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Congress ratifies RH bicam report

Standard TODAY
Manila
Vol. XXVI No. 261 20 Pages, 4 Sections P18.00 Thursday, December 20, 2012

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Power grab
Garcia, UNA blast Aquino for harassment
Pia Cayetano huddles with Senator and RH bill opposer Vicente Sotto III over the signing of the bills nal draft by the bicameral panel at the Senate. EY ACASIO

Alls well that ends well. Reproductive Health bill sponsor Senator

By Joyce Pangco Paares, Jonathan Fernandez and Christine Herrera

CEBU Governor Gwendolyn Garcia dug in on Wednesday in deance of a suspension order from Malacaang, accussing President Aquino of power grab as her supporters barricaded the provincial capitol.
This is plain and simple power grab, Garcia said as she assured Cebuanos that she will not relinquish her ofce, stressing that the suspension order was defective and politically motivated. I am not leaving. The way they served the order was defective, she said. I assure the Cebuanos that, in accordance with their mandate, I shall continue to discharge the functions of the Ofce of Governor of the Province of Cebu until the remedies that due process affords me, and available under our laws, are exhausted. The opposition United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) echoed Garcias accusation of power grab by President Aquino and said her suspension
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By Christine F. Herrera and Macon R. Araneta

THE House and Senate on Tuesday night ratied the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012, ending a long and often heated legislative battle to provide government funding for contraceptives and sex education in schools. Earlier in the day, the bicameral conference committee hammered out the differences between the Senate and House versions of the bill in a ve-hour marathon session. Speaker Feliciano Belmonte, who presided over the House session, thanked the 224 lawmakers

who showed up to complete the task while leaving no blood on the oor a reference to the often acrimonious debates between those who supported the bill and those who opposed it. The Senate earlier ratied the reconciled version of the bill by a vote of 11 to 5. The bill will be sent to President Benigno Aquino III for signing. Once it is in effect, the law will give Filipinos access to reproductive health services, including contraceptives. It will also provide for mandatory reproductive health and sex education in schools for children aged 10 to 19. Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman,
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Palace, minority bloc cool to Divorce Bill

MALACAANG on Wednesday distanced itself from the divorce bill being pushed by its ally, Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. Presidential Communications Development Secretary Ramon Carandang said the Palace was not even thinking about the divorce bill, a version of which is pending in the committee on constitutional amendments. Thats not on the radar. That is really not something that the administration is contemplating, Carandang said. This is being discussed mostly by civil society groups and advocates, but this is not something that we are thinking about at this point in time, Belmonte, a leader of President Benigno Aquino IIIs Liberal Party, said the divorce bill might nally be tackled in the 16th Congress now that the responsible parenthood bill had been passed. Both measures are being opposed by the Catholic Church. I am in favor of the divorce bill if a couples life has become intolerable, he said. House Bill 1799 cites ve grounds for divorce, including irreconcilable differences that have caused the irreparable breakdown of the marriage. After Malta legalized divorced last year, the Philippines became the only country in the world, apart from the Vatican, without a divorce law. The minority bloc in Congress on Wednesday also thumbed down the proposal to legalize divorce. House Assistant Minority Leader and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez said marriage should be respected, and that the proposal for divorce should not be allowed to prosper. Next page

Situation unclear. Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia faces her supporters a day after her suspension by President Benigno Aquino III. Garcia said the order against her was illegal because it was a photocopy that had merely been posted on a bulletin board (bottom photo), while Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II updated reporters on the six-month suspension against her in Camp Crame. MANNY PALMERO

Arroyo wont be home for Christmas NPC backs

By Merck Maguddayao
THE Sandiganbayan has denied the petition of Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for a Christmas furlough, saying it would be showing partiality to her if it did. To allow accused Arroyo to go to Lubao, Pampanga, to celebrate Christmas and New Year with her relatives whom she had not seen for a long time, to the Courts mind, would be a display of partiality in her favor, the antigraft courts First Division said. Arroyo is accused of misusing P366-million in Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Ofce funds when she was President. She is now under hospital arrest at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center. The Sandiganbayan also denied the petitions of former PCSO ofcials Benigno Aguas, Sergio Valencia, and Manuel Morato for a similar Christmas furlough on the same grounds. Arroyo had wanted a furlough from Dec. 21 to Jan. 7, Aguas from Dec. 24 to Jan. 2, Morato from Dec. 20 to Jan. 4, and Valencia from Dec. 24 to Jan. 2. Last year, a Pasay court trying the electoral sabotage case against Arroyo allowed her family to spend the holidays with her. The court then allowed her to post bail, but she was soon rearrested for the plunder case against her and her alleged misuse of the PCSO funds, cases for which bail is not allowed. The members of the Houses
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Espino vs jueteng raps

By Maricel V. Cruz
THE Nationalist Peoples Coalition on Wednesday rallied behind Pangasinan Gov. Amado Espino who was accused by a Pangasinan mayor as being behind the operations of the illegal numbers game in the province. Espino was tagged by Bugallon, Mayor Ricardo Ortuna and Bgy. Chairman Fernando Alimagno, who claimed that the governor received P2.5 million a week as his share from jueteng. He said that he himself personally delivered the money to Espino. In a press conference on Monday, Bugallon admitted that he used to work for Espino as a jueteng operatior, while Alimagno said he handled the jueteng operations in two towns in Pangasinan. Alimagno, a native of Canderlaria, Quezon, said Espino employed him in 2007 when he was still a congressman. NPC spokesman Rep. Rex Gatchalian said that politics could be the real reason behind the attacks against Espino, who is aligned with the NPC. Next page

Lacsons man cleared in Dacer-Corbito case

A COURT has cleared former Police Supt. Michael Ray Aquino of involvement in the Dacer-Corbito murder case and is expected to be released soon from the detention center at the National Bureau of Investigation Manila RTC Judge Carolina Sison of Branch 18 did not indicate any reasons for ordering Aquinos release in her two-page order, but it was in connection with the killing of publicist Salvador Dacer and his driver Emmanuel Corbito in November 2000. Aquino had earlier led a motion seeking to quash the criminal information led against him by the Justice Department. His counsel was not available for comment as well as the counsel for the children of Dacer who led the murder complaint against the former policeman. Aquino was detained at the NBI headquarters following his extradition in June 2011 from the United States to stand trial for the Dacer-Corbito murder case. Senator Panlo Lacson, then the head of the National Police director, has cleared of any involvement in the case. Aquino was the head of operations of the defunct Presidential
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No to divorce. House Assistant Minority Leader and Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez (left) and Minority Leader Danilo Suarez air their opposition to the divorce bill in a press conference at the House of Representatives. VER S. NOVENO

Military accuses NPA of violating own truce

By Florante S. Solmerin
THE military on Wednesday accused the New Peoples Army of violating its own declared ceasere for the second straight occasion, as it claimed that the Communist Party of the Philippiness armed partisans killed a militiaman in Agusan del Sur. Col. Ronald Albano, commander of the 402nd Infantry Brigade, said it was also the second violation of the NPA since the government implemented a nationwide unilateral Suspension of Military Offensives OR SOMO. The reported violations occurred even as the National Democratic Front, the political arm of the CPP, and a special panel of the Government of the Philippines (GPH) led by Akbayan Representative Ronald Llamas met in The Hague led by Akbayan representative met in the Hague for possible resumpNext page tion of peace talks.

PNoy signs P2t budget into law

By Joyce Pangco Paares
PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III signed into law the P2.006 trillion 2013 General Appropriations Act on Wednesday. Budget Secretary Florencio Abad said the early signing of the national budget will ensure that expenditures will be sustained or even surpass levels posted this year. He said the government will boost spending in the rst quarter by as much as P20 billion to beat the election ban on infrastructure projects that will take effect on March 29. Improved budget execu tion
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Filipino teachers get $4.5m

LOS ANGELESA federal Jurors on Monday found jury awarded $4.5 million to that Los Angeles-based UniverFilipino teachers who paid large sal Placement International Inc. fees to obtain U.S. jobs through and its owner, Lourdes Navarro, a placement agency. Next page

Budget approved. President Benigno III signs into law the P2.006-trillion national budget for 2013 in
Malacaang.

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THURSDAY DECEMBER 20, 2012

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a party member and ruling party candidate (Magpale) sits at the helm of the province during the election period. It drowns out the feeble legal arguments upon which the entire case rests, Garcia said. She said her political opponents tried to unseat her in the last elections in 2010, but the Cebuanos gave her an overwelming majority of almost 100,000 votes for another term. Now they are asking Manila, and Sec. Manuel Roxas to undo and overturn the will of more than a million Cebuanos by virtue of a patently illegal order, Garcia said. Roxas said the suspension order was based on recommendation of the late DILG Sec. Jesse Robredo, who issued the order on July 26, 2012, a few weeks before he died in a plane crash. He said he has no choice but to implement the suspension because it is part of his job, and he could be charged of dereliction of duty if he failed to carry out the order. Malacaang in its suspension order dated December 17, 2012 gave weight to ndings that Garcia committed grave abuse of authority when she hired employees at the Ofce of the Vice Governor and the Sangguniang Panlalawigan --- noting that the power to appoint was lodged with the Ofce of the Vice Governor, Roxas said. He said Garcia also slashed the budget of the Ofce of the Vice Governor by 61 percent, which, while not illegal, is suggestive of harassment, oppression and vindictiveness. Roxas dismissed charges that the suspension was politicially motivated. This has nothing to do with politics. There is really an evidence of abuse of authority on the part of Governor Garcia, he said.

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Power...
would pave the way for the administration party to take effective control of the province. This is without doubt a power grab. This is a return to the discredited practice of the Arroyo regime whre the peoples will is subverted and government power is used to harass and persecute political opponents, said UNA Secretary General Toby Tiangco. Tiangco accused Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas of using the vast powers of his ofce to dig up old complaints against local ofcials and use these cases to harass and intimidate them. Roxas said the order to suspend Garcia for six months for alleged abuse of authority was formally served on Wednesday by DILG Regional Director Ananias Villa-

corta. Vice Governor Agnes Magpale has taken her oath as acting governor, Roxas said. But Garcia said the suspension order was not presented to her but was merely posted on the bulletin board. They only posted a photocopy version in the capitol. I have yet to receive a copy of the order, she said. Anti-riot police surrounded the capitol in the heart of the bustling city as about 1,000 followers of the governor held an overnight vigil at the facade of the domed building. The case against Garcia, who is running for a congressional seat after serving two terms as governor, stemmed from allegations that she refused to release the budget of the late Vice Governor Gregorio Sanchez Jr, who died last year. She called her suspension as harsh penalty on a case that in-

volved purely procedural questions regarding implementation of budget, and no accusation of malversation of public funds, or involvement in illegal activities such as gambling, or any offense involving moral turpitude. I am told that this suspension falls into a pattern we are now seeingconsisting of administrative actions against local chief executives ... which betray a clear abuse of political power, Garcia said. Garcia pointed to a glaring fact that the person who will benet from her suspensionVice Governor Magpaleis the sister of Cabinet Secretary Rene Almendras. Lets call a spade a spade. My term is due to end six months from now, so that this suspension actually amounts to my removal from ofce, she said. That it is imposed ve months before an election ... ensures that are condent that with the early implementation of projects, the beginning of the implementation of many public-private partnership projects, as well as the frantic spending that will accompany the 2013 May elections, its going to be a robust rst semester, he added. Part of the amount to be spent early will cover rehabilitation projects in areas damaged by typhoon Pablo, Abad said. Abad said the government will also ask for an exemption from the election ban for some national infrastructure projects. Next years budget is 10.5 percent more than the current years budget. Social services will get the biggest share at 34.8 percent followed by economic services at 25.5 percent and debt servicing at 16.6 percent. Among the government ofces, the Department of Education will get the biggest chunk at P232.6 billion followed by Public Works at P155.5 billion, Interior at P91.2 billion, Defense at P80.4 billion. With Anna Leah Estrada more unexpected fees and expensive legal entanglements followed once the teachers arrived in the United States. For example, contracts were required in which the teachers agreed to pay a percentage of their monthly income to Universal, along with fees for arranging housing. Passports and visas were conscated to ensure the fees would be paid, the lawsuit said. The suit claimed the threat of huge debt and loss of their visas amounted to forced labor under a federal law against human trafcking passed by Congress in 2000. After a two-week trial, jurors rejected the human trafcking arguments but found the recruiting agency had negligently misrepresented the fees and violated California laws governing employment agencies and unfair business acts. The jury sent a clear message that exploitative and abusive business practices involving federal guest workers will not be tolerated, Mary Bauer, legal director for the Southern Poverty Law Center, said. wegian Government. Llamas was accompanied by GPH Negotiating Panel Chairman Alexander Padilla., Efren Moncupa, GPH Panel Member; Undersecretary Chito Gascon and Director Maria Carla Munsayac-Villarta, GPH Panel Secretariat head. With Jalandoni were Jose Maria Sison, founding chairman of the Communist Party of the Philippines; Fidel Agcaoili and Coni Ledesma, NDFP Panel Members. They were assisted by Vicente Ladlad, Political Consultant; Edre U. Olalia, Legal Consultant; Ruth de Leon, NDFP Panel Secretariat Head; and Rosario Agcaoili, staff. The Norwegian government was represented by Ambassador Ture Lundh. The peace talks between the government and the NDF have been stalled since February 2011. Jalandoni said the meeting had reached a starting point for a possible resumption of peace talks. The Special Representatives agreed to carry on the discussions on national unity and just peace; further upholding national independence, democracy and human rights; committee of national unity, peace and development; agrarian reform, rural development and national industrialization; and truce, he said.

Presidential Communications Development Secretary Ramon Carandang also denied that the suspension was in preparation for the 2013 elections and said politics has nothing to do with it as far as we are concerned. There are regular processes that would take place. Its just the regular process. It wasnt viewed in a political manner, he said. At the House of Representatives, House Minority Leader and Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez said the suspension was intended to control the vote-rich provinces dominated by the political opposition in preparation for the 2013 elections. While the president has the power to suspend, the timing gives rise to suspicion that it is politically inspired because the 2013 election is less than six months away, said Maguindano Rep. Simeon Datumanong.

Palace...
And he said debating the divorce bill would not look good at this time because the Philippines only recently had a new cardinal in Luis Antonio Tagle and a new saint in Pedro Calungsod. The Church has taken a beating already and its a little bit ironic that it comes at a moment when weve just gotten a new saint and a new cardinal, Romualdez said. Minority Leader Danilo Suarez said the divorce bill should be opposed. With divorce, its the children who will suffer, he said. In the Senate, Senator Pia Cayetano, head of the committee on health, demography and youth, women and family relations, on Wednesday said the divorce bill would be her next focus, although it will have to wait as the passage of the Reproductive Health bill was her priority at the moment. Let us nish rst the RH bill before we focus on the divorce, Cayetano told reporters before the start of Wednesdays bicameral conference on the RH bill at the Century Park Hotel. Senator Miriam DefensorSantiago said she saw nothing wrong with divorce as long as the divorce law applied had only on two grounds. Now there are more and more grounds added, she said. So I want to return to the old order where civil annulment was allowed only in two cases. One is an attempt on the life of the spouse by the other, and the other is when one spouse is already living with another. Senator Panlo Lacson said Filipinos were not ready for divorce, and Anyway we have annulment. Senator Ralph Recto said if he approved the divorce bill, my wife [Batangas Gov. and former actress Vilma Santos] might divorce me. Joyce Pangco Paares, Maricel V. Cruz and Macon Ramos-Araneta

Budget...
and project implementation may help drive further growth in the country next year, Abad said. We have every reason to believe that public spending will go on a condent and energetic trajectory in 2013. The swift enactment of the 2013 GAA means that our agencies can get cracking on their priority programs and projects with little to no delay so that Filipinos can gain immediate access to key public goods and services, he added. Abad said the government has already completed the preprocurement activities for infrastructure projects up for early next year. This will allow us space so many of these projects can exceed or even be completed before the election ban. We have a good three months, Abad said. By the rst week of the year, we are likely going to be able to roll them out by rst issuing the notice of awards and the notices to proceed. So we

Congress...
principal author of House version of the bill, said the government is mandated to promote reproductive health, including voluntary contraception, with an emphasis on the poor and the marginalized. The national government and the local government units are jointly responsible for the implementation of the reproductive health law with the LGUs receiving nancial and technical assistance from the national government, Lagman said. Under the ratied measure, the Department of Education is mandated to formulate the curriculum for the use of public schools and adaptable to private schools. Since the President certied the bill as urgent, the debate over the contentious provisions of the bill took only ve hours to complete. The joint panel agreed to reconcile the two versions at 2 p.m., and the bicameral report was signed at 2:30 p.m. At 7:48 p.m., the House contingent arrived in the House to submit the bicameral report for ratication. The ratied document, signed by Belmonte and Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, will be sent to the Palace for the Presidents signature. In the Senate, Enrile and Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III maintained their stance to reject the bill. Enrile said his vote was a matter of conscience, faith and his notion of the national government. While his amendments were included in the nal report, Sotto,

