the standard - 2015 july 26 - sunday

VOL. XXIX � NO. 166 � 3 Sections 24 Pages P18 � SUNDAY: JULY 26, 2015 � www.thestandard.com.ph � [email protected]

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BISHOPS PRAY FORIGLESIA

SOCIAL

AQUINO DRAWS PRE-SONA FLAK

CLINICAL, INTELLECTUAL, CYNICAL

PH-CHINA TIES. An employee of the Philippine Postal Corporation holds a copy of newly - released commemorative stamps marking the 40th anniversary of the Philippines-China diplomatic relations. DANNY PATA

CHINA HITSOUT AT USREMARK ON SEA SPAT

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THE United States is trying to influ-ence a United Nations arbitration tribunal hearing the Philippines’ complaint against China over mari-time disputes in the South China Sea, according to the state-owned Xinhua news agency.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokes-person Lu Kang scored the remark made by IS assistant state secretary Daniel Russell who said arbitration is the only practical means left for China and the Philippines to solve competing claims in the South China Sea, Xinhua reported.

Lu also touched upon issues con-cerning entitlement of maritime fea-tures and jurisdiction of the arbitral tribunal, the report added.

But China’s position of neither accepting nor participating in the case at the Permanent Court of Ar-bitration in The Hague remains un-changed and the U.S. should fulfill its pledge not to take sides on the South China Sea issue on Friday and reaffirmed that the U.S. is not a party concerned. Next page

Lawmakers critical of the ad-ministration’s policies said they also expect Aquino to once again blame the past administration for the country’s woes which they said should have been addressed by his administration during his six-year presidency.

House deputy minority leader

and 1-BAP party-list Rep. Silves-tre Bello III said that apart from boasting his supposed accom-plishments under his watch, Pres-ident Aquino III is also expected to blame his predecessor for the “failures” of his government.

Bello also said he anticipates the President to make new sets of

empty promises for the Filipino people.

“I expected President Aquino III to talk about his accomplish-ments, [while at the same time], blame his predecessor for his failures and make promises he cannot accomplish,” Bello said.

By Maricel Cruz, Vito Barcelo and Sarah Susanne Fabunan

AS the country gets ready for President Benigno Aquino III’s final State of the Nation Address (SONA), opposition law-makers, labor and activists lashed out at the administration’s failure to unite the country and to address some basic issues. Next page

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AQUINOFrom A1...

PALACE ADMITS ISSUESIN YOLANDA AID FUNDS

Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte made the admission af-ter reports that only P47 billion out of the P167.9 billion funds under the Comprehensive Rehabilitation and Recovery Plan have been released as of June 2015.

But Valte blamed local officials be-cause the Executive Branch cannot start reconstructing houses until local governments can identify and find a land that are safe for building.

“We do face challenges when it comes to implementation of the proj-ect. While the executive will take care of building and rebuilding the homes, the local government will be in charge of getting or identifying land that can be used for the relocation,” Valte said.

In a forum last Friday, the Cana-dian Catholic Organization for De-velopment and Peace, Caritas Phil-ippines and the Freedom from Debt Coalition presented a study showing the Aquino administration’s “slug-gish” implementation of the recon-struction program.

“The delivery of reconstruction assistance continue to be riddled with infirmities, irregularities and reported misuse of public funds and people’s money—while the major-ity of the people who bear the brunt of sufferings, not only remain poor, hungry and jobless,” the study said.

During the presentation of the study, entitled “Portrait of the Recon-struction Initiatives in the Areas Af-

fected by Super Typhoon Yolanda,” groups involved in the rehabilitation of Yolanda survivors cited the Aqui-no government’s “slow delivery” of assistance to victims.

The groups particularly pointed out the dismal completion of only 2,100 houses by the end of 2014, which is still very way below the much needed and targeted 205,128 shelters.

They said the backlog in the con-struction of shelters was attributed to the availability of suitable lands, which would have been easier if the govern-ment has a proper inventory of lands.

They also expressed alarm over the government’s prolonged signifi-cant delays in fund releases.

The groups said that only P2.4 billion of the targeted P26 billion for social services was funded in 2014 apart from the P13.6 billion released for resettlement of the required P75 billion, P2.4 billion of the P26 billion for target social services, P9.8 billion of the P33 billion funds for livelihood, and

P21.5 billion of the P35 billion budget for infrastructure.

Meanwhile, House Independent Bloc leader and Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez hoped the admin-istration will be able to complete its long-term rehabilitation and rebuild-ing efforts in Yolanda-stricken areas by the end of President Aquino III’s term on June 30, 2016.

Romualdez said he expects the gov-ernment to accomplish what it prom-ised to deliver for Yolanda victims.

“We expect the President to fulfill his promise before his term ends on June 30, 2016,” Romualdez said, stressing that a lot has to be done to help the Yolanda victims to get back on their feet.

Romualdez, whose district in Tacloban City was the hardest-hit Yolanda area, earlier lamented that only P47 billion out of the P167.9 billion committed funds under the Comprehensive Rehabilitation and Recovery Plan (CRRP) as of June 2015 were reportedly downloaded.

CHINAFrom A1...

Lu said Russell’s comment is at-tempting to push forward the Phil-ippines’ unilateral move on arbitra-tion of the South China Sea issue.

The US acts like an “arbitrator outside the tribunal”, designating the direction for the arbitral tribu-nal established at the request of the Philippines, Lu said.

This is inconsistent with the stance the U.S. claims to uphold on the South China Sea issue, Lu said, and he also urged the U.S. not to undermine regional peace and stability.

On Jan. 22, 2013, the Philip-pines unilaterally initiated com-pulsory arbitration proceedings with respect to the relevant issues between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea.

Since then, the Philippines has “obstinately” pushed for the above-mentioned arbitration proceed-ings despite repeated objections of China, the Xinhua report said.

According to Lu, in 2006, the Chinese government made a dec-laration in pursuance of Article 298 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, excluding disputes regarding such matters as those related to maritime de-limitation and historic titles from

the compulsory dispute settlement procedures including arbitration.

That is a proper practice of ex-ercising the rights to which China is entitled under the international law as a state party to the UN-CLOS, Lu said.

According to Lu, the Philip-pines’ initiation of the arbitration ignored China’s legitimate rights under such international laws as the UNCLOS, and breached com-mitments made by the Philippines not to unilaterally seek arbitration.

Lu said China’s stance is based on international law and has been clearly stated in the position paper published by the Foreign Ministry in December last year in response

to the arbitration.The Chinese government pub-

lished a position paper on Dec. 7, 2014, to elaborate on the legal basis for China’s position on the arbitra-tion proceedings. It says that the Arbitral Tribunal manifestly has no jurisdiction in this case.

According to the position paper, China and the Philippines have agreed, through bilateral instru-ments and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, to settle their relevant disputes through negotiation.

It says by unilaterally initiating the present arbitration, the Phil-ippines has violated its obligation under international law.

RAZOR WIRE WELCOME. A city worker readies a razor wire obstacle that will be placed at stretegic places around the Batasang Pambansa where thousands of protesters are expected to troop when President Benigno Aquino III delivers his State of the Nation speech on Monday. EY ACASIO

By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan and Maricel V. Cruz

THE Palace admitted on Saturday that the Aquino ad-ministration is facing “challenges” in implementing its rehabilitation program for the survivors of Super Typhoon Yolanda that devastated the country in 2013.

Bello also lamented that the Aqui-no government has failed to serve justice for the “Fallen 44” and their families and loved ones.

Bello was referring to the bloody encounter between the Philippine National Police-Special Action Force troops and members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in Mamasa-pano, Maguindanao which claimed the lives of 44 SAF troops. He added the Mamasapano debacle rocked the Aquino presidency.

But Isabela Rep. Rodolfo Albano III, also a member of the House Minor-ity Bloc, said the much awaited sixth and final State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, July 27 might also highlight the major accomplish-ments of the Aquino government, including its efforts to facilitate “rapid, inclusive, and sustainable growth in the country.”

“We expect to hear promises that were not broken” Albano said.

Since the President’s SONA next week will be his last as his term ends on June 30, 2016, Albano said it is also expected of the President to mention to the Filipino people “what to expect” towards the remaining 11 months of his presidency.

“It is his last SONA so he should tell us what happened during the five years of Aquino presidency and to expect the best that is yet to come,” Albano said.

Reps. Jonathan de la Cruz of Abakada party-list, Bolet Banal of Quezon City, and Gus Tambunting of Parañaque City said they are also looking forward to what the President would say in his last SONA.

De la Cruz said it is expected of the President to highlight the so-called “accomplishments” of his ad-ministration.

“This being his last SONA, I am sure [President Aquino III] will high-light the reforms and strides under Daang Matuwid and the need to continue with these initiatives. But the question is: Are the reforms and achievements for real and whether our people are truly benefitting from these strides?” de la Cruz, member of the House Independent Bloc of Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez.

Tambunting said he anticipates that President Aquino III would stress the need for his “anointed one” in 2016 to continue what the chief executive claimed to have been initiated under his watch.

“I think the President will tell us the situation of the when he took over, what he did to correct it and the accomplish-ments during his terms; and he will give us the criteria in choosing his successor,” Tambunting said.

Banal said he expects the President to call for unity to be able to continue the gains of his presidency.

“I hope that as he highlights the achievements of his administration, he would likewise emphasize the need for all of us to unite, to continue the reforms and programs of Daang Matuwid,” Ba-nal, a House deputy majority leader, said. “Unless we protect the gains of Daang Matuwid, there is a real danger that our country will return to the old, corrupt practices of the past,” Banal added.

As this developed, the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines criticized the Aquino administration for ignor-ing the 24 million poor Filipino work-ers’ appeal to raise the wages whose income still cannot cope even with the barest cost of basic food and non-food needs set by the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA).

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S u n d ay : j u ly 2 6 , 2 0 1 5

news A3

SC urged to reSolve 3 poll CaSeS in ‘beSt time’By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan

THE Palace urged the Supreme Court on Saturday to urgently resolve the three pending petitions filed against the Commission on Elections’ bid to find new election machines to avoid further delay in their preparations for the 2016 national polls.

“It also cannot be gain said that the Supreme Court is aware of the urgency of the situation going into May 2016 elections. We are hoping that these petitions will be consid-ered in the best possible time... to en-able Comelec to continue to prepare

for peaceful and orderly elections,” said Deputy Presidential Spokes-person Abigail Valte in an interview over a State-owned Radyo ng Bayan.

Comelec chairman Andres Bau-tista earlier admitted that the Comelec cannot afford any further delays in

CatholiCbishops:pray for iNC tooBy Sara Susanne D. Fabunan

CATHOLICS should also pray for the Iglesia ni Cristo amid the controversy that the influential religious group is undergoing, Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines president Arch-bishop Socrates Villegas said on Saturday.

“Ka Angel called for prayers. We should pray for whoever is asking for it regardless of condi-tion, regardless of nationality, regardless of belief,” Villegas said.

“We would ask God that we hope that they would be able to overcome their current situation and resolve it without causing much negative effect on anyone’s lives,” the prelated added.

Villegas made the remarks as Malacañang said the government cannot interfere in the INC’s internal dispute and can only limit itself to action if any crime is committed.

In a weekly radio interview, Deputy Presidential Spokesper-son Abigail Valte on said the only thing the State can do is to deter-mine whether there was a crime committed by parties involved.

“Remember, the State is only concerned with any possibility that a crime may have been com-mitted, but the State cannot in-volve itself with regards to other issues,” Valte said in a radio inter-view over a State-owned Radyo ng Bayan.

She said Justice Secretary Lei-la de Lima has already ordered a team from the National Bureau of Investigation to verify allega-tions of crimes.

On Wednesday night, Felix Nathaniel “Ka Angel” Manalo uploaded a 1:54-minute video on YouTube claiming threats to his life and that of his mother and siblings.

The voice of a woman who introduced herself as Cristina also appealed to INC mem-bers for help because their lives were supposedly in danger, and urged them to rescue her chil-dren Angel and daughter Lottie as well as their companions.

Chris browN parties after ordealGRAMMY winner Chris Brown partied in Macau with a gold-toothed grin, as officials said Saturday he had left his promoter in a Philippine jail facing a legal dispute with a powerful religious sect.

The 26-year-old American hip-hop star left Manila airport on board a Gulf Stream jet late Friday as immi-gration police arrested his promoter, John Michael Pio Roda for fraud, immigration bureau spokeswoman Elaine Tan told AFP.

Brown had been barred from leaving the Philippines for three days after the politically-connected Christian group Iglesia ni Cristo filed the fraud complaint against him and his promoter Roda.

The group said it was owed a million-dollar-plus refund after

he failed to show up for a New Year’s Eve concert sponsored by them last year.

But Brown secured an emi-gration clearance certificate on Friday, and immediately flew to Macau to host a party dubbed “Girls Night Out”.

“Yo Manila we love y’all but Macau is poppin’ We’re in a Rolls Royce baby!” Brown said in a video posted on his Instagram account where the pop music lothario has 12 million followers.

“We made it!” one of his com-panions blurted, in an apparent reference to Brown’s Manila ordeal.

Brown’s gold-plated teeth shim-mered in the two videos taken on the backseat of his limousine and in his Macau hotel room.

“My room got a fucking vid-

eo game system. This is crazy!” Brown said, as he showed off two giant video screens and a mini-bar in his suite.

The tattooed and pierced star said on Twitter that he would perform in Hong Kong on Saturday.

Roda, a Canadian national, will be detained in Manila until the immigration bureau resolves his deportation case for fraud in connection with the Iglesia case and working in the country without a per-mit, Tan said.

The deportation proceedings is separate from the criminal complaint filed at the justice de-partment, which will determine whether charges will be filed in court, she said. AFP, Vito Barcelo

their ongoing parallel public bidding for the automated elections system.

“At this point, (continued de-lays are) hypothetical. But I think we cannot afford any more delays. We’ve got to move forward,” Bau-tista said, lamenting that further de-lays would have a “serious material impact” in their bid to hold a cred-ible election.

“It will materially impact our elections in 2016, any further delay after August, in how we can conduct it in a credible fashion,” he added.

Right now, he said, Comelec of-ficials and its lawyers are now scram-bling to at least be able to come up a

decision by middle of August as their “crucial and deadliest” deadline.

“By working harder, that’s why we are trying to expedite matters,” Bau-tista said.

Comelec commissioner Christian Robert Lim said the delays have pre-vented them from meeting the time-line that they had been targeting.

“Definitely, our timeline will not move. In fact we are looking at the possibility of issuing a notice to proceed even beyond August 1. In fact we have requested the Comelec Advisory Council for a meeting re-garding the timelines if it can still be done,” Lim said.

ProteSt Alert. Metro Manila development authority chairman francis Tolentino stresses a point to law enforcers as they discussed security and traffic plans for the metropolis on Monday when president benigno aquino iii delivers his last state of the Nation address. DANNY PAtA

PrAY For the IgleSIA. Catholic bishops Conference of the philippines president and lingayen archbishop socrates Villegas urges families to also pray for the iglesia Ni Cristo during a religious gathering in Manila on saturday. PNA Photo

fashion show. It is concrete proof of the merger between politics and showbusi-ness. But even more telling, it is irrefutable evidence that the people in this country who can afford to splurge on the most expensive clothes are mostly politicians. Getting elected into office must really be lucrative. Most of the legislators will have not just one outfit prepared for tomorrow, they will also be dressing up their whole family, all of whom will be there struggling to stay awake and look interested.

The questions that beg to be answered, though, are: Why are all these people dressed like they are going to the opera or to

a ball? Why are the women dressed in elab-orate ternos, some with trains that take up a lot of space and make walking difficult? Worse, what drives these people to wear clothing that must be so uncomfortable? The presidential sister who must not be named in this column remarked in public television recently that she was in a very bad mood because the gown she is supposed to wear tomorrow is so stiff and difficult to wear. Given all these aggravations, why do people bother with the frivolity?

I understand that it’s a formal affair and that people dress up as a sign of re-spect for the President (or at least the

chair he is sitting on), but why can they not just dress up in business attires? The various fashion statements are actually distracting and reduce the significance of the event, so that red carpet during the SONA really has to go. It’s time to go back to the basics and reclaim the simple ele-gance of previous SONAs when the whole focus of the occasion was the President’s report, not the various sideshows and cir-cuses that compete for attention. But then again, maybe that is the reason why these distractions are there to begin with—there’s not much we can expect from the President’s SONA anyway.

OPINIONA4

[ EDI TORI A L ]

A FAITH SHAKEN

A5ADELLE CHUAE D I T O R

S U N D AY, J U LY 2 6 , 2 0 1 5

OPINION

PRESIDENT Benigno S. Aquino III will deliver his last State of the Nation Address tomorrow. Once again, the political, the personal, and showbusiness will collide in a grand spectacle that will be en-lightening, exasperating, but defi-nitely entertaining.

We expect the President to drumbeat the achievements of his Presidency, and it is not farfetched to imagine that it will be a long, long list. He will take credit for a lot of things, including those that

were started long before he be-came President (such as the con-ditional cash transfer program which is being touted as the reason behind the reduction in the num-ber of those who are hungry) and those that would have turned out well regardless of who was sitting in Malacañan Palace. He will be si-lent on a lot of promises that didn’t get done, and will gloss over the many failures of his administra-tion. The SONA is the President’s version of reality. He is not ex-pected to commit self-flagellation. Thus, everything that is reported in the SONA must really be taken with the proverbial grain of salt.

We expect the Liberal Party to transform the occasion into the equivalent of a miting de

avance, a veritable show of force. Given how Senator Grace Poe has spurned the party’s ardent pursuit for her to form an alliance with them and ultimately help catapult Mar Roxas into the presidency, the Liberal Party needs to rally

the troops and show the whole world that not only are they the party in power, they are the party to beat in 2016. And the SONA is probably one of the very rare occasions when a political party can legitimately piggyback on an event of national significance.

Because we live in a country where devotion to political per-sonalities—and political families —is actually common, we also expect the yellow brigade to come full force, hang on to every word the President says, break into ap-plause at the slightest provoca-tion, and at the end of it all, rave about the whole performance. There will be people who will count the number of times the speech is interrupted by applause,

whether spontaneous or instigat-ed by the peanut gallery.

Of course there will also be a circus outside the House of Repre-sentatives. The usual suspects will chant slogans, burn effigies, and deliver what they would claim to be a more factual state-of-the-na-tion address. They might even be joined by some legislators look-ing for an opportunity to make a political statement that might just merit mention in the various re-portage about the event.

But tomorrow’s event will pri-marily be remembered not for what the President or anyone else said, but for what people wore to the event.

The annual SONA has become the country’s most spectacular

DISTRACTIONS

AS AWAITED as the words President Aqui-no will utter tomorrow during his State of the Nation Address are the numerous versions of Filipiniana that our government officials, es-pecially the women, would wear.

Year after year, the red carpet comes into focus and the officials or their significant oth-ers gamely pose for the cameras.

With the fanfare, you’d think it were the Academy Awards instead of the annual re-porting of the Chief Executive to his bosses who installed him in power in the first place.

The attention from the media and the pub-lic, as well as the dedication of these fashion-forward VIPs, have gotten to a point where activist groups have asked them to tone down the display in deference to the poor, hungry, ill-clothed and unemployed Filipinos out there.

A little sensitivity is in order, they say.I have no problem, however, with the an-

nual fashion show. Yes, there is entertainment value. Yes, some of the memes are hilarious. And some of the dresses are lovely to begin with.

More than that, it is a peek into what is in-side the heads and hearts of the people who run the show in this country.

What do they hold important? How does this manifest in the way they carry them-selves?

Dictating on the officials to tone down the way they dress is an infringement into their personal sphere—and nobody wants that. We’re not the fashion police here. Nor are we dictators.

If they want to strut their way to the Batasan wearing a gown embroidered with diamonds, let them. Whose good judgment would come into attack? Who will be criticized as having no sense of the suffering in this country? Not mine, certainly.

And if they want ridiculous feathers, or elaborate lace, by all means, let them. Their own common sense, not ours, would come under scrutiny.

Sometimes the best way to ask people not to do something is to actually tell them they can do whatever they want—and then spook them with the consequences.

In the end, a person does not stand or fall on one outfit worn on a single day.

Our government officials’ value is not to delight us with what they wear, however tacky or classy. It’s one afternoon -- let the ladies wear their dresses. Everybody likes getting dolled up sometimes.

