The Standard - 2015 May 31 - Sunday

VOL. XXIX NO. 102 3 Sections 24 Pages P18 SUNDAY, MAY 31, 2015 www.manilastandardtoday.com [email protected]

C1 B8

SCHOOL DAZEIT’S BACK-T0-SCHOOL SEASON

NU PEP SQUAD CONQUERS THE WORLD

VOL. XXIX NO. 102 3 Sections 24 Pages P18 SUNDAY, MAY 31, 2015 www.manilastandardtoday.com [email protected]

A315 injured in mosqueexplosionB1

Developersells condounit for P32.5m

DOLE BOOSTS PNOY RATING

US WARSHIP. The guided missile cruiser USS Shiloh is anchored at Subic Bay, a former US naval base in the Philippines, on May 30, 2015, as part of an ongoing US military patrol in the South China Sea amid rising tensions over China’s building of artifi cial islands over reefs in the sea that are also claimed by other neighbours including the Philippines. Story on A2. AFP

A2S u n D AY : M AY 3 1 , 2 0 1 5

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DOLE BOOSTS PNOY RATING

us says china ‘out of step’ with norms

No frieNd as loyal as a book. amid a noise and haste, a young boy jostles with other shoppers in busy Divisoria, manila to buy a book and other school supplies ahead of the opening of public schools. daNNy PaTa

SINGAPORE—The United States on Saturday vowed to keep send-ing military aircraft and ships to disputed parts of the South China Sea and called for an immediate halt to reclamation works by Bei-jing in the tense region.

US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter made the call during a high-level security conference in Singapore after officials in Washington said China recently deployed two artillery pieces on one of its artificial islands in the South China Sea

The officials said it was an un-precedented move that suggests Beijing is trying to extend its mili-tary reach in the contested waters, but Carter said Beijing’s intensify-ing reclamation activity was “out of step” with international norms.

“First, we want a peaceful reso-lution of all disputes. To that end, there should be an immediate and lasting halt to land reclamation by all claimants,” Carter said at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue on security with a high-level Chinese military delegation attending.

“We also oppose any further militarisation of disputed fea-tures,” he said.

He acknowledged that other

claimants have developed out-posts of differing scope and de-gree, including Vietnam with 48, the Philippines with eight, Malay-sia with five and Taiwan with one.

“Yet, one country has gone much farther and much faster than any other.

“And that’s China. China has reclaimed over 2,000 acres, more than all other claimants combined and more than in the entire history of the region. And China did so in only the last 18 months,” Carter said.

“It is unclear how much far-ther China will go. That is why this stretch of water has be-come the source of tension in the region and front-page news around the world.”

In comments during a question and answer session after Carter’s speech, a Chinese military official said his criticism was “groundless and not constructive.”

“Freedom of navigation in the South China Sea is not at all an is-sue because the freedom has never been affected,” said Senior Colo-nel Zhao Xiaozhuo from China’s Academy of Military Science.

“I think China’s activities are legitimate, reasonable and justi-

fied,” Zhao added.Chinese delegation head Ad-

miral Sun Jianguo, deputy chief of the general staff department at the People’s Liberation Army, is scheduled to address the fo-rum on Sunday.

Last week the Chinese military ordered a US Navy P-8 Poseidon surveillance aircraft to leave an area above the heavily disputed Spratly Islands. But the American plane ignored the demand.

“There should be no mistake: the United States will fly, sail, and operate wherever interna-tional law allows, as US forces do all around the world,” Carter said in Singapore.

“America, alongside its allies and partners in the regional ar-chitecture, will not be deterred from exercising these rights -– the rights of all nations. After all, turning an underwater rock into an airfield simply does not afford the rights of sovereignty or permit restrictions on inter-national air or maritime transit.”

Carter urged China and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations to adopt a “code of conduct” in the disputed waters this year.

The code is expected to build on a non-binding 2002 pledge by countries with competing claims to respect freedom of navigation, resolve disputes peacefully and re-frain from inflaming the situation.

Washington on Friday ac-cused China of deploying two artillery pieces on one of its arti-ficial islands in the South China Sea, calling it an unprecedented move that suggests Beijing is try-ing to extend its military reach in the contested waters.

The heavy weapons, since re-moved, posed no security threat but their positioning -- within range of territory claimed by Vietnam -- underscored Wash-ington’s concerns that China is pursuing a massive island-build-ing project for military purpos-es, US officials said.

Carter said Washington “will support the right of claimants to pursue international legal arbitration and other peaceful means to resolve these disputes.”

The Philippines infuriated China when it filed a formal complaint to the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague in March 2014. China has so far refused to recognise the process. - afP

by Joyce Pangco Pañares

Filipinos have rated the Aquino administration well because of the government’s conditional cash transfer or 4Ps program, but ma-jority said their quality of life did not improve at all since President Benigno Aquino III took office in 2010, results of the first The Stand-ard Poll showed.

The Standard Poll, conducted by resident pollster Junie Laylo, showed that 52 percent of Filipinos were satisfied with the perfor-mance of the Aquino administration while 24 percent were dissatisfied, resulting in a net satisfaction rating of +28.

The administration got its highest satisfac-tion rating in Mindanao at 61 percent while the highest dissatisfaction rating was posted in Southern Luzon/Bicol at 31 percent.

Respondents who said the country is headed in the right direction cited the 4Ps as their main reason.

So far, the CCT program, the government funded dole, has covered more than 4 mil-lion households and benefited at least 11 mil-lion children below 18.

Of all the government’s social protection programs, 72 percent of the respondents said they were most aware of the 4Ps, followed by PhilHealth (32 percent), senior citizen ben-efits (6 percent), and government housing (2 percent)

The survey, conducted from May 8 to 18, had a sample size of 1,500 at 300 respondents each from the National Capital Region, North/Central Luzon, South Luzon/Bicol, Visayas, and Mindanao.

A third of the total number of respondents said they were beneficiaries of the govern-ment’s dole program.

By area, there were more Mindanao-based beneficiaries at 47 percent, followed by those from Visayas and South Luzon/Bicol at 28 percent each.

Of the respondents who benefitted from the 4Ps, 73 percent were from the Class DE while 38 percent came from rural areas.

At least 90 percent of the beneficiaries said they were satisfied with the program, with those coming from Mindanao and those belonging to Class E posting the highest satisfaction rat-ing at 92 percent and 91 percent, respectively.

The conditional cash transfer program has bolstered the approval, satisfaction, and trust ratings of Aquino himself.

The President received a net approval rat-ing of +24 (47 percent approval and 23 per-cent disapproval), with majority approval posted in Mindanao at 54 percent.

He received a net satisfaction rating of +28 (50 percent satisfied, 22 percent dissatisfied), with Mindanao again posting the highest satisfaction rating at 58 percent.

Majority of the respondents said they have “much” trust (55 percent) in the President while 19 percent said they have “little” trust in Aquino.

However, despite the positive ratings, a clear majority of Filipinos considered their quality of life as unchanged.

Only 20 percent of respondents said they were better off now with Aquino at the helm while 65 percent said an Aquino presidency made no difference.

At least 14 percent of Filipinos claimed their lives even got worse during the past five years.

The Standard Poll had error margins of +/- 3 percent for national and +/- 6 percent for regional results.

All regions were represented in the survey.Laylo, The Standard’s in-house pollster,

has 25 years of experience in political polling and strategic research.

saTisfied, bUT No real CHaNGes iN life

Better now under the leadership of pres. aquino iii

Just the same; no difference

Better before noynoy aquino iii became president

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+84

+84

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+15

+6

+4

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89%

85%

93%

90%

89%

86%

8%

4%

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6%

5%

12%

3%

19%

4%

5%

5%

2%

19%

16%

25%

20%

20%

21%

63%

71%

65%

65%

64%

61%

18%

13%

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A3S u n d ay : M ay 3 1 , 2 0 1 5

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15 injuredin mosqueexplosion

85 moro CommAnderseYe milF BreAK-AWAY

PNOY TO CERTIFYBBL BILL URGENT

Mosque boMbing. shaken by a bombing near a mosque in sulu, policemen in civilian clothes rush to secure the site of the blast that hurt 15 people, including 10 policemen. AFP PHoTo

Looking good. Two boys from quezon City spend some time saturday for a haircut as they and thousands of others prepare for the opening of public schools on monday. MAnnY PALMeRo

JOLO, Sulu—Fifteen people including 10 po-lice officers were wounded in an attack on a mosque at police camp on a remote Philip-pine island long plagued by Islamic militancy, officials said Saturday.

Successive blasts targeted the mosque inside Camp Kasim on the island of Sulu early evening Friday -- an initial grenade attack followed by a bomb explosion less than 10 minutes later that was intended to target police who rushed to the scene, local authorities said.

“It seems the (first) explosion was set up to draw responders as the target,” the provincial police chief Senior Superintendent Abraham Orbita told reporters.

Rosalyn Aya-ay, a shopkeeper and po-liceman’s wife, said she found her husband sprawled on the ground after the first ex-plosion and took him to the camp hospital, though he was not seriously injured.

“When I returned I found my two daugh-ters wounded by the second blast. I was scared and I had a hard time finding an ambulance to carry them,” she told AFP.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, which occurred inside the sprawling pro-vincial police headquarters in the provincial cap-ital of Jolo, a mainly Muslim island in the south of the predominantly Catholic Asian nation.

It was the second bomb attack on Camp Ka-sim since 2010, when a Christmas Day blast wounded six people worshipping at a Catholic church in another section of the facility.

Sulu island is a known stronghold of Abu Sayyaf, a small group of a few hundred Islam-ic militants founded in the 1990s with seed money from Al-Qaeda.

Police investigators combed through the scene of the blast Saturday, which was about 10 meters from a guarded entry gate, but would not say how the attackers had smug-gled the explosives into the camp, an AFP photographer on the scene said.

The families of policemen assigned to the camp also live inside the facility.

The Abu Sayyaf gained international notori-ety for some of the worst terror attacks in Phil-ippine history including bombings and kidnap-pings of Christians and foreigners for ransom.

Filipino security forces have for more than a decade received counter-terrorism training assistance from the United States, which sent military advisers on short-term deployments to Jolo and other areas.

However the Philippines has struggled to contain the group, whose leader last year pledged allegiance to Islamic State militants fighting in Syria and Iraq. – AFP

Deputy presidential spokesper-son Abigail Valte said the Aquino administration is not rushing the Senate to pass the BBL, but the Palace is following a timetable designed to “afford enough time for he transition to be in process, for the mechanism to be in place”.

“If others are thinking that

Malacañang has a timetable just because we want it, it is not like that -- that’s not the case,” Valte said in an interview over Radyo ng Bayan on Saturday.

“We invite everyone to look at the provisions of the BBL and see why the timetable is in place, because it’s very important that

by sara susanne d. Fabunan

PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III may certify the draft of the Bangsamoro Basic Law as urgent, but only because of the timetable envisioned by peace ne-gotiators and not because Aquino wants to include the measure in his State of the Nation Address before Congress in July.

[there is] a transition of mecha-nisms,” Valte said.

“We will see, of course,” she said. “We work with the Senate on this on a very regular basis, in the same way that we work with the House. We continue to work with the Sen-ate on how to recapture the delays that we have encountered.”

“If you look at the provisions, there is really a timetable. For the transi-tion, of course. And that does not in-clude capacity building. So you know there is a lot to it,” Valte said.

The timetable for the passage of the law has suffered some setbacks after a botched operation last Janu-ary 25 in Maguindanao, Mamasa-pano town, which killed 44 police commandos and 60 civilians.

Valte also denied Aquino

wants to certify the BBL as ur-gent so that he could speak about his administration’s sup-posed achievements in the peace process in Mindanao dur-ing his sixth and final State of the Nation Address on July 27.

“The President has expressed this many times and so have we, that he intends to certify it as ur-gent and it’s not because of the SONA,” Valte stressed.

She also said that they also need to give the Commission on Elections enough time to prepare for the plebiscite.

“That is not because of the SONA, but because there are things that need to be done over a period of time, leading up to the plebiscite),” she said.

by Francisco Tuyay

AT least 85 top commanders of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front have denounced the leadership of Ebrahim Murad for keeping them out of the loop and secretly forging a doubtful peace deal with the government.

In a text message to The Standard, MILF co-founder Sheik Jamil Yahya vowed not to support the Bangsam-oro Basic Law which Murad, whom he described as a “self-proclaimed” leader, for forging a deal that is dis-cordant with MILF aspirations.

“We were not informed of the developments in the peace negotia-tions that Murad entered into with the government since the time of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo until the time of President Benigno Aquino III,” Jahya said.

“We did not support the BBL and will not support it,” Yahya said, add-ing that they were not even informed

of the ongoing negotiations until a Framework Agreement was already finalized.

Yahya said the success of the BBL depends on the three conditions set by the former MILF Chairman Hashim Salamat, which was unani-mously voted upon by the MILF Central Committee and the entire organization.

Yahya is also the chair of Murad’s Bangsamoro Supreme Council of Ulamas.

“To all Muslims: in our meeting on May 1 Sha’ban with 85 commanders, followers of the Amerul Mujahiden Salamat Hashim, Rahimahullah, it was unanimously agreed we could only ac-cept the BBL if: (1) Muslim Mindano is restored (as the Bangsamoro home-land), (2) full Shari’ah implementati-ion without review of the SC and (3) Al-Qur’an and Al-Sunnah must be the only sources of Sahri’ah law,” said Yahya.

OPINIONA4

[ EDI TORI A L ]

SIMPLE TRUTHS

A5ADELLE CHUAE D I T O R

S U N D AY, M AY 3 1 , 2 0 1 5

OPINION

I LIKE Tony Meloto. My ad-miration for the guy is not-withstanding the fact that I disagree with many of the ultraconservative advoca-cies of the religious organi-zation that he leads. How-ever, I have always believed that it is always possible to find something that we can admire or respect even

among those we lock horns with on spiritual, political, or other concerns. Thus, I was also deeply saddened by the fact that Meloto is in the eye of a controversy for al-legedly being “sexist,” “elit-ist,” and having a “colonial mentality.” The criticisms were made by officials of the University of Hawaii Center for Philippine Studies who invited Meloto to speak at their 40th founding anni-versary in April.

