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PH-China gab productive

Ministers meet for the 1st time since the April standoff
our months after the Scarborough Shoal standoff that triggered a bitter territorial dispute between China and the Philippines on the South China Sea, Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario and his Chinese counterpart met for the rst time on Saturday in Beijing to discuss issues of mutual concern.

By Sarah Susanne Fabunan and AP

DFA spokesman Raul Hernandez described the meeting between Del Rosario and Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jeichi as productive. The standoff at the Scarborough Shoal began in April after the Philippine Coast Guard accosted Chinese shermen for alleged poaching.
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Secretary Albert del Rosario and Chinas Foreign Minister Yang Jeichi.

Sunday
Vol. I No. 9 12 Pages, 1 Section P18.00 SUNDAY, August 26, 2012

MST

New chief returns to old haunt

By Macon R. Araneta
WHEN government lawyer Nonnatus Caesar Rojas was named director of the National Bureau of Investigation, it was the rst time a regional prosecutor was appointed to the countrys premier law enforcement agency. But while the new responsibilities on his shoulder may have been a challenge, returning to the Bureau was like returning to an old, distant childhood haunt for the 54-year-old native of Vigan City in Ilocos Sur because he actually became an ofcial member of the NBI family at age 6 when his father Mariano became an agent.

The Sunday Edition of ManilaStandardTODAY

NBI director Nonnatus Rojas

Mariano would bring along his son Atoy to the old NBI building on Taft Avenue, across its present location, and the young Rojas was naturally all over the place and soon considered the Bureau his second home. I was so familiar with the NBI ofces, the NBI agents, the NBI people. I used to go where my father was, Rojas told MST Sunday, reciting the stations where his father was assigned and the Bureau oldtimers he met there. Next page

CJ Sereno takes her oath of ofce; doubts persist

By Sara D. Fabunan and Maricel V. Cruz
JUSTICE Ma. Lourdes Sereno on Saturday formally took her oath of ofce as the countrys 24th and rst female Chief Justice before President Benigno Aquino III at Malacanang Palace amid doubts on her independence. She was accompanied by her husband, Mario Jose Sereno and children Sophia and Jose Lorenzo at Malacanang for her oath-taking. (Related story on A3) Palace ofcials were quick to dispel fears that Serenos appointment as chief magistrate would turn the Supreme Court into a mere extension of the Executive branch. Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said he believes that Serenos appointment will not turn the high tribunal into an Aquino court, since the President had only three appointees in the high court including the new CJ. Apart from the 52-year-old Sereno, the other Aquino appointees were Associate Justices Bienvenido Reyes and Estela Bernabe. Twelve other Associate Justices were appointed by past administrations. The House leadership, Next page meanwhile, backed the appointment of Sereno as Chief Justice, saying that she was a good choice. A new face yet an insider with a reputation for competence and independence. She will prove to be an effective leader of the Judiciary, Speaker Feliciano Belmonte said on Saturday. Let us all give our full support for the new Chief Justice. Minority Leader and Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez wished her a successful tenure, up to 18 years,
Next page Next page

Elated. President Aquino and newly installed Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno in Malacaang after her oath-taking.

BUSINESS

A11

TECH

A10

ARTS & LIFE

SINNER OR SAINT

A7

SPORTS

A12

BPI BANKERS CHAT ON FACEBOOK

Bank of the Philippine Islands employs staff to chat with clients and potential customers on Facebook.

COUNTRY MANAGER MA. VICTORIA AGORRILLA

The future has never been brighter for Lenovo.

Dutch artist Katinka Simonses works are always thoughtprovoking and force us to look at lifes realities.

SAMBOYS GOLDEN GIRL

Jamie Lim, 15, kicks her way to two gold medals in Busan, South Korea.

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SUNDAY AUGUST 26, 2012

Joining forces. Villar Foundation managing director Cynthia Villar, in sleeveless tops, together with local ofcials, NGOs, student-volunteers and employees of Manila Broadcasting Corp.-dzRH radio station, join hands in collecting garbage during yesterdays Manila Bay clean-up drive. EY ACASIO

Piracy thriving in QuiapoUS

By Maricel V. Cruz

THE House of Representatives wants

to dig deeper into reports that the Philippines is still included in the United States watch list of counterfeit goods, with one congressman pushing for measures to ensure that the country complies with treaties on World Intellectual Property Organization.
citing in particular the Quiapo shopping district of Manila as one of 15 notorious markets worldwide for piracy and counterfeiting. The resolution noted that twenty-ve other countries are on the list this year included: Belarus, Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Finland, Greece, Guatemala, Italy, Jamaica, Kuwait, Lebanon, Mexico, Nor-

Cagayan De Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez in a resolution demanded wanted the committee on trade and industry to look into the 2012 Special 301 report of the Ofce of the United States Trade Representative, which released an annual review of the state of intellectual property rights protection and enforcement in its trading partners around the world. The latest USTR review placed the Philippines on the watch list,

way, Peru, Romania, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. The 13 countries included in the USTRs priority watch list are Algeria, Argentina, Canada, Chile, China, India, Indonesia, Israel, Pakistan, Russia, Thailand, Ukraine and Venezuela. Paraguay was made subject to Section 306 Monitoring. The report ranks countries in three categories which are Priority Watch List, Watch List and Section 306 Monitoring. Rodriguez said the report reects the US Administrations resolve to encourage and maintain adequate and effective IPR protection and enforcement worldwide. The report identies a wide range of concerns, including troubling indigenous innovation policies that may unfairly disadvantage US rights holders in China, the continuing challenges of copyright piracy over the internet in countries such as Canada, Italy and Russia, and other

ongoing systemic IPR enforcement issues presented in many trading partners around the world. Rodriguez however said that despite being on the watch list, the United States is encouraged by the signicant decline in the incidence of unauthorized cam-cording of motion pictures in theaters that followed the enactment of the AntiCamcording Act of 2010. According to the USTR, Philippine ofcials also improved in their enforcement efforts, leading to the closure of at least two significant notorious markets but needs to improve on areas, particularly in the criminal enforcement of IPR, which must be strengthened by improving the quality of criminal investigations and prosecutions, Rodriguez said. The same report mentioned that the Supreme Court of the Philippines has promulgated the longawaited IPR procedural rules in 2011, which will hopefully help

streamline the judicial process for IPR cases, he said. The USTR also urged the Philippines to clarify its procedures for obtaining provisional measure and enact long-pending legislation to amend its copyright law and ensure that it fully implements the WIPO Internet Treaties, he said. Among the areas of concern include amendments to the Patent Law that limit the patentability of certain chemical forms unless the applicant demonstrates increased efcacy, the lack of an effective system for protecting against the unfair commercial use, as well as unauthorized disclosure, of test or other date generated to obtain marketing approval for pharmaceutical and agricultural chemical products; and the policies that inhibit US exports of IPR-intensive products to the Philippines, including measures that limit the market for imported pharmaceutical products.

that would be marked by meaningful reforms in the justice system. I hope Chief Justice Sereno would be able to handle the sensitive issues that had surfaced during the acrimonious and heated selection process at the Judicial and Bar Council, Suarez said. Her appointment as Chief Justice, however, was criticized by farmers groups, who said the new chief magistrate had favored President Aquinos family by seeking a high valuation for Hacienda Luisita, which is to be distributed to farmers under the agrarian reform program. Sereno is politically indebted to President Benigno Aquino III. She was Aquinos rst appointee to the Supreme Court. Now at 52, Sereno will enjoy an 18-year term as SC Chief Justice from 2012 to 2030. Aquino will have authority over the Philippine Judiciary, way beyond his presidency. Serenos appointment is denitely a family decision of the Cojuango-Aquinos, Rep. Rafael Mariano of Anakpawis party-list said. Mariano expressed concern over what he said was Serenos obvious political bias toward the family of the President. We are deeply concerned with the future Hacienda Luisita case under the helm of Chief Justice Sereno. We will remain vigilant, Mariano added. But Christian Monsod, lawyer for the Farmworkers Agrarian Reform Movement-Hacienda Luisita, said the Courts decision to distribute the land was already nal and executory. I dont think she will reverse the decision because it is already nal and executory. It cannot be reversed anymore, Monsod told the Manila Standard. On the other hand, Renato Reyes of the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan said the battle over compensation is not yet over because the Presidents family wants a higher selling price, an issue that might still end up before the Supreme Court. Sereno took over the post vacated by Renato Corona, who was removed from ofce following his failure to declare his true Statements of Assets and Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN), including some $2.4 million in bank accounts. President Aquino picked Sereno from a short list submitted by the Judicial and Bar Council, which included Justice Antonio Carpio; Associate Justices Roberto Abad, Arturo Brion, and Teresita Leonardo De Castro; Solicitor General Francis Jardeleza, ex-Ateneo Law School Dean Cesar Villanueva and former congressman Ronaldo Zamora.

New...
Even as a small boy, I met a lot of NBI agents, said Rojas who fondly recalled having seen in Olongapo City NBI Agent Doroteo Rocha, whose life and exploits were made into a movie starring actor Eddie Garcia as the famed law enforcer. My father would bring me along on his assignments. I saw how difcult it was being an NBI agent. The spartan living, the difcult life. But the saddest part of it is that an NBI agent is sometimes away from his family for so long. We experienced that as children when our daddy was on assignment, he said. His parents enrolled him at San Beda College in Mendiola, Manila, where he spent 20 years of his life. From 1963 up to 1983, I was in San

Nonnatus Rojas

Beda. From kindergarten, grade school, high school, college where I obtained a a degree in AB Economics up to College of Law, said Rojas. It was also at San Beda where he rst met Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, who was a member of the Lambda Rho Sigma, the associated sorority of the Lambda Rho Beta fraternity of which he is a member. I was a working student and I landed a job at the Department of Budget and Management where I met my wife who was also working there, said Rojas, referring to Lucy Nenette dela Vega whom he married in 1987. He said the late NBI Deputy Director Diego Gutierrez and his wife, former Supreme Court Associate Justice Angelina Gutierrez, stood as sponsors at their wedding. They were blessed with three children, University of the Philippines law student Raisia May, Ateneo

alumni Miguel Antonio and 12-yearold Jose Lorenzo who is also a Bedan like his father. After he passed the bar in 1983, his father, who had since become Deputy Director for Intelligence, urged him to join the Bureau, but he begged off his fathers suggestion. I saw how we lived. Our Daddy was not always around. Life was not easy. So I told myself, I will rather practice law. I said I would be better off practicing law, related Rojas, who later worked as an associate at the Del Rosario & Del Rosario Law Ofce and later moving to Bienvenido A. Tan Law Ofce. In 1986, he put up his own law rm, the Rojas and Rojas Law Ofce, before joining the Philippine Overseas Employment Authority in 1988. He left the POEA in 1991 and soon became a prosecutor, who rose to become Ilocos

regional prosecutor and chairman of the Regional Prosecutors Council. Since he was constantly elected to leadership positions in several associations of prosecutors, and being regional prosecutor, he met frequently with De Lima until she eventually asked him to assume the top NBI post in an acting capacity until President Aquino could name a replacement for Magtanggol Gatdula. When Secretary De Lima talked to me, I was informed that I will sit as OIC for just 3 weeks. That was what I was told, and that was our understanding. It will just be a short stint until the President selects a permanent NBI director, he said. But 3 weeks became a month, then 2 months, 3 months. I thought there was just a delay in the selection process, but it became 5 months, then 6 months, and then I got appointed, he said.

