Manila Standard Today - July 18, 2012 Issue

Missed your copy of Manila Standard Today? Call or text our Circulation Hotline at 0917-8848655 or email: circ@mstandardtoday.
com
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
Next page
By Jonathan Fernandez
ENVIRONMENTAL groups led
by Philippine Earth Justice Inc. on
Tuesday urged Ombudsman Con-
chita Carpio-Morales to go after
the big sh in their campaign
against illegal logging and other
crimes against the environment.
Earth Justice said the Ofce of
the Ombudsman should give pri-
ority to the cases led against En-
vironment Secretary Ramon Paje,
who they claim is facing criminal
and administrative cases as a re-
sult of the alleged anomalies in
his department and the continuing
illegal logging in the country.
Morales earlier formed and
tasked a new group to pursue
By Rey E. Requejo
CONGRESS, which is com-
posed of the House of Represen-
tatives and the Senate, is entitled
only to one vote in the Judicial
and Bar Councils decision pro-
cess, the Supreme Court ruled
on Tuesday.
That ruling means that while
the council has eight members,
it may only cast seven votes on
any issue that requires an order,
a resolution or a decision be-
cause Congress has two mem-
bers in the council but only one
of them may vote.
Senator Francis Escudero,
who represents the Senate, and
Iloilo Rep. Niel Tupaz Jr., who
represents the House of Repre-
sentatives, are entitled only to
one vote.
The majority of the high
courts justices voted to grant
the petition led by former
By Maricel V. Cruz
A MEMBER of the ruling Lib-
eral Party on Tuesday ruled out
a super coalition with Vice
President Jejomar Binays Unit-
ed Nationalist Alliance, saying
the party did not need UNA for
next years mid-term elections.
House Majority Leader
and Mandaluyong Rep. Nep-
tali Gonzales II said the Liberal
Party had already sealed an alli-
ance with the Nacionalista Party
of Senator Manny Villar and the
Nationalist Peoples Coalition
of businessman Eduardo Co-
juangco Jr.
Were okay. It would look
awkward if LP and UNA joined
forces, Gonzales said in re-
sponse to Binays statement that
he was open to a coalition.
UNA secretary general and
Navotas Rep. Tobias Tiangco
slammed Gonzales arrogance,
By Sara Susanne
D. Fabunan
FOREIGN Affairs on Tuesday
asked the Coast Guard to verify
the reports saying 30 Chinese ves-
sels that arrived at the Fiery Cross
or Yongshu Reef in the Spratlys
on Sunday were shing within
Philippine territorial waters.
We have asked the [Coast
Guard] to nd out the location
of the Chinese shing eet to
determine whether they are
within our maritime domain,
Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul
Hernandez said.
We will wait for their report.
There are actually 29 large
shing boats accompanied by a
3,000-ton supply ship that start-
ed shing as soon as they arrived
in Spratlys on Sunday, accord-
ing to China.org.com, a Chinese
government-owned website.
The shing boats weigh 140
tons each.
It is the rst time that many
of the ships and their crews have
visited the Nansha Islands, the
website reported.
Zhang Guanfu, a captain
of one of the shing boats,
told the China Daily that the
30 boats were divided into six
teams.
BACK in Febru-
ary, Jeremy Lin was
Kobe Bryants equal
on the court and at
the souvenir stand
during a mesmeriz-
ing period that NBA
commissioner David
Stern said he had
never quite seen
anything like.
There was no
way the New York
Knicks were letting
Lin get away back
By Ben Cal
THE government is eyeing four
foreign companies from as many
countries to provide it with 12
new surface attack aircraft to
start the Air Forces long-delayed
modernization program.
Those are the KAI TA-50
Golden Eagle of South Korea,
the Alenia Aermacchi Agusta
M-346 Master of Italy, the Yak-
130 of Russia, and the BAE
Hawk of the United Kingdom.
The Air Forces says it needs
to immediately procure surface
attack aircraft as those will serve
as lead-in attack planes and as
trainer aircraft for prospective jet
ghter pilots.
The Air Force was left with
no jet ghters after it decommis-
sioned the F-5A/B interceptors
in 2005 because they were obso-
lete and their parts were no lon-
ger available in the international
market. The Navy is in the same
dilemma as many of its ships are
of World War II vintage.
The Air Force and the Navy
failed to intercept 26 foreign
ships that intruded into Philip-
pine territory during the rst
quarter this year. They have also
failed to break their standoff with
China at the Scarborough Shoal,
where scores of Chinese shing
vessels were found to have been
poaching since April this year.
The military has welcomed
the announcement by Defense
Secretary Voltaire Gazmin that
the Aquino administration is
determined to modernize the
Armed Forces.
The upgrade and modern-
ization program for our Armed
Forces is presently in full swing,
Gazmin said recently.
He said the Defense Depart-
ment was working double time to
By Joyce Pangco Paares
MALACAANG has ordered
the newly created Mining In-
dustry Coordinating Council to
start implementing the compre-
hensive reforms in the mining
sector under Executive Order
79, including a geohazard map-
ping of the mining areas.
Executive Secretary Paquito
Ochoa ordered the Environment
Department to start an inventory
of the social development, man-
agement and environment pro-
grams of all mining companies.
He also ordered the depart-
ment to determine the nal land
use of mining areas once proj-
ects are completed, and to stop
processing new mining applica-
tions in Palawan and other eco-
tourism sites.
He ordered the Department of
Social Welfare and Development
Eduardo Banzon, president and chief execu-
tive of Philippine Health Insurance, said at least
300 municipalities did not have Rural Health
Units where the poor could get medicines.
He said it wasnt known how many of the
2,600 health centers spread out in 80 provinces
and 1,634 towns and cities had full-time doc-
tors and nurses and medical staff, which would
put to doubt the governments ability to provide
blanket health insurance cover for the poor.
How can 82 percent of the 79 million Fil-
ipinos who are poor avail of state insurance
benets if there are no PhilHealth-accredited
[Rural Health Units] in their areas? Quezon
Rep. Danny Suarez saud during a meeting of
PhilHealth
useless in
rural areas
Next page
TODAY
Standard
Manila
Vol. XXVI No. 131 16 Pages, 3 Sections
P18.00 WEDNESDAY, July 18, 2012
www.manilastandardtoday.com mst@mstandardtoday.com
Congress
entitled to
only 1 vote
in council
We do not
need UNA
Gonzales
Govt starts
reforms in
mine sector
PH eyes 4 countries to supply 12 attack aircraft
Catch big fish
illegal loggers,
Morales told
Coast Guard monitors
Chinese fleet in Spratlys
For Knicks, match Lin
or risk regret if he goes
ANALYSIS
Chance encounter. SP02 Ricardo Pascua of the
Quezon City Police Department (top photo) faces
dismissal from the service for refusing to move his
vehicle aside to give way to the convoy of President
Aquino, who was on his way to the launching of an
aqueduct at the La Mesa Dam. When presidential es-
corts asked Pascua to yield, he said: Im a policeman.
Chinese have more fun fishing in the Spratlys. A Chinese shery administration ship (back-
ground) guards one of 30 shing vessels in the Spratlys. AP
Next page
Next page
Next page
Next page Next page
Next page
By Macon Ramos-Araneta and Maricel Cruz
THE government plan to provide health insurance
coverage to the poor would be useless in the rural areas
because of the wide gaps in the health care delivery
system such as the lack of doctors and nurses and rural
health center facilities, ofcials said on Tuesday.
then, when he was
the biggest thing in
the basketball.
Things are differ-
ent now.
Lin no longer
plays for a coach
whose offense seems
designed for him.
Hes coming off knee
surgery and would
come at a monstrous
cost thanks to an
offer sheet from the
Jeremy Lin
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
News
ManilaStandardToday mst.daydesk@gmail.com JULY 18, 2012 WEDNESDAY
A2
Govt...
to provide alternative livelihoods
to displaced mining workers. He
tasked Social Welfare Secretary
Corazon Soliman to monitor hu-
man and labor rights violations
and to come up with a complete
cultural mapping of the indige-
nous peoples in mining areas and
nearby communities.
Ochoa ordered Budget Secre-
tary Florencio Abad to explore
the possibility of tapping third-
party international auditors to
validate the volume and value of
mineral exports from the Philip-
pines.
He ordered the Mining Coun-
cil to determine legislative mea-
sures that will ensure the efcient
and effective management of the
mining sector, to strengthen reg-
ulations and to study the mech-
anisms for revenue-sharing,
among other things.
EO 79 threw the job of ra-
tionalizing the revenue-sharing
schemes and mechanisms in the
mining sector to Congress. It
also extended an existing mora-
torium on new mineral agree-
ments until Congress resolves
the revenue-sharing issue. The
order also imposed on the new
extractions in areas declared as
Mineral Reservations a 5-per-
cent royalty on top of the excise
tax. It also banned mining in 78
eco-tourism areas.
Environment Secretary Ra-
mon Paje earlier said the govern-
ment was looking at a range of
5 to 7 percent for royalties based
on gross revenues for the pro-
posed legislation.
Still, a close ally of Presi-
dent Benigno Aquino III on
Sunday denounced the admin-
istrations policy on mining
as defective, saying it was not
about the environment but all
about revenue sharing.
Akbayan Rep. Arlene Kaka
Bag-ao said the Palace made it
appear as if it had expanded the
no-mining zones by enumerating
78 areas where such operations
were banned, but only three areas
had been added to the list. With
Christine F. Herrera
Catch...
cases relating to the environment.
She appointed Deputy Ombuds-
man for Luzon Gerard Mosqueda
to head the newly-created Envi-
ronmental Ombudsman, lawyer
Raquel Rosario Marayag as Assis-
tant Environmental Ombudsman,
and 26 lawyers to help them.
Earth Justice aside, the other
groups urging the anti-graft body
to probe Paje are the Kalikasan
Peoples Network for the Envi-
ronment and the organization of
shermen and miners in Zambo-
anga del Norte.
Those three groups claim that
instead of Paje, the small em-
ployees of the Environment De-
partment are ones being removed
over the cases of illegal logging
in the country.
Sad to say, the small workers of
the [department] are the ones pay-
ing the price for the mistakes of the
agencys ofcials who remain in
ofce, one of the groups said.
Earth Justice said it the real
culprits behind the denudation
of the countrys forests would be
brought to justice as a result of
the creation of the Environmental
Ombudsman.
Connie Aquino, an informa-
tion ofcer of the Environment
Department, said they had to wait
for a copy of the charges against
Paje before they could comment
on the matter.
She said the cases of illegal
logging in Zamboanga del Norte
and other parts of Mindanao were
already being investigated, and
that Paje had relieved several En-
vironment ofcials and employ-
ees for their failure to stop illegal
logging in their respective areas.
Renato Miranda, executive
director of the Anti-Illegal Min-
ing Task Force, said 678 cases
against illegal loggers had been
led in the courts since the gov-
ernment started its crackdown on
illegal logging and environmen-
tal destruction.
He said the people who had
been charged with illegal logging
included some public ofcials,
but he did not name names.
Miranda, a retired major gener-
al from the Marines, was detained
for years for his involvement in a
failed coup attempt against Presi-
dent Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in
February 2006.
He took advantage of the am-
nesty that President Benigno
Aquino III had offered to detained
rebel soldiers, and the President
appointed him to head the task
force soon after his release from
military custody. With Florante
S. Solmerin
We...
but said the alliance between Bi-
nay and ousted President Joseph
Estrada would accept the ruling
partys decision.
Tiangco, who left the Liberal Party
earlier this year, said a coalition with
President Benigno Aquino IIIs party
would not be that easy.
This was echoed by San Juan
City Rep. Joseph Victor Ejercito,
who rst broached the idea of a
super coalition.
Ejercito, who is aspiring for a
Senate seat in the 2013 elections,
said he was speaking of an ideal
situation for the President, but that
such a coalition would be very dif-
cult to forge given the competing
political interests involved.
The senatorial candidates who
were earlier reported to be running
under the UNA banner are now be-
lieved to be running under the LP,
including Senators Francis Escude-
ro, Alan Peter Cayetano, Aquilino
Pimentel III, Loren Legarda and
Antonio Trillanes IV.
Sources earlier said that Ca-
gayan Rep. Jack Enrile, son of
Senate President Juan Ponce
Enrile, might also run under the
LP instead of UNA, while Sena-
tor Gregorio Honasan, who was
named one of Binays senatorial
candidates, expressed willingness
to be adopted as a common can-
didate of both sides.
Reports indicate that the LP is
determined to eld Technical and
Education and Skills Develop-
ment Authority Director-General
Joel Villanueva, Aurora Rep. Juan
Edgardo Angara, former Las Pias
City Rep. Cynthia Villar, Customs
Commissioner Ruffy Biazon, for-
mer senator Ramon Magsaysay
Jr., and President Aquinos cousin
Paolo Benigno Aquino IV in next
years senatorial race.
Gonzales said the UNA had
earlier declared that it had com-
pleted its senatorial slate and
would therefore need no coalition
with other parties.
He added, however, that he
would submit to the wisdom of
his party leaders on the issue.
Another Liberal Party member,
Senator Francis Pangilinan, said
a coalition with UNA would be
difcult because many of the al-
liances candidates were outspo-
ken critics of President Aquino.
I dont know how these person-
alities can be included in a unity
ticket. We should unite on the ba-
sis of a common vision of genuine
reforms for the nation and not sim-
ply because of a common desire to
win, Pangilinan said.
Senator Franklin Drilon, an-
other LP leader, recalled Estra-
das pronouncements that there
would be no guest candidates.
I agree with former President
Erap. Its hard to stand on two
platforms, he said.
A source told the Manila Stan-
dard on Tuesday that the Liberal
Party was looking for a 13th can-
didate to take the place of Senator
Miriam Defensor Santiago, who
might resign to accept a position in
the International Criminal Court.
Former Surigao del Norte gov-
ernor Robert Ace Barbers, Deputy
Speaker and Quezon Rep. Lorenzo
Taada, and former Movie and
Television Review and Classi-
cation Board chairperson Grace
Poe-Llamanzares were being con-
sidered for the slot, the source said.
With Macon Ramos-Araneta
Coast...
Each of the boats had a crew
led by a chief commander, three
deputy commanders and a control
team that is tasked to arrange and
coordinate the operation of each
team.
In the same article, deputy com-
mander Liang Yapai said the op-
eration would last for 20 days but
could change depending on the
weather.
The eet is expected to nish
shing before Aug. 1, or when the
shing ban in the northern side of
the South China Sea is lifted.
The annual fishing ban, which
has been in place since 1999, was
slated May 16 to Aug 1 this year,
covering areas north of the 12th par-
allel that include Huangyan Island
but excluding most of Spratlys.
The Spratly Island is a major
shing ground with a potential
catch of around 5-million tons a
year.
On Monday, Manila warned the
Chinese eet to stay away from
the countrys 220-nautical mile
exclusive economic zone and said
it would le a diplomatic protest if
the Chinese vessels encroached on
Philippine territorial waters.
If these [ships] are going to our
EEZ, we will le a protest because
it is only the Philippines [that has]
the sovereign right to explore, ex-
ploit and manage the resources in
that area, Hernandez said.
We require China to respect
the sovereign rights of the Philip-
pines.
US Pacic Command Head
Admiral Samuel Locklear III,
meanwhile, has emphasized that
the United States is committed to
enhancing the stability in the Asia-
Pacic region.
In a statement sent to the US
Embassy in Manila, Locklear
said he had productive discus-
sions with senior Philippine gov-
ernment ofcials on maritime and
regional issues during his visit to
Manila on Monday.
My visit to Manila is an im-
portant part of building relation-
ships with Asian-Pacic nations,
as the United States renews and
reinvigorates its engagement with
this region, Locklear said.
PH...
approve contracts for 138 proj-
ects to be implemented over the
next ve years.
These projects would surely
provide the Philippine Air Force
with brand-new and reliable as-
sets for its operations, along with
the operational requirements of
the Philippine Navy and the Phil-
ippine Army, Gazmin said.
The military has said it plans
to acquire a surface attack air-
craft, a lead-in ghter trainer, at-
tack helicopters, a light transport
aircraft, and a medium transport
aircraft to be delivered in 2014.
South Koreas T-50 Golden
Eagle is a jet trainer and light
attack aircraft designed to pro-
vide pilot training for current and
next-generation ghters such as
the F-15, F-16, F-18, F-22, F-35,
the Tornado, the Kr and the Mi-
rage supersonic jet interceptors.
The Air Force says the T-50 is
a trainer jet but can be used as
an interceptor as it has a maxi-
mum speed of 1,837 kilometers
per hour. The range and service
ceiling of the aircraft are 1,851
kilometers and 16,764 meters,
respectively. Its service life is
10,000 hours.
The Alenia Aermacchi M-346
Master is a military transonic
trainer aircraft that has a top
speed of mach 1.15 or 1,255 ki-
lometers per hour.
The M-346 Hawk can be
armed with air-to-air missiles,
air-to ground missiles, cannons
and bombs. It can also be de-
ployed as a light attack aircraft.
The British-made BAE Hawk
MK 127/128 Lift lead-in ghter
is in the service of several coun-
tries.
Congress...
solicitor general Frank Chavez
questioning the current setup
in JBC, where the representa-
tives of the Senate and House
have one vote each in the de-
liberations for judicial posts,
an insider said.
The high courts decision,
written by Associate Justice
Jose Mendoza, agreed with
Chavezs argument that there
should only be a representa-
tive of the Congress as pro-
vided in section 8 (1) of article
VIII of the Constitution.
That means Congressal-
though bicameralshould
only be entitled to one of the
seven votes in the council and
not two as has been the prac-
tice since 2001.
Supreme Court spokes-
woman Maria Victoria Gleo-
resty Guerra confirmed that
the case was resolved on
Tuesday, but the high court
opted not to release the deci-
sion until it had been signed
by all justices.
She told reporters that the
six candidates for chief jus-
tice of the Supreme Court---
Acting Chief Justice Antonio
Carpio and Associate Justices
Presbitero Velasco Jr., Teresita
Leonardode Castro, Arturo
Brion, Roberto Abad and Ma-
ria Lourdes Sereno---inhibited
themselves from the delibera-
tions.
Guerra said the high court
took into consideration the
separate comments led by
the JBC and Senator Escudero
and Rep. Tupas.
During a meeting at the mayors
ofce Monday, HGCs ofcials
told Lim that several foreign ves-
sels had docked at HGCs property
and dumped coal in a berthing fa-
cility for clients and consignees of
Romeros Manila Harbour Centre
and Harbour Centre Port Terminal
Inc.
At P10 per ton of coal in un-
paid excise taxes, Palmones said,
Romeros companies could owe
the government up to P28.8 mil-
lion in taxes a year.
At the same meeting, Lim
granted HGC a permit to build a
fence around its property to pre-
vent Romero and his clients from
stockpiling coal there, HGC presi-
dent Manuel Sanchez said.
The companys ofcials said no
ofcials from the Bureau of Cus-
toms had been inspecting the coal
because there was no port collector
assigned to the area, which was not
meant to be a berthing facility.
Sanchez said Romeros com-
panies had been using HGCs
property without permission and
had not paid the housing agency
a single centavo. He also said the
Environment Department had ig-
Investigate Romero, Lim says
By Christine F. Herrera
MANILA City Mayor Alfredo Lim,
Agham Rep. Angelo Palmones, and of-
cials of Home Guaranty Corp. on Monday
urged the government to investigate busi-
nessman Reghis Romero and his clients
for importing coal without paying taxes.
nored his companys complaints
over the last two years.
We would like to bring for-
mally to your attention the stock-
pile of coal located inside the Har-
bour Centre Port Terminal Inc. at
Manila Harbour Centre and at the
Vitas Premises, Palmones wrote
Customs Commissioner Runo
Biazon.
May we have copies of the im-
port documents from the Customs
ofce having jurisdiction over the
said area re the mountains of coal
discharged within these prem-
ises?
Palmones said he was made
to understand that a locator like
Romero could handle up to at least
40,000 tons per 120-hour cycle or
at most 240,000 tons a month or
2,808,000 tons of coal a year at
an excise tax rate of P10 per ton.
What must be paid to the gov-
ernment coffers should be P28.8
million, Palmones said.
This amount does not even
consider yet the 12-percent ex-
panded value added tax charge-
able against the sale, importation
or service and this only applies to
one integrator or importer or ser-
vice provider.
May we inquire as to what
measures are undertaken by the
Customs Bureau to protect the
rightful share of the government
in these business activities?
We trust and expect you to pro-
vide us the necessary and appropri-
ate information relative your inqui-
ry, as this would be tackled during
the hearings for House Resolution
2526, Palmones said.
The resolution, principally
authored by Palmones, seeks to
investigate the stockpiling of coal
that is polluting Manila Bay and
the communities surrounding it.
For...
Houston Rockets he signed
even for one of the leagues richest
teams.
So what once would have been
an easy answer now creates so
many questions.
Do the Knicks want Lin back?
Does Lin want to go back?
When will it be resolved?
The last one should be re-
solved the easiest. Teams have
three days to match an offer
sheet for their restricted free
agents, so the Rockets believe
the clock expires late Tuesday.
Except the Knicks have
never confirmed if they re-
ceived the offer sheet from
the Rockets on Saturday, so
its possible they have a dif-
ferent deadline in mind, which
could even lead to some kind
of dispute or protest.
The contract is for three years
and about $25 million, an enor-
mous gure for someone who has
made 25 starts. AP
PhilHealth...
the Joint Congressional Over-
sight Committee on Public Ex-
penditures in the Senate.
Masbate Rep. Narciso Narciso
Bravo said his province had gov-
ernment hospitals but they lacked
diagnostic equipment and other
vital facilities and, in serious cas-
es, the poor people had nowhere
to go.
PhilHealth is useless. The poor
people cannot avail of PhilHealth
benets because they [theh os-
pitals] are not available, Bravo
said.
Health ofcials on Monday
said the government would next
year phase out the charity wards
for poor people and replace them
with PhilHealth coverage includ-
ing free hospitalization, medi-
cines and laboratory costs.
Up to 80 percent of the beds
in government hospitals are in
the charity wards, which offer
minimum hospitalization cost to
the poor. But under PhilHealth,
everything would be free, the
Health ofcials said.
Health Secretary Enrique Ona
said PhilHealth coverage was
part of the Aquino Administra-
tions Universal Health Care pro-
gram aimed at giving the poor-
est of the poor access to quality
health care services.
He said the provincial hospi-
tals, which had been nationalized
because the local governments
could not afford to operate them,
would be devolved again so the
Health Department could con-
centrate on running the major
medical centers that we will also
corporatize to make them run ef-
ciently.
But Gabriela party-list Rep.
Luzviminda Ilagan, vice chair-
woman of the House committee
on women and gender equality,
said: This is part of the privati-
zation agenda of the Aquino Ad-
ministration.
She said the governments plan
to replace the charity wards with
full health-care coverage under
PhilHealth was deplorable and
anti-poor.
We are opposing this. With
this policy, more and more Fili-
pinos will be deprived of health
services, Ilagan said.
PhilHealth coverage would
be good for government hospi-
tals because those would be rid
of charity patients, but private
hospitals faced the risk of losing
patients who now had a choice
of where to go for treatment, ac-
cording to some members of hos-
pital groups.
It would be terrible in the tran-
sition period. What if the poorest
of the poor need emergency treat-
ment but are not yet enrolled in
PhilHealth? Will they just let them
die? they said in a statement.
Asked to comment on the is-
sue, presidential spokesman
Edwin Lacierda said he was not
informed about the easing out
of charity wards, but said that
when the sin tax bill was signed
into law it would provide more
revenue for universal health care
coverage.
We certainly hope that it will
be able to capture more bene-
ciaries and more members in that
coverage, he told reporters.
Coal problem. Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim meets with the top
ofcials of Home Guarantee Corp. and Agham party-list Rep. Angelo
Palmones over the mountains of coal near Manila Bay. EY ACASIO
MRS. Felicitas Acosta Albano, re-
tired Master Teacher 1, of Bacarra,
Ilocos Norte, died on July 15 after
a short illness. She was 88.
She left behind sons Eric,
Edwin, Noel and daughter Per-
egrina and their spouses Alice,
Melby, Amy and Gabby Do-
mingo; siblings Eufrecinia, Ju-
lie, Aurora, Samuel and Rosauro
and their spouses Andres Ra-
mones, Henry Robles, Rosa and
Carmelita; cousins, nephews,
nieces, grandchildren and other
relatives.
Felicitas was the second child
of the nine children of Aurelia
and Capt. Ceferino R. Acosta.
Her other siblings---Maria Pilar
Albano, the eldest, Ceferino Jr.
and Eliseo, have all passed on.
Her body now lies in the
Acosta family home in Baran-
gay 10 (San Vicente) in Ba-
carra, Ilocos Norte. She will be
buried on July 25 at the munic-
ipal cemetery, beside the grave
of her beloved Solomon who,
with their fourth son Stephen,
preceded her in death.
Felicitas Acosta Albano dies at 88
JULY 18, 2012 WEDNESDAY
A3 News
ManilaStandardToday mst.daydesk@gmail.com
Arroyo takes up the cudgels
for ex-PCSO; Pagcor rapped
IN BRIEF
16 military men promoted
7 alien illegals nabbed
Govt, Moros
at the door
of peace deal
Angara, Lacson
take on Cha-cha
Search for top doctors. The search for The Outstanding Filipino Physicians 2012 has begun with the
JCI Senate Philippines Inc. and San Miguel Corporation formally launching the awards the other day at
the SMC headquarters. San Miguel ofcials led by Advocacy Group Manager Chynthia M. de Castro and
VP for Corporate Affairs Ofce Kin G. Lichauco formally present the P1.5 million check to Junior Chamber
International Senate Philippines president Antonio H. Cerilles and The Outstanding Filipino Physicians
2012 National Chairman JCI Sen. Gonzalo T. Duque.
Lawmakers
get tough
on piracy
Environment told to comply with Taal deal
By Joyce Pangco Paares
THE Aquino administration said peace talks
with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front are
now at the door of an agreement.
Government chief negotiator Marvic Leo-
nen, in his opening statement during the for-
mal talks with the MILF in Kuala Lumpur on
Tuesday, urged his counterparts to persevere in
hammering out a nal peace pact.
This administration is prepared to
fully invest in a harmonious working rela-
tionship between the national government
and the new autonomous political entity
to enable an autonomy that is truly viable
and workable, Leonen said.
The government earlier expressed opti-
mism that it can sign a nal peace agree-
ment with the MILF within the year.
Presidential peace adviser Teresita De-
les said the government and the MILF are
now on the last stretch of negotiations.
The government is ready to sign a peace
agreement with the MILF within the year.
We are now on the last stretch of the ne-
gotiations, on the substantive agenda and
though difcult, the government is com-
mitted to resolve differences, and with the
MILF, nd win-win solutions, Deles said.
Deles said the best way to address the
MILFs concern for a Bangsamoro sub-
state is the creation of a new autonomous
political entity that will replace the Au-
tonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
This new autonomous political entity is
expected to provide for genuine autonomy for
the Bangsampro, addressing the root causes of
the armed conict in Mindanao, she said.
MILF chairman Ebrahim Murad earlier
said the talks have reached a make or
break stage.
Both parties last met in Kuala Lumpur in
May where power-sharing and wealth-shar-
ing issues proved to be most contentious.
The last formal talks ended without any
joint statement from both sides and with-
out a schedule for the next round of nego-
tiations in Malaysia.
A source in the government panel said the
MILF was not comfortable with the adminis-
trations position that elections in the ARMM
should still push through next year.
Meanwhile, former Pagcor chairman
Efraim Genuino was accused of plun-
der for spending P1 billion on cof-
fee. Also charged were former Pagcor
president Rafael Francisco and con-
cessonaire Carlota Cristi Manalo-Tan,
among others.
Arroyo led the motion to suspend
proceedings as well as the issuance of
arrest warrants three days before the
rafe of the case scheduled on July
20 at the graft courts Third Division
courtroom, according to her lawyer
Christian Diaz.
Morales the other day approved the
ling of plunder and technical mal-
versation charges against Arroyo,
seven former ofcers of the PCSO
and two Audit ofcials for alleged
misuse of P365.9 million in PCSOs
intelligence fund.
The Ombudsman alleged that Ar-
royo authorized then general manager
Rosario Uriarte to disburse the amount
from the agencys intelligence funds to
monitor various charity projects from
By Maricel V. Cruz