The SONA is not just reporting day. It also marks the beginning of legislative sessions where laws are crafted and debated. Do we really care what Representative X is wearing or how unflattering Senator Y’s outfit looks on her? No, as long as they give us good laws, they raise valid questions, make us think, use our money well and not make us cringe in shame that they are the ones representing us, we’re fine. They can wear rags or gold bullions for all we care.

By all means, let us watch the fashion show tomorrow. Our eyes must feast, sometimes. But after that, let us hear and let us think, and let our officials show us what they are made of —sans the trimmings, sans the promises.

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DISPLAY

IT IS unfortunate what is happening to the family behind the mil-lions-strong Iglesia ni Cristo.

In a strange and sudden twist of events, we heard one morning that the head of the religious sect had expelled his own mother and his own brother from the congregation.

Eduardo Manalo did this supposedly because the two had earlier posted a video on YouTube claiming they were being held against their will and that their lives were in danger.

As in a striptease, Iglesia members and the rest of the nation dis-covered bits and pieces here and there of what truly ails the religious denomination previously thought solid and unshakable. There were allegations of a power struggle, massive corruption, and an internal family conflict as well as harassment and threats to senior members of the church who dared expose what was going on.

It is unthinkable that such divisions would wrack the Iglesia, a group so cohesive that it often elected its politicians as a herd.

That this should happen at this critical point when elections are just around the corner increases the stakes.

We will probably never get to the bottom of what is happening right now, much more so why they are happening. Whatever it is, it has only succeeded in alarming and confusing millions of church members who take their religion religiously, even though they are well outside the circles of power that determine the course of their organization—a significant aspect of their personal and family lives.

What this reminds us of is that even the most stable organiza-tions can find themselves threatened by what happens within, and especially at the top. This is, after all, not entirely foreign even to other religions. Catholics for instance have long contended with the fallibility and weaknesses of their leaders, supposedly the holiest of men.

It thus becomes imperative that the faithful distinguish between their own spirituality and relationship with their god and the hu-manity of those who lead their organization. The faithful are really faithful when no amount of scandal or challenge could shake their faith and oneness with the community.

If they are not able to tell the two apart, their religious leaders may be doing an inadequate job of shepherding the flock and guiding them as they make sense of their life experiences.

The SONA is the President’s version of reality. He is not

expected to commit self-flagellation.

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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

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Republic of the PhilippinesENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION

San Miguel Avenue, Pasig City

IN THE MATTER OF THE APPLICATION FOR APPROVAL OF THE INTERIM SUPPLY AGREEMENT (ISA) AND INTERIM SUPPLY CONTRACT (ISC) ENTERED INTO BY AND BETWEEN TARLAC II ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE, INCORPORATED (TARELCO II) AND SAN MIGUEL ENERGY CORPORATION (SMEC), WITH PRAYER FOR PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY

ERC CASE NO. 2015-118 RC

TARLAC II ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE, INCORPORATED (TARELCO II) AND SAN MIGUEL ENERGY CORPORATION (SMEC)

Applicants.

x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - xNOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

TO ALL INTERESTED PARTIES:

Notice is hereby given that on June 23, 2015, Tarlac II Electric Cooperative, Incorporated (TARELCO II) and San Miguel Energy Corporation (SMEC) filed an application for approval of their Interim Supply Agreement (ISA) and Interim Supply Contract (ISC), with prayer for provisional authority.

In the said application, TARELCO II and SMEC alleged, among others, that:

1. TARELCO II is an electric cooperative duly organized and existing under and by virtue of the laws of the Republic of the Philippines, with principal office address at Barangay San Nicolas, Concepcion, Tarlac. It is the holder of a franchise issued by the National Electrification Commission (NEC) to operate and distribute electric light and power service to its member-consumers in the Municipalities of Bamban, Capas, Concepcion and La Paz, all in the Province of Tarlac, and the Municipality of Zaragoza in the Province of Nueva Ecija;

2. SMEC is a domestic corporation organized and existing under the Philippine laws, with office address at 2nd Floor 808 Building, MERALCO Avenue corner Gen. Lim St., Barangay San Antonio, Pasig City. It is the Independent Power Producer (IPP) Administrator of the 1,000 Net Contracted Capacity of the Sual Coal-Fired Thermal Power Plant located in Barangay Pangascasan, Sual, Pangasinan;

3. Procurement Process. TARELCO II’s 22 MW contracted capacity with GNPower Mariveles Coal Plant Ltd. Company (GMCP) which is supposed to be effective on December 26, 2012 was not delivered on schedule because the latter missed the expected date of commercial operation due to a series of fine tuning and reliability testing of its newly constructed 2 x 300 MW coal power plant. TARELCO II entered into an ISA with GMCP for the allocation of contracted capacity depending on the output of its facility (2 x 300 MW Power Plant) while the remaining power requirement is sourced from the Wholesale electricity Sport Market (WESM);

TARELCO II’s ISA with GMCP expired on February 25, 2014 while the latter’s Commercial Operation was declared on February 26, 2014. However, GMCP’s supply status is still non-firm up to present due to some problems to be corrected;

Relative to the supply situation of GMCP, TARELCO II’s option is to look for another power supplier to mitigate the effect of price volatility in the WESM and to sustain its member-consumers’ increasing demand and newly connected big loads;

TARELCO II exerted best efforts in soliciting available generation supply from other power providers but only SMEC was able to spare it a 4 MW supply, under an ISA, beginning February 26, 2014 until December 25, 2015. In a letter dated May 27, 2014, SMEC agreed to increase the contract capacity by an additional 6 MW due to the increasing demand of TARELCO II’s member-consumers and newly connected big loads up to September 25, 2014. Still due to GMCP’s non-firm supply status up to September 2014, TARELCO II increased the contracted capacity by another 5 MW or a total of 15 MW beginning September 26, 2014 for two (2) years under the ISC or until Commercial Operations Date (COD) of SMC Consolidated Power Corporation (SCPC)’s 2 x 150 MW CFB Power Plant in Limay, Bataan. To formalize this agreement, they executed the ISC which is the subject of the instant application. The said ISC supersedes the ISA. Below is a summary of the contracts:

Document Period CapacityISA February 26, 2014 to June 25, 2014 4,000 kWISC June 26, 2014 to September 25, 2014 10,000 kWISC September 26, 2014 to COD 15,000 kW

Resulting Rate with the ISA

Table 1: TARELCO II’s Projected Load Allocations with the Current Suppliers (kWh)

Supplier kW Load Factor, %

BCQ/WESMPurchased,kWh

EnergyCost,PhP

Effective Rate, PhP/kWh

GMCP 22,000 100% 16,060,000 66,796,752.00 4.1592WESM

4,000 100% 2,920,000 28,616,000.00 9.8000Imbalances - 591,978 5,801,384.40 9.8000

Total 19,571,978 101,214,136.40 5.1714 Table 2: Combined Generation Rate From the Projected Load Allocations with the

Current Suppliers (kWh) and SMEC

Supplier kW Load Factor,

%

BCQ/WESM Purchased, kWh

Energy Cost PhP


GMCP 22,000 100% 16,060,000 66,796,752.00 4.1592SMEC 4,000 100% 2,920,000 13,870,000.00 4.7500WESM Imbalances - 591,978 5,801,384.40 9.8000Total 19,571,978 86,468,136.40 4.4180

4. Demand-Supply Scenario. TARELCO II’s demand already exceeded its contracted supply in 2014, thus requiring its additional supply from SMEC, TO WIT:

TARELCO II’S Contracted Supply and Effectivity(Years 2014 to 2028)

Contract Year

Load Forecast,

kW

Bilateral Contract Quantity (BCQ) Uncontracted Portion of

Forecasted Load, kWGMCP,

kWSMEC,

kWTotal,

kW2014 39,582 22,000 15,000 37,000 2,5822015 42,246 22,000 15,000 37,000 5,2462016 44,672 22,000 15,000 37,000 7,6722017 47,098 22,000 15,000 37,000 10,0982018 49,524 22,000 15,000 37,000 12,5242019 51,950 22,000 15,000 37,000 14,9502020 54,376 22,000 15,000 37,000 17,3762021 56,802 22,000 15,000 37,000 19,8022022 59,228 22,000 15,000 37,000 22,2282023 61,654 22,000 15,000 37,000 24,6542024 64,080 22,000 15,000 37,000 27,0802025 66,643 22,000 15,000 37,000 29,6432026 69,309 22,000 15,000 37,000 37,9642027 72,081 22,000 2028 74,964 22,000

Remarks:1. Uncontracted capacity is based on 2014 DDP as submitted to the DOE (2014

base year)2. Contracted Energy:

a. GMCP = kW total x 365 days/year x 24 hours/day x 70% to 100% Capacity Factorb. SMEC = kW total x 365 days/year x 24 hours/day x 35% to 100% Capacity Factor c. SCPC = kW total x 365 days/year x 24 hours/day x 40% to 100% Capacity Factor

3. All imbalances will all be taken from the WESM4. Upon COD (targeted for calendar year 2016), SMEC will supply 15 MW from

SMEC

5. They signed the ISC for TARELCO II’s base load electricity requirements. The contract was executed in counterparts: SMEC signed on December 15, 2014 while TARELCO II signed on October 17, 2014. The ISC has the following salient points:

5.1 Term. The ISC shall take effect between the Parties upon signing and shall be effective until the COD of the 2 x 150 MW CFB Coal-Fired Power Plant in Limay, Bataan of SCPC;

5.2 Contract Capacity. Beginning June 26, 2014 until September 25, 2014, the Seller agrees to deliver and the Buyer agrees to take and pay for 10,000 kW of capacity from the Plant. From September 26, 2014 until the COD of SCPC, the Contract Capacity shall be 15,000 kW. The Seller may allow an increase in the Contract Capacity upon application of the Buyer, and the Contract Capacity may be decreased subject to the payment of a buy-out fee;

5.3 Supply. The supply of the Contract Capacity shall commence on June 26, 2014, with a minimum hourly nomination of thirty-five percent (35%);

5.4 Discounts. The Seller provides the following discounts: a) Prompt Payment Discount (PPD) – three percent (3%) of the total Capacity and Energy Charges, subject to payment conditions (Start-up charges and WESM charges, if any, shall not be subjected to PPD); and b) Collection Efficiency Discount (CED) of up to a maximum of PhP0.20/kWh may be granted subject to compliance with certain payment requirements;

5.5 Capacity and Energy Fees. Under the ISC, TARELCO II shall pay the following capacity and energy fees to SMEC:

Period Covered Capacity Fees (PhP/kW-month) Energy Fees (PhP/kWh)

Contract Year 2015 Dollar Portion

Local Portion Fixed O&M Fuel

RateVariable

O&M (Dollar)

Variable O&M

(Local)

From To A1 A2 B C D1 D2

26-Jun-14 - 25-Jul-14 364.4788 896.5885 106.3830 2.0372 0.0626 0.0083

26-Jul-14 - 25-Aug-14 365.2465 903.7727 106.3830 2.0372 0.0626 0.0083

26-Aug-14 - 25-Sep-14 366.0167 905.1779 106.3830 2.0372 0.0626 0.0083

26-Sep-14 - 25-Oct-14 366.7896 900.8052 106.3830 2.0372 0.0626 0.0083

26-Oct-14 - 25-Nov-14 367.5650 908.0036 106.3830 2.0372 0.0626 0.0083

26-Nov-14 - 25-Dec-14 368.3430 903.6412 106.3830 2.0372 0.0626 0.0083

26-Dec-14 - 25-Jan-15 435.7443 1,030.7261 106.3830 1.9943 0.0626 0.0083

26-Jan-15 - 25-Feb-15 436.5275 1,032.1557 106.3830 1.9943 0.0626 0.0083

26-Feb-15 - 25-Mar-15 437.3133 1,016.4105 106.3830 1.9943 0.0626 0.0083

26-Mar-15 - 25-Apr-15 438.1017 1,035.0286 106.3830 1.9943 0.0626 0.0083

26-Apr-15 - 25-May-15 438.8928 1,030.7446 106.3830 1.9943 0.0626 0.0083

26-May-15 - 25-Jun-15 439.6864 1,037.9197 106.3830 1.9943 0.0626 0.0083

26-Jun-15 - 25-Jul-15 440.4828 1,033.6480 106.3830 1.9943 0.0626 0.0083

26-Jul-15 - 25-Aug-15 441.2818 1,040.8312 106.3830 1.9943 0.0626 0.0083

26-Aug-15 - 25-Sep-15 442.0834 1,042.2948 106.3830 1.9943 0.0626 0.0083

26-Sep-15 - 25-Oct-15 442.8877 1,038.0360 106.3830 1.9943 0.0626 0.0083

26-Oct-15 - 25-Nov-15 443.6947 1,045.2361 106.3830 1.9943 0.0626 0.0083

26-Nov-15 - 25-Dec-15 444.5044 1,040.9858 106.3830 1.9943 0.0626 0.0083

Contract Year 2016

26-Dec-15 - 25-Jan-16 445.3168 1,048.7765 106.3830 2.0145 0.0626 0.0083

26-Jan-16 - 25-Feb-16 446.1319 1,050.2653 106.3830 2.0145 0.0626 0.0083

26-Feb-16 - 25-Mar-16 446.9497 1,040.2622 106.3830 2.0145 0.0626 0.0083

26-Mar-16 - 25-Apr-16 447.7703 1,053.2533 106.3830 2.0145 0.0626 0.0083

26-Apr-16 - 25-May-16 448.5935 1,049.0088 106.3830 2.0145 0.0626 0.0083

26-May-16 - 25-Jun-16 449.4195 1,056.2642 106.3830 2.0145 0.0626 0.0083

26-Jun-16 - 25-Jul-16 450.2484 1,052.0284 106.3830 2.0145 0.0626 0.0083

26-Jul-16 - 25-Aug-16 451.0799 1,059.2942 106.3830 2.0145 0.0626 0.0083

26-Aug-16 - 25-Sep-16 451.9142 1,060.8165 106.3830 2.0145 0.0626 0.0083

26-Sep-16 - 25-Oct-16 452.7512 1,056.5957 106.3830 2.0145 0.0626 0.0083

26-Oct-16 - 25-Nov-16 453.5912 1,063.8756 106.3830 2.0145 0.0626 0.0083

26-Nov-16 - 25-Dec-16 454.4338 1,059.6655 106.3830 2.0145 0.0626 0.0083

5.6 Adjustment Formula. The Capacity and Energy Fees are subject to monthly adjustment based on the following formula and indices:

Capacity Fees

Monthly Capacity Payment (Dollar Portion converted to PhP):

PhP/kW-month xFOREX C

FOREX BWhere:

FOREXC = Average of the daily exchange rate of the Philippine Peso to the US Dollar, as posted by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) for the calendar month within which the start of the current Billing Period occurs

FOREXB = 41.749 PhP/USD

Monthly Capacity Payment (Local Portion in PhP):

PhP/kW-Month = No Indexation

Monthly Fixed Operations and Maintenance:

PhP/kW-month xPHIL CPI C

PHIL CPI B

Where:

PHIL CPIC = Consumer Price Index (CPI) for All Income Households in the Philippines – All Items (2006 = 100), as posted by the Philippine National Statistics Office (NSO) for the calendar month within which the start of the current Billing Period occurs

PHIL CPIB = 131.40

Energy Fees

Fuel Rate:

PhP/kWh

x

Global Coal Newcastle C x

FOREX C

Global Coal Newcastle B

FOREX B

Where:

Global Coal Newcastle C = Fuel Cost Index in USD/MT based on the Global Coal Newcastle posting representing the average index for the calendar month within which the start of the current billing Period occurs

Global Newcastle B = 89.41 USD/MT

FOREXC = Average of the daily exchange rate of the Philippine Peso to the US Dollar, as posted by the BSP for the calendar month within which the start of the current Billing Period occurs


Variable O&M (Dollar Portion):

PhP/kWh

x

FOAREX C x

EPI AVE FOREX B

Where:

FOREXC = Average of the daily exchange rate of the Philippine Peso to the US Dollar, as posted by the BSP for the calendar month within which the start of the current Billing Period occurs


EPIAVE = Average Export Price Index (EPI) for US, Japan and Europe

= JIC /JIB) + (USIC /USIB) + (EIC /EIB)]/3

Where:

JIC = Japan EPI six (6) months immediately preceding the adjustment date, taken from the International Financial Statistics (IFS) published by the International Monetary Fund (IMF)

JIB = 93.93

USIC = US EPI six (6) months immediately preceding the adjustment date, taken from the IFS published by the IMF

USIB = 91.70

EIC = EPI of a European country agreed between the IPP Counter Party and the IPP and notified to the Administrator six (6) months immediately preceding the adjustment date, taken from the IFS published by the IMF

EIB = 120.57

Variable O&M (Local Portion):

PhP/kWh xRPI C

RPI B

Where:

RPIC = Retail Price Index for All Items (2000=100) in Metropolitan Manila six (6) months immediately preceding the adjustment date, as published by the NSO

RPIB = 75.90

Base Indices:

Particulars September 2012Global Coal Newcastle Price Index USD/MT 89.41FOREX Rate PhP/USD 41.749US CPI (1982-84=100) Fixed 231.407Philippine CPI (2006=100 Fixed 131.40

January 1994Japan EPI (2010=100) Fixed 93.93US EPI (2010=100) Fixed 91.70Europe EPI (2005=100) Fixed 120.57Retail Price Index – Metro Manila (2000=100) Fixed 75.90

Rate Impact

6. The charges on Capacity and Energy Fees and rate discounts and adjustments under Annex II – A and Sections 9.1 and 9.2 of Article 9 of the ISC will result to lower generation cost charges for TARELCO II. Shown below is the rate impact summary:

Table 1: TARELCO II’s Generation Rate From the Current Suppliers (kWh)Supplier kW Load

Factor, %BCQ/WESMPurchased,

kWh

EnergyCost,PhP


GMCP 22,000 100% 16,060,000 66,796,752.00 4.1592WESM 15,000 100% 3,511,978 34,417,387.93 9.8000Total 37,000 19,571,978 114,462,102.00 5.1714

Table 2: Combined Generation Rate From the Projected Load Allocations with the Current Suppliers (kWth) and SMEC

Supplier kW Load Factor, %

BCQ/WESMPurchased,

kWh

EnergyCost,PhP


GMCP 22,000 100% 16,060,000 66,796,752.00 4.1592SMEC 15,000 100% 10,950,000 47,665,350.00 4.3530Total 37,000 27,010,000.00 114,462,102.00 4.2378

Savings 0.9336 The bases of Effective Rates used in Table 1, for both GMCP and WESM are the

purchased power for the period March 26, 2014 to March 25, 2015;

Based on the above simulations, SMEC’s rate is lower than the existing suppliers (Table 1) when combined inclusive of twelve percent (12%) VAT, PPD and CED;

It is evident that SMEC’s base load rate of PhP4.3530/kWh is cheaper than the WESM average rate of PhP9.8000/kWh, resulting in savings of PhP0.9336/kWh. This is the reason why TARELCO II entered into a bilateral contract with SMEC, to avoid exposure from the price volatility in the Spot Market and also to consider the non-firm supply of GMCP since December 26, 2012 to March 25, 2015;

All imbalances will all be taken from the WESM. When the average cost in the market is higher than the combined effective rates of SMEC and GMCP, TARELCO II’s generation cost will definitely reduce;

Further, TARELCO II is subjected to a minimum Capacity Factor of seventy percent (70%) and fifty percent (50%) declaration of hourly Contracted Demand with GMCP while SMEC has a minimum declaration of hourly contracted demand up to thirty-five percent (35%) level;

7. The instant application is, likewise, being filed by them in line with the first (1st) and fifth (5th) “whereas clauses” of the DOE Circular No. 2003-12-11 which are quoted hereunder:

“WHEREAS, Section 2 of Republic Act No. 9136, also known as the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001 or EPIRA, declared as a policy of the State, among others, [to ensure the quality, reliability, security and affordability of the supply of electric power;” (first “whereas clause”, Department of Energy Circular No. 2003-12-11.Underscoring supplied.)

“WHEREAS, pursuant to Section 23 of EPIRA, all distribution utilities, as defined in the law, SHALL HAVE THE OBLIGATION TO SUPPLY ELECTRICITY IN THE LEAST COST MANNER TO ITS CAPTIVE MARKET subject to the collection of retail rate duly approved by the Energy Regulatory Commission;” (fifth “whereas clause”, ibid. Underscoring supplied.)

