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CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

H1M O N D AY : F E B R U A R Y 2 9, 2 0 1 6

29th [email protected]

CHANGE does happen over-night. Most importantly, it does not happen out of the blue. There needs to be motion, ac-tivity, and most of all, momen-tum. We are see-ing changes in different areas, improving lives, industries and the nation.

MOVEMENT

H2M O N d aY : F E B R U a R Y 2 9, 2 0 1 6


In 2015 alone, there were 2,000,000 cars of-ficially listed in the country. This means that 2,000,000 cars more or less are on the road on a daily basis, with the majority concentrated in major cities like Cebu, Quezon City, and Bulacan. Aside from this, the number of mo-torcycles are also on the rise.

Given a not so reliable public transportation system, most citizens opt to purchase their very own vehicles in order to avoid spending hours in line for the MRT system or running

Into overdrIve: the rIse of the MotorIng Industry

after other forms of public transpor-tation without much success.

Spending power is higher than ever, and now, more and more Filipinos are investing in their own vehicles to tra-vail the streets of the country.

Motorization and the econoMy

Increase in car sales is a trend in Southeast Asia, particularly in the Philippines. Today, owning a vehi-cle is already accessible even to the most common man. What used to be a luxury is now a commodity in the country owing to the many afford-able packages and units that one can choose from.

And the increase in the number of cars is a direct indication of how well the country is faring. In fact, an in-crease in the Gross Domestic Prod-uct of the country greatly affects the demand for motor vehicles. The term for this is called motorization. Which means that the higher the GDP, the greater the chances of citizens being able to afford and buy cars. A trend that started in 2013, the Philippines is expected to be a part of the third wave of motorization in ASEAn.

In the first quarter of last year alone, sales have increased an impres-sive 19.3% with the industry selling a total of 18,662 units in the first month of last year, a huge jump from the pre-

vious year. To better understand motoriza-

tion, it is also best to understand the trend between GDP Per Capita and the level of car ownership and how it relies heavily on a country’s econom-ic development. A country with low GDP per capita has proven to have a similarly lower level of car ownership because only a few people can afford cars. Countries with a large popula-tion ideally improve public transpor-tation and infrastructure so the need for cars is lessened. In emerging mar-kets like the Philippines, the develop-ment may not be as fast as expected

so the only way for people to be able to move around is to be purchase ve-hicles on their own.

The IMF recently projected the growth of GDP in emerging markets like ours will be higher than in devel-oped countries within the next five years. This means that vehicle own-ership will accelerate because we are about to reach the maximum GDP and this growth will greatly affect the motoring industry.

Bigger Purchasing Power

It is clear that the economy is booming. The growth of the middle class family has bolstered the Phil-ippines automobile industry show-ing a stellar performance in the past years. In fact, in 2014 alone, The Asean Automotive Federation cites the Philippines as the fastest grow-ing automobile market in the region ahead of bigger giants like Singa-pore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Viet-nam, something that can be attribut-ed to stronger consumer purchasing power, rising investments, and even easier financing.

Easy auto financing deals are con-tributing greatly to the surging sales of motor vehicles, specifically private



RiteMed, the leading branded generic l ine of medicines in the country, recently hosted an appreciat ion dinner for Ms. Susan Roces, to celebrate the lat ter ’s renewal of contract as i ts brand ambassador. The Queen of Phil ippine Movies emerged as the most trusted endorser of pharmaceutical products in the sur vey conducted by AGB Nielsen in 2015. For the last f ive years, Ms. Roces has launched f ive campaigns that have ef fect ively raised the awareness of Fil ipinos about the availabil i ty of high quali ty and more af fordable l ine of medicines in the market . Leading the RiteMed team in the event are (from from lef t): Vincent Guerrero, general manager of RiteMed, and Jose Maria A . Ochave, senior vice president of United Laboratories, Inc.

cars. Gone were the days when it would take forever to be able to get a car loan. Today, the increasing availability of loans, especially to the middle class, are proving to be the main source of enor-mous growth in the automobile indus-try.

Motorization has truly begun in the country. And a huge potential growth still remains with more and more people owning more than one vehicle to avoid the vehicle number coding scheme of the country.

More and more middle class citizens are also purchasing more vehicles in order to join car services like Grab and Uber in the hopes of a better income. This has proven to positively affect the sales of cars in the country.

