shape 57 Poe quoted one 58 Manitoba tribe 59 Thumbs down 60 Dormant 61 Crystal gazer 62 Like a tortoise
DOWN 1 Music with a beat 2 Leading man 3 “— Accomp’ny Me” 4 Mich. neighbor 5 Schedule 6 Summer sign 7 Disney CEO Bob — 8 Pop 9 Agree (2 wds.) 10 Rio Grande city 11 “Heat of the Moment” band 12 Terrible smell 13 Hairpin curve 18 Choir voice
22 Trademark 24 Similar 25 Got nosy 27 Faint gleam 28 “Wimoweh” beast 29 Bard’s river 30 Drill sgt. 31 Burn soother 32 Arlene of old films 33 Oater classic 35 Vocalist — Sumac 37 Luges 38 Sugar source 40 Well-known 41 It swims with crocs 43 Pencil part 44 Coffee brewer’s need 46 Ms. Zellweger 47 Chip maker 48 Because of (2 wds.) 49 Fund a foundation 50 Penn or Connery 51 Blacktop 52 Knights of — 54 Prefix for pod 55 Vaccine amts. 56 Campers, for short
Her life story is being compared to Cinderella. Bb. Pilipinas In-ternational Janicel Lubina is em-barking on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for fame when she vies for the Miss International 2015 crown in Tokyo, Japan. Lu-bina, a 20-year-old, 5-foot-8, na-tive of Narra, Palawan, worked as a househelp in her hometown before she was discovered by a make-up artist leading to her be-coming a beauty queen.
Lubina looked gorgeous during the send-off conference by the Bb. Pilipinas Charities, Inc. (BPCI) led by Chairman Stella Mar-quez-Araneta with fellow Bb. Pil-ipinas titleholders. Lubina, a stu-dent of Tourism Management at STI, was nervous and excited an-swering questions from the mem-bers of the press. She said that she felt under pressure to match Colis’ win and would use it as a motiva-tion when she competes at the
55th Miss International pageant.Marquez-Araneta got big ap-
plause when she confidently said that they have another sure winner in Lubina following Ann Lorraine
Colis’ victory at the recent Miss Globe in Toronto, Canada. Bb. Pilipinas-Universe Pia Wurtzbachsaid that Lubina has inspired them for her being hard-working and
her humility and dedication as a true beauty queen. She vouched for her being a good daughter pro-viding support to her mother and siblings in the province. Bb. Pili-
pinas Supranational Rogelie Cat-acutan also has nothing but prais-es for Lubina and said that she was proud to be a part of her journey as a beauty queen.
Lubina’s rise as a national beauty queen started when she won Mutya ng Palawan in 2012 and was Top 5 at Miss Scuba International 2012 in Indonesia. She captured the Miss Bikini Philippines title in 2013 be-fore she finished first runner up to Megan Young in Miss World Phil-ippines 2013. “I am looking for-ward to my travel to Japan and see their culture,” Lubina said crossing her finger and thankful of the sup-port for her to become the sixth Fil-ipina Miss International.
The 55th Miss International pageant will be held on Nov. 5 at the Shinagawa Prince Hotel Hiten Hall in Tokyo where the winner will succeed Valerie Hernandezof Puerto Rico.
– EtOn COnCEPCiOn
FORmER hOUSEhELP viES FOR Ph’S 6th miSS intERnatiOnaL CROWn
Forty-eight delegates from around the globe arrived in Manila for the 3rd Miss Global international pag-
eant, with the slogan, “empowering women, embracing cultures, and embodying the beauty within.” It speaks to a more modern, diverse and inclusive mission, beyond just physical beauty. Miss Global welcomes a more diverse selection of women who would otherwise be excluded from competing in other global pag-eants due to age and other factors. “The Philippines is well known internationally as one of the lead-ing countries within the pageant industry, so we felt it was a great fit to hold it here this year,” said Miss
Global Organization executive di-rector Tea Mak. “It is going to be a spectacular event and a wonderful way to give more exposure to the country and worldwide tourism,” Miss Global Philippines CEO Pau-line Laping proudly said. The Philippine bet is Candice Ramos, a 28-year-old, University of the Philippines graduate in Tour-ism Management and completing a Masters in Urban and Regional Planning. A native of Vigan, Ilocos Sur, Ramos was named Miss Philip-pines Eco-Tourism in Miss Philip-pines Earth 2012. “I’m enjoying the experience and learning to be able to explore how to help the Miss Global organization,” said the hard working and articulate Ilocana beauty.