According to various re-ports, Meloto expressed in

his speech his belief that “the greatest asset of the Philippines is our beauti-ful women” and that the “future of the nation can be advanced by using them to attract the best and the brightest men from the West and enticing them to invest in the Philippines.” Meloto also reportedly shared his views on the need for Fili-pino women and their white husbands to produce what he humorously called “cap-puccinos.” The remarks are, indeed, outrageously sexist,

MELOTO’S SOCIAL BLUNDER

THERE was a time I could not imagine life without househelp. Be-ing a mother to four kids, on top of the pressures of providing for our needs, meant that I had to have at least one reliable assistant to attend to the menial work that would need-lessly tax my body. If not, I would be wasting energy I could use for more important things like spending quality time with the children, get-ting some serious work done, rest-ing or indulging in a well-deserved me-time.

Our most immediate helper, Cathy, had been with us five years when she said she had to go home to her southern province and keep her mother company. We never made any effort to find a replace-ment.

Our being “help-less” coincided with our move to a new city. It was actually the kids’ idea. They are growing up to be a lot like me – pro-tective of personal space. Having an extra person in our new home just would not do. “We can do all the work,” they volunteered, and at first I was not convinced.

It dawned on me eventually that they were not babies anymore (21, 19, 14 and 12) and that I should be happy that they were signing up for the job when other kids would grumble about having to do house-hold chores.

And so we’re enjoying the novelty of the new set-up. We managed the move by ourselves, with some help from our friends, with the eldest, Beatrice, taking charge of figuring out what to do with the stuff we were not able to bring along to the new place. Because we all have our own rooms now, we are responsible for our individual spaces – and in-dividual laundry – only having to work around common chores and common areas.

Thus far, it’s been working out well. Not perfect, and certainly not easy all the time, but we cannot imagine having to give up this pre-cious, continuing bonding activity.

A DOMESTIC EXPERIMENT

when taken at face value. Meloto issued an official state-

ment denying the charges. To re-fute the charges, he offered his many humanitarian activities. His defense is basically that he is a good man trying to do things for the poor, thus he cannot be sexist, elitist, and have a colonial mental-ity. I am afraid Meloto missed the point. The criticism was directed at the remarks he made - not about

Gawad Kalinga and his many other humanitarian projects, something which even the UH-CPS people have taken care to point out. And yes, stature, previous accomplish-ments, and even saintly disposi-tion does not exempt anyone from committing the most grievous so-cial blunders. I know of many bish-ops who are, unfortunately, prone to making misogynist statements.

Of course social context is also

very important. We Filipinos are high-context people - the way we receive and interpret what others are saying is dependent on the oc-casion, the people who were there, who said what, and how things were said. What may not be said publicly in a formal affair may be allowed during a private drinking spree among friends. For example, the late Senator Juan Flavier was

CHASING HAPPY

ADELLECHUA

Continued on A6

FILIPINOS love archetypes. We have always made political decisions based on easy labels like “the humble housewife,” “the champion of the masses,” “the son of democracy icons,” “the screen hero,” “the self-made man” and many other characters.

It makes the decision-making process simpler, but it ignores that public officials, like any other person, are complex beings made up of good and bad attributes, strong points and weak spots. Experience and education, genetics, upbringing and plain disposition all combine to create a person, who has his or her true nature however the image handlers work on pack-aging the brand.

Ignoring these complexities leads us to abandon an issues-based assess-ment of our would-be leaders. Just because the name sounds familiar, or the face looks amiable, or the speech eloquent, we buy into the “product” without taking time and effort to know what the candidate stands for. Oh, there may be some rhyming rhetoric here and there, but when it comes to deciding on which name to put on our ballots, we always go for the ones whom we think we know.

More often, we end up realizing we never really knew them at all.Five years after the nation swept Benigno Aquino III into the presidency,

we are bewildered why the son of popular parents could remain so lacklus-ter and so arrogant at the same time. We certainly never imagined that the man who mouthed the catchy phrase “kung walang corrupt, walang mahi-rap” could, like an overgrown little boy, refuse to acknowledge a mistake and blame other people except himself when anything goes wrong.

We wonder why despite wasting the opportunity to grow the economy and truly alleviate poverty by creating sustainable jobs, and choosing to fight political battles instead of addressing the economy, this President remains upbeat that only his type of governance will do the nation good, and in fact propel us to First-World status anytime soon.

� e reason is that we’ve fallen into the simple trap that politicians have cre-ated for the lazy and unthinking: Good versus evil. Upright versus depraved. Peace versus war. It’s a ploy by the powerful to keep themselves in power.

We’ve trusted leaders for the wrong reasons for the longest time. Let’s not allow ourselves to be taken for simpletons anymore.

ARE WE THERE YET?

BONG C. AUSTERO

Had Meloto apologized humbly and accepted that no one is exempt from making mistakes

precisely because we are all works in progress, he

could have turned the tables around and grown

100 times in stature.

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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

MEMBERPhilippine Press InstituteThe National Association of Philippine NewspapersPPI

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Continued on A6

OPINIONS U N D AY, M AY 3 1 , 2 0 1 5

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By Josh Rogin

THE United States and China esca-lated their war of words on Saturday, but Defense Secretary Ash Carter’s new bluster did not hold any real strategy against Chinese aggression in the South China Sea. The region is left to wonder whether Washing-ton intends to back up its words.

“There should be an immediate and lasting halt to land reclamation by all claimants” in the South China Sea, Carter told the Shangri-La Dia-logue here in Singapore. “We also oppose any further militarization of disputed features. We all know there is no military solution to the South China Sea disputes. Right now, at this critical juncture, is the time for renewed diplomacy, focused on finding a lasting solution that pro-tects the rights and interests of all.”

Carter’s remarks were a re-hashing of the speech he made two days earlier in Hawaii, where he called on all countries to halt land reclamation in disputed wa-ters and asserted that the U.S. will continue to operate in inter-national waters according to in-ternational law and protect free-dom of navigation in the region. On Saturday, Carter announced a $425 million Southeast Asia mar-itime security cooperation ini-tiative and expressed confidence that the U.S. Congress would fund the effort.

Senior Colonel Bo Zhou, an of-ficial in the Chinese People’s Lib-eration Army, confronted Carter at the conference Saturday. Zhou com-pletely rejected Carter’s premise and called his remarks about the South China Sea inaccurate and not con-structive.

“Freedom of navigation in the South China Sea is not at all an issue because the freedom has never been affected,” he said. “Also, it is wrong to criticize China for affecting re-gional peace and stability through its construction activities, since China has never taken any proactive measures.”

Zhou called China’s activities, which now include placing military hardware on reclaimed reefs in the Spratly Islands, “legitimate, reason-

able, and justified.” He said U.S. crit-icism of China and other U.S. activi-ties such as reconnaissance flights over disputed islands were hurting the prospects for peaceful resolu-tion. The harsh words bode poorly for Carter’s call for diplomacy.

Following Carter’s remarks, Asa-hi Shimbun journalist Yoichi Kato pointed out that Carter’s rhetoric is not really new and has not thus far resulted in any halt in Chinese ex-pansion of its military presence in disputed territories – in fact China has only escalated its aggression. He asked Carter what the U.S. is actu-ally prepared to do to back up its rhetoric with concrete action.

Carter had no real answer, pointing back to his contention that Chinese actions are not just something for Washington to deal with. He predicted that eventually China will pay a price for alienat-ing its neighbors, but didn’t indi-cate that the U.S. has any real plan to ramp up the pressure.

“Many, many countries are ex-pressing publicly their concern. Many as a consequence want to strengthen their relationship with the United States,” he said. “So this kind of behavior, if it doesn’t stop, one of the consequences of that will be the continued coalescing of con-cerned nations around the world.”

U.S. officials at the conference confirmed to me privately that the Obama administration has been scrambling to react to the pace of Chinese reclamation and militari-zation of islands and reefs in the South China Sea and has not yet come up with a strategy to deal with the issue.

The question over the past several years hasn’t been the rhetoric of the U.S. commitment, the question has been what is the United States doing to implement our security policy in the region, one U.S. official told me following Carter’s speech.

The U.S. could come up with a robust strategy for steadily increas-ing the pressure on China by doing a number of things. The U.S. could, for example, implement consistent programs for freedom of navigation, greater shows of force, expanded training and exercise initiatives, partner capacity building, and even punitive measures like disinviting China from regional exercises.

“It’s not a question of coming out to the region and giving a speech once a year. It’s a question of are you willing to show up every day and is there consistency in how you show up,” the official said. “It’s the delta between the rhetoric and the actions you are seeing that is creating the anxiety in the region and creating the opening which the Chinese are taking advantage of.”

The Chinese have spent the last decade probing on a range of is-sues, an understandable pattern for a growing power. When they run into resistance, they have adjusted. When they see an opening or soft-ness, Beijing tries to pocket whatev-er gains it can, before renegotiating terms with the U.S. from a stronger position.

Carter’s mantra for the U.S.-Chi-na relationship, as expressed Sat-urday, is “Everybody rises and ev-erybody wins.” It’s clear that China sees the competition in the region as more of a zero-sum game. If Ash Carter intends to lead the last phase of the Obama administra-tion’s “rebalance to Asia,” he must more squarely confront that con-tradiction and devise a real plan to deal with it. Bloomberg

ASH CARTER TALKS TOUGH ON CHINA, BUT IT’S JUST TALK

A domestic..From A4

It helps to know what each individ-ual family member is good at, or what he or she likes to do. There are kids who are curious about how the kitch-en works and would willingly try new dishes, while there are those perfectly content to just keep things in order. Some like to ply the role of sidekick, ac-companying me to trips to the grocery or the market, making sure I don’t lose my wallet, cell phone or my balance. Some take the lead, planning tasks and delegating chores to the younger ones. Some just do as they’re told – kids are kids, after all.

They are excellent entertainers. In our first week, we’ve had visitors six out of seven evenings.

Our “golden days” are taking place now because we are still just in transi-tion and kids are still on vacation. In a few days, all this will change. The el-dest has just signed up for her first job and the youngest is preparing to go to boarding school in Makiling tomorrow. In a week, the tenth grader will begin school, too, as will the university junior next month.

By best days I mean everybody converging at the dining table during breakfast, planning our activities or telling jokes while determining whose turn is it to do the dishes or bring the garbage to the colored bins outside. Because the unit enjoys good natural lighting and ventilation, air flows free-ly, bringing with it good vibes and clear purpose.

We have no fancy gadgets or appli-ances, and we always aim for a mini-malist touch that would make our home both nest and refuge. Always here is music playing, reinforcing the notion that our life is a story yet telling itself, and yes, it needs a cool soundtrack.

I know that one of these days the home will be empty, with everybody going off to his or her own activities. I know what I will do then: sip some tea, sit on my rocking chair and gape at the view of the city from the wide windows on our floor.

It’s a leap of faith and sometimes I tremble to think what await us all. Still, nothing beats the feeling of knowing that you will be okay because you have everything you need – no more, no less.

[email protected]

Meloto’s..From A4

known for being irreverent and for making jokes that were often politically incorrect. But Flavier also poked fun at himself, was quick to admit his lapses, and had no problems apologizing to anyone. The expectations of someone of Meloto’s stature are different, pre-cisely because of what he represents: he is supposed to be a man of wisdom who champions the causes of people. It appears that Meloto’s remarks were intended as light banter, akin to jokes. On the two occasions that I heard him

speak, he did try to inject some humor into his speech.

But should the UH-CPS people be faulted for taking offense? Of course not. How can the aggrieved party be tasked for having been offended; it is like saying they don’t have a right to their feelings. And this is where Meloto has committed another mistake. Instead of apologizing for unintentionally of-fending others, he has seemingly put the blame on his critics by telling them they should have talked to him first, or by inferring malice on their part. Had Meloto apologized humbly and accept-

ed that no one is exempt from making mistakes precisely because we are all works in progress, he could have turned the tables around and grown 100 times in stature.

There is indeed a lesson that we can all learn from the incident. The rules about political correctness have become more and more complex, confounded by the fact that things can be magnified many times over by social media. What this means is that people, particularly those in positions of moral authority, have to be more careful about what they do or say.

Dear Editor:

I just wish to inform you of a minor error that needs to be corrected in the article you wrote about the third peti-tion for TRO against K12. The lead con-venor of the Suspend K12 Coalition is Prof. Rene Luis TADLE (with a D) and not Tagle as you reported.

Please note further that this is the third petition. The one that got a TRO last April assailed the CHED memo as you have reported, not the K12 Law. So strictly speaking, the first petition was filed by Cotescup last March on labor grounds; the second filed by Sen. Trillanes and Magdalo partylist last May, and this is the third by NUPL.

Fyi. Thank you for your prompt action.

Prof. Rita Cucio Suspend K12 Coalition

“It’s the delta between the rhetoric and the actions you

are seeing that is creating the anxiety

in the region and creating the opening

which the Chinese are taking advantage of.”

Dear Editor:MAIL MATTERS

A7S U N D AY : M AY 3 1 , 2 0 1 5

[email protected]

TRIBAL SCHOOL FACES CLOSURE, STUDES WARY

Schools Division Superinten-dent Dr. Josephine Fadul has recommended to Region XI Director Alberto Escobarte the shut down of three campuses of private school Salugopungan Ta Tanu Igkanunon catering to Lumad minorities in response to the position paper of the Talain-god Municipal Tribal Council that demanded the school be as-sessed and shut down for the alle-gations that these are being used as ‘fronts’ for the New People’s Army (NPA).

Fadul recommended the con-struction of a school in the vil-lage of Butay to be managed by the military.

“Should this request for the clo-sure of the said schools be granted, in its stead, this Division requests permission to implement the cre-ation of a public high school in

Butay, Talaingod utilizing mili-tary personnel as para-teacher, ” Fadul said in a letter.

Meanwhile in the nearby town of Kapalong in Sitio Muling, Ba-rangay Gupitan another school built for the Lumad children will not be available as the new school year opens next month. The paramilitary group Alamara has issued a warning to the par-ents against having their chil-dren enrolled in the school. The school, funded by the nonprofit group Mindanao Interfaith Ser-vices Foundation, Inc. (Misfi), is the only school in Muling, a vil-lage that that can be reached after two days of walking.

The children of Muling are in Davao City, joining calls for the soldiers and the paramilitary group Alamara to vacate their school.

By John Paolo Bencito

DAVAO DEL NORTE—Students from Lumad com-munities here face bleak prospects after an education official has expressed preference for the shutdown of tribal schools in the area.