TWO lawmakers are pushing
for stiffer penalties against dig-
ital piracy in a bid to combat on-
line theft that has been plaguing
the entertainment industry.
Buhay party-list Reps. Irwin
Tieng and Mariano Michael Ve-
larde, in seeking the immediate
passage of House Bill 6187, said
that online piracy poses a dam-
age to the intellectual property
rights of many creators, artists,
producers, songwriters, musi-
cians and others whose hard
work and great talent make mu-
sic or lm possible.
With the tremendous ex-
pansion of the Internet, it has
regrettably become a cash-cow
for the criminals and organized
crime cartels that prot from
digital piracy, Tieng said.
Tieng said that one advantage
of using a computer to perform
these types of piracy is that each
copy of a song or movie is an ex-
act replica of the original with-
out degradation of its quality.
He said that with the advent
of new technologies of MP3 and
the video compression formats
(VCF), song and movie down-
loading have relatively become
fast and free of charge.
The measure, to be known as the
Anti-Online Piracy Act, will penal-
ize first time offenders with imprison-
ment of 2 years plus a fine ranging
from P50,000 to P150,000. Second
time violators will be slapped with a
fine of P150,000 to P300,000 and 3
years imprisonment.
For the third and subsequent
offenses, the bill penalizes vio-
lators with 5 years imprison-
ment plus a ne ranging from
P300,000 to P1,000,000.
Velarde said as a signatory to
the WIPO Copyright Treaty, the
Philippines recognizes the right
to develop and maintain the pro-
tection of the rights of authors in
their literary and artistic works
in a manner as effective and uni-
form as possible.
2007 to 2010 while former COA chair
Reynaldo Villar and COA Intelligence
Fund Unit auditor Nilda Plaras alleg-
edly covered up the disbursement.
Arroyos motion drew a reaction
from Malacanang, which denied any
hand in the latest plunder case.
The Executive branch has no con-
trol or inuence over the Ofce of
Ombudsman and, time and again, there
were certain instances or cases where
the Ombudsman has dismissed a case
against the former President or lower
the crime charge. So this is not a politi-
cal move, said presidential spokesman
Edwin Lacierda.
This was not a case led on account
of the upcoming State of the Nation
Address by the President, he said.
Pagcor chairman Celestino
Naguiat also brushed aside claims
that the filing of plunder against
former Pagcor officers led by Genu-
ino, an ally of the husband of Mrs.
Arroyo, was also timed withe up-
coming SONA.
Naguiat said Genuino and co-ac-
cused enriched themselves through the
sale and purchase of overpriced Figaro
coffee.
Figaro concessionaire Manalo-Tan
of Promolabels Inc., said she wel-
comed the ling of the complaint as an
opportunity to present all the facts and
necessary evidence that the courts will
require from us.
Manalo-Tan said this marked the rst
time that a mere concessionaire was
charged with plunder and she believed
that in the end, the judicial system
will allow us to prove our innocence.
Joyce Paares, Merck Maguddayao
FORMER president and now Rep. Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo on Tuesday led a motion to
suspend the plunder charges led by Ombudsman
Conchita Carpio Morales against her and former
ofcers of the sweepstakes agency.
GOVERNMENT leaders should sit down, set the goals for
the proposed constitutional reform, and let the debate run
its course, Senator Edgardo J. Angara said on Tuesday.
But the proposed constitutional and political change,
should aim for economic prosperity and development,
he said.
Meanwhile, Senator Panlo Lacson said he was
amenable to Cha-cha, but only on the economic
provisions.
He said that tinkering with the political provisions
would be dangerous and would not pass muster during
the plebiscite.
Angara said the objective is not merely to convert
from one form of government to another, but to nd
ways of boosting the economy and improving the
investment climate in order to generate more domestic
and foreign business.
The lawmaker from Aurora province said that if
the overall political structure is awed, growth and
development will be negatively affected.
He pointed out that the Philippines weak
competitiveness index has stunted economic growth.
The Philippines foreign direct investment over the
past decade has been higher only than neighbors Laos,
Myanmar and Cambodia. Macon Araneta
By Rey E. Requejo
THE Court of Appeals on Tuesday or-
dered the Department of Environment
and Natural Resources to comply with its
agreement with Agham party-list group
to protect Taal lake in Batangas.
In a resolution promulgated last June
29 but released only yesterday, the CAs
First Division issued a writ of continuing
mandamus directing the DENR to imple-
ment the memorandum of agreement it
forged with Agham partylist.
The appellate court approved the MOA
for being not contrary to law, public
morals and public policy and even com-
mended the parties for coming up with
the amicable settlement on the issue.
Under the MOA, the parties had agreed
to strictly implement the issuances of ap-
propriate clearances to all projects in the
Taal Volcano Protected Landscape in ac-
cordance with the National Integrated
Protected Areas System (NIPAS) Act and
the approved TVPL Management Plan.
The DENR and AGHAM also agreed
to support sh cage operations within
Taal Lakes carrying capacity, intensify
monitoring of stocking density of sh
cages, and conduct regular monitoring
and assessment of water quality.
We also included in the agreement the
compliance with environmental laws of
piggery and poultry operators and the es-
tablishments in the TVPL, said Agham
Rep. Angelo Palmones said.
Agham recently led a bill amending
the NIPAS Act of 1992, which include
the creation of the position of Protected
Area Superintendent in each of the pro-
tected areas under NIPAS, stricter penal-
ties for violations of the NIPAS Act, and
automatic retention of 75 percent of the
Integrated Protected Area Fund by the
Protected Area Management Board of the
protected areas.
It led the petition last January with the
SC, which issued the writ stopping issu-
ance of new shing operations permits in
the lake and remanding the case to the CA.
AGHAM specically asked the high
court to issue temporary environmental
protection order enjoining the DENR
and other agencies involved from further
granting permits for shing operations in
the lake.
Citing a sh inventory of Taal Lake,
the petitioner said there should be no
more renewal of contracts for sh cage
owners at the lake.
Agham said there were 76 migratory
and many endemic species recorded in
1927, but noted that 50 years after, the
inventory was down to a mere 15 migra-
tory and 4 endemic species.
In 2003, the catch of tawilis, the
most popular endemic species from
Taal, reportedly dropped by 80%, Pal-
mones said.
PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III has
approved the promotion of 16 military
ofcers led by Deputy Chief of Staff Lt.
Gen. Gregorio Macapagal who donned
his third star.
Macapagals promotion was approved by
the President on July 16, military spokes-
man Col. Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos Jr. said.
Promoted to two-star rank were Maj.
Gen. Marlou Salazar, current Chief of
the AFP Internal Audit; Rear Admiral
Wenefredo Banua, Chief of the Moderni-
zation Program Management Ofce of
the AFP and concurrent Chairman of the
AFP Force Structure Development Study
Team; Maj. Gen. Alan Luga, Commander
of the 7th Infantry Division; Maj. Gen.
Ricardo Rainier Cruz III, Commander of
the 1st Infantry Division; Maj. Gen. Raul
Gerardo Layug, Commander of the 8th
Infantry Division; and Maj. Gen. Raul Di-
matactac, Chief of Staff of the Air Force.
The colonels who were promoted to one-
star rank were Brig. Gen. Domingo Tutaan,
Chief of AFP Human Rights Ofce; Brig.
Gen. Rene Santos, 506th Air Base Wing
Commander; Brig. Gen Alfredo Andres,
AFP Procurement Service Chief;
Brig. Gen. Gerardo Jamorabo, Chief of
the AFP Bids and Awards Committee; Brig.
Gen. Jonas Sumagaysay, Assistant Division
Commander of the 3rd Infantry Division;
Brig. Gen. Danilo Penael, Commander of
the 355th Aviation Engineering Wing; Brig.
Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang, Commander
of the 703rd Infantry Brigade; Brig. Gen.
Juanario Caringal of the Marines Combat
Service Support Brigade; and Brig. Gen.
Romeo Gapuz, Commander of the 403rd
Infantry Brigade. Florante S. Solmerin
IMMIGRATION agents arrested seven il-
legal aliens in Angeles City as part of the
bureaus audit of overstaying foreigners.
Commissioner Ricardo David Jr. said
that the aliens were apprehended last July 5
during an operation conducted by 30 opera-
tives from the bureaus intelligence division.
Those apprehended were among the 92
mostly Indian and Korean nationals who
were invited by the operatives for verica-
tion of their immigration status, David said.
The aliens were served with mission or-
ders at their residences and establishments
and brought to the nearest BI eld ofce in
Clark for document and status verication.
Lawyer Ma. Antonette Mangrobang, act-
ing intelligence chief, said that of the seven
detained aliens, ve were undocumented,
one had a fraudulent immigration docu-
ment and the other one, a fugitive.
The undocumented aliens included
three Koreans and two Indians while the
fugitive is a Marshall Island national.
Vito Barcelo
Healthy move. Proponents of the reproductive health bill converge at Plaza Miranda to press for the Aquino administrations
action on the proposed measure. EY ACASIO
Opinion Adelle Chua, Editor
ManilaStandardToday
mst.lettertotheeditor@gmail.com JULY 18, 2012 WEDNESDAY
A4
THE cat is now out of the bag.
Health Department ofcials this week said
that starting next year, government hospitals
will phase out the charity wards in govern-
ment hospitals that treat poor patients for free.
Under the administrations grand scheme,
these patients will now get full health care
coverage under PhilHealth, the state insur-
ance company.
Health Undersecretary Teodoro Herbosa
says that, technically, there will be no more
charity patients because PhilHealth will
shoulder the cost of their treatment as long as
they are enrolled by the Social Welfare De-
partment under its National Household Tar-
geting System.
The move seems to be the logical exten-
sion of the Aquino administrations policy of
privatizing health care services. The argument
that the boosters of this policy put forward
is that the government does not have enough
resources to keep its hospitals in top running
condition or to take care of the poorest of its
citizens. Instead of allocating more resources
to do this, they say, we can simply invite pri-
vate companies to invest in these government
hospitals and offer them a reasonable return
on their capital. In practical terms, that means
operating public hospitals as for-prot orga-
nizations as well, regardless of their original
mandate as state-owned public-service insti-
tutions. As for-prot corporations, the state
hospitals would certainly have no room for
deadbeat patients who add nothing to the
organizations bottom line.
Under the Aquino model of public health
care, these poor patients will be able to go to
the same state-owned hospitals to seek treat-
ment, and presumably have their medical bills
covered by PhilHealth. But anyone who has
had to wait months to process a PhilHealth
claim can only raise a skeptical eyebrow at
this grand vision. If middle-class PhilHealth
members struggle with the system, how will
their poorer counterparts fare?
Then there is the problem of geographic
coverage. By its own admission, at least 300
local government units do not even have rural
health units accredited by PhilHealth. What
will the poor patients in these locations do for
medical help?
Sadly, the historical record of bureaucratic
inertia at PhilHealth does not inspire con-
dence.
Nor does the involvement of the Social Wel-
fare Department, which is spending an unac-
ceptably high 10 percent of its whopping P39
billion budgetor P4 billionsimply to ad-
minister a program that gives money away to
the poor. Can we truly expect this agency to
perform its new task of enrolling poor patients
without incurring even more staggering costs?
Other countries that have dabbled with the
privatization of public health have found that
after theyve exhausted the motherhood state-
ments about how free enterprise is more ef-
cient than government spending, the reality
creeps in: administrative costs are much higher
in private hospitals than in state-owned institu-
tions. That means we will all be paying more
for services that do not even have a direct rela-
tion to medical services, and simply because the
government is unwilling to do its job. For the
patients who are unable to shoulder the costs
of privatized services, this could also mean the
loss of access to proper health care.
The Health Department may not know it
yet, but its declaration that there will no longer
be charity wards is no boon to poor patients. In
some cases, it could be a death sentence.
No boon for poor patients
China
the hegemon
AN off-duty Quezon City policeman
in civvies and riding a private car has
been relieved for refusing to make
way for the presidential convoy. Re-
ports said PO2 Ricardo Pascua was
removed from his post pending an
investigation of the incident.
Sure, the presidential guards dont
use sirens anymorebut that doesnt
mean you will go unpunished if you
dont get out of the Presidents way
quick enough. But couldnt the para-
noid PSG let the cop off with a stern
warning instead?
* * *
It appears that in the near future, it
will become impossible to cast a shing
net on the coastline of Palawan without
encroaching on Chinese territorial wa-
ters. And unless the deus ex machina of
American interven-
tion appears soon,
we may as well
resign ourselves
to the bitter inevi-
tability of a South
China Sea that has
been converted into
the exclusive back-
yard shpond of the
mainlanders.
The recent farce
that was the Asso-
ciation of South-
east Asian Nations
Regional Forum in
Cambodia, which
was marred by the
heavy-handed hi-
jacking by the Chinese and the hosts
of the US-sponsored communique on
the various territorial disputes in the
sea, as well as the recent major en-
croachments by mainland vessels in
the area, are proof of Beijings deter-
mination to assay the role of regional
bully-boy hegemon. And the Chi-
nese are willing to anger anyone
from the Americans with their Asian
pivot policy, to the well-armed
Japanese and Taiwanese, to the small
Asean countries like the Philippines
and Vietnam who would dare op-
pose their ever-expanding claims.
If there had been any doubt about
Chinas determination to aggressive-
ly pursue its claims to huge swaths
of contested territory in the resource-
rich seas of the Asia-Pacic, theres
no doubt now, wrote Peter Hartcher
recently in Australias Sydney Morn-
ing Herald. Beijing is barreling
ahead with new force.
And that force is not limited to
twisting the arms of diplomats un-
der the Chinese spell, like the will-
ing Cambodians at the recent Asean
forum. The force is also clearly seen
in the deployment of armadas of sh-
ing vessels in the sea west of Palawan
backed up by naval surveillance ves-
sels including one that embarrass-
ingly ran aground on a sandy shoal.
The dispute over the rich shing
grounds, the important navigation
routes and the underground resources
of the South China Sea, of course, is
not new. But the newfound aggres-
siveness and rate of escalation by the
Chinese certainly is.
Rival vessels have clashed in at
least 22 serious incidents in the South
China Sea in the past three years over
contested claims, mostly involving
Chinese shipping in conict with Fil-
ipino or Vietnamese vessels, accord-
ing to the Centre for Strategic and
International Studies in Washington,
Hartcher said. And while none of
the disputants is entirely blameless,
Chinas latest behavior demonstrates
that it is not in a conciliatory frame
of mind. If anything, Beijing is quite
prepared to iname the situation.
Yes, the Chinese seem to be taking
on all comers, from the Americans
who sent Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton to Cambodia to appeal, with
no success, for the approval of the
Asean communique, to the Japanese,
who withdrew their ambassador to
Beijing after the Japanese accused
the Chinese of encroaching on their
territorial waters up north.
In a dare to the Vietnamese, the
Chinese also sent at least 30 shing
vessels to the southwest of Palawan,
where a bloody conict erupted be-
tween China and Vietnam in 1998
over a similar dis-
pute. Even the Tai-
wanese lost their
mainlander sher-
men to a recall by
China and have run
to the Philippines
to beef up their de-
pleted eets.
China is serving
notice that it will
take on anyone,
anywhere in the
South China Sea.
Do we in the Phil-
ippines have any
other strategy apart
from hoping and
praying that the
American hegemon will come and
rescue us from the Chinese hegemon?
* * *
We certainly cannot hope to en-
gage the Chinese in a shooting war,
no matter how combative our lead-
ers in Manila have been talking in
the past months since the renewed
escalation of tensions in the disputed
sea. But now that Asean has proven
itself toothless once again in the face
of Chinese aggression, we may prob-
ably have been left with very little
multilateral diplomatic room to ma-
neuver in the long-running dispute.
The Chinese have shown that any
resolution of the competing territorial
claims must be done on its own terms
which basically means secession of
large swaths of the sea that legally,
logically and traditionally have be-
longed to other nations. This is cer-
tainly unacceptable.
On the other hand, Filipinos can-
not simply wait for the Americans
to step in and resolve the festering
conict for them militarily. Regard-
less of how hard-line Beijings posi-
tion may have become on the matter
of the territorial dispute (a situation
that developed, in part, because of
the incredibly stupid pronouncements
emanating from Malacaang Palace),
quiet back-channel diplomacy must
continue to be employed.
As bad as the situation in the
South China Sea may have become,
we cannot make it worse by acting as
if we want to go to war with the Chi-
nese starting tomorrow. We must nd
a way to insist on our rightful claims,
rmly and quietly, without plunging
the nation into an unwinnable war.
EDITORIAL
Debating China
WHAT happened in Phnom Penh at this
years foreign ministers meeting of the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations
makes China less accessible to those who
insist on the rule of law as the only so-
lution to her territorial dispute with the
Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Viet-
nam. They will have to work even hard-
er now. They will need to change Chinas
legal culture, if they can.
A permanent member of the UN Se-
curity Council, China does not lack an
awareness of the law, international law.
But when it comes to the Spratlys she
seems unprepared to submit to its rule.
She will not hear of submitting the dis-
pute to the International Court of Justice,
nor to any form of UN arbitration or
mediation. Neither will she want it dis-
cussed in any parliamentary forum.
I have seen it at play.
In January 1999, together with then
Senator Blas F. Ople, I attended the sev-
enth annual meeting of the Asia-Pacic
Parliamentary Forum in Lima, Peru. I
was then the Senate Majority Leader.
A total of 84 parliamentarians from 24
countries attended the conference.
I had the privilege of drafting and in-
troducing all of our six resolutions. Four
of them were approved without debate;
one was deferred to the next APPF meet-
ing for lack of time; but one provoked
the most lively debate in any of the seven
APPF annual meetings.
The resolution did not name China, but
it expressed concern that certain actions
by certain parties could disturb the sta-
bility and peace of the South China Sea. It
thus called upon all concerned to adhere
strictly to the recognized principles of in-
ternational law, notably the UN Confer-
ence on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS),
and existing regional declarations on the
South China Sea.
It made no mention of the structures
China had built on Mischief Reef, 800
miles away from its nearest shore and 82
miles from the nearest Philippine coastline.
Prior to the opening, the Executive
Committee, of which the Philippines was
a member, met to nalize the agenda. Ja-
pan called attention to our resolution, and
asked that it be dropped to avoid acrimo-
nious debate. I argued for its retention,
and it was retained.
The next day, prior to the rst plenary
session, the Chinese delegation asked
to meet with our delegation. The Chi-
nese chief delegate asked that we with-
draw our resolution, saying it would only
prejudice ongoing bilateral negotiations
between our two governments.
We expressed regret, saying that those
negotiations had not prevented China
from constructing structures on Mischief
Reef, to which our government had re-
acted with complete restraint.
The chief delegate pressed on, saying
bilateral conversations would cease com-
pletely if our resolution were not with-
drawn. I said we would welcome a state-
ment from China in open session, but that
it was too late to withdraw our resolution.
I accepted an amendment from Viet-
nam, calling on all the parties to re-
frain from complicating the situation
through the threat or the use of force
and to work out among themselves ap-
propriate forms of cooperation.
At the appointed time, I sponsored the
resolution. The Chinese delegate tried to
block it, saying it was a waste of time.
I said it would be most unfortunate if a
delegates right to speak were curtailed
on the say-so of any other member.
I pointed out how restrained our resolu-
tion was. Examine the language, I said.
We do not deplore, we do not condemn,
we do not express outrage, we simply ex-
press regret over the occurrence of certain
incidents, which could affect the stability
and peace of the area, and the region.
Concluding, I said: China is a great
neighbor and a great friend. We value her
friendship and cooperation as indispens-
able to our continued growth and develop-
ment. The Philippines is what she is today
partly because of the vigorous contribution
of our Chinese Filipino populationWe
have no doubt that they, along with the rest
of our people, are eager to see the Philip-
pines and China compose their differences
in a spirit of genuine friendship, which has
long animated their historic relations.
The response proved friendlier. The
chief delegate explained that the struc-
tures at Mischief Reef were non-military,
meant simply to provide shelter for their
shermen during stormy weather. We did
not ask to divide the house, and we ended
shaking hands with our Chinese friends.
The standoff we need to break is diplo-
matic more than maritime. As China will
not agree to bringing the dispute to the
World Court, the Philippines, alone or with
other claimants, could perhaps consider re-
questing the UN General Assembly to ask
the World Court for an advisory opinion on
the legal status of the South China Sea, and
the rights and duties of the other claimants
under the UNCLOS, with respect to their
continental shelves and their 200-mile Ex-
clusive Economic Zones, and the rights of
the 180 signatories to the UNCLOS, as far
as the common heritage of mankind is
concerned.
The advisory opinion would not bind
China. But it might enable her to see how
in 1975 that particular approach helped
Spain, Morocco and Mauritania end their
three-power conict over Western Saha-
ra---a solution that has endured since.
fstatad@gmail.com
JOJO
A. ROBLES
LOWDOWN
ROLANDO G. ESTABILLO Publisher
RAMONCHITO L. TOMELDAN Managing Editor
CHIN WONG/ RAY S. EANO Associate Editors
JOEL P. PALACIOS News Editor
ROGELIO C. SALAZAR President & CEO
MEMBER
Philippine Press Institute
The National Association
of Philippine Newspapers PPI
can be accessed at:
www.manilastandardtoday.com ONLINE
MST
Manila
Standard
TODAY
Published Monday to Sunday by Kamahalan
Publishing Corporation at 3rd Floor Universal
Re Building, 106 Paseo de Roxas corner Perea
Street, Legaspi Village, Makati City. Telephone
CLIMACO E. CALIWARA Controller
ANITA F. GREFAL Treasury Manager
FRANCIS LAGNITON Senior Deskman
ARMAN ARMERO Senior Deskman
LEO A. ESTONILO Senior Deskman
ROMEL J. MENDEZ Art Director
ROBERTO CABRERA Chief Photographer
numbers 659-4830 to 32 (connecting all
departments), 659-4827 (Editorial), 659-
4803, 659-4802 (Advertising), 527-5016
(Sales and Distribution/Subscription) and
527-2057 (Credit and Collection). Fax
numbers: 659-4804 (Advertising) and 527-
6406 (Subscription). P.O. Box 2933, Manila
Central Post Ofce, Manila. Website: www.
manilastandardtoday.com E-mail: mst@
manilastandardtoday.com
EDITH D. ANGELES Advertising Manager
EDGAR M. VALMORIDA Circulation Manager
FRANCISCO S.
TATAD
FIRST THINGS FIRST
Filipinos
cannot simply
wait for the
Americans to step
in and resolve the
tensions
militarily.
A5 Opinion Adelle Chua, Editor
ManilaStandardToday
mst.lettertotheeditor@gmail.com
PRESIDENT Aquino will deliver
his State of the Nation Address on
Monday.
We can expect him to boast about
the countrys economic progress,
with our 6.4-percent GDP growth in
the first quarter and the upgrading
of our ratings by credit institutions.
We can be sure that he will say
that his promise of eradicating graft
and corruption is coming to pass
now that his predecessor is in jail
and facing charges of plunder and
electoral sabotage.
He will also cite the ouster
of former Chief Justice Renato
Corona.
Mr. Aquino will claim that
hunger and poverty have gone
down because of the conditional
cash transfer
program of the
D e p a r t m e n t
of Social
Welfare and
Development.
Indeed, the
President will
say, things are
getting better.
But here are
the things that he wont mention in
his speech.
He will not say that the GDP
grew faster because of increased
government spending for health
care and other social services,
even as we remain laggards in
agriculture, exports and foreign
investments.
He also will not talk about
unemployment and the demand
for higher wages amid escalating
prices of everything.
He will not mention the growing
discontent among the people and
the disillusion we feel.
He wont mention anything
about the upsurge of criminality.
There is murder, rape and robbery
and sometimes committed in broad
daylight by the people who are
supposed to protect us.
And what about the persistence
of smuggling at the Bureau of
Customs? It has been years and yet
we still do not know where 2,000
containers of highly dutiable goods
went. It is odd that this should
remain unsolved after all this time.
Is the President just going to shrug
this off?
The country has not progressed
in talking peace with the
communists and with the Moro
Islamic Liberation Front.
There remain extra-judicial
killings, enforced disappearances,
human trafficking and drug
trafficking. Human rights
violations continue.
On foreign affairs, all we can
do is rant while China continues to
bully us over Scarborough Shoal.
We have braggadocio, sure, but
little else. We hang on to the United
States promise to be behind us,
even though we dont know exactly
how far behind.
What has the administration been
doing? Noynoying, thats what.
***
Filipinos want to hear President
Aquinos vision for the country in
the Sona. How does he intend to
solve the many issues confronting
his administration? Where does he
see us going?
Without that vision, the Sona
will be all talk and nothing else.
He made grand promises of
change when he was campaigning.
Now he is about to enter his third
year. Unfortunately, these promises
remain a pie in the sky.
Something must happen in the
coming year. If not, it will be the
tipping point of this administration.
The President is stretching the
patience of the people who put
him in office and expected great
things from him.
* * *
A good
change would
be amending
the outdated
e c o n o m i c
provisions of
the Constitution.
These provisions
have been
responsible for
the fact that foreign investments
have only come in trickles.
According to the Cory
Constitution, foreigners can only
own a maximum of 40 percent of
corporations. PNoy does not want
to change this just because it was
his mother who selected delegates
to the Constitutional Convention.
Why do you think Ford closed
its factory in the Philippines and
moved to Thailand, just like other
multinationals before it? Simple.
Its because Thailand has become
the 7th most competitive country
for foreign investments. We remain
at the bottom.
Doesnt President Aquino get it
yet?
We will remain at the bottom
of the heap among our Asian
neighbors if he insists on these
archaic provisions.
***
Talks about a super-coalition
of the United Nationalist Alliance
(of Vice President Jejomaro Binay,
former President Joseph Estrada
and Senate President Juan Ponce
Enrile) and the administrations
Liberal Party (teaming up with
the Nacionalista Party and the
Nationalist Peoples Coalition)
are just that.
It will never happen. UNA will
eventually become the opposition
even though it just calls itself the
alternative.
In my book, if you are not with
the administration, then you are
part of the opposition.
There must always be assent and
dissent in any democracy.
What the President
will not say
MAIL MATTERS
We have
braggadocio, and
little else.
Supreme irony and a desperate plea
THERE were hardly any television cam-
eras deployed to the Baseco Covered
Court last Wednesday, July 11, to cover
the Family Planning Fair organized by
Likhaan Center for Womens Health.
On that day, more than 1,000 women
from the barangays of Baseco, Parola
and San Nicolas the most populous
villages in the city of Manila -- trooped
to the compound to avail themselves of
free reproductive health consultations
with and services by at least 45 doctors,
midwives and nurses.
The absence of attention could be
because the fair took place the day after
the death of the countrys top comedian,
Dolphy. Dolphys death was big news
and everybody wanted to see the trib-
utes, the grief, the personalities.
It could, however, point to some-
thing deeper, more fundamental.
The stories of the women seeking free
help at the fair bolster the argument for
the reproductive health bill, which re-
mains pending at both Houses of Con-
gress more than a decade after it was rst
proposed. As a result, the Philippines
has yet to have a national reproductive
health/ family planning program.
At the same time, the number of
mothers dying of pregnancy related
complications has risen from 162 out
of 100,000 live births (2006) to 221
(2011). It has not only not improved;
it has actually worsened. Five hundred
thousand abortions are performed every
year despite its illegality and danger.
Still, the bill remains hostage to
power bargaining between decision
makers and kingmakers. Members of
the Catholic Church use the pulpit to
demonize the authors and supporters of
the bill and tell the faithful that RH, per
se, is a sin against God.
Doctor Junice Melgar, executive di-
rector of Likhaan, acknowledges that
President Benigno Aquino III has made a
social contract with the Filipino people to
provide couples the opportunity to make
informed choices in planning their fami-
lies. Alas, it has been purely rhetoric. I
am not anymore certain about the politi-
cal will of those in power, Melgar says.
The bottom line here is the decisiveness
of President. His action will show the
strength of his character.
First it was the distraction of the im-
peachment of former Chief Justice Coro-
na. Now we have the standoff with China
over Scarborough Shoal. Soon, prepara-
tions for the May 2013 elections will take
much of our leaders time and energy.
When will it be a good time for RH?
In fact, Melgar continues, many as-
pects of the bill have been opened up
for amendments. For instance, it is clear
that the bill does not include or endorse
the use of abortifacients. Reproductive
education will be part of the curriculum
upon the sixth grade (the Presidents
idea). There is a provision for consci-
entious objection. It is stated that both
natural and artical means of contra-
ceoption will be promoted. Nobody will
be made to use, or will be prevented
from using, articial means if it runs
counter to ones personal beliefs.
***
Melgar, a general practicioner, has
had a close brush with maternal mortal-
ity her own.
She and her husband joined the under-
ground movement from the late 1970s to
the late 1980s. In 1989, when they were
living in Iloilo, she discovered that she
was pregnant. She went about her preg-
nancy without getting pre-natal care out
of fear that they would be tracked.
She insisted on delivering her child
at a house in Quezon City, with only her
mother, a doctor herself, assisting her.
The nine-pound heavy child was born a
blue baby after Melgar suffered pro-
tracted labor. The placenta was trapped
inside her uterus and she lost copious
amounts of blood.
She eventually agreed to be brought
to the hospital.
If that could happen to me, who did
not go to the hospital by choice, it could
happen to others who want to get medical
care but cant, Melgar says. She suffered
neurological problems for six months. I
did not think I will ever be the same.
Her son is now 23.
Now Melgar wonders what stories,
what faces, what drama it would take
for our leaders in government, and the
Church, to acknowledge that poor Fili-
pino women those who dont know
any better but wish to, or dont even
know that they should are suffering
from the lack of access to information,
sometimes paying with their lives.
But nothing seems to move our lead-
ers, not even if they used to champion RH.
Melgar refers to the mystifying silence
of House Speaker Sonny Belmonte, who
does not seem to have the leadership to
get his colleagues to vote upon the issue.
The again, the President can easily
tell him to.
Melgar narrates that on the day of
the Baseco fair, there was a wake being
held for a young mother who had died
from pregnancy-related complications.
What supreme irony, Melgar says,
that many people claim to be pro-life
while consigning millions of poor Fili-
pino women to darkness, even death.
Not sensational enough for a news-
cast, perhaps, but it is happening anway,
every day.
adellechua@gmail.com
Do business schools incubate criminals?
EMIL
P. JURADO
TO THE POINT
ADELLE
CHUA
CHASING HAPPY
By Luigi Zingales
THE recent scandals at Barclays Plc,
JPMorgan Chase & Co., Goldman Sachs
Group Inc. and other banks might give
the impression that the nancial sector
has some serious morality problems. Un-
fortunately, its worse than that: We are
dealing with a drop in ethical standards
throughout the business world, and our
graduate schools are partly to blame.
Where do erring individuals get the
idea that this kind of behavior might
be OK? Most business schools do offer
ethics classes. Yet these classes are gen-
erally divided into two categories. Some
simply illustrate ethical dilemmas with-
out taking a position on how people are
expected to act. It is as if students were
presented with the pros and cons of ra-
cial segregation, leaving them to decide
which side they wanted to take.
Others hide behind the concept of
corporate social responsibility, suggest-
ing that social obligations rest on rms,
not on individuals. I say hide because
a rm is nothing but an organized group
of individuals. So before we talk about
corporate social responsibility, we need
to talk about individual social responsi-
bility. If we do not recognize the latter,
we cannot talk about the former.
Economics and greed
Oddly, most economists see their
subject as divorced from morality.
They liken themselves to physicists,
who teach how atoms do behave, not
how they should behave.. Experimen-
tal evidence suggests that the teach-
ing of economics does have an effect
on students behavior: It makes them
more selsh and less concerned about
the common good. This is not inten-
tional. Most teachers are not aware of
what they are doing.
My colleague Gary Becker pio-
neered the economic study of crime.
Employing a basic utilitarian approach,
he compared the benets of a crime
with the expected cost of punishment
(that is, the cost of punishment times
the probability of receiving that punish-
ment). While very insightful, Beckers
model, which had no intention of tell-
ing people how they should behave,
had some unintended consequences. A
former student of Beckers told me that
he found many of his classmates to be
remarkably amoral, a fact he took as a
sign that they interpreted Beckers de-
scriptive model of crime as prescriptive.
They perceived any failure to commit a
high-benet crime with a low expected
cost as a failure to act rationally, almost
a proof of stupidity. The students expe-
rience is consistent with the experimen-
tal ndings I mentioned above.
True, economists are not moral phi-
losophers, and we have no particular
competence to determine what is ethical
and what is not. We are, though, able to
identify behavior that makes people bet-
ter off. People who violate those norms
are judged rude, egotistical, ill-behaved,
or in certain cases even criminally neg-
ligent.
When the economist Milton Fried-
man famously said the one and only
responsibility of business is to increase
its prots, he added so long as it stays
within the rules of the game, which is to
say, engages in open and free competi-
tion without deception or fraud. Thats
a very big caveat, and one that is not
stressed nearly enough in our business
schools.
Free competition
Lobbying to secure a competitive ad-
vantage from the government certainly
does not represent open and free com-
petition. Similarly, preying on custom-
ers addictions or cognitive limitations
constitutes deception, if not outright
fraud. Not to mention using clients
condential information for personal
gain, manipulating a major interest-rate
benchmark such as Libor, or selling -
nancial products you know to be awed.
The way to teach these ethics is not
to set up a separate class in which a typi-
cally low-ranking professor preaches to
students who would rather be some-
where else. This approach, common at
business schools, serves only to per-
petuate the idea that ethics are only for
those students who arent smart enough
to avoid getting caught.
Rather, ethics should become an in-
tegral part of the so- called core classes
-- such as accounting, corporate nance,
macroeconomics and microeconom-
ics -- that tend to be taught by the most
respected professors. These teachers
should make their students aware of the
reputational (and often legal) costs of
violating ethical norms in real business
settings, as well as the broader social
downsides of acting solely in ones in-
dividual best interest.
Of course, no amount of instruction
can prevent some people from engaging
in bad behavior. It can, however, con-
tribute to a social consensus that would
discourage diffuse fraud, like the wide-
spread misreporting of Libor rates or
the willful self- delusion and dishonest
dealing that helped turn the subprime
crisis into a global nancial disaster.
The daily scandals that expose corrup-
tion and deception in business are not
merely the doing of isolated crooks.
They are the result of an amoral culture
that we -- business-school professors --
helped foster. The solution should start
in our classrooms. Bloomberg
ON behalf of the over 300 workers presently em-
ployed in our company, Tabaqueria de Filipinas,
and their individual families, I make this urgent
appeal regarding House Bill 5727, or the new Sin
Tax bill, currently pending in the Senate.
As we understand, in its current form, Sec. 145
(A) Cigars of the bill seeks to implement a blanket
tax on cigars of P150 per cigar. This will increase
the tax imposed from P1.25 per cigar to P150 per
cigar. This is an increase of almost 12,000 per-
cent. As a manufacturer of Philippine cigars, I
cannot begin to tell you the devastating effect this
tremendous tax hike will have on the Philippine
cigar industry, particularly all the workers that
stand to lose their jobs as a result of it.
Our company alone has been in existence since
1993. We have been stable but this tremendous
tax increase will be too heavy for us to carry and
will result in the closure of our factory and plant-
ing operation. We have 300 workers with families
depending on us for their income. We are just one
of many other companies who will have to shut
down as a result of this bill. Imagine how many
workers will be affected.
These would be the damaging results:
Sec. 145. (A) seeks to impose a blanket tax of
P150 per cigar but does not take into account the
different sizes, types and selling prices of cigars.
a)There are many different sizes of cigars. The
two most popular sizes are the Slim Panetela, some-
times referred to as a cigarillo, a small cigar at 4.5
inches long with a diameter of 0.8 cm to the Corona,
a medium sized cigar at 5.5 inches long and a diam-
eter of 1.6 cm. These cigars account for the bulk of
our domestic sales at almost 70 percent.
b)A Slim Panetela has a net selling price of
12.50 per cigar in a box of 25 cigars for P312.50
per box. If we apply the tax as per Sec 145 (A),
the selling price of a Slim Panetela will jump to
P162.50 per piece and a box of 25s will sell for
P4,062.50. This is a 1,300-percent increase in
selling price.
c)A Corona is sold for P52 per stick and nor-
mally in a box of 25 for P1,300 for a box of 25.
Sec 145(A) will increase the selling price to P202
per stick and P5,050 per box of 25. This results
in an almost 300 percent increase in selling price.
It represents an excessive and unjust increase
in tax rates.
The current tax rate calls for 10 percent of the
selling price per cigar if the cigar is sold for less
than P500. Using the examples above, a Slim Pa-
netela with a net selling price of P12.50 per cigar
has a tax of P1.25. Under Sec 145. (A) this same
cigar will have a tax of P150. This results in an
astounding tax increase of almost 12,000 percent.
In in comparison, the tax increase on cigarettes
will only be around 136 percent.
It grossly favors foreign-made cigars over do-
mestically-produced cigars.
Cigars made in Cuba and the Dominican Re-
public sell at very high prices -- sometimes as
much as P1,810 each, while Philippine-made ci-
gars sell at a much more reasonable average price
of P52 each. A tax of P150 represents only an 8
percent price increase on the imported cigar but
an astounding almost 300 percent increase on the
locally produced cigar.
It will result in less taxes being collected by the
government.
The purpose of HB5727 is to increase the
collection of taxes on tobacco and liquor prod-
ucts sold in the Philippines. But, as the above
examples illustrate, Sec. 145. (A) will result in
NO Taxes collected on Philippine- made cigars
as no Philippine cigars will be sold in the Philip-
pines as the prices will be overly prohibitive to
consumers. The sales volume of imported cigars
in the Philippines is miniscule compared to that
of locally-made ones. Subsequently, the tax con-
tribution from Philippine-made cigar sales to the
government is much greater than the contribution
of Imported cigar sales. In the event that we are
forced to stop operations and sales of cigars in the
Philippines, our tax contribution will drop to zero
and the tax contribution of imported cigars will
not be able to cover the difference.
It will result in the loss of many jobs.
Cigar making and cigar leaf tobacco processing
is labor intensive. Most of the work must be done
with great care and skill so these are done by hand.
In comparison, cigarettes are made totally by ma-
chines. If HB5727 is passed with Sec. 145 (A) in
its current form, we will be forced to close our fac-
tory as we will not be able to sell any cigars at the
exorbitant prices. This will mean that over 250 fami-
lies - cigar makers, cigar leaf tobacco handlers, sales
people, ofce staff will lose their jobs. Further, 65
farmer families in La Union who plant our tobacco
will also be affected as we will no longer be able to
continue our planting operations.
It will result in the death of an entire industry
and a blemish on the national soul.
The Philippines has a rich cigar tradition that
dates back to the Spanish era and good Premium
Philippine cigars are still made in the traditional
way - by hand. It is a true skill that takes many
years to master and has passed down thru the
generations. There are only a few countries in the
world that produce cigars in the classic, tradition-
al style and The Philippines proudly belongs to
that exclusive club. Ours is one of only two fac-
tories that makes Philippine cigars. Our cigars are
enjoyed the world over and is a National Product
that all Filipinos can take pride in.
If we are forced to stop making cigars, then the
Philippine cigar will cease to exist. That would be a
tragedy. If we only exported cigars, then we would
be in a farcical situation where Philippine cigars are
available everywhere except the Philippines.
TIRSO RIPOLL
General Manager
Tabaqueria de Filipinas, Inc
New sin tax bill will kill cigar industry
News
ManilaStandardToday
mst.daydesk@gmail.com JULY 18, 2012 WEDNESDAY
A6
Bus firms
using law
vs public