The diverse candidates include 32-year-old, Rubie Marie of Wales; 30-year-old, Gergana Doncheva of Bulgaria; Virginia Prak of Cam-bodia; 29-year-old, Bareket Drori of Israel; 31-year-old, Katia Za-karia of Jordan; Ronda Sidoine of
Seychelles; Fulya Sezer of Turkey; Pema Choedon of Tibet; and Na-tive American Erynn Ducheneaux, representing the Lakota people from Cheyenne River Reservation. Miss Global 2014 Ela Mino of Canada will crown her successor
during the Miss Global 2015 fi-nals at Resorts World Manila on Oct. 22, hosted by award winning, E! and Fox/NBC American Brian Corsetti and Miss Universe 2010 Fourth Runner Up Venus Raj.
– EBCOnCEPCiOn
Diverse CanDiDates in Manila CoMpeting for Miss global 2015
Bb. Pilipinas beauties with Stella Marquez Araneta
Miss Philippines Candice Ramos The candidates to Miss Global 2015
SHOWBITZ C7i s a h r e d @ g m a i l . c o m
T UES DAY : OCTOBER 20 : 2015
ATC Healthcare Inter-national firmly be-lieves in the value of good health. It is the
company’s mission to empow-er all Filipinos to live life to the fullest by being a trusted life ally in all things health-related. And it seems the public appreciates ATC Healthcare’s efforts by con-tinuously supporting the com-pany’s tenth year of providing products such as Robust, FatOut, Vita-E, Strike and many others.
Through the campaign, BrighTen Years, ATC Health-care wishes to acknowledge and welcome the support and patronage of all those involved in making the company the Pi-
noy’s trusted life ally. In recog-nition of past accomplishments and in anticipation of more years to serve the Filipino peo-ple, ATC Healthcare was elated to celebrate this milestone last October 10, at the Isabela Ball-room of Makati Shangri-La.
Starting modestly in 2005, ATC Healthcare has grown to be-come one of the leading health-care providers in the country. To-day, ATC Healthcare continues to progress with thei unfailing will to provide safe, effective and innovative products to their life ally, the Filipino people.
The 10th anniversary event was hosted by radio personality Papa Jack, with ATC Health-
care endorsers – Amy Pe-rez-Castillo (Strike Multi-In-sect Killer Spray), Nikki Gil(Reducin), and Iya Villa-nia-Arellano (Redoxfat).
The company’s brand ambas-sadress, Carla Abellana (Vi-ta-E), announced ATC Health-care’s BrighTen Buy 1, Take 1 promo starting this November 2, until May 31, 2016.
Celebrity endorsers of ATC Healthcare who also graced the affair included Kim Chiu (FatOut), Jackie Rice (Robust) and Mocha Girls (Robust Ex-treme). TV5 journalist Raffy Tulfo (Robust Extreme endors-er) imparted his sincerest wish-es for the company.
Star-Studded 10 yearS of atC
GMA Network’s AfterNooN PriMe block MAiNtAiNs leAd NAtioNwide
kapuso Network’s Af-ternoon Prime block remains unbeatable as it continues to deliver
strong ratings performance na-tionwide, according to TV rat-ings data supplier Nielsen TV Audience Measurement.
According to the January – Sept. 2015 household data (Sept. 27-30 based on overnight data), GMA’s Afternoon Prime block (2:30 – 5p.m.) scored a 40.5 percent household share in National Ur-ban Philippines, 9.4 points higher than ABS-CBN’s 31.1 percent.
In Urban Luzon, which com-prises 77 percent of all urban television households nation-wide, the block won over its competition. It recorded 45.6 percent, 19.8 points higher than Kapamilya’s 25.8 percent.