CAR PLATE PROGRAM A RACKET—SOLON

Apart from being absurd, Fadul’s recommendations only showed her ignorance of the law and lack of compassion for the Ata-Manobo children, an advo-cacy group said.

“These children had long been deprived of proper education and only because of the Salugpungan Ta Tanu Igkanugon that they were able to have a taste of how it is to get basic education. What she is doing now is an attack on the children and the schools the same schools that provided the children with education at a time when DepEd was a failure,” said Rius Valle, spokesperson of the advocacy group Save Our Schools Network.

Valle also pointed out the inefficiency of the DepEd re-gional office in that area, after many years of failing to put up schools or send teachers in the community.

Valle cleared that all Salug-pungan Ta Tanu Igakanugon schools have been accredited by DepEd Central Office through the Indigenous Peoples Educa-tion Office. The schools’ opera-tions are also guided by DepEd

Order No. 21 that recognized private learning institutions serving tribal learners. For this, he slammed Fadul for being ig-norant of the law.

“She has recommended the construction of schools and the deployment of para-teachers. How ignorant she can be to not know that soldiers are not sup-posed to walk into classrooms and act as teachers?” he said.

Valle said his group is looking into the possibility of filing for-mal complaint against Fadul.

Gabriela Representative Luz-viminda Ilagan also asked the Department of Education to ur-gently explain the situation but to also directly intervene as classes are about to start onJune 1.

“Classes are about to open a few days from now,” Ilagan said in a statement. “There are short-ages in classrooms, facilities and teachers and there remains an obvious lack of schools in Lumad communities yet a local initiative to put up a tribal school is being attacked no less by officials of the DepEd like Dr. Fadul. Whatever happened to upholding the right to education?”

RIGHT OF WAY DONATION Leyte Rep.Ferdinand Martin Romualdez (2nd from right) representing Benguet Management Corp. Chairman Philip Romualdez, and Baguio City Mayor Mauricio Domogan (2nd left) sign a deed of donation at the Baguio Country Club Hotel. Benguet Man-agement donated an 8-meter wide, 500-meter long right of way to the city government from Naguillan Road leading to the Philippine Science High School in Baguio City. Looking on are Benguet Management representative Antonio Buenavista (right) and Chief of Staff to the OIC of Benguet Corp. Maria Mignon De Leon. VER NOVENO

SALTY HAUL. A worker carries two baskets of newly harvested salt in one of the fields in Cavite City on Saturday May 30, 2015. Salt makers take advantage of the scorching heat to produce more salt before the rainy season comes. DANNY PATA

By Maricel V. CruzAN OPPOSITION leader in the House of Representatives on Saturday took up the cudgels for millions of vehicle owners in the country and called for the suspension of the mandatory replacement and purchase of new car plates for vehicles and motorcycles al-ready registered with the Land Transportation Office.

Isabela Rep. Rodolfo Albano III said it is “totally abusive and anomalous” for the LTO to force vehicle owners who follow the law and faithfully register their vehicles yearly and whose car plates are still usable but are forced to buy the new car plates.

“We have no problem with new car purchses but all

vehicles already registered with the LTO with usable plates must not be victimized by this multi-billion peso racket,” Albano said.

Albano made the statement in the light of the scandalous findings being unearthed by the Senate on the multi-billion peso car plates program of the LTO which had also prompted the Commission on Audit (COA) to order the transport agency to suspend payments to Power Plates Development Concepts Inc and J. Knieriem BV Goes or JKG, due to “unfulfilled documentary requirements.”

Albano said millions of cars, trucks, motorcycles which had been registered and still have usable car plates are the real victims here more than the

new car owners that require new car plates.

Instead of the “forced pur-chase” of new car plates being rammed down the throats of ve-hicle owners, Albano said the LTO as in previous administrations, should issue renewal stickers for the vehicles whose registra-tion are being renewed yearly by their owners.

Albano also denounced what he described as “rotten” car plates mess in the LTO, which he said was a “double whammy” on vehicle owners seeking renewal of their reg-istered vehicles because they are forced buy new car plates” despite having serviceable or usable car plates that are overpriced, as initial findings of the probe on the LTO racket were reported by media.

By Ronald O. Reyes

FILIPINO migrants rights group Mi-grante on Saturday urged the Depart-ment of Foreign Affairs to issue a corre-sponding advisory following a spate of suicide bombings in Saudi Arabia.

“Amid these suicide bombings in Saudi’s eastern region specifically in Qatiff and Dammam, we are urging the DFA to issue an advisory that will give guidance to all overseas Filipino workers in Saudi Arabia. The advisory should be based on the Philippine em-bassy’s assessment on the peace and order situation on that areas,” said John Leonard Monterona, Migrante regional coordinator in Middle East.

Monterona, who is based in Riyadh, said they have already issued a public announcement to all its members, al-lies, and networks in Saudi Arabia to take extra care and be vigilant.

“We have urged our fellow OFWs in Saudi Arabia to limit their movement going to public places like malls and parks as these places are likely target of sporadic bombings,” Monterona said.

Monterona however clarified that this public announcement has no inten-tion of sowing fear or panic to the Fili-pino communities in the Kingdom.

The latest suicide bombing re-portedly happened on Friday at a mosque in Dammam, eastern prov-ince of Saudi Arabia. On May 23, also a Friday, a mosque in Qatiff, 120 km far from Dammam was also attacked by a suicide bomber.

By Sara D. Fabunan

MALACAÑANG announced on Sat-urday new appointments for diplomatic posts and other government positions.

Among those appointed by Presi-dent Aquino include Amable Aguiluz V, Special Envoy of the President to the Kingdom of Bahrain. Aguiluz was ap-pointed on May 16, 2015.

Also appointed were Joselito Jime-no as ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to Switzerland and Leslie Baja as ambassador extraordi-nary and plenipotentiary to Egypt.

Other appointees: Gov. Denis Habawel, chairperson of the Regional Peace and Order Council, Cordillera Administrative Region; Regina Antequisa, member, representing the Victims of Disasters and Calamities, Nation-al Anti-Poverty Commission; and Ninian Sumadia, member, Representing theyouth and students, NAPC.

Victor Chiong was also designated as a member of the board of the National Electrification Administration.

OFWS JITTERYOVER SPATE OF SAUDI BOMBING

PALACE NAMES 3 NEW ENVOYS

SUNDAY: MAY 31, 2015

editorial@the standard.com.phA8

charter change resorekindles no-el fears

“Coupled with the Commission on Elections difficulty in prepar-ing for the automated elections, the passage of the charter change resolution adds to fears that the Aquino administration is actually preparing for a ‘no-el’ situation,” said Rep. Terry Ridon said of Ka-bataan party list.

“It’s not over till it’s over. With the ruling Liberal Party restless with what the 2016 elections may bring, the renewed push for charter change may serve as their trump card,” the legislator noted. “The warning signs of a no-el scenario

are all present now: bungled elec-tion preparations and a congressio-nal initiative to open the Constitu-tion to revisions.”

But House Speaker Feliciano Bel-monte, Jr. and Majority Leader and Mandaluyong Rep. Neptali Gon-zales II played down fears that the effort to amend the economic pro-visions of the Constitution would be extended to discussion on the political provisions of the Charter.

“I myself will oppose it once it is done,” Belmonte said.

Gonzales said that RBH 1 of Belmonte, of which he co-au-

8 more linked tobi racketBy Vito Barcelo

EIGHT more officers of the Bureau of Immigration have been implicated in the multi-million peso extortion racket exposed by a Chinese national who was allegedly victimized by the syndicate headed by two BI intelligence officials.

Immigration Commissioner Siegfred Mison disclosed that a full investigation is currently being conducted after which findings will be forwarded to the Department of Justice (DOJ) for appropriate filing of charges with the Office of the Ombudsman.

The identities of the BI officers were withheld pending investigation.

The case arose from the alleged extortion attempt on Yuan Jian Hua, alias Wilson Cheng Ong, who was threatened with deportation and blacklisting if he did not accede to the officers’ demand of P2 million.

Yuan named former BI intelligence chief Faizal Hussin and immigration officer Jude Hinolan as the officers behind the extortion attempt.

BI spokesperson Elaine Tan said that Yuan will be placed under the DOJ witness protection program for fear of threats to his life after exposing the scam.

Tan also noted that Yuan has already filed a complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman against Hussein and Hinolan.

The Chinese national, who was discovered to have been out of legal status in the country for 10 years, said he was asked to shell out P2 million allegedly by Hussin’s group.

When he failed to pay the bribe, he was arrested and placed on the blacklist, and eventually deported to Xiamen, China, on January 22, 2014.

In November 2014, Yuan’s lawyer asked for the lifting of his name from the BI blacklist, which was granted after paying the processing fees of P150,000 and the P100,000 bond.

By Joel E. ZurbanoTHE Ecowaste Coalition on Saturday urged the Department of Education to ban the use of disposable plastic bags and polystyrene or foam products in school premises to promote zero waste. The appeal came in time for the opening of classes on Monday.

“The education department has a clear task under the law to strength-en the integration of environmental concerns in school curricula at all levels, with particular emphasis on the theory and practice of waste management principles like waste minimization, among others,” said Christina Vergara, the group’s Zero Waste program officer, referring to Section 56 of the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 or Republic Act 9003.

“Disposable plastic bags and polystyrene are highly problem-atic in terms of their management, making them non-environmentally acceptable. They usually end up as residual wastes with nowhere to go but the dumps, adding to the al-ready voluminous polluting garbage there,” she said.

The coalition has observed that many local governments have seen the importance of waste minimiza-tion by banning or, at least, regulat-ing the use of disposable plastic bags and polystyrene.

“These local government units are correct, since after you have undertaken composting and recycling, you usually find yourself wondering how you would ecologically deal with plastic bags and polystyrene,” said Vergara.

“Also, plastic bags and polystyrene

cannot truly be recycled back to their original form, rather they can only be downcycled into products that are of low quality,” she explained.

To make schools free from the bur-den of dealing with disposable plastic bags and polystyrene, the EcoWaste Co-alition advised school administrators to come up with policies with at least the following minimum provisions:

a) Phase out of disposable plastic bags and polystyrene, such as poly-styrene cups, styro plates, fork and spoon, inside school premises;

b) Use of reusable containers or packaging for students and school personnel’s “baon”;

c) Use of reusable table wares instead of disposable ones in school canteen;

d) Use of reusable plates, utensils, and containers during school meet-ings, gatherings, and parties.

ban on plastic bags pushed

By Maricel V. Cruz

The recent approval of Resolution of Both Houses 1 or the so-called economic Charter Change on second reading in the House of Representatives has reawakened fears of a “no election” scenario in 2016, a militant lawmaker said on Saturday.

thored, was very clear on its in-tent, and that it only focused on the economic provisions.

While RHB 1 seeks to amend the economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution, Ridon said, there is no stopping administration stal-warts in the House to sneak in po-litical cha-cha, otherwise known as term extension.

The lawmaker also said that the renewed cha-cha push may be fu-elled by Aquino’s desire to escape prosecution after his term ends.

“As the end of his term nears, Aquino and his cabinet members are becoming more and more desperate. The Aquino adminis-tration knows that it has commit-ted criminal acts through the as-sailed Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) and can also be made accountable for the botched Mamasapano operation. They want to evade prosecution, and that’s why they’ve revived cha-cha,” Ridon said.

“The Filipino people must stop this renewed cha-cha push. We must not let Aquino and his co-horts get away with the prepara-tion of this apparent escape route. More than ever, the public must stand guard against all attempts to postpone the upcoming polls – whether through charter change or otherwise,” the legislator called.

Dangerous piece of legislation No-el fears aside, Ridon expressed belief that RHB 1 would “destroy the standards and limits set by the Constitution” and would also spell disaster for the Philippine economy.

Filed by Belmonte in July 2013, RBH 1 seeks to revise the Ar-ticle XII (National Patrimony and Economy), Article XIV (Educa-tion, Science and Technology, Arts, Culture, and Sports), and Article XVI (General Provisions) of the 1987 Constitution by inserting the phrase “unless otherwise specified by law” in pertinent sections.

KISSED BY THE SUN. From an angle, it looks like the setting sun kisses the beach of bolinao town in pangasinan. PNA

DANGGIT LANE. a trader walks along the lane of assorted “dried fish” at Barangay Damortis in Santo Tomas, La Union. CHRISTINE JUNIO

Roderick T. dela CruzEDITOR B1

SUNDAY: MAY 31, 2015

[email protected]@gmail.com

CONTINUED ON B3

BUSINESS

A SPACIOUS loft-style penthouse, with high ceiling and wide glass windows that provide an impressive view of the business district on one side and Laguna de Bay on the other, is being sold for a record P32.5-million in Alabang, Muntinlupa City.

The builder and developer of the condominium project believes that it will snag a buyer soon, as Alabang, a district known for its mansions and posh subdivisions, joins the bandwagon of vertical developments in the Philippines, a country with a fast-rising and young urban population.

The 205-square-meter, two-bedroom loft is a part of a one-tower condominium building be-side Bellevue Hotel and recently completed by the Oreta Group, which has ventured into real es-tate to test the market for high-end vertical developments in the southern part of Metro Manila. A studio suite, the smallest unit in the project, costs P5.9 million.

“Our biggest penthouse, with 205 square meters, is still up for sale right now. It is still available for P32.5 million,” says Grandii Abarico, the sales and marketing head of 3 Forty Fifth Residences, a 12-story low-density condomini-um building with only 71 units. Two penthouse units, with floor sizes of 156 sqm, were actually sold for P27 million each.

The project’s developer, Top Market Property Development and Management Inc., a unit of construction company A.M. Oreta & Co. Inc., is one of the latest companies betting on the sustained expansion of the real estate sector as the Philippine economy continues to grow above 5 percent, creating a larger base of high-income individuals. Per capita income in the Philippines is expected to top $3,000 in nominal terms for the first time this year.

High-end condominium units in Makati and Fort Bonifacio have recently set record prices, exceeding P200,000 per square meter. All condominium units at Discovery Primea in Makati were sold for over P50 million.

Real estate portal Lamudi, however, lists Raffles Residences in Makati as the most expensive condominium project, fetching an average price of P267,558 per square meter.

ALABANG DEVELOPERSELLS CONDOMINIUM

UNIT FOR P32.5M

3 Forty Fifth Residences sales and marketing manager Grandii Abarico shows a model of the high-end residential condominium in Alabang, Muntinlupa City.