IN BRIEF
Tinga hits back at Cayetanos mud-slinging
Yellow lane has reduced
mishaps involving buses
Another reason to smile at comedy king Dolphy
Key to the Noble and Ever-Loyal City. Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird receives the key to the city from Manila Mayor Alfredo S.
Lim after laying a wreath at the shrine of national hero Jose Rizal at the Luneta. Baird is in the country upon the invitation of Foreign Affairs
Secretary Albert del Rosario. DANNY PATA
Malayan, VMobile partnership. Malayan Insurance, the
countrys largest non-life insurer, and VMobile Technologies Inc., the
rst and leading provider of unied prepaid reloading service in the
country, recently inked a memorandum of agreement for an exclusive
VMobile insurance product that will be offered to VMobiles more than
one million and growing number of members and network consum-
ers nationwide. Called the V-Guard Plus, the product is an affordable
personal accident insurance plan open to all VMobile members ages
7 to 65 years old, and covers accidental death, dismemberment and/
or disablement. V-Guard Plus will be launched as one of the premium
products under VMobiles Empowerment Program that advocates
Incentivized Consumerism, giving VMobile members easy access to
a PA insurance that will help cushion the impact of hardships in times
of accidents. Photo shows, sitting: VMobile Insurance Agent Yolanda
Calderon, Malayan President Yvonne S. Yuchengco and VMobiles
President and CEO Ismael M. Bengco III (1st, 3rd and 4th from left,
respectively), along with Malayans Executive Vice Presidents Antonio
M. Rubin, Joel T. Almagro and Theresa Tiu (2nd, 5th and 6th from left,
respectively). Behind them are: Malayans Sr. Manager Dante Mayo,
Afnity Marketing Specialist Aldous Anacion, Marketing Head Mark
Vincent Co and Vice President Martin Yuchioco.
Iloilo Rep. Jerry Trenas,
chairman of the House Commit-
tee on Good Government and
Public Accountability, claimed
that bus operators have managed
to dodge various punishments
meted for various violations re-
lated to their franchise through
these loopholes.
It turns out that they have
been enjoying multiple-fran-
chise grants issued by the Land
Transportation Franchising and
Regulatory Board, Trenas said.
The congressman said he
is planning to le a resolution
seeking a congressional inqui-
ry to determine the loopholes
in the franchising statutes or
rules and regulations that re-
sult in the grant of multiple
franchises to bus companies.
The bus companies are us-
ing the very statutes that should
have been promoting public in-
terest to their own advantage.
There is something shy in this
arrangement. One public util-
ity operator must only be given
one franchise, he said.
Trenas said a bus company
is given a separate franchise for
two or more bus units and the
bus operators take advantage by
securing multiple franchise so
that when one franchise is under
suspension after one of their bus
is involved in an accident, they
still have other buses to operate
under a different franchise.
Most of the time, it is the
franchise and not the company
that is suspended and unfor-
tunately, a bus company may
have several franchises for his
operations. If one franchise is
suspended or revoked as a result
of accidents or any related cases,
other bus units under the differ-
ent franchise could still oper-
ate, Trenas pointed out.
The objective of these fran-
chise suspensions and revoca-
tions is to mete punishment for
these rogue and irresponsible
bus operators. But with these
multiple franchises, these bus
operators can easily get away
with their crimes and be back
in the streets in no time, he
added.
He explained that a franchise
covers two buses, a bus compa-
ny with about 50 units could be
granted 25 franchises.
If one of the bus units g-
ures in major accidents or any
of the cases that result to can-
cellation or suspension, only
two units are affected. The
bus company can just continue
operations without violating
any law or judicial issuances,
Trenas said. This is clearly a
mockery of the intents of the
law to protect public interest.
By Maricel V. Cruz
BUS operators are circumventing
the intent of the intent of the public
transportation franchise law by using
loopholes in the rules and regulation
of various transport laws and Congress
should review the law to safeguard
the riding public, an administration
congressman said on Tuesday.
By Ferdinand Fabella
TAGUIG Rep. Freddie Tinga on Tues-
day accused Taguig Mayor Lani Cay-
etano of political mudslinging for
continuously linking him to illegal
drug trade in the city and said the may-
or should instead focus on improving
the citys worsening peace and order
situation.
Taguig now has the worst crime
rate in Metro Manila, action is needed
not press releases. Cayetanos malign-
ing me and my father (former Supreme
Court Associate Justice Dante Tinga)
has been their regular practice and in-
creases whenever elections approach,
Tinga said.
The word war between Tinga and
Cayetano erupted last Monday after
the mayor charged that drug trafckers
in Taguig has been under the protection
of Tingas administration.
She made the remark after police ar-
rested an in-law of Tinga during a drug-
bust last Saturday. The suspect, Elisa
Tinga, is the wife of Tingas rst cousin
Noel, who had been previously arrested
for similar drug trafcking charges.
While saying that he has distanced
himself from the couple, Tinga said he
and his family have never covered up
or protected anyone involved in drugs.
Our record is clear on that, Tinga
pointed out, adding that he himself is
grateful to the Taguig police for its an-
ti-illegal drug campaign in Taguig.
He added that this age-old politick-
ing technique is expected to crop up
in the months to come, before the 2013
elections.
In a statement issued on Monday,
Cayetano said the city has gained notori-
ety as an illegal drug hot spot mainly due
to the extensive operations of a group she
called the Tinga drug syndicate which,
reports had it, enjoyed protection from
the past administration.
Cayetano recounted in her statement
how the police arrested one Bernardo
Tinga for drug pushing in January
2007, followed by the arrest of Fer-
nando, Allan Carlos, and Albertoall
surnamed Tingaon similar charges
by the Philippine Drug Enforcement
Agency.
However, the mayor did not clarify
how these four people are related to the
family of Congressman and Justice Tin-
ga. The mayor also did not say that the
charges against the men were dismissed
by the court for lack of evidence.
Cayetano also said in her statement
that a Noel Tinga fell in the hands of
authorities in 2009, but Noel Tinga, a
distant relative of Congressman Tinga,
actually surrendered to police to clear
himself of the accusations against him.
Cayetano replaced Tinga as the city
mayor in 2010 after her victory against
Tingas father, former Supreme Court
Associate Justice Dante Tinga.
By Rio N. Araja
THE Metro Manila Development Authority
on Tuesday said road mishaps on Epifanio
de los Santos Avenue have gone down dra-
matically because of the strict enforcement
of the yellow or bus lane for just a week.
Before, there were 44 recorded acci-
dents on the major thoroughfare Tuesday
last week, Chairman Francis Tolentino told
Manila Standard Today. After a week, only
six accidents were recorded.
The avenue was built and designed only
to contain 1,600 buses, he said, but there
were now about 12,000 buses plying the
thoroughfare, including 5,000 city buses and
7,000 provincial buses.
Tolentino has been advocating the merger
of bus operators to reduce the number of
buses plying Edsa and at least six companies
have agreed to start talking about merging
their operations.
Tolentino did not identify the six compa-
nies because they are still at the early stages
of the negotiations, but he said they operate
at least 600 buses and they are already dis-
cussing the possibility of operating from the
Edsa-North Avenue in Quezon City to the
SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City.
He said other bus owners have expressed
the desire to join the preliminary talks and
some bus operators are already complaining
that they are being left out of the negotia-
tions.
But Tolentino said other bus rms can be
welcomed to the talks under the aegis of the
MMDA so long as they subscribe to a single
business scheme based on income, road mis-
haps, viability and passenger ridership.
Tolentino the merger of bus opertors will
address low passenger rates, fuel cost, vehi-
cle maintenance, breakneck competition on
public roads, passenger safety and comfort
as well as pollution.
HIGH school students in Quezon City
will soon have another reason to smile
at the recently-deceased comedian Ro-
dolfo Quizon, more popularly known
as Dolphy, according to Mayor Herbert
Bautista who was himself a popular
comedian-actor.
Bautista said that the late comedy
king agreed to sell an idle property in
Barangay Gulod in the citys Novali-
ches district shortly after the mayor
announced that the city was looking
for land on which the city could build
more schoolhouses.
Just before he passed away, my
godfather (Dolphy) was able to sell his
idle land in Novaliches to us, he told
the Manila Standard Today, adding
that the city government will soon start
building a four-storey schoolhouse
with at least 18 classrooms.
We are just awaiting the declara-
tion of my ninong as a National Artist
by the National Commission on Cul-
ture and Arts, then the city govern-
ment will ask Congress to name the
new school as Rodolfo Vera Quizon
High School, Bautistia added. The
school will be ready for the 2013
school opening.
Joselito Cabungcal, chief of the
city engineering ofce, said the pro-
posed school will cost about P60
million, but new building techniques
will allow them to hire only 50 work-
ers to nish the school building in six
months time.
The new school will help address
classroom shortage in the second dis-
trict, Cabingcal said.
Three other schools the Maligaya
Elementary School, San Bartolome
High School inside the Quezon City
Polytechnic University and Batasan
Hills Elementary School are under
construction to intensify the citys
school building program, he said.
Rio N. Araja
SC releases P1.865b
for Manila courthouse
THE Supreme Court approved yesterday
the release of P1.865 billion for the
construction of a new Manila Hall of
Justice, which will house 120 courtrooms
and have LCD screens outside each
courtroom to allow lawyers, litigants and
the public to view court activities and
announcements.
The project is worth about P3 bil-
lion and the SC will funding more than
half of the budget while the rest will
be sourced from the private sector or
foreign institutions.
The SC spokesperson revealed that
the SC likewise approved allocation
of P266,950,000 for the construction
of a new Court of Appeals building in
Cebu and another P251,270,000 for CA
building in Cagayan de Oro. Both CA
divisions in Cebu and CDO are cur-
rently renting spaces. Rey Requejo

San Juan tops agency list
of best performing cities
SAN Juan City was named the best
performing highly-urbanized city in the
country, according to the Department of
the Interior and Local Government.
We are pleased to provide you the
result for 2011State of Performance, San
Juan City ranked 1st in the Top 10 High-
ly Urbanized Cities. It is with great plea-
sure that we offer our congratulations to
you and the whole ofcialdom of San
Juan for an excellent performance in the
areas of governance from 2010 to 2011,
DILG Regional Director Renato Brion
said in a letter to Mayor Guia Gomez.
Gomez congratulated city govern-
ment workers for scoring 4.9 points in a
scale of 5. The cities of Puerto Princesa
followed with 4.88, Iloilo with 4.87 and
Valenzuela with 4.85.
Gigi Munoz David
QC allows stallholders
to stay at Seedling Bank
MAYOR Herbert Bautista of Quezon
City on Tuesday allayed fears of over
100 displaced tenants and stallholders
of the Manila Seedling Bank Foundation
Inc. of possible dislocation after the citys
takeover of the property.
Bautista assured the tenants that the
city government will allow them to con-
tinue doing business in the facility pro-
vided they submit all their lease and sub-
lease contracts to determine the actual
number of tenants legally occupying the
property. Rio N. Araja
QC accepts entries to
QCinema lm festival
THE Quezon City government on
Tuesday invited lm makers from the
city to take part in its rst lm festival to
be held in November.
Mayor Herbert Bautista and Vice
Mayor Joy Belmonte led the launching
of the citys lm development commis-
sions QCinema: 2012 Quezon City
Film Festival and called out for screen-
play entries for movie production as part
of their agship program.
The commission will award grants to
three selected independent lm projects
at P800,000 each, Vice Mayor Joy Bel-
monte said. Submission of entries is open
until July 31 and will be open to emerg-
ing Filipino lmmakers who have not
produced three feature-length lms.
A7 Sports Riera U. Mallari, Editor
ManilaStandardToday
sports_mstandard@yahoo.com
The US Olympic basketball play-
ers said they werent nervous about
playing in front of President Barack
Obama, nor were they thrown off by
the lengthy delay while the rst fan
took his seat just before tip-off.
No, we just came out trying to pres-
sure as much as we could, see how they
would handle it, which well probably
do nightly, and they did a pretty good
job of handling the pressure, US
guard Chris Paul said. And we settled
down in the second quarter, held them
to ve points and got going.
LeBron James scored 30 points and
the US rallied from an early 10-point
decit to beat Brazil 80-69 on Monday
night in its nal exhibition game on
home soil.
Obama and Vice President Joe Biden
watched the Americans get off to a dis-
mal start, then turn it around by hold-
ing the Brazilians to two baskets in the
second quarter.
They came out really counter-
punching and taking advantage of our
aggressiveness on defense, and theyre
well-coached. They came in with a
great plan and executed their plan very
well start of the game, US guard Kobe
Bryant said. We made our adjust-
ments second quarter, kept them to ve
Hagdang Bato is Triple Crown champ!
LeBron, pals recover from
bad start, whip Brazilians
WASHINGTONThe problem was Brazil,
not the presidents presence.
IN BRIEF
SBP-Passerelle favorites win
ATENEO de Manila-A and Notre Dame
of Greater Manila installed themselves
as the early Small Basketeers Philip-
pines favorites after big wins at the start
of the Milo-sponsored SBP-Passerelle
twin tournaments organized by the multi-
awarded Basketball Efciency and Sci-
entic Training Center.
Ateneo-A routed San Beda College-
Alabang, 74-46, for its debut win in SBP-
B, where it was joined on top by Xavier
School, which walked over Colegio San
Agustin-Makati.
Notre Dame, meanwhile, dealt San
Beda College-Rizal with a 34-21 thump-
ing for the SBP-C lead, which it shared
with Lourdes School-Quezon City, which
walked over Chiang Kai Shek College.
SBP-A had Don Bosco Technical In-
stitute-Makati trouncing San Sebastian
College-Recoletos, 46-5, and Lourdes
School-Mandaluyong blasting De La
Salle-Zobel B, 59-20. SBP-D saw Marist
School-A over School of St. Anthony,
67-17, and De La Salle-Zobel A over La
Salle Greenhills-B, 59-20.
The Philippine Basketball Associa-
tions Jonas Villanueva, who plays for
the B-Meg Llamados and the leagues
three-time All-Star PBA Skill Challenge
champion, was the special guest during
the short opening ceremony.
The Best Center and SBP alumnus
joined Milo Sports Executive Robbie de
Vera and former Milo executive Jackby
Jaime in inspiring the young athletes to
strive hard in achieving their goals in life
and in sports.
IT took 11 years, but it was worth the
wait. Finally, horseracing has a new
starHagdang Bato.
The tough local-bred colt lived up to
his name by destroying the hopes of
seven others to carve his name in the
annals of Triple Crown champions, the
last being Silver Story in 2001.
Hagdang Bato was sent off as the
heavy favorite of the eight-horse eld
in the third leg of the Philippine Racing
Commission Triple Crown series, held
at the Manila Jockey Clubs San Lazaro
Leisure Park on July 15.
Commanding top sales on the
strength of his having won the rst
two legs and being crowd darling to
sweep, Hagdang Bato was fourth out
of the gate, behind eet lly Humble
Riches, Penrith, and Golden Empire.
Jockey Jonathan Hernandez was
expected to pace his mount Hagdang
Bato over the 2,000-meter distance,
instead surprising fans when he opted
to break free of the crowd and grab the
lead at the top of the stretch the rst
time around.
Golden Empire, ridden by Kelvin
Abobo, chased Hagdang Bato and
started nipping at his anks, paced
closely by the Patricio Dilema-steered
Humble Riches. Gaining the lead
briey at the bend, Golden Empire had
to give it back to Hagdang Bato, who
continued to dominate the race until
the backstretch, when Dilema stepped
on the gas and urged Humble Riches to
catch up, running head-to-head with
the frontrunner.
Hagdang Bato proved far too strong
for her and pulled away 400 meters
before the wire to win by ve lengths
under mere hand-urging and light
icks of the whip.
The win was worth P1.8 million
rst prize plus P500,000 bonus for
the trilogy sweep for the winning
connectionsowner and breeder
Mandaluyong City mayor Benhur
Abalos, trainer Ruben Tupas, and jockey
Hernandez.
The total time was 2:07.8, with
splits of 26-24-26-25-26. The strong
last quarter is proof of Hagdang Batos
superior condition at this time. Not
surprising, given this colts superstar
lineage of Quaker Ridge x Fire Down
Under, making him a half-brother to
Mayor Abaloss champion Ibarra (two-
leg Triple Crown winner in 2007).
* * *
Kudos also to Nathaniel Nel
Velasco, owner of Cinderella Kid,
surprise winner of the Philracom
Hopeful Stakes held July 14 at SLLP.
Posting a total time of 2:09.6, the
Kafwain x End Sweeps Girl colt also
bred by Velasco was ridden by Fernando
Raquel Jr. and trained by Buboy Jacob.
Cinderella Kid bested a full-gate eld
to win by two lengths over Yes Im The
One, followed by Pleasantly Perfect in
third and Pugad Lawin in fourth.
* * *
What to watch this weekend: this
Saturday, the Philippine Charity
Sweepstakes Ofce will run a Special
Maiden Race for 2YO at Santa Ana Park.
Herminio Esguerras Super Whaaa won
the trial last July 3, clocking 1:17 over
1,200 meters.
The race will feature other stellar
juveniles, who nished the trial in this
order after Super Whaaa: Minotaur,
If Your Honor Please, Dont Fool Your
Wife, Grand Strikes Girl, Boss Jay, Boss
Jaden, and Best Boss.
The next PCSO Special Maiden (2YO
Open) will be held August 11 at SLLP.
Fifteen entries were nominated to run
the 1,400 meter race: lawyer Sixto
Esquivias IVs Niagara Boogie with
jockey Jeffrey Bacaycay: Wilbert Tans
Strikers Symbol (John Paul Guce);
Renato Viratas Leonidez Might
(Mark Alvarez); Nathaniel Velascos
Leonor (Christopher Tamano); Michael
Angelo Veneracions Bossing Ethan
(Arnel Tancioco);
Herma Farms & Studs Sparkling
Rule (Jesse B. Guce); Edwin Santoss
Mi Esperanza (Dominador Borbe Jr.);
Eduardo Gonzalezs Gees for Victory
(Jonathan Hernandez); Elizabeth
Lontoks Divine Eagle ((John Alvin
Guce);
Contessa Falgueras Green Garnet
(Patricio Dilema); Antonio Floirendos
Pantukan (Fernando Raquel Jr.);
Herminio Esguerras Wild Ginseng
(Rodeo Fernandez); Reginald Allen
Vergaras Megatron (Virgilio Camaero
Jr.); and Honorato Neris Sky Dragon
(Antonio Alcasid Jr.).
The trial for this race will be held July
24, Tuesday.
* * *
Email: jennyo@live.com, Blog:
http://jennyo.net, Facebook: Gogirl
Racing, Twitter: @gogirlracing,
Instagram: @jennydecember
ArenaBall goes to Subic
SEASON 3 of the ArenaBall Philippines
goes out of town on Saturday when the
Jaguars tackle the Wolves and the Reb-
els battle the Bandits in a doubleheader
headlining the ABP-SBMA Games at the
Remy Field inside the Subic Freeport
Zone in Olongapo City, Zambales.
There is a big American community
in Subic, which loves the NFL-style
American football that we play so we
are bringing our games over there, said
ABL founder and president Dodi Palma
in yesterdays Philippine Sportswriters
Association Forum at the Shakeys UN
Avenue branch in Manila.
Joining him in the session sponsored by
Smart, Philippine Amusement and Gam-
ing Corp. and Shakeys, was ABP commis-
sioner Riel Banaria, who, however, pointed
out that majority of the players competing
in the league are native Pinoys.
By Lito Cinco
THESE young tennis talents may be
young, but they dream big dreams.
Arthur Pantino, 11, and Khim Iglu-
pas, 13, are two of the young tennis
players training under the Philippine
Tennis Academy, whose goal is to pro-
duce top Filipino players in tennis to
follow the path taken by Felix Barrien-
tos in the 1980s and new star Nino Al-
cantara, who is now enjoying a tennis
scholarship in the United States.
Both Pantino and Iglupas, who hail
from Leyte and Iligan respectively,
share the same dreamthey want to
play in Grand Slam tournaments, par-
ticularly in the Wimbledon, and with
the help of the PTA, they may just real-
ize their dreams.
The two are training full time in Ala-
bang under a home-study course, with
a coaching staff led by Jun Toledo,
guiding them.
We patterned our training program
from that of Spain, where we look at
developing a player as a whole and not
on a compartmentalized basis even at
a young age. We will also be sending
them regularly abroad to compete in
the Asian Tennis Federation and even-
tually in International Tennis Federa-
tion tournaments. We are also aiming
to get athletic scholarships for them
with American colleges, said PTA
program director Andy Maglipon.
Pasig River run invades Quezon City
ABS-CBN Foundations Kapit Bisig
Para sa Ilog Pasig will be staging its
fourth advocacy run to clamor for clean-
er rivers and esteros in Metro Manila via
09.30.2012 Run for the Pasig River to
be held in Quezon City on Sept. 30.
Following the success of last years
11.20.2011 Run for the Pasig River, KB-
PIP is again urging groups and individuals
to join the eco foot-race, which will help
raise awareness and funds for the rehabili-
tation of the waterways of Quezon City-
San Juan-Mandaluyong-Makati.
There will be three major event catego-
ries for the advocacy run: the 15K Ride
& Roll with a 4 a.m. gunstart; the 15K
Commonwealth Challenge Run with a
4:10 a.m. gunstart; and the 5K Morn-
ing Madness Run with a 6 a.m. gunstart.
This time, there will be one starting line
in the Quezon City Memorial Circle go-
ing straight to Commonwealth Avenue
then back again to QCMC for the nish.
ABS-CBN Foundations Kapit Bisig
Para sa Ilog Pasig has a track-record of
organizing three successful runs for the
Pasig River.
The 2009 Philippine International
Marathon: A Run for the Pasig River,
which had an estimated 23,000 par-
ticipants, helped fund the initial phase
of rehabilitation of Estero de Paco, a
2.9-kilometer tributary of the Pasig
River in Manila.
The historic 10.10.10 Run for the Pa-
sig River, meanwhile, broke the Guin-
ness World Record for the most par-
ticipants in a racing event with 116,087
runners. It helped rehabilitate the second
phase of the Estero de Paco clean-up.
Last years 11.20.2011 Run for the
Pasig River was the largest foot race
joined by 86,547 runners, are currently
being used to rehabilitate Estero de San
Miguel and four other esteros behind the
Malacaang Palace.
KBPIPs seven-year rehabilitation
program involves cleaning up all the
esteros that drain into the Pasig River
in order to thoroughly clean it. To date,
the project has resettled 1,216 families
to Calauan, Laguna, introduced reme-
diation technologies for water quality
improvement, trained community volun-
teers for the River Warriors program and
shared sound waste management prac-
tices with communities.
Young tennis talents dreaming big dreams
JENNY
ORTUOSTE
THE HOARSE WHISPERER
CAGE stars of the present
and the past are expected
to grace the 12
th
season of
the National Athletic Asso-
ciation of Schools, Colleg-
es and Universities, which
kicks off on July 30 at the
Makati Coliseum.
Four-time Most Valuable
Player Alvin Patrimonio, Ol-
sen Racela and Chris Tiu join
actor-sportsman Richard Go-
mez as special guests during
the opening ceremony to be
prepared by host school St.
Clare College.
A heavy four-game bill
in the centerpiece event of
basketball later ushers the
leagues new season, which
has the theme Driven To
Succeed.
Its going to be a big bang
for NAASCU this year es-
pecially with the addition of
beach volleyball and beach
handball in our school cal-
endar, said league president
Dr. Jay Adalem in the weekly
Philippine Sportswriters Asso-
ciation Forum at Shakeys UN
Avenue.
Were very proud that
every year, may nadadag-
dag sa sports calendar na-
min, he added, noting the
debut of billiards in the
league last year that made
NAASCU the first and only
college tournament, which
included the game of pool in
its sports events.
Collegiate
tilt starts
on July 30
3-way ght
in Negros golf
BACOLODThe P1 million ICTSI Ne-
gros Occidental Classic gets going today,
with Order of Merit frontrunner Tony Las-
cuna, in-form Jay Bayron and the steady
Elmer Salvador tipped to slug it out for the
crown in what could be an all-Davaoeno
showdown at the Negros Occidental Golf
and Country Club here.
Lascuna has racked up two victories in
the last three legs of the ICTSI Philippine
Golf Tour, making him the marked man in
the 54-hole event which he wants to win so
badly after losing in a four-hole playoff to
local ace Robert Pactolerin last year.
That setback extended Lascunas vic-
tory drought with the Davaoeno shotmaker
snapping the 17-month spell just last May
when he topped the ICTSI Eagle Ridge
Invitational. He followed it up with a re-
sounding win at the P2.5 million ICTSI
Manila Southwoods to surge ahead in the
OOM race with P1.1 million in winnings.
points, which after the 20-something
point rst quarter is pretty impressive.
James helped the US pull away in
the nal four minutes after they led by
only seven with 4 minutes left, get-
ting his nal point on a free throw with
31 seconds left as Obama departed to
chants of Four more years!
James, who scored 14 points in the
nal period, said it was humbling
and overwhelming to play in front of
the president.
You have dreams about being in the
NBA. You have dreams about making
the game-winning shot at the buzzer.
You never have dreams about having
the president actually watching you
play, because you dont think its pos-
sible, he said. Its denitely hum-
bling, to see him here, the rst lady and
their kids here to watch us play. Really,
its amazing.
Kevin Durant, a DC native, added 11,
and Paul scored 10 for the Americans,
who will leave Tuesday for Europe to
complete their Olympic preparations.
They face Britain in Manchester, Eng-
land, on Thursday before traveling to
Barcelona to play Argentina and Spain.
Its a solid exhibition schedule, and this
game showed the Americans have some
work to do before they get to London.
They were just 1 of 12 from 3-point range
in the rst half and struggled offensively
when forced to play in the halfcourt.
It felt good, though, to compete
and stuff like that, Paul said. Like
we said, our defense is whats going
to win games for us, and obviously we
imposed that after the rst quarter. AP
Dimakiling rips Salvador
OLIVER Dimakiling toppled Roland
Salvador from a share of the lead after
the fourth round of the 2012 Battle of the
Grandmasters in Boracay Tuesday.
The loss left many-time champion Joey
Antonio, who drew with Rogelio Barcenil-
la Jr., and Darwin Laylo, who was held to
a draw by teener Giovanni Mejia, tied for
rst place with three points in this 15-man
round-robin tournament.
After two losses, Dimakiling nally
showed the form that allowed him to top
the seminals by crushing Italy-based
grandmaster Salvador in a 31-move
Kings Indian Defense.
Mejia, who also had two tough losses,
bounced back by drawing with Laylo in
a 52-move Center Counter Defense. The
14-year-old La Salle Greenhills student
was ahead against Laylo, but Laylo hung
on with a bishop and rook against Me-
jias queen to force an equal position.
In the womens division, untitled Ber-
nadette Galas remained tied for the tied
with three points out of four rounds. She
is joined by Fide Master Cherry Ann
Mejia and Karen Jean Enriquez, anoth-
er untitled player. Three players, led by
Woman International Master Catherine
Perena are half-a-point behind.
Quezon City mayor Herbert Bautista and AFI managing director Gina Lopez (center) with Run for the Pasig River race
directors and sponsors.
Sports
JULY 18, 2012
Manila Standard TODAY
WEDNESDAY
A8
Coseteng pulls off sweep, grabs lead
MULTI-TITLED Jody Coseteng
ashed his championship form
as he pulled off a crucial sweep
to regain solo leadership recently
in the the fourth leg of the 2012
Yokohama Philippine GT Cham-
pionship Series at the Clark In-
ternational Speedway.
On both occasions, defending
champion Vincent Floirendo took
control at the start, but Coseteng
quickly bounced back to wrest the
lead and rule the Sprint and the Fi-
nal races of this event sanctioned
by the Automobile Association
Philippines and sponsored by Of-
cial Tires Yokohama, Ofcial
Oil Torco Racing Oil and Racing
Beat@Wave 89.1.
Stefano Marcelos car went in
ames during the practice round,
leaving the race a close ght
among Coseteng, Floirendo and
Jojo Silverio.
Floirendo quickly grabbed the
pole in the Sprint race with Coseteng
and Silverio just close behind.
But Coseteng wrested the lead
on the second lap at the main
straight and never looked back
as he completed the nine-lap race
in 19 minutes and 3.452 seconds,
4.815 seconds ahead of Floirendo.
Silverio claimed third place,
checking in 11.541 seconds be-
hind Coseteng, while Dwight
Kevin Carlos and Korean Mick-
ey Kim of TRS-Castrol wound
up fourth and fth, respectively.
Floirendo tried to bounce back
as he dictated the tempo in the rst
ve laps of the nal race. But Co-
seteng, running with a fast laptime
of 2:07.220, took over the top spot
at the turn and pulled ahead as he
wrapped up the 15-lap race in 31
minutes and 47.385 seconds or
25.733 seconds ahead.
For a while, Silverio moved up
second place as Floirendo expe-
rienced car problems that slowed
him down, but towards the dying
laps, he also slowed down as Floi-
rendo copped the runner-up nish.
PSC chief wont predict Olympic outcome
PHILIPPINE Sports Commission chairman
Richie Garcia can only hope for the best for
the Filipino athletes vying in the London
Olympics from July 27 to Aug. 12.
Garcia told yesterdays Philippine Sportswrit-
ers Association Forum at Shakeys in UN Av-
enue, that while the 11 Filipino bets are in high
spirits, its very difcult to make expectations.
I am not predicting any medal tally, he
said. But I will not be surprised if one of
them brings home a medal.
The PSC chief said hes very condent the
Filipinos are ready to perform well against
the worlds best and will represent the coun-
try the best way they can.
They already gave their best in preparing
for the games. They are all healthy, so its
safe to predict that our athletes in London
will give their best, said Garcia.
The Philippines has not won a medal in
the Olympics since boxer Mansueto Velasco
took the silver in the light-yweight division
of the 1996 Games in Atlanta.
Making up the Philippine team to London
are Marestella Torres and Rene Herrera of
athletics, Rachel Cabral and Mark Javier of
archery, Jasmine Alkhaldi and Jessie Lacuna
of swimming, Brian Rosario of shooting,
Daniel Caluag of BMX, Mark Anthony Bar-
riga of boxing, Tokoshina Hoshina of judo
and Hidilyn Diaz of weightlifting.
Most of the athletes are already in London,
taking part in pre-Olympic training camps put
up by the International Olympic Committee.
Its good to be there early, because you
get the chance to adjust to the weather. Pa-
palit-palit ang weather sa London. And we
dont want them to get sick with even the or-
dinary u, he said.
sports@manilastandardtoday.com sports_mstandard@yahoo.com Riera U. Mallari, Editor
Viloria vs
Marquez in
September
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
WORLD Boxing Organi-
zation yweight champion
Brian Viloria (31-3, 18 KOs)
is scheduled to ght World
Boxing Association champion
Hernan Marquez (34-2, 25
KOs) in a bout to be held at the
Home Depot Center in Carson
City, California, tentatively on
Sept. 29.
Marquez is coming off an
unimpressive majority deci-
sion win in a 10-round super
yweight bout against Filipino
Fernando Lumacad last Satur-
day. Two judges scored it for
Marquez, 97-94, while the third
judge had it even at 95-95.
However, Marquez claimed
Lumacad refused to engage
and was merely content to
survive.
Marquez who complained
about a lot of pain in the right
ankle from the third round on,
said Lumacad did not want to
ght, and he stayed far away
and his sole intention was
to nish the ght standing. I
could not cut him off.
Top Australian promoter
Peter Maniatis, who handles
Lumacad together with Jim
Manangquil, claimed that
Lumacad looked faster and
sharper with his punches, and
should have won the ght.
For his part Manangquil
said Lumacad injured his
hand during the sixth round
and was also really affected
by jetlag and slept only 3-4
hours a day since his arrival
in Mexico.
Marquez told boxingscene.
com that although he was
disappointed with his perfor-
mance, the ght gave me a
good idea that 115 pounds is
not yet my deal weight, so Ill
remain a little longer at 112
pounds. I plan to challenge
Viloria in September.
PBA SCHEDULE
UE pair
tries to
rebound
VETERAN spikers Jessica
Paron and Francislyn Cais are
back to try their luck again.
After losing the rst-leg crown
four months ago, Paron and Cais
attempt to redeem themselves
right at their home turf when the
third leg of the 2012 Petron Ladies
Beach Volleyball Tournament gets
under way this Thursday at the
sand courts of the University of
the East-Caloocan campus.
But the two standouts from UE,
winner of the Battle of Champions
last year, are in for a big ght, with
titleholders from the University
Athletic Association of the Philip-
pines, National Collegiate Athletic
Association and National Athletic
Association of Schools, Colleges
and Universities expected to make
their presence felt in the two-day
spikefest.
Ito na po ang preparation
namin para sa papasok na colle-
giate season sa UAAP. Pre-sea-
son campaign na po ito para sa
amin, said the 19-year-old Cais
during yesterdays weekly Phil-
ippine Sportswriters Association
Forum at Shakeys UN Avenue.
Twelve teams will be seeing
action this time, according to or-
ganizer Tisha Abundo, who added
that most of the participants are
newcomers and are looking for-
ward to enjoying the thrill of play-
ing the sport for the rst time.
The participants dont nec-
essarily have to represent the
schools. This is an open tourna-
ment, said Abundo in the session
presented by Smart, the Philippine
Amusement and Gaming Corpo-
ration and Shakeys.
Three-time NCAA nalist Giza
Yumang, a former College of St.
Benilde standout now with Centro
Escolar University, will be part-
nering with Melissa Tebangin as
they vow to give Cais and Paron a
run for their money. Peter Atencio
4 teams fight for life
LOTTO RESULTS
6/49 000000000000
6/42 000000000000
6 DIGITS 000000000000
3 DIGITS 000000
2 EZ2 0000
P0.0M+
P0.0M+
With everything at stake, B-
MEG, Rain or Shine, Barangay
Ginebra and Talk N Text go all
out today, aiming for victories
that will determine their fates in
nal seminal playdate of the
2012 Philippine Basketball As-
sociation Governors Cup.
Currently tied for rst place,
the Llamados (9-4) and the Elas-
to Painters (9-4) will go to war to
see who gets the rst nals ticket
at 5:15 p.m. at the Smart-Araneta
Coliseum.
The winner automatically goes
to the nals with 10 wins at the
top of the chain.
However, all is not lost for the
By Jeric Lopez