Meanwhile in Kapuso baili-wick Mega Manila, which com-prises 59 percent of all urban TV households, the station’s Af-ternoon Prime block registered a commanding ratings perfor-mance compared to ABS-CBN. It posted 47.7 percent, 25.5 points higher than ABS’ 22.2 percent.
GMA’s Afternoon Prime pro-gramming block begins with The
Half Sisters, which stars Barbie Forteza and Thea Tolentino and ably supported by Jean Garcia, Jomari Yllana, Ryan Eigenmanntogether with Andre Paras, Ruru Madrid, Vaness del Moral, Mel Martinez, Buboy Villar and Glo-ria Romero. The Half Sisters is di-rected by Mark Reyes.
Directed by Gil Tejada Jr., Buena Familia continues to dominate its timeslot. After get-ting through some problems, Celine (Kylie Padilla), Darling (Julie Anne San Jose), Edwin (Julian Trono) and Faye (Mona Louise Rey) finally restore their relationship as siblings. Also, Darling is finally making a name in the music industry.
Destiny Rose has been ahead of its counterpart programs in ratings since it was launched on Sept. 14. The series is also gain-ing a strong following and each and every episode is a consistent trending topic online. It stars Ken Chan and playing opposite him is Fabio Ide and with Manilyn Reynes, Michael de Mesa, Jack-ielou Blanco, Katrina Halili,Sheena Halili, Jeric Gonzales, Joko Diaz, Irma Adlawan, JC Tiuseco, and Ken Alfonso.
Dingdong Dantes spent time with former fellow dancers. Marking two decades of friend-ship, Dantes and members of Abztract Dance Group celebrat-ed on Oct. 10. There are things that change in people’s lives, but definitely not the friendship bonded for so many years.
In his Instagram account, Dantes thanked members of the group, especially his cousin Ar-thur Solinap who was the key in his joining show business.
Kris Bernal is now ready to join the league of seasoned actors.
At the start of the taping for Little Nanay, Kris Bernal learned that it felt different when she is in a scebe with seasoned performers. She calls it “very magical” as she is carried away with the emotion re-quired of them in the scene. She is now looking forward to be in more scenes with them that require them to show more emotions.
Julie Anne San Jose’s album sold out in Cabanatuan where she had an al-bum tour before she flew to Bacolod for the annual Masskara Festival. The mall where the tour was held was packed to the rafters and the album was immediately sold out. Asia’s Pop Sweetheart, that’s her moniker at GMA 7, was extremely overjoyed.
International Artists thanked Al-Dub. Bryan White was the first to extend his gratitude to AlDub for using his song “God Gave Me You” in the popular Kalyeserye,. Now, Dawin, the singer of “Dessert” also thanked AlDub. Apart from thank-ing AlDub, Dawin also expressed his desire to watch the Kalyeserye.
Snooky Serna is now known by her My Faithful Husband name. And this excites her because she feels her performance (as the mother of Emman (Dennis Tril-lo) is effective. Her name in the series is Mercedes or Cedes for short. Snooky related that every time she would go to a mall or a restaurant, people call her Cedes and not Snooky. Some even asked her why she accepted a villainous role in the series. Answering the question, she said that she merely wants to show that she is versatile and can play a villainess as well.
Jeric Gonzales is definitely an underrated performer, but at a recent episode of Magpakailan-man, his performance easily won the nods of critics. The episode was aired on Oct. 10 where he played the son of Joko Diaz who fell in love with his father’s wife played by Ina Ray-mundo. The episode became hot and it was in the trending list of Twitter with the hashtag #MPKAnakMoKabitKo. In the ratings in both Mega Manila and nationwide, it also did very well.
kAPuso briefs
from c8
Destiny Rose Buena Familia The HalfSisters
SnookySerna
ATC Healthcare CEO Derick Wong and Nikki Gil (Reducing Endorser)
ATC Healthcare president Albert Chua and The Mocha Girls (Robust Extreme Endorser)
Carla Abellana (Vita-E
Endorser)
Jackie Rice
(Robust Endorser)
Kim Chiu (Fatout
Endorser
Amy Perez
(Strike Endorser)
C8 ISAH V. REDE D I T O R
SHOWBITZ
T UES DAY : OCTOBER 20 : 2015
Watch her sing and dance like she never did before. The Dance Floor Princess, Maja Salvador, will show you that in MAJAstyconcert on Nov. 13 at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Produced by Jerica M. Aguilar Events Management and co-pro-duced by Pink Management and Productions, Inc., fans can expect a world-class show from a world-class performer.