Samsung loses $1-b suit versus Apple in US

APPLE Inc. won a jury verdict of more than $1.05 billion against Samsung Electronics Co. after a nding that Samsung infringed six of seven patents for mobile devices in the rst lawsuit to go before a US jury in a ght for dominance of the global smartphone market. The nine-member jury also determined that all of Apples patents at stake in the trial were valid. The jury began delivering its verdicts today in federal court in San Jose, California. Jurors heard each side present about 25 hours of evidence and testimony at the trial before they started deliberating Aug. 22. The panel was given more than two hours of instructions and a 20-page verdict form. Apple, based in Cupertino, California, sued Samsung in April 2011, and Samsung countersued as part of a battle being waged on four continents over a smartphone market valued at $219.1 billion according to Bloomberg Industries. The companies have also sued each other in the UK, Australia and South Korea. Questions over damages awards were among the more than 600 questions the jury was asked to address. Apple sought $2.5 billion to $2.75 billion for its claims that Suwon, South Korea- based Samsung infringed four design patents and three software patents in copying the iPhone and iPad. Samsungs demand for as much as $421.8 million in royalties was based on claims that Apple infringed ve patents. Apple also wants to make permanent a preliminary ban it won on US sales of a Samsung tablet computer and extend the ban to Samsung smartphones. US District Judge Lucy Koh, who presided over the San Jose trial, would decide that question herself without the jury.

PH-China...
The Chinese ships are still in the area. President Benigno Aquino III ordered Philippine ships away in June because of bad weather, but Del Rosario told reporters this week they may be sent back after the weather clears. The strained relations between Manila and Beijing also put a wedge between membernations of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in its foreign ministers meeting held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia in July. For the rst time in its 45-year history, the ASEAN failed to come up with a joint communique at the close of the meeting, after Cambodia, a staunch ally of China and host of the meeting, refused to give in to Manila and Hanois demand that they include details of the Scarborough standoff in their joint statement. Beijing also aggressively pressed its claim on the entire South China Sea by establishing Sansha City and a garrison, which it said, would administer control over the islands and waters of the South China Sea. Manila and Hanoi protested the move, but Beijing ignored the protests and shifted its focus on the economic front by inviting foreign bidders for possible oil and gas explorations in the disputed waters. The conict between ASEAN and China dragged the United States into the fray, after the

Americans reminded Beijing to respect international law in dealing with its neighbors. But the Chinese insisted on the holding of bilateral talks between relevant nations instead of settling the disputes through the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea or Unclos. The ASEAN, meanwhile, has drafted a Code of Conduct based on the Declaration of Conduct of Parties the ASEAN and China signed in 2002, but has yet to discuss the draft with China. Recently, however, Beijing has eased up on its verbal assault on Manila, and Yang even made a three-nation diplomatic blitz in late July in a bid to resolve the dispute diplomatically. While in Beijing, Del Rosario also visited Sonia Brady, the Philippines ambassador to China, who is recovering from a stroke. Hernandez said that on Bradys absence, deputy chief of mission Alex Chua is temporarily taking over the affairs of the Philippine embassy. Brady was brought to the hospital on Wednesday after she had a stroke at her residence in Beijing. Brady is in the hospital, the deputy chief of mission takes over the affairs of the embassy and its mandate to strengthen our bilateral relations with China, Hernandez said. Macalaang deputy spokesperson Abigail Valte conrmed that Bradys condition has improved. From what we understand, she (Brady) she

is in a stable condition, shes recovering, Valte said over the state-run dzRB Radyo ng Bayan. Valte added that because of Bradys condition, Malacaang is thinking of replacing the ambassador, but the decision will depend on the thoughts and opinions of Brady herself. She said that Bradys colleagues in Beijing are capable of running the affairs of the Beijing while the ambassador is recovering. That [Bradys replacement] is something we should [consider] of course. The thoughts and the opinions also of Ambassador Brady should be considered before anything like that happens, she added. Last Friday, Hernandez said they were waiting for the result of tests done on Brady, but added that the ambassador appeared to be in stable condition. Brady had earlier suffered from a mild stroke shortly after she was appointed as ambassador to Beijing in May, at the height of the conict between the Philippines and China on the South China Sea. Aside from her posting in Beijing, Bradys other responsibilities include overseeing Manilas diplomatic relations with North Korea and Mongolia. Brady, who turned 71 on Wednesday, also served as ambassador to Beijing from 2006 to 2010. Prior to her appointment as an envoy to China, Bradys recent postings were in Thailand and Myanmar.

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SUNDAY AUGUST 26, 2012

A3

Still waters. Manila Bay appeared quiet on Saturday as weather disturbances moved out of the country. SONNY ESPIRITU

Filipinos tweet hails to the Chief

Manila still calling

By Vito Barcelo

THE countrys business process outsourcing industry heaved a sigh of collective relief after the defeat of a United States congressional bill which would have banned US companies from establishing call centers in foreign countries, including the Philippines.
The defeat in the US Senate of House Resolution 3696, or the United States Call Center Worker and Protection Act, is a boost to BPO industry and will continue to keep it the strongest key employment generator in the coming years, said Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz. This means that more BPO companies can expand their businesses in the Philippines and generate the much needed employment for our local workforce, Baldoz said. Benedict Hernandez, president of the Business Processing Association of the Philippines, also welcomed the bills defeat and stressed that outsourcing

The new chief. Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno being greeted by national leaders after her induction at Malacaang.

business services to the Philippines helps make American companies more competitive and protable. Hernandez cited a study of economist Matthew Slaughter of the said Dartmouths Tuck School of Business saying the hiring practices of 2,500 US multinationals showed that for every job outsourced, nearly two new jobs are created in the US. The Philippines is considered the top destination for businesses that are looking for call center services. In 2011, the countrys IT-BPO industry generated more than $11 billion in revenue and employed almost 640,000 Filipinos. The industry roadmap projects that by 2016, it would to grow to $25 billion in annual revenue and employ 1.3 million.

Indeed, the BPO industry, as one of the identied key employment generators under the DOLEs JobsFit study, is facing very bright prospects. This is why we must vigorously pursue the training of more BPO workers to make them more competitive, efcient, and attuned to the demands of the times, Baldoz said. Baldoz also observed that knowledge process outsourcing, which provides diverse options and opportunities for jobseekers, such as nurses, is being touted as the next growth area in the BPO industry. The Republican-sponsored bill aimed to attract and keep good jobs in the US by rewarding companies that move key operations back to the US.

ON the eve of the inauguration of Chief Justice Maria Lourdes P. Aranal-Sereno, Filipinos used their mobile phones and tablet computers to tweet their hails to the new Chief by posting jokes revolving around the projected length of her future service as head of the Philippine judiciary. Twitter user Francis Acero started the hashtag #CJPaSiSereno (Sereno will still be CJ...) around 9 p.m. of Friday and was already trending a few hours later, but Pinoy netizens were still at it several hours after President Aquino administered Serenos oath of ofce at Malacaang Palace on Saturday. Some of MST Sundays favorites:

Whats a One way to make green prots Palawan By Gigi Munoz-David bear cat?
By Joel E. Zurbano
WOULD you know a Palawan bear cat, if you saw one? That was exactly what three dozen coast guardsmen wanted to learn when they visited Puerto Princesa City recently for a for ve-day training seminar. The Coast Guard and the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development conducted the Wildlife Enforcement Training so that the coast guardsmen could familiarize themselves with the different wildlife species found only in the province. After the training, the participants were deputized as Wildlife Enforcer Ofcer by the PCSD, said Balilo. Coast Guard commandant Vice Adm. Edmund Tan said the training was part of a program to implement Republic Act 9147, or the Philippine Wildlife Act of 2001. Tan said they conducted the training seminar because of several incidents of foreigners trying to spirit endemic animal species out of the country. Data showed that in 2009 there were a total of 345,738 tourists who visited Palawan, and it was increased to 523,872 in 2010 and 631,135 last year, but some of these foreigners try to smuggle out animals that are endangered. In a related development, the Coast Guard also ordered the deployment of drug snifng dogs at the Puerto Princesa International Airport in response to the inux of domestic and foreign passengers in the city. ONE of the leading property developers in the country will spend some P300-million to develop a river protection system around one of its latest residential projects that will also help increase the carrying capacity of the Marikina River. Property developer Ortigas & Co. said the 1.5-kilometer river protection system will be built around its Circulo Verde in Quezon City, near Eastwood City, and is expected to be completed by June 2013. Ortigas & Co. general manager for real estate Joey Santos said the river protection wall will increase the average width of the Marikina River around Circulo Verde by 43 percent from 46.3 meters to 66.3 meters. The narrowest width will increase to 50 meters from 19 meters, a 163 percent increase in width and at the widest will increase to 105 meters from 84 meters, a 25 percent increase. More importantly, the river will also deepen by 20 meters, more than doubling its current carrying capacity. In all, we will be dredging 25,000 cubic meters of silt, equivalent to 1,500 truckloads, Santos said. Circulo Verde is a 12-hectare residential development that will have 15 towers and 70 percent open space for recreation. Once completed, the river wall will permanently stop erosion at the river banks around the area of the property, Santos said. Engineering design rm DCCD Engineering, which was commissioned by Ortigas & Co. to conduct a ood and hydraulics study for the Circulo Verde

project, conrmed that Marikina Rivers carrying capacity had greatly diminished. We found that through time, due to the accumulation of silt on the river bed, the river has become shallow and its carrying capacity has been signicantly reduced. This explains why people can walk across certain parts of the Marikina River during the dry season and why it is susceptible to overows. In addition, soil naturally erodes on riverbanks in the absence of man-made protection systems like a wall, DCCD engineer Ben Galang said. The soundness of the river wall, which can stand 50- and 100-year oods, was further supported by a third-party study by Dr. Guillermo Tabios of the University of the Philippines National Hydraulics Research Center.

along the Marikina River.

Green development.

An artists depiction of the river protection system that will be developed

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SUNDAY

AUGUST 26, 2012

Mexico shooting probed

MEXICO CITYMexican authorities are trying to sort out why a US Embassy vehicle was shot up by federal police on a rural back road in mountains south of the capital, leaving two US government workers wounded. Ofcials from both nations said the federal ofcers were chasing criminals Friday morning when a hail of bullets was red at the embassy sport utility vehicle, but the accounts left many questions unanswered. The two American workers were taken to a hospital in the nearby resort city of Cuernavaca. One had a gunshot wound in his leg and the other was wounded in the stomach and a hand, said a Mexican government ofcial who spoke on condition of anonymity. Hospital ofcials in Cuernavaca said the wounded were later transferred to a hospital in Mexico City in stable condition. The US Embassy did not release the names of the injured workers, who it said were heading to a military training base south of Mexico City. Its statement said the employees and a Mexican naval captain traveling with them were red on by a group of men, and were chased when they tried to escape. The naval ofcer was not seriously injured. Mexicos federal police agency acknowledged that its own ofcers red on the embassys SUV, which appeared to be armored and has diplomatic plates. It said the ofcers were in the area hunting for criminals, but it did not explain what happened. Its statement said at least four vehicles red at the embassy vehicle on a road south of the capital, but it did not clarify whether any or all of them were federal police units. Federal police spokesmen did not respond to The Associated Press requesting further comment. A US ofcial who was briefed on the shooting said later that all the shots were red by federal police. Mexican prosecutors said in a statement late Friday that 12 ofcers based in Mexico City were being held for questioning. Ofcers based in the capital have jurisdiction only in Mexico City and in four suburbs of neighboring Mexico State, not in Cuernavaca. The embassy employees were on their way to do training or related work at a military base, the US ofcial said. AP

Storms spoil NASAs 2nd launch bid for satellites

CAPE CANAVERAL, FloridaThunderstorms have ruined NASAs second attempt to launch a pair of science satellites. For the second day in a row, NASA had to halt the countdown for its Radiation Belt Storm Probes. Lightning and thick storm clouds prevented the unmanned rocket from taking off early Saturday from Cape Canaveral. On Friday, a tracking beacon on the rocket held up the ight. NASA says it will try again Sunday. The twin satellites are designed to study Earths harsh radiation belts. Scientists say the two-year mission will improve space forecasting. The goal is to better guard against solar storms. Spacecraft can be damaged, and astronauts hurt, from severe solar outbursts. Life here on the planet also can be disrupted. AP