Filipino...
failed to properly disclose the fees for the 350 teachers who were recruited for $40,000-a-year jobs in Louisiana, mostly in East Baton Rouge Parish. The teachers arrived in the U.S. between 2007 and 2009 under a federal program that grants worker permits to foreigners with special skills. Most went to the East Baton Rouge Parish, but others went to Caddo, Jefferson and other parishes and to state-run schools in New Orleans. In 2010, the American Federation of Teachers, the law rm Covington and Burling LLC, and the Southern Poverty Law Center sued on behalf of some teachers who complained that before ever leaving the Philippines they had to borrow money to pay thousands of dollars charged by the company as much as $16,000 in some cases. Thats ve times the average annual household income in the country. The class-action suit claimed that

said he cannot condone the foreign dictation that marred the passage of the bill. Enrile and Sotto were among the ve senators who cast a negative vote. The others were Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estada, Gregorio Honasan and Aquilino Pimentel III. Those who voted in favor of the bill were Senator Pia Cayetano, Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano and Senators Joker Arroyo, Edgardo Angara, Franklin Drilon, Miriam Defensor Santiago, Teosto Guingona III, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Serge Osmena III, Loren Legarda and Panlo Lacson. In reporting the results reached by the bicameral conference committee, Cayetano said most of the Senate provisions were adopted. These included the removal of any reference to international treaties and agreements, an amendment Sotto sought. Another amendment sought by both Enrile and Sotto, to remove references to population and development, was also adopted. On sex education, Cayetano said the bicameral conference committee retained the Senate version as amended by Recto that the Education Department will formulate the curriculum for public schools without prejudice to private schools adopting the same. Cayetano also said passages in the bill against abortion were strengthened as Enrile and Sotto had sought. And nally, for the curiosity and pleasure of the body, the term safe and satisfying sex was retained, and this was further Roxas of power grab in the case of Espino. Tiangco said Roxas was intent on consolidating power for his allies in the Liberal Party because Pangasinan is a vote-rich province. It is becoming apparent that the noble goal of moral governance is being hijacked by the selsh political agenda of the administration party and Secretary Roxas, Tiangco said. But a Malacanang spokesman said that the ruling party had nothing to do with the charge against the governor. Presidential Communications Development Strategic Planning chief Ricky Carandang said that the case against Espino over his alleged involvement in jueteng was not meant to ease out local ofcials not allied with the administration. Espino is seeking a third and last term and is pitted against Alaminos City Mayor Hernani Braganza, the ruling Liberal Partys gubernatorial bet. Let us not forget that elec-

improved and it now reads, responsible, consensual, safe and satisfying sex. Lacson described the bicameral conference committee meeting as very conciliatory. It was not contentious. It was not heated, he said. He also said there were no reworks between Cayetano and Sotto, as had happened previously on the Senate oor. As the bill looked certain to become a law, Catholic bishops accused President Aquino of behaving like a dictator in pressuring lawmakers to approve the reproductive health measure, which the Church has denounced as being anti-life. Antipolo Bishop Gabriel Reyes said Malacaang dangled pork barrel to get the majority of lawmakers on their side, a charge the Palace has denied. The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines also said they would support a group of Catholic lawyers, who will contest the law before the Supreme Court. I know that a group of Catholic lawyers has a plan to make an appeal before the Supreme Court because its against the Constitutionagainst religious freedom, Reyes said. The Constitution states that the government should protect the family and marriage. The RH bill is against the goodness of family and the stability of marriage, he said. Before Wednesdays vote, versions of the RH bill had been led in Congress since 1998, but never reached a vote because of a strong Catholic lobby. With Maricel Cruz and Vito Barcelo tions are coming, and given the huge advantage that he enjoys over his perceived opponents as evidenced by the latest survey results, it is not hard to think that politics could be the reason behind all these (attacks), Gatchalian said. Nueva Ecija Rep. Rodolfo Antonino, vice chair of the House committee on public order and safety, agreed, saying that the campaign against Espino was politically motivated. Where is the evidence against Espino?, Antonino told the Manila Standard. Gatchalian said it will be hard to topple Espino because 39 of Pangasinans 48 town and city mayors are NPC members and are therefore supporting the incumbent governor. In the end, we are condent that Gov. Espino will be vindicated not only in the forthcoming probe on the matter but more importantly in the coming elections when the people would surely reelect him into ofce, Gatchalian said. But the Sandiganbayan doubted her claim and said it did not see why Arroyo could arrange to have therapists in Pampanga and not at the Veterans hospital. The anti-graft court said ordinary prisoners were not allowed to go home and enjoy certain privileges. Court spokesman Renato Bocar said the Sandiganbayan had granted Arroyos plea to be put under hospital arrest because her medical condition did not allow her to travel out of town. If she can travel to Lubao, Pampanga, and stay there for three weeks, there is no reason for her to be put under hospital arrest, Bocar said. With Maricel V. Cruz

NPC...
Gatchalian defended Espino as an NPC member of good standing and has a long and distinguished track record as a public servant. The NPC is solidly behind Gov. Espino who has been dragged into this controversy not by his own doing but by some people who were out to destroy his good name and reputation, Gatchalian said. He added that Espino should be given the chance to explain his side and clear his name. The NPC is taking a careful look on the allegations hurled against him by Bugallon Mayor Rodrigo Ordua and his henchman, and it appeared that they are nothing but mere allegations because they failed to present any solid proof to back up their claims, Gatchalian noted. Meanwhile, United Nationalist Alliance secretry-general and Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco accused Interior Secretary Mar

Military...
The CPP and its armed wing, the NPA, earlier declared a 27day ceasere, following the governments declaration of a unilateral 18-day ceasere in deference to the Yuletide season., They agreed to recommend to their respective principals the holding of a nationwide ceasere from midnight of 20 December 2012 to midnight of 15 January 2013. The ceasere additionally gives due consideration to the relief and rehabilitation of the victims and communities devastated by super typhoon Pablo, Luis Jalandoni, chief peace negotiator of the National Democratic Front-Philippines said. He said the scope of the ceasere is nationwide, which means the almost a month of ceasere declared earlier by the NDF-Mindanao in some typhoon-stricken areas in Mindanao would be extended until Jan. 15. The military has declared a Suspension of Military Operations from Dec. 16 to Jan. 3. Military spokesman Col. Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos Jr. said they welcomed the rebels ceasere but all military units in the area were instructed to remain vigilant against NPA attacks.

Albano, meanwhile, identied the victim as Luis G. Dejado, 19, a member of the Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit Active Auxiliary or CAA, and resident of Km 41, Barangay Binacalan, San Luis, Agusan del Sur. Dejado was unarmed when mercilessly shot by the NPAs in different parts of his body that caused his instantaneous death, said Albano, who added that Dejado was shot dead by members of the Guerilla Front 88 of North Central Mindanao Regional Committee in Sitio Bagnot, Barangay Lydia, La Paz, Agusan del. Last week, communist rebels attempted to kill a soldier in Talaingod, Davao del Norte, and on Monday, NPA rebels ambushed a group of soldiers that resulted in the killing of one in Iloilo. Meanwhile, Jalandoni reportedly met with Ronald Llams of the pro-administration partylist Akabayan in The Hague on Dec. 17-18 to discuss the possible resumption of peace talks. Llamas is President Benigno Aquinos political adviser. Meanwhile, Jalandoni said in a statement that Llamas led a group of special representatives of the GPH in a meeting with the NDF that was hosted and facilitated by the Royal Nor-

Lacsons... Arroyo...
Anti-Organized Crime Task Force, the unit that allegedly carried out the plot to liquidate the veteran PR man. Former policemen Cezar Mancao II and Glenn Dumlao have also been charged in the case. In 2009 Mancao surfaced to implicate Lacson and Aquino in the murders, but he had yet to be given statewitness status when Lacson was cleared of the charges against him last year. Macon Ramos-Araneta opposition bloc on Wednesday said they were saddened by the anti-graft courts decision. We are saddened by the decision of the anti-graft court, Minority Leader Danilo Suarez told reporters. There were so many considerations: She was a former President, she is an incumbent member of the House, she is seriously sick and in pain, and she is not a security risk. Arroyo said she wanted a Christmas furlough because the hospital where she was now conned would allow its therapists to go on leave for the holidays, hence no one would take care of her.

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THURSDAY DECEMBER 20, 2012

A3

Mayor owns up to aiding scammer

By Rey Requejo
SCAM suspect Samuel Co, mayor of Pagadian City, has disclosed that he had tried to legitimize the operations of Aman Futures Group, the trading rm allegedly responsible for the P12-billion investment fraud that victimized 15,000 people in Visayas and Mindanao. In an afdavit Co submitted to the Department of Justice, he said that he met with Aman Board member Fernando Luna and asked for several documents to legalize Amans operation. The city mayor said Aman head Manuel Amalilio even visited him in his ofce at the City Hall in July and briefed him about the investment rm. His case was one of 51 sets of complaints being investigated by a special panel of prosecutors under the Department of Justice. In fact, Co said Amalilio submitted a certicate of incorporation from the Securities and Exchange Commission to show that Aman was a duly registered rm. If only to protect the investing public of their considerable investments, during the interim of the submission of the required secondary permit, the Permits and Licensing Division recommended for the issuance of a temporary permit valid only for 60 days, Co admitted. Co, who himself led a complaint against Aman, said he started investing with Aman after that meeting with Amalilio. He said he had invested P3,266,700 in Aman Futures under the account name Bos Coffee on September 11 with interest of 58 percent after 17 days. He made another investment the following day under the account name Maxs Chicken with an amount of P3,205,500 with a 60-percent interest after 17 days. His afdavit showed his investments with returnsincluding personal and pool investments from relatives and friends totaled to P42 million. It was until last October when Aman collapsed. Co said he was issued two checks in the amount of P5 million each. He tried to encash the checks in Makati City on October 5 but the checks were dishonored and returned for insufcient funds.

Absentee voting. Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes (right) discusses the conicting versions of the absentee voting bill with Senator

Aquilino Pimentel, Senate panel chairman of the bicameral conference committee, and his counterpart in the House Elpidio Barzaga, along with Teddy Casino, member of the House panel. LINO SANTOS

Envoy to China gets CA okay

By Macon Araneta

IN BRIEF
Ozamis gangs recapture
THE Department of Justice on Wednesday expressed optimism for the early recapture of Ricky Cadavero alias Kambal, leader of the notorious Ozamis robbery gang who escaped from the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City last December 8. In the next few days we are hoping, expecting some positive development, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said in an interview. She declined to elaborate so as not to jeopardize the ongoing operations by the authorities. Cadavero was able to escape from the NBP at around 9 am when three men posing as visitors pointed guns at the jail guards. The NBP report said the three men, along with Cadavero, escaped on board two motorcycles. The Justice Secretary immediately ordered the relief of two prison guards Ernesto Aquino and Nio Aquino, who were manning the West Gate of Reception and Diagnostic Center where Cadavero was reportedly snatched by three armed men. Rey Requejo

THE Commission on Appointments on

Wednesday approved the nomination of Erlinda Basilio as the Philippine Ambassador to China, replacing Sonia Brady, who suffered a stroke last August.
no derogatory record. She has served very honorably in various posts abroad and then she was so vital to the work of the DFA that after retirement they hired her again this time as a political appointee and political nominee, said Santiago, adding that Basilio was very much qualied for her position. If you gauge the experience of a person by the length of the beard, her beard will probably reach the oor, she said. She said the lawmakers dont usually question career diplomats. Normally we go by the fact that if the person is a career ambassador we dont really ask any questions anymore it is usually the political appointees

It also approved the nomination of 50 military ofcers except Army Brig. Gen. Ano, former head of the Intelligence Security Group, due to his involvement in the April 28, 2007 abduction of Jonas Joseph Burgos at the Ever Gotesco Mall in Quezon City. Basilios appointment was conrmed after the bicameral committee on foreign affairs recommended her conrmation earlier in the day, along with ve other ambassadors. Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago, chairman of the foreign affairs committee said Basilios conrmation went on smoothly because there was no opposition to her appointment. There theres no opposition, theres

or nonminees who get grilled, she said. She pointed out the importance of having an ambassador to China, with whom the country is in dispute. Were not about to surrender to China just because of geographical size and location. It is only proper we take a strong stand against China, she said. Basilio, who will also Basilio have jurisdiction over the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea and Mongolia, was among the Philippine foreign affairs ofcials talking with Chinese ofcials at the start of the Panatag standoff. The ve other Philipppine ambassadors were conrmed by Santiagos committee are Elizabeth Buenseco, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Jakarta, Indonesia; Alex Chua, Union of Myanmar; Sahid Glang, Kingdom of Bahrain; Domin-

go Lucenario, Islamic Republic of Pakistan; Lamberto Monsanto, Republic of Kenya. Lucenario was also appointed in his capacity as Permanent Representative to the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) and HABITAT, with concurrent jurisdiction over the Republic of Burundi, Union of Cmoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of Madagascar, Republic of Malawi, Republic of Mauritius, Republic of Rwanda, Republic of Scyechelles, Somali Republic, United Republic of Tanzania and Republic of Uganda. Leandro Lachica was conrmed as Foreign Service Ofcer. On the bypassing of Ano, Senator Joker Arroyo entered a motion to defer the generals conrmation on behalf of Senator Serge Osmena who called in sick.

More projects for Baguio

BAGUIO CITYWork on a circumferential road leads projects worth more than P380 million that will roll out next year to enable the the city to capitalize on new business locators and tourist arrivals. Engr. Ireneo Gallato, head of the City District Engineering Ofce, said 28 components are listed in the 2013 program awaiting funds from the Department of Public Works and Highways head ofce. More roads in Baguio were prioritized for improvement and repair, he said noting that work will be timed for the dry season to lessen disruption of trafc ow. Next years centerpiece is the 21-kilometer intercity road from the easter Happy Hallow section to Irisan in the west along with ood-control remediation. The loop connects tourist zones composed of Tam-awan artists village in Quezon Hill, Ben Cabrera museum along Asin road, Philippine Military Academy and Camp John Hay, Mines View Park and the Baguio Dairy Farm to hot spring resorts in Barangay Irisan. Dexter A. See

Party-list loses bid in high court

THE Supreme Court has dismissed a petition led by a party-list group Kabalikat ng Bayan sa Kaunlaran (KABAKA) for reason of technicality. In a two-page en banc resolution dated December 4, 2012, the high court dismissed the KABAKA petition for failure of the petitioner to comply with the requirements mandated by the Rules of Court. Comelec earlier denied KABAKAs accreditation as a party-list group represented by its president, Manila Rep. Amado Bagatsing, on ground that it is a political party and not a marginal group. The Comelec ruling prompted the group to bring the case before the Supreme Court seeking an injunction order from the SC en banc and to rule in favor with them on the merits of the case. In its Dec. 4 ruling signed by Clerk of Court Enriqueta Vidal, the SC stressed that the petition of KABAKA has failed to comply with the requirements mandated by the Rules of Court. The SC said the petitioner failed to comply with Rule 64 and other related provisions of the Rules of Court, which could be a ground for the immediate dismissal of a petition before the high court. It noted that KABAKA did not accompany their petition with duplicate original copies of the assailed ruling of the Comelec. Rey Requejo

Manila backs India over China conflict

By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan
THE Philippines on Wednesday supported the stand of India over its dispute with China in South China Sea. Vice President Jejomar Binay, who is currently in New Delhi to represent the President in the summit, backed the recent statement of Indias Navy Chief Admiral D K Joshi that its government is building up its defense capability following the dispute. It is normal for India to protect its right, especially on the freedom of navigation in the West Philippine Sea, Binay said in a statement. In the present day, these issues are no longer of parochial interest. Freedom of navigation and lawful commerce are universal interests. The statement of the Admiral is a conrmation that it is a problem to which India cannot turn its back, the vice president said. Last week, Joshi was asked if the Indian government is preparing to the tension with China, he answered: Yes. We, of course, will need government clearance. Should a requirement come, I am sure we will have the clearance. His comment was made even while the National Security Advisor Shivsshankar Menon was in Beijing to work on a border agreement with his Chinese counterpart Dai Bingguo. Like the Philippines, India protested after a Chinese warship confronted an Indian navy vessel last July in international waters in the South China Sea. China demanded India to explain about its presence in South China Sea, of which Beijing is claiming ownership. Although Binay supported Indias stand over the disputed waters, he stressed that the issue with China does not dene the whole relationship of Manila with Beijing. We have a deep and historic ties with China and shared concern for peace and stability in the region, he explained.