BUSINESSSUNDAY: MAY 31, 2015

B2

By Alena Mae S. Flores

AS CLIMATE change begins to manifest, the world feels the impact of extreme weather disturbances such as typhoon Yolanda that claimed thousands of lives in the Visayas in 2013.

CLIMATE CHANGE IS REAL,SAYS EDC EXECUTIVE

First Gen Corp. subsidiary En-ergy Development Corp. recog-nizes that extreme weather is the “new normal” and that there is a need to prepare for the worst.

“At our geothermal subsidiary, EDC, we recognize that the most vulnerable of our structures are our cooling towers and control rooms. We have since begun ex-ploring innovative and resource-ful designs for these - as well as other plant facilities - uprating them to withstand intense rain-fall and higher wind speeds of up to 300 kph,” First Gen and EDC chairman Federico Lopez says.

The Philippines is the world’s second largest geothermal pro-ducer next to the United States, mainly because of EDC. The com-pany has a total installed generat-ing capacity of 1,441 megawatts, which includes not only geother-mal but also hydro, wind and so-lar power projects.

“If there’s a single point that’s been driven home to us as a com-pany these last few years, it’s this: climate change is real, and it’s here to stay,” Lopez says.

Lopez recalls that a number of intense weather events had affect-ed EDC operations.

“In the short period between November 2013 and Decem-ber 2014, three intense weather events―typhoons Yolanda, Ruby, and Seniang―disrupted our plant operations in Leyte. Yet another

one, typhoon Glenda, affected plant operations materially in Bacman during the same period in July 2014,” he says.

“It’s clear that, given our en-ergy production infrastructure is built amongst the most rugged and the most challenging natu-ral landscapes, it is imperative that our company is prepared to adapt as rapidly as possible to this new normal,” Lopez says. Lopez says to respond to the challenge, EDC is redesigning and uprating the most vulnerable segments of its energy facilities to withstand higher wind speeds of up to 300 kilometers per hour and the in-tense rainfall that come along with intense typhoons.

“In most cases, the most vul-nerable of our structures have always been our cooling towers and control rooms. Innovative and resourceful redesigns are already underway for these fa-cilities, making them more robust and more resilient in the years to come,” he says.

EDC president Richard Tanto-co esimates that the company lost about P1 billion in cash revenues due to impact of the typhoons on the company’s Bacman and Leyte business units.

“In response to this clear and present threat that is clearly wors-ening, we commissioned SPX Marley, maker of 68 percent of our cooling towers, our most

vulnerable equipment, to custom design solutions so that our cool-ing towers can withstand typhoon winds up to 300 kph. SPX Marley completed their designs in 2014 and these will be installed starting July 2015,” says Tantoco.

Tantoco says EDC has gone ahead and spent on “bunker type” control rooms which are solid waterproof concrete structures to protect critical electronic instru-mentation and control systems.

“We also improved the building housings by adding 100 percent reinforcements to the structural

supports for metal cladding,” Tan-toco says.

Since 2006, EDC has identified close to 150 critical geohazard-prone areas that needed rein-forcement in order to mitigate threats to the safety of people and to infrastructure within its con-cession areas.

“By end 2014, we completed all the necessary geohazard mitigat-ing measures in these areas. How-ever, we continue to be vigilant in identifying any new areas that may become prone to natural di-sasters,” Lopez says.

Lopez says the company is also building stronger emergency preparedness and response capa-bilities within the company, by hiring some of the best full-time dedicated emergency teams in the country.

“They are intentionally be-ing deployed full-time through-out our various sites across the country for rapid response in emergencies and will also be re-sponsible for training our partner communities and local govern-ments in disaster preparedness,” says Lopez.

First Gen Corp. and EDC chairman and chief executive Federico Lopez and ABS-CBN LingkodKapamilya Foundation Inc. chairman Gina Lopez shake hands after signing an agreement to formalize First Gen’s P5-million donation to fund the development of eight ecotourism sites.

106-megawatt Mindanao 1 and 2 power plants


BUSINESSSUNDAY: MAY 31, 2015

B3

FROM B1

ALABANG DEVELOPER SELLS CONDO...A 251-sqm unit at Raffles

Makati is currently on the mar-ket for P88 million and another 153-sqm unit for P34 million. An available 460-square meter pent-house at nearby Garden Towers-Makati Sky Villas is being sold for P144.77 million.

In Fort Bonifacio CBD, Taguig City, Lamudi lists a 580-sqm unit at Essensa East Forbes for P110 million.

Alabang, a residential and commercial business district in Muntinlupa City, has recently fol-lowed the trend in vertical resi-dential developments that started in the cities of Makati, Taguig, Mandaluyong, Manila and Que-zon. Wealthy individuals are buy-ing condo units not to live there, but as a form of investments, in anticipation of higher prices in the future or rental income from leasing arrangement.

“In Alabang, there are already condo offerings here. However, we haven’t seen a development that caters primarily to the high-end market alone. Most of the projects here are catering to mid-income to lower-income market. At this point in time, we felt there is a gap in the high-end market,” Abarico says.

Abarico calls condo unit buyers as investors, who will most likely rent out the units to other tenants. The marketing strategy revolves around this concept, and the rise of Alabang as a commercial busi-ness district is expected to create a demand for high-end apartments near the center of commerce.

He says what sets the project apart from other developments is the low-density of units, with a maximum of eight units per floor. “It is the condo with the lowest density, with 71 units only, com-pared to others with a hundred or so. For me, the definition of luxu-rious or high-end is the fewer the neighbors, the better, in terms of privacy,” he says.

Abarico says buyers in the con-

dominium project can easily lease out the units, because there is a large presence of expatriates who manage business process outsourc-ing companies at the 18.7-hectare Northgate Cyberzone.

Alabang has been eclipsed by younger business districts such as Fort Bonifacio, Eastwood and Rockwell, but Abarico, a resident in the southern part of Metro Ma-nila, says he notices new activities in Muntinlupa that makes him optimistic about the future.

The one-tower condominium was named after its address at 45 Indo-China Drive, Northgate Cyberzone, Filinvest Corporate City in Alabang, Muntinlupa. The project was developed by Top Market Property Development and Management Inc., a unit of construction company A.M. Ore-

ta & Co. Inc. led by businessman Antolin Oreta Jr., the husband of former senator Teresa Aquino Oreta and father of Malabon Mayor Antolin Oreta III.

A.M. Oreta is a well-known contractor behind some of the most famous landmarks in Metro Manila such as Manila Peninsula, Intercontinental Hotel, Philippine General Hospital, Department of Finance and Philamlife Building.

“It is more of a spinoff from the Oreta’s construction business, go-ing into the development business. This is their first and that’s why they are trying to make sure it is perfect as a pet project,” says Abarico.

Abarico says Top Market in-vested around P700 million, in-cluding the cost of the 864-sqm lot, in the residential tower. The condominium building has 71

units, with floor sizes ranging from 36.5-square-meter studio suite to a 204 sqm three-bedroom loft-type penthouse. Unit prices range from P5.9 million for the studio suite to P32.5 million for the largest penthouse.

“The lowest price is around P5.9 million, inclusive of parking and government taxes. It trans-lates to around P1,400 per sqm. The highest is around P32.5 mil-lion for our penthouse three-bed-room loft,” he says.

“In the [Alabang] market, we are the second highest priced. There is a competitor that is more ex-pensive than us [Botanika Nature Residences of Filinvest]. They are priced at P160,000 to P180,000 per square meter, compared to our P140,000 per square meter. In our case, we are talking about a product that is ready for occupancy. The competitors are still pre-selling and expect to turn over units by 2017 or 2018,” he says.

He says the selling rate of P140,000 already includes park-ing and amenities. “We provide air-conditioning units, conduc-tion stove, refrigerators, washer and dryer. All the buyers have to do is bring in their furniture or TV,” he says.

“The property enjoys the loca-tion of being inside the Northgate Cyberzone,” Abarico says, adding that the units can be leased out to expats, who at present pay as much as P4,000 a night at hotels for a month to six months.

An 85-sqm unit with one bed-room and a study room at 3 Forty Fifth Residences is sold for around P13 million. “When you buy the unit, that comes with a pre-assigned parking slot. In terms of configuration, we have assigned one parking unit for one bedroom,” he says.

“For the penthouse units, we have only one unit left. There were three of them. The bigger

one, with 204 sqm, is still up for sale right now. It is still available for P32.5 million. Right now, 20 percent of all our 71 units were sold,” he says.

Abarico says Alabang is now catching up with other com-mercial business districts such as Makati, Fort Bonifacio and Ortigas. “There are a lot of rich people, there are a lot of activities here. It is a gateway to the south-ern region. At this point, there are a lot of activities going on. Filinvest made a move to enhance the biggest mall in the country-- the Festival Mall. At the same time, they created the Northgate Cyberzone. A lot of buildings are being constructed. It houses the top BPO companies in the coun-try. Alabang now is actually shift-ing its gear as a business district,” he says.

He says property prices in Alabang are expected to appreci-ate once the Muntinlupa-Cavite Expressway, formerly known as Daang Hari-SLEX connector road, is completed by the end of 2015.

“That basically will decongest everything here. Once that is up and operational, we foresee that Alabang will shift up. Cur-rently, lot prices are ranging from P60,000 per sqm. Once that link comes up, we foresee that it will go up to P80,000 to P100,000 per square in value,” he says.

The developer will turn over the units to buyers in July. “This July, we will be operating it fully. There is already a property man-agement company in place to take care of the security and turnover of the facilities from the contrac-tor to us. We expect to turn over by first of July,” he says.

“We expect sales to come in once they see that the building is operating already. Our target is to sell it out by the end of the year,” says Abarico.

Roderick T. dela Cruz

The living room of an 85.9-sqm, one-bedroom with study room unit at 3 Forty Fifth Residences

A typical kitchen with built-in cabinets and fixtures at 3 Forty Fifth Residences

worldB4

Nigeria militaryrepelS Boko Haram

US SlamS BUrUndi violence

iran nUKe TalKS HiT SnaG aS deadline nearS

The Islamists’ assault on the Borno state capital came a day after President Muhammadu Buhari’s inauguration, with the new leader vowing to re-enforce Maiduguri with a new command and control centre to better coordinate the counter-insurgency effort.

Shortly after midnight (2300 GMT Friday), residents in the Dala suburb south of the city

woke to the sound of RPGs being fired in succession, said resident Modu Karumi, in an account supported by several others.

Witnesses said hundreds of Islamist gunmen were trying to advance on the city, which is now home to hundreds of thousands of people displaced by unrest in other parts of Borno state.

An AFP reporter who lives

The United States on Friday strongly condemned a grenade attack in the Burundi capital and called on President Pierre Nkurunziza to postpone legis-lative elections to avoid further unrest and violence.

Weeks of unrest in Bujumbu-ra continued Friday, when dem-onstrations against Nkurunziza saw two protesters shot dead and two others wounded in a separate grenade attack.

“The United States strongly condemns the May 29 grenade attack in Bujumbura, and the continued violence in Burundi,” US State Department spokesman Jeff Rathke said in a statement.

“We are deeply concerned that the recent grenade attacks, vio-lence perpetrated by the ruling party Imbonerakure youth mi-litia, and continued restrictions on peaceful assembly and the media are undermining efforts to achieve a peaceful resolution of the current crisis.”

Rathke said Nkurunziza’s de-cision to run for a third term had destabilized Burundi, and he called on the president to postpone the June 5 elections.

“This environment is not conducive to the holding of credible, free, fair and demo-cratic elections,” he said.

But Burundi’s government in-sisted Friday that the first stage of the controversial elections would go ahead next week despite the crisis.

Additionally, Rathke said the US was taking steps to impose visa restrictions against those responsible for inciting vio-lence. AFP

WITh the top US and Iranian diplomats meeting Saturday in Geneva one month before a dead-line for a historic nuclear deal, demands for UN inspections of Iranian military bases appear to be becoming a problem.

Tehran is uneasy about letting foreigners go poking around such sites, saying that since no nuclear material is present, the International Atomic energy Agency (IAeA) watchdog has no right to enter them.

But the six powers negotiat-ing with Iran want the IAeA to be able to visit them in order to investigate claims of any suspi-cious activity -- past and future -- that could indicate attempts to build a bomb.

“The Western powers can-not accept a deal that precludes

IAeA access to military sites,” Mark Fitzpatrick, International Institute for Strategic Studies analyst, told AFP, calling it “po-litically indefensible”.

Last week supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Tehran “will not allow any in-spections of military sites by foreigners” or the “interroga-tion” of nuclear scientists by the Vienna-based IAeA.

France’s Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius shot back on Wednesday, saying any deal without access to military sites “will not be accepted”.

This prompted a rebuke on Thursday by Iran’s Foreign Min-ister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who called on “my negotiating partners to refrain from making excessive demands”. AFP

in the area said he heard what sounded like armoured personnel carriers deploying to the southern edge of Maiduguri to face the rebel advance.

Dala resident Alhaji Bukar said he saw at least one RPG fall into a private home, but details on casualties were not immediately clear.

Locals reported other residential homes being hit.

Three senior security sources in Maiduguri who were not authorised to speak publicly said the attack had been repelled.

“All is under control. There is no cause for alarm,” one of those sources told AFP.

The sound of RPGs and gunfire has also eased, residents and an AFP reporter said.

experts doubt that Boko haram currently has the capacity to seize Maiduguri, but a major attack inside the city would likely be disastrous for civilians.

The Islamist rebels have been flushed out of several Borno state towns they controlled in an offensive launched in February by Nigeria with backing from neighbouring Cameroon, Chad and Niger.

But there are signs of the militants regrouping, particularly in the remote parts of eastern Borno near the Cameroon border. AFP

Nigeria’s military on saturday repelled a Boko Haram attack on the key northeast city of Maiduguri that saw rocket-propelled grenades fired into homes, witnesses and security sources said.

Soldiers from the niger army sit in the bakc of their pick-up truck, on may 25, 2015 in malam Fatori, in northern nigeria, near the border with niger, where the niger and chadian army troops, are working together in support of Nigerian forces, to fight the Boko Harm islamists. Boko Haram, which wants to create a hardline islamic state in northeast nigeria, has been pushed out of captured towns including malam Fatori, and territory, since February by nigerian troops with assistance from niger, chad and cameroon. AFP

US Under Secretary for Political affairs Wendy Sherman (left0 waits with others ahead of a meeting of “P5+1” political directors at the Beau rivage Palace Hotel in lausanne in this march 26, 2015 photo, during negotiations on the iranian nuclear programme. AFP

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S U N D AY : m AY 3 1 , 2 0 1 5

WORLD B5

US aUthoritieS investigating the mistaken ship-ment of live anthrax by a military lab have discov-ered another batch of the lethal bacteria dating back to 2008, some of which was sent to australia, officials said Friday.