This framegrab image provided by NASA-TV shows the Atlas V rst stage and Centaur upper stage sitting on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida just prior to launch being scrubbed for the day early Saturday Aug. 25. The planned launch is scheduled for 4:07 a.m. EDT Sunday of NASAs Radiation Belt Storm Probes. The Atlas V burns rened kerosene fuel, known as RP-1, mixed with liquid oxygen. The Centaur uses liquid hydrogen for fuel, mixed with liquid oxygen. The Centaur will ignite after the Atlas V rst stage burns its propellants and falls away. AP

Colorado shooter told pal he wanted to kill people

JAMES Holmes, the man accused of murdering
12 people last month at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, talked with a classmate in March about wanting to kill people, according to a court ling by prosecutors.
is punishable by death or life in prison under Colorado law. Chambers also said in the ling that Holmes was denied access to the University of Colorado following June 12 after he made threats to a professor at the school. Holmes was a graduate student in neuroscience at the university in Denver. The Colorado attack has been followed by at least two other high-prole shootings. On Aug. 5 in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, a gunman killed six people at a Sikh temple before being wounded by police and taking his own life. Bloomberg The defendant had conversations with a classmate about wanting to kill people in March 2012, and that he would do so when his life was over, Arapahoe District Attorney Carol Chambers said in the filing dated Aug. 14 and made public yesterday. Holmes is accused of opening fire on the audience at a midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises in Aurora on July 20, killing 12 and injuring at least 58. He is charged with 24 counts of first-degree murder and 116 counts of attempted murder. First-degree murder

Airstrike leaves Taliban leader dead

KABUL, AfghanistanThe US-led military force in Afghanistan says a senior leader of the Pakistani Taliban has been killed in a coalition airstrike. A spokesman says the strike in Afghanistans eastern Kunar province killed Mullah Dadullah, the selfproclaimed Taliban leader in Pakistans Bajur tribal area. Bajur lies across the border from Kunar. Coalition spokesman Maj. Martyn Crighton on Saturday conrmed Dadullahs death in an airstrike the previous afternoon. Dadullah reportedly took over after Bajurs former Pakistani Taliban leader, Maulvi Faqir Mohammed, ed to Afghanistan to avoid Pakistani army operations. Taliban-afliated militants operate on both sides of the porous Afghan-Pakistan border. They target both coalition forces in Afghanistan and the Pakistani military. Pakistan recently complained of crossborder attacks by militants hiding out in eastern Afghanistan and asked the US-led coalition to pressure them. AP

Holmes

Seven people die in Venezuela renery blast

CARACAS, Venezuela A huge explosion rocked Venezuelas biggest oil renery early Saturday, killing at least seven people and injuring dozens, an ofcial said. Balls of re rose over the Amuay renery, one of the largest in the world, in video posted on the Internet by people who were nearby at the time. Falcon state Gov. Stella Lugo gave the initial death toll on state television, saying at least 48 people were injured. The areas that had to be evacuated were evacuated, Lugo said, according to the state-run Venezuelan News Agency. The situation is controlled. Of course theyre still a re rising very high, but ... the specialists tell me there is no risk of another explosion. Fireghters and National Guard troops were securing the area at the renery on the Paraguana Peninsula in western Venezuela, Lugo said. The blast occurred after 1 a.m. when a gas leak created a cloud that ignited, Oil Minister Rafael Ramirez said. Some nearby houses were damaged by the blast, he said. AP

US doping agency erases Lance Armstrongs titles

THE champagne toasts on the Champs-Elysees and the twongered V for victory signs he ashed while pedaling to the nish line. The excruciating mountain climbs and the explosions of power that pushed him past other heaving cyclists on narrow Alpine roads. The legions of fans wearing yellow Livestrong bracelets cheering on the cancer survivor whose grit and determination gave them hope. Faded images are all that remain of the unprecedented cycling career of Lance Armstrong. The US Anti-Doping Agency erased the rest of it on Friday. It wiped out 14 years of Armstrongs careerincluding his record seven Tour de France titlesand barred him for life from the sport after concluding he used banned substances. USADA said it expected cyclings governing body to take similar action, but the International Cycling Union was measured in its response, saying it rst wanted a full explanation of why Armstrong should relinquish Tour titles he won from 1999 through 2005. The Amaury Sport Organization, which runs the worlds most prestigious cycling race, said it would not comment until hearing from the UCI and USADA. The US agency contends the cycling body is bound by the World Anti-Doping Code to strip Armstrong of one of the most incredible achievements in sports. Armstrong, who retired a year ago and turns 41 next month, said Thursday he would no longer challenge USADA and declined to exercise his last option by entering arbitration. He denied again that he ever took banned substances in his career, calling USADAs investigation a witch hunt without any physical evidence. He is now ofcially a drug cheat in the eyes of his nations doping agency. USADA chief executive Travis Tygart described the investigation as a battle against a win-at-allcost culture, adding that the UCI was bound to recognize our decision and impose it. They have no choice but to strip the titles under the code, he said. That would leave Greg LeMond as the only American to win the Tour de France, having done so in 1986, 1989 and 1990. Armstrong on Friday sent a tweet that hes still planning to of his titles, Jan Ullrich could be promoted to champion in three of those years. Ullrich was stripped of his third-place nish in the 2005 Tour and retired from racing two years later after being implicated in another doping scandal. The retired German racer expressed no desire to rewrite the record book of cyclings greatest event, even though he would be the biggest beneciary. I know how the order was on the nishing line at the time, Ullrich said. Ive nished with my professional career and have always said that I was proud of my second-place nishes. The International Olympic Committee said Friday it will await decisions by USADA and UCI before taking any steps against Armstrong, who won a bronze medal at the 2000 Sydney Games. Besides the disqualications, Armstrong will forfeit any medals, winnings, points and prizes, USADA said, but it is the lost titles that now dominate his legacy. Every one of Armstrongs competitive races from Aug. 1, 1998, has been vacated by USADA, established in 2000 as the ofcial anti-doping agency for Olympic sports in the United States. Since Armstrong raced in UCI-sanctioned events, he was subject to international drug rules enforced in the US by USADA. Its staff joined a federal criminal investigation of Armstrong that ended earlier this year with no charges being led. USADA, which announced its investigation in June, said its evidence came from more than a dozen witnesses who agreed to testify and provide evidence about their rsthand experience and/or knowledge of the doping activity of those involved in the USPS conspiracy, a reference to Armstrongs former US Postal Service cycling team. The unidentied witnesses said they knew or had been told by Armstrong himself that he had used EPO, blood transfusions, testosterone and cortisone from before 1998 through 2005, and that he had previously used EPO, testosterone and Human Growth Hormone through 1996, USADA said. Armstrong also allegedly handed out doping products and encouraged banned methods and even used blood manipulation including EPO or blood transfusions during his 2009 comeback race on the Tour. AP

This July 23, 2000 le photo shows Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong riding down the Champs Elysees with an American ag after the 21st and nal stage of the cycling race in Paris. The superstar chose not to pursue arbitration in the drug case brought against him by the US Anti-Doping Agency. AP

ride in a mountain bike race in Aspen, Colo., on Saturday and follow it up with running a marathon on Sunday, but he did not comment directly on the sanctions. The UCI and USADA have engaged in a turf war over who should prosecute allegations against Armstrong. The UCI event backed Armstrongs failed legal challenge to USADAs authority, and it cited the same World Anti-Doping Code in saying that it wanted to hear

more from the US agency. As USADA has claimed jurisdiction in the case, the UCI expects that it will issue a reasoned decision explaining the action taken, the Switzerland-based organization said in a statement. It said legal procedures obliged USADA to fulll this demand in cases where no hearing occurs. If Tour de France ofcials follow USADAs lead and announces that Armstrong has been stripped

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OPINION ManilaStandardTODAY
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Taliban
ARE WE THERE YET?
THE princes of the Philippine Catholic Church have already turned somewhat mollifying (although still far from conciliatory) but there was no doubt that the their original stance was menacing, bordering on authoritarianism. The bishops tried to send a chilling message to Catholic universities and colleges in the country: Oppose the Reproductive health bill or lose their religious afliation. Toe the line or lose your jobs. The overt threat was issued in light of the fact that 159 professors from the Ateneo de Manila University signed a common statement in support of the RH bill. As a direct result of the threat, 33 more professors added their names to the list and my friends in Ateneo tell me the list of signatories is still growing. In addition, teachers from other Catholic educational institutions are now contemplating on issuing their own statements of support for the RH bill. Arrogance does push people to fight back; attempts at repression eventually backfire. Besides, no one knows exactly how the bishops could have made good their threat. Quite frankly, I wish our bishops engaged their brains first before opening their mouths and issuing threats. There is just no way that they could possibly police all Catholic schools in this country. Most Filipinos are in favor of the RH bill, will they also sanction parents who think it is the job of educational institutions and teachers to teach their children about informed choices? What about nonCatholic professors? And please, this country has laws and academic institutions that are not exempt from the application of employment guidelines. Professors have tenure, not to mention academic freedom. How exactly do the bishops intend to fend off all the possible lawsuits from teachers, faculty unions, and educational institutions? I also teach in a Catholic educational institution (not the Ateneo) and should there be a similar petition from the college where I teach, I would gladly go out of my way to affix my name and signature to it. And since I am unequivocal in my support of the RH bill and my columns on the subject validate in no uncertain terms my disagreement with the stand of the bishops, if the Church or the administrators of the college where I teach were

EDITORIAL

BONG C. AUSTERO

to sanction me for doing so (a most unlikely event given the extent to which academic freedom is valued by the college) I would not take it sitting down. I would assert my academic freedom and my rights as employee and citizen and use up all the options available to me, including filing a legal suit. The bishops initially wanted the Ateneo professors investigated, charged with heresy, and if found guilty, sacked. Someone subsequently labeled the actions of the Ateneo professors as an abuse of academic freedom. This is the problem with people who are so suffused with righteous indignation; they lose their ability to think through the implications of their actions and statements. I am aghast that our bishops insist on a job description for teachers that hark back to the Middle Ages, or call the mind the tenets of the Taliban. As far as our bishops are concerned, the job of a teacher is simply to stand in front of the classroom and regurgitate dogma. This does not create learning, nor does it enhance knowledge creation. It is a crime worse than heresy. I am a teacher and value academic freedom; mine as well as my students. To my mind, academic freedom is both a constitutional and academic right that must be safeguarded because it is the core of what learning and education should be about: The open pursuit of knowledge and the development of critical thinking. What happens inside a classroom is not just presentation and memorization of facts. The essence of learning is healthy exchange of ideas. As a teacher, it is my job to teach my students to think, to pursue the questions in their minds, to widen and deepen their understanding of the world, to inquire into topics that intrigue or challenge them, and to form their own conclusions and make their own informed decisions based on scholarly and intellectual processes. The discussion of controversial topics or the inclusion of unpopular or dissenting perspectives is central to the development of independent critical thinking. We cannot test and nurture wisdom if there is censorship of ideas and pressure to stick to a limited perspective. Of course academic freedom is not absolute. But responsibility in the context of academic freedom must have a distinct bias for knowledge creation. Academic freedom and ultimately, the search for the truth must remain unshackled by fear of reprisal or institutionalized repression.