Travel ban on Agusan mayor

THE Ofce of the Sandiganbayan has barred the mayor of Tubay, Agusan del Norte, from traveling abroad over a criminal complaint for the alleged illegal demolition of houses in her town. The 5th Division instructed the Immigrations bureau to hold the departure of Mayor Sadeka Garcia Tomaneng and co-accused Tubay Municipal Engineer Christopher Noval Dagani in a decision signed by Chairman Roland Jurado and Associate Justices Alexander Gesmundo and Amparo Cabotaje-Tang. Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales ordered the ling of graft charges against the two after nding them guilty of demolishing the houses of Luciano Selades, Jr., Luciano Selades, Sr., and Johnny Cabalan, without legal or justiable ground. The accused claimed that the structures were near concrete culvert and canals where dengue-carrying mosqitious could breed but evidence showed that they acted with evident bad faith, manifest partiality or through gross inexcusable negligence outside of their ofcial functions. Maricel Cruz

Protest dance. Stage actress Monique Wilson and and

playwright Eve Ensler sing and dance to protest against the worsening cases of violence against women. DANNY PATA

Isabela agri program: Ripe for replication

AN agriculture program in Isabela province is now a smashing success and it can be replicated nationwide, the chief provincial executive said. More than 100,000 farmers have beneted from the program after encountering dry spell, heavy rain, and ash oods that have been destroying their crops in previous years, said Gov. Faustino Bojie Dy III in describing the gains from the program called BRO or Bojie-Rodito Opportunities. We are the rst and only province in the Philippines implementing program for agriculture for small farmers and farm workers, Dy said. Under the BRO agriculture program, the Isabela provincial government has allotted P200 million to provide the nine beneciary projects needed by the farmers, according to Dy and Vice Gov. Rodito Albano. The agriculture program is comprised of livelihood assistance for marginalized farmers, support for prices of crops, pantawid pamasahe (transfort fare program, surety of plantation or crop insurance, college scholarship for sons and daughters of small farmers, provincial healthcare coverage, philhealth benets, life insurance at social security coverage. Isabela isdubbed rice granary of Luzon, being number one in rice and corn production, local ofcials said. The province received the Regional Gawad Saka Award. Also this is the only province in Region II which was included as the Top 10 provinces which have top production in rice and corn nationwide. Mer Layson

A4 THURSDAY

DECEMBER 20, 2012

ManilaStandardToday Adelle Chua, Editor

Opinion
by the other justices. The en banc also tasked another justice, Associate Justice Jose Perez, to study if there was indeed a need for the creation of such an ofce. True to her previous pronouncement, Sereno has maintained a dignied silence on the issue. In fact, she chose to be so silent that she took a sick leave on the day the en banc was supposed to talk about the controversial resolution. We wonder, then, whether she feels that the other justices are out to frustrate the plan of God, whom she claims installed her at the helm of the Judiciary for a reason. In her zeal to reform the Judiciary, Sereno forgets that she is still part of a collegial body composed of better or

mst.lettertotheeditor@gmail.com

EDITORIAL
SUPREME Court Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno would have loved the sight of her more senior colleagues turning up at the high courts ag-raising ceremony Monday morning She would have loved the sound of the senior justicesAntonio Carpio, Teresita Leonardo De Castro, Arturo Brion, Diosdado Peralta, Lucas Bersamin and Martin Villaramasinging Christmas carols with the Court employees that morning. After all, since she assumed ofce, the other associate justices have been conspicuosly missing such events. Sereno, however, was not even in the country on Monday. It is tempting to conclude that the other justices presence

Alone among equals

was due to her absence. A few months into Serenos appointment to head the Judiciary despite her newness to the high court, the public has been given a peek into what goes on in the chambersand the mindsof the other magistrates. For example, earlier this month, the Supreme Court en banc, through Associate Justice Leonardo de Castro, revoked an earlier resolution by Serenocreating the Regional Court Administration Ofce in Cebu City and appointing a judge to head it for being illegal and unauthorized. De Castro in a memorandum said that the unilaterally-issued resolution did not reect the actual deliberations of the Court en banc and the objections raised equally competent justices who must forget who it was that appointed them to the court. The Supreme Court shapes the countrys legal history by deciding on the constitutionality of government acts and setting jurisprudence. It is not the handiwork of one person alone. For Sereno to believe her position is part of a grand machination where she is the lead character is wrongand dangerous. For their part, the other justices must reach out to their chief even as she is at the same time their junior instead of showing their displeasure in other ways that may be seen as juvenile or underhanded. This is not some high school clique. This is the Supreme Court of the Republic of the Philippines.

The best of times for one-percenters

LOWDOWN
THE economy, the Aquino administration keeps telling us, is growing by leaps and bounds. And yet, amid the governments self-congratulatory talk about credit upgrades and the overheating stock market, life for Filipinos who are not onepercentersas the super-rich are called in the United Statesis still desperate. Yesterday, the National Statistics Ofce disclosed that the number of jobless Filipinos actually rose in October, at around the same time that the government was starting to trumpet its supposed economic gains. NSO said the unemployment percentage increased to 6.8, from 6.4 in the same month last year, which translates to a total of 2.8 million out of the 40.4 million persons in the national labor force. The rising joblessness was recorded even as the Aquino government rejoiced that the countrys gross domestic product had increased by 7.1 percent in the third quarter, more than double last years 3.2 percent for the same period. And despite the glowing accolades concerning its own supposed great performance in growing the economy from Malacaang Palace, another report shows where the gaping hole in President Noynoy Aquinos economic policy lies: the lack of foreign direct investments that will create jobs. The Reuters report puts its succinctly: Total FDI is on course to hit around $1.5 billion this year about half its level in 2007 and less than the average $1.7 billion received every month in remittances from Filipinos overseas. Think about it: Filipinos working abroad send home more money in a month than the amount of investments plunked down by foreign business in one year. And because there are no investments from abroadthe true engine of development for almost every country that actually got out of poverty, as opposed to the quick prot-making, non-job creating hot money inows to the stock market the jobless rate just keeps growing. There have been no serious bigticket foreign investments in industry during Aquinos term, because of a complex mix of problems like ofcial resistance to full foreign ownership in key industries, corruption, difculty of doing business and the endlessly shifting judicial and regulatory environment that makes investing in this country a very chancy proposition for outside investors. Aquino seems oblivious to the serious problem of the missing foreign investors. And, as the Reuters report says, he seems uninterested in wooing foreigners to invest because hes happy with big local investors who have long enjoyed the protectionist policies that shield them from competition in the
JOJO A. ROBLES

If you have a job, no matter how little it pays, that should be enough reason to rejoice, apparently.

domestic market. I dont think its going to be touched for now, Budget Secretary Florencio Abad, concerning the lifting of restrictions on foreign ownership and other identied disincentives to outside investment, told Reuters. Investments are coming in anyway, predominantly by local guys. And foreigners themselves fail to understand why Aquino cannot seem to focus on solving a problem that prevents economic growth from actually being felt by ordinary Filipinos, instead of just big domestic investors and stock market speculators. Its extremely frustrating, said Hubert DAboville, former president of the European Chamber of Commerce. We should welcome foreign investment. What is important is to create jobs. We are not creating jobs. Ordinary Filipinos cannot gain from credit upgrades, which only allow the government to borrow more money from multilateral lending agencies. They dont invest in the stock market, mainly because they dont have the well-paying jobs that will give them the income to do so. The onepercenters who have Aquino in a thrall, on the other hand, cannot hire enough people, despite the outmoded protectionist policies that make them a lot of money, including the income they make through their ever-appreciating stock in the local market. For these people, the economy is certainly doing very well. So much for inclusive growth that is felt by all Filipinos. If you have a job, no matter how little it pays, that should be enough reason to rejoice in this season of want, apparently. Oh, and dont forget to thank your relatives, the 10 million Filipinos abroad who religiously send money back home and who really keep the economy aoat. And remember that if they had good jobs here, they certainly wont be elsewhere this Christmas. *** The popular governor of Cebu province, Gwendolyn Garcia, has been suspended for six months by Malacaang for alleged grave abuse of authority. This follows the highprole allegations in the Yellow media against Pangasinan Gov. Amado Espina for his supposed involvement in illegal gambling. Malacaang is obviously seeking to neutralize political opposition in these two vote-rich provinces ahead of the 2013 elections because both Garcia and Espino do not belong to Aquinos Liberal Party, which is elding opponents against them in May. This is daang matuwid politics, for those who still havent heard of it. It used to be called political harassment and persecution during the previous administration, of course. But Aquino doesnt do that sort of thing, being the righteous reformerson of a hero and a saint. Right?

Letters of love for Christmas 1

(SINCE Christmas is the season of love, I am sharing with our readers two letters of love appropriate for the yuletide season. Neither letter is about love between a man and a woman, but they talk about love nonetheless. The rst is a letter from a daughter to his father, Dieu Cay, a Vietnamese blogger who is currently in jail after being convicted for being an enemy of the state. As we read this letter, lets remember that until today, a Filipino child may still be writing a similar letter to his or her parent.) Dear Dad, It has been a long time since we last talked; it has been forever since I last saw you. The past six years feel like a decade because time seems to go so slowly. Every day we are waiting for you to return. Mom, brother, sister and I are missing you very much. I remember your pictures. You love to travel the country and take many pictures of the scenery. In my memories I only see buildings, trafc, pollution and busy days at school. In your pictures I see wild mountains, sandy beaches, fruit trees and beautiful rivers. We know you love photography, and I know it is because you love to capture the beauty of everything. You gave us so many memories to keep and to reminisce. I dont think many of my friends my age have many photos of them as kids to look at. But you captured all of that for your children. In your pictures we see the love that you have for your country and its people.

VIEW FROM MALCOLM

ATTY. HARRY ROQUE JR.

You have always been an honest, gentle, kind-hearted man, and you trust everybody to the point that life has become much more difcult for you. I have seen many people, including friends and neighbors, who took advantage of you. But along the way you have gained so many more friends with your kindness and your never-failing honesty. What you have endured all this time really breaks our hearts. This is the price you have to pay for your love? This is Unfair! This is Injustice! I was naive to think that maybe things will be okay after the rst two years they took you. I thought we would have you back in our arms again. I was looking forward to the day I get to see a picture of you again. I bought you a pair of new shoes so you could wear them to travel because I know you have worn out your last. But you did not return. They kept you for so much longer. That was when I realized things are worse than I thought. Justice will never have its day in our country. And time stretches its legs, one heavy step at a time. You dont know how many beats our hearts have skipped when we heard news about you or the trial, many worrisome days when we didnt know where and how you were. I had many dreams about you, and many nightmares. I am angry at the many hardships mother, brother and sister have to go through, yet I know it is nothing compares to what you have endured, and that makes me even angrier. It doesnt feel good to live in anger but I cant help it when there is no justice where you are. We were all holding our breath before the trial. There were many people who wanted to come to the trial to support you. You may have heard what has happened to them, the violence and nonsense action that

they took upon everyone. Nothing compares to what they did to you. After all of the beating, arresting, terrorizing, heartache and tears, after all of the unspeakable things, the result of the show was as expected. The clowns of terror always get their way, one of them even said F*** freedom. Just a few days ago I saw your image for the rst time after many years. You look much older and weaker. I saw how they put their hands on you when you tried to speak. I heard they didnt give you your glasses to read or write, they didnt give you food until it was rotten. Its hard to live thinking about my father like that. I know you were already very weak before prison, I dont know how you cope being in there. Sister said she got to meet you for nine minutes after ve years and she was afraid she would never see you again. We are all living in fear. I know they are trying to dehumanize us but I know you are strong. You are our hero. We miss you and love you very much. I want to see you again one day, father. A few very rare dreams of mine: you came back to us and I was so happy I just followed you everywhere you went (like when I was little) because I didnt want you to get taken away again. I know you have big dreams; they are simple, really, but in this situation it seems as if they are big dreams. Your dream is to help the helpless, the powerless to have their life the way its supposed to be, life of a human being, able to survive in their own country. My dream is also simple but in this situation it is a big dream. My dream is to have our family safe, in peace and I can do my duty as a child taking care of my parents. I dont have much ambition, I only want a normal life which you worked hard to give me but I want to have you all in it. Turn to page 5

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ManilaStandardToday Adelle Chua, Editor

Opinion
DUTY CALLS
IT HAS nally happened. What the public has known for quite a while nally took place last Tuesday when Police General Alan Purisima, a 1981 graduate of the Philippine Military Academy, took over the stewardship of the 148,000-strong Philippine National Police from Police General Nicanor Bartolome. The delay seems to center on whether General Bartolome would retire early or would be placed on a non- duty status. I believe General Bartolome did the only decent and honorable thing by opting to retire early. After all, he is not the rst and surely will not be the last. I think he did a good job as PNP Chief and would now like to welcome him into the ranks of the retired. General Purisima follows in the footsteps of many illustrious leaders like Generals Henry Allen, Rafael Crame, Renato de Villa and Fidel V. Ramos. He will be leading one of the oldest institutions of the country. Although the PNP traces its beginnings to the establishment of the Philippine Constabulary in 1901, the Philippine Police service goes back a lot longer into the Spanish colonial period. I do not know why, but the Guardia Civil which was basically the Police service during the Spanish colonial period is treated as if it never existed. Maybe it is because of the notoriety it achieved in the period leading to the Philippine revolution that historians choose to ignore it. It could also be because of the two famous novels of
FLORENCIO FIANZA

THURSDAY DECEMBER 20, 2012

A5

Surrendering to foreign interest

TO THE POINT
I WAS speechless upon hearing President Aquinos call for unity to anti-life and pro-life sectors. This after both chambers of Congress passed the reproductive health bill. In the rst place, who was it who divided the nation with his unwavering support for a measure that would control the population in the name of maternal care, universal health care and free choice? Unfortunately, Mr. Aquinos lapdogs in Congress did as he wished. This Great Divide can only widen this coming 2013 elections. Catholic leaders will not stop telling the faithful what they think is best. Despite many peoples claims that free choice and contraception are best for the nation, there are still some of us who stick to our convictions and remain faithful to the Church. Indeed the passage and the eventual enactment of the RH bill is a surrender of the Aquino administration to foreign interest. The United States is on record as being against population growth in underdeveloped countries. Why? The US, through its subalterns, like the United Nations, World Bank, and the USAID want to continue its domination of the Third World, mainly for control of natural resources. Washington is thus wary of a growing population. The young are prone to challenge the establishment. We also know there is a multibillion dollar lobby among US pharmaceutical rms to peddle condoms, IUDs, contraceptive pills and abortifacient drugs to the Third World. The Philippines is a ready target there are so many in government ready to be bribed. Why have we completely surrendered our national interests to foreigners? Now comes the President asking for unityall after his efforts to divide our nation. What unity? 2013 is coming! *** House Speaker Sonny Belmonte, a Protestant, is now talking about legalizing divorce in the Philippines. He claims there are many failed marriages with couples living miserably together. Belmonte also cites statistics of growing marriage annulments to prove that theres no way out of marriage except divorce. My gulay, whats next? After the RH bill, now divorce, then same sexmarriages and the amendment of the Constitution to legalize abortion! Obviously victorious over the passage of the RH bill at the House of Representatives, Belmonte is now imposing his own moral beliefs on the nation, a predominantly Catholic society. Will President Aquino go for divorce and same-sex marriage, and

Changing of the guard

Dr. Jose Rizal which painted a very bad image of the Guardia Civil. Another plausible reason could be language. Very few speak Spanish anymore so it is hard to read the old records. Sufce it to say that the history of the Police service in this country dates back a lot longer than the year 1901. General Purisima will be leading the PNP for almost three years until his retirement in the later part of 2015. Although not nearly enough, he has the time to prepare the organization to be ready in confronting the old and new challenges of Philippine policing. Many would want our Police to be in mold of the New York Police Department or the Los Angeles Police Department, the security issues facing the Police in this country are in a way different and complex. The Police, in addition to confronting common criminals, still have to contend with an insurgency problem by the New Peoples Army which is now one of the longest, if not the longest, insurgency in the world. This is not to mention the pestering problem of the extremists in the island of Mindanao like the Abu Sayaf, the Moro National Liberation Front, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and other terror groups. Add terrorism, transnational crime and other types of organized crime and General Purisima has his hands full. He has to train, equip and reform the PNP to be capable of facing these challenges. General Purisima has a reputation of being a doer and an operator. Give him his marching orders and he will carry them out quietly and, as we used to say, do it without any ceremony. He is very demanding not only of himself but also of his men. He is not known as an intellectual and for his eloquence. That part, he is willing to let others have. But if his subordinates are to be believed, he is a relentless leader that will not stop until the job is done. And judging from his inaugural speech, I think he has been able to express in very simple terms exactly what he wants to do during his term as PNP chief. Every new chief comes in with ambitious programs to enhance crime ghting. General Purisima is no different. He also has some things in mind. Predictably, as an operations guy, he wants to make the PNP a lot more dynamic to be able to deal effectively with criminal elements who are also becoming a lot more sophisticated and technologically more capable. He wants to prepare the PNP to be able to tackle the new frontier in crime ghting - combating transnational crime. The kind of thing that the PNP should be preparing if it wants to stay attuned and relevant to the times. If I understood him correctly, he also wants to eliminate duplication of functions and make the PNP more exible to adjust more easily to changing situations. And for the rst time, a PNP chief is talking about the need for more rigorous training. This is exactly what is needed to be able to do a good job. These are big plans. Given the many problems of law enforcement, let us all hope that he would succeed. He has also to bear in mind that being the chief of the PNP is now a different ballgame altogether. As I have said in an earlier piece, it is not enough that the chief barks orders. General Purisima must always remember that he is now also a diplomat and a politician who must navigate through difcult situations. I congratulate him and wish him well.