8. Moreover, Section 1 of the same Department Circular declares as State policy that:

“All distribution utilities must henceforth take cognizance and assume full responsibility to forecast, assure and contract for the supply of electric power in the respective franchise areas to meet their obligations as a distribution utility.” (Underscoring supplied.)

9. By way of emphasis, Resolution No. 21, Series of 2005 of the Commission dated October 19, 2005 had directed all DUs “to enter into future bilateral power supply contract with power producers to be subjected to a review by the Commission.” (Underscoring supplied)

10. In the interest of the public, particularly, the Luzon-wide power consumers, there is a necessity for the immediate approval of the instant application in order that there will be no undue disruption in power supply and TARELCO II’s member-consumers shall, at the soonest possible time, benefit from lower generation cost;

11. In support of the instant application and in compliance with the documentary requirements of the Commission as provided under Article VI, Section 2 of the “Guidelines for the Recovery of Costs for the Generation Component by Distribution Utilities” as well as the pre-filing requirements mandated under Rule 6, Sections 2 to 4 of the ERC Rules of Practice and Procedure, they are submitting the attached documents which are made integral parts thereof, to wit:

Annex Nature of DocumentA TARELCO II’s Certificate of Franchise issued by the NEC

B TARELCO II Certificate of Registration issued by the National Electrification Administration (NEA)

C to C-1 TARELCO II Articles of Incorporation and By-LawsD SMEC Certificate of Registration with the Securities and Exchange commission

(SEC)E to E-1 SMEC Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws

F SMEC Board of Investment (BOI) Certificate of RegistrationG SMEC Latest General Information Sheet (GIS) filed with the SECH Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC)I Interim Supply Agreement J Letter dated May 27, 2014 from SMEC K ISC between TARELCO II and SMECL TARELCO II Board Resolution approving the PSC with SMECM TARELCO II Board Resolution approving the filing for approval of the ISC with the

CommissionN SMEC Board Resolution approving the ISC with TARELCO IIO Executive Summary of the ISC P Details of the ISC’s power rate calculations (confidential)Q Rate Impact, Purchased Power Rates, Sample Computations, and Comparisons

Between Existing and Proposed Rates R Details of the Procurement Process of Fuel S Copy of Related Agreements: Transmission Service Agreement between TARELCO

II and the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) T Certificate of Compliance (COC) issued by the CommissionU Relevant technical and economic characteristics of the Generation Capacity,

Installed Capacity, Mode of Operation, and Dependable CapacityV Details regarding the load forecast projectionsW Demand Side Management (DSM) program that could be implemented by

TARELCO II if approved by the CommissionX TARELCO II’s Latest Audited Financial Statement (AFS), Balance Sheet and

Statement of Cash FlowY SMEC’s Latest AFS, Balance Sheet and Statement of Cash FlowZ TARELCO II transmittal letters to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Tarlac and

Sangguniang Bayan of Concepcion/Certifications issued by said offices AA A copy of the newspaper where the instant application was published BB Affidavit of Publication

Request for Confidential Treatment of Information

12. Invoking the provisions of Rule 4 of the ERC Rules of Practice and Procedure, SMEC requests for the confidential treatment of the information contained in Annex “P” (Details of the ISC Power Rate Calculations);

13. SMEC is part of a group of companies which considers the exploration of several potential projects all over the Philippines for the operation, maintenance or administration of power plants similar to the plant involved in the instant application. As such, it has valuable proprietary interest in securing the confidentiality of the foregoing information, particularly, from existing and potential competitors in the power generation sector. Public exposure of these sensitive information/data, particularly, the full details thereof, could give these parties a competitive advantage over SMEC as they would have the opportunity and ability to utilize the ingenuity involved in the computations in arriving at the data/information sought to be protected;

Allegations in Support for the Motion for Provisional Authority

14. They replead the above allegations in support of their prayer for the immediate issuance of the provisional authority, anchored on the following grounds:

14.1 Considering the current limitations on the available capacity in the Luzon Grid, TARELCO II must source power from SMEC starting June 26, 2014 to avoid power outage in its franchise area. As such, it was constrained to implement the ISC under the belief that it will redound to the benefit of its member-consumers considering that the rates therein are lower than the Commission-approved National Power Corporation – Time-of-Use (NPC-TOU) rates;

14.2 Per its Actual/Forecasted Load Data and Distribution Development Plan (DDP), TARELCO II is undergoing a significant increase and is expecting a further increase in its energy requirements due to a growth in the total demand of its member-consumers; and

14.3 Without the supply of SMEC, TARELCO II will be exposed to the unpredictable and expectedly higher prices in the WESM or worse, be unable to supply the required energy to its franchise area resulting in total blackout;

15. In the interest of the public, there is a necessity for the immediate and provisional approval of the instant application in order that there will be no undue disruption in the power supply to TARELCO II’s member-consumers; and

Prayer16. Thus, they pray that the Commission:

16.1 Issue a provisional authority in accordance with the ERC Rules of Practice and Procedure, and allowing TARELCO II to implement the ISC;

16.2 Issue an order approving the confidential treatment of the information contained in Annex “P” (Details of the Power Rate Calculations); and

16.3 After notice and hearing, issues a Decision approving the ISC between TARELCO II and SMEC, thereby allowing TARELCO II to pass on the cost of such purchased power.

The Commission has set the application for initial hearing, expository presentation, pre-trial conference and evidentiary hearing on August 12, 2015 (Wednesday) at nine-thirty in the morning (9:30 A.M.) at TARELCO II’s Main Office, Barangay San Nicolas, Concepcion, Tarlac.

All persons who have an interest in the subject matter of the proceeding may become a party by filing, at least five (5) days prior to the initial hearing and subject to the requirements in the ERC’s Rules of Practice and Procedure, a verified petition with the Commission giving the docket number and title of the proceeding and stating: (1) the petitioner’s name and address; (2) the nature of petitioner’s interest in the subject matter of the proceeding, and the way and manner in which such interest is affected by the issues involved in the proceeding; and (3) a statement of the relief desired.

All other persons who may want their views known to the Commission with respect to the subject matter of the proceeding may file their opposition to the application or comment thereon at any stage of the proceeding before the applicants conclude the presentation of their evidence. No particular form of opposition or comment is required, but the document, letter or writing should contain the name and address of such person and a concise statement of the opposition or comment and the grounds relied upon.

All such persons who may wish to have a copy of the application may request the applicants, prior to the date of the initial hearing, that they be furnished with a copy of the application. The applicants are hereby directed to furnish all those making such request with copies of the application and its attachments, subject to reimbursement of reasonable photocopying costs. Likewise, any such person may examine the application and other pertinent records filed with the Commission during the usual office hours.

WITNESS, the Honorable Commissioners, ALFREDO J. NON, GLORIA VICTORIA C. YAP-TARUC, JOSEFINA PATRICIA A. MAGPALE-ASIRIT, and GERONIMO D. STA. ANA, Energy Regulatory Commission, this 20th day of July, 2015 at Pasig1 City.

ATTY. FRANCIS SATURNINO C. JUAN Executive Director III

rvm/TARELCO II and SMECISA & ISC/2015-118 RC/nph (TS-JUL 26 & AUG. 2, 2015)

ATTY. FRANCIS SATURNINO C. JUANExecutive Director III

[email protected]

S U N D AY : J U LY 2 6 , 2 0 1 5

NEWS A7

METRO CROWDED WITH 2.5M AUTOS

Lawyer Emerson Carlos, MMDA assistant general manager for operations, told The Standard that there are many reasons why major thoroughfares in Metro Ma-nila, especially Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, are con-gested.

But the major contribut-ing factor, according to Car-los, is the growing number of motor vehicles.

“It’s really the volume, nothing else. Can you imag-

ine the 2.5 million registered vehicles in Metro Manila? How about other regions like those in Region 4 but they are working in Metro Manila? Our daytime (road) population is 14 million,” he said.

Carlos said among the other reasons why motor-ists continue experiencing monstrous traffic are the increasing number of road accidents, undisciplined drivers and the ongoing nu-

By Joel Zurbano

The increasing number of vehicles mainly caused the worsening traffic in the National Capital Region, a Metro Manila Develop-ment Authority official said.

VP CAMP TAUNTS ABAD ON PLUNDER

merous infrastructure and road projects initiated by the government.

“Colorum is not really a problem .. it is minimal. What we need is a long term effective and efficient pro-gram for traffic, a master plan.”

Study showed that for a mega-city like Metro Ma-nila, 25 percent of the total land area should be allot-ted for roads. Based on the MMDA’s records, only 5,000 kilometers of road network is in place instead of the ideal 8,000 kilometers.

“Currently, we only have 5,000-kilometer road net-work but based on a study we should have at least 8,000 kilometers. So, kulang pa tayo ng 3,000 kilometers,”

Carlos said.The low price of brand

new cars is also a factor, he added. “It contributed 19 percent increase.”

Some analysts said to solve traffic congestions in Metro Manila, the government must concentrate on the development and improve-ment of the public transport system. They recommended also the strict regulation of car ownership, a no garage, no car policy and higher fees on parking area.

Asked if the government is considering limiting the number of car ownership, Carlos said “How will you regulate the right to posses-sion, the right to own, how would you do that? It’s a con-stitutuional right. Just like a

one child policy. Just like if you don’t have a garage, you have no right to own a car, but is it acceptable? Would the people accept it?

Carlos said a zoning plan can be considered one of the solutions to traffic. “But the problem is how would you cure it, gawa na yan eh. Sana kung pwede tayo gumawa ng capital city. Just like in Washington, yun bago yun. Naiplano muna bago tinayo. So, tama ang zoning.”

In 2013, the Land Trans-portation Office registered 7,690,038 motor vehicles in the country. Of the numbers, 868,148 are cars; 1,794,572 utility vehicles (UVs); 346,396 sport utility vehi-cles (SUVs); 358,445 trucks; 31,665 buses; 4,250,667 mo-

torcycles or tricycles; and 40,145 trailers.

The LTO listed a total of 2,101,148 motor vehicles registered in NCR for that year, or 27 percent of the country’s total.

In a recent interview, MMDA chairman Francis Tolentino had admitted that the volume of vehicles using EDSA remains a problem. He said EDSA’s carrying ca-pacity is 160,000 vehicles per direction.

“Right now, 260,000 ve-hicles travel per direction along the main thoroughfare on a daily basis. The total number of vehicles traverse EDSA is 520,000 vehicles per day. Magbanggaan lang ang dalawa diyan, wala na tayo,” he said.

FAKE MONEY RING BUSTED

LEAD-SAFE ENVIRONMENT. Children and adults join the launch of the EcoWaste Coalitionís storybook that tackles the dangers posed by toxic lead on childrenís health, and the need for greater awareness and action to prevent childhood lead poisoning, particularly from lead-containing paint and dust . The lauching event was held at the National Childrenís Book Day Book Fair at the Rizal Library of the Ateneo de Manila University iin Quezon City. MANNY PALMERO

ANTI-CANCER FACILITY. Asian Hospital And Medical Cente inaugurates its new Asian Cancer Institute, a one-stop, integrated, multi-disci-plinary cancer prevention and management facility situated in Filinvest City, Alabang, Muntilupa City. At the launching event are (from left): Dr.Karl Morales, Coordinator of Emmanuel Center of Asian Cancer Intitute; Dr. Johanna Canal, head and coordinator of Conquer C of ACI; Dr. Cora-zon Ngelangel, ACI director; Andres M. Licaros, Jr., ACI president and CEO; Dr. Joven Q. Tanchuco, ACI chief medical officer; Dr.Enrico D. Tangco, co-ordinator of special projects,CME,MDT of Asian Cancer Intitute; Dr.Gerardo H. Cornelio, ACI coordinator of quality management; and, Dr.Rumalie A. Corvera, coordinator of Chrys 2 of Asian Cancer Intitute.

By Vito Barcelo

THE camp of Vice Presidenty Jejomar Binay said that Bud-get Secretary Butch Abad who was charged with plunder for the controversial disburse-ment allocation program to shut up and face the music.

Vice presidential spokes-person for political affairs, lawyer Rico Quicho made the comment in light of Abad’s reaction to the plunder charge filed against him by former president of the Philippine Constitution Association, Bonifacio Alentajan.

“That is absolutely with-out any basis. It’s a figment of their imagination. Incredible! I do not think they are even serious at all about filing that complaint,” Abad told report-ers who sought his reaction on the charges.

Binay’s camp finds Abad’s remark wanting. “What is in-credible is that Abad can say with a straight face there was nothing illegal or immoral about DAP. What is base-less is Abad’s persistent claim that DAP helped stimulate the economy when even the Commission on Audit (COA) says otherwise,” Quicho said.

A COA report released last year showed that four govern-ment-owned and -controlled corporations (GOCCs) were slow or completely failed in releasing DAP funds.

The state-owned firms reported to have unspent DAP funds were the Nation-al Dairy Authority (NDA), National Electrification Ad-ministration (NEA), Philip-pine Fisheries Development Authority (PFDA), and the Philippine Institute of Devel-opment Studies (PIDS).

Quicho also expressed doubts about whether the case filed against the budget secretary would prosper, as he again slammed the Office of the Ombudsman for employ-ing selective justice.

By Francisco Tuyay

EIGHT persons believed to be members of two gangs behind the proliferation of counterfeit foreign and Philippine curren-cies were collared by operatives during two sting operations in Bukidnon and Manila last Wednesday.

Police Director Benjamin Magalong, chief of the Criminal and Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) said at least 164 pieces of counterfeit $1000 bills, 10 pieces of counterfeit P1,000 bills and 2 pieces of P500 were seized from the suspects.

Magalong identified the sus-pects as Bernabe Melig, Eddie Baluran and Reuben James Melig who were busted by CIDG opera-tives led by Northern Mindanao

Regional Chief Sr. Supt Alexan-der Tagum and representatives of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas in Brgy Lingion, Manolo, Fortich, Bukidnon at about 2:30 p.m.

Authorities said the prolif-eration of counterfeit money was uncovered after one of the sus-pect yielded fake dollar bills in a trapped operations.

In follow-up operations, CIDG operatives also arrested four suspects involved in pro-ducing and selling counterfeit money in two separate areas in Manila where an undercover agent seized 10 pieces of P1000 fake bills from one of them.

The suspects were identified as Richard Ansos, Ramonito Joseph, 43, Rodolfo Paerat, 43, Adelaida Reyes, 36 and Analyn Reyes, 37.

SUNDAY: JULY 26, 2015

editorial@the standard.com.phA8

EYEBROWS RAISED OVER P8-B E-PASSPORT PRINTING DEAL

SOLAR’SIN VOGUE:FARMERSRESTIVE

VISION PETRON ART TILT TURNS 15VISION Petron, the award-winning national student art competition of in-dustry leader Petron Corporation, is celebrating 15 years of fueling creativity with the theme Lakbay Kasiyahan: Our Journey of Happiness.

As a jubilant milestone we want to resolve what makes us chuckle and even laugh in uproar. More than the surveys and studies, Filipinos have proven time and again we are one of the happiest people on earth. Probably being rooted on our abiding faith, we always look at the bright side and hope for the best while still managing to smile at any of life’s given situation. With Lakbay Kasiyahan as this year’s theme, Vi-sion Petron dwells deeper into this comfort of our known cheerful charac-ter. How science blames our exposure to abundant sunlight, basking us with vitamin D translates to the lightness of our being or could it be we live in the freest form of government? No matter where our national character emanates, happiness can be best experienced with a loved one, family and friends, or joining in our community’s festivals and festivi-ties.

The 2015 Vision Petron competi-tion is open to all talented students, aged 16-28, enrolled in a regular university or college course, or in tutorial art, pho-tography or video class. Entries may be submitted in four categories, namely:

painting (oil and water-based media), photography, t-shirt art design, and vid-eo-making.

To mark its 15th year, Vision Petron is offering larger prizes for the winners, as follows: For the Painting (oil/acrylic, water-based media) category, six grand prize winners of P70,000 each; six run-ners-up with P30,000 each; and eighteen semi-finalists with P5,000 each. For

Photography, six grand prize winners will receive P50,000 each, and six runners-up with P25,000 each. In T-shirt Art Design, there will be three grand prize winners of P50,000 each, and nine semi-finalists with P5,000 each. The Video-making category will have three grand prize winners of P50,000 each. All grand prize winners will also receive trophies and plaques made by National Artist Na-

poleon V. Abueva, while runners-up will receive trophies.

Criteria for judging will focus on content and concept – 40%, originality – 30%, and technical execution – 30%.

To download the application form and get more details about the con-test mechanics, go to the website www.visionpetron.com, or visit the Vision Petron Facebook page. Deadline for submission of entries is 20 August 2015 at Petron bulk plants nationwide or 28 August 2015 at the Vision Petron Project Secretariat located at Studio 5 Designs, 28 Paseo de Roxas corner Jupiter St., Bel-Air Village, Makati City.

PEASANTS and farmers on Saturday ques-tioned the government’s motives in its sudden drive to build solar power plants.

By Maricel V. Cruz

AKBAYAN party-list Rep. Barry Guetierrez has expressed hope that the Foreign Affairs depart-ment will be able to shed light on the 10-year contract worth P8 billion it forged with the APO Production Unit to produce the country’s e-passports.

Gutierrez said he will file a res-olution in Congress to look into the matter “in aid of legislation.”

He said he will push for the inquiry when Congress resumes session on Monday.

Gutierrez, whose party-list group is allied with the House majority bloc, said he could not help but question the necessity for the Foreign Affairs department get the service of Apo Production Unit when Philippine passports have been printed at the security plant complex of the Bangko Sen-tral ng Pilipinas for the last sev-eral years.

“We expect the DFA to explain

and clarify its intentions and fully explain the reasons behind its decision to transfer the printing of the country’s passports from the BSP to the APO Production,” Gutierrez said. “We hope the DFA will be able to provide us a good explanation for this,” Guti-errez added.

Gutierrez said the security plant of the BSP is the only gov-ernment-owned printing facil-ity that has the capability and the necessary security features required in producing such vital travel documents.

“why did the DFA suddenly agree to transfer the production of the country’s passports to the APO Production Unit, a private firm that has no established track record for printing security docu-ments?” Gutierrez earlier asked.

A private company, the APO Production Unit has taken on the status of a “quasi-government body” after it was placed under the Presidential Communications

Operations Office (PCOO). Its employees, however, continue to be members of the Social Secu-rity System (SSS) and its adoption under the PCOO was essentially for the purpose of supporting the printing of the government’s in-formation and propaganda mate-rials.

Gutierrez ealier questioned the capability of the APO Produc-tion Unit to handle the printing of passports “given its outdated printing equipment.”

“If the DFA really intends to modernize and make more secure Philippine passports, it should have considered the world’s lead-ing producer of e-passports and e-booklets,” Gutierrez ealier said.

DFA’s awarding of the e-pass-port printing contract to the APO Production Unit, as well as the latter’s outsourcing of the printing job to UGEC were all done with-out the benefit of a public bid-ding, the Akbayan representative pointed out.

A number of the solar plants, incidentally, are to be constructed in highly-controversial areas mired in agrarian dispute, the Unyon ng mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura said in a statement.

UMA Deputy Secretary General Ranmil Echanis remarked that “So-lar power is now suddenly in vogue because landlords like Aquino has made this supposedly noble and environment-friendly cause a justifi-cation and facade for landgrabbing.”

According to UMA, agricul-tural workers and supposed land reform beneficiaries will be dis-placed by solar power plants to be built in disputed areas in Hacienda Luisita and Victorias City, Negros Occidental. Another solar project in Capas, Tarlac will further affect indigenous peoples and peasants currently embroiled in struggle against the lavish “development project,” Clark Green City.

UMA has earlier exposed that a public-private partnership (PPP) project between the Department of Energy (DoE) and PetroGreen Energy Corporation (PGEC) re-ported to be implemented “near Hacienda Luisita” is to be located right smack in a 50-hectare disput-ed agricultural area in barangays

Balete and Lourdes (Texas) inside Hacienda Luisita.

The area is part of the 500-hect-are property ceded by Hacienda Luisita, Inc. (HLI) to Rizal Com-mercial Banking Corporation (RCBC), Luisita Realty Corpora-tion (LRC) and Luisita Industrial Park, Co. (LIPCO) approved for land-use conversion by the De-partment of Agrarian Reform (DAR) way back in 1996.