The effecT of MoTorizaTion

Motorization in the country is excit-ing without a doubt. The good news is that there will be a boost in the auto-mobile industry that will lead to more jobs in industry related to the automo-bile industry. It will greatly affect the assembly industry while at the same time encourage growth in basic indus-tries such as petrochemicals, textiles, chemical, rubber, iron, steel. Compo-nent manufacturers will be affected as well and other supporting industries. This is the good part about motoriza-tion. It will greatly affect all the other industries.

However, in a country such as ours, and in the current state of traffic, one can’t help but ask how the country’s roads will be able to sustain and accom-modate all the cards on the road.

And while this is currently a chal-

lenge, it also places a sense of urgency because with the increasing number of cards on the road, it’s important for the government to move fast and quick in taking care of the public transportation system.

Movers in 2015

New models and new brands came into the country in 2015. Many events launching new vehicles and brands oc-curred last year, further boosting the

excitement for an already energetic au-tomotive scene.

Pick-ups still took the centerstage on the scene with the launch of the Nissan Navara and Toyota Hilux. The updates of the Mitsubishi Strada, Ford Ranger, Isuzu D-Max 3.0 and Chevrolet Colo-rado Tracker Pro boosted car sales in the country.

Another area that gained traction is the PPV segment, which is the pick up based passenger vehicles battling over the SUV. Ford was the first one

to release the new Everest while Isuzu released the MuX. Mitsubishi also re-leased Montero Sport. Toyota is ex-pected to come in with a new model for the Fortuner this year as well.

The industry also welcomed new brands such as Mahindra which made waves when it bagged the PNP patrol vehicle contract with its Enforcer rug-ged SUV.

Lotus soon arrived a few months

Turn To h5

Just immediately after Bicutan exit from the South Luzon expressway is a condominium community that continues to surprise guests.

It is the Azure Urban Resort Residences, which attracted a lot of attention when Paris Hilton inaugurated its central amenity called the Paris Beach Club.

Not common among urban devel-opments, it has become a huge part of the community’s appeal. If in the past, themes often meant “design,” these days, a themed development offers an entirely experiential level. Century Properties, Azure’s developer is pushing the enve-lope by bringing more than just the sheen of exterior aesthetics into our lives—that is, through dynamic lifestyles that come with beautifully designed homes.

If you’re ready to move, consider the following choices: beachside living, a residential Eden, and a nurturing envi-ronment.

At the Azure Urban Resort Residences, home is beachside living. The first residents of the 9-building development now enjoy what may be the rarest amenity feature among condominium communities in the city. Sunbathing on the sand, beach volley-ball, and of course, swimming, are as much a daily option as they wish. That’s like com-ing home to a resort every single day of the year for all of your life.

Complementing the beach set up is a beach bar that offers the pleasures of sundown cocktails. The communi-ty’s own clubhouse—the Paris Beach Club –is also by the water and offers an entire set of lifestyle options such as dining, exercising, spa treatments, film viewing, and gaming.

Going much deeper into the city, one finds the Acqua Private Residences, where two of its towers are now livable communities—the Niagara and Suther-land. Like all of Acqua’s towers, both overlook a simulation of a tropical rain-forest, or trails of greens that open to a vibrant waterfront.

In the middle of this is the now-ris-ing amenity called The Pebble, a coun-try club by the water facing an ever dynamic urban center. Located right smack in the center of the development, it’s the perfect retreat for someone en-trenched daily in the hustle of an ever mobile city. It is fronted by a Riverwalk Promenade which will house several commercial establishments.

In the near future, residents shall have more lifestyle choices courtesy of Acqua Livingstone which is being interior designed by MissoniHome and Acqua Iguazu, whose interiors are by yoo inspired by Starck. Both seam-lessly fuse their nature-inspired de-

signs with the hugely verdant themes pervading the entire development.

Each tower has its own roofdeck amen-ity. Where Acqua Livingstone has The Canopy, the Acqua Iguazu has The Cie-lo. The Canopy spans two levels where varied pursuits find their home: function rooms, business centers, gyms, library, and other amenities that promote health, wellbeing, and cultural curiosity on the lower level; an amphitheater, a DJ booth and dance floor, pool, and BBQ facilities, its social and entertainment space on the upper level

Tying these two levels together is an or-ganic wire-mesh tree that winds its way up and connects to the mezzanine floor which may be used as an open-air dining area or an observation deck.

The Cielo, meanwhile promotes inter-action between residents. It has a common dining area, a library, a bar. And looming above this is a Cielo feature, an orb that as-sumes the sun’s character by day, and the moon, by night.