EMIL P. JURADO

The President now asks for unity after he has actively participated in fragmenting the nation.

nally abortion? This, I would like to see in my lifetime. Santa Banana, if he does, his mother a devout Catholic will turn in her grave! *** Im glad the controversy over the earth balling of at least 182 pine and alnus tress by SM Baguio has been resolved by the Baguio Regional Trial Court with the lifting of the temporary environmental protection order issued against SM. The issue caught public attention when self-proclaimed environmentalists in Baguio prevented the expansion of the mall. The land was getting eroded. To address this, it was necessary for the mall to transfer, through earthballing, 182 pine and alnus trees to another location. The so-called environmentalists however resorted to disinformation and lies to demonize SM. What they did not say was that the transfer of the trees was done under the supervision of experts from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Department of the Interior and Local Government and Baguio City ofcials. Because of a gullible media, the campaign to demonize SM succeeded. But SM has even committed to plant hundreds of pine and alnus trees outside Baguio City. The court found that SM complied with all requirements for environmental protection and management. With the expansion now ongoing, Baguio City residents will nd a bigger and better SM mall. It has become the number one attraction of the city. *** Sometime before former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo stepped down in 2010, the former Presidential Commission on Good Government management and the sequestered International Broadcasting Corp., which owned and operated Channel 13, entered into a joint agreement for Reghis Romeros R-II Builders to take over almost two-thirds of the IBC13 property in Quezon City called Broadcast City. This is where RPN-9 also operates. There was no bidding of any kind so much so that the country suddenly found out that PCGG and IBC-13 have given away more than two-thirds of the property to the Romero Group in exchange for a paltry sum of money to build a residential-business complex. The Romero Group had the task of managing and operating this complex. The deal was denitely a midnight deal, prompting a suit that was led with the Ofce of the Ombudsman against the Romero Group, the PCGG and former ofcials of IBC-13. That was more than two years ago. It seems however that Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales is not lifting a nger to pursue the case. Why? What ever happened to daang matuwid (straight path)? I wrote about this case last year and I was told that the Ombudsman was still studying it. Well, she is certainly taking her sweet time!

MAIL MATTERS
Japans position on Senkaku Islands is unshakeable
Recently, the Chinese provocative actions near the Senkaku Islands have been increasingly intense. Chinese government vessels have navigated almost daily on Japanese contiguous waters off the coast of the Senkaku Island, with some staying for ore than seven hours. Recently, a Chinese aircraft ew over Japans sovereign territory. I wish to share with the readers of the paper the position of the Government of Japan on the issue. First, on December 13, China committed a further dangerous act of a Chinese State aircraft intruding Japans airspace by ying over the Senkaku Islands. This is the rst intrusion of this kind, that increases the possibility of a contingency and that escalates the current situation. Based on international law, every state has complete and exclusive sovereignty over the airspace above its territory. Chinas intrusion clearly constitutes an unlawful act. Also, any country can take necessary measures to stop an airspace incursion. While the Government of Japan intends to calmly deal with the matter under any circumstances, Japan will take a rm response to an airspace incursion under domestic laws and regulations. When the airspace incursion occurred on December 13, Japan took a countermeasure by its Air Self-Defense Forces in line with a standard operation procedure that is widely recognized in the international community to counter an airspace incursion by a foreign aircraft. Second, China continues to unilaterally escalate the situation. It is China that is challenging the status quuo concerning the Senkaku Islands. Why does China choose to challenge it by coercion but not based on international law? Is this a China that opposes hegemonism and power politics in all their forms and that will never seek hegemony or engage in expansion (from a report to the 18th national Congress of the Communist Party)? Does China want to see the Japan-China relations pass the point of no return? If China further escalates the current strong. We pray and hope for the best. We have help from many friends and we thank the miracle that brought them to us. We will continue to fight with you and for you. I have learned to never take anything for granted and appreciate the beauty of life like the moment a snowake fall on my hand. And I situation, Japan will have no choice but to consider its future response with adequate readiness accordingly. Japan is deeply concerned that the environment to continue communications between diplomatic authorities of the two countries could be harmed. Japan strongly hopes that China will prove its diplomacy of peacefully dealing with issues by its own action. Third, Japans basic position that the Senkaku Islands belong to Japan is unshakable. At the same time, Japan, as a responsible stakeholder of the region, will deal with the current situation in a calm manner from a broad perspective. In fact, Japan is ready to maintain close communications with China in an effort to ease tensions. Based on the hallmark that Japan has consistently maintained after World War II, Japan, as a peace-loving nation, will continue to contribute to peace and prosperity in Asia. SETSUO OHMORI Minister, Embassy of Japan want so much for you and our family to have that peaceful moment one day. I am waiting for the day I get to hug you again and our last hug 6 years ago would not be the last. And you will have a camera in your hands again and the beautiful moments will be captured forever. I love you. Your daughter

Letters...
From A4 You must stay strong. Brother has inherited bravery from you. He is a very grown up man. We are all proud of him although I feel guilty that he didnt have his youth the way he should have. And he will keep our family

Moving on
DIVORCE NextBelmonte blared the front page of another broadsheet in 70-point black type, signaling renewed interest in the topic after the recent landmark passage of the reproductive health bill. The news article accompanying that headline cited House of Representatives Speaker Feliciano Belmonte as saying that he supports the divorce bill and thinks it possible that such a law could be passed by the next Congress. The Philippines is the only country in the world that does not have a divorce law, an effect of prevailing cultural norms instilled during the Spanish colonial period and perpetuated by the Roman Catholic majority. Roman Catholicism forbids divorce but allows marriage annulment in a process governed by strict criteria. However, divorce is available to Muslim Filipinos under Presidential Decree No. 1083, the Code of Muslim Personal Laws of the Philippines. Under its Chapter III, divorce is recognized between Muslims and a Muslim man and his non-Muslim wife if married under Muslim law or this particular code, which recognizes the legal system of the Muslims in the Philippines as part of the law of the land Historically, divorce was widely practiced during pre-colonial times, according to an interesting blog post dated 5 August 2008 at the website Philippine e-Legal Forum of Jaromay Laurente Pamaos (JLP) Law Ofces. In the 16th century, absolute divorce was practiced by tribes as widely scattered as the Igorots and Sagadans of the Cordilleras to the Tagbanwas of Palawan to the Manobos, Blaans, and Muslims of Visayas and Mindanao. Also according to the JLP post, divorce was available during the American colonial period from 1917 to 1950. Divorce was not allowed in the New Civil Code that took effect in August 1950; only legal separation was, and this was adopted by the 1988 Family Code, which also introduced the concept of psychological incapacity as a basis for declaring [a] marriage void. There have been various incarnations of divorce bills led in Congress as far back as 1999 at least. That one was led by Representative Manuel C. Ortega (House Bill No. 6993). Senator Rodolfo G. Biazon led one in 2001 (Senate Bill No. 782) as did Rep. Bellaor J. Angara-Castillo (HB No. 878). This was followed in 2005 by one led by Reps. Liza Masa and Luzviminda Ilagan (HB 3461). The most recent version is by Reps. Ilagan and Emerenciana de Jesus (HB 1799). Belmonte said that this bill is still at the committee level and will not be taken up soon, with congressmen busy preparing for next years elections. Why do we need a divorce bill? Under existing laws, marriages may only be annulled or rendered void at the start. The process is long, tedious, and expensive (costing P200,000 or more), making it available only to the moneyed who can afford to hire lawyers and obtain the psychological report that afrms the psychological incapacity of one or both of the parties involved. This is unfair to most Filipinos who do not have the means for this legal maneuver, and instead resort to separating from their spouses and living with other partners, often resulting in legal entanglements involving conjugal property, benets, and inheritance the fodder of telenovelas. A divorce would recognize that the marriage did exist but should no longer continue for a number of reasons, including domestic violence, indelity, abandonment, non-support, and so on. The chief opponent to such a bill would be the Roman Catholic clergy. Having received a jarring setback in their campaign against the RH bill, proposing a divorce bill would quite likely further enrage them. But if Muslim Filipinos can have divorce, why cant other Filipinos? Just because the Catholics dont want to have divorces doesnt mean they should stop others, especially non-Catholics, from having them. Why should a religious group be allowed to dictate what other people should or shouldnt do according to the tenets of their religion? Is that fair or just to others who dont subscribe to their faith? A persons religion is often arbitrary, dictated by birth; the law then should be a support system that can care for all members of society regardless of the constructed and sometimes illogical regulations of whatever their religion may be. Laws are for the good of many, not the one (or the one group). Lets face it, our (predominantly Catholic) society is a hypocritical one. It bars divorce but to get around this, cultural norms developed where it is considered acceptable for men to have mistresses and illegitimate children while their wives have to suffer it for the sake of the family (unless they have their own intimate affairs), and legal goarounds such as annulment have been devised that benet the wealthy few, not everyone. As adults with functioning brains we are all aware that some things dont last forever, that people must move on from situations that dont work anymore, that it is often better to cut and cut cleanly that to slog on in an unhappy marriage marred by misery and desperation. We need a law that gives us a chance to move on and start over, and it is only abysmal stupidity and selshness that will deny this. And this is the best time to work for the divorce bill, right after the RH bills passage. The discourse on human rights in general and womens rights in particular must continue and the momentum for struggle be sustained, because things need to change for the better and as soon as possible, because too many people have been suffering for far too long and delay is a disservice to the people. Lets end the hypocrisy. The divorce bill should be next. E-mail: jennyo@live.com, Blog: http://jennyo.net, Facebook: Gogirl Caf, Twitter: @jennyortuoste

A6

THURSDAY DECEMBER 20, 2012

ManilaStandardToday

News

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Senate removes carriers taxes

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

VOTING 16-0, the Senate has unanimously approved on third and nal reading Senate Bill No. 3343 which removes the 2.5 percent gross Philippine billings tax and the 3 percent common carriers tax imposed on international carriers and shippers.
In his sponsorship speech on Tuesday, Sen. Franklin Drilon, acting chairman of Senate Ways and Means Committee, said the bills approval will establish the country as a tourism hub and elevate its status as a viable gateway to Asian neighbors. He said the bill will help increase the capacity of local and foreign carriers for tourists to 15 million seats from current six million seats and airline companies will no longer be reluctant to increase their seating capacity because of the common carriers and gross Philippine billings taxes. In a public committee hearing conducted by then chairman Sen. Ralph Recto witnesses stressed that the Philippines remains the only country that imposes such taxes on international carriers. There is an urgent need to address this very serious matter to avert undue escalation. We should dissuade the few remaining foreign carriers operating locally from transferring to other countries, Drilon said in his sponsorship. In a move to resolve this, the bill provided a reciprocity clause in which the GPBT will only be waived for foreign carriers whose home countries give a similar tax exemption to Philippine carriers. The bill also exempts international carriers from payment of the common carriers tax insofar as the transport of passengers is concerned. Likewise, the bill also included the transport of passengers by international carriers in the list of transactions that are exempt from the payment of the value-added tax. Dilon said the removal of these airline taxes will improve the present situation where our tax policies seem to directly contravene our tourism goals. Even though the bill will forego revenues of up to P2.5 billion (P919 million from GPBT and P1.602 billion from CCT), Drilon emphasized that such foregone revenues can easily be recouped, if not surpassed, amidst projected increases in tourist arrivals. The Department of Tourism estimates that the increase in tourist arrivals will generate P455 billion in 2016 and will provide six million jobs. But with the approval of the bill, international arrival is expected to increase to 5.55 million in 2013, 6.75 million in 2014, 8.126 million in 2015 and 10 million in 2016. For the rst 10 months of 2012, tourist arrival is recorded at 3.5 million, 9.18 percent higher than the 3.1 million recorded in 2011. The enactment of this measure will translate to lower traveling costs for overseas Filipino workers who will be enjoying lower fares to the country. Likewise, it will lower business costs for domestic carriers with foreign operations as soon as the tax exemptions on their gross billings are reciprocated by other countries, Drilon said.

Christmas clean-up. World Mission Society Church of God in Paranaque and Las Pinas together with the representatives of the Department
of Environment and Natural Resources clean up Freedom Island in Paranaque City on Wednesday. The group established in South Korea with various branches in 150 countries said instead of worrying about doomsday scenarios, people should bring hope to others by focusing on the greening and cleaning the Earth. DANNY PATA

Metro agency eyes more rotundas

By Rio N. Araja
CITING American studies claiming improved motoring safety, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority announced on Wednesday it will soon put up portable rotundas at select intersections to ease trafc on Epifanio de los Santos Avenue and other major roads. Chairman Francis Tolentino said the portable rotundas will be made of wood and will be put up at the Edsa-Ayala intersection in Makati City, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport area in Pasay City and Roxas Boulevard in Paraaque City. But the rotundas can be dissembled, transported and reassembled at intersections where they are needed, Tolentino added. We have very few existing rotundas nowadays because of the emergence of modern signalized intersections. We hope that by this portable rotunda, we can bring back to the mind of the people that rotundas are the simplest but one of the best ways to reduce accidents, he said. Installing roundabouts in place of trafc signals reduce the likelihood of rear-end crashes and their severity by removing the incentive for drivers to speed up as they approach green lights and by reducing abrupt stops at red lights, he raised. Meanwhile, at least 140 passenger buses have been apprehended by MMDA constables for violating the bus segregation scheme on Epifanio de los Santos Avenue. Yves Gonzalez, chief of the Trafc Discipline Ofce, said 88 buses were apprehended and issued trafc citation tickets on Tuesday, the rst day of the schemes implementation. On Wednesday, 52 buses were apprehended by their trafc constables, he added.

IN BRIEF
US pedophile deported
THE Bureau of Immigration ordered the deportation of an American wanted by US for child pornography. Commissioner Ricardo David Jr. said Kenneth Gatlord Stokes, 68, will be expelled following his arrest in Cebu City by operatives from the bureaus fugitive search unit. He was arrested on the strength of a warrant of deportation issued against him last Nov. 28. David said the American was already an undocumented alien when arrested as his passport was already revoked by the US State Department.

By Ferdinand Fabella

Tarlac wins eGov award

THE Province of Tarlac bagged the Best in eGov Customer Empowerment Award for the Wireless Access for Health project from the National ICT Confederation of the Philippines during the 5th NICP National ICT Summit last Nov. 23. The eGov Awards are given by the ICT sector for local government units (LGUs) with exemplary performance in empowering public customers and businesses. The objective is to harness the potential of ICT to raise the bar in delivering effective and efcient public services. According to NICP, the WAH project is a good example of what public-private partnerships can achieve and how 3G wireless technology can be used to enhance public health systems for patients, doctors, and health care authorities. The WAH project seeks to deliver improved health care for patients, better access to information for decision makers and stronger morale for the health workers. WAH streamlines the reporting process by utilizing 3G wireless technology to build on and strengthen an existing Community Health Information Tracking System (CHITS) an electronic medical records system developed by UP Manila. A more comprehensive electronic medical record system has the potential to improve access to quality patient records for clinicians, quality data of the Field Health Service Information System, and improve delivery of health care services at local health clinics. Since the project began in July 2009, WAH has successfully expanded from four rural health units to 31 health clinics in Tarlac, Pateros, and Mindanao; serving more than 1,600 patients a day. Close to 200,000 patient consultations have already been recorded as of October 2012.

THE four accused in the killing of US Marine Forces Reserve Maj. George Anikow inside a gated subdivision in Makati City pleaded not guilty on Wednesday. Juan Alfonzo Abastillas, 24; Crispin de la Paz, 28; Osric Cabrera, 27; and Galicano Datu III, a student of De La Salle University, were arraigned before Judge Winlove Dumayas of the Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 59. The four accused were indicted for murder after allegedly stabbing Anikow to death near the gate of the Bel-Air subdivision on Nov. 24. The US embassy conrmed that the 41-year-old victim was the husband of an embassy employee. In yesterdays hearing, the court terminated the pre-trial conference

4 arraigned for Marines slay Mercy mission mishap

of the case after the prosecution and the defense panels completed the markings of the evidence. Datus lawyer Jay De Castro asked the prosecution panel, headed by Assistant Chief Prosecutor Hannah Arriola, to stipulate that Anikow was a member of the United States Marines, but Arriola disagreed because she said there was no document to prove that the victim was a trained US Marine. De Castro said it is material to establish the profession of Anikow because this will bolster his clients defense that the killing was not a murder but a mere homicide. Being a soldier and a Marine at that, Anikow could be armed and is trained in hand-to-hand combat. Moreover, the physical attributes of a Marine, he weighs more than 250 pounds and he fought against these kids, De Castro said, referring to the four accused. So there is no abuse of superior strength on the part of the accused, he argued. During the marking of evidence, De Castro also pointed out portions of the sworn statement given by BelAir security guard and prosecution witnesses Romel Saavedra that the provocation and unlawful aggression actually started from the American. This particular position of the defense is supported by the evidence on record particularly the medicolegal examination of the accused, he added. Police said Anikow, a resident of Bel-Air, was being checked by security guards at the gate when the four suspects arrived aboard a black Volvo sports utility vehicle around 4:20 am.