With Nesh Janiola of Hotlegs and Georcelle Dapat of G Force as choreographers, MAJAsty is going to be Maja’s night with guests that include Paulo Aveli-no, Kakai Bautista, Rayver Cruz, Enchong Dee, JC De Vera, En-rique Gil, and Piolo Pascual.
Aside from being an in-demand endorser and actress, Maja is one
of the few celebrities in the busi-ness considered as an over-all per-former. She has proved her worth as recording artist with two record selling albums, MAJA Believe and Maja in Love, both reaching the platinum status in no less than two weeks after their release.
She has also gone on a nation-wide tour in 2013, finishing a to-tal of 17 legs of her 10th anniver-sary dance concert Maja Unveils @10. She has also gone on 30 MAJA Believe album tours. Her first concert, Maj The Legal Per-former at the Music Museum, in-cluding her other achievements, paved the way for her concert at the MOA Arena.
Aside from her busy taping schedule for ABS-CBN’s FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano, Maja will also make time to see her supporters around the world.
Maja will join Jericho Rosaleson Oct 23 at Whilshire Ebel The-atre, Los Angeles, California and Chumash Casino and Resort,
Santa Ynez, California on Oct.30 and Pechanga Resort and Casino, Temecula, California on Oct. 31.
The MAJAsty World Tour 2016with Paulo Avelino and JC de Vera is scheduled on Feb 12 and 13, 2016 in Cache Creek Resort and Casino, San Francisco, California.
The Maja Limitless Nationwide Tour is set to start in Batangas City Coliseum on Dec. 12, Urda-neta Cultural and Sports Center on Jan. 16, 2016 and Legazpi City on Jan. 23, 2016.
Tickets are available via www.smtickets.com and all SM Ticket outlets.
HHHHH
iWant tV is neW tVWith the busy lifestyle of many Kapamilya fans, they feel they cannot watch TV anymore. And with lots of things to do outside the home, and seemingly endless traffic woes, watching favorite TV shows has become a rare luxury.
The new iWant TV of ABS-CB-Nmobile is changing all that.
This app allows Kapamilya fans to watch shows wherever they go and at any time they want. Their TV follows them.
They can choose on demand their favorite Kapamilya shows, actors, and loveteams. They are now the boss when it comes to watching the shows that they love, anytime and anywhere.
TV shows and movies in the past as well as the latest ones are now available on iWant TV’s vast library of content, categorized and labelled conveniently accord-ing to “Worlds” of love teams, ac-tors, movies, concerts, etc.
The Kapamilya all-time favor-ites are all there, ready for viewing anytime. These include Got To Be-lieve, Maging Sino Ka Man, My Bi-nondo Girl, Imortal,” etc. All these teleseryes as well as movies and other exclusives can be enjoyed using a mobile phone equipped with ABS-CBNmobile SIM, or a computer by logging on to www.iwantv.com.ph using an ABS-CB-
Nmobile account.For ABS-CBNmobile, it is
about creating or customizing one’s own experience of watching TV. It’s about bringing the whole world of ABS-CBN to their mo-bile phones, and taking TV be-yond the four walls of the home.
For as low as P10, subscribers can enjoy one full day of unlimited access to iWant TV. They can even watch their favorite teleseryes and movies again and again.
Just get an ABS-CBNmobile SIM, download the iWant TV app on your mobile phone, and register using the new ABS-CBN-mobile number, load at least P10, and text “iWantv10” to 2135. The P10 load is already good for 1 day of unlimited access to iWant TV.
By launching the app, or log-ging on to the iWant TV website, subscribers can now access the vast content library of iWant TV. For more information, please visit www.abscbnmobile.com.
Her ‘MaJasty’ MaJa saVador in concert
ISAH V. RED
➜ continued on c7
ABS-CBN's Dance Floor Princess will show you she can also do many
things on stage, including singing and making you scream for more