The Residences Commonwealth by Cen-tury in Quezon City, meanwhile, is a venue to pursue one’s passion. It takes a multifaceted approach to amenity development. This com-munity bears a nurturing spirit, what with in-door and outdoor spaces that provide holistic, active, and healthy lifestyle experiences.

There will be areas that promote

activity and wellness such as multi-purpose courts, athletic bootcamp, gym and fitness center, gardens, a yoga deck, and its own version of a children’s playground, The Orchard, a peeled apple-inspired treehouse with slides and ladder.

Forget having idle moments as ven-ues for learning on your own or with groups will abound: a study and li-brary, an arts & crafts studio, a dance studio, a cooking studio, and ad-vanced learning center.

And like most of Century Prop-erties recent developments, it also has a screening room that can be booked for private movie viewings.

Toddlers also get their own space via the crèche (a nursery) and kin-dergarten.

Surrounding the central amenity area is a nature park that’s highlighted by water features such as a reflecting pond, a rapid pool, and its very own water falls.

At a Century Properties home, living is an elevated experience, and arrivals are an anticipated daily routine—much more than the usual.

For information, call +639175555274; email [email protected];

or visit www.century-properties.com.

Century Properties’ RFO units: Move right into a beachside

community, a residential Eden, or a nurturing environment

An artist’s rendition of the Residences at Commonwealth, a community that revives the focus of communities on the all-around well-being of its residents.

A The Lounge at the roofdeck of Osmeña West, the first tower to rise at The Residences at Commonwealth, offers a glimpse of the community’s priority of its residents’ comfortand convenience even in providing leisure spaces.

The beach is just a few steps away from your unit at the Azure, no matter whereyour tower is.

A great way to cap your busy day is a spa treatment at the Azure’s very own spa center.

The Niagara is the first of two towers now livable at the Acqua Private Residences.



after offering British engineer-ing in the form of the Elise, Ex-ige, and Evora sports cars. Aston Martin also arrived in the coun-try, fueling the surge for expen-sive cars even further.

Looking AheAd

The Philippines is expected to be a major automotive market in Southeast Asia by 2020 as domes-tic sales are expected to grow even more in the next four years. This will also work hand in hand with the government’s Comprehensive Resurgence Strategy program.

Local industry players expect to see the Philippine automotive market bringing in more sales, ac-counting for about ten percent of the total vehicle sales in the region by 2020. Sales of the automotive market are expected to reach at least 5-6 million units by the year 2020 following other leaders in the region such as Thailand and Indo-nesia.

AcceLerAtion

The steady growth the industry has experienced in the past five years alone show just how strong the market is.

It may be recalled that in 2010, only 168,000 units were sold. In comparison sales in the first quar-ter of last year alone was pegged at 269,000. This year, they are expected to reach at least 350,000 units. Despite the big numbers, low car ownership ratio, favorable demographics, and rising incomes indicate high potential that has not been tapped and can still lead to further growth.

One area where the Philippines is still poised to soar is that of locally produced vehicles. In the last year, locally produced units were only at 83,874. This is small in comparison to Thailand’s 1.6 million units and Indonesia’s 1.1 million units. How-ever, industry players believe that the improvement of the CARS pro-gram will encourage the local as-sembly of automotive vehicles.

The Board of Investments also issued the implementing rules and regulations for the CARS Pro-gram. This program will allow two prospective local car assemblers to apply for fiscal support not ex-ceeding P27 billion by locally as-sembling three vehicle models or P9 billion per model with a com-mitment to produce 200,000 units for each model during its six-year model life.

The CARS program is expected to be the lifeline of the struggling local auto parts making industry. It’s the surge the local industry has been waiting for awhile.

This will increase the local auto assembly and production of an average of 100,000 units per year which doubles last year’s produc-tion. This will also greatly affect the local auto parts makers. This surge will definitely update the industry and greatly affect the lo-cal industry. A surge in the local industry is expected to also surge the local economy bringing in even greater expectations for the industry.

Looking at the numbers, truly the best is yet to come for the industry.

into overdrive...From h3



Pag-iBig–Big Hearts Make a Big Difference

tHe neW MOVeMents: cHaritY, kinDness, HOPe anD LOVeBy Myra Butac

Love

The word evokes different responses from all sorts of people. however, on February the thirteenth, 9:00pm at the Music hall in Metrowalk, love was given the special treat-ment by the local band Climax and friends with their first concert. entitled Pag-iBIG, this was a benefit concert for children with cancer.