The Alyansa ng mga Manggaga-wang Bukid sa Asyenda Luisita or AMBALA, UMA’s local affiliate in Tarlac, has a pending petition to revoke DAR’s conversion order.

AMBALA’s petition reads: “HLI and its successors-in-interest vio-lated the terms and conditions of the order for conversion order and the rules and regulations on conversion. The land remained agricultural in use and therefore should be placed under the cov-erage of the agrarian reform pro-gram.” According to DAR rules, land conversion must transpire within 5 years of the order. Even with an extension of another five years, the area remained idle and fit for agricultural use almost two decades after the DAR issued the permit to HLI.

WI-FI IN THE PARK. Tech-savvy visitors to the Rizal Park like this mother-daughter tandem are treated to a free use of wi-fi courtesy of the Department of Science and Technology which also has an ongoing campaign to bring Internet access to remote towns. DANNY PATA

Roderick T. dela CruzEDITOR B1

SUNDAY: JULY 26, 2015

[email protected]@gmail.com

BUSINESS

CONTINUED ON B3

IPO TURNS BULACAN FACTORY INTO A

BILLION-PESO COMPANY

A FAMILY of UP-educated traders whose lumber busi-ness � oundered in the late 1980s pooled their savings and invested P10 million in an en-tirely new company in Bulacan province that produced industrial plastic compounds.

Twenty six years later, Crown Asia Chemicals Corp. of the Villanueva family conducted an initial public o� ering in April 2015 and became the latest sensation in the stock market, with its capitalization now valued more than 100-times its initial investment in 1989.

� e Villanueva family and their business partners decided to sell 25 percent of shares in the privately-owned company to the public through the IPO, marking the start of Crown Asia’s trading in the Philippine Stock Exchange. � e transaction raised more than P200 million, which the company used to expand product lines.

Crown Asia Chemicals grew amid a steady demand for plastic materials and pipes from various industries such as construction, real estate, water distribution and telecommunication. With a P10-million seed capital 26 years ago, it is now a major manufacturer supporting various industries and with a current market value of around P1.6 billion.

P10-m seed capital “We started with a P10-million

investment in 1989. Today, our market value is P1.6 billion,” says Walter Villanueva, the 60-year-old chairman of Crown Asia Chemi-cals, which manufactures thermo-plastic compounds in the form of resin pellets and pipes under the ‘Crown Pipes’ brand.

Crown Asia became the second biggest taxpayer in Guiguinto, with an income tax payment of P25 million in 2014, next only to San Miguel Corp., which has a dis-tribution center in the municipal-ity.

Walter, who guided a group of journalists on a tour of the com-pany’s facilities on a 3.2-hectare prime property in Barangay Tuk-tukan in Guiguinto, based the company’s market value on the movement of Crown Asia’s stock which hit a high of P2.60 per share on July 21. Crown Asia listed its shares in the Philippine Stock Ex-change on April 27, 2015 when it raised P222 million from the sale of 25 percent of 630.8 million shares. Crown Asia was the � rst branded pipe company to list in the local bourse.

� e stock has surged from an its initial public o� ering price of P1.41, given the positive prospects for the company.

Villanueva, a Filipino-Chinese businessman who obtained a busi-ness administration and market-ing degree from the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Que-

zon City in 1975, and his younger brother Eugene started Crown Asia when their lumber business � oundered in the late 1980s, af-ter the government imposed an export ban on timber. � e Vil-lanueva family and their business partners—the Perez family were the owners of Philippine Ma-hogany Inc. and Asean Timber Corp., which were a� ected by an embargo on timber exports in the late 1980s.

Eugene, who had a Bachelor of Science degree in Pre Medicine from the University of the Philip-

pines, was working for a chemical company at that time, according to Tita Villanueva, wife of Walter.

From employee to employer“Walter was telling his younger

brother Eugene, who used to work with another chemical company, to start a business, instead of being employed all his life. Our chair-man [Walter] said let us establish a company. � at’s how it started,” says Tita, 59, an accounting gradu-ate of UP.

Eugene uprooted his family from Quezon City to live in Guiguinto, an agro-industrial town in the cen-

tral part of Bulacan. Crown Asia’s production plants are located in Guiguinto but its administrative o� ce is located at Timog Ave. in Quezon City.

“We had a small o� ce where our � rst Taiwan equipment was installed in 1989. We started with 22 employees. Right now, we have 240,” says Tita, who serves as vice president and comptroller.

Walter is the chairman and Eu-gene, the president and general manager of compounds division. Walter’s son Derrick is the general manager of uPVC pipes division

while business partner Nicasio Perez serves as vice president and treasurer.

Crown Asia was registered with the Securities and Exchange Com-mission on Feb. 10, 1989 as Crown Asia Compounders Corp. It was renamed Crown Asia Chemicals Corp. on Sept. 29, 2014.

� e Villanueva family controls 37 percent of Crown Asia while the Perez family has 22 percent. Public investors own 25 percent of the company while other top shareholders are Je� erson Sy, Glo-ria Go and So� a Po.

Crown Asia Chemicals Corp. chairman Walter Villanueva (left) and son Derrick at the pipes warehouse.


BUSINESSSUNDAY: JULY 26, 2015

B2

ST. PAUL College of Parañaque has joined the solar energy bandwagon in the Philip-pines.

St. Paul College of Parañaque director Sr. Mary Edwardine Columbano, Green Heat Corp. chief operating offi cer Helen Tong and Parañaque Rep. Eric Olivarez press the switch to launch the school’s 96-kilowatt peak solar power plant installed on the rooftop of its high school gymnasium, making SPCP the fi rst solar-powered school in Parañaque City. The solar rooftop can generate 2.22 percent of the school’s daily energy need estimated at 14,500 kilowatt-hours, allowing the school to save P3,900 a month. Using the system over a year has the equivalent of planting 525 trees.

ST. PAUL COLLEGE OF PARAÑAQUE GOES SOLAR

SPCP launched a 96-kilowatt peak solar photovoltaic system, becoming the � rst solar-powered school in Parañaque City.

� e school’s solar panels were installed by solar solutions pro-vider Green Heat Corp. at the roo� op of SPCP’S high school gymnasium.

Green Heat, which specializes in small to large solar installa-tions for homes and businesses, is the same company behind the solar roo� ops of Asian Develop-ment Bank, Department of Bud-get’s PS-PhilGEPS and Meralco � tness center.

SPCP, a 70-year-old institution which o� ers elementary and high school education, will save close to P50,000 every year on electric-ity bill.

� e school’s solar roo� op can generate 2.22 percent of its daily energy needs estimated at 14,500 kilowatt-hours, which translates into P3,900 in savings a month. Using the system over a year has the equivalent of planting 525 trees.

“Conservation is a state of harmony between man and the land, which is what these solar panels are all about,” SPCP di-rector Sr. Mary Edwardine Co-lumbano said during the cer-emonial launching of the solar rooftop.

SPCP joins other schools that now use solar energy to cover part of their power requirements over the past two years, including the Manila campuses of Manuel L. Quezon University, St. Scho-

meters of its gymnasium roof.Parañaque Rep. Eric Olivarez,

guest of honor at the launching of the SPCP solar roo� op on July 6, lauded St. Paul College for being the � rst school in the city to in-stall solar panels.

Olivarez encouraged other schools to follow St. Paul Col-lege’s renewable energy e� ort as the city undertakes similar green

initiatives such as installing LED lamp posts.

Green Heat chief operating of-� cer Helen Tong said the com-pany’s partnership with St. Paul College was signi� cant because “children, being our future, are exposed to renewable energy at a young age and become better stewards of our planet.”

“Since the energy consump-

tion of SPCP is at its peak dur-ing the day when classes are be-ing held and its offices are open, operating its solar power plant gives the school its best sav-ings,” Tong said.

SPCP students and teachers who attended the launching also learned about the many bene� ts of using solar energy during the open forum.

lastica’s College, Mapua Institute of Technology and La Consola-cion College.

� e high school unit of SPCP will bene� t from the use of solar panels installed on 621 square

By Darwin G. Amojelar

AVAYA, a leading global pro-vider of solutions that enable customer and team engage-ment, has unveiled new tech-nology solutions targeting small and medium enterprises amid the continuous growth of the business process outsourc-ing industry in the Philippines.

Avaya country director for the Philip-pines Edgar Doctolero said the company was working with ‘big friends’ such as Google and HP and a host of regional traditional service providers, cloud service providers and its ecosystem of channel partners to o� er three di� erent deployment options.

� ese include Avaya powered cloud servic-es, Avaya branded cloud services and Avaya private cloud services which aim to provide a � exible approach tailored to each individual customer’s requirements.

Doctolero said the company was targeting SMEs for new cloud solutions, particularly in the manufacturing, hospitality and health-care and government sectors.

“I’m seeing an upward growth in our small and medium market,” he said.

He said Avaya was a leader in the contact

center and uni� ed communications and en-terprise telephony markets in the Philippines.

Avaya corners more than 40 percent of the Philippine contact center and uni� ed com-munications market as of May 2015, accord-ing to research � rm Frost & Sullivan.

Avaya in May completed the acquisition of Esna Technologies Inc. a provider of re-al-time collaboration and communications so� ware, to accelerate the adoption of com-munications-enabled applications for both enterprises and mid-market companies.

� rough the acquisition, Avaya will enable end-users to access multi-vendor communi-cations capabilities – voice, video, IM/pres-ence, conferencing and messaging – from within cloud-based business applications us-ing their device of choice.

Meanwhile, more call centers are expand-ing in the Philippines. Open Access BPO, the multilingual call center, said it would open a new o� ce on Aug. 11 in Davao City, which is seen by industry experts as the nation’s next outsourcing hub.

� is will be the � rm’s second o� ce in the country, with the � rst one previously es-tablished in the central business district of Makati, which also ranks high among Philip-pines’ safest cities.

“� e reasons for expansion are three-fold. First is that the cost of doing business in Davao is a lot less, about 20 to 30 percent less than in Manila, savings which we can pass onto our clients. � e second reason is for redundancy purposes. Having two di� er-

ent locations for customer support creates an extra blanket of security. Another reason for going to Davao is that it’s the safest city in the country,” said Open Access chief executive Benjamin Davidowitz.

Open Access plans to employ 180 profes-sionals who will be delivering English voice and non-voice customer support to company clients.

Meanwhile, InterGlobe Technologies, a leading provider of integrated IT-BPM solu-tions to the travel and hospitality industry, announced the opening of its third global de-livery center in Manila.

InterGlobe, which has a headcount of 100 people in the Philippines, plans to increase to 300 local hires over the next 12 to 15 months. It will serve global and domestic clients from its expansive travel IT-BPM portfolio.

IGT has been operating in Philippines for over � ve years now and the expansion is a part of IGT’s strategy to diversify its footprint globally. � e decision to set up its third cen-ter in the Manila is based on the excellent in-frastructure, big talent pool, supportive gov-ernment policies and connectivity with the rest of the world, it said.

“Manila is a strategic global location for us, and we are delighted to set up our third delivery center here. Manila o� ers � rst-class infrastructure and a vast talent pool, which aligns with our business process infrastruc-ture, solutions and global delivery model, al-lowing us to service clients more e� ciently,” said IGT chief executive Vipul Doshi.

AVAYA POWERS CALL CENTERS


BUSINESSSUNDAY: JULY 26, 2015

B3

FROM B1IPO TURNS BULACAN FACTORY INTO A BILLION-PESO COMPANY

Other companiesWalter also has stakes in other

companies such as Husky Plastic Corp., Asean Timber Corp., WT Derrick Realty Corp. and Guiginto Integrated Wood Industries Corp.

From a single machine pro-cured at a cost of P10 million, Crown Asia now has more than 20 machines that have a combined capacity of 15,000 metric tons of compounds and 8,500 MT of pipes annually.

The company manufactures PVC compounds for applications in wires and cables, integrated circuit tubings, bottles and films. Crown pipes are used by contrac-tors, real estate developers, tele-communication companies and water distributors.

“The company rode on the growth of the construction, real estate and telecommunication sec-tors,” says Walter, who sees Crown Asia becoming a leader in the in-dustrial plastic industry.

Other top players in Crown Asia’s market are Neltex, Moldex, Emerald and Atlanta in the pipes segment and D&L Industries Inc. and Elastobest Manufactur-ing Corp. in the specialty plastics, chemicals and compounds seg-ment.

The past 26 years was a period of rapid growth for Crown Asia. In 1994, the company’s PVC compounds were accredited and recognized under the US Un-derwriters Laboratories label for exports directly and indirectly to international wire and cable companies. Crown Asia remains the only Philippine PVC com-pounder with such an accredi-tation. It also started exporting PVC compounds.

In 1997, Crown Asia was grant-ed the ISO 9002 certification by QMS International.

Crown Asia started its pipes business in 1998 and produced unplasticized PVC flexible electri-cal pipes under the brand “Crown

Pipes” using the latest German machinery and technology. In 2000, it introduced water potable pipes, electrical conduit pipes and hi-tech pipes and in 2002, it pro-duced sanitary pipes and fittings. The company added high-density polyethylene pipes and fittings, pressure main distribution pipes and telecommunication conduit pipes.

In 2013, the company expanded the application of its PVC com-pounds for use in packaging, IC tubes, films and bottles, doors and window profiles. In 2006, the company started manufacturing telecom and pressure main pipes and introduced HDPE pipes.

ISO certificationThe pipes division was awarded

ISO 9001:2000 certification from Certification International on June 26, 2009 for operating a quality management system in the manu-facture and distribution of uPVC potable water, electrical, sanitary, multipurpose, pressure main pipes and fittings.

In 2010, the compound divi-sion received ISO 9001:2008 cer-tification for operating a quality management system in the manu-facture and distribution of ther-moplastic compounds. Crown Pipes also updated its certifica-tion from ISO 9001:2000 to ISO 9001:2008.

Crown Asia banks on the growth of the construction and real estate sectors, being a top supplier of compounds to cable manufactur-ers and pipes to the building and construction, telecommunications and infrastructure companies.

Major clientsAmong its clients in the pipes

segment are Ayala Land Inc., SM Prime Holdings Inc., Megaworld Corp., Robinsons Land Corp., Century Properties and Federal Land Inc. Crown Pipes are also used in major infrastructure proj-ects such as the NAIA Expressway.

Crown Asia earned a P65.38-

million profit out of P850.70-mil-lion revenues in 2014. In the first quarter of 2015, the company saw its net income double to P17.2 mil-lion from P8.7 million a year ago as revenues climbed 12 percent to P236.9 million from P210.7 mil-lion.

Eugene says Crown Asia’s prod-ucts support major industries. “Our compounds, we produce for packaging applications such as films, bottles and IC tubes. We supply materials for wire and cable industry and packaging industry. The flexible compounds are used for cabling installations. We use pipes for various applications such as electrical, sanitary, water and sewer,” he says.

The compounds business came earlier than the pipes busi-ness, Eugne says. “Compounds is around 26 years while pipes is around 15 years,” he says. Around 65 percent of the business involves production of chemical com-pounds and the rest, pipes.

Indirect exporterEugene says the company is also

an indirect exporter of compounds to the US and Taiwan. “The export business is growing, although that is indirect export. We don’t actu-ally ship out the products. We sell to the exporters who produce the final products,” he says.

Walter says Crown Asia has been growing in line with the economy. “We are in line and we are growing along with the trends. And we are the youngest among the industry players,” he says.

Proceeds from the recent IPO are being used by the company to expand the pipes business. It will launch its second division under the pipes business for the manu-facture of polypropylene random copolymer and high-density poly-ethylene pipes.

The company bought automated and state-of-the art machineries and is building new facilities, in-cluding a 2,500-square-meter pro-

duction plant and 3,000-square-meter warehouse that will manufacture PP-R pipes and PP-R fittings. The new products will make Crown Asia the first lo-cal manufacturer with a complete range of PP-R products. Crown PP-R is designed for a wide range of hot and cold water applications.

New investment Tita says the investment is being

supported by proceeds from the IPO. “Our IPO proceeds amounted to P222 million, but less the IPO expenses, commissions and under-writer fees, net proceeds would be only P203 million. Out of that P203 million, P43.8 million was for debt retirement. We actually had a bank loan to advance works on the new facilities,” she says.

Crown Asia allocated P115 mil-lion for the construction of new facilities and procurement of the new machines. The company would recruit more engineers to run the facilities, says Tita.

“More than 90 percent of our employees are residents of Guiguinto, Bulacan,” says Der-

rick, the 32-year-old son of Walter who holds a diploma in Chemical Sciences from the British Colum-bia Institute of Technology and a Bachelor of Science degree in En-trepreneur Management from the University of Asia and the Pacific.

Prospects Derrick is optimistic about the

prospects for the company, saying growth would be led by “the con-tinuing construction boom and PPP projects, including road and infrastructure.”

“We supply major developers through their contractors such as SM, Ayala, Robinsons, Century. Basically, we have supplied or are currently supplying all major de-velopers,” he says.

Walter says Crown Asia aims to become the leader in the industry it serves. “Five years from now, we want to be one of the best. We want to improve our standing. We want to improve our ranking in the top five, one place at a time. It is not an easy task. We will do our best,” he says.

Roderick T. dela Cruz

Crown Asia Chemicals Corp. president Eugene Villanueva

B4

TYPHOON KILLS 11KFARMED

TUNA IN JAPAN

THEATER SHOOTER BOUGHT GUN LEGALLY—POLICE

The Greek government, which is seeking a three-year bailout worth up to 86 billion euros ($94 billion) to avert financial melt-down and a chaotic exit from the eurozone, had initially planned to go without fresh help from the IMF as it considers the agency too wedded to draconian auster-ity measures.

But in a letter to Christine La-garde, the managing director of the IMF, Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos wrote that Greece was “seeking a new loan” from the IMF.

He noted that the Greek parlia-ment has passed two laws enshrin-ing a series of tough reforms de-manded by the creditors, including

tax rises and a pensions overhaul, in a step closer to finalising the deal.

“The Greek authorities have committed to implement a num-ber of policies that would enhance fiscal sustainability, strengthen fiscal stability, sustain long-term growth and, importantly, spread the cost of economic adjustment in a fair way,” the finance minis-ter wrote in the letter, which was dated July 23 and released to the public on Friday.

“It is our belief that it will take sev-eral quarters before the Greek econ-omy faces up to these challenges and returns to a vigorous and sustainable path to growth with fairness and so-cial inclusion,” he added.

A POWERFUL typhoon which lashed Japan last week has killed more than 11,000 farmed bluefin tuna, costing over $10 million in damage, local media said Saturday.

Typhoon Nangka made land-fall in southwestern Japan on the night of July 16 and slowly moved northward before turning into a tropical depression.

Torrential rain and gusts of wind wreaked havoc in various parts of western Japan, also caus-ing high waves and clouding sea water in the fish farm near the Pa-cific coastal town of Kushimoto, Kyodo News and the Asahi news-paper reported.

The storm caused the sensitive bluefin tuna to panic, the Asahi said, with the Mainichi daily say-ing the waves had driven many of them into a barrier.

The loss of the bluefin tuna —a pricy delicacy served as sushi—cost growers about 1.29 billion yen ($10.42 million), the reports said citing the local government.

A local government official was not immediately available at weekend.

Bluefin is usually the most expen-sive fish available at Tokyo’s Tsukiji, the biggest fish and wholesale sea-food market in the world, with a 180-kilogramme (380 pound) wild tuna auctioned for 4.51 million yen ($36,400) in January.

But environmentalists warn that the surging global popular-ity for the fish is placing «unsus-tainable pressure» on the species, increasing the demand for farmed tuna in Japan.

Nangka killed at least two peo-ple as it lashed Japan last week, triggering floods as authorities urged more than 230,000 resi-dents to evacuate. AFP

DEBT-CRIPPLED Greece on Friday took a step closer to a huge third international bailout by formally re-questing IMF help, but sources said “logistical prob-lems” were delaying the start of talks in Athens.

WORLD

THE 59-year-old American who opened fire in a Louisiana theater killing two people and wounding nine more purchased his hand-gun legally, police said Friday.

John Houser bought his .40-caliber semiautomatic handgun openly and legally at a pawn shop in Phenix, Alabama, Lafayette police chief Jim Craft told reporters.

“ATF has informed us that the purchase was legal,” Craft said, in reference to the Bureau of Alco-hol, Tobacco, Firearms and Ex-plosives, the agency that tracks firearms.