What we teach our children

ONE hundred ninety-two professors of Ateneo de Manila University have caught the ire of the Catholic Church for expressing their support for the reproductive health bill. According to the professors, the bill is a vital piece of legislation that needs to be passed urgently. It upholds the constitutional right of couples to found a family in accordance with their religious convictions; honors our commitments to international covenants and conventions; and promotes the reproductive health and reproductive rights of Filipinos, especially of those who are most marginalized on this issueour women, poor families, and young people. They stressed, however, that their support for the bill is their individual position and does not in any way reect the stand of the university. This important distinction has remained lost in the face of immediate condemnation from the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines. CBCPs president, Cebu Archbishop Palma, said that Ateneo, as a Catholic school, should not teach anything contrary to the ofcial teaching of the Church. Professors who do so were confusing the students, he added. The bishops also said that they could strip a school of its Catholic affiliation if it did not support the Churchs teachings. The university president, Jose Ramon Villarin, S.J., supports the Churchs position but acknowledged that these professors grappled with the underlying issues in the context of catholic social teaching. Senator Miriam Santiago, author of the Senate version of the bill, commended the professors for their courageous exercise of academic freedom. We echo the commendation. Students who come to the Ateneo are at least in their late teens. They have had their religious formation in their primary and secondary yearsperiods during which their parents and teachers should have molded them in the way they saw fit. They entered university in the first place aiming to expand their understanding of the world around them. The pro-RH professors have not actively inuenced their students or threatened them with failing grades if they supported the Churchs stand. Even if the academician did try, the students would have been able to decide for themselves depending on the strength of their own moral convictions. Canned teachings that must not be questioned and threats to those who dare think or speak otherwise hew more closely to imposition rather than education. Teaching our children how to think is always superior to telling them what to think. Encouraging them to trust their own observations, be open to other ideas, process information and arrive at rational, just conclusions is empowering them to live up to their potential as human beings.

A Song of Ice and Fire

plaintext
RAY LAMPANO, JR.
more powerful house until the right time for vengeance, or an opportunity to hedge ones bets until a better offer comes along. The only constants in A Song of Ice and Fire are the endless conspiracies, sex and violence, and gratuitous descriptions of feasts that offer a wide array of exotic dishes (unless one may take a fancy to lamprey pies or some dog-based dish). Martins universe owes as much to J.R.R. Tolkiens Lord of the Rings, endless plays of Dungeons & Dragons, and pulp fiction as it does to liquor store pornography from the likes of Hugh Hefner, Larry Flynt, and Bob Guccione. Either way, they are surefire contents of any serious fanboy/fangirls nocturnal emissions. A Song of Ice and Fires long-awaited denouement will be in the two books to come or so the readers are made to believe. It will not be over until it is over. Martin fanned the flames worse than with his notoriously slow writing when he replied in an interview that he may even decide to extend the series depending on his moods. Its serialization in HBOs Game of Thrones in 2011, for all its critical acclaim, has also generated major talk in fan circles about certain liberties taken with its storyline. Television has a strange way of introducing new characters and transposing dialogues to treat with its audience. Nonetheless, the feral intensity of Peter Dinklages Tyrion Lannister and the tragic conict between honor and compromise in the eyes of Sean Beans Ned more than makes up for its cable compromises. In the absence of religion in ones household, one can always look forward to Sunday services at the Church of Tyrion. HBOs Game of Thrones still manages to retain the books object lessons in realpolitik to prepare any viewer for any government better than volumes of political science and jurisprudence, and Roberts Rules of Order combined, which may never be half as interesting as the yellow pages on any given drunken night. Whatever is left in store in Martins sword-and-armor saga will be, to its faithful legion, that blade honed to perfection in secret for that masterful coup de grace, whereupon it will be revealed who really serves the realm among the contending houses. If Martins characters do not necessarily resolve on the straight-and-narrow, there is still however that sneaking feeling that payback for the baddies will be all-caps, and starts with Band blood is the least end of it. The eunuch spymaster Varys question to Ned Stark as he sits in a dungeon may well serve a purpose in the real world: Why is it always the innocents who suffer most, when you high lords play your game of thrones? One need not be in Martins alternate universe to realize that a man of honor often comes out a head shorter. Verily, to rule a kingdom, let alone a house, is quite sordid business.

Conclusion WITH house and individual fealties as indiscernible and conicted as their ultimate agenda, A Song of Ice and Fires smoke-and-mirrors narrative unravels against a largely amoral cast of characters. A bended knee may no more mean submission than yet another chance to stay the wrath of a

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AUGUST 26, 2012

Kendall Jenner, younger sister of Kim Kardashian, turned 16 in grand fashion.

COMING OF AGE
By Joba Botana

MANY girls are presented to society during a grand party when they turn 18. The debutante or deb is usually a young lady who comes from the aristocratic class. She is formally presented and introduced to society as soon as she reaches the age of maturity.
The reason why a woman gets presented is for her parents to tell society of her eligibility for marriage as well as to display her to bachelors from the upper crust. The celebration is highlighted by a cotillion, an elaborate dance with frequent changing of partners. Today, more and more girls are opting to "come out" earlier when they turn 16. Sweet 16 parties are very popular in the United States and Canada. These parties can range from casual get-togethers at home with a small number of friends to a formal ball at a country club or hotel ballroom with 100 guests or more. When my friend's younger sister Lisa turned 16, she insisted on celebrating it debutante-style in a hotel ballroom complete with a DJ, a 16 candles portion and a video montage. According to Lisa, her 18th birthday would just be like an ordinary any ordinary day but her 16th birthday has to be different. Her parents agreed, believing that their daughter is mature enough to decide on what is good for her. Besides, it doesn't really matter except that her "coming of age" was celebrated two years earlier. Asked why the "Sweet 16"

party is more important to her than her debut, Lisa said: "That's how my friends and classmates celebrated their 16th birthdays. Besides, my friends will be leaving for college next year and it would be hard to invite them for my debut specially those who will study abroad. It wouldn't be as memorable if I only invite new friends." My 16th birthday was nothing spectacular in terms of celebrations but I remember when one of my closest friends in high school invited us to her Sweet 16. She said it was her early debut because her family would soon migrate to the US and she was sure that her 18th birthday wouldn't be as memorable and special without her closest friends. Her parents rented a beach resort and she invited all

of her friends. There were also 16 roses and dances from male friends and relatives and 16 gifts from her closest girl friends. Years later, Frances (my friend's name) told me that it was one of the best birthdays she ever celebrated. In the US and Canada, each of the 16 candles has special meaning. The rst candle is for the parents, the second is for the siblings or if there are none, the candle may represent the grandparents. The third to the sixth candles are for the rest of the family members while the seventh to 14th candles are for friends. The 15th will be for the girl's best friend and the 16th is for a signicant male gure in the celebrant's life. Some add a 17th candle for good luck. Then there's the father-daugh-

ter dance, which is usually the rst song of the night. More than twice, I've chanced upon a Sweet 16 party in Metro Manila hotels. The celebrations are similar to that of a debut. There are some teens, however, who prefer a simpler celebration such as a beach gathering with friends or a party at home. It doesn't matter if the party is big or small as long as they celebrate their 16th birthday. For these girls, the age of 16 is a turning point of their lives. It's the age when they ready themselves to make big decisions, face major changes and challenges such as leaving high school and longtime friends, choosing a course and entering college and dating or being in a relationship.

16 on 17 going
By Dinna Chan Vasquez
Mikki and her parents with Pepito Bengzon and his daughters Mikki with her parents Alberto and Linda Legaspi Rosal and grandparents Apolinar and Concepcion Rosal and Isabel Santiago.
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Mikki Rosal is a young lady known for her sweet smile.

SWEET 16 parties, which celebrate a teenage girls entering womanhood, are very important milestones. In the Philippines where girls traditionally come out when they are 18, Sweet 16 parties are fast gaining popularity. The pretty and charming Ana Michaela Mikki Santiago Rosal, a De La Salle Zobel student, recently celebrated her 16th birthday with over 250 in attendance family members, friends and classmates. The coming-out soiree was hosted by her loving parents Alberto and Linda Legaspi Rosal at the Alabang Country Club. It was a rainy night in early August when the party took place but that didnt stop Mikkis guests from wanting to wish her well and be with her as she turns 16. The Grand Ballroom of Alabang Country Club was transformed by Via Mares Boy Cano into a wonderful vision of pink, fuschia and red. Each table had ower arrangements in layers of pink, fuschia and red with pearl strands wrapped around the vase which was illuminated by tea lights. The place was made

even more magical by the multi-awarded Dong Calingacion, who did the technical lighting and sound direction for the event. As soon as the guests were seated, Mikki entered the ballroom and walked the red carpet in a fuschia princess cut bustier accented by a baby pink shrug, a lovely creation of family friend Renee Salud. Stage actor and TV star Fred Lo, who was the program host, serenaded Mikki and performed 16 Going on 17. Of course, Mikkis rst dance was with her father Alberto. The father-and-daughter dance is a revered Sweet 16 tradition. It shows how the dad is showing off his beautiful daughter to everyone. The guests enjoyed Via Mares spread, which included the famous melt-in-the-mouth corned beef, and Bravos delectable pastas. The cake was whimsical and embellished with notes and G-clefts because as everybody knows, Mikki loves music and is, in fact, a very good singer. The highlight of the evening program, which was directed by Luna Inocian, was the presentation of the 16 Gifts to Mikki. Mikkis kuya Evan Legaspi, who is based abroad, started the 16 Gifts via a video, after which her cousins, godparents and friends followed. From her paternal grandparents

Mikkis closest friends Danni, Jolo, Regina and Joanna

Apolinar and Concepcion Rosal, Mikki received the gift of humility. Her maternal grandmother Isabel Santiago also had a very special gift from the heart while Mikkis dad gave her the gift of humility. It was Lindas Gift of Love that stole the show. There wasnt a dry eye in the house as Mikkis mom said her piece. My gift is the Gift of Love, simple and pure. Unconditional love to carry Ana through the magic carpet ride of a journey called life, said Linda. After the presentation of the 16 Gifts, Mikki thanked her guests with her take on Taylor Swifts Love Story. Of course, everyone remarked that Mikki should continue her singing, given her talent and gregarious personality. But Mikkis dad said he would like for his daughter to nish her studies rst. For the after party, Mikki changed into a red gown also by Renee Salud and enjoyed the music of DJ Iaki Ting with her friends. Mikkis guests took home specially made Belgian chocolates smothered with almonds.

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SINNER or saint?
By Dheza Marie Aguilar Images reprinted from www.looovetinkebell.com and www.facebook.com/savethegirlsinmanila.

SHE gained international notoriety in 2004 for an artwork called My dearest cat Pinkeltje, where she broke her own sick cats neck and made a handbag out of it. In the petobsessed Dutch society, this seemingly ruthless form of activism sparked a national outrage.
Katinka Simonse, who goes by the name Tinkebell, continues with her rather ironic campaign for animal rightsusually through a rather graphic mutilation of animals like dismembering a dog, threatening to put male chicks in a paper shredder if nobody adopts them or making her hamster pets walk all over her atelier while inside colorful hamster balls. Not hands of a stranger. By killing her own cat or dragging a dead, dressed dog through the streets of Chicago, Simonse said she was forcing people to face the reality that house pets are sometimes being reduced to mere accessories to show off wealth and status. By playing with basic human emotions and experiences like death, love, sadness and fear, Simonse also questions the morality that society has developed over hundreds of years, that sometimes, it does not really matter to us when poor animals are being slaughtered and mutilated for our consumption, weather as necessity or for luxury as long as we dont see it. Tinsmall city of Goes in the province of Zeeland. As a child, she would collect dead animals, bring them to her mother and ask her if they could still bring the animals to the vet. She was never able to engage her siblings into her love for animals. Her mother never wanted to pay her membership fee for the Wereld Natuur Fonds (World Wide Fund for Nature) so when she was eight years old, Simonse went around the neighborhood to ask for money for this purpose. Her love for weak animals back reflected in her other projects. In 2010, she took a street dog to Gambia and brought it to the veterinarian.