By Florante S. Solmerin
SEVEN physicians and their driver were injured in a road crash on Tuesday while they were en route to help typhoon victims in an evacuation center in Baganga, Davao Oriental, the military said on Wednesday. Maj. Jacob Thaddeus Obligado, commander of the 10th Civil-Military Operations Battalion, said the the victims were on board a black Mitsubishi Pajero on the national highway in Barangay Lucod around 4:15 p.m. when ran into a tree after avoiding a motorcycle. The physicians were identied as Nick Cantiro, Almatin Dimaucom, Norayin Salic, Junnah Mangacoy, Grace Espinosa, Taher Salaik and driver Tuy Pangilan. All of the doctors were from the Maguindanao Provincial Health Ofce. The victims were rushed to the Cateel District Hospital for rst aid and moved to the Southern Philippines Medical Center for urgent medical attention because only Salaik was in stable condition while the others were still in critical condition at press time. Meanwhile, the Australian government is donating A$7.3 million (P307 million) for the victims of Typhoon Pablo. The devastation caused by Typhoon Pablo is enormous and Australia will continue to assist the Philippine governments well-coordinated efforts to address this crisis, said Australian Embassy charge daffaires Andrew Byrne. Aside from the cash assistance, Australia will also be providing basic necessities like food, drinking water and temporary shelter to the thousands affected by the typhoon.

Citra gives back. Metro Manila Skyway project proponent Citra Metro Manila Tollways Corp. and its partner, St. James Renewal Movement, hold their third annual gift-giving activity, dubbed as Pamasko ni Santiago, at the Chapel of St. Therese which Citra constructed and turned over to Muntinlupa Vicariate Commission on Human Promotion in April 2010, as part of its corporate social responsibility program. This year, bags of grocery items were distributed to some 250 families in Sitio Espeleta, a depressed community in Muntinlupa City. In photo inset are SJRMs Cynthia de Dios, CMMTCs Mercy Baterina and Anna Gamboa handing gift bags to the Pamasko beneciaries.

2 more hunger-striking farmers pass out

TWO more of the 56 farmers who staged a hunger strike outside the ofce of Agrarian Reform Secretary Virgilio de los Reyes collapsed, a week after they stormed the ofce to condemn the governments continued failure to fulll the promises President Aquino made last June. Lani Factor, convenor of Task Force Mapalad, urged Mr. Aquino fulll the promises he made at a meeting with farmers in Malacanang on June 14, particularly his pledge to hasten land acquisition and distribution by issuing notices of coverage on landholdings of 25 hectares and lower and providing P1-billion in loan assistance to agrarian reform beneciaries with P300-million earmarked for Negros. The two farmers were taken to the East Avenue Medical Center, a day after seven other hunger strikers passed out and rushed to various hospitals. The 56 hunger strikers represent peoples organizations with 779 cases covering 17,160 hectares of land acquisition and distribution in Negros and Mindanao. They stormed the ofce of De los Reyes and commandeered the buildings fourt oor after they gained access to the area on Dec. 13. TFM president Alberto Jayme said they will continue with the hunger strike until the President responds to their appeal. Jayme said that out of the original target of 260,000 hectares in 2012, the DAR lowered its own target to 180,000 hectares. Out of this target, only 49,349 hectares of land have been distributed as of December 13, he added. In Negros Occidental alone, only 1,784 hectares have been distributed to the farmers out of their own annual target of 54,172 hectares, he said. Rio N. Araja

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

ManilaStandardToday Riera U. Mallari, Editor

Sports

THURSDAY

DECEMBER 20, 2012

A7

Eala clobbers Martin, reaches Philta semis

Karter Gabe Cabrera (third from left) is shown with his crew (from left) Joeselo Bariquit, veteran tuner Sonny Suba and Elson Carpio.

ALEX Eala put on a solid game and bundled out second seed Maxine Martin, 6-0, 6-1, to crash into the seminal round of the girls 12-and-under division Philippine Sports Commission-Philippine Tennis Association Age-Group Tennis Championships at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center yesterday. Eala blanked Martin with a variety of shots in the opening set then dropped just one game in the next to complete the one-sided triumph that set her up against the winner of the Blanche Lagrisola- for a berth in the nals. No. 4 Bettine Bautista, on the other hand, fended off Erika Manalo, 6-1, 6-3, to reach the semis against the winner between top seed Kristin Salimbangon and Gia Sagandoy in the other quarters match in the event sponsored by PSC and Philta with Dunlop Fort as the ofcial ball.

Marcel Gonzales also breezed through the semis of the boys 16-and-under class with a 6-3, 6-3 romp over No. 7 Jose Cano while Betto Orendain shocked fourth seed Kyle Joseph, 7-6(4), 6-1, to clinch the rst semis seat in the lower bracket of the week-long event which stakes ranking points. Second seed Emmanuel Vacallares, meanwhile, stamped his class over Alquin Flores, 6-3, 6-2, to set up a semis clash with No. 4 Godfrey Seno, who downed Brysl Libao, 6-1, 6-3, in the boys 14-and-under category. Third seed Soheimen Mama also played true to form and scored a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Jacob Martin in the upper half of the draw. He will meet the winner between top seed Cenon Gonzales Jr. and Elijah Arevalo, who were disputing the last semis berth at presstime.

Cabrera stamps class in Indonesia

SEAOIL-DC-Kart Plaza karter Gabriel Tayao Cabrera chalked up a hard-earned fourth runner-up placing in the recent Grand Finals of the 2012 Asian Karting Open Championship held at the Sentul International Circuit in West Java, Indonesia. The honor hence earned him the distinction of being one of Asias Top 5 karters in the mini-ROK class. Backed up by a capable crew comprising veteran tuner Sonny Suba, Elson Carpio and Joeselo Bariquit, 12 year-old Cabrera was the lone Filipino who made it to the mini-ROK podium in the Grand Finals, mastering the track only two days prior to the race and competing against a strong grid of predominantly Indonesian champions. Some of the Indonesians were already racing in the European circuit in higher levels so it was an honor to race with them in Indonesia. Im happy with my feat, but I do not want awards to dene me as a driver. I believe in the phrase that its not the victory itself but rather the ght, the attempt and the suffering that makes winning feel great. When I put on my helmet, the passion in my driving alone will show the world how much I love racing. Even without the trophies, I know in my heart, mind and spiritI am a champion, said Cabrera. Cabrera caught the attention of foreign fans and rivals alike, who marveled at how he shifted to defensive driving when his carburetor started breaking down in the last three laps. Gabe is a very good driver. It was very hard for me to overtake him, said Indonesian Presley Martono, a multi-awarded international mini-ROK champion, who is currently racing the European circuit in the upper KF3 class.

Lakers turn back lowly Bobcats

LOS ANGELESBeating the Charlotte Bobcats by one point isnt a true barometer of where the slow-starting Los Angeles Lakers are at the moment.
Neither were the wins they recorded in their previous two games against the short-handed Philadelphia 76ers and NBA-worst Washington Wizards, following a fourgame skid that tested new coach Mike DAntonis patienceand his up-tempo offense. All it means is that they can beat the worst of the worst. The real test comes in their next two games against a couple of vastly improved clubs, the Golden State Warriors on Saturday and New York Knicks on Christmas Day. Kobe Bryant scored four of his 30 points in the nal 1:26 and the Lakers had to overcome an 18-point third-quarter decit to beat Charlotte 101-100 on Tuesday night, handing the Bobcats their 12th straight loss. We just tried to grind it out. I think it was a big lesson for us, Bryant said. We managed to stick together. We could have folded, but we didnt. We stayed together and played hard. Jodie Meeks and Metta World Peace each had 17 points for the Lakers, who won their third straight to match their longest winning streak of the season. Pau Gasol, back after missing eight games with tendinitis in both knees, had 10 points and nine rebounds in 30 minutes and shot 3 for 10. My stamina was good, Gasol said. I think I kept up with them pretty well and I pushed through those times when I got a little fatigued. I was pretty active and my knees are feeling much better than they were. I just have to be more condent out there. World Peace, who had a career-high 16 rebounds in the Lakers 111-98 victory at Philadelphia on Sunday, was not in the starting lineup for the rst time after starting the rst 25 games. I want him to play the 4, and we have to be able to change our team, DAntoni explained. I hate it for Jordan Hill right now because he is the odd man out, and he doesnt deserve it. Hes played well and he is a good player. But for us to have a different teama different look Metta has to play the 4. ... As soon as Metta gets more comfortable with that role, he will be very productive as a 4. Bryant has scored at least 30 points in seven straight games, equaling his longest such streak since the nal nine of the 2005-06 campaign. His longest streak of 30-plus games was 16, in 200203. He has 236 points during his current streak. The most he ever had during a seven-game stretch was 344 in 2006-07, including ve games with 50 or more. AP

Fuentes keeps OPBF flyweight title

By Ronnie Nathanielsz
ORIENTAL and Pacic Boxing Federation yweight champion Rocky Fuentes has retained his title handily with a 12-round unanimous decision over Japans No. 9-ranked Yuki Nasu at the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo. It was the 26-year-old Fuentes seventh successful defense of the title he won with a hard-fought 12-round majority decision over another Japanese Masafumi Okuba on March 9, 2010 . Fuentes worked behind a solid jab and uppercuts especially in the second half of the ght after suffering a nasty cut above his left eyelid. Fuentes is ranked by the top four major boxing organizations in the world being No. 2 in the World Boxing Association behind newly crowned World Boxing Organization/World Boxing Association champion Brian Viloria, another Filipino. He also ranks No.3 in the World Boxing Council behind former champion Edgar Sosa of Mexico and Luis Concepcion of Nicaragua, in a list where Japans Toshiyuki Igarashi is champion. He is also No. 9 in the International Boxin Federation, where South Africas Moruti Mthalane is champion and No. 5 in the WBO, where Filipino Milan Melindo is No. 1 and countryman Froilan Saludar, the No.2. All three judges had Fuentes the winner. Dan Nietez of the Philippines had Fuentes the winner, 117-111, and so did Toshio Sugiyama of Japan, who scored it 115-113, and Thailands Pinit Prayadsab, 116-112. With the win, Fuentes improved to 35-6-2 with 20 knockouts, while the 30-yearold Nasu dropped to 23-7 with 16 knockouts. The soft-spoken but hardhitting Fuentes is trained by youthful Joseph Baldago and is a product of the famed ALA Gym. Baldago was in h is corner along with former world title challenger Edito Ala Villamor. Fuentes was coming off a twelve round unanimous decision over South Koreas Myung Ho Lee last September 22 while Nasu in his last ght won by a 3rd round knockout over Thailands Witcharapol Kiatprapat in in an eight round tune-up bout in Tokyo last Sept. 19.

IN BRIEF
UAAP tankers bag silver
VIENTIANETeam University Athletic Association of the Philippines added one silver and three bronze medals in its medal haul Tuesday as the 16th Asean University Games goes into the homestretch here. University of the Philippines ace tanker Claire Adorna and the Ateneo trio of Celina Gonzalez, Jasmine Ong and Kim Uy combined forces in nishing second place in the womens 4x100-meter freestyle relay with a time of 4:06.39. Malaysia, bannered by Southeast Asian Games gold medalists Siow Yi Ting and Cai Lin, won the gold with a clocking of 4:00.49. The lean Team UAAP-Philippines delegation now collected two golds, all courtesy from University of Santo Tomas taekwondo jins Christian Al dela Cruz and Ernest John Mendoza, as well as nine silvers and 13 bronze medals in seventh place. Adorna earlier snatched her second individual bronze in the biennial meet after placing third in the womens 100-meter backstroke event with a time of 1:07.31 behind Malaysian swimmers Chan Kah Yan, who clocked in 1:06.22 for the gold, and Chui Lai Kwan, who had a 1:06.88 time for the silver medal. Reigning UAAP Athlete of the Year Johansen Aguilar of La Salle took the bronze medal in the mens 100-meter backstroke bronze with a time of 59.83.

Monty, Schoeld make Hall of Fame

LONDONColin Montgomerie has been elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame by the slimmest of margins. Montgomerie and Ken Schoeld, head of the European Tour for nearly 30 years, were announced Tuesday as the latest inductees. They ll out the 2013 class that includes Willie Park Jr., Fred Couples and Ken Venturi. Montgomerie won the European Tour money list a record eight times. He received 51 percent of the vote on the international ballot. That makes two inductees in this classCouples was the other who got in through a special provision. If no one gets the minimum 65 percent, the player with the most votes gets elected as long as its more than 50 percent. The induction ceremony will be May 6 in St. Augustine, Fla. Meanwhile, Dottie Pepper learned the art of retirement at an early age. In a practice round during her rookie season on the LPGA Tour, she wound up behind someone Pepper would describe as an aging veteran who had no business being out there. Pepper turned to her sister, who caddied for her that summer, and told her, Dont ever let me get to that point. Two years after her rst shoulder surgery, when those blue eyes didnt blaze with quite as much intensity and Pepper began to realize there was more to life than chasing around a little white golf ball, she announced her retirement at the 2004 U.S. Womens Open when she was 38. Her retirement Sunday after eight years with NBC Sports was not much different. I would have to say this is similar to when Barry Sanders retired because shes going out on top of her game, said Tommy Roy, NBCs executive producer of golf who gave Pepper a chance, coached and critiqued her, and was sorry to see her go. Her work this year on the FedEx Cup and the Ryder Cup was impeccable. You could take her work and make a how-to tape for future broadcasters. AP

Bakers eye 3rd straight win

(Ynares Sports Arena) 12 noon Caf France vs Blackwater Sports 2 p.m. NLEX vs Cebuana Lhuillier

Games Today

2012 Christmas pairs at PTBA

THE Philippine Tournament Bridge Association hosted the Christmas Pairs event last Dec. 17 at the Manila Club in the Corinthian Building, Makati City. It was indeed a festive bridge event. Kudos to Sydney Bates for the good attendance and to President Phil Manalang for a successful event. The winners for the North-South axis: 1. Viksi Egan-George Soo 2. Geryy Alquiros-Francis Tan 3. Phil Manalang-Toti Fernandez 4. Suena Manalang-Georgina Espaldon 5. Migel Catalig-JL Urriquia tied with Dolly Montenegro-Mila Wales

SYLVIA LOPEZ ALEJANDRO

AQ93 875 West Maloles 10 AK864 652 QJ10 East Kwok K J73 J107

The winners for the East-West axis: 1. Romy Virola-Manny Tanjangco 2. Titang Montinola-Barry Randle 3. Joben Jalandoni-George Francisco 4. Chuchay Tuason-Lars Manneteg 5. Helen Tubangui-Pocholo Lozano I feature a deal from the game where my partner Julie Guthrie and I were able to understand fully our bidding agreement. Board 13 Vul-Both North Dlr: N Alejandro Q97632
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

AK632 South Guthrie AJ54 Q10952 K84 4 West North East South Pass 2 3 Pass 4 Pass Pass I was sitting North and I decided not to preempt with a two spade opening considering the vulnerability. My honors were in the short suit and the spade suit was extremely ratty. Margaret Kwok sitting East who plays the Big Club with partner Isabel Maloles opened two clubs. Under this system it showed an opening hand with a club suit. Guthrie sitting South backs in with a bid of three clubs. While the Michaels bid showing two suiters is usually utilized over a one level opening I took her bid as Michaels. The agreement to use Michaels was useful as this kind of sequence i.e. an opening of two clubs followed by three clubs is rare. As Maloles passed I immediately bid to game of four spades. I made six losing only to the ace of clubs. From Hiranthi Samarasinghas account from their

table, North opened with the weak two spades, while Nalin Samarasingha overcalled four spades, Hiranthi Samarasingha sacriced to ve clubs. It turned out to be a good sacrice as they were not doubled going down three -oOoCHRISTMAS MESSAGE I share with you Reys and my Christmas message to our friends. We share with you these extracts from The Gift of YearsGrowing Older Gracefully by Joan Chittister: But one thing is sure: to be meaningful to the world ground us means that we need to provide something more than numbers. It means that we are obliged to offer important ideas, sacred reection, a serious review of options, and the suggestion of better ideas than the ones the world is running on now. It means that we prod the people around us to reect on what they themselves are doing while they can still change. It is about what we strive to do because it is worth doing, because it is Gods will for the world. In closing, Chittister said: The burden of the present is that it brings us to face the eetingness of time. The blessing of the present is that it brings us to understand the eetingness of time- to live with the spirit in full bloom. GOD BLESS EACH AND EVERYONE OF YOU. Maligayang Pasko at Masaganang Bagong Taon! Comments to: sylvia@globelines.com.ph

COACH Egay Macaraya urges his troops to act like a winner as Caf France looks to stretch its winning streak to three games in the Philippine Basketball Association D-League Aspirants Cup. I told the boys this is the start of the journey of being a winner. So we have to face all challenges now and always play with a sense of urgency because teams wont take us for granted anymore, Macaraya said. The Bakers (4-2), indeed, will have to bring their A game when they face Blackwater Sports (4-2) at 12 noon today at the Ynares Sports Arena. Caf France has won its last two games against Informatics and Fruitas but is expected to have its hands full against Blackwater Sports. The Elite are aching to bounce back from last weeks 68-70 loss to defending champion NLEX that snapped their fourgame winning streak. The Road Warriors, meanwhile, wind up their elimination-round assignment against the Cebuana Lhuillier Gems at 2 p.m. Winning against Cebuana will assure our spot in the semis. Thats our immediate goal, but it wont be easy. We know Cebuana is prepared so our defense will be put to a test again, Fernandez said. The Gems are just as determined to beat the defending champions. We have not yet defeated NLEX the past two seasons. So our motivation is to get one over them and end the year with a big bang, said Cebuana Lhuillier coach Beaujing Acot.