Houser opened fire on Thurs-day night killing two women and wounding nine more people dur-

ing a screening of comedy “Train-wreck” at a crowded theater be-fore killing himself.

His online history depicts him as a conspiracy theorist who held Nazi-sympathizing and anti-gov-ernment views.

Houser’s wife had a restrain-ing order filed against him in 2008 and there are reports that he had a historic of psychologi-cal problems.

The shooting came almost ex-actly three years after a 2012 the-ater massacre in Colorado that left 12 dead and 70 injured.

A Colorado jury is currently considering whether that shooter should be sentenced to death. AFP

DEBT-CRIPPLED GREECE ASKS FOR MORE IMF AID

The IMF confirmed receipt of the request, saying that it will next discuss with Greek and EU authorities “the timing and the modalities” of talks on the next bailout.

Tsakalotos said that Greece, which has been bailed out by the European Union, European Cen-tral Bank and IMF twice since 2010, had already formally request-ed a new three-year loan from the eurozone’s bailout fund, the Euro-pean Stability Mechanism.

Greece’s existing aid programme from the IMF runs until early 2016, and the letter appears to have been a gesture of goodwill as a new re-quest is not technically necessary.

The request came amid an ap-parent delay in getting the ball rolling on talks to finalise the package. Negotiators from the creditors, known collectively as the troika, have not set foot in

Athens for more than a year as hostility has grown between the two sides.

Greece had said on Thursday that negotiators would fly in to Athens on Friday to begin the talks, but this swiftly became “in the coming days”, according to a Euro-pean Commission spokeswoman, with the location of the talks and offices for the creditors apparently among the sticking points.

“The mission is being pre-pared. We are still discussing a location as we have to find an ac-cessible place to work, near the ministries,” a source close to the negotiations said.

The two sides are under enor-mous pressure to hammer out the rescue deal before August 20, when Athens is scheduled to make a loan repayment of 3.2 bil-lion euros to the ECB that it can-not currently afford. AFP

Flowers and cards are placed in memory of victim Jillian Johnson at the Red Arrow Workshop on July 24, 2015 in River Ranch, Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, following the previous night’s deadly shooting in Lafayette. Police said John Houser initially tried to fl ee after shooting 13 rounds from a single handgun into a crowded cinema in Lafayette, Louisiana Thursday evening. AFP

People walk past a lottery-tickets stall in Athens on July 25, 2015. Debt-crippled Greece on July 24 took a step closer to a huge third international bailout by formally requesting IMF help, but sources said “logistical problems” were delaying the start of talks in Athens. AFP

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S U N D AY : J U LY 2 6 , 2 0 1 5

WORLD B5

TURKISH forces on Saturday unleashed a third wave of airstrikes and ground attacks on targets of the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria and Kurdish militants in northern Iraq, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said.

TURKEY UNLEASHES NEWSTRIKES VS IS, MILITANTS

“We have given instructions for a third series of strikes in Syria and Iraq. Air and ground operations are under way,” Davutoglu told reporters in Ankara.

“No one should doubt out deter-mination,” he added. “We will not al-low Turkey to be turned into a lawless country.”

Turkey had early Saturday carried out a second wave of the air strikes it says are aimed at extinguishing terror threats, this time hitting not just IS targets in Syria but also Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) tar-gets in northern Iraq.

Its ground forces had also carried out artillery strikes on PKK targets in north-ern Iraq and IS targets in Syria.

Davutoglu said he had earlier Saturday spoken to Massud Barzani, the president of the Kurdish-ruled autonomous region in northern Iraq, to explain the attacks on the PKK.

He said that Barzani had agreed Tur-key had a right to undertake an operation against the PKK and had expressed his “solidarity”.

Davutoglu said a total 590 suspected members of IS, PKK and other militant groups had also been arrested in raids across Turkey that began on Friday morn-ing and continued Saturday.

He said they were being held in cus-tody on the grounds of links to terror groups and presenting a threat to the state. AFP

IRAN hit out Friday against US Secretary of State John Kerry, accusing him of threat-ening military action against Tehran if it fails to respect a historic nuclear deal sealed on July 14.

“Unfortunately the US Secre-tary of State once again talked about the rotten rope of ‘the ability of the US for using mili-tary force’,” said Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in a statement.

Zarif decried what he called the “uselessness of such empty threats against the nation of Iran and the resistance of the nation of Iran”, and said such re-marks should be consigned “to the last century”.

Despite the agreement reached with Iran on putting the nuclear bomb out of Teh-ran’s reach, several US officials, including Defence Secretary Ashton Carter, have signalled that military force remains on the table to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

Kerry and other American officials “have repeatedly admit-ted that these threats have no ef-fect on the will of the people of Iran and that it will change the situation to their disadvantage,” Zarif claimed.

“Therefore, it would be better for Americans to abandon their old habit and put aside once and for all their threatening lan-guage and sanctions against this great people,” he added.

Under the July 14 agree-ment, Iran has agreed to dis-mantle or mothball much of its nuclear industry in return for an easing and eventual lifting of sanctions.

World powers have called it a historic opportunity to set relations with Iran on a new path. AFP

IRAN HITS OUT AT KERRY’S ‘EMPTY THREATS’

‘OBAMAMANIA’ AS US PRESIDENT VISITS KENYAKENYAN media were awash Saturday with coverage of Barack Obama’s first visit to his father’s homeland, with the US president waving from one front page headlining “Ke-nya Here I Am”.

Hours after he land-ed in Nairobi on the first leg of a two-coun-try Africa tour, large chunks of all the major newspapers, and long stretches of television programming, were devoted to coverage of Obama’s visit.

Crowds had gath-ered in the dark along the road from the air-port to the city cen-tre to cheer as the US presidential motorcade passed by after Obama

arrived on Air Force One at 8:00 pm (1700 GMT) Friday.

Obama’s Kenyan half-sister, Auma Obama, accompanied him in his armoured limousine, nicknamed “The Beast”.

Obama was due to give his first public address on Saturday morning at the open-ing of the Global En-trepreneurship Summit at Nairobi’s large UN compound.

An editorial in The Nation spoke of the “Obama phenomenon” and called on Kenyans to be inspired by his example of “the bound-less possibilities open to us as individuals and as a nation.”

“If there is one im-portant outcome from the presidential visit, it is that we can, in-deed, stand above all the little schisms that all too often turn us against each other,” the editorial said, in a reference to the coun-try’s deep ethnic divi-sions that came to the fore during election-related violence seven years ago.

The Star took a simi-lar tone, saying politi-cal differences should be set aside.

The Standard urged Kenyans to “embrace entrepreneurship” and hoped Obama’s visit would have economic benefits for the country. AFP

This photo taken on July 20, 2015 shows bodies on the ground after an explosion in the town of Suruc in Sanliurfa, on July 20, 2015, not far from the Syrian border. At least 20 people were killed and dozens injured, with the origin of the explosion not immediately determined, but many authorities and Turkish media claiming the attack to be carried out by a suicide bomber. AFP

Crowds of Kenyans gather near the Memorial Park on July 25, 2015 in the city centre of Nairobi to watch US President’s convoy. US President Barack Obama arrived in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, making his first visit to the country of his father’s birth since his election as president. AFP

B6 REUEL VIDALE D I T O R

S U N D AY : J U LY 2 6 , 2 0 1 5

[email protected]

Nike went around the country to find the 24 best (male and female) players to give them a chance to reach their full potential as basket-ball players through the reality TV program: Nike Rise.

“There is no lack of basketball talent in the Philippines. But there may be a lack of opportunity. Eve-ry basketball player wants to reach new heights in his game so he can bring his game out there and reach

his or her basketball dream. Nike wants to help them get out of their comfort zone so they can make that next step that will make them rise to the top of their game. By providing them with a profession-ally run basketball program and product innovations to support them, they can hopefully make their dreams come true,” said Pat-rick Reyes, Country Marketing Manager of Nike Philippines.

By Peter Atencio THROW out the form charts and experts’ predictions as the PLDT Home Ultera-Phil-ippine Superliga (PSL) Beach Volleyball Challenge Cup 2015 presented by Smart Live More unreeled at the Sands By the Bay of SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City.

Favored teams dropped like flies as unseeded teams started posting upsets galore.

Pre-tournament favorites Micmic Laborte and Cha Cruz of Cignal HD Spikers A bowed to Danica Gend-rauli and Norie Diaz of Gil-ligan’s in the featured battle.

A bronze medalist in the 23rd Southeast Asian Games in Manila, Laborte is praying that beach volleyball becomes popular in the Philippines.

“It is important for the beach volley circuit to succeed in the Philippines because it is actu-ally more advantageous if you are a beach volley player. You’ll have an easier time playing indoor because there are only two players in a team which would mean that a player has no choice but be competitive in all around positions. Also, beach volley is recognized world wide and I resent that here in the Philippines, the rec-ognition is not as good as the

game,” said Laborte.Later Alexa Micek and Fille

Cayetano of Sprint 4T fell to Bea Tan and Pau Soriano of Foton Hurricane. Crowd darlings Charo Soriano and Gretchen Ho of Petron XCS were also thrashed by April Ross Hingpit and Wensh Tiu of Cignal HD Spikers B.

It’s actually been three years since Tiu joined a competitive beach volleyball competition when she and Kim Fajardo, playing for La Salle, made it to the semifinals of the season 75 University Athletic Association of Philippines beach volleyball competition.

Tiu’s strength has never di-

GIVES PLAYERS CHANCE TO RISE

the Rise Team are chosen over TV5. The show is every Sunday.

The 24 include Algin Andaya from Navotas, Steven Art Andres from Pandacan, Jharrel Beltran from Ifugao, Julius Binarao from Olongapo, Jude Bulan from Cebu, Kristine Cayabyab from Dagupan, Kenric Cilot from Muntinlupa, Danilo Contado from Cebu, Jo-seph Corpuz from Davao, Nelson Deocera from Pampanga, Rossini Briana Espinas from Davao, and John Paul Fernandez from Manila.

Others are Dean Fudotan from Laguna, Paul Reginald Jackson from Olongapo, Ren Kenneth Manuel from Novaliches, Jair Borne Marabe from Tacloban, Christopher Perez from Olongapo, Michale Angelo Pingol, Michael Angelo from Cavite, Kherlie Pino from Cebu, Michael Teves from Cebu, John Lester Tobilla from Leyte, Norman Torbeles from Manila, John Lennon Villanueva from Manila and Roland Patrick Vinasoy from Makati.

That evening George also dropped in on local kids playing basketball at a tenement court as he saw firsthand the passion dis-played by local players in Pinoy streetball.

The Rise players have been equipped with the best Nike Bas-ketball product innovations that include both training apparel and footwear. For supporters and fans,

minished during those years that she was not playing com-petitively, and focused time with indoor squad of the La Salle women’s volleyball team.

With her around, La Salle made it to the finals thrice, and took the crown on her first year with the team after transferring from La Salle-Dasmarinas.

Nobody expected Tiu and her partner Hingpit to get far. The pair surprised the experts as they reached the quarterfinal round.

Playing for Cignal HD, Tiu and Hingpit came up with two straight wins in Group B of the women’s division.

Gretchen Ho dives into the sand to try to save the point as teammate Charo Soriano (right) sprints forward to get into position at the net during the PLDT Home Ultera-Philippine Superliga (PSL) Beach Volleyball Challenge Cup 2015 presented by Smart Live More at the Sands By the Bay of SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City. Peter Atencio

UPSETS GALORE AT PSL BEACH VOLLEYBALL

NIKEBy Ray Vidal

MILLIONS of boys and girls in the Philippines just love to play basketball. These youngsters can be seen not just in organized varsity sports but in baran-gay basketball courts, street corners and every open space they could find to play their favorite sport.

On hand during the launch last week to inspire the street ballers was National Basketball Association player Paul George who served as the mentor of the 24 players.

George opened the House of Rise, the main training ground for Rise players, and introduced the 24 Rise players who have em-barked on a six-week journey of high-level basketball training.

The lucky 24 Rise players get the chance to live like a Nike ath-lete: getting professional train-ing every day consisting of skills drills and strength and condi-tioning workouts.

Training is conducted by the Nike Rise coaching staff led by Coach Chot Reyes. The players are given training tools that will help them analyze their game and

National Basketball Association player Paul George (center) is mobbed by jubilant Rise players as they celebrate the conclusion of the game which ended with a spectacular play.

get better at it, raise their level through speed, shooting and de-fensive exercises, and be motivat-ed by athletes who will share their own Rise stories.

The audience can follow the 24 kids on their Rise journey until the final 12 players that comprise

the Nike Rise collection of tees and signature athlete shoes will be available at selected Nike stores beginning July 2015.

For behind-the-scenes and ad-ditional training information, go to Nike.com. Keep track of online content through #Rise.

Filipino street baller Paul Reginald Jackson (right) listens intently as National Basketball Association player Paul George gives him important pointers during the midday training session.

B7JULY 26, 2015

Republic of the PhilippinesENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION

San Miguel Avenue, Pasig City

IN THE MATTER OF THE APPLICATION FOR APPROVAL OF THE POWER SUPPLY CONTRACT (PSC) BETWEEN TARLAC II ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE, INCORPORATED (TARELCO II) AND SMC CONSOLIDATED POWER CORPORATION (SCPC)

ERC CASE NO. 2015-117 RCTARLAC II ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE, INCORPORATED (TARELCO II) AND SMC CONSOLIDATED POWER CORPORATION (SCPC)

Applicants.x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

TO ALL INTERESTED PARTIES:

Notice is hereby given that on June 23, 2015, Tarlac II Electric Cooperative, Incorporated (TARELCO II) and SMC Consolidated Power Corporation (SCPC) filed an application for approval of their Power Supply Contract (PSC).

In the said application, TARELCO II and SCPC alleged, among others, that:

The Parties

1. TARELCO II is an electric cooperative duly registered with the National Electrification Administration (NEA) pursuant to Presidential Decree No. 269, with office address at Barangay San Nicolas, Concepcion, Tarlac.It has the exclusive franchise to supply and distribute electricity within its franchise area comprising of the Municipalities of Bamban, Capas, Concepcion and La Paz, all in the Province of Tarlac, and the Municipality of Zaragoza in the Province of Nueva Ecija. It shall also be herein referred to as the “Buyer”;

2. SCPC is a corporation duly created and existing by and under the laws of the Republic of the Philippines, with business address at No. 40 San Miguel Avenue, Mandaluyong City. It shall also be herein referred to as the “Seller”;

Nature of the Application

3. This is an application for approval of the PSC between TARELCO II and SCPC, filed pursuant to Rule 20 (B) of the Rules of Practice and Procedure before the Commission;

Compliance with Pre-filing Requirements

4. In compliance with the Rule 3, Section 4, as amended, of the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act No. 9136, otherwise known as the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001 or the EPIRA, they have furnished copies of the instant application and its annexes to the legislative bodies of the local government units within the franchise area of TARELCO II which are going to be affected by the said application;

5. Likewise, the said application was published in a newspaper of general circulation within the locality where TARELCO II principally operates;

Statement of Facts

6. To address the looming power shortage in Luzon, SCPC is constructing a 2 x 150 MW Circulating Fluidized Bed Coal-Fired Thermal Power Plant (the Plant) located in Barangay Lamao, Limay, Bataan, which is expected to be commercially operational by the 3rd quarter of calendar year 2016;

7. SCPC offered its capacity to various distribution utilities (DUs) comprising of electric cooperatives and private investor-owned utilities, including TARELCO II.SCPC’s marketing department presented before the management of TARELCO II the terms and conditions of its service.After such presentation and after deliberating on its options, TARELCO II agreed to purchase electricity from SCPC beginning the Plant’s Commercial Operations Date (COD).In the meantime, San Miguel Energy Corporation (SMEC) supplies 15 MW to TARELCO II.Beginning the COD of the Plant, the 15 MW demand supplied by SMEC will be supplied by SCPC to ensure that the projected power requirements of TARELCO II are met, to wit:

TARELCO II’S Contracted Supply and Effectivity(Years 2014 to 2028)

Contract Year

Load Forecast,

kW

Bilateral Contract Quantity (BCQ) Uncontracted Portion of

Forecasted Load, kW

GMCP,kW

SMEC, kW

Total, kW

2014 39,582 22,000 15,000 37,000 2,582

2015 42,246 22,000 15,000 37,000 5,246

2016 44,672 22,000 15,000 37,000 7,672

2017 47,098 22,000 15,000 37,000 10,098

2018 49,524 22,000 15,000 37,000 12,524

2019 51,950 22,000 15,000 37,000 14,950

2020 54,376 22,000 15,000 37,000 17,376

2021 56,802 22,000 15,000 37,000 19,802

2022 59,228 22,000 15,000 37,000 22,228

2023 61,654 22,000 15,000 37,000 24,654

2024 64,080 22,000 15,000 37,000 27,080

2025 66,643 22,000 15,000 37,000 29,643

2026 69,309 22,000 15,000 37,000 37,964

2027 72,081 22,000

2028 74,964 22,000

Remarks:1. Uncontracted capacity is based on 2014 DDP as submitted to the DOE (2014 base year)2. Contracted Energy:

a. GMCP = kW total x 365 days/year x 24 hours/day x 70% to 100% Capacity Factorb. SMEC = kW total x 365 days/year x 24 hours/day x 35% to 100% Capacity Factorc. SCPC = kW total x 365 days/year x 24 hours/day x 40% to 100% Capacity Factor

3. All imbalances will all be taken from the Wholesale Electricity Sport Market (WESM)

4. Upon COD (targeted for calendar year 2016), SCPC will supply 15 MW from SMEC

8. PSC Executive Summary. TARELCO IIand SCPC executed a PSC for the former’s future base load requirement for a period of ten (10) years.The PSC has the following salient terms and conditions:

8.1 Term. The PSC shall take effect between the Parties upon signing and shall be effective for a period of ten (10) years from COD.Supply shall commence upon COD, which is expected to be in the 3rd Quarter of calendar year 2016;

8.2 Contract Capacity. The Seller agrees to deliver and the Buyer agrees to take and pay for 15,000 kilowatts (kW) of capacity from the Plant.The Seller may allow an increase in the Contract Capacity upon application of the Buyer, and the Contract Capacity may also be decreased similarly subject to the Buyer’s application and upon payment of a buy-out fee;

8.3 Supply. The Buyer agrees to buy, on a non-firm basis, energy from the Plant during testing and commissioning, subject to the payment of Energy Fees.The supply of the Contract Capacity, with a minimum hourly nomination of forty percent (40%), shall commence on COD which include, amongothers, the final approval by the Commission of the PSC;

8.4 Discounts. The Seller provides the following discounts: (a) Prompt Payment Discount (PPD) equivalent to one percent (1%) of the total Capacity and Energy Charges, subject to payment conditions.Start-up charges and the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) charges, if any, shall not be subjected to PPD; and (b) Collection Efficiency Discount (CED) of up to a maximum of PhP0.20/kWh may be granted subject to compliance with certain payment requirements; and

8.5 Outages. The Seller shall be entitled to a Scheduled Outage Allowance of seven hundred twenty (720) cumulative outage hours and to a Forced Outage Allowance of four hundred thirty eight (438) cumulative hours, for every Contract Year.The Seller is also entitled to an additional Major Maintenance Outage Allowance of seven hundred twenty (720) cumulative outage hours every five (5) years from the first Major Maintenance of the Plant.Unutilized outage hours for a Contract Year shall not be carried over to the following Contract Year;

9. Contract Charges. Under the PSC, the Buyer shall pay the following Contract Charges for the duration of the Contract, subject to the applicable value-added tax (VAT), and computed as follows:

Particulars Unit Amount

Capacity Fee

Capital Recovery Fee PhP/kW-month 1,371.2920

Fixed Operation and Maintenance Fee PhP/kW-month 383.8079

Total Capacity Fee 1,755.0999

Energy Fee

Variable Operation and Maintenance Fee PhP/kWh 0.2831

Fuel Fee (pass through) PhP/kWh 1.6566

Total Energy Fee 1.9397

9.1 Other Charges. The Buyershall bear all other costs and charges incurred after the Delivery Point, including but not limited to transmission line losses, any interconnection charges and site specific loss adjustments, among others;

9.2 Adjustment Formula. The Contract Charges are adjusted on a monthly basis in accordance with the following Adjustment Formula under Annex II-B of the PSC:

MONTHLY CONTRACT CHARGES = Capacity Chargesmonth + Energy Chargesmonth

Where:Capacity Charges = Capital Recovery Fee (CRF) + Fixed

Operation and Maintenance Fee (FOM)