The artist poses for a 2013 calendar

exactly the poster girl for animal rights. Simonse has since then been arrested, fined and brought to court. She is probably on the top spot on the most hated list of people of Partij voor de Dieren (Party for Animals) and other animal rights activists in the Netherlands but Simonse claims that she is just raising awareness on how animals are being used for fashion accessories. Simonse has done a number of art installations which were presented in different art exhibitions, galleries and museums in the Netherlands and abroad. She was quoted saying that she does not make art, she makes discussion. I find artists too vague, too little message. You have to know what you want to achieve with your work. Otherwise art is just a therapy or a hobby, she said in an article for her exhibition in the city of Vlissingen in her own province. With her angelic face usually painted in shades of pink, flamboyant fashion style and sweet, almost naive smile, it is difficult to imagine that the 31-year old graduate of Tilburg Art Academy can break her own cats neck and make a purse out of it. In a country where pet owners bring their dying pets to the veterinarian to be put to sleep, Tinkebell said what she did was hardly different, even better because her cat, who was afraid of the vet, didnt have to die in the

Rogue artist

kebells works has earned her not only the anger of the Dutch but a lot of people from all over the world. She has received thousands of hate mails complete with death threats. Still without fear and confronting her haters in her usual controversial way, Simonse published in 2009 a book called Dearest Tinkebell, a small part of her hate mail collection. In the book, she exposes those who threatened and defile her in the Internet protected by their animosity. With the help of an IT expert, Tinkebell spent months tracking and researching the real names, social media accounts, photos even telephone numbers and addresses of her haters and published them in her book.

Animal lover at heart

Simonse was born in the

Unfortunately, the dog died but she was given another sick dog. But this time, she brought it to a German vet who nursed it back to health and finally brought the dog back to the Netherlands and placed it in an asylum for animals. In Shanghai, she saved 69 turtles who were being sold to be butchered and eaten and by releasing them in the ponds everywhere in the city. She did the same thing to a broiler in Holland, which she brought from the farm and placed it in an exhibition.

Simonses good deeds do not end with freeing animals. With her rather crazy ideas, Simonse loves giving families and communities in different parts of the world hope and inspiration. In Guinea-Bissau, a small country in Africa, she gave IKEA furniture to an impoverished family, almost turning the house into an IKEA showroom while in Peru, she and hundreds of volunteers painted a slum settlement in Rimac pink, creating a heart in the middle of the poor community when you look at it from a distance. Simonse recently went to

the Philippines, stripped for a 2013 calendar to raise funds for two young Filipino prostitutes to make them stop selling their bodies and start achieving their dreams. In a way, she is selling her own body to save those

who do it for a living. While in the Philippines, Simonse waded through the floodwaters of Manila (she was here during the monsoon rains) and was robbed in her hotel room. Her camera was almost snatched while she riding a tricycle. Katinka Simonse has been judged by a lot of people, not exactly as a hero but as a villain who commits cruel acts against animals. But if you look deeper at the message of her artworks, you can almost see her point about peoples hypocrisy in terms of treating animals.

Saving the world

She killed her old cat and turned it into a handbag

Katinka braves Manilas oodwaters

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AUGUST 26, 2012

play hard and

eat well
By Mary Aileen E. Carrion
history books especially Vietnamese. He also maintains a small painting collection and boasts of having a wall full of golf trophies. Valuable of all is his collection of good memories. Theres one from his childhood that he remembers well. We were in Austria and I was around eight years old and only spoke Spanish. My mother sent me down to the stores to buy bread. How I managed to do that in a foreign country, with no local knowledge where to go and with no local language, I impressed even myself. I guess even back then I was resourceful and got things done, Garcia shares. Born in Manila, Garcia was four years old, when his family migrated to Spain. He started schooling at the Colegio de Buen Consejo in Madrid. It was also there that he got into football, the only sport played in Spain back in the 1950s. When he was nine, the family came back to the Philippines and Garcia continued his education at La Salle where he went on to earn a degree in business administration. His involvement in the student movement in the 1970s forced him to seek refuge in Australia together with his wife. Garcia was a successful importer and wholesaler of Asian food products for 25 years in Australia when he decided to come home to the Philippines in 1995. The man believed responsible for changing the culinary direction of Australia toward appreciating the many Asian cuisines was invented to make a difference and prove his marketing skill in his native country. By early 2000, Garcia was on track in making his mark in the eld of preventive health care. A confessed health buff and former national athleteGarcia played for the Philippine Football team from

Work hard,

Conquering Mt Apo

ALBERT MG Garcia is a master of multi tasking. He is the president and chief executive of Whealth, Inc., a company in the health food supplement and wellness industry. He is also chairman of the Philippine Australia Business Council and chairman and Chief Administrator of Philippine Rotary Watch. In addition, he is president of the Chamber of Herbal Industries of the Philippines and Honorary Investment and Trade Representative appointed by the Secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry.
Garcia starts his day at 5 a.m. and does not nish until past 11 p.m. But thats not all work. Between attending to his ofcial duties, he enjoys life by doing what he loves and embracing his varied interests. He is presently into golf which he describes as a mind game. He also nds time to go mountain trekking which allows him to hone his physical and mental skills. He likes to travel because it expands his views and lets him discover how other people live. He enjoys the company of his two Bull Mastiffs Elvis and Donya, and maintains a garden with a small pond of Koi sh. Oriental antiques, specically furniture and art objects, are among Garcias priced collections. He also used to collect netsukes but gave it up when he learned about ivory trade and its consequences. His other collections include cookbooks, books on herbs and herbal medicine,

Garcia (fourth from left) with fellow mountaineers at Mt. Kinabalu

Collector

Man on a mission

1966 -1971 well before the term Azkal became in vogue and is inducted into the DLSU Sports Hall of FameFootball, Garcia decided to engage in the business of promoting preventive health care and well-being with the core message of Wealth is Health. No amount of money will buy good health. Preventive health practice outcomes and results are abundantly more practical when we anticipate risks issues and undertake preventive measure well before the problem arises, says Garcia.

ket. His efforts got more people to adopt a healthy lifestyle. More than a decade since achieving initial success, the Father of Psyllium Fiber, made even wiser by acquired years of health experience, has more to offer ber users. To make sure consumers get the information they need, Garcia and his staff has set up a Megaber Web site www.megaber.com.ph and direct channels for consumers to reach them including the hotlines 524-6549, 708-0947, 354-2208 and Father of psyllium ber 0947-4890262 and email address As the initial undertaking of info@megaber.com.ph. Whealth, Inc., Garcia introduced Health buff psyllium ber to the Philippines, Garcia walks the talk of one the best food ber in the world who advocates preventive health with multiple health benets that care by maintaining a healthy help prevent diseases. He pains- lifestyle. takingly educated the public on I am a sports person from way how overall well-being can be back; therefore to take care of my achieved via the digestive system. health comes naturally to me. I He created the rst Philippine have to be t to prevent injury. To branded ber supplement and stay healthy I try to eat well but made it available in the local mar- not in big proportions. I prefer to

taste rather than eat. I eat when I am hungry and often my mealtimes are different from others. I exercise as best I can, but I have tried most all forms of sports. By keeping himself in good health, Garcia is able to give more time and resources to civic works close to his heart. I am involved in Rotary as Past President of Rotary Club of Forbes Park. I am Chairman and Chief Administrator of Philippine Rotary Watch, a national project which assist the Philippine National Police (PNP) with providing more eyes and ears for peace and order. Garcia is also at the helm of the annual BRAFE GOLF fund raising tournament to support scholarship for students who otherwise cannot afford an education. Every Christmas, Whealth, Inc. treats 1,800 orphans, abused children, homeless boys and girls to a show by the Ballet Philippines.

Businessman with a heart

ENGAGING TODAYS YOUTH inspiring tomorrows leaders

,
their active initiation of youth- a leader, I intend to inspire other driven activities. members to do their best. While Taking the challenge recognizing that the success of the As it is in any journey, it was organization is not my sole call, not all good times. Challenges and its not me who will determine the hindrances are inevitable. Being success of the group. The local a volunteer organization, JCI is organization presidents and their largely dependent on the time and members will be playing a big role resources that its members would in the achievement of our goals. be able to provide and not every- There has to be collaborative efone can perform a task according fort, I would really need their help to the expectations you set. to make this work, Ruste said. Ruste recognizes hurdles such With much that has been said as this. and there is much more is left If you want a project to be to be done, Ruste is determined successful, you have to make to walk the talk in empowering sure that you constantly guide and inspiring the local organizathe leaders. By guiding them, tions, JCI Philippines will strive you do not only ensure that they to live up to what it was once and keep their eyes to the common always will be known for a sogoal, you also hone and empower cial responsibility advocate and a them to become leaders in their believer that Service to Humanown rights, he said. ity is the best work of life. For Ruste, leaders are ultimately Cleaning up Boracay products of their own personal In line with JCIs environchoices. Being a leader is not ment programs, the organization something that they are forced into; recently rolled out Sama Ka, it is something that you choose to Lets Protect Boracay! signado despite all the challenges and ture campaign aimed at creating hardships it may entail. Leadership awareness to preserve the natural is a continuous process of guiding resources of Boracay island. The campaign also aims to and inspiring the members towards achieving a common purpose. As generate funds to provide train-

Helping clean up Boracay ing for Boracay youth in environmental preservation, tourism, and hospitality programs. JCI will donate 1 peso for every signature that will be generated from the campaign. We aim to make them the islands next generation of green tourism experts, Ruste said. As an organization committed to creating positive change in the society, we see the preservation of the environment as one of our key responsibilities. Boracay is one of the countrys treasures but due to heedless commercialization, the island is slowly losing its beauty so we want to do something about that, said Ruste. At the culmination of the activities, the campaign was able to deploy 300 volunteers for the coastal clean-up and more than 3,000 signatures from people who take a stand to preserve Boracay. The Municipality of BoracayMalay will always be supportive of organizations such as JCI that advocate the preservation of our islands beauty. JCI Philippines can be assured of our full support in this campaign, said Mayor John Yap of the Municipality of Boracay-Malay. Ruste looks forward to implementing more campaigns and inspire more people to take a proactive stance in environmental protection.

Some of the volunteers for the Boracay Coastal Clean-up

By Marlon Magtira
IT has been said that todays youth are mere recipients of wisdom from grown-ups. Young people are perceived to be fond of spending their time mainly for fun and leisure for themselves. But Randolf Ivan Ruste, along with the 6,000-strong members of Junior Chamber International (JCI) Philippines, a non-prot organization of young adults aged 18 to 40, is out to prove that the Filipino youth embrace the world of active citizenship in creating a positive impact in nation-building.

In an exclusive interview with the Manila Standard, Ruste, the current national president of JCI Philippines, said he is determined to bring JCI forward to greater heights, wider horizons, further distances, and achievement of greater dreams. In my leadership, I intend to inspire others in reaching out the beneciaries. By being active citizens, the youth is able to better themselves, the people around them, and the community where they belong, Ruste said. With Ruste at the helm, JCI Philippines intend to showcase

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Unvarnished
Priorities by Noel Pagulayan

Sunday
ARTS & LIFE
ManilaStandardTODAY

SUNDAY AUGUST 26, 2012

A9

pictures

Exhibit po st

er

te Mendiola by Randy Valien

Urban Dreams by

Ben-Hur Bobis

SOCIAL Realism, also known as Socio-Realism, is an artistic movement, expressed in the visual and other realist arts, which depicts social and racial injustice, economic hardship, through unvarnished pictures of lifes struggles; often depicting working class activities as heroic. The movement is a style of painting in which the scenes depicted typically convey a message of social or political protest edged with satire.

the 19th century with Rizal and other ilustrado expatriates, continued in the prewar proletarian literature of Manuel Arguilla, Carlos Bulosan and Hernando R. Ocampo, and the postwar PAG modernist movement, the agitprop of the First Quarter Storm (unang sigwa), and the birth of Kaisahan in 1977, a group of young artists that coined the name social realism. Filipino struggled for independence, rst in the revolution against Spain, and later in the war against the United States. While they succeeded in ridding themselves of the rst colonizers in 1898, the new colonizers would set their government in place in 1901.