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NBA HOME TEAM IN CAPS

Atlanta 100 WASHINGTON 95 (OT) Toronto 113 CLEVELAND 99 Utah 92 BROOKLYN 90 MIAMI 103 Minnesota 92 CHICAGO 100 Boston 89 MILWAUKEE 98 Indiana 93 DALLAS 107 Philadelphia 100 DENVER 112 San Antonio 106 LA LAKERS 101 Charlotte 100 GOLDEN STATE 103 New Orleans 96

Sports
Riera U. Mallari, Editor kas nal points as Talk N Texts stingy defense shut the Aces down in the nal two minutes. Larry Fonaciers basket with 2:10 left sliced the Aces lead to only two, 65-63. Game 2 is scheduled tomorrow at the Mall of Asia Arena. Sonny Thoss also had a double-double of 14 points and 14 rebounds and Abueva 10 points and 17 boards. I thought we played better in the second half. We played more in our tempo, but it was the breaks down the stretch that got us, said Alaska coach Luigi Trillo. The Tropang Texters did it despite shooting an abysmal 29.7% from the eld. The scores: TALK N TEXT 66Castro 17, De Ocampo 11, Fonacier 8, Carey 8, Alapag 8, Reyes 7, Dillinger 3, Williams 2, Peek 2, Gamalinda 0, Aban 0. ALASKA 65Thoss 14, Jazul 11, Abueva 10, Baguio 8, Espinas 7, Casio 6, Hontiveros 5, Baracael 2, Dela Cruz 2, Belasco 0. Quarters: 17-11, 34-28, 4750, 66-65

Manila Standard TODAY sports@manilastandardtoday.com sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

A8

6/55 00 00 00 00 00 00 P0.0 M+ 6/45 00 00 00 00 00 00 P0.0 M+ 4 DIGITS 00 00 00 00 3 DIGITS 00 00 00 2 EZ2 00 00

LOTTO RESULTS

THURSDAY

DECEMBER 20, 2012

Reyes triple lifts Texters

By Jeric Lopez

triple with 14.3 seconds left to give Talk N Text a 66-65 escape win over Alaska in Game 1 of their best-ofseven seminals series in the 2013 Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last night.
With the Texters trailing, 6365, heading into the nal 20 seconds of play, Jayson Castro drove hard and drew the Aces defense before nding a camping Reyes, who was wide open in the left corner. Ryan Reyes hit the big shot. Its a good thing he stepped up when we needed the shot. I dont think the play was for him, but were lucky he was so open, said Talk N Text coach Norman Black of Reyes heroics. After Reyes trey, Alaskas Tony Dela Cruz attempted a difcult 17-foot fadeaway jumper that was strong with around four ticks left.

RYAN Reyes buried a game-winning

The defending champions then collared the rebound to seal the win and grab a 1-0 advantage after the low-scoring affair. Its a very good calling for us. Were happy to get a win like this. We showed what were made of in this game, added Black. Castro nished with a gamehigh 17 points and 11 rebounds, while Ranidel De Ocampo added 11 markers and six boards. Calvin Abueva scored four crucial points in successive possessions after a standstill to put Alaska on top, 65-61, with 2:35 left on the clock. However, that proved to be Alas-

Gaby Espinas (right) of Alaska tries to reject a layup attempt by TNTs Harvey Carey in a PBA Philippine Cup seminal game won by the Texters, 66-65, at the Araneta Coliseum. LINO SANTOS

Koncz, Buboy face charges for mauling lensman

By Ronnie Nathanielsz
MANNY Pacquiaos adviser Michael Koncz and childhood friend and Filipino trainer Restituto Buboy Fernandez are facing charges for allegedly roughing up Getty Images award-winning photographer Al Bello and trying to prevent him from taking pictures of a fallen Pacquiao after his sixth-round knockout to Juan Manuel Marquez at the MGM Grand Garden Arena last Dec. 8. The reported apologies, which Fernandez for one coursed through Dr. Ed De La Vega on philboxing.com and Konczs apparent attempt to brush off the incident as a misunderstanding, did little to assuage the feelings of Belo and his lawyer, Vice President and Corporate Counsel of Getty Images, Lizanne Vaughan. Vaughan was quoted by writer Joseph Lariosa of Journal Group Link International as claiming that Belo was punched, kicked, grabbed and then chased away for trying to take still photos of the fallen Filipino champion in the ring. The company lawyer, in a letter to Nevada State Athletic Commission executive director Keith Kizer and NSAC chairman Raymond Avansino Jr., wrote that while apologies are appropriate, (they are) insufcient consequence alone and will certainly not deter similar behavior in the future. Kizer said he is reviewing the matter. Vaughan has urged both Kizer and Avansino Jr. to take all appropriate actions against Mr. Pacquiao and his entourage, and (we) expect that such include a signicant suspension period. But according to experts, involving Pacquiao, who was out cold after being knocked out and didnt know what was going on, appears unfair and uncalled for considering the Filipinos humility and respect for his opponents, media and fans. In her letter to the NSAC ofcials, which also included a full photographic chronology of these events taken by photographers Chris Cozzone and Gene Blevins, Belos lawyer asked the top NSAC executives to invoke pertinent Nevada state laws, which give the NSAC broad discretion to address this situation. We expect that you share our concerns with respect to the ability of the media to cover these events safely and will act accordingly, Atty. Vaughan said. Yahoo! Sports Kevin Iole reported that Koncz and Buboy Fernandez punched and kicked at Bello as he was trying to photograph Pacquiao, who was face rst down on the mat. Bello jumped off the apron in an effort to avoid confrontation with the Pacquiao aides.

PH Azkals fall back to no. 147

By Peter Atencio
THE Philippine Azkals are back at no.147 in the world rankings. This developed after the world soccer body, FIFA, updated the world placings of soccer-playing countries yesterday afternoon. The Hans Michael Weisscoached Azkals experienced their highest ranking at no. 143 right before they plunged into action in the Asean Football Federation-Suzuki Cup last month. The climb to that spot came after the Philippines beat Singapore, 1-0, in a friendly two months ago. After that, the Azkals winning one game, losing three and playing Singapore to a scoreless draw in a home game during the AFF-Suzuki Cup were taken into consideration, prompting FIFA to put the Philippines to its old ranking. With the changes, Vietnam moved seven notches higher at 131 to remain as Southeast Asias top-ranked squad. It is followed by Thailand, which beat the Philippines, 2-1, in the group stage, is now at 136, some eight rungs higher after momentarily falling behind behind the Azkals last month.

A BUILDUP for four major international meets and a sound grassroots development program are among the priorities of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas in the coming year. SBP executive director Sonny Barrios revealed this as the countrys governing body for the sport prepares to hold its elections tomorrow. Barrios said the SBP is now readying the various national teams it will be forming to see action in the FIBA Asia mens and womens championships and in the under-16 cagefest as well. The 2013 Southeast Asian Games in Myanmar is also part of the coming buildup for the year, according to Barrios. He added that the talentidentication scheme they started late this year will be pursued in the coming months through a grassroots program. The SBPs plans will be put for more discussions on Friday, when the SBP convenes its national congress. During the gathering, businessman sportsman Manny V. Pangilinan is expected to get another mandate as president of the SBP. Pangilinan is seeking a third term as the head of the SBP and is expected run unopposed when elections are held at the Meralco multipurpose hall in Pasig City. Peter Atencio

Busy year for SBP; polls set

Donaire TV ratings high

WORLD Boxing Organization and Ring Magazine super bantamweight champion Nonito Donaires third-round demolition of Mexican warrior Jorge Arce effectively demolished the programs of competing networks last Sunday, turning in huge ratings. The total ratings for the country registered 34.7 percent with the Visayas region pulling in 39.9 percent and Mindanao 39.5 percent. The Kantar Media figures for the urban region of Southern Luzon registered a remarkable 49 percent in the urban areas and an overall rating of 40.9 percent. North Luzon ratings were at 35.3 percent, while Central Luzon dropped to 23.2 percent. The results of the ratings matched the ght itself with a knockout performance way ahead of nearest competitor GMA Kapuso turning in average ratings of a mere 12 percent. The four-division champion, who kayoed Arce with a second left of their bout last Sunday, returned to the Philippines yesterday. He fought and won four times this year making him a strong candidate for the Fighter of the Year. Ronnie Nathanielsz

WBO super bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire arrives at the NAIA Terminal 1. ERIC APLOLONIO

Que ties Lascuna at helm with 70

ANGELO Que cashed in on a two-shot swing on the 18th to forge a tie for the lead with fancied Tony Lascuna as they carded identical 70s in ideal condition for a one-stroke lead over three others at the start of the the P2.5 million ICTSI Wack Wack Championship at Wack Wacks East course yesterday. Que, a three-time Asian Tour leg champion, including a Philippine Open romp here in 2008, birdied the last hole to cap a 3436 round in the morning session then watched Lascuna hole out with a bogey in one of the late afternoon ights to gain a share of the lead in this nal leg of the 15-stage circuit organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. The conditions are good, the fairways are great and the greens are perfect. Wack Wack did an excellent job of maintaining this course, said Que, who had two runner-up nishes at Eastridge and Southwoods while spending most of the season campaigning on the Asian Tour. Lascuna, seeking to cap a sterling campaign on the ICTSI Philippine Golf Tour with a victory in the Order of Merit derby, leaned on a three-birdie string from No. 3 to seize the early lead and set his bid in motion only to fall back with that nal-hole bogey that marred his 33-37 card. Despite his last-hole mishap, the 41-year-old Lascuna said hes happy with his round. I just felt good out there, said Lascuna, who underwent a swing change midway in the season. Im really condent now and playing well with my new swing. With all but one of the pretournament favorites in the main pack, a wide-open battle for the top P450,000 purse looms in the 72-hole event sponsored by International Container Terminal Services Inc. Charles Hong, seeking a follow-up to his maiden win at ICTSI Pueblo De Oro, birdied the par-5 13th to salvage a 71, leading a four-man group of one-under scorers who included the big-hitting Orlan Sumcad, Solomon Gines and James Ryan Lam.

Killer move. Hope Christian High Schools Samantha Torres (left) unleashes a kill against Ana Gopico and Julia Morado of Colegio San Agustin during their teams showdown for the Shakeys Girls Volleyball League National Capital Region leg crown at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum recently. The Hope Christian tossers won in four to retain the crown with Torres clinching the best server honors.

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Business
Manila Standard TODAY
Ray S. Eano, Editor business@mst.ph Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor; extrastory2000@gmail.com It also changed the 2013 growth forecast to 6.2 percent from the previous estimate of 5 percent and predicted that economic expansion would reach 6.4 percent in 2014. Going forward the countrys high growth could be sustained and made more inclusive provided that economic reforms are aggressively pursued to create more and better jobs and reduce poverty at a faster rate, more revenues are raised to nance higher spending in physical and human capital, and global growth is supportive and rebalancing in the region continues, the World Bank said. The countrys gross domestic product rose 7.1 percent in the third quarter, bringing the average expansion in the rst three quarters to 6.5 percent, above the governments target range of 5 percent to 6 percent. The World Bank expects the current account position to remain in surplus, on the back of remittances and recovery of electronics exports in 2012. It said consumer spending, which accounted for more than half of GDP, would be a main driver for growth next year, supported by continued remittances ows and higher government spending ahead of the 2013 elections. The country is currently beneting from strong macroeconomic fundamentals, political stability, and a popular government that is seen by many as committed to improving the lives of the people, it said. With further structural reforms, especially in areas which will have more impact on the lives of the poor, along with investments in infrastructure, education, and health, the Philippines can take advantage of new opportunities arising from the global economic rebalancing and the strong growth prospects of the East Asia region, it added. The World Bank cited risks in the growth projection, including high levels of global uncertainty, looming US scal cliff, quantitative easing in the US and the slowing Chinese economy. By building on its previous and current successes and by ensuring that it is prepared to take advantage of the opportunities that are coming its way, the government stands to make a signicant difference in the lives of Filipinos, it said.

THURSDAY DECEMBER 20, 2012

B1

WB raises growth goal to 6%

By Anna Leah Estrada

THE World Bank on Wednesday upgraded its growth forecast for the Philippines in 2012 and 2013, adding the expansion level will likely be sustained in the succeeding years.
The banks latest East Asia and Pacic Economic Update revised the growth outlook for the Philippines in 2012 to 6 percent from 5 percent announced in October and 4.2 percent in May.

BIRs tax haul tops P1-t mark

THE Bureau of Internal Revenue said Wednesday tax collection topped the P1-trillion mark for the rst time as of Dec. 17. The BIR said tax collection, which reached P969.3 billion in the rst 11 months, increased further this month, exceeding P1 trillion as of Dec. 17. Considering projections of collections from other sources still unaccounted for as of the said date, the BIR could have hit the P1-trillion mark much earlier, it said. The BIR aims to collect P1.066 trillion in 2012 to keep the budget decit from exceeding P279 billion this year. The BIR accounts for more than two-thirds of national government revenues. Other sources of income are import tariff collection by the Bureau of Customs, operations by the Treasury, fees collected by government ofces, earnings by government corporations and privatization of public assets. Tax collection in 2011 reached P924.1 billion, up by 12.3 percent from P822.6 billion recorded in 2010. The BIR earlier disclosed that tax revenues in November reached P110.8 billion, exceeding the P102.9 billion target for the month by 7.6 percent. Collections from BIR operations amounted to P107.8 billion, up by 19.6 percent from collections made in November 2011 and 9.3 percent more than the collection target for the month. Revenues from non-BIR operations reached P2.9 billion, also up by 13.4 percent from a year ago but 31.1 percent short of the target. The BIR said tax collection in the January-November period increased P119.8 billion or 14.1 percent to P969.3 billion from the same period last year. The government incurred a budget decit of P115.7 billion in the rst 10 months. The Finance Department, however, said excluding debt interest payments, the government had a primary surplus of P151 billion as of October. Anna Leah G. Estrada

IN BRIEF
EIB rehab lacks support
PHILIPPINE Deposit Insurance Corp. said the planned rehabilitation of Export and Industry Bank received the support of just less than half of the depositors and uninsured creditors of the bank. PDIC executive vice president Cristina Orbeta said only about 44 percent of the total number of uninsured depositors and creditors of EIB, accounting for 48 percent of the banks ordinary credits, gave their consent to the rehabilitation. The consent from the uninsured depositors and creditors is one of the critical requirements of EIBs rehabilitation. Major stockholders raised the need to get the consent from 100 percent of the creditors and depositors with uninsured deposits before they can approve and implement the rehabilitation of the bank. Strategic third party investors interested in acquiring EIB also indicated the consent of depositors and creditors was critical considering the banks assets were much less compared with the total amount of liabilities. The implementation of the rehabilitation would also require the turnover of deposit documents. This requires the written consent of the depositors to preclude charges for the violation of the Deposit Secrecy Law. PDIC earlier imposed a deadline of September 8, 2012 for the submission of the required consent of depositors and creditors.

Ayala Malls in Cavite. Ayala Land ofcials led by president and chief executive Antonino Aquino (third from left) and Imus,

Car imports climb 14%

SALES of vehicle importers in the rst 11 months rose 14 percent from a year ago, despite a 15-percent slump in November, the Association of Vehicle Importers and Distributors said Wednesday. Avid said sales in the January-November period hit 26,272 units, up from 23,012 vehicles sold during the same period last year. It was a good year for Avid, driven by the persistently positive economic environment. Expect an even more bullish performance by Avid members as the year ends, and into 2013, Avid president Ma. Fe Perez-Agudo said. Sales in November fell 15 percent to 2,263 units from 2,672 a year ago due to the delays in the arrival of units. The group said sales in the passenger car segment grew 21 percent to 15,320 units in the 11-month period from 12,660 units a year earlier. British United Automobiles Inc., distributor of Mini vehicles, posted the highest growth of 28 percent, followed by The Covenant Car Co. Inc. (Chevrolet), at 23 percent, and Hyundai Asia Resources Inc. at 8 percent. Earlier, car importers forecast a double-digit growth in sales growth next year on the back of stable supply condition, elections spending and the countrys rosy economic outlook. Julito G. Rada

Cavite Mayor Manny Maliksi (second from left) of Imus, Cavite, lead the lighting of Christmas parols to inaugurate The District Cavite, a community shopping center at the crossroads of Aguinaldo Highway and DaangHari Road in the province. With them are (from left) Bobby Dy, Ayala Land executive vice president and group head of commercial business; Philip Reyes, PhilRey Holdings president; Rowena Tomeldan, Ayala Land vice president and commercial business head of operations; and Cora Dizon, Ayala Land vice president and head of business development and strategic planning.