THe FACeS oF Love

The show did not just feature Climax’s cover songs and guest numbers, it had a story to tell about the different aspects and experiences of love. There were medleys fea-turing OPM hits, pop, Broadway, and origi-nal compositions that gave heartfelt insights on romantic love that were both tragic and uplifting.

each scene, from unconditional love to heartbreak and past loves, was highlighted by a brief introduction from an ever-present narrator perched high above the stage. Theat-er and voice actor Lexter Victorio dished po-etry and hugot lines after several video clips from famous romantic movies projected on the wall. The audience did not shy away, enjoying catharsis from someone speaking on their behalf and were quite receptive to all the emotions evoked by the narration.

THe GUeSTS

Guests Gio Levy, Snare Mata, Diana D, and Q expanded on the theme with sincerity and passionate performances. Snare’s perform-ance brought back a little bit of the oldies, making Forever in My heart and Get here feel so good with a warm, confident voice. Gio Levy, while introduced by Max Guerrero, the vocalist of Climax, as “his personal Jeri-cho Rosales,” sounded more like a local John Mayer who could actually be understood, putting a lyrical spin on a medley of songs both foreign and local. Diana D came in with an original song and showed the crowd she was both passionate with her music as well as sweet to the crowd. Q York duo Flava Mat-ikz and Knowa Lazarus made a good show of quick wit and a mastery of their craft by get-ting phrases from the audience (“I love you” and “ikaw na nga”) and incorporating it into their freestyle rap, with Stanley of Climax on drums. Their portion was capped off with a performance of their new single, The Philip-pine Dream, with Diana D.

MUSIKARAMAY

The Pag-iBIG concert’s proceeds will go to Musikaramay’s support of the Cancer Ward kids of the National Children’s hospital. Ac-cording to Stanley, their drummer and spokes-person, they have been directly supporting these children for the past two years under the organization Musikaramay. They would ser-enade the children, their families, and staff in tandem with donations of food, clothing and small gifts.

Musikaramay was founded by the three original members of the Climax band, Max Guerrero, Stanley Seludo and Oman Peradilla, along with DJ Laila Chikadora of TV5 fame, born Jessica R. Asis. It started when the band Climax decided on October 2013 to convince the blind singers/performers begging at the Boni MRT station to take their place. The band sang for roughly two hours then gave all the proceeds to the blind musicians. And Musika-ramay: Street Music with A Cause, was born.

Other artists such as Paulo Santos, Luke Mijares, Top Suzara, Freestyle, Mike Chan, Rouge, Thyro and Yumi, Q-York, Diana D, Gio

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Levy, Thor, Crib Band, Gail Blanco Viduya, Njel De Mesa and Zion Aquino have also been part of Musikaramay’s street performances and ben-efit concerts and they continue to join Climax in busking whenever they are available. The do-nations they’ve gathered were used to aid Bohol earthquake survivors, Tacloban victims of ty-phoon Haiyan and other sufferers of local natu-ral disasters.

Eventually, the members of Musikaramay re-alized that they need not wait fo r calamities to serve and help others. Presently, they are putting 10 special children to school in Blessed Ville Spe-cial School, Carmona, Cavite. They also intend to have more scholars in the future and help out more groups such as the Aeta Community in Olongapo, the SAF 44 families and the kids with cancer of the National Children’s Hospital, who is also their first concert’s beneficiary.

THE VISIT

Capping off the concert was the actual visit to the National Children’s Hospital, which was held on Valentine’s day, Feb.14, 2016.

The band Climax, the founders of Climaxians (Climax’s official fan club), members of PhilO-zAm, and some Musikaramay friends spent their Sunday morning handing out food, toys, com-panionship, caricatures, and (of course) good music to the whole cancer ward of the National Children’s Hospital. The parents watched with both amazement and gratitude as their sick chil-dren received coloring books, crayons, food and drink, and a personal serenade by Max and his band.

It was a particularly emotional experience for many. Fans and friends of Climax realized that these children needed so much help, love, effort and time. Some of these kids had obvious physi-cal deformities, some were bleeding and others were seemingly unmoving and permanently at-tached to their beds.

However, these small tokens of love and com-passion left the patients and their guardians with smiles on their faces and a little more hope in their hearts. All in all, it was a wonderful hearts day for everyone, including the givers: the band of real-life superheroes who are willing to make a difference in their own special ways.

IF you’ve been to a bookstore recently, you can observe that the diminishing shelf size of the Filipiniana section is getting smaller and smaller, while office supplies and furnitures are getting bigger and bigger. And within those shelves, in between the local literary greats and wattpad novelas, you can find a few local comic books like Kiko Machine, Zsazsa Zaturnnah,and Trese.