Energy Charges = Variable Operation and Maintenance Fee (VOM) + Fuel Fee + Start-up Charge

I. CAPITAL RECOVERY FEE (CRFmonth) CRFmonth = CRFadjusted x CC

Where:CRFadjusted = (CRF(base) x 0.30) +

(CRF(base) x 0.70 X )

CRFbase = Capital Recovery Fee in PhP/kW-month contained in Annex II-A

FXm = The simple average of the daily exchange rate of the Philippine Peso to the US Dollar, as posted by the BangkoSentralngPilipinas (BSP) for the calendar month within which the start of the current Billing Period occurs

FXo = Exchange rate of the Philippine Peso to the US Dollar, Base = PhP44.00

CC = Contract Capacity in kW

II. FIXED OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE FEE (FOMmonth)

FOMmonth = FOM x x CC

Where: FOM = Fixed Operation and Maintenance Fee in PhP/kW-

month contained in Annex II-APHCPIm = Philippine Consumer Price Index (CPI) for All

Income Households in the Philippines – All Items (2006=100), as posted by the Philippine National Statistics Office (NSO) for the calendar month within which the start of the current Billing Period occurs

PHCPIo = Philippine CPI for All Income Households in thePhilippines – All Items (2006=100), as posted by the Philippine NSO for the calendar month of the COD

CC = Contract Capacity in kW

III. VARIABLE OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE FEE (VOMmonth)

VOMmonth =

Where: VOM = Variable Operation and Maintenance Fee in PhP/

kWh contained in Annex II-AUSCPIm = United States (US) CPI for All Urban

Consumers– All Items (1982-84=100), as posted by the Unites States Bureau of Labor Statistics (USBLS) for the calendar month within which the start of the current Billing Period occurs

USCPIo = US CPI for All Urban Consumers–All Items(1982-84=100) for the calendar month of the COD

FXm = The average daily exchange rate of the Philippine Peso to the US Dollar, as posted by the BSP for the calendar month within which the start of the current Billing Period occurs

FXo = Exchange rate of the Philippine Peso to the US Dollar, Base=PhP44.00

PHCPIm = Philippine CPI for All Income Households in the Philippines – All Items (2006=100), as posted by the Philippine NSO for the calendar month within which the start of the current Billing Period occurs

PHCPIo = Philippine CPI for All Income Households in the Philippines – All Items (2006=100), as posted by the Philippine NSO for the calendar month of the COD

AE = Associated Energy in kWh delivered to the Buyer by the Seller during the current Billing Period at the Delivery Points stated in Annex III

The Parties agree to adopt changes in any of the inflationary indices subject to prior notification by the Seller to the Buyer for the occurrence of any of the following events:a) shift made in the base year and other adjustments to such inflation index made by the relevant authorized entity; or b) the inflation index becomes: i)unavailable, ii) is replaced by a new benchmark rate as determined by the relevant authorized entity, its successor-in-interest, iii) ceases to exist, or iv) in the reasonable determination of either Party, fails to reflect the real costs and forms an integral part of this price adjustment formula;

IV. FUEL FEE (Fuelmonth)

Fuelmonth =

Where:

Fuel Cost = Base Fuel Cost, in USD/MT x Newcastlem Newcastleo

Newcastlem = Average monthly coal price index in USD/MT as posted by global coal on the website www.globalcoal.com for the calendar month within which the start of the current Billing Period occurs

Newcastleo = Coal price index equivalent to USD74.00/MT

Base Fuel Cost = Blended Cost equivalent to USD62.69/MTFreight Cost = Actual Transport Costs in USD/MT which includes

but not limited to port charges, fuel insurance, wharfage fees, excise tax, handling, customs brokerage fees, custom duties, stevedores and arrastre costs, tuggage costs, survey fee, towage, pilotage, light dues, mooring and unmooring, berthing and de-berthing, and tonnage dues and sundries on the coal used during the current Billing Period.Freight costs shall include all other existing and future taxes, fees, imposts and other charges that may be imposed on the transport of coal

CR = Consumption rate at 0.70kg/kWh escalated annually by one and a half percent (1.5%) or the actual plant fuel consumption rate, whichever is lower

FXm = The average daily exchange rate of the Philippine Peso to the US Dollar, as posted by the BSP for the calendar month within which the start of the current Billing Period occurs

FXo = Exchange rate of the Philippine Peso to the US Dollar, Base=PhP44.00

AE = Associated Energy in kWh delivered to the Buyer by the Seller during the current Billing Period at the Delivery Points stated in Annex III

The Parties further agree that when any or all of the above components of the Fuel Cost no longer reflect the Seller’s actual cost of coal (including the FOB price, coal indexation, premiums, among others), the Fuel Cost shall be computed based on its actual cost of fuel subject to its prior notification to the Buyer;

V. Start-up Charge (per Unit and per Start-up) - to be added on top of VOM & Fuel charges

Cold Start-up – downtime of eight (8) hours and above

Start Up Charge = 130,000 liters x LFOm x

Warm Start-up – downtime of less than eight (8) hours

Start Up Charge = 36,000 liters x LFOm x

Where:LFOm = The actual price of diesel oil in PhP/liter as billed

by supplier of diesel oil applicable for the Billing Period

CC = Contract Capacity in kWTPC = Total plant capacity (net) per unit in kW

10. Sources of Funds. SMC Global Power Holdings Corporation, SCPC’s parent company, advances the funds allowing for the on-going construction of the Plant.SCPC is working on having a financial close by March 30, 2015 with a target Debt to Equity ratio of 70%:30%;

Rate Impact on TARELCO II

11. TARELCO II considered the impact the PSC on its effective rates considering the other possible suppliers of electricity for its franchise.The tables below summarize the rate impact of the PSC:

Table 1: TARELCO II’s Projected Load Allocations with Its CurrentSuppliers (kWh)

Supplier kWLoad

Factor,%

BCQ/WESM Purchased,

kWhEnergy Cost,

PhPEffective

Rate, PhP/kWh

GMCP 22,000 100% 16,060,000 66,796,752.00 4.1592

WESM 15,000 100% 3,511,978 34,417,387.93 9.8000

Total 37,000 19,571,978 114,462,102.00 5.1714

Table 2: Combined Generation Rate From the Projected LoadAllocations with the Current Suppliers (kWh) and SCPC

Supplier kWLoad

Factor,%

BCQ/WESM Purchased,

kWhEnergy Cost,

PhPEffective Rate,

PhP/kWh

GMCP 22,000 100% 16,060,000 66,796,752.00 4.1592

SCPC 15,000 100% 10,950,000 50,313,697.81 4.5949

Total 37,000 27,010,000 114,462,102.00 4.3358

Savings 0.8356

The bases of Effective Rates used in Table 1, for bothGNPowerMariveles Coal Plant Ltd. Company (GMCP)and WESM are the purchased power for the period March 26, 2014 to March 25, 2015;

Based on the above simulations, SCPC’s rate is lower than the existing suppliers (Table 1)when combined inclusive of twelve percent (12%) VAT, PPD and CED;

It is evident that SCPC’s base load rate of PhP4.5949/kWh is cheaper than the WESM average rate of PhP9.8000/kWh,resulting in savings of PhP0.8356/kWh.This is the reason why TARELCO II entered into a bilateral contract with SCPC, to avoid exposure from the price volatility in the Spot Market;

All imbalances will all be taken from the WESM.When the average cost in the market is higher than the combined effective rates of SCPC and GMCP, TARELCO II’s generation cost will definitely reduce;

Further, TARELCO II is subjected to a minimum Capacity Factor of seventy percent (70%) and fifty percent (50%) declaration of hourly Contracted Demand with GMCP while SCPC has a minimum declaration of hourly contracted demand up to forty percent (40%) level;

12. Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC).On June 7, 2013, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has issued ECC No. ECC-CO-1304-0010 in favor of SCPC;

13. The power plant project is also registered with the Board of Investments (BOI) which issued Certificate of Registration No. 2013-194;

14. The plant is still under construction and the target/estimated COD is sometime in August 2016 and therefore,it is not yet covered by a Certificate of Compliance (COC).SCPC undertakes to file the application for the COC at least three (3) months before the target COD;

15. Further, SCPC’s plant is considered as a committed project, and it is in the process of securing the certification from the Department of Energy (DOE) that the same is consistent with the Power Development Plan (PDP). It undertakes to submit the certification as soon as the same becomes available;

Allegations in Support of theConfidential Treatment of Annexes “R” and “S and Series”

16. Rule 4 of the Commission’s Rules of Practice and Procedure provides that they may request the Commission that information may not be disclosed;

17. SCPC prays for the confidential treatment of the information contained in the following annexes, and not disclosed except to the Commission:

Annex Nature of Document

“R” Details of the power rate calculations and financial model

“Sand Series” Contracts for the Supply, Construction and Supervision for the Plant

18. Annex “R” contains SCPC’s financial model, pricing formula and the manner by which it arrived at the tariffs. These information are proprietary in nature and should be protected as trade secrets as contemplated by law and jurisprudence.In the case of Air Philippines Corporation vs. Pennswell, Inc.1,the Supreme Court defined a trade secret as follows:

“A trade secret may consist of any formula, pattern, device, or compilation of information that: (1) is used in one’s business; and (2) gives the employer an opportunity to obtain an advantage over competitors who do not possess the information. Generally, a trade secret is a process or device intended for continuous use in the operation of the business, for example, a machine or formula, but can be a price list or catalogue or specialized customer list. It is indubitable that trade secrets constitute proprietary rights. The inventor, discoverer, or possessor of a trade secret or similar innovation has rights therein which may be treated as property, and ordinarily an injunction will be granted to prevent the disclosure of the trade secret by one who obtained the information “in confidence” or through a “confidentialrelationship.”American jurisprudence has utilized the following factors to determine if aninformation is a trade secret, to wit:

(1) the extent to which the information is known outside of the employer’s business;

(2) the extent to which the information is known by employees and others involved in the business;

(3) the extent of measures taken by the employer to guard the secrecy of the information;

(4) the value of the information to the employer and to competitors;

(5) the amount of effort or money expended by the company in developing the information; and

(6) the extent to which the information could be easily or readily obtained through an independent source.”(citations omitted, emphasis supplied)

19. The interest of the consuming public is sufficiently protected by the review and evaluation of the rates under the PSC by the Commission, without the need to disclose the contents of Annex “R”.The reasonableness and transparency of the prices of electricity is to be assured by the Commission through its own review and verification of SCPC’s operating costs and expenses;

20. More importantly, SCPC’s competitors, should they obtain the information in Annex “R”, will gain undue advantage thereon and have the opportunity to use the same in their operations.The negotiating power of SCPC with parties it plans to contract with or who it is currently doing business with, will clearly be thwarted if it is compelled to disclose such information;

21. Further, Annexes “S and Series” (Contracts for the Supply, Construction and Supervision for the Plant) have counter-parties who are not parties to this application.They contain highly technical designs, drawings and other information which are the intellectual property and trade secrets of the counter-parties, and therefore should not be disclosed to the public. They therefore pray for the confidential treatment of Annexes “S and Series”, under the same premises above;

Compliance with the Commission’s Rules of Practice and Procedure

22. In compliance with Rule 20B of the Commission’s Rules of Practice and Procedure, copies of the foregoing are attached as annexes to the instant application:

Annex Nature of the Document

The Parties

“A” Certificate of Franchise of TARELCO II

“B” Articles of Incorporation of TARELCO II

“C” Certificate of Registration of SCPC with the Securities and Exchange commission (SEC)

“D” Articles of Incorporation of SCPC

“E” General Information Sheet (GIS) of SCPC

Compliance with the Pre-filing Requirements

“F and Series”

Proof of service of the application and its annexes to the respective local government units within the franchise area of TARELCO II

“G” Proof of publication of the application in a newspaper of general circulation

Documents in Support of the Application

“H” Plant description

“I” Power Supply Contract

“J” Executive Summary of the PSC

“K” Detailed Analysis of the Rate Impact Computation

“L” Environmental Compliance Certificate

“M” BOI Registration of SCPC

“N” Latest Audited Financial Statement (AFS) of SCPC

“O” Details of Procurement Process of Fuel

“P” Transmission Service Agreement (TSA) between TARELCO II and the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP)

“Q” SCPC’s Board Resolution approving the filing of the application for the approval of the PSC

“R” Details of the power rate calculations and financial model (confidential)

“S and Series”

Contracts for the Supply, Construction and Supervision for the Plant (confidential)

21.1 In compliance with Article VI, Section 1 and 2 of the ERC Guidelines for the Recovery of Costs for the Generation Component of the Distribution Utilities’ (DU) Rates, copies of the following are attached as annexes to the instant application:

Annex Nature of the Document

“T” Board Resolution of TARELCO II approving the PSC with SCPC

“U” Board Resolution of TARELCO II approving the filing of the application for approval of the PSC

“V” TARELCO II’s Load Forecast Projections

“W” TARELCO II’s Alternative Demand Side Management (DSM) program

“X” TARELCO II’s Latest AFS, Balance Sheet and Cash Flow

“Y” Rate Impact Computation

23. The instant application is, likewise, being filed by them in line with the first (1st) and fifth (5th) “whereas clauses” of the DOE Circular No. 2003-12-11 which are quoted hereunder:

“WHEREAS, Section 2 of Republic Act No. 9136, also known as the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001 or EPIRA, declared as a policy of the State, among others, [to ensure the quality, reliability, security and affordability of the supply of electric power;” (first “whereas clause”, Department of Energy Circular No. 2003-12-11.Underscoring supplied.)

“WHEREAS, pursuant to Section 23 of EPIRA, all distribution utilities, as defined in the law, SHALL HAVE THE OBLIGATION TO SUPPLY ELECTRICITY IN THE LEAST COST MANNER TO ITS CAPTIVE MARKET subject to the collection of retail rate duly approved by the Energy Regulatory Commission;” (fifth “whereas clause”, ibid. Underscoring supplied.)

24. Moreover, Section 1 of the same Department Circular declares as State policy that:

“All distribution utilities must henceforth take cognizance and assume full responsibility to forecast, assure and contract for the supply of electric power in the respective franchise areas to meet their obligations as a distribution utility.” (Underscoring supplied.)

25. By way of emphasis, Resolution No. 21, Series of 2005 of the Commission dated October 19, 2005 had directed all DUs “to enter into future bilateral power supply contract with power producers to be subjected to a review by the Commission.” (Underscoring supplied)

26. The PSC with SCPC was made to ensure the continuous supply of power to TARELCO II and due to the former’s competitive pricing structure and other favorable terms of its contract, which will redound to the benefit of the latter and its end-consumers in terms of reliable and affordable power supply;

27. In view of the foregoing premises, they therefore praythat the Commission, after notice and hearing, render a Decision approving the PSC; and

Prayer

28. Thus, they pray that the Commission, after notice and hearing:

28.1 Issue a Decision approving the PSC between TARELCOII and SCPC, and authorize TARELCO II to charge and collect the fees under the PSC from its end-consumers; and

28.2 Issue an Order allowing the treatment of the contents of Annexes “R” and “S and Series” as confidential information.

The Commission has set the application for initial hearing, expository presentation, pre-trial conference and evidentiary hearing on August 12, 2015(Wednesday) at eleven-thirty in the morning (11:30 A.M.) at TARELCO II’s Main Office, Barangay San Nicolas, Concepcion, Tarlac.

All persons who have an interest in the subject matter of the proceeding may become a party by filing, at least five (5) days prior to the initial hearing and subject to the requirements in the ERC’s Rules of Practice and Procedure, a verified petition with the Commission giving the docket number and title of the proceeding and stating: (1) the petitioner’s name and address; (2) the nature of petitioner’s interest in the subject matter of the proceeding, and the way and manner in which such interest is affected by the issues involved in the proceeding; and (3) a statement of the relief desired.

All other persons who may want their views known to the Commission with respect to the subject matter of the proceeding may file their opposition to the application or comment thereon at any stage of the proceeding before the applicants conclude the presentation of their evidence. No particular form of opposition or comment is required, but the document, letter or writing should contain the name and address of such person and a concise statement of the opposition or comment and the grounds relied upon.

All such persons who may wish to have a copy of the application may request the applicants, prior to the date of the initial hearing, that they be furnished with a copy of the application. The applicants are hereby directed to furnish all those making such request with copies of the application and its attachments, subject to reimbursement of reasonable photocopying costs. Likewise, any such person may examine the application and other pertinent records filed with the Commission during the usual office hours.

WITNESS, the HonorableCommissioners, ALFREDO J. NON,GLORIA VICTORIA C. YAP-TARUC, JOSEFINA PATRICIA A. MAGPALE-ASIRIT, and GERONIMO D. STA. ANA,Energy Regulatory Commission, this 20thday of July, 2015 at Pasig City.

ATTY. FRANCIS SATURNINO C. JUAN Executive Director III

___________________________________________________

1 G.R. No. 172835, December 13, 2007

rvm/TARELCO II and SCPCPSC/2015-117 RC/nph

(TS-JUL 26 & AUG. 2, 2015)

SPORTS RIERA U. MALLARI

EDITORB8S U N D AY : J U LY 2 6 , 2 0 1 5

[email protected]

SPORTS

By Jeric Lopez

WHERE do the Star Hotshots go from here?

A� er losing coach Tim Cone to Ginebra, the Star Hotshots are faced with an en-tirely di� erent scenario as its leader from the bench will no longer be around to steer the squad next season in the Phil-ippine Basketball Association.

� ere will certainly be a lot of questions that the Hotshots must answer once they return to the hardwood next season as it is no secret that Cone was the one big reason why they were able to get a grand-slam two seasons ago.

One question that was al-ready answered was the nam-ing of Jason Webb as head coach a� er he spent an entire season assisting Cone in the sidelines.

With Cone gone, the Star will certainly struggle to � nd

a new identity from the one installed by Cone, who propelled the team to unprecedented

success for majority of the past seasons.

With a rookie coach in Webb now in tow, how will the Hot-shots adjust to the changes?

During his and Cone’s of-� cial unveiling last � ursday, Webb said he will introduce a new style of play to the Hot-shots, meaning that Cone’s patented triangle o� ense will be thrown out the window.

‘’I’m looking forward to implementing a very aggres-sive and a high intensity brand of basketball to the team,’’ said Webb. ‘’� is is going to be a dif-ferent landscape for the team, but we will go out and play to the best of our abilities.’’

� e new Star coach admit-ted that the void le� by Cone will be very hard to � ll and that it will take the entire team to pick up the pieces and remain competitive in the league.

‘’Let’s admit it, coach Tim (Cone) is the PBA’s greatest and winningest coach, so his shoes will be hard to � ll. It’s for us as a team now to � gure out how to remain contending for a championship with a di� er-ent approach,’’ Webb said.

Another question begging for an answer is how the vet-

eran and talented core, led by former MVP James Yap and Mark Pingris, will respond to the youthful Webb as their new leader.

� ough the players are famil-iar with Webb, who has been with the team for a year now, it is still a question as to how the Hotshots will quickly adapt to the looming drastic changes, given that they will no longer be in comfort zones anymore.

Alaska dealt with the same dilemma four years ago when Cone transferred to the San Miguel Corporation. It strug-gled for a stretch a� er Cone le� , but was eventually able to reinvent itself to win a cham-pionship in 2013 and be a pe-rennial contender again.

Four seasons later, the Aces are right back as one of the league’s top teams with a new image and identity.

Will the Hotshots go through the same process or will they still remain in con-tention despite all the adjust-ments ahead in their life with-out Cone?

It still remains to be seen. And the way the Hotshots respond will reveal their true character.

LIFE GOES ON FOR

STAR HOTSHOTS

C1S U N D AY : J U LY 2 6 : 2 0 1 5

S U NDAY L IF E

TATUM ANCHETAE D I T O RBING PARELA S S O C I AT E E D I T O RBERNADETTE LUNASW R I T E R

l i f e @ t h e s t a n d a r d . c o m . p h @ L I F E a t S t a n d a r d @ L I F E a t S t a n d a r d @ L I F E a t S t a n d a r d

LIFE

One syllable at a time. This was the thought that encouraged three young educators – Tisha Gonzales-Cruz, Noelle Pabiton and Sholeh Villoria – to embark on a life-changing project to effectively teach kinder and

elementary school children how to read in 18 days. “In 2002, while teaching at the International

School Manila, we did a crayon drive for the children of Bukidnon. They sent us a picture of the classroom and it was bare,” Teacher Tisha recalls. That picture gave her the resolve to “someday fill a classroom like this with materials. And that started this journey,” she shares.