ALL hell breaks loose, when the four
contending squads lay it all on the line
today, knowing that only two will move
on to the nals.
loser as it will still have one more
chance to secure a nals berth in
a playoff, facing the victor of the
next game on Friday.
Survival is the only thing that
matters when Barangay Gine-
bra (8-5) and Talk N Text (8-5)
gure in a do-or-die battle in the
main event at 7:30 p.m.
The Llamados netted a crucial
82-70 victory against the Gin
Kings to give them a chance to
possibly nish on top.
We have a good chance and
I hope we can make the most out
of this situation and go back to the
nals, said B-MEG coach Tim
Cone. It all starts with our commit-
ment on the defensive end. Thats
how we won our last game.
On the other hand, the skid-
ding Elasto Painters, who are
aiming for a rst-ever stint in
the nals, have now dropped two
straight and three of four in the
semis heading.
They entered the semis with
an astounding 8-1 card, needing
only two wins out of ve in the
semis to make it, only to lose
three of their last four.
Both Talk N Text and Baran-
gay Ginebra will enter their in-
tense tussle streaking. The Tro-
pang Texters have won seven of
their last nine outings to remain
in the hunt, while the Gin Kings
triumphed in six of their last nine
assignments.
The Texters earned the right to
keep breathing after a 98-90 top-
ping of the Elasto Painters Mon-
day for their fourth straight win,
but now is not the time to cel-
ebrate, according to TNT coach
Chot Reyes.
Wed like to be happy, but
unfortunately, we cannot afford
to be happy because there is
this very big game ahead, said
Reyes.
Participants of the third leg of the Petron Ladies Beach Volleyball Tournament, to be staged at the UE Caloocan Campus on July 19 and 20, are shown in a playful mood at the
PSA Forum. EY ACASIO
Jaro fails
to KO foe
WORLD Boxing Council y-
weight champion Sonny Boy
Jaro made it clear prior to his
rst world title defense that the
best assurance of retaining his
title against No. 1 contender
Yoshiyuki Igarashi of Japan,
was to win by knockout.
Jaro failed in his KO bid
and paid the price as he
dropped a split decision to the
Japanese challenger at Ka-
sukabe Prefecture in Saitama,
Japan, Monday.
Judge David Mendoza of Cal-
ifornia scored the bout, 116-112,
for Igarashi, while South Korean
judge Kyiung Ha Sin had the
Japanese the winner, 115-113.
However, Texas judge Luis Es-
calona scored the ght for Jaro,
116-112.
Jaro tried his best to score a
knockout and caught Igarashi
with some big shots in the ninth
round and opened up a cut above
the challengers left eye in the
11th. Ronnie Nathanielsz
After grabbing the lead from defending champion Vincent
Floirendo (No. 5), Jody Coseteng (inset) pulls ahead for a sweep,
wresting solo leadership in the 2012 Yokohama Philippine GT
Championship Series.
NBA legends vs PBA
greats. Basketball legends
Scottie Pippen (center,
seated) and Dennis Rodman
(left, standing) will lead
the NBA All-Stars against
Philippine basketball greats
in the All-Star Basketball
Challenge, presented by
the Mall of Asia Arena and
PLDT, today. They are joined
here by teammates Horace
Grant (left), Jason Williams
(second from left, standing),
Mitch Richmond (center)
and coach Oscar Robertson
(second from left, seated).
Some of the Filipino players
they will face in the one-
game exhibition are Jerry
Codinera, Jojo Lastimosa,
Bong Hawkins and Vince
Hizon. DANNY PATA
Games Today
(Smart-Araneta Coliseum)
5:15 p.m. Rain or Shine Elasto
Painters vs B-MEG Llamados
7:30 p.m. Barangay Ginebra Kings
vs Talk N Text Tropang Texters
Business
B1
IN BRIEF
NSO: May industrial
output climbed 3.1%
Ray S. Eano, Editor extrastory2000@gmail.com
Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor
IMF turns gloomy,
sees hard landing
German
coal plant
owes LGU
P1-b taxes
National Grid upgrades Binga substation
Agriculture plans to expand Oriental Mindoro rubber plantation
PSE COMPOSITE INDEX
Closing July 17, 2012
5,285.12
12.87
OIL
PRICES
TODAY
P584-P695.00
LPG/11-kg tank
P47.15-P53.07
Unleaded Gasoline
P38.40-P41.05
Diesel
P40.30-P52.20
Kerosene
P27.20-P31.00
Auto LPG
FOREI GN EXCHANGE RATE
Currency Unit US Dollar Peso
United States Dollar 1.000000 41.8930
Japan Yen 0.012687 0.5315
UK Pound 1.564000 65.5207
Hong Kong Dollar 0.128924 5.4010
Switzerland Franc 1.022286 42.8266
Canada Dollar 0.985610 41.2902
Singapore Dollar 0.791139 33.1432
Australia Dollar 1.022495 42.8354
Bahrain Dinar 2.652872 111.1368
Saudi Arabia Rial 0.266660 11.1712
Brunei Dollar 0.788022 33.0126
Indonesia Rupiah 0.000106 0.0044
Thailand Baht 0.031636 1.3253
UAE Dirham 0.272264 11.4060
Euro Euro 1.227600 51.4278
Korea Won 0.000872 0.0365
China Yuan 0.156772 6.5676
India Rupee 0.018113 0.7588
Malaysia Ringgit 0.314762 13.1863
NewZealand Dollar 0.795798 33.3384
Taiwan Dollar 0.033347 1.3970
Source: PDS Bridge
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
PESO-DOLLAR RATE
40
42
44
46
48
P41.725
CLOSE
Closing JULY 17, 2012
5200
4460
3720
2980
2240
1500
1200
VOLUME 789.860M
HIGH P41.700 LOW P41.800 AVERAGE P41.733
BEIJINGThe International Monetary Fund cut its growth forecast
for Chinas slowing economy Monday and said a hard landing
was still possible.
The IMF reduced its China growth outlook for 2012 by 0.2
percentage point to 8 percent and for 2013 by 0.3 point to 8.5
percent. That is far stronger than the United States and Europe, but
Chinas slowdown has dampened hopes it might make up for weak
Western demand and drive global growth.
Chinas second-quarter growth fell to a three-year low of 7.6
percent as exports, consumer spending and factory output weakened.
Analysts say a rebound might begin in the second half but could
take longer and be weaker than previously expected.
On Sunday, Premier Wen Jiabao warned a recovery was not stable
and trouble may continue for some time. He promised tax breaks
and other aid to companies hurt by slowing exports.
There are tail risks of a hard landing in China, where investment
spending could slow more sharply, given overcapacity in a number
of sectors, the IMF said in its latest World Economic Outlook.
A prolonged slowdown could have global repercussions, reducing
Chinas substantial imports of oil, iron ore and other commodities
from Australia, Brazil and Africa and for industrial components
from Asian countries that look to China as a major export market.
The IMF said China, along with developing world giants Brazil
and India, is suffering from twin declines in global and domestic
consumer demand, as well as the impact of interest rate hikes and
other curbs imposed earlier to cool overheated economies.
Policies have been eased since, and this easing should gain
traction in the second half of 2012, it said. Nevertheless, concerns
remain that potential growth in emerging market economies might
be lower than expected.
Investor uncertainty about growth prospects of developing
countries also is rising, leading to capital outows and currency
depreciation, the IMF said. AP
By Othel V. Campos
THE Agriculture Department
plans to expand a rubber
plantation project in Oriental
Mindoro by 50 hectares amid
the increasing global demand for
latex, the basic rubber material
for tires.
The Bureau of Agricultural
Research noted a shortage in
natural rubber supply in the
world owing to the increasing
requirement of China for latex.
It said world demand for natural
rubber was estimated to reach
12.4 million metric tons by
2020.
BAR director Nicomedes
Eleazar said the agency was
reviewing the rubber development
program to optimize the production
of the industrial crop.
We are continuing to assess
how to reach out to farmers and
entrepreneurs in the rubber sector
which can create many jobs
considering the huge growing
market for rubber in China and
other economically advanced
countries, said Eleazar.
Eleazar said to achieve the
goal, the bureau would organize
the International Rubber
Agroforestry Conference
in partnership with the
International Rubber Research
and Development Board at H2O
Hotel in Manila on Sept. 4-6,
2012.
Locally produced natural
rubber is currently sold at P70 a
kilo, up from P30 a kilo in 2005.
Rubber specialist Rudy
Galang said the industrial
crop is one of the industries
being given assistance by the
Agriculture Department through
the Agricultural Competitiveness
Enhancement Fund.
Galang said aside from being
an industrial crop, rubber is
considered a natural protection
crop that helps prevent soil
erosion.
NATIONAL Grid Corp. of the
Philippines said it will upgrade its
Binga substation in Benguet province
to accommodate power supply from
the restored Ambuklao and Binga
hydroelectric power plants of SN
Aboitiz Power Corp.
National Grid, which operates the
main power transmission network, said
in a statement the $6.3-million substation
at Sitio Binga, Tinongdan, Itogon and
switchyard upgrade project, which is
the rst stage of the Binga-San Manuel
230-kilovolt transmission project, would
accommodate future power generation
in the Cordillera region.
The project involves the replacement of
old power circuit breakers and associated
equipment; installation, testing and
commissioning of a new 50-megavolt
ampere power transformer; and the
construction of control building, linemans
quarters, pump house and access roads.
The substation component is expected
to be completed by the rst quarter of
2013. The second stage involving the
installation of 230-kV lines connecting
Binga to San Manuel is currently on its
pre-construction phase.
The Binga-San Manuel 230-kV
transmission project aims to upgrade the
existing line to maintain the provision
of N-1 contingency, taking into
consideration the increase in capacity of
hydroelectric power plants in the area.
National Grids N-1 contingency
enables the power grid to sustain its
integrity in case of a loss of a major
component of the system.
A related project called the Ambuklao-
Binga 230-kV transmission project is
also on its pre-construction stage.
Line 1 of the existing Ambuklao-
Binga corridor is already more than 50
years old, having been commissioned in
1956. The improvement is also expected
to boost the reliability of the line.
Alena Mae S. Flores
By Maria Bernadette Lunas
THE output of the manufacturing sector
rose in May year-on-year on the back
of sharp increases in the production of
footwear and wearing apparel, transport
equipment and furniture and xtures, the
National Statistics Ofce said Tuesday.
Data from the NSOs monthly
integrated survey of selected
industries show the volume of
production index in May climbed
3.1 percent from 0.9 percent a
year earlier. The gures also
showed that several factories had
high utilization rates.
The gure, however, decelerated
from the revised growth rates
of 3.3 percent and 8.9 percent in
April and March, respectively.
The footwear and wearing
apparel led the growth in factory
output, 124.7 percent; transport
equipment, 118.2 percent; and
furniture and xtures, 103.4
percent.
Other major industries that
drove up the manufacturing
output in May are wood and wood
products, 39.3 percent; leather,
20.1 percent; and machinery,
except electrical, 10.0 percent.
Tobacco products led
decliners during the month,
falling 51 percent, followed by
miscellaneous manufactures,
down 32.5 percent, and basic
metals dropping 29.5 percent.
The value of production index,
meanwhile, expanded 4.7 percent
in May, up from 2.4 percent on year,
and slightly lower from the 4.9-
percent revised growth rate in April.
The average capacity utilization
stood at 83.5 percent in May,
according to the NSO data.
Eleven of the 20 major
industries covered by the NSO
survey registered a capacity
utilization rate of at least 80
percent. They were led by food
manufacturing, 86.8 percent;
petroleum products, 86.8
percent; basic metals, 85.6
percent; electrical machinery,
84.6 percent; machinery, except
electrical, 84.6 percent; non-
metallic mineral products,
84.3 percent, miscellaneous
manufactures, 82.9 percent,
rubber and plastic products,
82.7 percent; chemical products,
82.2 percent; paper and paper
products, 81 percent; and wood
and wood products, 80 percent.
The proportion of establishments
that operated at full capacity 90 to
100 percent was 19.1 percent in
May, the NSO said.
Over a majority, or 58.2 percent
of the establishments, operated at
70 percent to 89 percent capacity,
while 22.7 percent run a below
70 percent.
The growth in the
manufacturing index indicates
the economy have sustained its
robust pace in the rst quarter.
Malacaang said early this
month the second quarter
economic growth might surpass
the 6.4-percent expansion of the
gross domestic product in the
rst quarter of the year.
There is reason for us to be
optimistic about our second
quarter growth. In the rst quarter,
agriculture output grew by 1
percent net. The second quarter
gure will most likely be higher
than that, Malacaang spokesman
Ramon Carandang said.
Mier back as PNB chief
THE board of Philippine National Bank has
appointed Omar Byron Mier as acting president
after president Carlos Pedrosa led an indenite
sick leave from the bank.
Mier, prior to his appointment, was consultant
of Victorias Milling Co. Inc. since 2011. PNB
and Victorias are both owned by tycoon Lucio
Tan. Mier was also president and chief executive
of PNB from 2005 to 2010.
PNB corporate secretary Doris Te did not give
the reasons for Pedrosas indenite sick leave.
Pedrosa was appointed PNB president and
chief executive ofcer on Aug. 1 last year.
He replaced Eugene Acevedo after the former
resigned from his post.
Pedrosa has over 30 years of banking
experience. He served as former director of
United Coconut Planters Bank and a member of
the audit committee of PLDT Communications
and Energy Ventures Inc.
Mier was director and chairman of the executive
committee of PNB from 2005 to the present until
he appointed acting bank president.
Anna Leah Estrada
Onion shortage noted
ONION dealers and retailer warned Tuesday
that prices may soon hit P100 a kilo if the
government will not allow imports.
There is a shortage in onions, especially the
white granex, or the so-called sweet onions.
Prices have been on the upswing since late
summer. We have already asked intervention
from the Department of Agriculture, said onion
dealer Gigi Marquez.
Marquez and other vegetable dealers and
retailers forming the Vegetable Importers and
Exporters Association met with Agriculture
ofcials Tuesday to resolve issues affecting the
day-to-day operations of the vegetable sector.
Association pesident Leah Cruz said the
group hasd a pending request to import 21,000
metric tons of white onions for the July-to-
December period.
Cruz said the November-to-December period
was critical because demand traditionally
increases during the yuletide season.
Red onion currently sells at P70 a kilo while
white onions sell at P65 a kilo.
Onion growers said production in 2012 might
decline12 percent to 2.77 million bags from
3.15 bags in 2011. Othel V. Campos
By Alena Mae S. Flores
THE local government of
Misamis Oriental is asking
the German operator of the
232-megawatt Mindanao coal
plant at the Phividec Industrial
Estate to pay nearly P1 billion
in real estate taxes.
Power Sector Assets and
Liabilities Management Corp.
president Emmanuel Ledesma
conrmed that Misamis
Oriental ofcials assessed
German-led Steag State
Power Inc. to be liable for
real property taxes of P997.81
million incurred from January
2005 to December 2011.
Steag State Power built and
operates the 232-megawatt
Mindanao coal plant at the
Phividec Industrial Estate in
Villanueva, Misamis Oriental.
Ledesma said the
privatization agency would
discuss the proper arrangement
for the settlement of real estate
taxes. PSALM is tasked under
the Electric Power Industry
Reform Act of 2001 to manage
the assets and liabilities of
National Power Corp.
PSALM is prepared to make
arrangements for the settlement
of the Steag real property tax
based on the assessment level
of 15 percent and depreciation
of 2 percent, following the
parameters of Executive Order
No. 27, Ledesma said.
He said PSALM and the
provincial government of
Misamis Oriental continued to
hold discussions to resolve the
real property tax claim.
Steag, one of the largest power
rms in Germany, built the coal
plant at a cost of $305 million
under a build-operate-transfer
arrangement with Napocor.
Several local government
units have been trying to
collect real property taxes from
independent power producers
by virtue of the Local
Government Code.
The build-operate contracts
of power projects, however,
provides that Napocor should
shoulder the payment for
the real property tax, since
the ownership of the power
projects will be turned over to
the government.
The Ofce of the Municipal
Treasurer of Pagbilao, Quezon,
for example, issued a warrant
of levy for non-payment of real
property taxes on the 600-MW
Pagbilao coal plant last year.
Yahoos fth.
Marissa Mayer, one of
the former top executives
at Google, will be the
next chief executive of
Yahoo, making her one
of the most prominent
women in Silicon Valley and
corporate America. Mayer,
a former vice president
of search products and
user experience of Google,
is shown here during
the 2010 Matrix Awards
presented by the New York
Women in Communications
at the Waldorf-Astoria
Hotel in New York. The
longtime Google executive
will be Yahoos fth chief
executive in ve years. AP
TRADI NG SUMMARY
SHARES VALUE
FINANCIAL 18,669,064 1,104,321,691.75
INDUSTRIAL 119,981,395 668,139,454.16
HOLDING FIRMS 144,529,535 1,317,560,655.54
PROPERTY 213,348,679 658,124,299.51
SERVICES 73,870,892 808,556,887.70
MINING & OIL 1,438,934,020 433,327,206.24
GRAND TOTAL 2,009,336,585 4,990,040,994.89
FINANCIAL 1,314.34 (UP) 1.75
INDUSTRIAL 7,930.71 (UP) 0.64
HOLDING FIRMS 4,488.83 (DOWN) 17.76
PROPERTY 1,934.68 (UP) 1.62
SERVICES 1,793.73 (DOWN) 13.25
MINING & OIL 23,715.35 (DOWN) 283.19
PSEI 5,285.12 (DOWN) 12.87
All Shares Index 3,495.66 (DOWN) 9.54
Gainers: 54; Losers: 109; Unchanged:41; Total: 204
Stocks drop; BDO,
Metrobank advance
Business
ManilaStandardToday
extrastory2000@gmail.com
B2
52 Weeks Previous % Net Foreign
High Low STOCKS Close High Low Close Change Volume Trade/Buying
MST BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW
TUESDAY, JULY 17, 2012
M
S
T
FINANCIAL
70.50 46.00 Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. 63.00 64.05 63.00 63.80 1.27 3,167,850 53,942,834.00
76.80 50.00 Bank of PI 73.45 73.45 72.30 73.15 (0.41) 2,101,410 (2,773,843.00)
1.82 0.68 Bankard, Inc. 0.71 0.72 0.72 0.72 1.41 200,000
595.00 370.00 China Bank 490.00 490.00 488.00 488.60 (0.29) 5,560 (487,898.00)
23.90 12.98 COL Financial 22.60 22.90 22.10 22.40 (0.88) 33,700 (2,285.00)
20.70 18.50 Eastwest Bank 18.68 19.20 18.70 19.00 1.71 3,231,900 (13,741,994.00)
22.00 7.56 Filipino Fund Inc. 10.14 10.50 10.14 10.18 0.39 2,700
89.00 50.00 First Metro Inv. 80.00 81.00 78.80 81.00 1.25 1,970
3.26 1.91 I-Remit Inc. 2.40 2.45 2.33 2.45 2.08 41,000
681.00 450.00 Manulife Fin. Corp. 452.00 451.20 451.20 451.20 (0.18) 10
39.20 3.00 Maybank ATR KE 37.10 37.75 37.45 37.45 0.94 4,100
98.00 60.00 Metrobank 98.30 98.80 97.20 98.35 0.05 3,209,840 25,043,201.00
3.06 1.30 Natl Reinsurance Corp. 2.00 2.04 1.99 1.99 (0.50) 2,387,000 20,000.00
126.00 45.00 Phil Bank of Comm 66.00 66.00 64.00 65.00 (1.52) 680
77.80 41.00 Phil. National Bank 73.95 74.00 73.15 74.00 0.07 231,860 (5,845,289.50)
95.00 63.50 Phil. Savings Bank 86.00 86.00 83.80 86.00 0.00 20
500.00 204.80 PSE Inc. 360.00 362.00 358.00 358.00 (0.56) 2,280
45.50 25.45 RCBC À 44.00 44.95 44.05 44.40 0.91 778,000.00 26,870,500.00
155.20 77.00 Security Bank 140.00 140.10 139.00 139.90 (0.07) 2,034,220 (133,446,532.00)
1240.00 890.00 Sun Life Financial 908.00 919.50 908.00 908.00 0.00 690 36,320.00
140.00 58.00 Union Bank 100.40 100.40 99.85 100.00 (0.40) 233,880 4,884,794.50
2.06 1.43 Vantage Equities 1.72 1.72 1.72 1.72 0.00 1,000,000
INDUSTRIAL
35.50 26.50 Aboitiz Power Corp. 34.05 34.20 34.00 34.20 0.44 2,068,900 47,272,140.00
13.58 8.00 Agrinurture Inc. 8.53 9.10 8.60 9.08 6.45 70,800 (86,250.00)
23.90 11.98 Alaska Milk Corp. 15.54 17.00 16.02 17.00 9.40 7,700
1.70 0.97 Alliance Tuna Intl Inc. 1.44 1.46 1.43 1.45 0.69 165,000 14,300.00
48.00 25.00 Alphaland Corp. 29.25 29.25 29.25 29.25 0.00 200
1.65 1.08 Alsons Cons. 1.46 1.47 1.45 1.45 (0.68) 718,000
Asiabest Group 33.30 33.95 31.00 31.60 (5.11) 214,700
2.96 2.12 Calapan Venture 2.40 2.36 2.36 2.36 (1.67) 3,000
3.07 2.30 Chemrez Technologies Inc. 2.60 2.59 2.53 2.59 (0.38) 204,000 216,910.00
9.70 7.41 Cirtek Holdings (Chips) 9.12 9.25 8.80 9.20 0.88 38,400
7.00 4.83 Energy Devt. Corp. (EDC) 6.18 6.20 6.12 6.18 0.00 6,102,500 (6,856,961.00)
6.75 2.80 EEI 7.13 7.12 6.95 6.95 (2.52) 743,100 147,020.00
18.00 12.50 First Gen Corp. 18.00 18.26 18.06 18.08 0.44 2,493,300 2,400,846.00
78.55 51.50 First Holdings A 78.50 79.25 78.65 79.00 0.64 893,340 2,015,570.00
30.90 22.50 Ginebra San Miguel Inc. 20.50 20.50 20.50 20.50 0.00 21,200
0.02 0.0099 Greenergy 0.0150 0.0150 0.0140 0.0140 (6.67) 51,800,000 (9,800.00)
12.36 7.80 Holcim Philippines Inc. 11.84 11.88 11.80 11.86 0.17 672,500 (3,553,662.00)
7.40 3.80 Integ. Micro-Electronics 4.10 4.10 4.10 4.10 0.00 8,000 20,500.00
2.35 0.74 Ionics Inc 0.690 0.690 0.660 0.670 (2.90) 87,000
120.00 80.00 Jollibee Foods Corp. 106.10 105.50 104.00 105.00 (1.04) 270,350 795,582.00
8.40 1.04 LMG Chemicals 2.05 2.10 1.90 1.96 (4.39) 3,799,000 56,080.00
3.19 1.08 Manchester Intl. B 3.10 3.00 3.00 3.00 (3.23) 15,000
26.00 18.10 Manila Water Co. Inc. 25.50 25.65 25.25 25.50 0.00 3,021,500 30,132,505.00
6.95 0.75 Mariwasa MFG. Inc. 3.43 3.43 3.43 3.43 0.00 6,000
15.30 8.12 Megawide 16.80 16.90 16.70 16.80 0.00 27,900
295.00 215.00 Mla. Elect. Co À 258.00 257.80 254.40 256.00 (0.78) 138,830 4,042,248.00
12.20 7.50 Pancake House Inc. 11.36 10.00 10.00 10.00 (11.97) 200
3.00 1.96 Pepsi-Cola Products Phil. 2.85 2.92 2.83 2.89 1.40 10,694,000 22,134,290.00
17.40 9.70 Petron Corporation 10.12 10.16 10.10 10.16 0.40 4,398,200 (2,392,360.00)
13.70 10.20 Phinma Corporation 10.98 11.00 10.72 10.72 (2.37) 6,800
14.94 8.05 Phoenix Petroleum Phils. 8.95 8.99 8.70 8.70 (2.79) 466,800 1,782,282.00
3.78 1.01 RFM Corporation 3.46 3.48 3.40 3.40 (1.73) 547,000 (400,050.00)
2.49 1.10 Roxas and Co. 2.25 2.25 2.25 2.25 0.00 1,000
6.50 2.90 Salcon Power Corp. 5.30 5.88 5.85 5.85 10.38 4,100
33.00 26.50 San Miguel Brewery Inc. 33.50 34.00 33.30 33.50 0.00 245,100
132.60 110.20 San Miguel Corp À 114.00 114.00 113.50 113.90 (0.09) 149,860 4,051,477.00
1.90 1.25 Seacem 2.00 2.05 1.97 2.00 0.00 12,052,000 5,661,900.00
0.250 0.112 Swift Foods, Inc. 0.155 0.155 0.147 0.147 (5.16) 3,610,000 77,500.00
5.30 3.30 Tanduay Holdings 4.49 4.52 4.46 4.46 (0.67) 4,842,000 (165,900.00)
3.00 1.99 TKC Steel Corp. 2.20 2.16 2.12 2.12 (3.64) 141,000
1.41 0.90 Trans-Asia Oil 1.25 1.25 1.23 1.25 0.00 1,010,000
69.20 37.00 Universal Robina 62.25 62.40 61.90 62.30 0.08 371,190 (10,196,082.50)
5.50 1.05 Victorias Milling 1.25 1.28 1.20 1.20 (4.00) 2,984,000 14,400.00
1.12 0.310 Vitarich Corp. 0.640 0.630 0.630 0.630 (1.56) 332,000
18.00 2.55 Vivant Corp. 10.48 10.20 10.20 10.20 (2.67) 5,700
1.22 0.70 Vulcan Indl. 0.99 1.00 0.97 0.97 (2.02) 247,000
HOLDING FIRMS
1.18 0.65 Abacus Cons. À 0.90 0.94 0.88 0.89 (1.11) 7,027,000 (8,500.00)
59.90 35.50 Aboitiz Equity 48.70 48.70 47.90 48.50 (0.41) 280,400 2,016,455.00
0.019 0.014 Alcorn Gold Res. 0.0160 0.0170 0.0170 0.0170 6.25 93,800,000
13.70 8.00 Alliance Global Inc. 11.94 12.00 11.84 11.88 (0.50) 9,459,700 44,431,556.00
2.97 1.80 Anglo Holdings A 2.00 2.00 1.98 1.98 (1.00) 640,000
5.02 3.00 Anscor À 4.71 4.82 4.70 4.80 1.91 156,000
6.98 0.260 Asia Amalgamated A 5.20 5.29 5.20 5.24 0.77 29,400
3.15 1.49 ATN Holdings A 2.29 2.30 2.12 2.12 (7.42) 226,000
485.20 272.00 Ayala Corp À 463.40 463.00 453.00 458.00 (1.17) 1,419,730 28,386,748.00
64.80 30.50 DMCI Holdings 59.40 59.00 58.30 58.70 (1.18) 1,205,230 (22,902,426.50)
5.20 3.30 Filinvest Dev. Corp. 3.95 4.00 3.97 4.00 1.27 56,000
0.98 0.10 Forum Pacic 0.220 0.219 0.219 0.219 (0.45) 10,000
520.00 455.40 GT Capital 540.00 544.00 535.00 535.00 (0.93) 223,410 13,016,585.00
5.22 2.94 House of Inv. 4.92 5.05 4.93 5.05 2.64 29,000 95,000.00
36.20 19.00 JG Summit Holdings 33.30 33.30 33.10 33.30 0.00 126,000 (385,295.00)
6.21 4.00 Lopez Holdings Corp. 6.09 6.00 5.92 5.98 (1.81) 752,500 (556,076.00)
1.54 0.61 Lodestar Invt. Holdg.Corp. 1.18 1.20 1.16 1.17 (0.85) 2,941,000
0.91 0.300 Mabuhay Holdings À 0.500 0.480 0.460 0.460 (8.00) 50,000
3.82 1.790 Marcventures Hldgs., Inc. 2.54 2.54 2.50 2.51 (1.18) 2,755,000 5,020.00
4.65 2.56 Metro Pacic Inv. Corp. 4.24 4.23 4.20 4.22 (0.47) 7,600,000 (1,604,880.00)
6.24 2.55 Minerales Industrias Corp. 5.49 5.50 5.27 5.27 (4.01) 52,200
7.50 1.22 MJCI Investments Inc. 6.69 6.50 6.47 6.50 (2.84) 6,600
0.0770 0.045 Pacica À 0.0580 0.0580 0.0570 0.0570 (1.72) 9,340,000
0.82 0.44 Prime Orion 0.460 0.485 0.470 0.470 2.17 300,000
4.10 1.56 Republic Glass A 2.11 2.12 2.12 2.12 0.47 1,000
0.490 0.285 Sinophil Corp. 0.340 0.340 0.340 0.340 0.00 80,000
750.00 450.00 SM Investments Inc. 739.50 741.00 732.00 741.00 0.20 179,610 (16,461,215.00)
1.78 1.00 Solid Group Inc. 1.47 1.52 1.47 1.51 2.72 1,624,000
1.57 1.14 South China Res. Inc. 1.22 1.21 1.21 1.21 (0.82) 60,000
0.620 0.620 Wellex Industries 0.3350 0.3350 0.3250 0.3300 (1.49) 1,170,000
1.370 0.185 Zeus Holdings 0.485 0.485 0.470 0.475 (2.06) 2,640,000
P R O P E R T Y
3.34 1.70 A. Brown Co., Inc. 2.56 2.56 2.55 2.56 0.00 96,000
0.83 0.38 Araneta Prop À 0.640 0.640 0.640 0.640 0.00 82,000
0.218 0.150 Arthaland Corp. 0.177 0.190 0.186 0.190 7.34 1,930,000
22.85 13.36 Ayala Land `B 20.80 20.95 20.65 20.80 0.00 14,629,700 (122,631,700.00)
5.62 3.08 Belle Corp. À 5.10 5.17 5.05 5.08 (0.39) 1,137,800 278,500.00
9.00 2.26 Cebu Holdings 5.80 5.80 5.80 5.80 0.00 16,100
5.66 0.80 Century Property 1.48 1.48 1.44 1.44 (2.70) 1,699,000
2.90 1.20 City & Land Dev. 2.62 2.64 2.50 2.50 (4.58) 66,000
1.50 1.07 Cityland Dev. À 1.20 1.17 1.17 1.17 (2.50) 10,000
1.11 0.67 Cyber Bay Corp. 0.80 0.89 0.79 0.87 8.75 8,670,000 (49,800.00)
0.90 0.54 Empire East Land 0.890 0.920 0.870 0.890 0.00 116,370,000 8,879,270.00
3.06 1.63 Global-Estate 2.13 2.14 2.09 2.11 (0.94) 3,172,000 1,019,620.00
1.44 0.98 Filinvest Land,Inc. 1.31 1.31 1.30 1.31 0.00 12,360,000 13,472,870.00
3.80 1.21 Highlands Prime 1.73 1.67 1.66 1.66 (4.05) 20,000
2.14 0.65 Interport À 1.25 1.28 1.24 1.28 2.40 208,000
4.50 1.50 Keppel Properties 2.00 2.10 2.05 2.10 5.00 18,000
2.33 1.51 Megaworld Corp. 2.26 2.27 2.24 2.26 0.00 27,205,000 13,570,040.00
0.42 0.168 MRC Allied Ind. 0.1650 0.1660 0.1630 0.1630 (1.21) 3,740,000 55,420.00
0.990 0.080 Phil. Estates Corp. 0.6700 0.6800 0.6600 0.6700 0.00 2,408,000
0.71 0.41 Phil. Realty À 0.450 0.450 0.450 0.450 0.00 20,000
38.10 12.50 Phil. Tob. Flue Cur & Redry 14.58 14.58 14.58 14.58 0.00 100
3.50 2.08 Primex Corp. 3.66 3.65 3.41 3.41 (6.83) 17,000
18.86 10.00 Robinsons Land `B 18.10 18.60 18.14 18.36 1.44 1,955,000 (5,380,484.00)
7.71 2.51 Rockwell 3.26 3.30 3.20 3.25 (0.31) 218,000
2.70 1.80 Shang Properties Inc. 2.60 2.60 2.52 2.52 (3.08) 440,000
8.95 6.00 SM Development À 6.15 6.21 6.15 6.18 0.49 7,606,100 (30,034,622.00)
18.20 10.94 SM Prime Holdings 13.76 13.76 13.62 13.70 (0.44) 3,783,000 7,514,706.00
1.03 0.64 Sta. Lucia Land Inc. 0.68 0.70 0.67 0.70 2.94 132,000
4.55 1.80 Starmalls 4.10 4.00 3.85 3.85 (6.10) 130,000
0.80 0.45 Suntrust Home Dev. Inc. 0.570 0.550 0.520 0.540 (5.26) 3,394,000
4.50 2.60 Vista Land & Lifescapes 4.060 4.090 4.040 4.090 0.74 1,774,000 (438,590.00)
S E R V I C E S
42.00 28.60 ABS-CBN 36.90 36.90 35.00 36.90 0.00 23,800
18.98 1.60 Acesite Hotel 2.28 2.28 2.06 2.15 (5.70) 2,436,000 10,420.00
0.78 0.45 APC Group, Inc. 0.690 0.680 0.660 0.660 (4.35) 41,000
10.92 7.30 Asian Terminals Inc. 9.25 9.25 9.00 9.00 (2.70) 61,000
102.80 4.12 Bloomberry 10.16 10.26 10.16 10.20 0.39 9,372,400 (2,454,594.00)
0.5300 10.2000 Boulevard Holdings 0.1390 0.1410 0.1380 0.1380 (0.72) 23,650,000
24.00 6.66 Calata Corp. 9.39 9.41 9.20 9.30 (0.96) 380,500 10,329.00
86.90 62.00 Cebu Air Inc. (5J) 68.55 68.75 68.45 68.50 (0.07) 63,550 1,336,159.50
9.70 5.40 DFNN Inc. 6.12 6.00 5.84 6.00 (1.96) 138,600 (21,628.00)
1172.00 11.70 Globalports 27.00 29.00 29.00 29.00 7.41 100
1270.00 831.00 Globe Telecom 1130.00 1134.00 1129.00 1134.00 0.35 66,795 36,334,310.00
11.00 6.18 GMA Network Inc. 10.30 10.46 10.22 10.26 (0.39) 223,700
77.00 43.40 I.C.T.S.I. 71.20 71.50 70.55 71.50 0.42 285,320 (5,222,681.00)
0.98 0.36 Information Capital Tech. 0.405 0.410 0.400 0.410 1.23 310,000
6.80 4.30 IPeople Inc. À 7.00 6.65 6.65 6.65 (5.00) 1,600
4.70 2.00 IP Converge 2.32 2.39 2.26 2.35 1.29 399,000
34.50 0.036 IP E-Game Ventures Inc. 0.038 0.038 0.038 0.038 0.00 15,400,000
3.87 1.00 IPVG Corp. 1.06 1.09 1.05 1.09 2.83 322,000
0.0760 0.042 Island Info 0.0500 0.0490 0.0490 0.0490 (2.00) 8,000,000
5.1900 2.550 ISM Communications 3.0000 3.0000 2.7300 2.9900 (0.33) 247,000 (14,950.00)
3.79 1.62 JTH Davies Holdings Inc. 2.45 2.45 2.43 2.43 (0.82) 72,000
11.12 5.90 Leisure & Resorts 8.92 8.98 8.64 8.70 (2.47) 2,016,300 30,800.00
3.85 2.60 Liberty Telecom 2.85 2.75 2.75 2.75 (3.51) 61,000
3.96 2.70 Macroasia Corp. 2.85 2.81 2.80 2.81 (1.40) 169,000
5.90 1.05 Manila Broadcasting 3.10 3.30 3.30 3.30 6.45 1,000
0.84 0.57 Manila Bulletin 0.73 0.73 0.73 0.73 0.00 93,000
3.15 1.10 Manila Jockey 2.44 2.49 2.44 2.44 0.00 759,000 (740,980.00)
9.60 6.50 Metro Pacic Tollways 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 0.00 500
22.95 14.20 Pacic Online Sys. Corp. 14.60 14.16 14.14 14.14 (3.15) 25,000
8.58 4.60 PAL Holdings Inc. 7.38 7.36 7.27 7.29 (1.22) 31,200
3.32 1.05 Paxys Inc. 3.07 3.05 3.03 3.03 (1.30) 261,000
60.00 18.00 Phil. Seven Corp. 60.00 58.00 56.60 57.15 (4.75) 30,230 839,525.00
17.88 12.10 Philweb.Com Inc. 14.40 14.54 13.52 14.54 0.97 3,309,800 (5,127,788.00)
2886.00 2096.00 PLDT Common 2766.00 2750.00 2720.00 2734.00 (1.16) 155,070 (96,593,680.00)
0.48 0.25 PremiereHorizon 0.330 0.330 0.320 0.330 0.00 700,000
30.10 10.68 Puregold 27.25 27.35 26.90 27.00 (0.92) 3,242,400 (34,199,520.00)
0.79 0.27 Waterfront Phils. 0.430 0.440 0.420 0.440 2.33 1,120,000 (30,800.00)
MINING & OIL
0.0083 0.0038 Abra Mining 0.0041 0.0041 0.0041 0.0041 0.00 55,000,000
6.20 3.01 Apex À 5.30 5.10 4.97 4.97 (6.23) 918,000
6.22 3.00 Apex `B 5.25 5.05 4.96 4.98 (5.14) 1,722,100 (4,950,810.00)
25.20 14.50 Atlas Cons. À 17.70 18.00 17.62 17.64 (0.34) 491,600 22,962.00
0.380 0.148 Basic Energy Corp. 0.260 0.270 0.255 0.260 0.00 5,970,000 (15,600.00)
30.35 19.98 Benguet Corp À 24.00 23.30 23.30 23.30 (2.92) 2,500
34.00 14.50 Benguet Corp `B 24.10 23.70 23.70 23.70 (1.66) 2,000 (47,400.00)
2.51 1.62 Century Peak Metals Hldgs 1.29 1.29 1.28 1.28 (0.78) 182,000
61.80 5.68 Dizon 33.70 34.00 32.45 32.50 (3.56) 387,000 (103,230.00)
1.21 0.50 Geograce Res. Phil. Inc. 0.68 0.70 0.68 0.69 1.47 3,054,000
1.82 0.9000 Lepanto À 1.280 1.280 1.220 1.250 (2.34) 56,606,000
2.070 1.0200 Lepanto `B 1.360 1.360 1.300 1.320 (2.94) 17,645,000 3,667,010.00
0.085 0.042 Manila Mining À 0.0680 0.0690 0.0670 0.0670 (1.47) 379,110,000
0.087 0.042 Manila Mining `B 0.0720 0.0710 0.0680 0.0680 (5.56) 91,460,000 (350,000.00)
36.50 15.04 Nickelasia 29.90 30.30 29.30 29.85 (0.17) 256,300 4,026,420.00
12.84 2.13 Nihao Mineral Resources 10.10 10.16 9.90 9.90 (1.98) 1,526,500 19,930.00
1.100 0.008 Omico 0.7000 0.7400 0.7300 0.7300 4.29 105,000
8.40 2.99 Oriental Peninsula Res. 5.200 5.280 5.100 5.100 (1.92) 1,186,900 56,990.00
0.032 0.012 Oriental Pet. À 0.0180 0.0180 0.0180 0.0180 0.00 227,700,000
0.033 0.014 Oriental Pet. `B 0.0190 0.0190 0.0190 0.0190 0.00 19,100,000
7.05 5.10 Petroenergy Res. Corp. 6.00 6.00 6.00 6.00 0.00 51,800 (600.00)
28.95 18.50 Philex À 22.90 22.90 22.40 22.75 (0.66) 2,789,300 (24,323,305.00)
48.00 3.00 PhilexPetroleum 44.65 44.30 41.85 42.15 (5.60) 1,209,800 3,693,880.00
0.062 0.017 Philodrill Corp. À 0.052 0.052 0.051 0.052 0.00 548,050,000 571,500.00
257.80 161.10 Semirara Corp. 229.00 231.00 227.90 231.00 0.87 400,020 (17,556,198.00)
0.029 0.014 United Paragon 0.0190 0.0180 0.0170 0.0180 (5.26) 23,900,000
PREFERRED
47.90 27.30 ABS-CBN Holdings Corp. 35.60 35.50 34.50 35.50 (0.28) 211,800 (3,480,700.00)
580.00 535.00 Ayala Corp. Pref À 550.00 550.00 550.00 550.00 0.00 40
First Gen F 101.00 101.00 101.00 101.00 0.00 50,000
First Gen G 101.80 101.70 101.60 101.60 (0.20) 13,700
18.00 12.50 First Phil. Hldgs.-Pref. 103.00 102.90 102.90 102.90 (0.10) 3,200
11.02 6.00 GMA Holdings Inc. 10.22 10.22 10.20 10.20 (0.20) 180,500 (321,318.00)
116.70 107.00 PCOR-Preferred 110.10 110.20 110.10 110.20 0.09 20,000
80.00 74.50 SMC Preferred 1 75.00 75.00 74.70 74.70 (0.40) 16,000
1050.00 1000.00 SMPFC Preferred 1016.00 1016.00 1015.00 1015.00 (0.10) 6,600
6.00 0.87 Swift Pref 1.12 1.14 1.12 1.14 1.79 160,000
S M E
2.60 1.30 Makati Fin. Corp. 3.60 3.60 3.60 3.60 0.00 3,000
GERRY GERONIMO
THE TRUST GURU
The widened rupture of the veil
of bank secrecy
THE seeming simplicity of Republic Act No.
10167, containing as it does only ve sections
inclusive of the standard separability, repealing
and effectivity clauses, belies the complexity of
the problems arising from the amendments by its
rst two sections of Sections 10 and 11 of R.A. No.
9160, known as the Anti-Money Laundering Act of
2001, as amended.
Essentially, Sections 1 and 2 of R.A. No. 10167
permits the process of securing of court authority
by the Anti-Money Laundering Council to freeze
deposits (Section 1) and to inquire into bank
deposits (Section 2) to be conducted ex parte, i.e.
without prior notice to the depositor. Previous to
that ex parte applied only to the freezing.
The rst major concern of the bank affected
by any such change is whether it may, without
exposing itself to legal liability, nevertheless
inform the owner of funds that his account is under
ofcial scrutiny.
On the one hand, the bank has at the very least
an implied contract obligation to the depositor
to provide the latter information that may have a
signicant impact on his or her nancials. The
bigger the deposit and/or the more extensive the
relationship of the depositor with the bank or its
major stockholders, the greater is the compulsion,
at least business-wise, to signal the depositor at
the earliest possible time. But, on the other hand,
permitting the bank to alert the depositor of an
impending AMLC action that may be inconvenient,
if not outright prejudicial, to him destroys the very
reason why the proceedings are permitted to ex
parte. Alerting a money-launderer of the out-of-
the-ordinary interest of the AMLC will certainly
trigger moving the account away, leaving the
AMLC with just the sight, and nothing more, of an
empty bag.
True, the paper trail will remain to be there as
part of the records of the bank, showing both the
sources and the withertos of the funds. But that
only makes the chase more difcult, and in some
cases, impossible, as when the funds are moved
to jurisdictions where the Philippines does not
have mutual assistance treaties or reciprocal
arrangements for cooperation.
Another problematic area in R.A. No. 10167 is
the impact of Section 2, amending Section 11 of
the original Anti-Money Laundering Law, on the
power of Bangko Sentral to look into a bank deposit.
Prior to its amendment, the law gave the Bangko
Sentral the authority to ensure compliance with
this Act,...to inquire into or examine any deposit or
investment with any banking institution or non-bank
nancial institution when the examination is made
in the course of a periodic or special examination,
in accordance with the rules of examination of the
BSP. As the law was amended by R.A. No. 10167,
the same power of the BSP was reformulated as
the power to check the compliance of a covered
institution with the requirements of the AMLA and
its implementing rules and regulations.
The nasty question is whether the authority to
check compliance...with the requirements of the
AMLA and its implementing rules and regulations
is the same as, or greater than, or lesser than the
power to inquire into or examine any deposit...
The only thing we can be sure of, based on the mere
change in phraseology, is that there must have been
a deliberate change in the intent. Which direction
the intent was headed is interesting to determine
from the records of the deliberations at the Senate
and the House of Representatives.
Some argue that the BSP power was actually
enlarged, because to check compliance
necessarily entails examining an account, and
more. For example, how can a covered institutions
compliance be considered in accordance with the
law and its regulations, if the movements in that
account are not also examined? And if movements
of funds in that account can be examined, then
necessarily the BSP must look into a deposit to
determine whether or not, in the rst place, such
movements occurred.
The opposing view, mine included, is that
compliance can be viewed at various levels,
depending on the level of certainty the BSP is
required to arrive at. For instance, is a sworn
statement, in general terms by a covered institution
that no suspicious transaction has occurred to
the best of the afants knowledge, belief and
information, sufcient basis for the BSP to arrive
at a conclusion that indeed the AMLC and its
implementing regulations have been complied with?
If that is so, what will prevent connivance between
the bank and its money laundering depositor? Or
not even connivance, but just turning a blind eye
by the covered institution motivated by a desire to
keep the accounts and loyalty of the client.
At the very least, the BSP, in my view, ought
to have the authority, on a random basis, to look
into any deposit or investment account, in order to
determine whether with respect to those randomly
selected accounts the bank was compliant. The
premise is that the requirement of randomness in the
selection will safeguard any witch hunt or targeted
examination that may be conducted; and, assuming
that the random sampling is done scientically, on
a per branch basis, the assurance is that the ndings
on compliance borne out of such random look into
will be reasonably reective of the compliance with
respect to the other accounts not examined.
To shed light on the foregoing and other issues
raised by the new laws on anti-money laundering, I
have organized a round-table discussion, to be led
by AMLC executive director Vicente Aquino and to
be participated in by representatives of the various
sectors affected as reactors, for next Wednesday,
July 25, at the 34th Floor of the Citibank Tower,
on Paseo de Roxas, Makati. Details, including the
small fee to be paid by the attendees, needed to
cover the expenses of venue and other incidentals,
may be asked of Ms. Mel Maranan, at tel no.
5559555.