Miner to invest $100m in nickel plant

By Othel V. Campos
NICKEL and gold miner MRL Gold Philippines Inc. will invest $100 million in a nickel processing plant in Agata, Surigao del Norte in 2014. We believe it can be done with $100 million. The operation is fairly small. But we believe we have enough resource to put up a processing plant. The feasibility for that is underway, MRL country president and chief executive Tony Climie said in an interview. Climie said the company expects to reduce expenses because the mine site is very close to the ocean. We have a lot of infrastructure advantages, he said. MRLs partner, TVI Resource Development Inc., is now on its nal feasibility phase, for completion before end-2013. MRL said it expects positive results on the feasibility study, with plant construction seen to start in 2014. Plant commissioning and commercial production is due by 2016. The plant, once operational, will process up to 500,000 metric tons of nickel ore to produce 7,000 metric tons of nickel annually using the cheaper atmospheric leach process. Results of the pre-feasibility study showed the mine would have a life of 20 years. Meanwhile, the company studies nancial options to fund the processing plant. The search for lenders will kick in after the bankable feasibility study is approved by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau. MRL expects to directly ship nickel ores to the base metals market in China by 2013 while accelerating exploration activities on four major projects in Western Visayas, Southern Luzon and Surigao del Norte. The company recently concluded a two-tranche placement of 42.78 million units by TVI into MRL worth a combined C$2.2 million that paved the way for the creation of a joint venture company MRL Nickel Inc. Proceeds from the rst tranche were used to repay in full, the loan extended by TVI to MRL in July 2012. TVI will now operate the Agata project in Surigao del Norte and Pan de Azucar in Iloilo.

National Grid to pursue Leyte-Mindanao link

By Alena Mae S. Flores
NATIONAL Grid Corp. of the Philippines, operator of the countrys transmission highway, said it will pursue the proposed P24-billion Leyte-Mindanao Interconnection project. National Grid president Henry Sy Jr. told reporters at the sidelines of the launching of the Philippine Energy Plan 2012 to 2030 his company was committed to providing the needed power transmission access in the south. Yes, right now we are just having the studies done already. It was done 20 years ago but right now we are re-evaluating it. Because that is in the deepest trench, so we are really carefully re-evaluating, Sy said. The Leyte-Mindanao project involves connecting the Visayas and Mindanao grids via 23 kilometers of submarine cables linking the Leyte and Surigao substations. The project is expected to benet the national power grid because it will optimize the operations of hydropower plants in Mindanao and improve the reliability of the islands power system. It will also optimize standby and spinning reserves due to sharing of reserve and ensure exchange of energy during periods of shortfall or surplus of power supply between major power systems in the Visayas, Mindanao and possibly Luzon. The project will also create
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Wednesday December 19, 2012
Indonesia Thailand UAE Euro Korea China India Malaysia New Zealand Taiwan Rupiah Baht Dirham Euro Won Yuan Rupee Ringgit Dollar Dollar 0.000104 0.032712 0.272264 1.322600 0.000932 0.160452 0.018232 0.327386 0.843028 0.034447 0.0043 1.3427 11.1753 54.2874 0.0383 6.5859 0.7484 13.4379 34.6029 1.4139
Source: PDS Bridge

more open, liberalized and competitive market through the wholesale electricity spot market and open up more investment opportunities in Mindanao. Sy earlier said the company, if necessary, would advance the funds needed to jumpstart the project. We will advance the needed amount on a staggered basis as soon as ERC [Energy Regulatory Commission] approves our petition, Sy said.

November BoP surplus jumped 6 times to $2.2b

THE balance of payments posted a $2.2-billion surplus in November, or nearly six times the $364 million booked in the same month last year. It was also 3.6 times higher than $604-million surplus recorded in October, according to the Bangko Sentral. Bangko Sentral Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. said capital inows, proceeds from government debt and the central banks investment income boosted the BoP position in November. A BoP surplus means that foreign exchange inows exceed outows. The BoP is the summary of the countrys trade and nancial transactions with the rest of the world. Data from the Bangko Sentral showed the November gure brought the BoP surplus in the rst 11 months to $8.6 billion, although this was lower than the $10.3-billion surplus recorded a year ago. The 11-month surplus, however, exceeded the Bangko Sentrals revised forecast for the year of $6.8 billion. The governments Development and Budget Coordination Committee originally anticipated a surplus of $2.6 billion this year. Foreign funds helped boost the BoP surplus and contributed to the appreciation of the peso against the US dollar as well as the buildup of foreign exchange reserves which reached a record $84 billion as of November. Anna Leah Estrada

E ATE PSE COMPOSITE INDEX F OREIGNUnitXCHANGE RPeso Currency US Dollar

Closing December 19, 2012
United States Japan UK Hong Kong Switzerland Canada Singapore Australia Bahrain Saudi Arabia Brunei Dollar Yen Pound Dollar Franc Dollar Dollar Dollar Dinar Rial Dollar 1.000000 0.011881 1.625100 0.129037 1.095170 1.014507 0.821760 1.053741 2.652520 0.266660 0.818398 41.0460 0.4877 66.7039 5.2965 44.9523 41.6415 33.7300 43.2519 108.8753 10.9453 33.5920 5200 4460 3720 2980 2240 1500 1200

P584-P695 LPG/11-kg tank

P47.15-P53.07 Unleaded Gasoline

OIL PRICES
TODAY

PESO-DOLLAR RATE
Closing DECEMBER 19, 2012
40 42 44 46 48

P38.40-P41.05 Diesel P40.30-P52.20 Kerosene P27.20-P31.00 Auto LPG

P41.040
CLOSE

115.80

5,752.39

HIGH P41.030 LOW P41.085 AVERAGE P41.059 VOLUME 687.950M 811.200M

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

B2 THURSDAY

Business Stocks jump; SM MST BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW issues, Ayala rally
DECEMBER 20, 2012 ManilaStandardToday
52 Weeks

business@mst.ph extrastory2000@gmail.com

High

Low

STOCKS rose sharply Wednesday, with blue-chip issues leading the rally on easing concerns on the US budget standoff.
The Philippine Stock Exchange index jumped 115.80 points, or 2 percent, to 5,752.39. Gainers overwhelmed losers, 110 to 46, with 58 issues unchanged. The rest of Asian stock markets rallied after US political leaders appeared to be closing in on a budget deal to avert the scal cliff by the year-end deadline. Economists have been warning the US economy could be thrown back into recession without a deal. Belle Corp., a unit of retail tycoon Henry Sy Sr. that is venturing into the casino business, climbed 1.9 percent to P4.80. BDO Unibank Inc., the biggest lender and a member of the SM Group owned by Sy, surged 2.8 percent to P71.95. SM Investments Corp., which is into banking, retail, property, hotels and mining, rose 2.5 percent to P850. Ayala Land Inc., the biggest builder, advanced 3.6 percent to P25.90, while parent Ayala Corp. rose 2 percent to P510. Bank of the Philippine Islands, the third-biggest bank, gained nearly 3 percent to P95. Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co., the biggest telecommunications company, added 0.8 percent to P2,578. Bloomberry Resorts Corp., the casino company owned by port magnate Enrique Razon, rebounded 1.7 percent to P12.84. Japans Nikkei 225 index, meanwhile, jumped 1.8 percent to 10,099.88 at midday, the rst time the benchmark has risen above 10,000 in more than eight months. The stock market advance came three days after a landslide election victory by the Liberal Democratic Party. Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, head of the LDP, has pledged to keep the yen from strengthening and take measure to boost the

deation-mired economy. Australias S&P/ASX 200 advanced 0.5 percent to 4,627.10, the highest intraday level this year. Hong Kongs Hang Seng index rose 0.7 percent to 22,652.75. Benchmarks in New Zealand, Taiwan and Malaysia also rose, while those in Singapore and mainland China fell. Stock markets in South Korea were closed for a public holiday during Wednesdays presidential election. Stock markets have been on edge for weeks as President Barack Obama and Republican leaders struggle to hammer out an agreement before Jan. 1, when automatic tax hikes and government spending cuts will take effect if no deal is reached. The two sides appear to be moving closer together, at least on income taxes. On Monday, Obama offered to freeze income tax rates for taxpayers making $400,000 or less and raise them for people making more. Previously, Obama wanted higher taxes for individual income above $200,000, or $250,000 for couples. With AP

70.50 77.45 595.00 28.50 23.90 20.70 3.26 650.00 39.20 102.50 3.06 77.80 95.00 80.00 500.00 45.50 155.20 1100.00 140.00 2.06 35.50 13.58 1.70 48.00 1.62 138.00 300.00 144.00 2.75 9.74 6.41 7.77 3.80 19.40 79.30 27.00 0.02 13.10 6.00 2.35 120.00 8.40

46.00 50.00 370.00 27.80 13.80 18.50 1.91 420.00 3.00 60.00 1.30 41.00 69.00 52.00 210.00 29.45 77.00 879.00 58.00 1.43 26.50 8.00 0.97 25.00 1.08

45.00 41.00 42.00 2.30 7.41

4.83 2.80 1.00 12.50 51.50 17.50 0.0110 7.80 3.80 0.61 80.00 1.04

Bob Sobrepea losing grip on shared property holdings

BUSINESSMAN Robert John Bob Sobrepea of the Fil-Estate Group, after running out of friends in Manila Southwoods Golf and Country Club in Carmona, Cavite, may soon lose control of his remaining golf clubs and real estate possessions. The grapevine said President Benigno Aquino III himself had taken interest in the complaints against Bob, especially the businessmans public squabble with the Bases Conversion Development Authority over the non-payment of lease rentals to the state agency. The BCDA board recently met with some disgruntled members of the Manila Southwoods Golf and Country Club in Carmona, Cavite, presumably to build the agencys case against Bob. The grapevine said BCDA was serious in seeking redress from any unlawful business practice that had taken place in its jurisdiction and pursuing criminal and administrative actions against individuals mocking its authority. President Aquino, meanwhile, is creating a task force on justice and internal revenue to zero in on Bob, who has refused to pay his rental dues to the BCDA. I think what President Aquino is trying to do this time is to corral hoodlums in business suits, much like his campaign against hoodlums in robes, one source said. Trouble in golf courses Camp John Hay may prove to be Bobs biggest headache but the hazards he faces in several golf courses are equally daunting. His tussle with the reform group of Southwoods was well-publicized, culminating in the suspension of members for one year beginning June 15, after the reformist group questioned the management and leadership of Bobs group. Bobs woes are not limited to Southwoods. Over at the Forest Hills Residential Estates and Golf & Country Club in Cogeo, Antipolo City, lot owner Johnson Ong canceled his joint venture agreement with Fil-Estate Land Inc., which has been renamed Global-Estate Resorts Inc., after tycoon Andrew Tan acquired a 60-percent stake in Fil- Estate Land. The spat left golfers and members with little privileges and amenities, except perhaps the cool fresh mountain air of Antipolo. The Sherwood Hills Golf Club in Trece Martirez City, Cavite, however, is a different story. Things have turned around in the 18-hole golf course after a new management team took over, Southwoods reform group noted. From a monthly operating expenditure of some P5.5 million to P6 million, the club is now just spending P3.5 million to P4.2 million. Southwoods members said Sherwood posted savings on security and golf course maintenance expenses. Bobs team used to take care of the supply of security guards and maintenance services and equipment of Sherwood. Southwoods members sighed that Sherwoods was now in a much better condition than in the past and that golf share values were appreciating.

3.20 3.19 27.45 6.95 18.10 280.60 12.20 3.65 16.00 13.70 14.94 4.42 2.49 3.90 6.50 34.60 129.20 3000.00 2.62 2.44 0.196 1.41 69.20 5.50 0.77 18.00 1.22 1.18 59.90 0.019 13.70 2.60 5.02 6.98 2.98 485.20 64.80 4.19 3.68 5.20 556.00 5.22 36.20 4.19 6.21 1.54 0.91 3.82 4.65 6.24 9.66 0.0770 2.20 0.82 2.40 0.490 760.00 2.71 850.00 0.420 0.620 0.980 3.34 0.195 24.15 5.62 9.00 2.85 2.91 1.50 1.11 0.94 3.80 0.310 2.74 1.44 3.80 2.14 2.34 0.36 0.990 0.67 4.33 19.94 7.71 2.85 8.95 18.20 0.91 4.55 0.64 4.66 4.72 42.00 18.98 0.78 10.92 102.80 0.5300 24.00 82.50 9.70 5.90 1750.00 1270.00 11.00 77.00 0.98 18.40 6.80 4.70 34.50 3.87 0.0760 5.1900 10.30 3.70 2.65 0.84 4.08 22.95 8.58 3.39 71.00 17.88 2886.00 0.39 30.15 4.75 0.79 0.0083 6.20 20.80 48.00 0.345 29.00 2.23 61.80 1.21 1.81 2.070 0.085 0.840 36.50 12.84 1.100 8.40 0.032 0.033 7.05 28.25 48.00 0.062 257.80 0.029 50.00 109.80 11.02 116.70 80.00 1050.00 1.31 1.38 6.20

1.32 1.08 18.10 0.75 8.12 215.00 7.50 1.96 9.70 10.20 8.05 1.01 1.10 2.01 2.90 26.50 110.20 800.00 1.25 1.73 0.112 0.90 37.00 1.05 0.320 2.55 0.77 0.65 35.50 0.014 8.00 1.80 3.00 0.260 1.49 272.00 30.50 1.03 1.15 3.30 455.40 2.94 19.00 2.27 4.00 0.61 0.300 1.800 2.56 3.40 1.22 0.045 1.20 0.44 1.01 0.285 450.00 1.08 425.00 0.101 0.082 0.380 1.70 0.150 13.36 3.08 2.26 1.35 1.20 1.05 0.67 0.54 2.90 0.10 1.63 0.98 1.21 0.65 1.51 0.150 0.089 0.41 2.10 10.00 2.51 1.81 6.00 10.94 0.64 1.80 0.45 2.60

RAY S. EANO
The discontented Southwoods golfers are hoping that tycoon Andrew Tan will become more active in handling the affairs of the golf courses he inherited from Bob. Tan indirectly owns two subsidiaries of Global-Estate, after purchasing a 60-percent interest in the erstwhile Sobrepea company. These are Fil-Estate Properties Inc. and Fil-Estate Golf and Development Inc., which are both engaged in the development of residential subdivisions, townhouses, golf course communities, condominiums, ofce buildings, industrial estates and resort communities. Security Bank makes a dent Security Bank Corp. does not compare with the countrys three biggest banks in terms of assets, but it has earned an accolade from the prestigious Asian Banker 500 as the countrys strongest bank and a place among the worlds leading banks from The Banker, a globally-renowned and respected banking magazine published by the Financial Times of London. The Banker recognized Security Bank as a competitive player in the Philippine banking and nance industry in the past year, following its signicant acquisition of consumer and savings specialist Premiere Development Bank (now Security Bank Savings). The Banker also recognized its active engagement in the capital markets business, saying the bank is operating in a market that is entering a phase of infrastructural developments and that it is seeking to keep pace with these investments in the country. The publication cited Security Banks loan growth of 24 percent in 2011, with focus on corporate and small and medium-enterprise customers, and funds going to the infrastructure, energy, retail, real estate and mining sectors. It noted its leading position in the equity and debt capital markets, and involvement in a number of landmark big-ticket deals in the Philippines. Security Bank participated as a joint deal manager for the governments P323.5-billion bond swap, the states largest deal of a kind at the time. Security Bank posted a solid nancial performance in 2011, earning P6.7 billion in 2011, or a return on equity of 25 percent, outpacing the industry average of 12.14 percent. Return on assets stood at 3.5 percent versus the countrys universal and commercial banks average of 1.46 percent. E-mail: rayenano@yahoo.com or business@mst.ph or extrastory2000@gmail.com

1.20 24.80 1.05 0.45 7.30 4.45 0.1010 5.20 60.80 5.44 1.45 800.00 831.00 6.18 43.40 0.36 5.00 4.30 1.75 0.036 1.00 0.042 2.550 5.90 2.60 1.03 0.57 1.21 13.80 5.35 1.05 18.00 12.10 2096.00 0.25 10.68 3.30 0.34

0.0038 3.01 14.50 20.00 0.170 19.98 1.05

T RADING S UMMARY
FINANCIAL INDUSTRIAL HOLDING FIRMS PROPERTY SERVICES MINING & OIL GRAND TOTAL

SHARES 17,546,399 1,071,540,406 421,269,811 518,378,804 199,214,295 609,728,281 2,837,777,396

VALUE 1,477,280,179.48 2,513,018,905.50 1,204,183,858.70 2,346,049,865.68 1,048,285,832.28 192,409,034.93 8,782,112,409.5618

FINANCIAL 1,519.43 (up) 31.06 INDUSTRIAL 8,803.93 (up) 149.57 HOLDING FIRMS 5,042.91 (up) 84.32 PROPERTY 2,267.10 (up) 67.79 SERVICES 1,732.82 (up) 22.69 MINING & OIL 19,346.47 (up) 196.34 PSEI 5,752.39 (up) 115.80 All Shares Index 3,688.28 (up) 58.01 Gainers: 110; Losers: 46; Unchanged: 59; Total: 215

6.96 0.50 1.0600 1.0900 0.042 0.570 15.04 2.91 0.008 2.99 0.014 0.014 5.10 18.40 3.00 0.017 161.10 0.015 23.05 101.50 6.00 108.90

ABS-CBN Holdings Corp. First Phil. Hldgs.-Pref. GMA Holdings Inc. PCOR-Preferred SMC Preferred A 74.50 SMC Preferred B SMC Preferred C 1000.00 SMPFC Preferred 0.62 0.67 4.18