Teacher Tisha started developing reading materials on her own, and pretty soon, she met more and more people who shared the

same passion – burden in fact – for teaching Filipino children how to read. As everyone knows, education is the great equalizer but it starts with knowing how to make heads or tails about the letters of the alphabet, figuring out the relationship between one letter with another for comprehension and understanding to occur.

“We made materials in English first and then shared these with public schools and other communities. But we saw the need was greater in Filipino,” Teacher Tisha explains, elaborating that Alpabasa – the name of the reading project – began as a game-based program. “We made a thousand of these Alpabasa sets but they were not enough, and we needed to improve the materials, and we needed the help of expert reading teachers and writers,” Teacher Tisha admits.

The ABCs of Alpabasa: Changing lives through readingBY BING PAREL

Continued on C2

The Pharmaton Life Changers grand prize winners flanked by (from left) Chef Rob Pengson and Reese Fernandez; BIPHI’s Director of Consumer Health Care, Ricky Rivera; Boehringer Ingelheim Head of Finance, Andreas Meneghetti (6th from left); BIPHI Head of Medical, Dr. Editha I. Arceo Dalisay (4th from left); Pharmaton Senior Brand Manager Bernice Jalgalado; Boehringer Ingelheim Group Manager, Mely Guerrero; and Futkal founder and Pharmaton Life Changer Peter Amores.

CHANGING LIVES, ONE SYLLABLE AT A TIME. “Regardless of age, when you teach someone to read, you really change their lives and ignite their passion to succeed,” says Noelle Pabiton of “Oras na Para sa Alpabasa.”

Oras Na Para Sa Alpabasa

People who train at CrossFit Manila (Bonifacio Global City and Makati) or those who have been around the area most likely know this particular coach

with a rather interesting handlebar mustache. Considering it’s something one doesn’t see

on the street everyday, the mustache owner, Gabriel Guerrero, has his fair share of mixed reaction from the public. “It has gotten me stares, side comments, but mostly compliments [from guys] like, ‘hey, bro keep it up’ to girls going ‘OMG I love your ‘stache! Is that real? Can I touch it?’,” he shares.

His intriguing facial hair, which stemmed from a Movember (an annual event of growing mustaches during the month of November to raise awareness on men’s health issues) dare, actually began as a social experiment which has eventually grown on him, so much so that he intends to keep it, perhaps as his brand, so to speak, “for a while.”

His expertly styled, oft-complimented mustache has probably inspired some men to grow theirs, too. But beyond that, Guerrero’s story and character are as inspiring as his facial hair.

Before this twenty-something coach became the toned and strong self that he is today, he used to be a scrawny guy who was picked on in college. “Think Captain America pre-Super Soldier Serum,” he says.

“I was never into sports as a kid. I was shy and withdrawn so team sports weren’t really right for me,” Guerrero recalls. “[I] took up lifting after finding an Internet support group”

since “Powerlifting (unlike Weightlifting) was simple enough to pursue without a coach.”

He then sold his skateboard to buy his first tub of whey protein supplement and got a video camera to film himself and check his techniques.

Perhaps the rush that he gets from lifting weights that can crush a normal person was enough for him to pursue this sport, but more than that, he trained and continuously trains himself in a bid to become his better and stronger version. “Getting a nice physique is also a bonus.”

Guerrero motivated himself with the help of a quote by Socrates: “No man has the right to be an amateur in the matter of physical training. It is a shame for a man to grow old without seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable.”

Eventually, lifting got serious enough for him to compete in a Powerlifting contest in 2013.

“When I joined a Powerlifting Competition at the Philippine National Games and won a gold medal, all the sacrifice (waking up at 5 a.m. to lift heavy weights, giving up carbs and dieting down to make weight) was really worth it,” he enthuses.

On his quest to better himself further, Guerrero now shares his journey and everything he has learned from the past to his CrossFit trainees at CFMNL, where he’s been a coach since 2010.

A man who believes “life is about finding your happiness and sharing it with other people,” Guerrero finds satisfaction in seeing his trainees

reach their goals and being part of their fitness journey.“I didn’t have a coach when I started out, so for me,

being able to share what I have collectively learned from coaches, students and other trainees gives me great joy,” he concludes.

The answer to her prayers came in the form of Teacher Noelle and Teacher Sholeh who burned the midnight candle, so to speak, putting their heads together to make the Alpabasa program happen.

“I saw that children need so much from their teachers but these teachers were not equipped to meet their needs, so the children end up suffering in the process because they don’t have the basic support system,” Teacher Sholeh observed.

More than the lack of materials in the classroom, or the dearth of effective Filipino reading programs and the poor reading skills among public school students and children in underserved communities, what really resonated was also the need for more systematic teacher training.

The difficulties that Teacher Noelle encountered as a Grade 3 public school teacher made her realize that “many of the students had poor foundations in literacy and numeracy. Watching my students struggle to read, and struggle to learn, led me to realize that the key to solving educational problems is going back to the beginning – preparing the students rather than remediating.”

The first step in the program was an assessment of the reading skills of the children – and anyone with lesser determination would have been disheartened: most did not recognize the letters of the alphabet – since the target for Day 2 was to see the children actually reading books. Yet these expectations were met to the gratified amazement of the teachers. “If we were amazed, how much more so the children?” Teacher Tisha smiles.

Asked what significant results they have witnessed as a consequence of their reading program, the young educators readily answer: “A teacher who piloted Alpabasa last May shared with us that one of her students (a Grade 1 repeater) is now topping the class, despite underperforming during the summer reading program. Even this student who had a difficult time during the program still ended up performing better than his peers who did not learn through Alpabasa.”

Needless to say, one of the greatest satisfactions they get is “seeing the children’s faces light up when they realize that they can do it, and seeing the teachers motivated to teach reading remind us

why we do this,” they aver. The journey is just beginning, of course, with millions

more of Filipino kids in underserved communities needing the help of the “Oras na Para sa Alpabasa” project, which received a much needed shot in the arm when it was chosen as the grand winner of Pharmaton’s “Life Changers Challenge: Success in Numbers” competition – an online, video-driven nationwide search for Filipinos who carry life changing ideas that can positively impact the lives of other Filipinos.

For Teachers Tisha, Noelle and Sholeh, the goal for the next couple of years is simple: To reach as many teachers and children as possible. There is no doubt they will do just that, not so much because the win in the Pharmaton Life Changers contest came with a P1 million cash prize, but because more and more Filipinos are getting inspired by their example that yes, one can indeed change lives for the better – one letter, one syllable at a time.

C2SUNDAY : JULY 26 : 2015

LIFE

P O R T R A I T


The ABCs of AlpabasaFrom C1

Alpabasa changes lives. It empowers and energizes children and teachers to learn to read with enthusiasm and excitement. Alpabasa is a highly effective game-based reading program that incorporates music, movement, games, and activities in learning. Its goal is to make fluent readers out of every Filipino child.

A Grade 1 repeater is now topping

his class, despite underperforming during

the summer reading program. Even this student who had a

difficult time during the program still ended up

performing better than his peers who did not

learn through Alpabasa.

Gabriel Guerrero: The mustached CrossFit Coach

C3LIFESUNDAY : JULY 26 : 2015


CAROTID ARTERYBY TATUM ANCHETA

“When I was young, it seemed that life was so wonderful. A miracle, oh it

was beautiful, magical... But then they send me away to teach me how to be sensible. Logical, responsible, practical. And they showed me a world where I could be so dependable. Clinical, intellectual, cynical…”

The lyrics are stuck in my head for almost a week now... lyrics from “The Logical Song” originally sang by Supertramp back in 1979, but reincarnated through the voice of Silverlake Conservatory’s children’s choir, in the new commercial of HP Sprout entitled “Jane.” The commercial is about a girl whose outlook in life changes as she grows older and moves higher up the corporate ladder. The one-minute video flashes like it’s the story of almost everyone growing up in the world.

“Clinical, intellectual, cynical” – yes, cynical, as grown adults’ cynicism has become ingrained in us already. I see and deal with this everyday; the negativity, the “I can’ts,” the “Nos,” the “I don’t wants.”

“Ninang, try, try, just try,” says my one-year-old nephew as he tries to put a piece of bread inside my mouth. He was so excited to see a new pack of snacks his mom gave him and he wanted me to try it as well. I envied the innocence and excitement in his voice; he was so excited to try something new and unknown to him. Ahhh, to be that young, devoid of negativity and distrust, it’s so easy to jump and be open minded to try everything that is new. As adults we have lived long enough to be disillusioned by so many things in life. Most often we let ‘negativity’ reign on us, it’s like a cancer that eats up our brains and affects how we look at everything in life.

“Our view of the world has a fundamental tendency to tilt toward the negative. It’s pretty easy to go from good to bad but far harder to shift from bad to good, we literally have to work harder to see the upside of things,” explains Alison Ledgerwood in her TEDx Talks’ “Getting stuck in the negatives (And How to Get Unstuck),” 2013. Her studies and research investigate how humans think and how we might be able to think better. For us, it’s so much easier to be negative than think of the positive, it’s easier to complain, it feels good to whine and express ourselves.

What exactly are the factors that affect a person’s negative outlook? “Some factors that affect a person’s negativity are mostly things that we cannot control. Things that do not happen as planned. And

sometimes people just do not believe in themselves more than they should,” says Johun Santos, a life coach, and iCamp Facilitator. iCamp is a leadership camp for the youth to help them get empowered and guide them through their journey of self-discovery.

“We started it through a small project; it became a yearly thing because the parents started to look for it,” adds Johun. “For me, I chose to coach the youth segment 13-21 years old because that is our pivotal stage in life. It is when we start to mold our future selves. When I was that age, it was my rebellion stage. In a way I wanted to change that for the others.”

I asked him about how negativity affects certain aspects of a person’s life. “At the end of the day, you won’t experience ultimate happiness if you are not able to experience a deeper sadness. I guess it is the same as positivity and negativity,” he muses.

In another installment of TEDx Talks, Oliver Reichenstein (“Dealing with Negativity,” published last February 7, 2013) said, “Mostly, what I did so far is get motivated by people saying ‘no,’ so it’s not like, ‘do not listen to people when they say it’s not possible’ – you shouldn’t do that. You should actually listen really closely when people are negative. It’s super motivating.” But like he explained, not everybody functions that way because everyone is cut out differently. I myself thrive on negative judgments. When people say I can’t, or even doubt if I can do something, I use it to motivate me in doing more than what is expected of me. Often I would surprise myself that I actually was able to surpass my own expectations.

“Rejection is the greatest aphrodisiac,” yes Madonna, you may be right (a line from her 1994 song Forbidden Love).

So, how do we stay positive and how do we deal with negative people?

“I go to life coaching to help me clarify things I want for myself. In the same way a gym trainer helps you focus on what muscles you want to work on, a life coach helps me refocus on parts of my life I wanted to improve,” says Victoria

Herrera, model, writer, TV and event host. She has been going to life coaching for about six years now. “In terms of dealing with negative people, what happened was the more confident and secure I was in myself, I became less affected by negative people,” she adds.

“There are some things I cannot control, but I can control how to react. It’s important that I try to become responsible for myself in terms of how positive or negative I am. It’s no one’s fault but mine if I choose to be negative at the end of the day – and that’s been a big challenge for me to learn.”

She shared some insightful reads on positivity and affirmations, and a particularly good read was Louise Hay’s book, I Can Do It - The Power of Thoughts and Affirmations. The author explains that every thought we think and speak is an affirmation. “If you feel that life isn’t giving you what you want in your world, then it’s certain that you will never have the goodies that life gives to others – that is, until you change the way you think and talk.”

Alison Ledgerwood had some good thoughts on being open to positivity. “Our minds may be built, to look for negative information, and to hold on to it, but we can also retrain our minds if we put some effort into it, and start to see that the glass may be a little more full than we initially thought.”

So how’s your glass today? Is it half empty? Or half full?

CLINICAL, INTELLECTUAL, CYNICAL

You won’t experience

ultimate happiness if

you are not able to experience

a deeper sadness.

– Johun Santos, Life Coach

C4 LIFES U N D AY : J U LY 2 6 : 2 0 1 5


C O M M I T M E N T S

“Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal.”

This maxim from American author Richard Puz rings true

for Camille Prats. In 2011, the Kapuso actress experienced one of life’s hardest knocks: death of a loved one. Camille’s husband Anthony Linsangan succumbed to nasopharyngeal cancer.

But with the support of her family, close friends, and colleagues in showbiz, Camille, now 30, was able to mend her broken heart and make herself whole again. Her faith in God also helped her realize that she still has so much to live for.

“I prayed about it,” she says of her slow and difficult healing process. “I was blessed that I was surrounded with people who gave me support during the hardest time of my life. Moving on and acceptance is only possible with the grace of God. Without Him, I couldn’t have done it.”

Life started to get better again for Camille when she found her inner peace. Yes, she got busy with showbiz work – mainly because she wanted to give her son Nathan a better life – but at the same time found reason to go out with her friends again, experience new things again, laugh again.

In 2013, Camille crossed paths again with VJ Yambao, who as it turned out was a classmate in Grade Two at OB Montessori. Needless to say, VJ came into her life at the right time and at the right place.

“Before meeting VJ, I was okay by myself,” she recalls. “I didn’t try to put myself out there and date. I was happy with work, my friends, and family. I was whole and healed.”

Friendship was quickly formed and the two soon found a reason to take their friendship to another level and make their relationship official.

What does she love the most about VJ? Camille says it’s VJ’s brand of humor. “He is such a funny guy. He always makes me laugh. He takes care of me very well and my son adores him.”

Their relationship is, as Camille puts it, “steady and easy.” No complications, no drama. Even during the time they were miles apart, Camille and VJ found ways to keep the fire burning. “We enjoy watching movies and going on coffee dates. In the two years of being together, we were on a long relationship for a year. By the grace of God, we were able to surpass the trials of being on a ‘LDR.’ We managed to get past it and we feel like the distance made our love stronger.”

More than the romantic movie dates and funny conversations over coffee, VJ gave Camille one important gift: faith in love again. With VJ by her side, Camille now knows deep in her heart that she will never ever have to feel alone and lonely again.

“It’s nice to have someone to look after me and my son,” she says. “Knowing that I don’t have to do things alone anymore.”

Camille recalls how she got the surprise of her life when what she thought was going to be an ordinary dinner at Nayomi Sanctuary Resort in Batangas, which her family owns – turned out to be a surprise proposal from VJ. There were a couple of cars parked inside which she assumed belonged to guests, and when she saw a projector screen, she thought a seminar for new staff was ongoing.

“VJ said we should check it out,” she narrates. Then she saw Nathan walking towards her, leading her to where the people were gathered. “I got lost seeing all those familiar faces surrounding me. VJ then played an AVP of our

pictures, a video of him telling a brief story about us. After that, he walked in with a huge bouquet of roses and said, ‘Dumating na rin ’yong araw na pinakahihintay ko. Ang wish ko sa ’yo ay sana masaya ka palagi. Mahal na mahal kita at ikaw na ang gusto kong makasama habang buhay.’ He then knelt on one knee, asked the ring from Nathan (he was the ring keeper) and asked me, “Would you be my wife’?”

Giving her “YES!” to that question was easy. Camille admits that it has always been a YES for her. “Because I’ve been dreaming of this day to happen,” she says. “The moment I said yes to be his girlfriend, I knew that he was already for keeps.”

As of this writing, nothing is definite yet for Camille and VJ’s big day. The newly engaged lovebirds are just happy and are enjoying the moment.

And they deserve it.

Teena Barretto is one of Manila’s top wedding and event planners, she has done highly publicized celebrity weddings, magical birthdays and other notable events and celebrations. Follow her facebook page Unbeatable Events Diva and find her on Instagram via the hashtag #teenabarrettoevents.

ANOTHER CHANCE AT LOVEBY TEENA BARRETTO

Proposal photos courtesy of Nice Print PhotographyCouple photos courtesy of Camille Prats Instagram account @camilleprats

With Camille’s son Nathan

The newly engaged couple with Camille’s brother John Prats (left) and wife Isabel Oli.

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

C5ISAH V. REDE D I T O R

It has been 7 years since Lolo Pedro was first diagnosed with diabetes, but because he could not afford to regularly take

his maintenance medicines, the 78-year-old has no choice but to live with the debilitating illness.

It is the common story shared by millions of other Filipinos who cannot afford the high price of maintenance medicines, whether for diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol. Similarly, the same situation is common for people who require antibiotics or even vitamins and supplements.

For a poor country like the Phil-ippines with an average monthly household income of $400 for a family of five, it is ironic that penetration of generic medicines is very low at only 5 percent of the market as compared to the 70 percent to 80 percent in more ad-vanced countries like the US.

Because of financial constraints, non-compliance to medicine pre-scriptions is highly prevalent, with Filipinos prioritizing more basic needs like food and shelter.

This is the primary reason why WATSONS, the leading health and beauty chain in the country, introduced its own line of generic medicine last year.

The launch of Watsons Generics aims to help and reach wider Filipi-no communities by offering a wide range of high-quality but affordable generic medicines and to support the Philippine Government’s mis-sion to improve the health care condition in the country.

Safe and effectIve alternatIveSWatsons Generics offers a wide ar-

ray of medicines and supplements for the most common ailments, manufactured by trusted partners to ensure that all products are of high quality, safe and effective while maintaining its affordability.

To ensure the quality of Wat-sons Generics, Watsons’ partner manufacturers undergo a screen-ing process that meets interna-tional standards.

“Our generic medicines are produced by trusted partners. All of these go through a rigor-ous screening process and a third party audit. These methods on top of Philippine regulatory agency standards assure consumers that they are purchasing high quality products,” says Danilo Chiong, Watsons Trading Health director.

Watsons Generics medicines have all passed the regulatory re-quirements of local and interna-tional quality assurance agencies. The medicines are registered with the Philippine Food and Drug Ad-ministration (FDA), passed bio-equivalence test and the manufac-tured by facilities with certificates of Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP). The Watsons Generics have all of these quality assuranc-es while offering up to 80 percent savings vs. leading brands.

The launch of Watsons Gener-ics is the very first of its kind in the industry, as it marks the first time a retailer launched its own brand of generic medicines that are not only 80 percent more af-fordable than leading brands, but also of the highest quality. The Watsons Generics line in-cludes maintenance medicines for diabetes, hypertension and cholesterol, antibiotics to fight off

the common bacteria, dietary sup-plements for skin enhancement, anti-ageing and over-all wellness, basic vitamins, oral analgesics, and other over the counter medicines.

“For more than 170 years, Wat-sons has been providing health and wellness products to its cus-tomers worldwide. We are excited to do the same in the Philippines by allowing Filipino families to take charge of their health with-out the fear of financial burden,” says Viki Encarnacion, Watsons Marketing director.

reSponSIble entrepreneurShIp Watson’s efforts quickly gained attention of Enterprise Asia, a non-governmental organization that promotes responsible entre-preneurship, who recognized the brand’s campaign at the recent Asia Responsible Entrepreneur-ship Awards (AREA) held June 19, at Banyan Tree Hotel in Macau.

“Watsons Generics: Improving Lives of the Filipinos One Pill at a Time” was the only recipient from the Philippines in the Health Pro-motion Category.

Often dubbed the “Nobel Prize for Sustainability,” the AREA hon-ors Asian businesses that cham-pion sustainable and responsible business practices, demonstrate companies’ leadership, sincerity and on-going commitment in in-corporating responsible and ethi-cal values, compliance, respect for people and individuals, involve-ment in communities and protec-tion of the environment into the way they run their businesses.

In the Health Promotion catego-ry, the AREA seeks businesses that

encourage and promote programs aimed at raising awareness and improving the health of their di-rect and indirect stakeholders. The recipient must have clear health related programs which could fo-cus on Millennium Development Goals such as reducing child mor-tality, improve maternal health or combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases. They could also focus on other issues of social concern such as dietary health, obesity, heart disease, early screen-ing for treatable and preventable diseases, mental health and social isolation amongst others.

Enterprise Asia works with gov-ernments, NGOs and other organi-zations to promote entrepreneurial and sustainable development, in uplifting the economic status of people across Asia and in ensuring a legacy of hope, innovation and courage for the future generations.