US dropS CUba from terror blaCkliSt in landmark move

ANTHRAX SENT TO AUSTRALIA

The United States dropped Cuba from its blacklist of state sponsors of terrorism on Friday, removing yet another hurdle as the two coun-tries seek to restore dip-lomatic ties frozen for five decades.

Cuba has vehemently protested its 1982 in-clusion on the blacklist —which hampered its access to global markets and tarred it as an in-ternational pariah—and had demanded that the decision be rescinded.

Secretary of State John

Kerry confirmed that ef-fective Friday a “final decision” had been taken to remove Cuba from the list, after President Barack Obama in April gave Congress 45 days to object.

Only Iran, Sudan and Syria still remain on the terror blacklist.

The move has deep po-litical significance as the Cold War foes grapple for a rapprochement, but it may also afford Cuba better access to US bank-ing facilities and Ameri-can aid, and lift some re-

strictions on exports and arms sales.

however, a tight eco-nomic embargo slapped on the communist-run Caribbean island in 1962 remains in place, meaning there may be little immediate effect from Friday’s historic decision.

“The lifting of the state sponsor of terrorism des-ignation does not lift the embargo, just to put that kind of bluntly,” State Department press office director Jeff Rathke told reporters. AFP

The revelation suggested a wider problem in the handling of anthrax samples, which were supposed to be rendered inac-tive by irradiation at a US Army facility in Utah.

Military and health officials launched a probe after a com-mercial lab in Maryland last week found a live sample of anthrax in a shipment from the army’s Dugway Proving Ground, near Salt Lake City.

The Pentagon acknowledged on

Thursday that at least 18 govern-ment, university and commercial laboratories received suspected live samples of anthrax from a batch ir-radiated in March 2014.

Samples from that batch were distributed to various labs for re-search in nine states as well as at the US military’s Osan air base in South Korea.

But on Friday, officials said the investigation turned up another batch of live anthrax, which was meant to be made inactive or

A vIOLenT volcanic eruption in Japan that forced the evacuation of an island appears to have come to a halt, the country’s weather agency said Saturday.

The announcement came a day after Mount Shindake, which sits on the far southern island of Kuchinoerabu, sent plumes of ash up to 9,000 metres (29,500 feet) tall shooting into the sky.

Television pictures showed the after-effects of the eruption, as ash and rock cascaded down the mountainside towards one of the island’s harbours.

Grey sediment blanketed the breakwaters and discoloured the sea.

The eruption forced all of the is-land’s nearly 140 inhabitants to flee, with one elderly man having suf-fered a minor facial injury.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said Saturday that vol-

japaneSe volCano Calm for now—agenCy

“dead” in 2008.It was not clear precisely when

samples from the 2008 batch were sent out or where the samples were sent, other than Australia, officials said.

“We are still trying to figure out where the samples were sent,” a US official who spoke on condition of anonymity told AFP.

Australia’s Foreign Minister Julie Bishop welcomed the investigation by the US into the shipment.

“We are taking part in the inves-tigation and I am pleased it is un-derway,” she said.

US military and health authori-ties insisted there was no threat posed to public health and no sus-pected cases of infection.

Four lab workers in the states of Texas, Delaware and Wiscon-

sin had been put on antibiotics as a precaution, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

In addition, 22 military and ci-vilian personnel were also placed under preventative treatment at Osan air base in South Korea, the Pentagon said.

The anthrax bacteria sent out by the army facility in Utah was part of a Pentagon effort “to develop a new diagnostic test to identify bio-logical threats,” the CDC said.

‘Breach of trust’ Lawmakers voiced alarm over

the mishap involving the 2014 batch of anthrax, and demanded army officials explain what went wrong.

“While the Army says it is confident no one has been

harmed, it needs to tell us what is being done immediately to prevent this from happening again,” Senator Bill nelson said in a letter to Army Secretary John Mchugh.

nelson called the incident a “serious breach of trust” in the army’s obligation to keep Ameri-cans and troops safe.

US government laboratories came under fire last year over re-ports of sloppy management of deadly bacteria.

As a result, health officials sus-pended the shipment of poten-tially dangerous pathogens from government labs in Atlanta and the CDC shut down two of its laboratories, including one im-plicated in the mishandling of anthrax samples. AFP

canic activity at the site had calmed for now.

But it is unclear whether this will

remain the case, the agency said, maintaining its volcanic alert for the peak at the highest level.

On Saturday morning, smoke was observed at a height of 200 metres above the volcano, a

level seen before Friday’s major eruption, Japan’s Jiji Press agen-cy said. AFP

us officials say ‘live’ bacteria came from military lab

an aerial view taken on may 29, 2015 shows smoke rising from mount Shindake on kuchinoerabu island in kagoshima prefecture of japan’s southern island of kyushu. a violent volcanic eruption in southern japan forced the evacuation of an island, as a huge column of ash was shot high into the sky. AFP

In this July 6, 2011 file photo a sign is seen at the US State Department in Washington, dC. the United States removed Cuba from its blacklist as a state sponsor of terrorism on may 29, 2015, in a landmark move aimed at paving the way towards normalizing ties frozen for half a century. AFP

B6 REUEL VIDALE D I T O R

S U N D AY : M AY 3 1 , 2 0 1 5

[email protected]

Formerly lightly regarded Barako Bull Energy is tied at the top of the standings with the Alaska Aces. The Kia Carnival and GlobalPort Batang Pier are snapping at their heels.

All three teams enjoy the advan-tage of parading imports of unlimited height this 2015 PBA Governors Cup.

The goal of giving imports of unlim-ited height to lower placed squads was to create parity among the PBA squads af-ter dismal showings of some teams in the first two conferences. It was especially discouraging for expansion squads Kia and the Blackwater Elite who regularly lost games by big margins.

Barako has 7’0” Canadian Liam McMorrow. Kia is reinforced by 7’0” Hamady N’Diaye from Senegal. GlobalPort has 6’11” American Jarrid Famous.

Barako found its four-game win streak snapped by the San Miguel Beer a few days ago. That didn’t stop Mc-Morrow from posting monster num-bers of 31 points and 25 rebounds in their losing 113-116 effort against SMB.

Barako could just as easily be hold-ing an unbeaten five-game win streak if not for the end-game heroics of SMB veteran Ronald Tubid who drilled three triples and scored 13 points in the payoff fourth period to pace the Beer-men to victory.

Despite the loss there is no denying that Barako has become a legitimate title threat with the unstoppable Mc-Morrow in the paint.

While McMorrow provides Barako an unstoppable scoring option Kia big man N’Diaye gives the Carnival a shot-blocking, defensive demon. N’Diaye patrols the paint, terrorizing opposing teams’ big men and gobbling up both defensive and offensive rebounds.

In their last game N’Diaye tallied an eye-popping nine blocked shots and probably forced more than a dozen missed field goal attempts with his

By Peter Atencio

MAKING it to the national team, to the Southeast Asian Games and hopefully the Olympics, are the biggest dreams of swimmer Maurice Sacho Ilustre who contin-ues to improve on personal bests, year after year and in every meet he joins.

“Pangarap na niyang mag national team, makapunta ng SEA Games. At pag sinwerte, mag-Olympics,” said mother Gloria after his son went home with seven gold medals in the 2015 Palarong Pambansa in Tagum City, Davao Del Norte.

Ilustre belongs to a family of swimmers who have left their marks in past Palaro meets, just like his elder sisters Nicole and Ingrid.

His father Noel is a coach and his mother, who at-tends to his needs during competitions, is also into the sport.

The 16-year-old Ilustre’s campaign in the secondary boys division of the swimming action was among the most memorable in the week-long meet.

Ilustre, a sophomore at La Salle-Zobel, broke the national junior record he himself set last year in the 200-meter butterfly. He claimed a total of six new meet marks in all of the seven events he swept and duplicated his seven-gold sweep last year.

“Sobrang saya ko. Kasi nagawa ko ulit ang nagawa ko last year,” said Ilustre after he finished his stint with two more golds in the 200-meter freestyle and the 4x100-meter relay.

Both were completed in record-breaking fashion after he clocked 1:58.83 in the 200-meter freestyle and 3:43.68 in the relays.

He and his NCR teammates Christian Sy, Drew Mag-bag and Andrei Pogkiongco first reset the 4:10.66 also from NCR with a new best of 4:07, in the preliminaries of the 4x100 meter medley relays. They then ruled the finals with the same time.

His 8:50.4 feat in the 800-meter freestyle bested Fa-had Alkhaldi’s six-year old feat of 8:58.36, while his 57.56 second time in the 100-meter butterfly eclipsed Gabriel Castelo’s 58.13 set in 2011.

His father asked him to double his efforts and work on his strokes. To help him swim faster, his dad instructed him to do his dolphin kicks faster than usual during training.

The dolphin kick is swimming kick used mainly in butterfly. Here, the legs are extended straight back and moved up and down in unison with a slight bend in the knees on the upward movement.

“Double po ang effort ko sa dolphins. Nakatulong siya,” said Sacho.

Last Sunday, Illustre led a score of young talents who made a lasting impression in the NCR Leg of the 2015 Speedo G-League long course swimming com-petition at the Rizal Memorial swimming pool.

With him were rising stars Xiandi Chua, Jules Ong, Miguel Arellano and Marco Austriaco, who dominated their respective events to punch a ticket to the National Championship.

Ilustre stole the spotlight when he made it to four final events.

“I just wanted to get a good swim and qualify in the national finals,” said Ilustre.

Ramil Sacho Ilustre churns up the water in the free-style event. Ilustre, who continues to improve on personal bests, year after year and in every meet he joins, dreams of someday making it to the Olympics.

ILUSTRE PURSUES

OLYMPIC DREAM

Barako Bull’s giant import Liam McMorrow (50) drives strong to the hoop against Meralco Bolts defender Rey Guevarra (right). Barako has become a legitimate title threat with the unstoppable McMorrow in its lineup.

By Reuel Vidal

GIVING last conference’s lower ranked teams im-ports of unlimited height has proven to be the great equalizer in the Philippine Basketball Association

this conference.

Third time is proving to be a charm for Famous although his first game this conference was a tough loss against Rain or Shine in Dubai. He didn’t do too well then but he more than made up for it with a solid effort of 27 points and 18 rebounds in GlobalPort’s 123-120 win over Talk ‘N Text where he also scored the crucial points to lead his team to victory.

“I’ve adjusted more. I had so much travel before going to the Philippines, so it’s a lot on my body. I’m getting bet-ter day-by-day. Still not in how I usu-ally am with my game. But I’m getting there,” said Famous.

Can these imports of unlimited height help their squads win PBA titles? GlobalPort big man Famous thinks so.

“I feel we could go to the top. We’re learning, we’re getting better. I think we’re gonna be great... I want the cham-pionship. We want the championship,” said Famous.

If nothing else im-ports of unlimited height have made a big enough difference to give their teams confidence to as-pire to win this conference ti-tle at least.

IMPORTSPROVE TO BE

BIGDIFFERENCE

fearful presence in the paint.The Carnival also enjoys the addi-

tional benefit of an Asian import in Jet Chang who gives the team a solid ad-dition to its shallow bench.

The Carnival management were smart enough to realize the paucity of stars in their lineup and moved to bring in the talented Change as their Asian reinforcement.

Chang has given the Carnival a le-gitimate all star at the two guard spots. He can orchestrate his team’s offense at the point. When needed he can drive strong to the hoop or snipe from outside to put up points as a two guard.

Chang enjoyed his best game this conference when he tallied 25 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals in Kia’s winning effort against the Blackwater Elite.

GlobalPort’s Famous is no stranger to PBA basketball. This is actually his third tour of duty in the country after forgettable stints with the Meralco Bolts and the Petron Blaze Boosters.

GlobalPort Batang Pier import Jarrid Famous (24) scores from underneath against Talk ‘N Text defenders from left: Sam Daghles and Kelly Williams. Famous has his team believing they can compete for the title this conference.

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ARMAN ARMEROE D I T O R

S U N D AY : M AY 3 1 , 2 0 1 5

SPORTS

NEW YORK, NY— Amir Khan (right, also inset) punches Chris Algieri during their welterweight bout at Barclays Center of Brooklyn on May 29, 2015 in New York City. AFP

Khan improved to 31-3 with his fifth victory in a row, which came by judges’ scores of 117-111, 117-111 and 115-113.

Algieri fell to 20-2 with his second de-feat in a row, the other coming last No-

TOO many questions have lingered during the long, long break leading to today’s (Sun-day) keenly awaited rubber match for women’s volley su-premacy between two teams of equal strength and class.

And defending champion Army and crowd favorite PLDT Home Ultera hope to provide the answers in every serve, every set, every spike and every block that they will dish out in what promises to be a duel to remember.

This is the Shakey’s V-League Open Conference sud-den death – a no-tomorrow match that has generated so much interest not just because of the personnel involved but also because of the protago-nists’ brand of play that has caught the fancy of the dis-cerning sporting public.

PLDT was on its way to cap-ping what had appeared to be an unbeaten title campaign

until it stumbled to a 13-25, 25-23, 27-25, 25-22 defeat at the hands of a fired-up Army side in the opener of their best-of-three series last May 21.

The Lady Troopers used their championship expe-rience and leaned on their bench depth to stop the Ultra Fast Hitters with the well-rest-ed duo of Dindin Santiago-Manabat and Jovelyn Gonzaga keying Army’s stirring come-from-behind win.

Stung but unbowed, the Ul-tra Fast Hitters struck back behind Alyssa Valdez’s MVP-like performance, scoring a vengeful 25-16, 25-22, 19-25, 25-16 victory last Sunday to send the series to a winner-take-all affair.

The match, set at 12:45 p.m. at The Arena, will be aired live on GMA News TV Channel 11 and via streaming on www.v-league.ph, according to the or-ganizing Sports Vision.

“I told my players to give it their best shot since all our hard work would only be put to waste if we fail to win this championship,” said PLDT coach Roger Gorayeb.

The veteran mentor also stressed the need for his wards to minimize their mistakes and handle every shot, every receive, every dig with utmost care and resolve.