Folk imagery
Related to social realism is the historical theme mingled with folk imagery which has found striking interpretations in the works of painter-printmakers. Working in varying styles and constructing an iconography of symbols, they dealt on such protest themes as agrarian problems, foreign economic domination, export labor, exploitation of women and children, and ecological damage, while they expressed their aspirations for genuine freedom. They have also worked on a variety of popular forms, such as comics, editorial cartoons, illustrations, posters and portable murals for rallies to be able to reach a larger number of viewers.

Member the Panday Pira, a visual arts organization

Sing Tipid by Anthony Melallos, Charlorebuta, Boyet de Mesa, Ismit Mendez and Myk Quiones

This is not to be confused with Socialist Realism, the ofcial USSR art form that was institutionalized by Joseph Stalin in 1934.

Art movement
Social Realism became an important art movement during the Great Depression in the United States in the 1930s. As an American artistic movement it is closely related to American scene painting and to Regionalism. In Mexico the painter Frida Kahlo is associated with the social realism movement. Also in Mexico was the Mexican muralist movement that took place primarily in the 1920s and 1930s; and was an inspiration to many artists north of the border

Paggawa by Boyet de Mesa

and an important component of the social realism movement. Many artists who subscribed to Social Realism were painters with social and political views. Social Realism is not an ofcial art, and allows space for subjectivity. In certain contexts,

upper classes. With a new sense of social consciousness, the Social Realists pledged not only to show the beautiful art, any style which appealed to the eye or emotions. They Galaw II by Ferdinand Qu iones focused on the realities of contemporary life and expressed the real condition of the people in a given time and condition. They Infobesity by Romel Ismit Mendez recorded what they saw Socialist Realism has been de- a reaction against idealism and (as it existed) in an obscribed as a specic branch of the exaggerated ego encouraged jective manner. Social Realism. by Romanticism. In the Consequences of the Industrial Icon Philippines American Gothic has become Revolution became apparent; urSocial Realism as an ban centers grew, slums prolifera widely known (and often paroated on a new scale contrasting extension of the nationaldied) icon of social realism. ist struggle that began in End Impunity by Rica Reyes-de Social Realism developed as with the display of wealth of the la Cruz

Filipino NGO hopes to change the world

THE livelihood program for women in Metro Manilas poor communities which was launched by non government organization Ecumenical Institute for Labor Education and Research (Eiler) has been named one of the nine nalists in Project Inspires 5 Minutes to Change the World. An annual initiative sponsored by the UN Womens National Committee Singapore and MasterCard, Project Inspire lets young people from all over the world share their life-changing ideas and fulll their vision of a better world for disadvantaged women and children in the Asia/ Pacic region, Middle East and Africa. Dozens of countries submitted entries in the form of a ve-minute video or a written pitch posted online. Last year, the grand prize in the search for innovative ideas on female empowerment and social change was won by another Filipino project, Hapinoy, which helped link women variety store owners in Southern Luzon to a unied retail network. We do hope another Philippine project will win again in the competition, said Soleil Erika Manzano, a staff member of Eiler who entered the project in the competition together with Marian Santos and Jose Maningat. We are very happy with the inclusion of Project Stitch in the list of nalists. By making it to the nals, we have already contributed to raising awareness on the plight of Filipino garment workers who carry the burden of raising their families amid limited economic opportunities, said Manzano. Now on its second year, Project Inspire is a digital and social media-driven initiative tarwork. She says she plans to change the world for women and girls by taking a proactive stance on womens issues and not be afraid to defend or speak out for them. Other nalists and their respective ideas include the following: David Bacon of Australia and Rowan Klaassen of Netherlands who aim to help mothers earn income through microbusiness and producing carpets in Poi Pet, Cambodia; Darshna Goswani of India for the underprivileged women and girls in Jaipur; Chitra Iyengar of India to expand training sessions of women in Gujarat through e-learning. Also among the nalists are Rustam Sengupta of India for the education of women entrepreneurs in rural Rajashtan; Gloria Arlini of Indonesia for the training of women entrepreneurs in the Riau Islands; Dulma Kandaramage for the women in the resettled villages of Northern Sri Lanka; and Rachel Hardy of the United States for the empowerment of local women in Northern Uganda via an agricultural micro-loan program. Each pitch was evaluated based on its sustainability, impact and economic or social benet to disadvantaged women and girls in Asia/Pacic, Middle East or Africa. Help spread the Project Inspire movement in support of womens empowerment by doing the following: join the conversation on the Project Inspire Facebook page; help spread the word via Twitter @Proj_Inspire with the hashtag #PI2012; view other Project Inspire videos on the Project Inspire YouTube channel and by logging on to www.5minutestochangetheworld.org. Dinna Chan Vasquez.

Project Inspire allows young people to share their life-changing ideas.

geted at empowering disadvantaged women and children in the Asia Pacic, Middle East and Africa region through entrepreneurship. It was rst launched in 2011 in commemoration of the 100th year of International Womens Day. Young people representing more than 50 countries from around the world submitted over 350 pitch proposals of life-changing ideas for a chance to win a $25,000 grant through their veminute pitch videos and written proposals. The grant will be used to bring to life the winning idea through social entrepreneurship. You have until Aug. 28 to cast your vote via the Facebook fan page www.facebook.com/ProjInspire and help determine who gets the $25,000 grand prize. The winning project will be deter-

mined by an esteemed judging panel during the live pitch event in Singapore on Aug. 31. Comprising the judging panel are todays top global development and social entrepreneurial experts, social advocates, as well as Paolo Benigno Aquino IV, last years winner of the $25,000 Womens Empowerment grant, which was used for The Hapinoy Program in the Philippines. Manzanos project aims to provide support and livelihood to displaced women in the poor communities of Manila through sewing cooperatives. She believes women are the unsung heroes of our society because despite their meager pay, women nd the strength to wake up each day, tend to their families and go to

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Sunday
ManilaStandardTODAY

TECH

MARLON C. MAGTIRA, Section Editor CHRISTIAN CARDIENTE, Asst. Editor

online.editor@manilastandardtoday.com

A10

SUNDAY

AUGUST 26, 2012

Lenovo Philippines Country Manager:

The future has never been brighter

By Marlon C. Magtira

WITH a recent IDC market analysis

indicating that Lenovo had edged out Dell to rank behind market leader HP in PC sales, Maria Victoria Vicky Agorrilla, the Country General Manager for Lenovo Philippines believes that vaulting to number 2 in worldwide PCs is a result of Lenovos commitment to quality and reliability.

4-Screen Do Machines according to Vicky

THE convergence, consumerization and mobilization of technology means that a four screen offering is an absolute must. Lenovo is a new kind of a technology company, leading the PC+ era, with four screen Do Machines. Lenovo will continue to drive growth and innovation in PCs while expanding across four screens (PC, tablet, smartphone smartTV) of devices and into the eco system of cloud, services and other applications that make up the PC+ market.

PCs
Committed to the PC market for the long term, Lenovo continues to attack the market with commercial, SMB and consumer PCs that push the standards for quality, reliability, style and speed. In fact, we recently launched a wide portfolio of Think and Idea brand PCs. These latest Do machines are powered by 3rd generation Intel Core processors, to suit varied computing needs, styles and preferences of consumers as well as small and medium businesses and corporate users. While there are many new devices available, the traditional PC will NOT be replaced. People still want a real keyboard and larger screen. Lenovo will continue to redene the PC through innovation and make the PC even more energetic, fashionable and user-friendly. In particular, Lenovo recently launched the ThinkPad W530, ThinkPad T430, and ThinkPad L430 notebook PCs as well as the ThinkCentre M72z all-in-one, ThinkCentre M82, ThinkCentre M92/M92p desktop PCs. These PCs provide enterprise-class performance and security, productivity-boosting features, and renowned reliability for corporate users.

Worldwide recognition is achieved through our unwavering focus on product and technology innovation, and strong customer support, said Vicky, who is responsible for driving the companys business growth in the country across all segments relationship, small-to-medium business, and consumer. Vicky is confident that this momentum will continue because her company has the right strategy, innovative products, strong culture and solid execution to drive a steady growth and profitability for Lenovo to ultimately become the global PC market leader. Lenovo Philippines is in a strong position to challenge for market leadership, with our results showing that we are dramatically outgrowing the market. We have recorded 12 consecutive quarters (3 years) of growth, and for 10 consecutive quarters recorded the industrys fastest year-on-year growth. Our nancials are tremendously strong, from margins to cash ow to the balance sheet, and our future has never been brighter, Vicky said. For Vicky, there is still plenty of room for growth,

particularly in the enterprise and consumer space. Our customers know we are fully committed to the PC market for the long term and Lenovo will continue to drive growth and innovation in PC and expand our business across the four screens (PC, tablet, smartphone, and smart TV) to become a winning PC+ company, Vicky said. PC+ era is Lenovos assertion of the new era in technology where PCs are central to the digital lives of people and businesses, with many other devices such as tablets, smart phones and smart TVs emerging on the scene. They offer different experiences and applications, but all share the heart of a PC. Our Protect & Attack is our guiding strategy for PC+ success: protecting our traditional strengths in PCs; adding market tailored attacks to become a winner in the PC+ era, Vicky said. According to Vicky, Lenovo intends to lead the way into the PC+ era by emphasizing its product excellence in PCs and expanding beyond the traditional PC space. As the PC+ era dawns a new era in technology where PCs are central to the

digital lives of consumers and businesses as well as at the heart of an ecosystem of tablets, smartphones, and smart TVs and includes all major operating systems, chipsets, apps and cloud-delivered services, new devices offer different experiences and applications but all share the heart of a PC. Vicky, who joined Lenovo in 2005 during the acquisition of IBMs personal computer division, held a number of senior management positions from 1997 and 2004 with other technology companies including IBM, Compaq, Access Business Group, and HP Philippines.

Vicky earned her Bachelor of Arts in Economics and a degree in Industrial Communication as well as in Public Relations from St. Paul College of Manila and De La Salle University. Vicky is the 2009 and 2010 President of Information and Technology Association of the Philippines (ITAP) and has been a member since 2007. She has also been a member of the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) since 2007. Vicky was awarded the IT Executive of the Year for 2010 by the Information Technology Journalists Association of the Philippines (ITJAP), also known as CyberPress.

What type of computer suits you?