From over 300 submissions and 28 countries, only 52 projects across Asia were chosen for the six categories namely; Green Leader-ship Award; Investment in Peo-ple Award; Social Empowerment Award; SME CSR Award; Respon-sible Business Leader Award; and Health Promotion Award.

“Winning this award is not just a recognition of our efforts but also a

challenge for us to further this advo-cacy in helping improve the health of Filipinos,” adds Encarnacion. Watsons Philippines recently part-nered with AlfaMArt to further ensure that Watsons Generics will reach communities where Watsons stores are not present. This unique distribution strategy ensured that Watsons Generics are accessible to the Class D and E markets.

SUNDAY : J ULY 26 : 2015

ImprovIng lIveS: one pIll at a tIme

Winning this award is not just

a recognition of our efforts

but also a challenge for us to further

this advocacy in helping improve

the health of Filipinos

– Viki Encarnacion, Watsons Marketing

Director

Viki Encarnacion, Watsons Marketing Director The Responsible Entrepreneurship Awards 2015 trophy Danilo Chiong, Watsons Trade Health Director

Sai Pascual - Senior Category Manager, Danilo Chiong, Trade Health Marketind Director, Karen Fabres - Watsons Group Marketing Manager, Viki Encarnacion - Marketing Director

SHOWBITZC6i s a h r e d @ g m a i l . c o m


ACROSS 1 Put on a coat 6 LeMond or Louganis 10 Low-tech calculators 15 Left Bank lid 20 Roman soothsayer 21 Steel plow inventor 22 La Scala city 23 Burro alternative 24 Where Minos ruled 25 Facetious tribute 26 Discharge 27 Tylenol rival 28 Cosmic principle 29 Farewell 30 Formal-wear flower 32 More nervous 34 Fern or moss 36 Yellow Pages 37 Excited 40 MD assistants 41 Suffix for verb 42 Mushroom morsel

44 “Star Trek” priestess 48 Yes in Yokohama 49 Mom’s girl 50 Waiter’s offering 53 Greeted the day 55 Codgers’ queries 56 — Powers of spydom 58 Sanskrit dialect 59 Lieutenant under Kirk 61 Up — — (stumped) 63 Cote murmur 64 Gen. Powell 65 What you wear 66 REM events 67 Orchard units 69 Slangy refusals 70 Nefertiti’s god 71 Gym dances 74 Have lunch 75 Stream forth 78 “Imagine” composer 81 First space lab 82 Graceful wrap

83 Finish 84 Blend 86 “Where Eagles Dare” actress 87 Negligible 89 Orange liqueur 93 Bikini half 94 Hook’s henchman 95 Geologic sample 96 Hobgoblin 97 Entices (2 wds.) 100 Like a wedding cake 102 Vaulter’s aid 103 UHF part 104 Spacious 108 Fumbled for words 109 Jo March’s professor 110 Goalie’s milieu 111 Waste time 112 Famous Khan 113 Divide 115 Earnest request 116 Caramel-colored 117 Under par 118 Opus 120 Popeye’s sweetie 121 Company VIP 123 W. Hemisphere alliance 124 Flake off 125 Perfume label word 127 Column order 129 Dance studio wear 131 Fortune (2 wds.) 136 Cake decoration 138 Pulls dandelions 142 Claws or talons 143 “— the Riveter” 144 Wolfgang’s thanks 145 Sound 146 Philbin or Sajak 147 Shaman’s quests 148 Threw hen fruit 149 Common expression 150 Siskel cohort 151 Whinny

152 Grass stalk 153 — Dame

DOWN 1 Stuff the suitcase 2 Mystique 3 Disney’s Bob — 4 Spice rack item 5 Escalator part 6 Hollow rocks 7 Broadcast again 8 Gaelic 9 Outfit 10 Pseudopod users (var.) 11 The fish that got away? (2 wds.) 12 Walrus hunter 13 Players 14 Crazy about 15 Mild 16 First-born 17 Shankar the sitarist 18 Sheik colleague 19 Legend 21 Culverts 31 Ponytail site 33 Cheshire Cat, finally 35 Singer — Rawls 37 “Pequod” skipper 38 It had three parts 39 River to the Seine 42 Marathoner’s gorge 43 Police-blotter info 45 Yearly (2 wds.) 46 Polite cough 47 “Has 1,001 —” 49 In — (as found) 50 Browser’s delight 51 Beethoven’s “Fur —” 52 Anais the writer 53 Rathskeller fare 54 Flitted about 57 Keep — on 58 Lyrical 59 Kenya neighbor

60 Very funny! (hyph.) 62 Babysitter, often 64 Grill steaks 66 J.R.’s town 68 At the table 69 A Sinatra 71 “— Pinafore” 72 Lubricate 73 Buyer’s gain (2 wds.) 76 Skimpy 77 Leave on a trip 79 Refinery shipment 80 Bridal notice word

82 Destroys documents 85 Earth goddess 88 Wound a matador 90 Submarine (hyph.) 91 Cattle-call reward 92 Dragon puppet 94 Powder, to skiers 98 Noted lava spewer 99 Algerian port 100 Warm spell in winter 101 Desdemona’s foe 102 Collins or Esposito 103 Web addr.

105 “Garfield” pooch 106 Marseilles Ms. 107 Raise one’s voice 109 Traveler Nellie — 111 Track meet event 114 Rain hard 115 Taro-root paste 116 Gave a ticket 119 Alley frequenter 121 Murmuring sweetly 122 Snare 123 Acted like a pig 124 Not real 126 Selling point

127 Japanese immigrant 128 Halloween quaff 129 Hint of color 130 Samuel Clemens 131 Troublesome joint 132 Metrical foot 133 Genial 134 Elvis — Presley 135 Iditarod terminus 137 Zoo enclosure 139 Touch up 140 Designer label 141 Vague amount

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,

JULY 26, 2015

Camella, the flagship brand of Vista Land & Lifescapes Inc., will be giving away a house and

lot to the lucky winner of ABS-CBN’s reality TV show, Pinoy Big Brother 737 (Season 6).

Camella is one of the major sponsors of the show.

A two-story Rina house model (with 2 bedrooms, living and din-ing area, kitchen, and toilet and bath) will go to the winner who will select the preferred location from a roster of Camella proper-ties nationwide.

The country’s most preferred housing brand and the real estate company with the widest geo-graphical reach maintains a pow-

erful presence in Mega Manila and 35 provinces and 90 cities and municipalities.

For years, the Villar-owned com-pany has been giving away house and lot packages as part of the grand prizes of various TV shows on ABS-CBN, like It’s Showtime!, The Voice of the Philippines, and Bet On Your Baby.

For more information about Camella, call 02-Camella (226-3552) or 09178576494.

Keep up with the latest Camel-la information, news, events and announcements through www.camella.com.ph.

Like “Camella Official” on Facebook and follow “@Camel-laOfficial” on Twitter.

BRanD nEW hOUSE anD LOt fOR ‘PinOy

Big BROthER’ WinnER

the sewing room of Project Runway Philip-pines, the local version of the US reality televi-

sion series, is once more abuzz with activities as a new batch of up-and-coming designers from all over the country competes to become the next big Filipino fashion designer. What better way to power up the fashion designing competi-tion than to have Brother’s top-of-the-line sewing machines “run” the show. A trusted Japanese global brand with commitment to quality, Brother has the most extensive sewing machine ranges in the market consisting of inno-vative, easy-to-use, high-quality, feature-rich products designed to meet the needs of every sewing enthusiast or entrepreneur. As Project Runway’s official sewing machine, Brother pro-vides the sewing machines used by the contestants not just in the Philippines but also in other countries where the show has lo-cal versions. Brother is also spon-soring the additional P250,000.00 cash prize for the winner. Brother Philippines President Glenn P. Hocson said, “Brother Philippines has supported Proj-ect Runway Philippines since Season 1, and we are happy to again be a part of this show which encourages Filipinos to come up with world-class de-signs. We always believe in Fil-ipino ingenuity and creativity,

and it’s been our pride and joy to empower Filipinos to maximize their creative potentials with the Brother sewing machine.” Added Hocson, “Each sewing machine model is designed with the goal of encouraging users to be more creative and have fun while creating their masterpieces.” Contestants are using the Brother NV-55P touchpad en-abled (computerized) sewing machine, which will enable contestants to sew, quilt and do decoration stitches. The per-fect sewing solution, NV-55P is packed with numerous features such as 135 built-in stitches, in-cluding 10 buttonholes, which you can conveniently access from the touchpad. What’s more, the built-in lettering al-lows you to personalize differ-ent stitch patterns to create la-bels or monogrammes. For edging, Brother also pro-vides the show with the Broth-er M3034D easy-to-use home overlocker with multiple fea-tures. It allows users to profes-sionally sew seams, trim excess fabric and over lock raw edges all in one time-saving step. It features three or four thread cut-and-sew overlock sticks, easy to follow threading, and a fast and simple lower looper threading system. It also has a free-arm or flat bed convertible sewing sur-face to make work a lot easier. Notably, Brother’s reliable and award-winning products

also include printing and imag-ing solutions, label-makers and their respective consumables. Supermodel and fashion icon Tweetie De Leon-Gonzalez is host and judge of the fourth season of the show. One of Philippine fashion’s respected designers Rajo Laurel returns to the judges’ seat, alongside top fashion model and lifestyle writer Apples Aberin and run-way mentor Jojie Lloren. Produced by Solar Entertain-ment Group, Project Runway Philippines Season 4 airs every Sunday at 8 pm on ETC.

Brother sewing maChinein ‘ProjeCt runway s4’

Winner in this season of Pinoy Big Brother will win this house and the lot from Camella Homes

A Brother sewing machine is used in Project Runway Philippines

A judge oversees the cutting of fabric by a contestant

A contestant is sewing his creation on a Brother sewing machine

SHOWBITZ C7i s a h r e d @ g m a i l . c o m

One of Hollywood’s and the world’s most influ-ential people, Reese Witherspoon, stars in

an inspiring story etched in histo-ry in The Good Lie.

Based on true events, the film centers on orphans during the brutal civil war in Sudan that be-gan in 1983. These young victims traveled a thousand miles on foot in search of safety. Fifteen years later, a humanitarian effort would bring 3600 lost boys and girls to America. Philippe Falardeau, (writer and director of the Oscar®- nominated Foreign Language film Monsieur Lazhar) brings the story of their survival and triumph to life. Witherspoon stars alongside

Sudanese actors Arnold Oceng, Ger Duany, Emmanuel Jal, and newcomer Nyakuoth Weil, many of whom were also children of war.

Mamere and Theo are sons of the Chief in their village in South-ern Sudan. When an attack by the Northern militia destroys their home and kills their parents, el-dest son Theo is forced to assume the role of Chief and lead a group of young survivors, including his sister Abital, away from harm. But the hostile, treacherous terrain has other dangers in store for them.

As the tattered group makes the difficult trek to Kakuma ref-ugee camp in Kenya, they meet other fleeing children, forging a bond with Jeremiah, who, at 13, is

already a man of faith, and Paul, whose skills become essential to their survival.

Thirteen years later, the now young adults are given the oppor-tunity to leave the camp and re-settle in America. Upon arriving in Kansas, they are met by Carrie Davis (Witherspoon), an employ-ment agency counselor who has been enlisted to help find them jobs—no easy task, when things like straws, light switches and tele-phones are brand new to them.

Although Carrie has successful-ly kept herself from any emotional entanglements, these refugees, who desperately require help navigating the 20th century and rebuilding their shattered lives, need just that.

So Carrie embarks on her own un-chartered territory, enlisting the help of her boss, Jack (Corey Stoll).

Together, against the backdrop of their shared losses, the Lost Boys and these unlikely strangers

find humor in the clash of cultures, and heartbreak as well as hope in the challenges of life in America.

Follow their inspiring journey in The Good Lie on July 29 exclusive at Ayala Malls Cinemas nationwide.


Every now and then, amidst the challenges of everyday life, we hear heroic stories, both inspiring and heart-

warming about being “tapat”. Today, we celebrate that core val-

ue behind the Champion Detergent brand – Katapatan. In partnership

with Star Movies, the brand has been looking for unsung heroes of this generation via an on-air promo.

Television audiences were asked to nominate and share their “My Champion Hero” stories. Among the entries, one stood out was giv-en P50,000.00 cash prize. The story

was also made into a short film and shown on Star Movies last Wednes-day at 8:55 p.m. and will be repeat-ed on Thursday and Saturday.

Today it will be shown again at 2:55 and at 8:55 p.m. on Wednes-day (July 29). It will be screened as well at 2:30 p.m. on Aug. 1 and at 8:55 p.m. on Aug. 5 and Aug 8 and at 3:10 p.m. on Aug. 9 and again at 8:55 p.m on Aug. 12 and 15.

The short film (five minutes more or less) shows a doctor (Doc Jonas) deciding to stay in

the Philippines despite a lucra-tive offer to work in the US be-cause of a promise he made to a little boy suffering for congenital heart defect (CHD).

Evan, the child, was born with the defect and couldn’t survive without intensive medical treat-ment and supervision. Doc Jonas was the person who helped in making the young boy’s life longer.

In real life, Evan is now three years old and has undergone two open-heart surgery, and Doc Jo-

nas has been there all along to help the family and Evan in their medical needs. And Champion detergent is also helping to let people know that they can also find their heroes among people they meet everyday in their work or neighborhood.

Star Movies is seen on on Sky Cable channel 55, Cable Link channel 47, Dream Satellite chan-nel 18, Cignal Digital TV channel 73, GSat channel 109 and over 300 cable systems nationwide!

HErOEs Of nEw gEnEratiOn

it’s a special day every Wednes-day at the Orange Blush Salon in Cabanatuan City, as they treat their clients with special

promotions and discounts on all of their salon services.

Orange Blush salon owner Joby Linsangan-Moreno says that on Wednesdays, they treat their important clients “a little more special” by giving discounts on their services. For instance, a haircut costs P80 on regular days, but on Wednesdays it’s only P60; regular hair rebond is at P1,000, but drops to P800. All other salon services are also discounted.

But why Wednesday? What’s so special about Wednesday?

Explains Linsangan-Moreno, “It’s midweek, and we usually have the lowest head count on this day. We wanted to come up with exciting and unique promos that can create a strong customer loyalty base and relationship and at the same time, think of promos that could strengthen our brand. It is always our priority to deliv-er salon services with the highest

quality yet affordable services, that come with warranty.”

But that’s not all. They actually have promos all year round, as their way of reaching out to clients and thanking them for their patronage.

“We usually have monthly pro-mos that are related to special events/holidays during the month or season, from January to Decem-ber,” she says. “Like, for Valentine’s Day, we give out two free movie tickets for couples who avail of P1,000.00 worth of salon services. Recently we gave away five iPad minis to lucky customers who took part in our raffle draw. With a minimum of P250 worth of salon services, one is entitled to a raffle ticket, and during the Christmas season, we have discounted pack-age services (Hair Rebond with Hair Cellophane and foot spa). And also, just recently, we gave away free colognes (in vials) for ev-ery P250 worth, with discount cou-pons. We also have upcoming pro-mos made especially for students, where they can avail free salon ser-vices (for the day) with every P250

worth of salon services availed and upon presentation of their school identification cards.”

These promos are part of Or-ange Blush salon’s effort to con-tinually upgrade their services.

“Our aim as a company is to improve continuously; to do bet-ter every day, every week, every month, every year,” says Joby. “We strive to know our custom-ers more and establish strong di-rect relationships with them. The market is ever-changing, and thus challenging; and we are aware that we need to keep up and step up to deliver the best salon services.”

To date, they have upgraded the interiors of all their compa-ny-owned branches, with the help of their partners, professional contractors and interior designers. “We want our salons to look very welcoming and attractive, and we also want to make sure that our customers are comfortable when-ever they visit our salons. We also strive to offer only the best hair sa-lon services and products, and we update and upgrade our hair salon

services procedures and products every now and then to keep up with the customers and the trends in the industry.”

Another innovation that Orange Blush Salon has introduced is what Joby refers to as the Warranty Ser-vices. This is like a guarantee that clients will get only the best when-ever they patronize the salon.

“We want our clients to know and feel that we do every hair procedure with outmost care and knowledge, and that our service extends beyond our treatments done inside the salon. We are ulti-mately responsible for our services that we render to our customers. We give out our warranty service slips, and customers are asked to come back to our salon for a free hair check-up, to check and see how our customers are doing and check on their hair/nails as well.”

Joby thinks that it is important for each customer to be treated fairly and with importance, and that ev-ery service should always be given with love and sincerity. “That is our way of showing them that we care.”

Orange Blush salOn hOlds ‘Orange day’

‘The gOOd lie’ exClusive aT ayala Cinemas

An unknown actress plays the

mother of Evan in My Champion Hero short film

Evan, the young boy with

CHD, is played by an unnamed

child actor

Another stage actor

plays Doc Jonas

Joby Linsangan-Moreno, proprietor of Orange Blush

Ger Duany and Reese Witherspoon in a scene in The Good Lie

from C8

C8 ISAH V. REDE D I T O R

SHOWBITZSHOWBITZSHOWBITZ


As a way of thanking all its loy-al viewers and supporters, GMA Network holds a grand Kapuso Fans Day today as part of its 65th anniversary celebration at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.

For more than six decades, the Kapuso Network has constantly gone to great lengths in making a difference in the hearts and lives of Filipinos everywhere with superior entertainment and the responsible delivery of news and information.

Dubbed as “Thank You, Ka-puso! GMA Fans Day 2015”, the country’s premier and most trust-ed broadcast station will gather the brightest and biggest artists, home-grown talents, most re-spected news personalities, and pillars of the industry in one roof to bond with their fans through various performances on-stage and on ground activities.

It will definitely be a star-stud-ded and unforgettable event. The network brings a slew of its enter-tainment programs with celebrities for full-blown and show-stopping live performances and production numbers that will definitely thrill and delight the fans.

Fans at the event will also have the opportunity to see first the sneak peek of the Network’s forth-coming programs for the second half of the year. They will likewise be treated to different games, raf-fle prizes, and interactive booths from GMA’s Entertainment, News and Public Affairs, Radio, Interna-tional, Regional, Artist Center, and Marketing Productions groups.

A rare opportunity to personally meet and greet their favorite Kapu-so stars also awaits 65 lucky fans!

Admission is FREE. All Kapuso fans are required to bring their tick-ets to enter the venue. Gates open at 11am. The official hashtag for the celebration is #ThankYouKapuso.

HHHHH

Louise de Los Reyes’ fiRst pasta dish Kapuso young actress Louise delos Reyes wants to learn how to cook. It’s a good thing kitchen idols Chef Pablo “Boy” Logro and Bettinna Carlos are more than willing to be her mentors. In Idol sa Kusina to-day, the two a guide Delos Reyes through the basics of cooking.

To keep the cooking lessons simple, on the menu are different pasta dishes that any beginner can prepare at home.

How does Seafood Pasta in Roasted Bell Pepper Sauce sound for a first dish? The show guaran-tees it’s not complicated.

Try the recipe and find out how to give a new twist to the usual red pasta sauce. Go green and healthy with some Pesto Pasta with Pan-Grilled Chicken! Of course, get to witness how Louise whips up her first self-made pasta ever—Pas-ta Alfredo, under the guidance of none other than the master him-self—Chef Boy. A delightful dessert ends this great pasta party with a serving of Italian favorite Tiramisu.

All these plus more kitchen tips and tricks in this Sunday’s epi-sode of Idol sa Kusina, 7:15PM on GMA News TV.

ISAH V. REDLouise delos

wants to learn how to cook. It’s a good thing kitchen idols Chef

Bettinna are more than willing to be

to-day, the two a guide Delos Reyes

To keep the cooking lessons simple, on the menu are different

and tricks in this Sunday’s epi, 7:15PM on

Kapuso hoLds fans day today

¼t he country’s premier and most trusted broadcast station will gather the brightest and

biggest artists, home-grown talents,

most respected news personalities,

and pillars of the industry in one

roof to bond with their fans¼

➜ Continued on C7

1 Dingdong Dantes 2 Marian Rivera 3 Alden Richards 4 Aiai delas Alas 5 Ryan Agoncillo 6 Benjamin Alves 7 Carla Avellana 8 Aljur Abrenica 9 Lovi Poe and Rocco Nacino 10 Solenn Heussaff 11 Miguel Tanfelix and Bianca Umali 12 Andre Paras and Barbie Forteza

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