“This is now a battle of nerves, no room for mistakes,” said Gorayeb.

Playing in a pressure-packed game like in this sudden death could work to Army’s advan-tage what with its vast cham-pionship experience, winning two of the four Open crowns in the league sponsored by Shakey’s and presented by PLDT Home Ultera.

But coach Rico de Guzman will be more concerned on how to stop Valdez although he has designed plays if and

whenever PLDT will use their top spiker as a decoy in a bid to startle Army’s defensive ploys.

“We also expect them to make some adjustments on their attacks and defense. We’ll still focus on Alyssa but we’re ready if they use her as a decoy since they have so many players who can step up in at-tacks,” said de Guzman.

The match, expected to draw record crowds, also features members of the national team with the game also serving as their final tune-up for the first-ever women’s campaign in a decade in the SEA Games in Singapore next week.

But for sure, Valdez, Jaja San-tiago, Gretchel Soltones and Denden Lazaro of PLDT and Army’s Manabat, Rachel Ann Daquis and national team skip-per Gonzaga will set aside their national team drive for this one particular, personal battle for local volley supremacy.

KHAN CALLS OUT MAYWEATHER

AFTER DECISION WIN VS ALGIERI

BRITAIN’S Amir Khan took a unanimous deci-sion victory Friday over

American Chris Algieri in a wel-terweight matchup, then called out unbeaten Floyd Mayweath-er for a world title showdown.

vember at Macau at the hands of Filipino star Manny Pacquiao—who lost to treble world champion Mayweather in box-ing’s richest-ever megafight earlier this month.

“Amir Khan wants to fight Floyd Mayweather,” Khan screamed in the ring. “I want that next. I’m number one World Boxing Council (challeng-er). He’s the champion. So let’s make it happen.”

That might be easier said than done. Khan thought he might fight Mayweath-er in May last year but the US star in-stead decided to fight Argentina’s Mar-cos Maidana.

Khan kept Algieri at bay much of the night, the American landing a strong combination early in the eighth round but unable to connect often enough to claim victory.

“He come to fight, wanted to win, had his home crowd, but I came here to win,” Khan said, adding he had to resort to “Plan B” to defeat the home-town hero.

Khan said support from the crowd helped him push to the finish and secure the decision.

“The crowd really fired me up the last three rounds when Chris really came at me hard,” Khan said. AFP

ARMY, PLDT DISPUTE SHAKEY’S V-L CROWN

Jovekyn Gonzaga: one of the key players of Philippine Army in the title tiff against PLDT Home Ultera today.

RieRa U. MallaRiEDITORB8

S U N D aY : M aY 3 1 , 2 0 1 5

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SportS

NU

The NU Pep Squad beat 15 others for podium honors, including defending champion New Zealand and other strong teams from the United States, Thailand and Chinese Taipei.

Members of the team are shown prior to their campaign in the World Championships.

The NU Pep Squad wows the crowd with its energetic routine.

PeP SqUad coNqUerS the world

By Lito Cinco

AFTER winning back-to-back ti-tles the past two years in the Uni-versity Athletic Association of the Philippines’ cheerleading competi-tion and even adding the crown in the 2015 National Cheerleading Championship held last March at the Mall of Asia Arena, the National University Pep squad continued its winning ways.

This time, it extended its dominance beyond local shores.

Chosen to represent the country by the Philippine Cheerleading Association on the basis of its victories in the UAAP and the national championships, the NU Pep squad re-cently returned from the International Cheer-leading Union World Championships held in Orlando, Florida, with a bronze-medal finish behind Mexico and Chile.

The NU Pep Squad was in a zone that in the Co-ed Elite Division, the team beat 15 others for podium honors, including defending champion New Zealand and other strong teams from the United States, Thailand and Chinese Taipei.

What made the feat all the more impres-sive was that it was the very first time the 25-member team joined an international competition.

“We were challenged by the fact that we were the smallest team in the field. Parang high school lang kami, but the team was determined to bring back glory to our country. With the op-portunity and support given to us by SM man-agement, we all wanted to give back something to them and our countrymen,” said head coach Ghicka Bernabe, a former cheerleading athlete from Far Eastern University, together with other coaching staff members Gabriel Bajacan, Karl Pa-bilonia and Jess Ocampo.

The competition was an open one and NU was the only school-based team in the cast of participants.

“But even if we were the smallest, when we started practicing our routines, even the other coaches were saying that we were a world-class team. But still, we did not expect to win as the competition was very stiff. The stunts were unique and very difficult, but certainly, it was a very good experience not only for the athletes, but also for the coaches,” said Bajacan.

“Each team only had two minutes and a half to present its routine and it was just one chance per team, one mistake and that was it. We are proud of all our athletes, and hopefully, we can return here next year,” added Bernabe.

That wish, however, is conditional, as NU must win the UAAP cheering competition for the third straight year first. Another win, means an-other berth to the world championships.

That, will be a bigger challenge as 13 of its 25 members will be leaving after graduating from school.

g l w e e ke n d @ g m a i l . c o m

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BAMBINA OLIVARES WISEE D I T O RBING PARELA S S O C I AT E E D I T O R

C2S U N D AY : M AY 3 1 : 2 0 1 5


LIFEBAMBINA OLIVARES WISE

E D I T O RBING PAREL

A S S O C I AT E E D I T O R

BACK TO SCHOOL BATTLES

Ateneo vs. La Salle once more for a causeBY MIA PADILLA

June marks the beginning of school and with it excitement, anxiety, and for many, a growing af-filiation for the school one returns to. The con-

nectedness to one’s academic home may evolve into un-wavering loyalty for an alma mater and consequently, a strong competitive spirit against another school.

In our country, such rivalry is most evident in Ateneo versus La Salle’s battle for supremacy in virtually all matters. With total disregard for molecules in the air or chlorophyll, Ateneans or La Sallites may even respectively believe how God consciously made the sky blue or the leaves green.

At the close of the last school year, Hands On Manila (HOM), a non-profit organization that promotes volun-teerism in the Philippines, gave these schools a chance to openly compete in an evening called “Fun Raiser.” The rivals and two other sets of opponents – the Young (twen-ty-somethings) and the Restless (parents/older relatives of team Young), and the Bold (attractive trendsetters) and the Beautiful (classy ladies) – entertained a crowd at the Turf Room of Manila Polo Club, in Friendly Feud, a tweaked version of television game show Family Feud. Good food, a tasteful selection of wine, plus the wit of event host, RJ

Ledesma, made for an unforgettable night of camaraderie. This time Ateneans (Tricia Vergel de Dios, Lisa Africa,

Mikey Cojuangco, Mon Paterno and Rene Banzon) and La Sallites (Francis Moran, Aldo Alejandro, Timi Chuidian, Vicky Rotor Hilado and Raissa Hechanova Posadas) sought to prove their supremacy in hilarious matters concerning everyday things. After a tight race, Ateneans outwitted their rivals by proving to be more knowledge-able about ‘noises people can’t help themselves from mak-ing’, ‘questions one might answer with a lie’, ‘things men consider more important than marriage’ and correctly identifying ‘something that’s better to do in the dark’.

For the evening, the school rivalry proved more amica-ble as compared with other competitive events such as the basketball games that HOM president Gianna Montinola describes as “similar to battles in the Roman coliseum.”

All proceeds from the fun and entertaining evening are earmarked for the training of volunteers for HOM’s projects that assist children and the elderly, the envi-ronment, education, and community development. For more information about Hands On Manila, please call (632)8437044 or log on to handsonmanila.org.

THINKING IN MULTIPLESThe MI Approach to EducationBY DIANE UY

The Multiple Intelligence (MI) framework by Howard Garner is about discovering and developing the innate mul-tiple intelligences of a child: word, number, spatial, natural-ist, musical, bodily kinesthetic, self, people, and/or entre-preneurship. This revolutionary concept, already adopted in the US and other countries, is now in the Philippines through MI pioneer Mary Joy Abaquin, founding directress at the Multiple Intelligence International School.

WHY CHOOSE AN MI SCHOOL? The digital age has changed our interaction with people and the rest of the world. Those who are making names and conquering their fields are not necessarily academic geniuses. Their secret ingredient is using their particular intelligences combined with their global and entrepre-neurial mindset to make a difference.

Abaquin, who has a master’s degree in early educa-tion from Boston University and has attended Harvard Graduate School of Education, Programs in Professional Education, says the future will be about good commu-nicators, critical thinkers, creators, innovators and good leaders. Realizing that a Filipino child has to start having that global and entrepreneurial mindset, she pioneered the MI framework in the Philippines, establishing the very first MI school in 1996.

The Multiple Intelligence International School’s pio-neering programs are entrepreneurship, global leadership, and environment sustainability. The school curriculum covers the identification and development of the multiple intelligences of a child, training them to have the mind-set, the set of skills, and formation that will allow them to lead in the future. It is also a member of the Council of International Schools that ensures the highest standard in international education. The MI school has programs from preschool to high school, with banner projects that include youth entrepreneurship, service learning Kids Can! programs, and sustainable education initiatives un-der the Green Schools Movement advocacy.

“An MI education is about enhancing the strengths and opportunities of our kids. This way, they become equipped with those ‘extra abilities’ that will help them become leaders in various areas,” says Abaquin.

Abaquin adds that while it is important to develop aca-demically smart kids, the future will require kids to be able to use their knowledge to innovate and create things. Top professions and businesses are now looking for people who can add premium to the workplace and/or their industries. The hiring requirements for both professionals and busi-ness leaders are now highlighting real-world experience, initiative to contribute their unique intelligences, and social responsibility which are embedded in MI’s pioneer-ing programs. Not to mention, entrepreneurial and global mindsets have become more relevant than ever. What will it be like 10 or 20 years from now?

“Kids need to have the proper foundation that will prepare them to become future-ready, and global citizens with the heart for the environment and others. The de-velopment of their multiple intelligences early on plays an important part to help them find their purpose and passion. We are in dire need of leaders who will use their intelligences to make a difference,” says Abaquin.

Students from the Multiple Intelligence International School will compete in the upcoming Global Enterprise Challenge (GEC). In photo are founding directress Mary Joy Abaquin (extreme right) with MI students (foreground from left) Mathena Rain Rodas, Alannah Kirsten Mitra, Miranda Bernadette Panaguiton, Gianina Marie Gabrielle Reyes, and Francine Mae Mamba. In the background are Rafael Elijah Dalisay and Patrick Stolk. Not in photo is team member Glenn Angelo Joven.

Francis Moran (La Salle) and Mon Paterno (Ateneo) high-five each other

Mikey Cojuangco (Ateneo) and HOM Board Member Gina Aboitiz

C3LIFES U N D AY : M AY 3 1 : 2 0 1 5


BAMBINA OLIVARES WISEE D I T O R

BING PARELA S S O C I AT E E D I T O R

GET CREATIVEHow to Break into the Creative Industry

Fashion icon, accessories designer and Career Academy Asia board member Tweetie de Leon-Gonzalez shares some tips to get your career started.

With competition for jobs at an all-time high, most graduates are haunted with the age-old question: “Will I end up where I

imagined myself to be?” The anxiety grows even more if the aspired industry is in the creative field – arts, film, media, de-sign and publishing – which seems closed off but to a select, well-connected few.

Believe it or not, there are some things you can do to get a foot in the door.

1. HARNESS YOUR TALENTPractice, research and immerse. These are the top three things one can do without any constraints. “No matter how inadequate you feel about your creative inclinations, you definitely have what it takes to pursue your passion,” de Leon-Gonzalez said. “Practicing, researching and im-mersing in your art will expand your knowledge and will allow you to grow as an artist.”

2. DEVELOP YOUR OWN STYLEJosie Natori. Monique Lhuiller. Kenneth Cobonpue. These are just some of the numerous well-known Filipino design-ers who rose to fame because of their distinct style.

“Art is very personal and is therefore appreciated by enthusiasts who share the same aesthetics as the creator. And

being a young artist, you cannot help but be inspired by those you see. But as you garner more years and experience in executing your ideas, you will find that you most often veer towards a certain approach and technique. Take this op-portunity to create a style recognizably and uniquely your own,” she said.

3. ART NEEDS BUSINESS“While some creative individuals express distaste and aversion for handling the busi-ness side of their endeavor, they have to ac-cept that in order to thrive, they must have some sense of basic entrepreneurial knowl-edge,” de Leon-Gonzales said.

Take a crash course in business. Do some research. Or get a trusted friend to help you out. The important thing is you know at least the basics to get your business started then you can get your work out there. In the end, art is a business and artists have to make difficult, honest business decisions. While it’s tough enough to make a living doing what you love, it’s even tougher when the money side of things is not as clear to you as it should be.

All these can be done on your own as you look towards launching your creative career path but it takes so much time and effort. Career Academy Asia, the latest educational innovation from the PHINMA Group, fo-cuses on developing these in each graduate.

“Career Academy Asia makes sure it produces quality graduates by honing their students in creativity, entrepreneurship and character formation. It offers courses in every design field suited to the interests of every student and will only continue to expand its programs in the coming years as it works alongside international design institutions. Such partnership allows every student the opportunity to pursue further education in-

ternationally,” de Leon-Gonzales said. The Philippines’ first senior high school

that awards an international diploma along-side a Philippine diploma, will specialize in design, arts and management taught by industry experts and practitioners. Its part-ner institutions are Singapore-based: First Media Design School (FMDS) and School D’ Hospitality Institute (SDH), both recognized internationally as excellent institutions.

Aside from the Singapore diplomas they earn, what sets the Career Academy Asia graduates apart is the opportunity to pursue higher educa-tion in other partner schools in Singapore, the United Kingdom, Australia and France.

“An integral part of learning is, especially in the arts, exposure. To gain access to inter-national works and artists gives students an in-depth understanding and profound ap-preciation for their craft. By making this avail-able, Career Academy Asia offers each student the extraordinary opportunity to explore the world, broaden his perspective and learn new trends and technology, while in pursuit of a career in arts and design,” she added. Starting June 2015, Career Academy Asia in Rockwell Center, Makati City will be conduct-ing workshops, talks and weekly open house sessions. An interactive event where you can explore your creativity and discover your pas-sion is also set on June 17, 2015. To join, please sign up through www.careeracademy.asia.