For feedback, e-mail thetrustguru863@gmail.com.
STOCKS retreated Tuesday, after a two-
day gain, tracking the overnight losses
on the Wall Street amid the International
Monetary Funds gloomier outlook for
global growth.
The Philippine Stock Exchange
index, the 30-company benchmark,
dropped 12 points, or 0.2 percent,
to close at 5,285.12. Three of the
six counters, ended in the red, with
mining and oil posting the biggest
decline of 1.2 percent.
The heavier index, representing
all shares, also shed 9 points, or
0.3 percent, to 3,495.66, as losers
outnumbered gainers, 109 to 54,
with 41 issues unchanged. Value
turnover amounted to P5 billion.
Ayala Corp., the most actively
traded stock, fell 1.2 percent to
P458 while property unit Ayala
Land Inc. stood at P20.80.
Banks posted slight gains
Tuesday. BDO Unibank Inc.
rose 1.3 percent to P63.80 while
Metropolitan Bank and Trust Co.
inched up 0.05 percent to P98.35.
Cement manufacturer Lafarge
Republic Inc. advanced 1.8
percent to P8.96, the highest
close since May 3. Construction
material prices in Manila rose
4.7 percent in June, compared
with a 2.6-percent gain in May,
the National Statistics Ofce
reported.
DMCI Holdings Inc., the
nations largest construction
company, declined 1.2 percent to
P58.70 on concern material costs
will rise.
AgriNurture Inc., a vegetable
and fruit grower, increased 6.5
percent to P9.08, the sharpest
gain since April 23. The
company dropped a plan to
buy Sugarhouse, a restaurant
operator after failing to reach
an agreement on its proposed
acquisition following legal,
tax and nancial due diligence,
AgriNurture said.
Meanwhile, Asian stocks
advanced for a third day as an
unexpected drop in US retail
sales stoked speculation Federal
Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke
would hint at further stimulus.
Japans Nikkei 225 rose 0.8
percent to 8,793.63 and Chinas
Shanghai composite index gained
0.6 percent to 2,162.01. South
Koreas Kospi added 0.9 percent
to 1,833.92.
Expectations of possible
Chinese stimulus measures
rose after Premier Wen Jiabaos
weekend promise of tax breaks
and other aid to struggling small
businesses. Chinas second-
quarter growth fell to a three-year
low of 7.6 percent but analysts
said a rebound might be in sight.
There is strong evidence
suggesting that growth remains
solid and its momentum is
rebounding. Beijing is bound
to do more to ensure that
this continues, said Credit
Agricole CIB economist Dariusz
Kowalczyk in a report.
There are also hopes US Federal
Reserve chief Ben Bernanke would
hint at the possibility of additional
stimulus for the American economy
when he addresses Congress
Tuesday and Wednesday.
With Bloomberg, AP
Business
ManilaStandardToday extrastory2000@gmail.com WEDNESDAY
B3
Mindoro Nickel backs
new PH mining policy
JULY 18, 2012
Govt targets $10-b
foreign investments
FOLLOWING the recent credit
rating upgrade by Standard &
Poors, business is really looking
upbeat with a lot of foreign rms
eyeing investment opportunities
in the Philippines. Happy Hours
Deutsche freunde revealed that
German IT company Fritz and
Macziol Asia (F&M Asia) foresees
dynamic growth opportunities,
which is why it is expanding its
operations in the country.
Fully owned by Imtech (a global
technical services provider in the
area of electrical and mechanical engineering as well as ICT),
the Global City, Taguig-based F&M Asia has actually been in
the country for over ve years, partnering with such companies
as Metrobank, Smart Communications, Globe Telecom, SM
Shoemart and Holcim Philippines, with the latter having recently
acquired the German companys proprietary logistics IT solution,
called the VAS, for the operation of its plants in La Union, Bulacan,
Davao City and Misamis Oriental. The VAS will provide seamless
integration of logistical processes with Holcims core IT system
for increased efciency in the plants daily operations. Holcim is
one of the largest cement manufacturers in the country with a total
clinker production capacity per year of 6.5 million metric tons
and an annual cement production capacity of 7.7 million MT.
The same Happy Hour freunde happily disclosed that F&M
Asia is the third top corporate taxpayer for its income tax and
value-added tax payments in the district of Taguig for 2011
giving credence to the statement of F&M Asia president Lutz
Kunack that the rms fundamental principle is accountability
and responsibility for the consequences of their activities and
decisions towards the community, the environment and society. In
short, good corporate governance coupled with CSR activities
something that Imtech is also known for with projects like CRASH
(Constructing a Future for Homeless People).
F&M expansion? Certainly, wilkommen Neuigkeiten (welcome
news)!
Smartmatics warehouse bid
Clinking glasses of lager, Happy Hour buddies engaged in a
friendly debate over the opposition of Smartmatic to the request
of rival bidders (for the Comelecs P112-million warehouse
leasing project) to visit the formers warehouse in Cabuyao where
the precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines are currently
situated. Indeed, it would seem the height of impropriety (not to
mention absurdity, to put it kindly) for the IT company to accede
to the request and have its facilities ogled at and inspected by
prospective competitors. After all, why give competitors the
opportunity to get wind of trade secrets?
As for concerns and criticisms that the IT rm will have an
edge over the others, there are specic requirements given by the
Comelec like the size of the warehouse, ceiling height, location
parameters, canteen, barracks and rest areas for employees, water
supply, uninterrupted power system, as well as 24/7 re alarm
systems and security features including CCTV monitoring, one
of the debaters stressed. The only way for Smartmatic to have
an edge is to make sure that it complies with all the specic
requirementslike the rest of the other bidders.
AFP bastonero gets third star
Happy Hour salutes the recently promoted generals and senior
ofcers of the military, foremost among them the current The
Deputy Chief of Staff of the AFP, MGen Gregorio Macapagal,
who received his third star last Monday. In military parlance, the
TDCS is the bastonerothe man who ensures that the joint staff
is efcient and that order is effectively maintained. The TDCS
is the third highest position in the military hierarchy. Macapagal
replaced Lt. Gen. Anthony Alcantara last March, whose new
post is Northern Luzon Command chief. Cheers!
For comments, reactions, photos, stories and related concerns,