Laptop vs. netbook vs. tablet

By Christian Cardiente
THE time has probably come for you to buy a new computer. Faced with an array of sleek, shiny computing gadgets, how do you decide on your next purchase? Would you still go for a desktop over a laptop? A netbook perhaps? Or one of those increasingly popular touch screen devices instead? I earnestly hope that desktop is out of the equation. Technology evolves for a purpose, and it is one area where old schools are not really that cool. Unless you are a video or graphics artist, a serious gamer, or someone constantly in need of an extremely powerful computer; you might want to forego a desktop for a new laptop. Most laptops have the capability of a desktop workhorse, and considering that laptop prices have continued to drop, a new laptop would be a sensible choice. A laptops portability is probably the main reason why laptops are slowly easing out desktops as the preferred device among individual users. With most users perform their computing requirements in different environments; it is necessary to own a computer that is easy to carry around. But how do you decide next between a laptop, a netbook, or a tablet? Each segment presents not a single feature that differentiates it from the rest. Instead, it distinguishes itself from closely similar product lines through a set of features. The buzzword for these technological innovations is convergence of features, where manufacturers combine key attributes that they hope would correspond to the consumers unmet needs and wants. While a laptop, a netbook, and a tablet each have their own unique advantages; it is ultimately up to the user to decide on a set of features that answers his or her needs. Your need or computing tasks should dene the tool that you are going to use. The following are some of the basic differentiating characteristics of laptops, netbooks, and tablets. Should you need more information, there are plenty of comprehensive comparisons in the internet, including the emerging computer segment that of ultrabooks. Laptops vs. netbooks vs. tablets Laptops are portable desktops, meaning, you can virtually do every computing task in a laptop that a desktop is capable of doing, or even more. Compared with netbooks and tablets, laptops are most expensive, considering the many components adding most distinguishing aspects of these three. The continuing popularity of tablets also poses a serious threat to netbooks survival. Tablets are much handier, provides even longer battery life than netbooks, with exciting new user touch screen interface. Netbooks only edge out tablets in terms of expansion slots and USB ports. While tablets are limited to displaying one app at a time when multi-tasking, netbooks support multiple displays, though would rather not do so given netbooks small screen. While laptops and netbooks provide built-in keyboards, tablet users seem to have easily adapted to virtual keyboards. In terms of storage size, laptops and netbooks are generally generous in this area. In contrast, additional storage space in tablets comes with a rather high price. Savings in apps or programs more than made up for this downside, though. There are hundreds of cheap Android and iOS applications for tablets, costing as little as US$1. Windows-based softwares, on the other hand, could cost up to a few hundred dollars. Bottom-line If you need a portable workhorse for ofce work or for heavy school and multimedia use, then go for a laptop. If you need a smaller and cheaper alternative, then a netbook would sufce. Netbooks are easier to carry around especially if you travel often for work or leisure. Deciding between a netbook and a laptop, meanwhile, requires further consideration of your actual needs. If you just need to be frequently online for emails and web surng, watch videos, or play games; a tablet is perfect for you. If you intend to incorporate some ofce work and simple photo editing in your usual computer routine, then you may be better off with a netbook. Lastly, you have to decide how much you are willing to spend for your device of choice. You can be perfectly practical, or you may opt to strike a balance between meeting your needs and satisfying your wants.

Tablets
Tablets are a very important part of Lenovos product strategy which is why Lenovo established a dedicated Mobile Internet and Digital Home (MIDH) group in February last year. In the Philippines, where social network penetration is incredibly high, IDC predicts that tablet PCs will be one of the key growth drivers for IT with local consumers increasingly adopting them for personal activities. To attack the growth opportunities that this product category offers, Lenovo recently released the IdeaPad Tablet K1 for consumers and the ThinkPad Tablet for corporate users in the Philippines. These tablet PCs build on Lenovos reputation for innovation and quality.

Smartphones
As part of Lenovos four-screen strategy, the company invested in smartphones initially targeting the China market. While looking at expansion opportunities for new products and markets, the company is making its smartphones presence felt in the Philippines.

Smart TVs
With the 3C (computing, communication and consumer electronics) convergence trend poised to continue, smart TV will ramp up quickly to enter into a fast growing stage, bringing strong growth potential for Lenovo. The company recently launched its smart TVs to the China market as smart TVs will play a major role in fueling the growth of digital home.

different functionalities. They are typically heavier, have bigger screens, have more communication ports and expansion slots, and loaded with optical drive. Netbooks, meanwhile, are laptops little sisters. They are smaller, lighter and have screens of less than 11-inches. They have limited connectivity options and have no optical drive; with obviously less power and capability than laptops. Their limited power requirement results to longer battery life, which is ideal for extended use outdoors. The advent of ultrabooks, or the ultrathin, ultra-light versions of laptops, is partly responsible for the decline of netbooks popularity. Ultrabooks are just as powerful as their typical laptop counterpart, with even longer battery life. They are extremely portable, which puts a premium on their already high price. Form and price are the

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extrastory2000@gmail.com

Sunday
BUSINESS ManilaStandardTODAY
SUNDAY AUGUST 26, 2012

A11

Israeli stores
By Othel V. Campos
Most of my life I stayed on a kibbutz. Its an agricultural commune in Israel. I love working in a farm. Ive been a dairy farmer for 10 years. Ultimately I found myself working for the community, for the kibbutz, the 69-year-old president and chief executive of Grain Pro Philippines Inc. says in an interview. The Israeli-Dutch national has been in the bulk storage business for over a decade now, since the US-based GrainPro Inc. established its Quezon City plant in 2002. GrainPro Philippines Inc. provides hermetic or air-tight storage products for all kinds of grains and most dry agricultural products. In a country frequented by calamities like typhoons and oods, bulk food storage continues to be a concern among producers, traders and the government. We are in the business of providing airtight storage to most agricultural produce, basically dried products like grains, coffee, cocoa beans and the like, says De Bruin. From its plant in Quezon City, the company moved to Subic in 2007 where it now leases a 3,000-square meter space that houses the manufacturing plant and related activities such as marketing and research and development. The plant manufactures GrainPro products which are being used in over 80 countries. The company says its pesticidefree hermetic storage units provide long or medium-term organic storage, eliminating the need for chemical insecticides and fumigants and, hence, the associated risks to farmers, agricultural laborers, consumers, wildlife and the environment, specically the ozone layer. GrainPros patentedproducts includethe Cocoons, SuperGrainbags, GrainSafes, Hermetic Bunkers, Collapsible Dryer Cases, TranSafeliners and PITS Sytem. The company creates and provides post-harvest technologies for food grains and other dry food commodities as well as custom enclosures for emergency relief work. In 2012, the company expects to tip the balance in favor of the local market than exports. Our biggest client, the Department of Agriculture, is certainly bullish on achieving its target for staple sufciency by 2013. Were now working on increased orders from them, says De Bruin. Since the companys inception in

food for Filipinos

TOM de Bruin, who was born in Rotterdam, the Netherlands and worked in a kibbutz or agricultural community in Israel for more than three decades, is now sharing his expertise in the food storage business in the Philippines.
2002, the export of hermetic storage by GrainPro accounted for 80 percent of total manufacturing while 20 percent of production went to local users. Local feed millers such as San Miguel Corp., Cargill and Bayer are among the biggest clients GrainPro has served over the last 10 years. De Bruin says he rst came to the Philippines in 1986, working for a research company in Israel. That job took him to several countries including the Philippines. Before that, he used to work in the human resource department of his kibbutz and later on was promoted to developing export markets for Israeli products. He actually studied Psychology at Utrech University, which enabled him to work as a part-time farmer, part-time psychologist. When I left [Israel] to do business in the Philippines, I left that part of me, me being a clinical psychologist. But later on I found out that my previous occupation has its uses in the business. I learned to harness that potential, like how to make a pitch, scout for honest deals. And look at where my company is right now, says De Bruin. GrainPro Philippines, he says, is targeting to double its manufacturing capacity over the next four years by increasing its workforce to 200. It also plans to lease a bigger space of another 3,000 square meters to make way for changes in the future. Twice married, De Bruin has a family

300-MT Cocoon installation

back in Israel. He was divorced from his rst wife, who still lives in Israel. He married his Filipino wife when he started living in the Philippines for good. I had children from my rst marriage, but they are all grown up. I never had a child with my second wife but she has already two children of her own and we adopted two more. However, good things never last. I ended our marriage with an annulment several years back, he says. De Bruin says amid the solitude, he found peace and harmony in his work. Plus the weather and climate in Subic is doing great for me. No trafc jams, no pollution. I love the marina and to me Subic is a great place, he says. He transfered to Subic in the same year that GrainPro Philippines moved its operations within the Freeport. For now, De Bruin says his life is anchored on the business that he so carefully nurtured. Im 69 years old. I believe I still have a lot of spunk left in me. I still have many good years to burn with the company. I love what I do and I love what my job is doing to me, he says.

US expert monitors bad loans for banks

BURTON Crapps, a former American pastor, now helps Philippine banks avoid risks associated with delinquent loans by spotting potential default borrowers. I was in the ministry for about 22 years, says Crapps, who holds an MA from Covington Theological Seminary in the US. He now lives in Singapore with his wife and son, but is in the Philippines 95 percent of the time being the country manager of FICO Philippines. FICO is a solutions provider that helps banks reduce credit risks by providing predictive analytics and decision management technology. He rst landed in the Philippines in 2000 and established a collection call center in Salcedo Village, Makati City. I lived in the Philippines for two years, he says, while showing his familiarity with the country and its culture during an interview. The Philippines is pretty much a microcosm of America, he says, noting the country has huge consumer market and a population of more than 100 million people. Crapps was a top executive of CollectionWorks/Admerex, a global provider of collections and risk management software solutions, before he joined the Singapore-based FICO. Two years ago, the Philippines was not even on the radar of FICO, he says. Crapps convinced the global company to take a second look at the Philippines and establish a presence here in 2010. It is lucky we came here at the right time, he says. FICO now has nine client banks in the Philippines and is in talks with several others. We are growing so fast in the Philippines, he says that he had to nd a condominium on Valero Street, Makati, instead of staying in a hotel. He is now here on weekdays and ies only to Singapore on weekends. Crapps, however, warns that the European debt crisis could present risks to the local nancial system. There is no crisis yet in the Philippines, but with the growth of the consumer market, there could be, he says. This global uncertainty will definitely affect the Philippines. Crapps says delinquent or nonperforming loans of banks may rise, if the crisis spreads to the real economy as loan borrowers who lost their jobs may default on payments. If the Philippines does not act, if they dont put the right solutions, they risk more than just nancial losses. They also risk operational and customer satisfaction losses, he says. Crapps says FICO can help banks detect fraud and manage delinquent accounts by providing credit scores to rate a borrowers ability to repay a loan or credit card. RTD

Bankers paid to chat on Facebook

A SELECT group of young and good-looking bankers are now paid to We have made ourselves available via Facebook, not just to listen but spend time chatting on Facebook. also to give advice to help you reach your financial goals, she adds. Virginia Brocka, digital marketing head of the Bank of the Philippine Visitors of the site can ask tips on wise money management, growing Islands, says the bank has appointed several their wealth, responsible borrowing and staff to communicate with Filipinos on other financial concerns. Facebook. Among these BPI online bankers BPI online bankers then carefully are Eunice, Bess, Sherry, Donna, Jagr, respond to each question. The application Brian, Kenneth and Patrick. also has a connection to BPIs help desk for Brocka says these BPI online bankers customers with account-related inquiries are reaching out to 27 million Filipino and customer service concerns. Facebook users to advise them on what to One of the BPI online bankers, Donna, is do with their money. actually based in Europe, where the bank BPI, the countrys most profitable bank, also has an operation to serve the large pioneered the countrys first online financial population Filipino immigrants and workers advice application via the popular social in the region. Donna advises Filipinos who networking site. visit the BPI fan page site on Facebook on Brocka says unlike a one-way information how to invest their remittances. system employed by other banks, BPI BPI senior vice president and integrated encourages interaction and dialog between marketing group head Marie Josephine its bankers and customers. Ocampo says the Facebook application No, we are not robots. We are real also advises entrepreneurs on how to grow people, real bankers with personalized or start a business. advice for you, Brocka says. We have many solutions depending The idea, she says, is to make talking to on what your situation is like, says a banker as easy and relaxed as connecting Ocampo. with Facebook friends. When the opportunity is there, just seize You dont have to be a BPI client to visit it because BPI will be there for you, she the site. You just have to have a Facebook says. This holds true for entrepreneurs account, says Brocka, who describes who want to grow their business. herself as a regular user of Facebook and Donald Patrick Lim, an Internet its online games. expert and managing director of MRM Brocka says the BPI bankers online Worldwide, says the Philippines is the Facebook application offers a means for social networking capital of the world, Filipinos to ask their own financial questions where most Internet users regularly access and to have personalized conversations Facebook. with the banks friendly and knowledgeable Internet here is now synonymous with bankers. Facebook, he says. We decided to go to Facebook to have a Despite the popularity of social dialog. In the past, it is just one way, says networking sites, Lim says only a few BPI vice president Carmencita Gozar. companies take advantage of Facebook to We envision that BPI bankers online Virginia Brocka promote their brands. will democratize expert financial advice He says BPI is the rst to really explore the and lead Filipinos to financial wellness with BPI as their adviser and potential of Facebook in reaching out to customers. It is a very aggressive partner, says Gozar. and bold step [on the part of BPI] in reaching out, he says. RTD