NO MATTER HOW INADEQUATE YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR CREATIVE

INCLINATIONS, YOU DEFINITELY HAVE WHAT IT

TAKES TO PURSUE YOUR PASSION

ART IS VERY PERSONAL AND IS THEREFORE APPRECIATED BY ENTHUSIASTS WHO SHARE THE

SAME AESTHETICS AS THE CREATOR

(Editor’s Note: If you want to get into a top-tier US or UK university, you have to be strategic about it, says college admissions consult-ant Jennifer Um. A gradu-ate of Cornell, and a long-time Philippine resident, Um recently went through

the gruelling admissions process with her own son, Daniel, who will be going to Harvard in September. She shares what she’s learned.)

Start early, as early as freshman year. Call me a tiger mom, but I began plotting at 8th Grade what services my kids would do, what extra-curriculars, what publications they could be involved in. Think of it as a port-folio for your children. You have to diversify.

This holds true for US colleges, which, let’s face it, are still considered The Holy Grail when it comes to education. Harvard, Yale, Princeton… the Ivy League schools are often seen as the ultimate.

The best way to start is to prioritize with a checklist: Grade. Testing. Extra-curriculars. Service. Within the extra-curriculars, you have the recognitions in school, the awards,

for leadership, service, arts, the student coun-cil... So you can see where your child’s interests lie. That’s not difficult, re-ally, but it does mean being active in what-ever the chosen activity is.

Admittedly, most international schools are geared to-wards that, but students from local schools also have an excellent chance of getting into a top US college. They have to have the grades, of course, and they have to do well in the stan-dardized tests (SAT or ACT), but they also have to have that passion – music, sports or a service – and they have to build on it from freshman year on to show the continuity.

The actual application process should begin in the summer of junior year. That’s when you should start downloading the Common App – the form that all the US colleges use – and go

through it. Then there’s the essay to prepare, per-haps the single most intimidat-ing feature of the Common App.

The essay is a really signifi-cant part of the process, and this is where a lot of kids need help. This is what gets

your foot in the door. Everyone has top scores, everyone has achievements, so how else are you going to stand out? Your essay has to be your voice. It’s the one thing that gives a college admissions committee an insight into your character, your personality, your background, which they can’t see from a standardized test, or your grades, or even letters of recommenda-tion, although they do help a lot.

Universities in the UK, however, are not as focused on the essay and achievements other than academic. UK applications, by the way, are also centralized. UCAS is their

version of the Common App. Instead of an essay, students are required to draft a per-sonal statement, which reveals, more than anything, the passion they have for the sub-ject they intend to major in. But that’s also not that easy to write, and again, that’s where a consultant comes in, to help streamline and guide the process. You might be talking about something academic, but YOU – your essence – still has to be communicated.

It’s not cheap, I know, to hire a consultant. It’s cheaper here than in the US, where fees can run up to $20,000. Fees are considerably more reasonable here, and it’s not a frivolous thing to get a consultant. The value-add of a consultant comes in most importantly in the essay stage, helping to shape and edit it for each and every college applied to. The consultant understands what colleges are looking for, and also understands the struc-ture of the application process.

It’s a lot of money, but it could be a worthwhile investment, especially if the end result is your child getting into a top international university.tJennifer Um can be reached at 0917-8882400 or via email at [email protected]

CLIMBING THE IVY

JENNIFERUM

Harvard University

C4g l w e e ke n d @ g m a i l . c o m

LIFES U N D AY : M AY 3 1 : 2 0 1 5



It’s the last week of summer and once again, moms are getting ready to prepare scrumptious yet easy to prepare meals for their kids. Preparation time doesn’t

need to be long, but if you’re short on ideas, here are fast, fresh, and fun packed lunch ideas that will surely delight your children.

Peanut butter fun pack. Make it an ex-citing recess for your children by creating a peanut butter fun pack. Simply put two to three tablespoons of peanut butter in a con-tainer and accompany it with raw vegetables like celery, zucchini or even crackers and cookies. This will definitely be a fun treat to share with your kids and their classmates.

BBQ sandwich. Grilled sandwiches will be a hit for your child’s lunch break, with endless varieties to choose from. Grilled

skinless breast or gently marinated tapa slices, and yes, even left over pork barbecue can be used. Introduce the taste of exciting vegetables and condiments as well by in-cluding lettuce, tomato, or even olives and avocadoes. It’s the zing your child needs to be energetic the whole day long.

Fun fried rice. Rice is a staple in every Filipino’s diet; more so the classic fried rice or sinangag. Make it more nutritious and flavorful for your child by adding chopped tofu, lean meat, and even vegetables. Partner it with Pinoy Si-log favorites like tapa, tocino, and hotdog, and this could be your child’s next favorite lunch treat.

With these meals, the new school year will definitely be a great one.Courtesy of webmd.com via Asia Brewery, Inc.

whAT’S In yOuR lunChbOx?From Margarita Marty come these tasty treats that are always a hit with school kids of any age

4 chicken sausages4 slices whole wheat bread, crust removed1/4 tsp garlic powder 1/4 cup melted butter

250 grams boneless chicken thighs or breast1/4 tsp rosemary1/4 tsp lemon pepper1/4 tsp sea salt1 tbsp olive oil2 cups cooked rice200 grams frozen peas, corn and carrots1 scrambled egg chopped2 cloves garlic, minced1/2 small onion, chopped

SAuSAgE ROllS

ChICkEn fRIED RICE

ApplE CInnAmOn muffInS

fRESh AnD fun bAOn IDEAS fOR ThE nEw SChOOl yEAR

2 cups flour1 tbsp baking powder1/2 tsp salt3 tbsp brown sugar1 egg1 cup milk1/4 melted butter1 1/2 cup chopped apples1/2 tsp cinnamon2 tsp brown sugar

• Pre heat oven to 375°F• In a bowl mix together chopped apples, cinnamon and 1 tsp brown sugar.• Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and brown sugar.• Add milk, egg and melted butter and mix only to dampen the flour.• Add apple mixture.• Spoon into muffin pans filling only two-thirds.• Bake for 20-25 minutes• Makes about 18 mini muffins

Keeps in the freezer for 2-3 weeks and in the refrigerator for 1 week.

• In a bowl combine chicken, rosemary, lemon pepper and salt. Marinate for 30 minutes.• Heat wok and add the olive oil. Panfry the chicken, skin side first. Remove from pan when completely cooked.• Remove half of the oil from the pan and sauté onions and garlic.• When the onion is cooked add the rice and the frozen peas, corn and carrots.• When the carrots are cooked add the chicken and the scrambled eggs.• Cook for about five more minutes.

Shortcut: Use leftover fried chicken or grilled chicken

• Pre heat oven to 350°F.• Mix garlic powder, rosemary and melted butter.• Flatten bread with rolling pin and cut into 2 pieces.• Brush one side of the bread with the butter mixture.• Roll the bread around the hotdog and secure with a toothpick.• Brush the outside of the bread with the butter mixture.• Bake at 350° for 15 minutes.

Shortcut: Prepare the sausage rolls the night before and just bake in the morning.

C5LIFES U N D AY : M AY 3 1 : 2 0 1 5




BACK TO SCHOOL STYLEThere’s all kinds of smart. Book smart, street smart, dress smart. Why choose one

when you can be all three?

BOO

K S

MA

RTST

REET

SM

ART

DRE

SS

SM

ART

Men’s Striped Cardigan, Surplus

Girls’ Plaid Shirt, Surplus

Varsity Jacket, Springfield

Long-sleeved Tee, Lacoste

Flats, Melissa

Men’s Jeans, SuperdryMen’s Braided Belt, SpringfieldRomper, LacosteZip-up Pouch, LeSportSac

Mocassins, Cortefiel

Ballet Flats, Cortefiel

Men’s Blazer, Cortefiel

Canvas Tote, Longchamp

Men’s Blue Check Shirt, Cortefiel

Khaki Skirt, Cortefiel

Polo Tee, Springfield

Men’s Shorts, Lacoste

Belt, Cortefiel Cork Wedge Sandals, Cortefiel

Dungarees, Cortefiel

Baseball Cap, Lacoste Live

Ramones Tee, Cortefiel

Striped Top, Lacoste Live

Tee, Superdry

Scarf, Springfield

Backpack, LeSportSac

Sundress, Lacoste

Front Pocket Shirt, Lacoste Live

Tee, Uniqlo UT

Tote Bag, Longchamp

Shirtdress, Cortefiel

Boat Shoes, H&MSocks, Cortefiel

Men’s Bird Print Shirt, H&M

Dress, CortefielFringed Necklace, Cortefiel

Tote Bag, LeSportSac

Men’s Hoodie, H&M

Sneakers, CortefielTee, Surplus

Tie, Cortefiel

Tee, Uniqlo UT

Polo Shirt, Surplus

Cortefiel www.cortefiel.comSuperdry www.superdry.comH&M www.hm.comSurplus at selected SM stores nationwideLeSportSac www.lesportsac.comLongchamp en.longchamp.comSpringfield www.spf.comMelissa www.melissaphilippines.com

Drawstring Bag, H&M

Belt, Cortefiel

SHOWBITZC6 ISAH V. REDE D I T O R

i s a h r e d @ g m a i l . c o m

SUNDAY : M AY 31 : 2015

ACROSS1 Do a double take6 Gateway to the

West10 Expire, as a policy15 Photo setting

(hyph.)20 Violet lead-in21 Fierce look22 Missouri range23 Jeweler’s lens24 Single-masted

boat25 Bucket of song26 Nut cake27 Michael Caine role28 Ready to pounce29 Admire oneself30 Makes no

progress (2 wds.)32 “Lullaby”

composer34 Healing plants36 PC button37 Crying shame40 — Montgomery

of jazz

41 Hairpin curve 42 Sheep-preying parrot 44 Tube trophy 48 Summer in Savoie 49 Mal de — 50 Hick 53 Unstable leptons 55 Billiards stick 56 Verify a recipe 58 Tarzan’s transport 59 Bloodhound’s clues 61 Helen, in Madrid 63 Kayak kin 64 Mythic archer 65 Warden’s fear 66 Squeezes dry 67 Short verse 69 Have a hunch 70 Send packing 71 Roman’s enemy 74 Remind too often 75 Mysteries 78 Game official 81 Rabbit’s foot 82 Bear in the air

83 Roswell crasher84 Ages and ages86 Cleaning cloth87 Playful one

(2 wds.)89 Blushes93 Cow’s “second

course”94 Office note95 Grounded birds96 Tankards97 Supervise100 Lab glassware102 Icy burg103 Hotel staffers104 Foreign body?108 Bracing109 Outfits110 D’Artagnan prop111 Villa112 Max. opposite113 Like the Sahara115 Coral islets116 Tumbler’s pad117 Flit about118 Violin parts120 Work — — sweat121 Hosp. staffer123 Position124 Scribbles down125 Make into leather127 Stumbled upon129 Headache131 Improvise (4 wds.)136 Not slouching138 Get the lead out?142 Moon valleys143 Secures a contract144 Take — —! (scram)145 Mineral analysis146 Leave no choice147 Banquet host148 More coarse149 Desist’s partner150 She took a gander151 Tech-support

callers152 Throw off heat153 Over-publicized

DOWN 1 Orange coating 2 High-fashion mag 3 Nefertiti’s god 4 Entertainer Bing — 5 Narrow down 6 Sirens 7 Tools with teeth 8 Manitoba tribe 9 Redhead’s dye 10 Jackpot games 11 They’re west of Lisbon 12 Fixes potatoes 13 Tijuana Ms. 14 Made do with 15 Defects 16 Comfort 17 End of a lion’s tail 18 Mayberry moppet 19 Jury member 21 Burrowing rodent 31 Actor — Connery 33 Floored 35 Bruce — of kung fu 37 Amazon source 38 Big-ticket — 39 Hatcher or Garr 42 — Vonnegut Jr. 43 Hyperion’s daughter 45 Reba of country 46 Bean-sprouts bean 47 Enthusiastic shouts 49 Warm-water shark 50 Fully mature 51 Band together 52 Flower plot 53 Dough 54 Antitoxins 57 Per person 58 Crude 59 Mount Hood locale 60 Carpe —! 62 Thpeak like thith 64 Balance-sheet gurus 66 Harms 68 Disquiet

69 Drum companions71 College stat72 Nose-bag morsel73 Chirping76 Elbows77 Withdraw79 Prow projection80 It may be fragile82 Seizes the throne85 Mine and thine88 Singer Tori —90 Atlanta campus91 Type of luck92 In a lather94 Liquefy

98 Competes for 99 Toward sunrise 100 Mounties’ org. 101 Huron neighbor 102 Zip 103 Drop — — line 105 “Othello” heavy 106 Coup d’— 107 Jarrett and Sparks 109 Economic fig. 111 Absorbs, as costs 114 Tuna anagram 115 FNC rival 116 Call together 119 Fads and crazes

121 Stevedore122 Racetrack prizes123 Small bundle124 Milk producer126 Supermarket area127 Property divider128 “The Wreck

of the Mary —”129 Kid’s classic130 Filter131 Goody-goody132 Prom rental133 Dog food brand134 Roquefort hue135 Sweet side dishes

137 Baba au — 139 PDQ 140 Business encl. 141 Watched carefully

A N S W E R F O R P R E V I O U S P U Z Z L E

CROSSWORD PUZZLE SUNDAY,

MAY 31, 2015

1. Barber’s Tales (APT Entertainment/ Octobertrain Films)2. Bwaya (Cinemalaya, FrontRow International, Eight Films, Source of Light Films)3. Dagitab (Ten17P)4. Mula Sa Kung Ano ang Noon, (Sine Olivia Pilipinas)

FOR BEST PICTURE HERE ARE THE NOMINEES:

DIRECTION:1. Giancarlo Abrahan,

Dagitab (Ten17P)2. Lav Diaz, Mula Sa Kung

Ano ang Noon, (Sine Olivia Pilipinas)

3. Jun Lana, Barber’s Tales(APT Entertainment, Inc./Octobertrain)

4. Jason Paul Laxamana, Magkakabaung(ATD Entertainment)

5. Francis Xavier Pasion, Bwaya (Cinemalaya, FrontRow International, Eight Films, Source of Light Films)

6. Kanakan-Balintagos, Esprit de Corps(Cinema One Originals Digital Film Festival)

(To be continued tomorrow)The 38th Gawad Urian will

be held on June 16 and will be aired live on Cinema One.