readers may e-mail to happyhourtoday2012@yahoo.com.
Fritz and Macziol:
Wilkommen!
MINDORO Nickel has welcomed
the new mining policy of the Aquino
government, saying it is a major
step toward responsible utilization
of the countrys mineral resources
while ensuring protection of the
environment for future generations.
It said the policy stressed the need
for more value-added mining and
the development of downstream
industries in the mineral sector.
Mindoro Nickel has been
advocating the same principles the
new mining policy is espousing.
The company said it aimed to
maximize the utilization of the
mineral deposit, with an economic
break-even grade of 0.4 percent
Ni, or below the geological cut-
off. This means Mindoro Nickel
will use the entire deposit as all ore
above 0.4 percent can be extracted
economically.
Mindoro Nickel avoids selective
high-grade mining, which will
potentially leave lower-grade ore
behind and valueless. The company
also plans to process its ore in a
local renery, which produces nal
London Metal Exchange-grade
nickel metal.
The heart of the renery is an
acid plant that converts native
sulphur into sulphuric acid and
releases steam, which, in turn,
generates carbon-free electrical
power. A 110-megawatt electrical
power produced this way will
exceed the projects needs and
could provide over 30-MW carbon-
free energy to the islands grid. The
renery will produce 53,000 tons
of rened nickel annually, 16,000
tons of cobalt sulphate, 75,000 tons
of metallurgical-grade chromite;
and potentially about 200 tons
of scandium and other rare earth
elements.
THE government aims to boost foreign
direct investments in call centers, factories
and shipyards to more than $10 billion
a year, as President Benigno Aquino III
strives to create jobs and bolster growth.
The Philippines received
24 business teams in the rst
half from countries including
Russia, Turkey and Japan, Trade
Secretary Gregory Domingo
said. Investors are keen on
shipbuilding, agriculture, energy,
steel, garments, and business
process outsourcing, he said.
The biggest thing that has
improved our standing in the
investment community globally has
been President Aquinos governance,
Domingo said in an interview in his
office in Manila Monday.
Aquino is winning condence
from investors and rating
companies as he ghts corruption
and boosts infrastructure spending
to transform the nation into a
manufacturing hub in the region.
Moodys Investors Service boosted
its outlook on the Philippines
to positive in May, when the
countrys top judge was impeached
for illegally concealing his wealth,
while Standard & Poors this
month raised the long-term foreign
currency-denominated debt rating
to the highest level since 2003.
The $225-billion economy
expanded 6.4 percent in the rst
quarter, the fastest pace since
2010, and the peso is the best
performer against the US dollar
among Asias 11 most-traded
currencies this year, having
gained about 5 percent. The
Philippine Stock Exchange index
surged to a record this month.
The peso rose a third day
to 41.725 per dollar Tuesday.
Benchmark bonds due March
2021 gained, with the yield
falling to the lowest level since
February, according to Tradition
Financial Services.
When he first assumed
office, there were still a lot
of people who doubted he
will really pursue good
governance, Domingo said.
But now, he has convinced
everybody that he is sincere.
Weve seen tremendous
interest in investment.
From 1970 to 2010, the
Philippines drew $33.98 billion
in foreign direct investment
compared to $322.13 billion for
Singapore and $108.87 billion
for Thailand, according to the
United Nations Conference on
Trade and Development.
The Philippines lured about
$6 billion in pledged foreign
investments last year, and has
drawn commitments from
companies including Glencore
International Plc and Gazasia Ltd.
this year. Business groups from
Mexico and Argentina are due to
visit the country, Domingo said.
Bloomberg
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION
SAN MIGUEL AVENUE, PASIG CITY
IN THE MATTER OF THE APPLICATION FOR THE
APPROVAL OF THE SALE OF THE TALAVERA-
ASTURIAS 69 KV LINE OF THE NATIONAL
TRANSMISSION CORPORATION (TRANSCO)
TO THE CONSORTIUM OF CEBU III ELECTRIC
COOPERATI VE, I NC. ( CEBECO I I I ) AND
BALAMBAN ENERZONE CORPORATION (BEZ),
AS COVERED BY A CONTRACT TO SELL DATED
20 OCTOBER 2008
NATIONAL TRANSMISSION CORPORATION
(TRANSCO) AND THE CONSORTIUM OF CEBU III
ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE, INC. (CEBECO III) AND
BALAMBAN ENERZONE CORPORATION (BEZ),
Applicants.
x----------------------------------------------------------------x
ERC CASE No. 2012- ______ RC
J OI NT APPLI CATI ON
Applicants NATIONAL TRANSMISSION CORPORATION (TRANSCO) and THE
CONSORTIUM OF CEBU III ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE, INC. (CEBECO III) and BALAMBAN
ENERZONE CORPORATION (BEZ), through their respective counsels, and to this Honorable
Commission, respectfully aver that:
1. TRANSCO is a government-owned and controlled corporation (GOCC) created and
existing by virtue of Republic Act (RA) No. 9136, otherwise known as the Electric Power Industry
Reform Act of 2001 (EPRA), with principal offce address at the TRANSCO Main Building, Quezon
Avenue corner BR Road, Diliman, Quezon City. t may be served with pleadings, notices, orders
and other documents through its undersigned counsel at its principal offce address.
2. CEBECO III is an electric cooperative (EC) duly organized and existing under the laws
of the Republic of the Philippines, with principal offce address at Luray , Toledo City, Philippines. t
may be served with pleadings, notices, orders and other documents through its undersigned counsel.
3. BEZ is a private distribution utility (DU) duly organized and existing under the laws of
the Republic of the Philippines, with principal offce address at Aboitiz Corporate Center, Manuel
A. Cuenco Avenue, Kasambagan, Cebu City, Philippines. It may be served with pleadings, notices,
orders and other documents through its undersigned counsel.
4. On 24 July 2008, CEBECO and BEZ duly formed a consortium for the specifc
purpose of acquiring TRANSCOs Talavera-Asturias 69 kV Line, in accordance with Sec. 8. Par.
7 of Republic Act (R.A.) No. 9136 or the EPIRA. Hereto attached as Annex A is a copy of the
Shareholders Agreement.
5. By virtue of Section 8 of the EPIRA, TRANSCO assumed the electrical transmission
functions of the National Power Corporation (NPC) and it was authorized and made to assume the
responsibility of NPC for the planning, construction and centralized operation and maintenance of
high voltage transmission facilities, including grid interconnections and ancillary services.
6. Section 8 of the EPIRAand Rule 6, Section 8 (e) of the EPIRAs Implementing Rules and
Regulations (IRR) also mandate the segregation of the transmission and subtransmission functions
and assets for transparency and disposal, and authorize TRANSCO to negotiate, and to transfer
such subtransmission assets (STAs) and facilities to qualifed distribution utilities (DUs).
7. Pursuant thereto, this Honorable Commission promulgated the Guidelines on the
Sale and Transfer of the TRANSCO's Subtransmission Assets and the Franchising of Qualifed
Consortiums (ERC Guidelines) dated 17 October 2003, as amended by Resolution No. 3, Series
of 2005 (17 March 2005) which set forth among others, the standards to distinguish TRANSCOs
transmission assets from its subtransmission assets and establish the approval process prior to the
fnal sale and transfer of STAs to DUs.
8. Consistent with the ERC Guidelines, TRANSCO adopted its own Guidelines on the
Sale of Subtransmission Assets [TRANSCO Guidelines] (Annex B) as approved by TRANSCO
Board Resolution No. TC-2003-067 dated 28 November 2003 (Annex B-1), as further amended
by TRANSCO Board Resolution No.TC-2004-009 dated 16 March 2004 (Annex B-2).
9. On 16 July 2011, the Honorable Commission issued Resolution No. 15, Series of 2011
entitled: A Resolution Adopting the Amended Rules for the Approval of the Sale and Transfer of
TRANSCO's Subtransmission Assets and the Acquisition by Qualifed Consortiums."
10. In accordance with the aforesaid ERC Guidelines, TRANSCO has evaluated that the
Talavera-Asturias 69 kV Line meets the criteria for STAs.
Copies of the Report that the asset for sale meets the criteria for STAs, STA for sale to the
Consortium, and the Electrical diagram are hereto attached as Annexes C, D and E, respectively.
11. TRANSCO has established that the Consortium meets and possesses the technical
and fnancial capability criteria under Article V of the ERC Guidelines, in purchasing, operating,
maintaining, upgrading and expanding the subject STA.
Copies of the Technical and Financial Qualifcation Evaluations conducted by TRANSCO as
well as the Description of the Franchise Area being served by the subject asset are hereto attached
as Annexes F and G and H, respectively.
Also attached hereto as proofs of the Consortium's fnancial qualifcations are the Audited
Financial Statements of CEBECO III (Annex I) and BEZ (Annex J) as of 31 December 2007.
12. On 10 November 2007, the CEBECO III Board of Directors issued Resolution No. 149,
Series of 2007 (Annex K) entitled Resolution for Cebu III Electric Cooperative, Inc. to Enter into a
Memorandum of Agreement with Balamban Enerzone Corporation. Acopy of the MOAreferred to
in said Board Resolution is hereto attached as Annex K-1.
13. On 06 February 2008, the BEZ Board of Directors issued a Resolution relative to the subject
Contract to Sell, as evidenced by a Secretary's Certifcate dated 10 September 2008 (Annex "L).
14. On 20 October 2008, TRANSCO and the Consortium concluded a Contract to Sell
(Annex M) covering the subject STA.
15. Under the said Contract, the Consortium shall pay TRANSCO the total purchase price
of THIRTEEN MILLION EIGHT HUNDRED SIXTEEN THOUSAND NINE HUNDRED FIFTEEN,
Philippine Currency (PhP13,816,915.00), net of adjustments and deductions.
16. The Talavera-Asturias 69 kV line is valued in reference to the Sinclair Knight Merz (SKM)
valuation pursuant to ERC Resolution No. 01, Series of 2009, as amended. An excerpt from the
SKM report is hereto attached as Annex N;
17. Furthermore, TRANSCO and the Consortium respectfully submit the following documents
as part of the requirements provided in the ERC Guidelines:
a. Third Party Appraisal Report (Annex O);
b. List of Connected DUs and ECs and Directly Connected Entities (Annex P); and,
c. Draft Deed of Sale (Annex Q).
18. The proposed sale has satisfed all of the requirements and criteria set by the EPRAand
its IRR, as well as the ERC and TRANSCO Guidelines on the Sale of Subtransmission Assets.
19. The approval by this Honorable Commission of the instant Joint Application shall pave
the way for the attainment of a reformed electricity industry under the EPIRA, which would ultimately
best serve the interest of the consuming public.
PRAYER
WHEREFORE, it is most respectfully prayed to this Honorable Commission that the instant
application for the approval of the sale of TRANSCOs Talavera-Asturias line in favor of the Consortium
of Cebu Electric Cooperative, nc. (CEBECO ) and Balamban Enerzone Corporation (BEZ) under
the terms provided in the Contract to Sell dated 20 October 2008, be APPROVED.
Applicants also pray for such other relief as are deemed just and equitable under the premises.
Quezon City and Cebu City, for Pasig City, 11 June 2012.
NATIONAL TRANSMISSION CORPORATION
TRANSCO Main Building, Quezon Avenue corner BR Road,
Diliman, Quezon City

By:
NOEL Z. DE LEON
General Counsel
BP No. 826768, 01.12.12, Quezon City
Roll of Attorneys No. 36660
MCLE Compliance No. III-0012070, 04.06.10
LEON T. TAPEL, JR.
Deputy Legal Counsel
IBP No. 869895, 11.05.11, PPLM
MCLE Compliance No. III-0004876
GINA LOURDES D. VALEROS
Manager, Legal Counseling Department
BP No. 08200 (Lifetime), Quezon City
MCLE Compliance III-110011545, 04.13.10
SOLEDAD T. DE LA VEGA-CABANGIS
Corporate Attorney III
Roll of Attorneys No. 45797, 05.24.01
IBP No. 825514 (Lifetime), 04.23.10, Bulacan
MCLE Compliance No. II-0010363
CEBU III ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE, INC. (CEBECO III)
Luray II, Toledo City, Cebu, Philippines
By:
ALAN C. GAVIOLA
Counsel for CEBECO III
Rm. 203, 2/F Crown Plaza Building
3rd Ave., North Reclamation Area, Cebu City
PTR No. 2185798; Cebu City; Jan. 6, 2012
IBP O.R. 771063; Cebu City; Jan. 26, 2009
ROLL NO. 30385
MCLE Compliance III, 0019612; Dec. 14, 2010
BALAMBAN ENERZONE CORPORATION (BEZ)
By:
KATRINA M. PLATON
110 Legazpi Street, Legaspi Village, Makati City
Telephone No. 793-2801/Fax No. 817-6772
PTR No. 3181995/January 6, 2012/Makati City
IBP Lifetime No. 706864/Makati City
MCLE Compliance No. III-0009171/March 4,2010
Roll No. 38338
MA. CONSOLACION C. MERCADO
110 Legazpi Street, Legaspi Village, Makati City
Telephone No. 793-2801/Fax No. 817-6772
PTR No. 3181996/January 6, 2012/Makati City
IBP Lifetime No. 09654/Makati City
MCLE Compliance No. III-0010295/March 18,2010
Roll No. 52578
VERIFICATION and CERTIFICATION
of NON-FORUM SHOPPING
I, ROLANDO T. BACANI, of legal age, married, and with offce address at the National
Transmission Corporation (TRANSCO), TRANSCO Main Building, Quezon Avenue corner BR
Road, Diliman, Quezon City, after having been duly sworn in accordance with law, do hereby
depose and state, that:
1. am TRANSCO's President and Chief Executive Offcer (CEO) who is authorized to
represent it in this Joint Application as per the hereto attached relevant section of TRANSCOs
Manual of Approvals (Annex R);
2. I have caused the preparation of the instant Joint Application and read the contents
thereof, and I attest that the allegations herein contained are true and correct based on my
personal knowledge and on authentic records;
3. I have not commenced any other action or proceeding involving the same issues in the
Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals or any court, tribunal, or quasi-judicial agency and, to the
best of my knowledge, no such other action or claim is pending therein; and
4. Should hereinafter learn that the same or a similar action or claim has been fled or
is pending in the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals or any court, tribunal, or quasi-judicial
agency, shall report the said fact within fve (5) days from discovery thereof to this Honorable
Commission.
ROLANDO T. BACANI
Affant
SUBSCRIBED AND SWORN to before me this 03 day of JULY, 2012 at Quezon City. Affant
who is personally known to me, exhibited to me his TRANSCO .D. No. 00011-9 issued in Quezon
City on ________________ as competent evidence of identity.