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Sunday
Manila StandardTODAY

Sports
AUGUST 26, 2012

A12

SUNDAY

Counseling helped Herrera achieve success in London

BY THE way cheers reverberated in the sold-out Olympic Stadium in London as the diminutive Rene Herrera sprinted to the nish line alone youd think he was the winner. Far from it Herrera was actually lapped and left behind by his fellow runners as he nished one minute 19 seconds behind the winner of the 5,000 meter heat. But give it to Herrera who did not inch even when the other runners left him in their wake. He eventually nished with the crowd cheering him on as he improved on his best time. Herrera beneted from counseling by noted Sports Psychologist Dr. Rey Canlas a volunteer service provider at the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC). A Certied Counseling Psychologist and a Registered Guidance Counselor Canlas was the Philippine Team Psychologist during the 26th SEA Games at Indonesia. He helped Philippine athletes prepare mentally for the Olympic Games in order to maximize their potential. Rene (Herrera) attended an intake interview at the Rizal Memorial Sports Center in preparation for the London Olympic Games. The purpose of the intake interview was a quick assessment of the mental strengths and weaknesses of the athletes, said Dr. Canlas. We compared his personal best with his wouldbe competitors at the Olympics. We realized that it would be unrealistic to aspire for a medal because his personal best is way way off the world and Olympic standards. So we decided to dene what would be a successful performance. Rene asserts that beating his personal best would already be a success. As a psychologist Canlas afrmed Herreras goal. Sport Psychology emphasizes that success is measured based on achieving realistic and attainable goals. Rene was clear on what he would like to achieve. A multi-medal winner in the SEA Games, Rene is aware of the level of competition he would face in the Olympics. He was determined and focused on his goals. He showed ease, calm, and sense of humor - qualities that would help him cope with the pressure of the Olympics. In the Olympics, its not all physical but also mental, said Dr. Canlas. Herrera did surpass his personal best in the event. He did not allow himself to get distracted even when the eventual qualiers ran past and lapped him. He continued with his pace and eventually nished the race. The 80,000 plus crowd at the Olympic stadium were cheering for him. He gave thanks to the Lord after crossing the nish line and was congratulated by his idol - the British runner Farah Mohamed. Rene is a true Olympian. He exemplies the Olympic Spirit that winning or losing is not the important thing, said Dr. Canlas. What is important is that you give your very best. Rene showed that the Filipino is truly resilient under adverse conditions. We will not back down. We will keep on ghting. And Rene showed the world that we Filipinos never give up. Competing in the Olympics is a singular honor won and earned by only the best Rene Herrera crosses the nish line athletes in the after completing a half marathon. world. Thanks to Before competing in the 5,000 meter run Herrera ran regularly in road races. Sports Psychology Herrera was able to maximize his opportunity. Even though he nished last in his event he won the hearts of an admiring world through his feat of perseverance and fortitude. Reuel Vidal

Jamie Lim trades kicks with her opponent during a kumite or match. Lim brought home two gold medals in the Karate 1 Premier League Junior and Cadet Games in Busan, South Korea.

SAMBOYS golden girl

By Arman D. Armero

JAMIE Christine B. Lim has just won two gold medals in the recent International Karatedo Junior, Cadet and Children Game in Busan, South Korea, emerging as the only Filipino karatedo to win a double gold in the tough two-day competition held Aug. 20-21.
The 15-year old Jamie topped the kata (form) competition in the individual 14-15 years old division by beating Faezeh Chizari of Iran for the gold, and grabbed another gold medal in the 47+ kg. kumite (ghting), after scoring a come-from-behind 3-2 victory over Kim Hyun Byul of Korea. The other AAK gold medalist was Alenn Castro, who beat Iranian Safdarian Ali to grab the gold in the 53-kg male cadet kumite. A double gold in kata and kumite is a rare feat, and Jamie is only one of the few in the tournament who completed the rare double. Overall, Jamie has collected a total of 13 gold medals since she started joining international competitions in 2008 at age 11, while also collecting 47 gilts in local karate tournaments. But what is so special about Jamie aside from her extraordinary skills in the oftentimes risky sport of karate? Jamie happens to be the only child of basketball legend Avelino Samboy Lim and PAG-IBIG Fund President and CEO Darlene Marie Lelen Berberabe-Lim. Yes, thats Samboy The Skywalker, Lim, who was named as one of the 50 greatest players in the Philippine Basketball Association, Asias first pro basketball league. The same Samboy Lim who electrified basketball fans with his highflying, breath-taking moves in the hardcourt, and the same charismatic player who represented the country in various international competitions. Samboy now works as team manager of Ginebra San Miguel, one of three teams owned by San Miguel Corp. Lelen is a celebrity in her own right, a rising star in government service who has transformed PAGIBIG Fund into a more responsive and more relevant agency. With Samboy and Lelen as parents, how can Jamie go wrong? An athlete and a top student With her parents guidance, Jamie Christine grew up to be a young teen who excels in all she does. As an athlete, Jamie, as described by Samboy, is very quick and focused, two traits that had earned her medals and accolades both here and abroad. As a student, Jamie is consistently in the top ten of her class at the Immaculate Conception Academy in Greenhills. A second-year high school student, Jamie is a member of both the Advanced Math Class and the Advanced Science Class, elite classes that invite only highly-qualied students. Jamie balances her studies with fun extra-curricular activities. She recently joined the ICA Dance Troupe. (I think its related to how she moves as a karate player, says Mom Lelen). She also took guitar and drum lessons, and even joined his fathers basketball camp. At a young age, Jamie has travelled to many countries as an athlete. She had been to competitions in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the United States and Hongkong as well as local tournaments in Bicol Dumaguete,

PBA legend Samboy Lim and wife Darlene Marie Lelen Berberabe-Lim, PAG-IBIG Fund president ank daughter Jamie Lim.

Davao, Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, Boracay, Baguio, Bohol, Subic, La Union, Mindoro and Batangas. A member of the AAK (karate) Club based in Megamall, Jamies biggest dream is to represent the country in the Asian Games. Dream ko po talaga na makalaro din saAsian Games and probably win a medal there. Pero Im only 15 pa naman, so when Im older na, pwede na ako dun. Karatedo in shambles Jamies dream, though, is littered with obstacles not of her own doing. The karate community in the Philippines is fragmented, with two groups claiming legitimacy as the sports rightful leader. This was evident in Busan, where two teams represented the Philippines: the national karate team and Jamies AAK Club. Both teams did well, but it was the AAK which nished third overall on the strength of Jamies two gold medals (AAK won three), while the nationals ended up 6th overall. Lelen, who accompanied her daugh-

ter to Korea, said Jamies performance didnt go unnoticed by ofcials of the national karatedo federation. He talked to us and said he was very by Jamies performance, Lelen said. Jamie, though, had to go through the wringer to win the gold in the kumite because she was up against a hometown bet. Jamie clearly connected on several kicks to the head (worth three points each), but the judges did not score them, allowing the Korean to take a 2-0 lead. But with only 11 seconds to go, Jamie delivered a hook kick that gave her three points, enough to give her the victory via a 3-2 score. It (the fight) was very tense but when she finally scored that three pointer, sobrang saya namin, Lelen said. With 13 golds under her belt and countingJamie Christine is destined to be a great athlete in her chosen sport, especially if karatedo ofcials nally decide to put their house in order. She is, after all, Samboys golden girl.

Asias sprint queen

THE MORNING AFTER
SHE rose to become the perpetual sunshine of Philippine sports in the 80s, highlighting her meteoric rise to fame and overpowering dominance in the godfather of all sports as Asias queen of the sprints. That epoch produced many sports heroes and heroines, but the greatest of them all was the pony-tailed lass from Meycauyan, BulacanLydia de Vega who made the century dash and the 200 meters run her private preserve. Diay, as she was fondly called by friends, had no equal at home. She was adored as the Darling of the Games in the Southeast Asian region. And, in the Asian hemisphere, Lydia de Vega was simply the feared

RAY ROQUERO

record buster in the sprints. It was in the 1981 SEA Games in Manila when the 17-year-old De Vega rst broke into regional prominence when she upset the favored Mumthaz Jaffar of Malaysia in the 200m, setting a new record of 23.54 seconds that also surpassed the Asian Games mark. In that auspicious debut, De Vega capped her newly-established reign with a golden double, ruling the 400m in a Games record to anchor a strong eight-gold medal haul by the Philippines in the centerpiece athletics events. The happy scene was hailed by critics as a renaissance in Philippine sports, the result of a short term, no-nonsense training program christened Project: Gintong Alay. Michael Keon, the smart and dapper founder of Gintong Alay, soon expanded the wings of the program to include the other events in the Olympic calendar, ushering a new era for Filipino athletes in this side of the world.

De Vegas next biggest challenge was in the 1982 Asian Games in New Delhi. It was dubbed as the Battle of the Elephant vs. the Stallion by media whose pre-occupation was to determine who between Lydia de Vega and Indias pride, P.T. Usha would prevail in the much publicized titular duel. Usha, throwing sarcastic sparks, was featured as the stallion that would race to the nish unchallenged, and De Vega, whose teenage looks was soft and mild as a dove, was labelled as the slow moving elephant. The earth was cool and balmy and the sky was blue when the starting gun was red to unleash the eight nalists from the starting line on that ne afternoon at the jampacked Jawarharlal Nehru Stadium. My throat chocked as I watched De Vega engage the powerhouse throng from their starting blocks until the halfway stretch when a distinction was drawn between the leaders and

their pursuers. De Vega roared ahead, leaving behind the struggling Usha in her wake. Then, gloom engulfed the stunned crowd as De Vega breasted the tape and raised her arms in triumph, breaking the Games record and the hearts of the Hindus who gave the Filipina a standing ovation in a humble gesture of magnanimity. For the rst time, tears dropped from my moist eyes as our national anthem was played and the Philippine ag was raised during the victory ceremony as Lydia, received the countrys rst gold medal in a very long, long time. De Vega duplicated her feat in the 1986 Seoul Asian Games where she added the silver medal in the 200m, keeping the Philippines in the Asiad gold medal scoreboard after 20 years of drought and despair. The storied rivalry of Lydia and Usha brought them to the 1983 Asian Championships in Kuwait where De

Vega swept the 100m and 200m and the 1987 edition in Singapore where she again kept her crown in the two premier events. In the SEA Games, Lydia De Vega has carved out an enviable record collecting nine golds and two silvers and authored a similar awesome achievement in the ASEAN Cup where she was worshipped like a deity by her followers. Married to long-time suitor Paulo Mercado, De Vega, a mother of three, retired a bemedalled athlete but was denied the much deserved employment by her country which became oblivious to the numerous honors she had earned to put the Philippines in the world map of sports. As she faded from fame, De Vega took refuge in a foreign land in Singapore, the scene of her rst defeat in the 100m in the 1983 SEA Games, where she is now working as a coach in athletics.

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