38TH GAWAD URIAN NOMINEES

How can an original Fil-ipino musical combine comedy, drama, ro-mance, action, decep-

tion, confessions, superheroes, supervillains, family and a maid? Manila’s newest theater group Dalanghita Productions, in co-operation with the Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA), proudly presents Kung Paano Ako Naging Leading Lady from Carlo Vergara’s one-act play and graphic novel of the same title. The musical revolves around the story of two sisters named Mely and Viva who both yearn to fulfill their dreams. Their sib-ling relationship and rivalry be-comes more complicated due to an unsettled past and a budding romance, all in the context of

an ongoing war between the su-perhero and supervillain teams. Being a maid is tough enough, but when Mely lands a job un-der a group of superheroes, she steps up to the unique challenge for the sake of her family. The musical takes us through the journey of the characters as each tries to find his/her place in the world where superheroes and supervillains exist. Kung Paano Ako Naging Lead-ing Lady is bringing back the artistic team behind Zsazsa Za-turnnah ze Muzikal, which was a huge success with its multiple runs (the popular comic book and musical was adapted onto the big screen afterwards). The cast boasts artists from the theater, television and film

industry. Topbilled to play the various roles are Menchu Lauchengco Yulo (Madre De Dios – leader of Fuwerza Fil-ipinas), Bituin Escalante and Frenchie Dy (Mely – maid of Fuwerza Filipinas), Kim Moli-na and Natasha Cabrera (Viva – Mely’s younger sister), and Markki Stroem and Hans Eck-stein (Leading Man – newest member of Fuwerza Filipinas). Lending support are the multi-faceted actors from Ma-nila’s different theater compa-nies, namely May Bayot (Nanay – Mely and Viva’s mother), As-tarte Abraham (Madre De Dios – alternate), Giannina Ocampo (Nena Babushka), Caisa Borro-meo (Windang Woman), Chesko Rodriguez (Popoy Pusakal), Jeff

Flores (Bazooka Man), Nar Cab-ico and Domi Espejo (Senyor Blangko – leader of Kayumang-gilas), Red Nuestro (Marakas Marko), Red Concepcion (Itak-Atak), Elliot Eustacio (Jeryc Sans Rival), and Vince Lim and Mikoy Morales (Henyotik). Kung Paano Ako Naging Lead-ing Lady opened on May 7 and will run for four weekends until June 7. The show starts prompt-ly at 8 p.m. (Thursday- Sunday). Matinee shows (Saturday-Sun-day) start at 3 p.m. All perfor-mances are at the PETA Theater Center located at No. 5 Eymard Drive, New Manila, Q.C.For bulk reservations, show buys, and inquiries, call or text 0998-5311389 or email [email protected].

NEW PINOY SUPERHERO MUSICAL

Scenes from the musical Kung Paano Ako Naging Leading Lady

SHOWBITZ C7ISAH V. REDE D I T O R


Rising Kapuso teen star Andre Paras is now a household, thanks to The Half Sisters, which has rat-ing very since it debuted on screen early this year. But guess what, the young star also gets starstruck when meeting other celebrities.

When Andre met Aiai de las Alas who crosses over to The Half, he couldn’t hide his fascination for the comedienne.

De las Alas plays DJ Jeni in the primetime series Let the Love Begin.

“I wanted to say ‘how I are you, I can’t wait to work with you (Aiai).’ Pero, the thing that came out of my mouth was just ‘Hi.’ Na-strastruck po ako. I can say na I’m honored to be working with her po,” An-dre who plays Bradley told some members of the press who were around during the taping.

The members of the audience who follow the afternoon series can watch Bradley and DJ Jen in The Half Sisters. The situation called for Bradley to visit the radio station where Jeni works as a DJ and he will declare his love for Diana (Bar-bie Forteza in the afternoon soap). Along with Buboy Villar as Marlon, Bradley is asking for Diana’s for-giveness and a second chance.

Aiai, on the other hand, ex-pressed her excitement for this special episode of the two shows, “Ang cute nga eh kasi ngayon ko lang na-experience na may cross-over yung mga shows.”

The crossover episode of DJ Jeni to The Half Sisters happens on June 3 after Eat Bulaga on GMA Afternoon Prime.

HHHHH

CHRISTIAN’S MOST CHALLENGING ROLE

Christian Bautista’s role in My Moth-er’s Secret is the most challenging so far for the singer who is now work-ing on being a full-fledged actor.

He says, “Ito na ang pinakama-hirap at pinaka challenging.”

Kapuso Network’s newest drama series My Mother’s Secret is drawing the attention of both the audience and netizens. After its pilot episode last Monday, many shared their com-ments about the good chemistry be-tween Gwen Zamora and Bautista.

But what really got the view-ers and netizens’ attention were the dramatic scenes with Bautista who plays Anton.

The singer was in the drama se-ries With A Smile and Strawberry Lane, yet Bautista considers his role in this new series as “pinaka-mahirap at pinaka challenging” that he has done so far.

He explains “Sa workshop, iba-ibang emosyon ang pinapagawa sa akin. As in wow, ang bigat…hin-di ko pa na-experience sa ibangsoaps na ginawa ko before. Kail-angan talaga full concentration, hugot kung hugot talaga.”

Meanwhile, this week, Vivian (Gwen) will return to the prov-ince and accidentally meet Anton. Will there still be a chance for Viv-ian and Anton to be together once more? Will Anton go through his engagement with Lorraine (Diva Montelaba)? Bautista was in Canada for GMA Pinoy TV Kapusong Pinoy Van-couver held on May 29 and in Ana-heim on May 31. He was with Aiai delas Alas, Alden Richards, Jona-lyn Viray, and Betong Sumaya. My Mother’s Secret airs Monday to Friday before 24 Oras on GMA.

HHHHH

CUE FOR QUBIERTOSQubiertos Grill & Restaurant chain is fast-becoming a favorite stop among families and foodies with its Filipino food specialties from various provinces. The list includes Bicol express, special laing from Bicol, pinakbet, bag-net and kambing dishes from Ilo-cos, dinakdakan from Mountain Province, sinugba from Visayas and Mindanao, and the boneless Cebu lechon.

The first branch opened on 117 Kalayaan Avenue, Quezon City in 2012. Two years later, another outlet opened on 69 D. Tuazon St. in the same city.

Instead of using “C” for cubi-ertos, the owners Norman Di-zon Gacula, Dorcas Miole, and Carmelita Gacula changed it to “Q” “to make it different” – just like the way the dishes on the menu are cooked.

Other classic Filipino favorites available are bulalo, crispy pata, kare-kare and the best-selling spicy lechon ribs.

With the popularity of the boneless Cebu lechon and spicy lechon ribs, Kuya Tom’s Boneless Cebu Lechon by Qubiertos Grill emerged. Kuya Tom is a mini-ver-sion of Qubiertos Grill. Kuya Tom’s has five branches and it is open for franchising. Exist-ing outlets are located in Kalayaan Ave., D. Tuazon, White Plains, and Granada -- all in Quezon City, and one in Balanga City, Bataan.

Art 2 Art pays tribute to the acclaimed “Dean of Filipino Comics,” National Artist for Visual Arts Francisco Coch-ing, in its episode today. Re-source persons are his widow, 91-year-old Filomena Coch-ing, and visual artist-grand-son Marco Coching. Produced by the Manila Broadcasting Company and hosted by prima ballerina Lisa Macuja, Art 2 Art is aired every Sunday, 3:30 to 4 p.m., on DZRH (666 khz on the AM band), on cable tele-vision via RHTV and online through DZRH Live Stream-ing at www.dzrh.com.ph. Gregorio Coching never finished his studies but be-came an apprentice of com-ics great Tony Velasquez at Liwayway Magazine. In 1934, at age fifteen, Coching creat-ed Bing Bigotilyo for Silahis Magazine. In 1935, he created

the amazon warrior Marabini for Bahaghari Magazine. At his peak, Coching was doing three weekly serials si-multaneously which he wrote and drew. Coching retired at age 54 in 1973, 39 years and 53 komiks novels later. All but three of those novels were filmed. Among his memorable creations are Hagibis, Sabas

ang Barbaro, El Indio, Bertong Balutan, Don Cobarde, Ang Kaluluwa ni Dante, Pagano, Haring Ulupong, Dumagit, Lapu-Lapu, Bulalakaw, Wal-das, Talipandas, Palasig, Movie Fan, Gat Sibasib, and Satur – all in the action-adventure genre. He passed away in 1998 and was posthumously named National Artist in 2014.

SUNDAY : M AY 31 : 2015

Next month CNN’s ‘Talk Asia’ catches up with Brit-ish singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran in Hong Kong

on the Asian leg of his global tour. Just five years ago, Sheeran was performing at pubs and sleeping on the London underground. Now the 24- year-old is topping charts, breaking records, and aligned with some of the most powerful players in the music industry.

Sheeran speaks to CNN’s Man-isha Tank about singing karaoke with pop star Psy in Seoul, his love of Bollywood films, and why he doesn’t have a plan B. The mu-sician also talks about the inspi-ration for his top-selling single “A Team”, and opens up about his friendship with Taylor Swift and his mentor Elton John.

Talk Asia on CNN airs 4:30 p.m. in Manila on June 4.

ED SHEERAN IN CNN’S ‘TALK ASIA’

TRIBUTE TO NATIONAL ARTIST FRANCISCO COCHING

po akoto be working with her dre who plays Bradley told some members of the press who were around during the taping.

who follow the afternoon series can watch Bradley and DJ Jen in The Half Sisters.for Bradley to visit the radio station where Jeni works as a DJ and he will declare his love for Diana (Barbie Forteza in the afternoon soap). Along with Buboy Villar as Marlon, Bradley is asking for Diana’s forgiveness and a second chance.

pressed her excitement for this special episode of the two shows, “Ang cute nga eh kasi ngayon ko lang naover

Jeni to June 3 after Eat Bulaga on GMA Afternoon Prime.

STARSTRUCK ANDRE From C8

Aiai de las Alas crosses over to The Half Sisters in which he meets Bradley (Andre Paras)

Andre Paras is starstruck in meeting comedian Aiai de las Alas

The love team of Gwen Zamora and Christian Bautista

is slowly attracting followers

Christian Bautista says his role in My Mother's Secret is the most challenging so far

Ed Sheeran is featured in

CNN's Talk Asia next week

Art 2 Art host Lisa Macuja with Filomena Coching and Marco Coching

C8 ISAH V. REDE D I T O R

World singing champion Jed Mad-ela’s latest album,Iconic, has been in the market since earlier this month without much fanfare. And why?

Madela, during a media launch for the album,, disclosed that it was his way, with the concurrence of the record label to release the album quietly for people to know that he can still sing.

In fact, the quiet release of the album makes him the first Filipi-no artist to release an album un-announced.

Living up to its album title, Icon-ic features Jed’s unique versions of songs that have been popularized previously by the likes of Madon-na (“Like A Prayer”), Mariah Car-ey (“Love Takes Time”), Celine Dion’( “That’s The Way It Is” and in the album featuring the group 5thGen), and Whitney Houston (”Didn’t We Almost Have It All”).

Jed is the only male Filipino art-ist to release an album featuring the hits of American pop divas.

“For a time, I was reported to have lost my voice due to sickness, and this album proves that I still have it. I’ve done things in this al-bum that I had not done before, and you’ll know what they are if you listen to ‘Iconic,’” said Jed.

“Iconic,” Star Music’s biggest album for 2015, also marks a first for Jed – a duet with Asia’s Song-bird Regine Velasquez-Alcasid in the classic song “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”

Jed also experiments with new sound and sumptuous beats with EDM-laced tracks such as his re-make of Christina Aguilera’s pop ballad “Beautiful,” “Like A Prayer (Brian Cua Sunset Remix),” “Beautiful (Moophs Remix),” and Jed’s original composition “Wel-come To My World,” which acts as the album’s opening and closing tracks served up in two versions.

Also included on the 14-track list are Jed’s remakes of Barbra Streisand’s “Evergreen,” Gloria

Estefan’s “Don’t Wanna Lose You Now,” Tiffany’s “If Love is Blind,” and Toni Braxton’s “You Mean the World to Me.” Iconic, produced by Jonathan Manalo and Jed, is now available at all record bars nationwide for only P350. Digital tracks can also be downloaded via leading re-cord stores all over the country

and in online music stores such as iTunes, Mymusicstore.com.ph, Amazon.com, and Starmusic.ph.

HHHHH

MEET THE #ULTIMATEBANDKADA

JUDGESManila, as we know, is brimming with tons of incredible talent. From art to music, gifted individuals have

slowly been making themselves known through various events and competitions. Helping us spot some bands with potential are the judges chosen for Greenwich’s The #Ulti-mateBandkada Search. After a three-month boot camp, eight Bandkada finalists will have to make a lasting impression on a panel of judges comprised of a few

of the best in the local music in-dustry, namely: EVP of Viva Music Group MG Mozo, A&R Manager CivFontanilla, singer-songwriters Thyro Alfaro and Mark Bautista, Greenwich General Manager Al-bert Cuadrante, Greenwich Mar-keting Director Pamela Reyes, and JB Music owner Jericho Fernando. The list may sound intimidat-ing, but unlike most music com-petitions, the Greenwich #Ulti-mateBandkada Search is not a hit-the-right-notes-or-go-home kind of event. The seven judges are looking for more than just the musical prowess. There will always be something new and interesting from the younger and fresher minds; and guidance from mentors and judges can turn something creative into a brilliant masterpiece. As the judg-es unearth new talents, stoke their fires,and critique them in terms of originality, genre mash up, audi-ence impact, chemistry, and stage presence, they will also simultane-ously act as support beams. Because where there is talent, there should also be people to nurture it, making sure their stars stay shining bright.

SHOWBITZ

SUNDAY : M AY 31 : 2015

JED MADELA’S BIGGEST ALBUM OF THE YEAR

ISAH V. RED

➜ Continued on C7

For a time, I was reported to have

lost my voice due to sickness, and this album

proves that I still have it. I’ve done

things in this album that I had not done before, and you’ll know what they are

if you listen to ‘Iconic

– Jed Madela, singer

Finding the next singing sensation is in the hands of The #UltimateBandkada-Judges MG Mozo, Civ Fontanilla, and Jericho Fernando, among others

SHOWBITZAfter releasing Icon a month ago without fanfare, Jed Madela finally meets the press to announce the official release of the album

Jed Madela performs

Celine Dion's "That's The

Way It is" with 5th Gen


The Standard - 2015 May 31 - Sunday

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Transcript of The Standard - 2015 May 31 - Sunday