These are the most popular comic books created by Fili-pinos today. If you aren’t familiar with these yet, don’t wor-ry, you’re just in time. Now is the right time to start read-ing. And here’s why.

Every year, hundreds of Filipino comic book creators work on their own komikbooks. From the whimsical, to the fantastic to the real. Matching these hundreds of sto-ries is a visual artistry of every mood, shade and tone.As a country of many inf luences amidst globalization, the local comic book community is a mix of eastern and western in-f luences, but the stories are indeed 100% Filipino. Readers just don’t know where to find them.

Other than the comic books published by mainstream and indie publishers, the rest of the komiks community can be found only in local and regional comics events.It’s not that local comic book creators want to be hidden, it’s because there are very few opportunities to share their works and earn enough to make more and sustain their art.

In Manila alone, several local comic events to visit: the Komikon (April 16 and November 19-20 at Bayanihan Cent-er, Pasig); and INDIEKET in August. If you’re lucky, you might meet authors like Manix Abrera, Rob Cham, Tepai Pascual, JM Valenzuela, Fhate Comics and more.

If you don’t know what comic book to buy from the hun-dreds of komiks to choose from, the best way to gage the right comic book for you is the genre and the art style. Comic book prices range from P20 to P500, depending on the size and number of pages.

But what you’re paying for isn’t just for the artwork and the storytelling. What every reader is buying is a part of the komiks creator’s life. It takes two to six months, some maybe even longer for the creators to think, write, draw, ink, edit and publish their work and finally to make it to the comics events.

The Filipino comic books are stories of this generation, a search for cultural identity, a gift of laughter and amusement, an escape to widen the imagination and to go beyond the limi-tations of the present day realities. Because despite the many struggles of an underappreciated art form, all the komiks cre-

The New FilipiNo KomiKs movemeNT

ators truly desire are more readers to tell their stories to.So it’s time. Time to pick up a Filipino comic book in a

bookstore, or attend a comics event and meet the creators. Support a Filipino comic book today.

PAG-IBIG...FROM H6

MESSAGE OF SENATOR JOSEPH VICTOR ‘JV’ EJERCITOFor The Standard 29th Anniversary

Congratulations to the hardworking men and women of The Standard on your 29th Anniversary!

I commend The Standard for making the public vigilant against crime and corruption, in helping the government achieve its quest for transparency and good governance, and for consistently relaying good news and truth to the people.

May you continue to uphold professionalism and excellence in exercising your craft. I wish you success in all your endeavors!



MANILA, Philippines—Property giant Ayala Land Inc. (ALI) has recently announced that it is investing P70 billion for Vermosa, a 700-hectare mixed-use community located in Cavite.

The multi-billion peso project will be the company’s fourth largest estate after Makati central business district, Alviera in Porac, Pampanga and Nuvali in Laguna.

“Building large scale mixed-use developments that are strategi-cally located in the country’s emerging growth centers will con-tinue to be our focus. Our residential brands continue to intro-duce new offerings within our estates,” said Bernard Vincent O. Dy, ALI President and CEO.

Of the 700 hectares, a central business district will take up 124 hectares of the development, which will hold various business and commercial establishments, residential developments and schools. Furthermore, 165 hectares of land will be devoted to open spaces and interconnected parks and gardens.

Artist’s perspective of Vermosa’s green strip

AyAlA lAnd invests P70 B for vermosA estAte in CAvite

The pedestrian-focused environment will feature a 14- kilometer greenway, a landscaped promenade stretching north to south of the project that will allow residents to ride a bike to work or walk to nearby establishments, further re-ducing reliance on public vehicles.

Focusing on Filipinos’ increasingly active and healthy lifestyle, the estate will also have the Vermosa Sports & Lifestyle Complex (VSLC), which will feature an Olympic-size pool, 400-meter track and field and the most advanced and complete sports science laboratory in the country. VSLC will also have a motocross track and the first purpose-built mountain bike skills track in the Philippines.

The property is accessible via the new-ly opened Muntinlupa-Cavite Express-way (MCX), the government’s f irst pub-lic-private partnership project bagged by the Ayala conglomerate.

The MCX tollway connects the Daang Hari Road to the South Luzon Express-way and shortens the travel time to Cav-ite by 30%, making Vermosa 55 minutes from Makati during peak hours.

The entire project is slated to be com-pleted in the next 12 to 15 years.

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