Doc. No. 8 ;
Page No. 3 ;
Book No. II ;
Series of 2012.
I, TERESO B. LEBUMFACIL, of legal age, married, and with offce address at CEBU III
ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE, INC. (CEBECO III), Luray II, Toledo City, Cebu, Philippines, after
having been duly sworn in accordance with law, do hereby depose and state that:
1. I am the Board President of CEBECO III, who is duly authorized to represent it in the above-
entitled case, as evidenced by the hereto attached CEBECO III Board Resolution (Annex S);
2. I have caused the preparation of the instant Joint Application and read the contents thereof,
and I attest that the allegations herein contained are true and correct based on my personal
knowledge and on authentic records of CEBECO III ;
3. CEBECO III has not commenced any other action or proceeding involving the same issues
in the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals or any court, tribunal, or quasi-judicial agency and,
to the best of my knowledge, no such other action or claim is pending therein; and
4. Should hereinafter learn that the same or a similar action or claim has been fled or
is pending in the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals or any court, tribunal, or quasi-judicial
Commission.
TERESO B. LEBUMFACIL
Affant
SUBSCRIBED AND SWORN to before me this 6
th
day of July, 2012 at City. Affant who is
personally known to me, exhibited to me his Community Tax Certifcate/.D. No. 08419865 issued
at Toledo City, Cebu on 05/04/2012_, as competent evidence of identity.
NOTARY PUBLIC
Doc. No. 225;
Page No. 45 ;
Book No. VIII ;
Series of 2012.
, DANTE T. POLLESCAS, of legal age, married, and with offce address on Canal Road
corner Labitan Street, Central Business District, Subic Bay Freeport Zone, after having been
duly sworn in accordance with law, do hereby depose and state that:
1. am the Senior Vice-President and Chief Operating Offcer of BALAMBAN ENERZONE
CORPORATION (BEZ), duly authorized to represent BEZ in the above-entitled case, as
evidenced by the hereto attached BEZ Board Resolution (Annex L hereof);
2. Jointly with the National Transmission Corporation and Cebu III Electric Cooperative, Inc.,
I have caused the preparation of the instant Joint Application and read the contents thereof,
and I attest that the allegations therein contained and as may be relevant to BEZ are true and
correct based on my personal knowledge and on authentic records of BEZ;
3. BEZ has not commenced any other action or proceeding involving the same issues in the
Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals or any court, tribunat or quasi-judicial agency and, to the
best of my knowledge, no such other action or claim is pending therein; and
4. Should hereinafter learn that the same or a similar action or claim has been fled or is
pending in the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals or any court, tribunat or quasi-judicial
Commission.
DANTE T. POLLESCAS
Affant
SUBSCRIBED AND SWORN to before me this 6
th
day of July, 2012 at MAKATI CITY City.
Affant who is personally known to me, exhibited to, me his Community Tax Certifcate/.D. No.
20321128 issued at Olongapo City on January 10, 2012 as competent evidence of identity.
NOTARY PUBLIC
(MST-July 18, 2012)
B4
Provinces
Edited by Leo A. Estonilo www.manilastandardtoday.comleoestonilo@gmail.com
11 aliens sued for polluting bay
Exec allows 45 trees
to be cut, faces raps
Financing access crucial to sectoral growth
A MULTI-SECTORAL team
has recommended sanctions on
a Department of Environment
and Natural Resources local
ofcial under the Strategic
Environmental Plan of Palawan
Act or RA 7611 for allowing a
developer to cut 45 giant trees
in Brookes Point, Palawan.
The team said ABS-
CBN Foundation or its
environmental arm, Bantay
Kalikasan, was unauthorized
to occupy Sabsaban Falls and
make it an ecotourism resort.
Lawyer Herminia Caabay,
of the Palawan Council for
Sustainable Development Staff,
said DENR community ofcer
Emelina Cojamco exceeded
her authority for issuing the
cutting permit without a SEP
clearance.
PCSD Adjudication Board
Chairman Alfredo Abueg Jr.
said only the DENR Secretary
could give a permit or his
authorized representative, in
this case, the regional executive
director.
The Board earlier led
charges against Cojamco,
Gina Lopez of the ABS-
CBN Foundation, Brookes
Point Mayor Leoncio and
18 other barangay ofcials
and a nun for violation of the
PCSD Administrative Order 6
requiring SEP clearance for
any project that had bearing on
the environment and natural
resources of Palawan.
The respondents occupied a
timberland within the ancestral
domain and converted it into a
resort without the SEP clearance
and other requirements.
Caabay presented the
testimony of team leader
Leonardo Caluya who said
Cojamco acted beyond his
authority.
Caluya said Leoncio himself
admitted that the agreement
between the town and the
foundation was still being
reviewed by Brookes Point
legal ofce.
The foundations Bantay
Kalikasan entered Sabsaban
Falls on March 25, 2012 while
the multi-sectoral investigation
was made on June 1, 2012 or
two months after the group
started developing the place.
The teram said Bantay
Kalikasan failed to present
any tenurial instrument for
occupation and conversion of
the area into a resort on top
of not having rst secured
a clearance, environmental
compliance certicate, free
and prior informed consent
from the indigenous people.
Leoncio claimed that as
early as the 70s the town was
already in possession of the
area which it developed into
a tourism spot long before the
SEP Law took into effect in the
90s.
He argued that there was no
need to secure SEP clearance
and other requirements like
ECC and FPIC since the
development was just an
extension of what they had
started earlier.
The legal counsels of the
foundation said their client
had been issued a certicate of
non-coverage by the DENR.
But the Adjudication
Board reminded Leoncio that
ignorance of the law excused
no one especially government
ofcials in taking short cuts
to do a project matter how
laudable it may be.
The Board said a SEP
clearance is required even
on continuation of existing
projects, moreso, on non-
coverage.
Cojamco was reinstated
as respondent in the case
along with the ABS-CABN
Foundation represented by
Lopez and Brookes Point
town represented by Leoncio.
Earlier, 18 barangay ofcials
and a nun were dropped from the
charge sheetg as respondents
because the Board found their
role being incidental.
By Seran Ramos Jr.
GLANMayor Victor James
Yap Sr. led charges Monday
against 11 ofcers and crew
of two foreign vessels that
allegedly dumped pollutants
into Sarangani Bay last May.
He led a complaint before Sarangani prosecutor
Felipe Vicente Velasco at the Justice on Wheels
mobile court against the foreign mariners of
Oceania 2 barge and its tugboat, TB Oceania 1.
The charge sheet listed Capt. Samsudin, Kyaw
Htay, Shwe Thann, Keso Bin Tarjuki,
Tu Kah Hua, Tar Var Linmyint, M. Fauzi Bin
Apandi, Kumaedi, Russetia Wahit,
M. Zaiful Hosen, and Lau Nai Sing, who are
believed to be Malaysian, Indonesian and Myanmar
nationals.
They were charged for violation of the Clean
Water Act, the National Integrated Protected Areas
System Act of 1992, marine pollution under PD
979, and Fisheries Code of 1998.
In his complaint afdavit, Yap said that the
foreigners willfully and feloniously dumped
pollutants on the sea water believed to be coal, of
quantity incapable of being known or estimated.
The incident happened on 26 May 2012, at
about 4:00 oclock in the afternoon, while on
board their vessels TB Oceania 1 and Oceania
2, which vessels were stationed at about 200
meters from one of the beaches in Sitio Kabug,
Barangay Kapatan.
He said the place was within Glans municipal
waters and inside the Sarangani Bay Protected
Seascape.
A Sarangani Information Ofce photographer,
who was on a nearby resort, caught the incident on
camera and sent pictures to higher authorities. This
led the Philippine Coast Guard to hold the vessels
and crew.
The vessels are in custody at the International
Port of Glan.
The area, where the acts of dumping pollutants
(was committed), is fronting a private resort named
Belmar Ecopark Beach Resort, the complaint said,
citing accounts of onlookers.
One of the witnesses named Marcelino W.
Tangaro, owner of the beach resort, boarded a
small boat, came near the two vessels, pacied the
respondents in their illegal activities of dumping
pollutants on the seawater by talking with its
captain, which the latter heeded by asking his men
to halt, Yap said.
The Coast Guard said the vessels had unloaded
their coal cargo in Manila and were set to load scrap
metals at General Santos City seaport as consigned
by Cebu Metal before heading for Malaysia.
The cargo, however, was unavailable on time
thus the illegal anchorage in Kapatan.
THE Philippine Chamber of
Commerce and Industry, the
largest business organization in
the country, said accessibility of
nancing is crucial in promoting
the growth of agriculture
along with small and medium
enterprises in Mindanao.
PCCI president Miguel
Varela said during a roundtable
discussion on agriculture that
one of the recurring sentiments
of stakeholders especially in the
south were the stringent rules
and requirements of banks that
put loans made loans beyond
the reach of small farmers.
But Agriculture Assistant
Secretary Salvador Salacup
said the apprehensions
were misplaced because the
department had a P7.4-billion
guaranty fund at the Land Bank
of the Philippines bank wich
was available to farmers.
He said a P2-million
Agricultural Competitiveness
Enhancement Fund was
released to the department
starting 2010.
But farm and shery sector
representatives presented
instances that made it difcult
for them to take out government
loans.
The Trade Department said
SMEs faced the same problem
resulting in a slow if not stunted
growth of ventures.
The chamber came up with
the consensus that funds for
agriculture and the SME sector
to handled the way the Mindanao
Rural Development Program
is done. But Salacup said the
MRDP is being implemented
efciently because it was
infrastructure-based but without
any repayment component.
He told the group that his
department was not involved
in nancing which was the
function of LandBank.
The Mindanao Development
Authority panel proposed the
adoption of the Conditional
Cash Transfer mechanism
which simplied transactions
from bank to borrower.
The Chamber said the growth
of SMEs would be step toward
readiness of the country for
Asean integration in 2015.
Julito G. Rada
By Dexter A. See
BAGUIO CITYMayor
Mauricio Domogan is purging
the city of bogus ancestral
domains that eat up the localitys
56-square kilometer territory.
We oppose all ancestral land
applications that do not qualify
under the Indigenous Peoples
Rights Act, whether such
applications cover big or small
parcels of land within protected
areas, told Manila Standard.
He said numerous claims
have clogged the dockets at
the National Commission on
Indigenous Peoples, posing
a serious threat to the citys
protected areas, parks, forests
and watersheds.
He said the city was
reclaiming 23 hectares of the
Forbes Park forest reservation
which the commission had
mistakenly titled.
Domogan also cited the case
of a certicate of ancestral
land title in the name of a dead
person, covering a portion
of Wright park that involved
parcels of lands within the
Presidential mansion.
He ordered the city assessor
to stop issuing tax declarations
over questionable properties to
avoid weakening the case of the
local government in asserting
ownership.
Domogan said legitimate
ancestral land claims were
Igorot claims classied as
alienable and disposable as
ancestral lands under the law on
indigenous peoples rights.
The recognized claims
are 48 Igorot claims under
Commonwealth Case 1;
those screened under Special
Administrative Order 31 and
Department Administrative
Order 2 issued by the
Department of Environment
and Natural Resources.
Crackdown on fake
ancestral domains
INCUMBENT Meycauayan City
Mayor Joan Alarilla asked the
Commission on Elections En
Banc to deny for lack of merit
the motion for reconsideration
led by rival, Salvador Violago
Sr., of the June 27 resolution
of the Second Division that
dismissed his election protest for
being insufcient in form and
substance.
Alarilla, through her lawyer,
Romulo Macalintal, led a 12-
page comment on Tuesday noting
that to sustain Violagos appeal
is to uphold the critics of the
Precinct Count Optical Scanner
(PCOS) who continue assailing
the machines accuracy and
integrity without any factual or
legal basis.
Alarilla won the May 2010
election for Mayor of Meycauayan
City with 43661 votes as against
Violagos 33,168 votes or a wide
margin of 10,493 in favor of
Alarilla.
According to Macalintal,
Violago is no different from those
critical of the PCOS as he insists
on a recount or revision of the
ballots used in the 2010 automated
polls on the basis of general and
shotgun allegations of election
fraud and irregularities.
The integrity and accuracy
of the PCOS count should
not be compromised on the
Alarilla asks Comelec to uphold machine count
basis of Violagos self-serving
assertions, he said.
Violago led a protest
contesting the results from the 26
barangays of Meycauayan City,
alleging massive vote buying,
violence, intimidation and non-
appreciation of valid votes by
the PCOS.
When Violagos protest
was heard on June 27 by the
Second Division, Macalintal
questioned the jurisdiction of the
Comelec to recount the ballots
alleging that the issues raised
by Violago were improper in an
election protest since they were
allegations of election offenses to
be investigated by the Comelec
Law Department and would not
require revision or recount of the
ballots.
On June 27 the Comelec Second
Division dismissed Violagos
protest for being insufcient in
form and substance since the
allegations in his protest are too
broad, too general and highly
speculative or mere recitation of
conclusions based on speculations
such as vote buying, threat or
intimidation, vote padding and
defective PCOS machines and
which will not require a revision
of the ballots.
The Comelec En Banc is
expected to resolve with dispatch
Violagos appeal since Alarilla
had already led her answer.
Quality work force. Administrator Deogracias Custodio, of the Authority of Freeport Area of
Bataan, signs an agreement to pool resources with Administrator Roberto Garcia, of Subic Bay
Metropolitan Authority, Secretary Joel Villanueva, of Technical Educational and Skills Development
Authority, and chief executive Eduardo Oban, of Clark Development Corp. They are joined by other
signatories and ofcials including TESDA Region 3 Director Ted Gatchalian. BUTCH GUNIO
Sarangani Bay shoreline.
Photo courtesy of Sarangani Information Ofce
standardlifestyle@gmail.com
home work relationship
sha.re/
WEDNESDAY
C1 Manila Standard TODAY
Gianna Maniego, Editor
Dinna Chan Vasquez, Assistant Editor
JULY 18, 2012
Break-ups happen, no matter
how hard we try to make
our relationships work. Here
are some ways to end a
relationship without causing a
lot of emotional damage.
BREAK IT TO ME GENTLY
W
H
A
T
S
I
N
S
I
D
E
HAPPINESS IN A CAN
Coca-Cola Philippines and
Chowking team up for a special
promo that is sure to delight
customers.
JUST last week, I started teaching
regular wine classes again, and amidst
all the visibility of wine in the country,
and improving wine consumption,
there are still several questions about
wines that need simple answers and
clarications. From my experience,
even in ordinary social gatherings, I
get asked several questions on wines,
ranging from the most basic to even
the bizarre ones.
Wine has always been very
mysterious to the majority and
intimidating to most. But the mystery
and intimidation are really purely
on lack of knowledge, rather than
wine being extremely technical to
understand as what the aristocratic
wine snobs of the past may have
intended.
At the end of the day, it is still a
wonderful beverage, more natural
than most beverages, and extremely
fascinating to learn about, and
unmatchable pleasure to drink if one
can afford the top drops. Below are
some of the more recent questions
I got on wines. Hopefully you can
identify with these questions.
1. Are wines vegan?
While it seems inconceivable to
Wine Q&A
see animals or animal products used
in wines, it actually happens. It is not
in the grapes, but it is in the winerys
methods of clarication (ning) and
ltration, wherein the natural solids
or sediments are being removed from
the wine before bottling that may
make wine non-vegan. Most wineries
use either isinglass a sh derived
byproduct, gelatin - derived from
animal hooves, or egg whites in their
ltration method. There are, however,
unltered wines that can pass as
vegan, but expect these wines to be
slightly cloudier in appearance due
to presence of natural wine solids.
Many wineries, even of modern
times, consider unltered wines to
be more authentic wines than those
that are ltered, as some wine avors
are said to have been lost during the
clarication process. My only `beef
with unltered wines is that it does not
look very appealing on the glass
but that is purely aesthetics!
2. Does a wine with deep punt
mean better quality?
The punt is the dent underneath the
bottle, and it has absolutely nothing to
do with quality. Many believed that
the origin of the punt is because the
old generation glass makers used to
hold the bottle at the bottom while the
bottle was being blown into shape,
thus leaving that thumb-deep dent in
the middle of the bottom. But the punt
in a bottle has its functional purpose
too. The deep punt forms a fissure
where wine sediments settle on. On
the economic side, obviously deeper
punted wine bottles mean more
expensive bottles too as more glass
material is used, so it is probably right
to say that cheap wines will not come
in bottles with deep punt. However, the
punt has no association with quality in
anyway. It may only make the bottle
look taller and sexier.
3. Are screwcap wines inferior
in quality?
Screwcap in wines has nothing
to do with quality as well. Screwcaps
became popular in the 1990s onwards
due to wineries inherent problem
with natural corks. The problem is
the TCA or Trichroloanisole. TCA
is a compound that surfaced when
chlorine used in cleaning, bleaching
etc. interacts with molds inherent in
the cork. This can either happen in the
cork producers side because chlorine
solution is used to clean the bark of the
cork oak, or at the wineries. TCA is
vulnerable in many areas of a winerys
bottling facilitiesfrom drains,
tanks to the barrels. TCA can easily
be detected on the nose. When the
wines nose manifests an unpleasant
damped cardboard smell, rather than
the more typical fruit and oak flavors,
blame it on TCA. The wine will taste
musty, dull and flat, too. This is to be
differentiated from oxidized wine due
to poor wine storage conditions, where
the sulfur smell is very evident, and the
wines natural color is affected. TCA
still affects around two to five percent
of wines according to industry insights
among wineries using natural corks.
TCA cannot be found in wines with
screwcap. Also, the screwcaps being
used now are much more sophisticated
that those used in the US in the 1970s
for jug wines, the new generation
screwcaps led by industrial giants
Stelvin (French) and Guala Closures
(Italian) are TCA free. However, due
to possible stigma of having screwcaps
in very premium wines, natural cork is
still the choice of closure for expensive
collectible wines.
4. What does legs in the wine
glass mean?
The legs or rivulets of wine that
temporarily cling to the inside of the
glass before dissipating back to its
place when being swirled, reveal
viscosity of the wine. But this viscosity
tells you wine body and nothing
more. And the wine legs may appear
different with the type of glassware
used as crystal glasses can be more
evident than regular glasses. The
cleanliness or lack of it in the glass
may also cause the legs to form so
ensure glasses are wiped impeccably
clean, not just to view the legs, but
also to ensure the purity of the wine
being poured. I still prefer to let the
actual drinking of the wine be my
judge on the wines viscosity rather
than relying on the sight of wine legs
in my glass.
5. Does the word Reserve mean
better?
Except for Spanish regional
DO wines and Italian Chaintis
(specifically for Chianti Riserva), there
is no winemaking process implication
on using the term Reserve or Reserva,
or Riserva. Reserve as a term is
rampantly used especially by New
World wineries. Reserve can sadly
be arbitrarily placed in labels with no
rules. Unlike with Spanish wines, the
term Reserva has a regulated usage,
and can only be placed in labels if the
wine underwent minimum of a full
year in oak barrels, and minimum 2
extra years in cellar prior to release.
This is monitored by the Consejo
Regulador (Regulatory Council) of the
respective Spanish DO regions. This is
why while new releases of Chilean or
Argentinean Reserve wines may be
vintage 2010, Spanish Reserva wines
are probably still releasing vintage
2008. Of course, it is to the best interest
of any New World winery that has
several quality tiers in their portfolio,
to label their better wines Reserve,
but this improved quality from regular
wines, are under the winerys own
discretion, while on the other hand,
Spanish wines need to abide by the
required oak aging law before using
the Reserva term. It is noteworthy to
say that wines undergoing oak aging
will be more expensive than non-oaked
wines, but quality- while supposed to
be better, is still not a guarantee, only
the process is.
Feel free to email me more
questions!
For comments, inquiries, wine
event coverage, wine consultancy
and other wine related concerns,
please e-mail me at protegeinc@
yahoo.com. I am a proud member
of the Federation Internationale des
Journalists et Ecrivains du Vin et des
Spiritueux or FIJEV since 2010. You
can also follow me on twitter at www.
twitter.com/sherwinlao.
Screwcap
Closures are not
inferior to Cork
A deep Punt does not connote
a better Wine
AdeepPunt doesnot connoteabetterWine
A deep
Punt
does not
connote
a better
Wine
of the
Big Apple
A bite
By Dinna Chan Vasquez
GUESTS explored a wealth of possibilities and
rich opportunities while enjoying Bizus food
and drinks at the launch of AXA Philippines
Global Advantage Fund, held at The Loft at the
Manansala Tower in Rockwell, Makati.
The fund is the rst dollar-denominated insurance-linked equity
fund of its kind to be offered in the Philippines. It provides investors the
opportunity to grow their wealth by trading in the NASDAQ 100 Index,
the second most protable stock exchange in the world, second only to the
New York Stock Exchange.
AXA Philippines has the backing of Metrobank and leading world
insurance provider AXA Global (the worlds number one insurance brand,
according to a 2011 Interbrand Report).
The launch party gave guests a taste of the good life in the Big Apple as
ushers and usherettes, dressed in New York-style business suits met them
at the entrance and the registration area.
The formal, suit-or-barong-only event gave everyone a taste of wealth
and privilege, as well as a sense of being on top of the world. Even
something as routine as the guest registration was done using an iPad,
instead of the usual pen and paper.
Ideal for high-net worth clients
During the registration, guests were given the chance to choose mock
versions of stock certicates, each having a corresponding dollar value.
These were given out for use at the auction activity held later on. Glossy
images of New York, Wall Street and Broadway glimmered on the
surrounding LED and LCD screens at the venue.
After all the guests had settled down, a video message from AXA
Philippines president and chief executive Rien Hermans was played on-
screen. According to Hermans, the Global Advantage Fund is the latest
among 23 innovative wealth management funds that AXA Philippines is
offering its high net worth clients in the AXA Privilege category.
These solutions are ideal for high-net worth clients due to their
greater exibility and higher returns for medium-term and long-term
investmentsmaking them superior to the usual market offerings.
Hermans also quipped that, with AXA Philippines offering 23 funds
that high net worth clients may choose from, it is now more funds in
AXA Philippinesmaking a pun out of the popular Department of
Tourism slogan.
These funds allow us to give you multiple investment possibilities to
give you the opportunity to match the risk and upside potential of your
investment with your personal risk tolerance.
Together with the best bank in the Philippines,
Metrobank, we have dened that by having our experts
working together we can provide high net worth clients
of Metrobank and AXA with the most appropriate
investment products to better manage their wealth, said
Hermans.
Auction
After Hermans video message, it was time for Amor
Balagtas, AXA Philippines chief marketing ofcer, to
share more information about the Global Advantage
Fund. She said that the Global Advantage Fund gives
AXA Philippines high net worth clients the opportunity
to invest in the top 100 non-nancial companies in the
NASDAQ Index.
She said these NASDAQ 100 companies include
major global players in the retail, computer hardware
and software, telecommunications, wholesale trade, and
biotechnology industries. Among them are international
brands including Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Cisco, Dell,
Google, Intel, Yahoo, Starbucks and eBay.
With the launch of [Global Advantage Fund],
AXA opens a world of opportunities for you to
diversify your portfolio and explore the potential
gains of investing in this US-dollar denominated
equity fund, she said, adding that the Global
Advantage Fund offers the potential for maximum
returns with minimized risk.
The bell was rung to signal the ofcial launch of the
Global Advantage Fund, adding to everyones excitement
and anticipation. Event host Anthony Pangilinan called
the nights guest of honor, IC Commissioner lawyer
Emmanuel Dooc, along with top Metrobank and AXA
ofcials onstage to ring the bell.
After the bell was rung, a special video presentation
on the Global Advantage Fund was played on the various
LED and LCD screens.
With the Global Advantage Fund ofcially launched,
guests had the chance to participate in the auction, where
fteen coveted items were put on the block for the
highest bidders. The stock certicates they picked at
the registration were put to good use as they bid for the
various items.
The events Guest of Honor, Insurance Commissioner, Emmanuel Dooc, with AXA Philippines and Metro-
bank at the ceremonial ringing of the bell during the NASDAQ stock exchange-themed launch of AXA
Philippines Global Advantage Fund.
ANSWER
TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE
ANSWER TOMORROW
58 Car l i s l e s wi f e i n
Twi l i ght
59 Si t-up rel ati ves
63 I t may be barred or
bol ted
64 Songs for two
65 Engl i sh ari stocrat
66 __, meeny . . .
67 Musl i m god
68 June 6, 1944
Down
1 Key to the l eft of F1
2 Sheepi sh repl y?
3 Heavenl y body
4 C h e e s e - t o p p e d
snacks
5 El ectri ci ty generators
6 ___-Bi ts: cereal
7 Pro hoopster
8 The Pri soner of __
9 Vague quanti ty
10 Ti ny fai ry tal e hero
11 Starti ng poi nt
12 Cl eaned (up)
13 S e a r c h e s l i k e a
detecti on dog
18 Gi ve the boot
22 Donkey syl l abl e
2 3 C i n n a b a r o r
Across
1 Dark, to a poet
5 Tony who pl a y ed
a s i t c om 17- Ac r os s
empl oyee
10 Si tters charges
14 L ee wi t h f r oz en
desserts
15 Barkl ey who served
under 41-Across
LOS ANGELES
TIMES
CROSSWORD
16 ... thunder, lightning,
__ rai n?: Macbeth
17 I t arranges pi ckups
19 Modest dress
20 Li ke a crowd i n awe
2 1 E n d - o f - w e e k
excl amati on
22 Vagrants
25 Emi r
2 8 Mo c e d a d e s h i t
whose ti tl e means you
are
30 Gol f uni ts
31 Sl i ppery swi mmer
3 2 H o w D e n n i s
Eckersl ey pi tched
36 Si mpl e . . . or a hi nt
t o t he hi dden puz z l e
theme i n 17-, 25-, 50-
and 59-Across
40 Desexes
41 FDR s successor
4 4 O u t b u r s t s t h a t
provoke bl essi ngs
47 Harl ey al ternati ve
50 Mar yl and s eaf ood
fare
54 The Lusi tani a, e. g.
55 Si dewal k border
56 Gui tari st, sl angi l y
magneti te
24 Lugosi of Dracul a
26 Ha v i ng a l ot of
nerve
27 Chef Cat __
29 Pat ri ot i c Ol ympi cs
chant
33 Bel i ever s suffi x
34 Gray hai r di sgui ser
35 Pl ace for a ri ng
37 El i ti sm
3 8 F e d . a n t i -
di scri mi nati on org.
39 Bi ggers s detecti ve
42 54-Across pronoun
43 Pi t goo
44 Acqui esce
45 Defoe ti tl e surname
4 6 L o n g t i me T i g e r
Woods coach Butch __
48 Astronaut Shepard
49 Chopped, as garl i c
51 Afghan capi tal
52 Stand out i n a fi el d
53 Mattress gi ant
57 Sl ed dog command
59 Dri l l ers org.
60 I ve been __!
61 I mportant ti me
62 Surrepti ti ous
WEDNESDAY C2
JULY 18, 2012
Gianna Maniego, Editor
Dinna Chan Vasquez, Assistant Editor
ManilaStandardToday
home work relationships
sha.re/
standardlifestyle@gmail.com
1. Make it clear that it' s over.
Tell him the major reasons why
but don't enumerate every single
mistake he commited during
the relationship. Don't give him
false hopes. Make him realize
that your feelings for him have
changed and he has to move on.
Giving false hopes leads to des-
perate 3 a.m. calls asking you to
take him/ her back. Tell him the
decision will not change no mat-
ter what.
2. Be honest but don' t be cruel.
You don't have to tell him the rea-
son you're breaking up with him is
because he is a bad kisser. While
being honest is good, citing all his
negative traits will only make him
feel bad about himself. On the other
hand, never use the eternal its not
you, its me excuse because its
obvious that youre not who this
person wants to date.
3. Dont do it online or via
text message. That is just plain
annoying and insulting. Even if
By Joba Botana
SOMETIMES, no matter how hard you and your partner have worked to make the relationship
work, one has to let go and the other has to accept it. These days, you also have to be careful or you
might end up the subject of a live coverage on Twitter while engaged in a heated argument with
your ex. There is no easy way to end a relationship. After all, one enters a relationship hoping it is
for keeps (most of the time, at least). Here are some ways to cushion the blow:
the two of you only dated for a
couple of months, at least end
it face to face. Although some
people who have gone off in
short-term relationships say
breaking via phone call is okay,
I still believe that the other per-
son deserves such respect that
you have to do it in person.
4. Dont let him/her be the
last person to know your feel-
ings. Imagine sharing to your
friends how much you love your
girlfriend to the point of divulg-
ing your surprise monthsary gift
only to nd out from them that
your girlfriend is about to break
up with you. You will denitely
feel like the the biggest loser on
Earth. Telling a close friend or
two about your plan of breaking
up with your boyfriend is okay,
but a big crowd is a no-no.
5. Choose the right time and
place before breaking the bad
news. Okay, sometimes you just
want to get it done and over with
but while its not your responsi-
bility to see how the other person
survives the breakup, you can
help ease the transition by con-
sidering when to break the news
to him/her. At the same time,
its thoughtful and courteous to
choose a semi-private spot where
you two can talk properly without
the other person feeling ashamed
because the rest of the people in
the area can hear your breakup
spiel. It is also good to be aware
of what is going on in his/her life.
If he/she just lost his/her job the
other day, at least, give the person
some time to adjust before break-
ing the news.
6. It is okay to keep in touch
but only on special occasions.
Its good to be friends with
your ex--but not close friends.
Maintaining a civil relationship
with your ex shows that you
have no hard feelings for each
other but accept the fact, that
its very awkward and not just
right if you two become the best
of friends. You may greet your
ex on special occasions like
birthday or Christmas but thats
about it. Calling him every other
day or in a week or even a month
is not really helpful. It will only
confuse the person and puts you
back into the forefront of his/her
mind. Save yourself from that
post-breakup glitch. Remember:
You.dont.have.to.know.every.
single.news.about.him/her.after.
the.breakup.
By Ed Biado
DO you notice how most
weddings youve been
invited to are on week-
ends? Thats not a
coincidence. In
fact, schedul-
ing the big
day on a Satur-
day or Sunday is
a well-thought out
decision and a huge
factor in the decision-
making process happens
to be the availability of
the guests. But more and
more couples are opting
for weekday weddings be-
cause its easier to book
suppliers and venues for
weekdays. And theyre
less expensive too.
Accord-
ing to we-
dalert.com,
a weekday
we d d i n g
is a wed-
ding indus-
try trend that is gaining
popularity and acceptance
because of substantial sav-
ings involved. The website
states that the practice has
long been a European tra-
dition. But in many other
cultures, including our own
that includes a church cere-
mony with mass, weekends
are more commonplace and
appropriate.
Weekday weddings prove
to be a hassle for guests who
have regular jobs. Sure,
if you send out your save-
the-date early enough, your
guests will have time to le
their leaves. But remember
that youll be depriving
your acquaintances and rel-
atives of one valuable leave
credit that they could use
for personal reasons. Then,
youll have to take into con-
sideration the possibility of
some of your guests not be-
ing able to make iteven if
they already RSVPdbe-
cause of work emergencies,
which usually doesnt hap-
pen on weekends.
Wedding website thek-
not.com says, ...it may be
difcult for guests to travel
for a wedding thats in the
middle of the week (unless
it is a destination wedding,
which is already a several-
day trip), and even those
who are close by may not
be able to easily get off of
work for the day.
This further involves hav-
ing out-of-towners arrive the
day before the wedding if the
ceremony is in the morning,
or depart the next day if the
ceremony is in the afternoon.
So thats two days of their
workweek, which wouldnt
be the case for weekend
weddings.
Therefore, a weekday
wedding works if you want
an intimate and cost-effective
affair only to be attended by
close friends and immediate
family. But of course, you
risk giving the impression
that youre cheap and/or the
invitations you sent out to
everybody else are merely lip
service. Some people actu-
ally consider that rude. But
hey, its your wedding; so its
your call.
Scheduling
the Big Day
WE love sharing photos via online albums, Facebook posts and picture
messages. This is because of the ease and convenience of uploading and
sharing photos through mobile phones.
Before, people would store and share their photos using physical al-
bums. The process of taking, processing, printing and sticking photos in
an album would take weeks. It was not until the 80s that digitalization was
introduced. People were then able to hand over a CD of images or attach
a photo le by email.
In 2000, the rst camera phones appeared, followed by the rst MMS-
capable mobile phones. This started the trend of mobile photo sharing.
Contributing greatly to this phenomenon was Nokia, the worlds biggest
camera manufacturer. It has continuously presented numerous devices that
have built-in cameras and mobile sharing capabilities.
Nokia makes another milestone in image technology with their new
Nokia 808 PureView. This groundbreaking smartphone captures your
everyday moments with its world-class Carl Zeiss 41MP lens and then
transforms photos into 5MP images that can be instantly and easily shared.
To help make your photos stand out Nokia Store offers apps such as
Photofunia, PhotoFX and Camera Lover Pack to add effects and props
before you capture a photo. Then you can instantly upload this and share
it to your friends through mail or to your social networks.
Photo sharing made easy
C o c a - C o l a
Philippines col-
laborates with
Chowking, a
leading fast-food
chain in the Phil-
ippines, in giv-
ing customers a
chance to avail of a limited
edition Coca-Cola Chowking
Canister with every Chowking
Chef Bowl Specials and Coca-
Cola Beverage.
This is also our way to
give back to our loyal custom-
ers for making Coca-Cola part of
their lives for the last 100 years by treating
them with limited edition Coca-Cola col-
lectibles, says
J o c e l y n
Reyes, Coca-
Cola account
manager for
Jollibee Foods
Corporation.
The limited
edition Happiness in a Can
Coca-Cola Chowking Canis-
ter is available to Chowking
customers for only P50 when
you buy one (1) Chef Bowl
Specials in any of its exciting
avors: Honey Garlic Chick-
en, Oriental Beef, and Fish Tausi
and One (1) large Coca-Cola beverage.
Promo period is from May 26 to June 30.
Coke, Chowking offer up
Happiness in a Can
gently
IT TO ME
Br ak
e
CYAN MAGENTAYELLOW BLACK
Classifeds
ManilaStandardToday
adv.mst@gmail.com
Page Compositor: Diana Keyser Punzalan
C3
Republic of the Philippines
Department of Public Works and Highways
OFFICE OF THE DISTRICT ENGINEER
Compostela Valley District Engineering Offce
Nabunturan, Comval Province
Tel. No. & Fax No. 084-376-1040
I NVI TATI ON TO BI D
No. 2012-014
(MST-July 18, 2012)
The Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) of the Department of Public Works
& Highways, Compostela Valley District Engineering Offce, Nabunturan, Comval
Province, invites contractors to bid for the :
Contract ID : 12LA-0014
Contract Name: Construction of Flood Control Structures (Sheet Piles
& Grouted Riprap)
Contract Location: Agusan River, Brgy. Inambatan, Monkayo Comval
Province
Description: Flood Control, Mobilization?Demobilization, Facilities
for Engineers & Other General Requirements
Approved Budget for Contract: Php 28,702,537.25
Cost of Bid Documents: P20,000.00
Source of Fund: GOP
Contract Duration: 240 Cal. Days
The BAC will conduct the procurement process in accordance with the Revised
IRR 9184. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at the
opening of bid.
To bid for this contract, a contractor must submit a Letter of Intent (LOI), purchase
bid documents and must meet the following major criteria: (a)prior registration with
the DPWH, (b) Filipino Citizen or 75% Filipino-Owned Partnership, Corporation,
cooperative or joint venture, (c) with PCAB License applicable to the type and cost of
this contract, (d) completion of a similar contract costing at least 50% of ABC within
a period of ten years, (e) Net Financial Contracting Capacity at least equal to ABC,
or Credit Line Commitment issued by reputable Commercial Bank at least equal to
10% of the ABC. The BAC will use non-discretionary pass/fail criteria in the eligibility
check and preliminary examination of bids.
Unregistered contractors, however, shall submit application for registration to
the DPWH-POCW, Central Offce before the deadline for the receipt of LOI. The
DPWH-POCW Central Offce will only process contractors application for registration
with the complete requirements and issue Contractors registration Certifcate (CRC).
Registration forms can be download at the DPWH Website.www.dpwh.gov.ph.
The signifcant times and deadlines of procurement activities are shown below:
1. Issuance of Bidding Documents : July 18, 2012- August 7, 2012
2. Deadline of Receipt of LOI : August 2, 2012 @ 12:00 Noon
3. Pre-Bid Conference : July 25, @ 10:00 A.M.
4. Receipt of Bids : August 7,2012 @ 1:30 P.M.
5. Opening of Bids : August 7, 2012@ 2:00 P.M.
Pre-bid conference will be held at DPWH, Conference Room, Compostela Valley
District Engineering Offce, Nabunturan, Comval Province
The BAC will also issue hard copies of Bidding Documents (BDs) at the BAC
Secretariat, DPWH, Nabunturan, Comval Province upon payment of the said fees.
Prospective bidders may also download the BDs from the DPWH website if
available. Prospective bidders that will download the BDs from the DPWH website
shall pay the said fees a day before the submission of their bid documents. The Pre-
bid conference shall open only to interested parties who have purchased the BDs.
Bid must be accompanied by the Bid Security, in the amount and acceptable form, at
stated in Section 27.2 of the Revised IRR.
Prospective bidders shall submit their duly accomplished forms as specifed in the
BDs in two (2) separate sealed bid envelope to the BAC Chairman. The First envelope
shall contain the Technical component of the bid, which included a copy of CRC. The
second envelope shall contain the fnancial component of the bid. These envelopes
shall be enclcosed in one single envelope submitted to the BAC Chairman. Late bids
shall not be accepted. Contract will be awarded to the Lowest Calculated Responsive
Bid as determine in the Bid Evaluation and Post Qualifcation.
The Department of Public Works and Highways, Compostela Valley District
Engineering offce, Nabunturan, Comval Province reserves the right to accept or reject
any bid, to annul the bidding process anytime prior to Contract Award, without thereby
incurring any liability to the affected bidders.
For further information please refer to:
EDWIN M. ORTIZ
Engineer II
Head-BAC Secetariat
e-mail address: dpwh_bacnab@yahoo.com
(Sgd.) EVA M. DEL FIERRO
Chief, Matl. Quality Control Section
BAC Chairman
(MST-July 18, 2012)
The Municipality of Bantay, through the Bids and Awards Committee
(BAC), invites contractors registered with and classifed by the Philippine
Contractors Accreditation Board (PCAB) to apply for eligibility and if
found eligible, to bid for the hereunder contract:
Name of Contract: Construction of Bantay Public Market
Location: Brgy. VI, Bantay, Ilocos Sur
Brief Description: Infrastructure
Approved Budget for
the Contract (ABC): P 22,977,000.00
Source of Fund: Bank Loan
Contract Duration: 210 days
Prospective bidders should possess a valid PCAB License
applicable to the contract, have completed a similar contract with
a value of at least 50% of the ABC, and have key personnel and
equipment (listed in the Eligibility Forms) for the prosecution of the
contract. The BAC will use non-discretionary pass/fail criteria in the
Eligibility Check/Screening as well as the Preliminary Examination of
Bids. The BAC will conduct post-qualifcation of the lowest calculated
bid.
All particular relative to Eligibility Statement and Screening, Bid
Security, Performance Security, Pre-Bidding Conference/s, Evaluation
of Bids, Post-Qualifcation and Award of Contract shall be governed by
the pertinent provisions of RA 9184 and its Implementing Rules and
Regulations (IRR).
The complete schedule of activities is listed as follows:
BAC Activities Schedule
1. Receipt from prospective bidders of Letter of Intent (LOI) July 9, 2012
Including Application for Eligibility
2. Issuance of Eligibility Forms July 10, 2012
3. Receipt of Eligibility Requirements July 11, 2012
4. Notice of Results of Eligibility Check July 12, 2012
5. Issuance of Bid Documents July 13, 2012
6. Pre-Bid Conference July 16, 2012 (10:00 am)
7. Receipt and Opening of Bids July 30, 2012 (2:00 pm)
The BAC will issue to Prospective Bidders Eligibility Forms at the
Mayors Offce, Bantay, Ilocos Sur, upon their submission of a LOI,
and upon payment of a non-refundable fee for Eligibility Forms to
the Municipal Treasurer. Prospective bides shall submit the Eligibility
Requirements to the BAC at the said address. They may also obtain
the results of the Eligibility Check by the BAC at the same address.
The BAC will issue Bid Documents only to bidders declared by the
BAC to be Eligible for the bidding upon payment of a non-refundable
fee to the Municipal Treasurer.
The BAC assumes no responsibility whatsoever to compensate
or indemnify bidders for any expenses incurred in the preparation of
their bids.
Contact Person: Approved by:
(Sgd.) WILLIAM V. PADRE (Sgd.) JONATHAN V. GOROSPE
BAC Secretariat BAC Chairman
INVITATION TO BID
Province of Ilocos Sur
Municipality of Bantay
OFFICE OF THE BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE
PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT OF ORIENTAL MINDORO
Camilmil, Calapan City 5200, Oriental Mindoro
BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE
INVITATION TO BID
ITB No. CW-2012-65, 66 & 67 and ITB No. GS-2012-106 & 107
(MST-July 18 & 24, 2012)
The Provincial Government of Oriental Mindoro invites PhilGeps registered suppliers/contractors
to Apply for Eligibility and to Bid for the hereunder list of item/s.
Item/Description Approved
Budget for the
Contract (ABC)
Bid
Document
Fee
Source of
Funding
1. Construction/Completion of Swimming Pool
Phase I at JJ Leido Jr. Sports Complex,
Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro
2. Construction of Dike-Apitong Comunal Irrigation
Project at Naujan, Oriental Mindoro
3. Improvement of Oval and Track at JJLJMNHS,
4. Supply and Delivery of Construction Materials
and Supplies for Concreting of Parking and
Driveway with Curb and Gutter at Oriental
Mindoro Provincial Hospital, Calapan City,
Oriental Mindoro
5. Supply and Delivery of Construction Materials
and Supplies for Construction of Finance
Building Phase I at Capitol Complex, Camilmil,
Php 14,388,493.50
Php 8,948,011.72
Php 10,482,536.03
Php 3,486,632.00
Php 3,662,238.00
Php 2,000.00
Php 1,500.00
Php 2,000.00
Php 17,433.16
Php 18,311.19
General Fund (SB No.
1 of 2012)
Trust Fund (Balikatan
Sagip Patubig
Program-Dept. of
Agriculture)
SB No. 02 and Special
Education Fund
Trust Fund (SARO No.
BMB-B-11 -0027269
HFEP-DOH)
20% Devt Fund

The schedule of bidding activities is as follows:
1. Pre-procurement Conference : July 16,2012 at 10:00 a.m. at BAC Offce
2. Advertisement/Posting of ITB
- Bulletin Board of the PGOM : July 18,2012
- PGOM Website : July 18,2012
- PhilGEPS Website : July 18,2012
- Newspaper of General Nationwide Circulation : July 18,2012 and July 24,2012
3. Receipt of Letter of Intent (LOI) and Eligibility
Requirements : July 25,2012
4. Issuance of Bidding Documents : July 26, 2012-August 13, 2012
5. Pre-Bid Conference : July 31,2012 at 10:00 a.m. at BAC Offce
6. Deadline of Submission of Bids : August 13,2012 at 1:30 p.m. at BAC Offce
7. Opening of Bid in sealed envelope
a) Eligibility Requirements and Technical Proposal : August 13,2012 at 2:00 p.m. at BAC Offce
b) Financial Proposal : August 13,2012 at 2:00 p.m. at BAC Offce
Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using non-discretionary
pass/fail criterion as specifed in R.A. 9184 and its IRR otherwise known as the Government
Procurement Reform Act.
The complete set of bidding documents may be purchased at the BAC Secretariat upon payment
of non-refundable price of bid documents indicated above.
Pre-Bid Conference shall be opened to all interested parties, however only those who purchased
the Bidding Documents may participate in the discussion at said conference.
All particulars relative to eligibility requirements and screening, bid security, performance security,
pre-bid conference, evaluation of bids, post-qualifcation and award of contract shall be governed
by the provision of R.A. 9184 and its IRR.
The PGOM reserves the right to accept or reject bid to annul bidding process, and to reject all bids at
anytime prior to contract award without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.
For further information, please refer to:
MR. JULIO R. ICAL
Head, BAC Secretariat
Provincial Capitol, Camilmil, Calapan City
Tel. Nos. (043) 286-7120
(043) 286-7447
(Sgd.) ENGR. ELMER V. DILAY
Provincial Engineer
BAC Chairman
InvItatIon to BId for the Supply, delIvery and InStallatIon of one (1) lot
GranIte SlaB for paGCor CluB ronquIllo
ItB no. 07-12-2012pav
Phi l i ppi ne Amusement & Gami ng Corporati on
A Sure Bet for Progress in Gaming, Entertainment and Nation Building
(MST-July 18, 2012)
The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) is inviting all interested bidders in
its forthcoming public bidding for the Supply, Delivery and Installation of One (1) Lot Granite Slab
for PAGCOR Club Ronquillo.
Approved Budget: Three Mi l l i on Ni ne Hundred Thousand Pesos and 00/ 100
(PhP3,900,000.00)
(VAT-exclusive, zero-rated transaction):
Delivery Schedule: Thirty (30) calendar days from the effectivity period specifed in the
Notice to Proceed
Source of Fund: Internally Funded
This bidding is open to all suppliers; provided that the winning bidder should be registered with
PAGCOR prior to award of contract. Unregistered suppliers must register at the Suppliers Registration
& Evaluation Section (SRES), Procurement Department (PD), 2nd Floor PAGCOR House, 1330
Roxas Blvd., Ermita, Manila, Tel. No. 526-0573.
Bidders should have completed, within the last three (3) years before the date of submission and
receipt of bids, a contract similar to the Project. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in
the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II. Instructions to Bidders. Bidding will be conducted
through open competitive bidding procedure using a non-discretionary pass/fail criterion as specifed
in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) 9184, otherwise known as
the Government Procurement Reform Act. Post qualifcation of the lowest calculated bid shall be
conducted.
Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least
sixty percent (60%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines, and to
citizens or organizations of a country the laws or regulations of which grant similar rights or privileges
to Filipino citizens, pursuant to RA 5183 and subject to Commonwealth Act 138.
All particulars relative to the Pre-Bid Conference, Evaluation of Bids, Post-Qualifcation and Award
of Contract shall be governed by the pertinent provisions of R.A. 9184 and its Implementing Rules
and Regulation (IRR).
The schedule of activities is listed, as follows:
Activities Schedule
1. Issuance of Bid Documents Jul 18, 2012 (Wed) to Aug 6, 2012 (Mon)
2. Pre-Bid Conference Jul 24, 2012 (Tue) (2:30 pm)
3. Deadline on Submission of Bids Aug 6, 2012 (Mon) (2:30 pm)
4. Opening of Bids Aug 6, 2012 (Mon) (2:30 pm onwards)
Complete details of the project are indicated in the bid documents which will be available to prospective
bidders at the BBAC Secretariat PPD, Casino Filipino-Pavilion, upon payment of a non-refundable
bidding fee of FIVE THOUSAND FOUR HUNDRED SIXTY PESOS (PhP5,460.00). Prospective
bidders may download the bid documents, free of charge, from the website of the PHILGEPS:
www.philgeps.net and the PAGCOR Website: www.pagcor.ph and may be allowed to submit bids
provided that bidders pay the non-refundable bidding fee not later than the date of submission of
bids. The Pre-bid Conference is open to all interested bidders; however, only those bidders who
have purchased the Bidding Documents and presented the PAGCOR Offcial Receipt as
proof of payment, may participate in the discussion at the said conference or submit written
queries or clarifcations. Prospective bidders should present to Finance Section at the 5
th
Floor of
Casino Filipino-Pavilion, Manila Pavilion Hotel, U. N. Avenue, Ermita, Manila either the Bidding Fee
Slip which may be secured from the PPS or a copy of this ITB in effecting payment for the Bidding
Documents. All Bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in
the amount stated in ITB Clause 18.
PAGCOR assumes no responsibility whatsoever to compensate or indemnify bidders for any expenses
incurred in the preparation of their bids.
PAGCOR reserves the right to accept or reject any Bid, and to annul the bidding process and reject
all Bids at any time prior to contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected
bidder or bidders.
Please address all communications to Mr. Arturo Joel T. Gonzalez IV, BBAC Chairperson, Casino
Filipino-Pavilion, Manila Pavilion Hotel, U. N. Avenue, Ermita, Manila, Tel No.: 523-3635.
(SGD.) ARTURO JOEL T. GONZALEZ IV
Chairperson, BBAC
Casino Filipino-Pavilion
(MST-July 18, 2012)
LUNGSOD NG MAKATI
Bids and Awards Committee
J.P. Rizal St. corner F. Zobel St., Makati City
Tel. No. 870-1000 Fax No. 899-8988
www.makati.gov.ph
INVITATION TO BID
REPUBLIKA NG PILIPINAS
The City Government of Makati, through its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), invites suppliers/manufacturers/
distributors/contractors to apply for eligibility and to bid for the hereunder projects:
NO. NAME OF PROJECT AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION LOCATION APPROVED BUDGET
1 Air Humidifer and other medical supplies for the use of Ospital ng Makati OSMAK P3,943,948.00
2 Electrical Materials for the repair and maintenance of University of Makati
Administration Building
DEPW P2,742,851.00
3 Plumbing Materials for the repair and maintenance of University of Makati
Administration Building
DEPW P2,246,283.00
4 Termite Eradication and Prevention Program at various public buildings
of District I and II
DEPW P2,989,566.46
5 Various equipment for the use of Integrated Civil Engineering Laboratory
of the College of Technology Management - University of Makati
UMAK P18,582,109.00
Prospective Bidders should have experience in undertaking a similar project with an amount of at least 50% of the
proposed project for bidding. The Eligibility Check/Screening as well as the Preliminary Examinations of Bids shall use
non-discretionary pass/fail criteria. Post-Qualifcation of the Lowest Calculated Bid shall be conducted.
All particulars relative to Eligibility Statement and Screening, Bid Security, Performance Security, Pre-Bidding
Conference(s), Evaluation of Bids, Post-Qualifcation and Award of Contract shall be governed by the pertinent provisions
of R.A. 9184 and its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR).
The complete schedule of activities is listed, as follows:
ACTIVITIES SCHEDULE
1. Pre-Bidding Conference at BAC Conference Room, 9th Floor July 26, 2012 (2:00 P.M.)
2. Opening of Bids at BAC Conference Room, 9th Floor August 09, 2012 (2:00 P.M.)
Bidding Documents will be available only to Prospective Bidders upon payment of a non-refundable amount of
______________________ to the City Government of Makati Cashier.
(fee for Bid Documents) (Procuring Entity)
The City Government of Makati assumes no responsibility whatsoever to compensate or indemnify bidders
(Procuring Entity)
for any expenses incurred in the preparation of the bid.
The City of Makati reserves the right to disqualify any or all proposal, to waive any defects or informalities therein and
to accept such proposal as may be considered most advantageous to the Government.
Approved by:
(Sgd.) MARJORIE A. DE VEYRA
Chairperson
N O T I C E
Industry & Investments Building, 385 Sen. Gil J. Puyat Avenue, Makati City, Philippines
Trunkline: 897-6682, (IPG) 896-9212, (MSG) 896-5167, (PAG) 895-3983
(ISG) 890-3056, (FASD) 890-9325
Website: http//www.boi.gov.ph P.O. Box 1872 Makati City
(MST-July 18, 2012)
Notice is hereby given that LEGACY RENOVE, INC. is
applying for registration with the Board of Investments (BOI) as
New Export Producer of Handicrafts at an annual production
capacity of 200,000 pieces on a Non-pioneer status, with project
site located at Km. 23, SEB Commercial Complex, Baltao
Compound, Brgy. San Idisro, Taytay, Rizal.

Any person with valid objection/s on the above-mentioned
project may fle his/her objection in writing, under oath, with the
BOI within three (3) days from the date of this publication.
(Sgd.) RUDY B. CAA
Director
Manufacturing Industries Department
For
fast
ad
results,
please
call
659-48-30
local
303
(MST-July 18, 2012)
Department of Education
REGION IV -A CALABARZON
Gate 2 Karangalan Village
Cainta, Rizal
INVITATION TO BID FOR
Supply and Door-to-Door delivery of School Furnitures for CY 2011
School Furniture Program
1. The Department of Education, Region I V -A, through the Republic Act
No. 10147 FY 2011 GAA intends to apply the sum of Fifteen Million
Fifty Seven Thousand Three Hundred Eighty Five Pesos and 20/100
(15,057,385.20) being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to
payments under the contract for the Supply and Door-to-Door delivery
of School Furnitures. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be
automatically rejected at bid opening.
Bids shall be on a per Cluster Basis:
Cluster I ------------------------------------------ ABC Php7,502,620.25
5,389 pcs. Elementary Armchairs
2,199 pcs. Secondary Armchairs
53 sets Teachers Table & Chair
Cluster II ------------------------------------------ ABC PhpPhp7,554,764.25
3,366 pcs. Elementary Arm chairs
3,170 pcs. Secondary Armchairs
125 sets Teachers Table &. Chair Set
5 sets Science Lab Table & Stool Set
1 pc Workbench
2. The Deparment of Education, Region IV-A now invites bids for the
Supply and door to-Door delivery of School Furnitures. Delivery of the
Goods is required to be delivered within One Hundred Twenty Calendar
Days (120) upon receipt of the Notice to proceed. Bidders should have
completed. within three (3) years from the date of submission and receipt
of bids, a contract similar to the Project. The description of an eligible
bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section
II. Instructions to Bidders.
3. Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures
using a non-discretionary pass/fail criterion as specified in the
Implementing Rules and Regulations (lRR) of Republic Act (RA) 9184,
otherwise known as the Government Procurement Reform Act.
4. Bidding is open to all interested bidders, whether local or foreign, subject
to the conditions for eligibility provided in the IRR of RA 9184.
5. Interested bidders may obtain further information from the Department
of Education Region IV -A and inspect the Bidding Documents at the
address given below during Monday to Friday from 8:00 to 4:00 p.m.
A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested
Bidders on July 18, 2012 from the address below and upon payment of
a nonrefundable fee for the Bidding Documents in the amount of Two
Thousand Pesos (2,000.00) Only.
6. The Department of Education. Region IV-A will hold a Pre-Bid
Conference on July 24, 2012 at 2:00 in the afternoon to be held at the
Conference Room of DepED Region IV-A. Gate 2 karangalan Village,
Cainta. Rizal. which shall be open to all interested parties who have
purchased the Bidding Documents.
7. Bids must be delivered to the address stated herein on or before August
6, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. All Bids must be accompanied by a bid security
in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause
18.
Bid opening shall be on August 6. 2012 at 10:00 a.m. at the Conference
Room of DepED Region IV-A, Gate 2 Karangalan Village, Cainta, Rizal.
Bids will be opened in the presence of the Bidders representatives who
choose to attend at the address stated above. Late bids shall not be
accepted.
8. The Department of Education, Region IV-A reserves the right to accept
or reject any bid, to annul the bidding process, and to reject all bids at
any time prior to contract award, without thereby incurring any liability
to the affected bidder or bidders.
(Sgd.) ANN GERALYN T. PELIAS
Chief Administrative Offcer
BAC Chairman
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS AND HIGHWAYS
Benguet 2
nd
District Engineering Offce
OFFICE OF THE DISTRICT ENGINEER
Natubleng, Buguias, Benguet
INVITATION TO BID
The Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) of the Department of Public Works and
Highways, Benguet Second District Engineering Offce, Natubleng, Buguias, Benguet,
through SR2012-05-004547 invites contractors to bid for the afore mentioned project
1. Contract ID : 12PF014
Contract Name : Restoration of Roadslip/Road Cut along Tublay, Benguet
(Package VllI 2012)
a) Restoration of Roadslip/Road cut along Acop Kapangan
Kibungan Bakun Road KO274+500 - KO274+600,
Tublay, Benguet
ABC: P 3,687,619.00
b) Restoration of Roadslip/Road cut and Slope Protection
along Acop Kapangan Kibungan Bakun Road
K0264+200 - K0268+900 (i.s.),Tublay, Benguet
ABC P 3,694,093.00
Contract Location: Tublay, Benguet
Scope of Work: MRB - Maintenance Roads and Bridges
Approve Budget for the Contract (ABC): P 7,381,712.00
Contract Duration: 155 calendar days
The BAC will conduct the procurement process in accordance with the Revised
IRR of R.A. 9184. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected
at the opening of bid.

To bid for this contract, a contractor must submit a Letter of Intent (LOI), purchase
bid documents and must meet the following major criteria: (a) prior registration with
DPWH, (b) Filipino citizen or 75% Filipino-owned partnership, corporation, cooperative,
or joint venture, (c) with PCAB license applicable to the type and cost of this contract,
(d) completion of a similar contract costing at least 50% of ABC within a period of 10
years, and (e) Net Financial Contracting Capacity at least equal to ABC, or credit line
commitment at least equal to 10% of ABC. The BAC will use non-discretionary pass/
fail criteria in the eligibility check and preliminary examination of bids.

Unregistered contractors, however, shall submit their applications for registration to
the DPWH-POCW Central Offce before the deadline for the receipt of LOI. The DPWH
POCW-Central Offce will only process contractors applications for registration with
complete requirements and issue the Contractors Certifcate of Registration (CRC).
Registration Forms may be downloaded at the DPWH website www.dpwh.gov.ph.
Letter of Intent thru mail will not be accepted. Only Authorized Liaison Offcer as
refected in the Contractors Registration Certifcate (CRC) will be allowed to transact
with the BAC.
The signifcant times and deadlines of procurement activities are shown below:
1. Issuance of Bidding Documents From: July 12 August 14, 2012
2. Pre-Bid Conference August 2, 2012 (10:30 am)
3. Deadline of Receipt of LOI from
Prospective Bidders
August 9, 2012 (before 12:00 noon)
4. Receipt of Bids Until 10:00am August 14, 2012
5. Opening of Bids August 14, 2012; 10:30am
The BAC will issue hard copies of Bidding Documents (BDs) Benguet Second
District Engineering Offce, Natubleng, Buguias, Benguet, upon payment of a non-
refundable fee of Ten Thousand Pesos (P 10,000.00).Prospective bidders may also
download the BDs from the DPWH website, if available. Prospective bidders that will
download the BDs from the DPWH website shall pay the said fees on or before the
submission of their bids Documents. Bids must accompanied by a bid security, in the
amount and acceptable form, as stated in Section 27.2 of the Revised IRR.

Prospective bidders shall submit their duly accomplished forms as specifed in
the BDs in two (2) separate sealed bid envelopes to the BAC Chairman. The frst
envelope shall contain the technical component of the bid, which shall include a copy
of the CRC. The second envelope shall contain the fnancial component of the bid.
Contract will be awarded to the Lowest Calculated Responsive Bid as determined in
the bid evaluation and post-qualifcation.

The Benguet Second District Engineering Offce, Natubleng, Buguias, Benguet,
reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, to annul the bidding process anytime
prior contract award, without incurring any liability to the affected bidders.

Approved by:
(Sgd.) EDUARDO C. GALANZA
OIC-Asst. District Engineer
BAC Chairman
DPWH-BSDEO, Natubleng, Buguias, Benguet
Noted:
(Sgd.) DOMINADOR A. DAWAY
OIC-District Engineer
(MST-July 18, 2012)
C4
Isah V. Red, Editor standard.showbiz@gmail.com
showbitz
BESSIE Badilla, the rst Fil-
ipina ever to become Carnival
Queen in Brazil will be in Ma-
nila for the Philippine premier
of Dance of My Life on Friday,
July 27 at 9 p.m. at the CCP Lit-
tle Theater.
The 75-minute documentary
written and directed by Lyca
Benitez-Brown is presented as
part of Cinemalayas Documen-
taries section after well-received
screenings at lm festivals in New
York City, Chicago and Honolulu.
It was also selected for the Thes-
saloniki International Documen-
tary Market in Greece.
Dance of My Life shows be-
hind-the-scenes footage of Carni-
val, an annual celebration that is
also a competition among neigh-
borhood associations known as
Escolas de Samba. Bessie was
invited to star in the carnival pa-
rades of three of the biggest sam-
ba schools in Sao Paulo, Brazils
largest city. She needed to learn
how to speak Portuguese as well
as dance samba the Brazilian way
to become part of the carnival
competition and perform before a
crowd of 50,000 people.
An exuberant celebration of
life is how Tony award winning
actress Ching Valdes described
Dance of My Life after seeing it
in New York. She added that it
is an inspiration to the empow-
erment of women. A must see.
Shot on location in Brazil,
the U.S., France and the Philip-
pinesDance of My Life took
two years to complete, accord-
ing to director Benitez-Brown.
We worked with an interna-
tional crew of Brazilians, Filipi-
nos and Americans with a very
limited budget but with lots and
lots of heart she says of the in-
dependent production presented
in the Philippines by Cinema-
laya with the support of the Cul-
tural Center of the Philippines,
the Film Development Council
of the Philippines and Econolink
Investments, Inc.
Tickets are P150 and are avail-
able from the CCP Box Ofce at
832-3704 and the CCP Film Of-
ce at 832-1125 (loc. 1704/05).
SUMMER maybe over, but the
fun continues this jolly month of
July in Albay with its wide array
of festivities to showcase its rich
cultural and agricultural legacy.
The town of Malilipot, cra-
dle of the abaca industry in the
province, kicks off with the Lu-
bid Festival to put a spotlight on
the age-old craft of abaca ber
weaving. Founded in the 1600,
the town is a steady source of
exquisitely hand-woven abaca
handicrafts, bags, accessories
and novelties.
Another noteworthy attraction
is the Busay Falls, one of the most
frequented waterfalls in Bicolan-
dia due to its accessibility.
Merry-making shifts to Libon,
the provinces rice granary, with
Paroy Festival from July 21-25,
which puts to the fore the towns
main source of livingparoy
or rice. The celebration is also
prelude to the feast of the towns
patron saint St. James the Great.
It features various activities in-
cluding street parade, sports fest,
longest tilapia and corn grill,
among others.
Mayor Agnes Dycoco said this
years event is made memorable
with the towns positioning as a
center for rural and agricultural
tourism with the recent visit of
international delegation from the
National University of Singapore.
Yielding some 30.4 million
kilos of palay or 608,000 bags a
year, the town is ideal for simple
yet educational activities that
would highlight the signicance
of agriculture.
The town also takes pride in
the pastoral atmosphere near
Lake Bato, the amazing Flaming
Water, and the up-and-coming
Pantao port which will be the
biggest cargo seaport in the Bi-
col region upon completion.
Concluding the month-long
festivities is Malinaos Alinao Fes-
tival, derived from the local tree
which abounded in the area. Co-
inciding with the annual patronal
feast every July 20-27 in honor of
Saints Joachim and Anne, the fest
relives a Spanish-era legend which
is preserved to this date.
According to oral tradition,
Moros raided the town and ab-
ducted seven women. The boat
of the raiders sank within the wa-
ters of Malinao, because of the
womens fervent canticle prayers
known locally as tarahades. It
has since then the tradition among
residents particularly women, to
sing the canticles or tarahades
in times of crisis or calamities
or when they want to drive away
epidemics and misfortunes.
For nature lovers, there is Vera
Falls, Bicols most-photographed
waterfall which is known for its
curtain-like cascades and rejuve-
nating cool catch basin.
Nearly a decade after, he returns to
the silver screen as a caretaker of an
ancestral house occupied by a family
that has played a remarkable role in the
countrys history.
The lm is titled Ang Katiwala and
its a nalist in the New Breed category
of Cinemalaya, now on its eighth year.
TV writer Aloy Adlawan devel-
oped the story from a newspaper article
about a property owned by the Quezon
(as in Manuel L. Quezon) family in
New Manila in Quezon City.
Also in the movie are Ronnie La-
zaro, Althea Vega, Neri Naig, Ange-
lina Kanapi, Miggs Cuaderno, Ernie
Zarate, Louella da Cordova, Shyr
Valdez, Richard Manabat
It premieres on July 25, 6:15 p.m. at
CCP Main Theater.
Trillo said that he was intrigued by
Adlawans script about this abandoned
property which he was offered to be
the caretaker. In the course of working
in the house, he discovers the legacy of
the house, that its previous owner was
an important personality in the coun-
trys history.
Many think that Trillo is starring in
another horror movie. Adlawan laughs
when asked about the lms genre.
Maybe because the poster looks
like its horror lm, he says. No,
its about this man who becomes the
caretaker of a house and doesnt know
about its previous owners. When an is-
sues arises about the houseit is put
up for sale and some people are against
the move because of its historical sig-
nicancethe caretaker started read-
ing up on its previous owners life.
Ang Katiwala, says Trillo, is one of
the most fascinating characters he has
portrayed so far. He doesnt want to be
a spoiler, so he doesnt reveal the story
line. He eggs us to watch the movie so
we will know what its all about.
Screening dates and venues of the
lm are as follows:
July 21: 12:45 p.m. CCP MKP
Hall / 9 p.m. Greenbelt 3 (Cinema
3)
July 22: 6:30 p.m. Greenbelt 3
(Cinema 5)
July 23: 3:30 p.m. CCP Studio
Theater
July 24: 3:30 p.m. CCP Main
Theater / 9 p.m. - Trinoma
(Cinema 5)
July 26: 9 p.m. CCP Little The-
ater
(Cinema 3) / 6:15 p.m. CCP MKP
Hall
July 28: 4 p.m. Trinoma / 9 p.m.
CCP Studio Theater
(Cinema 5)
Stars and Nokia Lumia
Lumianation, Nokias grand
launch for the much-awaited range of
Lumia smartphones, glimmered with
bright, colorful lights as showbiz ce-
lebrities and personalities were seen
at the fun-lled gathering.
Only for the Nokia Lumia smart-
phones, Nokia put together an amaz-
ing, club-themed event that is truly de-
served by the multi-awarded phones.
The Bonifacio Global City Central
grounds were transformed into an area
lled with catchy colors of Nokia Lu-
mia, game and activity booths and free
owing food and cocktails. The event
also turned out to be well-attended not
only by Nokianatics and curious con-
sumers, but also by several celebrities
and TV personalities.
Hosted by Kat Alano, the program
kicked off with a dance number from
streetdance performers grooving to the
remix of the iconic Nokia ringtone.
Afterwards, DJ Nina Saputils music
lled the air and sent everyone hip-
hopping to the beat.
International club masters Jump
Smokers also added more life to
the party with their dance anthems.
Dubbed as the Kings of the Dance-
oor, Roman and DJ Flipside, who
is a full-blooded Filipino, blew ev-
eryone away with their record-break-
ing remixes of popular songs such as
Pitbulls Give Me Everything and
ISAH V.
RED
SIMPLY RED
HE has proven himself as a sensitive actor
since he breezed through the big screen in
2004, playing a gender-bending role in Joel
Lamangans war drama Aishite Imasu (Mahal
Kita). He bagged a best supporting award from
the Metro Manila Film Festival for that role.
Katy Perrys Firework.
Among the stars spotted having fun
during the launch were Robi Domingo,
Megan Young, Onemig Bondoc and
wife Valerie Bariou-Bondoc, Rosebud
Benitez and Brent Javier. Others who
made the event even more lustrous in-
clude Kelly Misa, Wacky Valdez, Issa
Litton, Marco Lobregat, Alyanna
Martinez and Ram de Vera.
One of the nights highlights was the
amazing 15-minute 3D-mapping of a
building, which took the guests to a trip
down Nokias memory lane. The grand
light show featured the history and evo-
lution of Nokia phones. At the end, the
video introduced the real stars of the
nightthe amazing Nokia Lumia 610,
Lumia 710, Lumia 800 and Lumia 900
smartphones, which the guests were also
able to experience during the party.
The crowd also cheered when
Nokia Philippines general manager
and head of sales Dharmesh Gosha-
lia announced that Nokia Lumia 900,
the top-of-the-line Windows phone to
date, is set to come to the Philippines.
Several units of Nokia Lumia 610,
710, 800 and 900 were also rafed off
to lucky guests. A truly successful cel-
ebration, Lumianation was the talk
of the town that night as guests tweet-
ed #NokiaLumiaPH and made the
event a trending topic in the country.
By Nickie Wang
FIVE days after he died, Philippines King of Comedy
Rodolfo Vera Quizon, Sr., popularly known as Dolphy,
was laid to rest past 2 p.m. Sunday at the Heritage Park
in Taguig City.
Dolphy passed on July 10 to due to multiple organ fail-
ure, secondary to complications brought about by recurring
pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and acute
renal failure. He was admitted on June 16 and was conned
in the intensive care unit for almost one month. He was 83.
During the burial rites, tearful family members, friends
and colleagues paid their nal respect to the veteran actor by
giving him loud applause while his glass-topped bronze cas-
ket was being pushed inside his nal resting place. The re-
lease of white doves and shower of confetti against the gray
skies marked the end of interment. The song Seasons of
Love, from the Broadway musical, Rent, which quanties
life by measuring it in love, was played on the background.
I love you lovey ko. Until we meet again, was the nal
message of Zsa Zsa Padilla, the only person wearing black
in the funeral rites, to her partner for 23 years.
His friends pushed Dolphys casket, which he himself
bought in the 70s, from Heritage Park Chapel at 2 p.m.
to the tomb made of black granite, some 500 meters away
from the chapel.
Rev. Fr. Larry Paraon ofciated the nal rites.
Among those who carried the casket was Manila Mayor
Alfredo Lim, a close friend to the late actor.
From the chapel to the tomb, friends threw white owers
to the late actors cofn.
Dolphys sons and daughtersamong whom Eric, Epy,
Vandolf, Rolly, Zia, Nicolealong with Maricel Soriano,
Maybelyn dela Cruz were there as well.
Meanwhile, throngs of fans who have traveled all the
way from different parts of the country were only allowed
to huddle at the entrance of the exclusive cemetery. The
Quizons wanted the funeral to be private.
Last Wednesday, Dolphys body was brought to ABS-
CBN compound in Quezon City where a mass and a spe-
cial tribute took place. It was then shuttled to Heritage
Park Chapel the next day where his friends from the en-
tertainment industry, government and his fans were able
to pay their nal respect.
In a span of seven decades, Dolphy has starred in more
than 200 lms and top-billed more than a dozen television
shows. He has been nominated as a National Artist, recogni-
tion given to Filipino individuals who have made signicant
contributions to the development of Philippine arts, since
2009. According to the ofcial of National Commission on
the Culture and Arts, the process of conferring Dolphy with
the National Artist honor could last until 2013.
Final honor for
the Comedy King
Carnival comes to CCP
Libon celebrates bounty of rice produce
Director Aloy Adlawan
Dennis Trillo in Ang Katiwala a Cinemalaya entry
Badilla
Flaming water of LIbon

Manila Standard Today - July 18, 2012 Issue

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Manila Standard Today - July 18, 2012 Issue

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Missed your copy of Manila Standard Today? Call or text our Circulation Hotline at 0917-8848655 or email: circ@mstandardtoday.

For comments, reactions, photos, stories and related concerns,

You might also like