M S T
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2012
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71.95 95.00 55.40 25.00 19.50 28.85 2.78 500.00 21.50 99.10 1.70 88.95 90.00 63.00 408.00 58.00 162.20 995.00 114.50 2.34 36.70 6.80 1.99 27.40 1.27 18.64 66.00 102.90 65.00 2.95 19.84 4.40 6.88 9.90 1.90 22.50 88.85 17.50 0.0220 13.78 3.95 0.660 107.40 10.70 1.82 12.48 14.00 14.00 32.05 4.45 17.000 263.00 7.80 5.70 10.46 10.90 8.90 4.80 3.10 3.00 4.80 33.40 103.00 243.00 1.55 1.74 0.145 1.16 80.05 1.30 1.00 7.00 1.45 2.79 3.20 1.47 8.70 0.00 0.17 4.91 2.04 (2.27) 1.75 (4.49) 2.24 0.00 1.61 1.24 0.43 0.12 0.00 1.42 0.00

Net Foreign

Trade/Buying
(19,982,980.00) 32,621,836.00 (25,130.00) 1,900,000.00 289,500.00 10,750.00 (71,888,968.50) 1,080,197.00

Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. Bank of PI China Bank Citystate Savings COL Financial Eastwest Bank I-Remit Inc. Manulife Fin. Corp. Maybank ATR KE Metrobank Natl Reinsurance Corp. Phil. National Bank Phil. Savings Bank Philippine Trust Co. PSE Inc. RCBC `A Security Bank Sun Life Financial Union Bank Vantage Equities Aboitiz Power Corp. Agrinurture Inc. Alliance Tuna Intl Inc. Alphaland Corp. Alsons Cons. Asiabest Group Bogo Medellin Chemphil Conc. Aggr. `A Chemrez Technologies Inc. Cirtek Holdings (Chips) DNL Industries Inc. Energy Devt. Corp. (EDC) EEI Euro-Med Lab. First Gen Corp. First Holdings A Ginebra San Miguel Inc. Greenergy Holcim Philippines Inc. Integ. Micro-Electronics Ionics Inc Jollibee Foods Corp. Lafarge Rep LMG Chemicals LT Group Manchester Intl. A Manchester Intl. B Manila Water Co. Inc. Mariwasa MFG. Inc. Megawide Mla. Elect. Co `A Pancake House Inc. Pepsi-Cola Products Phil. Petron Corporation Phinma Corporation Phoenix Petroleum Phils. RFM Corporation Roxas and Co. Roxas Holdings Salcon Power Corp. San Miguel Brewery Inc. San Miguel Corp `A San MiguelPure Foods `B Seacem Splash Corporation Swift Foods, Inc. Trans-Asia Oil Universal Robina Victorias Milling Vitarich Corp. Vivant Corp. Vulcan Indl. Abacus Cons. `A Aboitiz Equity Alcorn Gold Res. Alliance Global Inc. Anglo Holdings A Anscor `A Asia Amalgamated A ATN Holdings A Ayala Corp `A DMCI Holdings F&J Prince A F&J Prince B Filinvest Dev. Corp. GT Capital House of Inv. JG Summit Holdings Jolliville Holdings Lopez Holdings Corp. Lodestar Invt. Holdg.Corp. Mabuhay Holdings `A Marcventures Hldgs., Inc. Metro Pacic Inv. Corp. Minerales Industrias Corp. MJCI Investments Inc. Pacica `A Prime Media Hldg Prime Orion Seafront `A Sinophil Corp. SM Investments Inc. Solid Group Inc. Transgrid Unioil Res. & Hldgs Wellex Industries Zeus Holdings A. Brown Co., Inc. Arthaland Corp. Ayala Land `B Belle Corp. `A Cebu Holdings Century Property City & Land Dev. Cityland Dev. `A Cyber Bay Corp. Empire East Land Eton Properties Ever Gotesco Global-Estate Filinvest Land,Inc. Highlands Prime Interport `A Megaworld Corp. MRC Allied Ind. Phil. Estates Corp. Phil. Realty `A Primex Corp. Robinsons Land `B Rockwell Shang Properties Inc. SM Development `A SM Prime Holdings Sta. Lucia Land Inc. Starmalls Suntrust Home Dev. Inc. Vista Land & Lifescapes

2GO Group ABS-CBN Acesite Hotel APC Group, Inc. Asian Terminals Inc. Bloomberry Boulevard Holdings Calata Corp. Cebu Air Inc. (5J) DFNN Inc. Easy Call Common FEUI Globe Telecom GMA Network Inc. I.C.T.S.I. Information Capital Tech. Imperial Res. `A IPeople Inc. `A IP Converge IP E-Game Ventures Inc. IPVG Corp. Island Info ISM Communications Leisure & Resorts Liberty Telecom Lorenzo Shipping Manila Bulletin Manila Jockey Pacic Online Sys. Corp. PAL Holdings Inc. Paxys Inc. Phil. Seven Corp. Philweb.Com Inc. PLDT Common PremiereHorizon Puregold STI Holdings Touch Solutions Waterfront Phils. Yehey

Abra Mining Apex `A Atlas Cons. `A Atok-Big Wedge `A Basic Energy Corp. Benguet Corp `A Century Peak Metals Hldgs Coal Asia Dizon Geograce Res. Phil. Inc. Lepanto `A Lepanto `B Manila Mining `A Manila Mining `B Nickelasia Nihao Mineral Resources Omico Oriental Peninsula Res. Oriental Pet. `A Oriental Pet. `B Petroenergy Res. Corp. Philex `A PhilexPetroleum Philodrill Corp. `A Semirara Corp. United Paragon

Megaworld Corp. Warrants Megaworld Corp. Warrants2 Ripple E-Business Intl

FINANCIAL 71.95 70.05 95.00 92.05 56.00 54.70 25.00 25.00 19.90 19.00 28.95 28.60 2.78 2.72 514.00 500.00 22.00 21.50 99.35 97.50 1.76 1.69 89.50 86.00 90.00 88.00 63.00 63.00 408.00 402.00 58.20 57.75 162.60 162.00 995.00 995.00 114.50 113.00 2.34 2.33 INDUSTRIAL 36.00 36.95 36.05 6.80 6.80 6.80 1.96 2.00 1.95 27.40 27.40 24.05 1.29 1.29 1.25 18.88 18.80 17.10 55.30 66.00 66.00 103.00 102.90 100.00 65.00 65.00 65.00 2.99 2.95 2.90 19.80 19.88 18.30 4.43 4.440 4.40 6.57 6.88 6.56 9.80 9.90 9.75 1.90 1.90 1.90 22.25 22.70 22.45 87.00 88.90 87.50 17.80 17.50 17.50 0.0220 0.0230 0.0220 13.80 13.80 13.30 3.93 4.25 3.92 0.630 0.660 0.620 107.50 108.00 107.00 10.70 10.78 10.52 1.83 1.83 1.81 12.42 12.58 12.48 12.38 15.60 12.00 12.98 15.28 13.00 31.55 32.40 31.65 3.44 4.60 3.51 16.920 17.000 16.880 256.00 263.00 256.00 7.80 7.80 7.80 5.74 5.74 5.69 10.40 10.46 10.38 10.90 11.80 10.90 9.08 9.08 8.90 4.65 4.84 4.66 3.50 3.10 3.09 3.60 3.50 3.00 4.88 4.81 4.70 32.00 33.40 32.00 102.80 103.00 102.50 243.00 243.00 242.00 1.51 1.65 1.51 1.74 1.74 1.74 0.152 0.153 0.145 1.10 1.16 1.10 78.50 80.10 78.00 1.27 1.30 1.27 0.99 1.05 0.98 6.60 7.00 7.00 1.44 1.49 1.45 HOLDING FIRMS 0.66 0.67 0.65 51.90 52.50 51.85 0.1370 0.1420 0.1390 16.30 16.40 16.18 2.16 2.16 2.08 5.18 5.18 5.15 4.95 4.78 4.35 0.99 0.99 0.94 500.00 515.00 501.00 53.00 55.25 52.80 2.80 2.85 2.80 2.95 2.95 2.95 4.68 4.96 4.60 650.00 660.00 648.00 6.36 6.38 6.20 38.00 38.70 37.80 6.75 6.75 6.20 6.25 6.33 6.25 0.96 0.98 0.98 0.380 0.380 0.380 1.79 1.80 1.76 4.32 4.50 4.35 6.04 6.07 6.04 5.80 5.80 5.70 0.0500 0.0500 0.0490 1.280 1.300 1.300 0.550 0.560 0.560 1.61 1.62 1.62 0.315 0.315 0.310 829.00 855.00 830.00 1.92 1.95 1.92 495.00 495.00 495.00 0.2500 0.2500 0.2500 0.3100 0.3150 0.3000 0.355 0.385 0.355 PROPERTY 2.97 2.97 2.93 0.177 0.177 0.177 25.00 26.00 25.20 4.71 4.84 4.77 4.10 4.08 4.00 1.40 1.42 1.40 2.30 2.40 2.35 1.12 1.13 1.12 0.79 0.79 0.79 1.020 1.060 1.020 2.88 3.00 2.87 0.390 0.410 0.380 1.91 1.94 1.91 1.49 1.53 1.47 1.80 1.99 1.81 1.16 1.16 1.15 2.72 2.76 2.69 0.1580 0.1560 0.1560 0.7100 0.7700 0.7000 0.455 0.450 0.440 4.00 4.18 3.30 20.50 21.00 20.40 2.57 2.60 2.40 3.03 3.10 3.00 5.90 5.94 5.80 15.16 15.98 15.26 0.69 0.69 0.67 3.99 3.99 3.53 0.550 0.550 0.550 4.990 5.010 4.970 SERVICES 1.73 1.75 1.73 32.20 32.70 32.10 1.24 1.25 1.21 0.800 0.820 0.780 9.60 9.60 9.60 12.62 13.02 12.54 0.1370 0.1400 0.1360 3.80 4.15 3.80 60.00 63.50 59.90 4.30 4.20 4.10 2.70 2.90 2.70 1080.00 1080.00 1040.00 1098.00 1108.00 1105.00 8.85 9.02 8.85 69.70 72.60 69.70 0.380 0.385 0.385 6.65 7.94 7.80 9.00 9.30 9.30 2.95 3.15 2.96 0.027 0.028 0.026 0.57 0.60 0.55 0.0510 0.0510 0.0480 2.1700 2.1800 2.1700 7.70 7.80 7.69 2.40 2.40 2.40 1.70 1.65 1.65 0.72 0.72 0.71 2.50 2.51 2.46 13.78 13.82 13.80 4.90 4.88 4.80 2.88 3.05 2.88 82.00 83.00 82.00 12.38 12.36 12.22 2558.00 2600.00 2560.00 0.325 0.335 0.325 32.55 33.45 32.55 1.03 1.05 1.03 9.00 9.02 6.51 0.420 0.410 0.405 1.290 1.340 1.210 MINING & OIL 0.0056 0.0061 0.0056 4.75 4.75 4.75 18.42 18.90 18.62 21.00 19.90 16.70 0.265 0.265 0.265 18.60 18.60 18.60 0.86 0.86 0.86 1.03 1.04 1.03 15.00 15.00 14.60 0.50 0.51 0.50 1.000 1.040 0.990 1.070 1.110 1.070 0.0590 0.0590 0.0580 0.0580 0.0590 0.0590 16.10 16.20 16.08 4.90 5.08 4.88 0.6000 0.5800 0.5300 3.430 3.510 3.450 0.0190 0.0200 0.0190 0.0200 0.0200 0.0200 5.90 5.90 5.90 15.10 15.340 15.100 29.40 29.50 28.65 0.039 0.040 0.039 223.20 224.80 223.40 0.0170 0.0180 0.0170 PREFERRED 32.10 32.80 32.55 103.00 103.00 103.00 9.15 9.35 9.00 108.50 108.50 107.10 74.75 74.90 74.80 73.95 74.10 73.95 75.00 75.00 75.00 1011.00 1016.00 1016.00 WARRANTS & BONDS 1.75 1.75 1.70 1.70 1.70 1.70 SME 9.55 10.80 8.00 70.00 92.05 54.60 23.00 19.50 28.80 2.65 490.00 22.00 97.40 1.78 87.00 90.00 62.00 403.00 57.75 162.00 995.00 112.90 2.34

6,394,580 1,552,820 23,600 400 161,900 150,900 10,000 120 2,100 6,006,040 303,000 544,700 82,060 5,000 15,870 22,700.00 348,010 200 40,290 321,000

1,712,990.00 456,635.00 11,049,080.00 2,863,527.00 (13,409,395.00)

1.94 0.00 1.53 0.00 (1.55) (1.27) 19.35 (0.10) 0.00 (1.34) 0.20 (0.68) 4.72 1.02 0.00 1.12 2.13 (1.69) 0.00 (0.14) 0.51 4.76 (0.09) 0.00 (0.55) 0.48 13.09 7.86 1.58 29.36 0.47 2.73 0.00 (0.70) 0.58 0.00 (1.98) 3.23 (11.43) (16.67) (1.64) 4.38 0.19 0.00 2.65 0.00 (4.61) 5.45 1.97 2.36 1.01 6.06 0.69 0.00 0.39 3.65 (0.25) 0.00 0.00 (8.08) 0.00 2.00 3.77 0.00 0.00 0.43 0.00 (0.94) 1.05 (8.15) 0.64 2.08 0.00 0.56 3.70 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.56 1.82 0.62 0.00 0.12 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

2,008,100 1,500 334,000 4,300 3,340,000 10,400 10 110 300 408,000 106,900 3,816,000 18,321,400 1,154,400 3,000 2,714,100 327,940 1,000 564,500,000 15,700 260,000 365,000 817,010 2,453,800 324,000 2,254,000 512,200 328,400 4,189,700 764,000 369,200 283,890 1,000 10,316,600 2,352,500 94,100 172,200 5,566,000 33,000 96,000 227,000 2,000 647,760 126,200 68,000 5,000 4,290,000 8,463,000 1,132,720 1,414,000 2,176,000 5,600 133,000 703,000 3,972,040 358,430,000 9,639,800 220,000 92,400 108,000 64,000 331,470 1,759,780 30,000 10,000 4,465,000 64,110 32,700 1,224,100 10,400 674,800 115,000 30,000 62,000 20,934,000 54,000 1,500 340,000 1,000 82,000 20,000 2,550,000 309,040 150,000 20 200,000 2,160,000 9,370,000 81,000 590,000 9,277,600 337,778,000 535,000 3,618,000 14,000 550,000 7,000 27,101,000 35,000 14,150,000 1,771,000 4,753,000 35,000 123,000 70,206,000 1,130,000 23,203,000 660,000 163,000 2,929,100 3,124,000 116,000 1,241,700 8,124,900 1,261,000 38,000 5,000 4,928,000

9,900.00 (52,500.00) 163,650.00 (172,748.00) 321,950.00

447,590.00 (9,046,956.00) 3,279,748.00

(3,935,975.00) 990,353.50 (6,833,200.00) (161,570.00)

19,408,209.00 (6,420,000.00) (337,500.00) 4,416.00 7,101,660.00 1,610,124.00 17,417,834.00 (39,048,555.00) (14,874,860.00) (89,000.00) 11,368,290.00

(85,720.00) (7,950.00)

4,590,897.00

12,526,597.00 (416,970.00)

0.66 52.10 0.1420 16.26 2.16 5.18 4.55 0.99 510.00 55.00 2.80 2.95 4.70 650.00 6.30 38.40 6.20 6.29 0.98 0.380 1.80 4.48 6.04 5.80 0.0500 1.300 0.560 1.62 0.315 830.00 1.92 495.00 0.2500 0.3100 0.355 2.97 0.177 25.90 4.80 4.05 1.42 2.40 1.12 0.79 1.030 2.90 0.385 1.94 1.51 1.99 1.16 2.75 0.1560 0.7100 0.450 3.32 20.75 2.50 3.10 5.94 15.96 0.67 3.99 0.550 4.980

87,200,176.50 11,792,200.00 (34,773,712.00) (21,400.00) 93,910.00 65,778,500.00 49,218,005.00 (13,089,350.00) (16,469,350.00) (15,886,800.00) (575,250.00) (222,120.00)

(28,943,745.00) (9,900.00)

0.00 0.00 3.60 1.91 (1.22) 1.43 4.35 0.00 0.00 0.98 0.69 (1.28) 1.57 1.34 10.56 0.00 1.10 (1.27) 0.00 (1.10) (17.00) 1.22 (2.72) 2.31 0.68 5.28 (2.90) 0.00 0.00 (0.20)

91,860,040.00 7,180,260.00 404,470.00 744,200.00 5,530.00 12,280.00

(46,800.00) 1,451,120.00 570,240.00 (48,017,200.00) (67,080.00) 150,000.00 (45,970,380.00) 33,410.00 2,885,019.00 37,165,588.00 6,635,760.00

1.73 0.00 32.15 (0.16) 1.25 0.81 0.800 0.00 9.60 0.00 12.84 1.74 0.1390 1.46 4.08 7.37 63.50 5.83 4.10 (4.65) 2.90 7.41 1080.00 1106.00 0.73 9.00 1.69 72.10 3.44 0.385 1.32 7.80 17.29 9.30 3.33 3.00 1.69 0.026 (3.70) 0.56 (1.75) 0.0480 (5.88) 2.1800 0.46 7.70 0.00 2.40 0.00 1.65 (2.94) 0.71 (1.39) 2.49 (0.40) 13.82 0.29 4.84 (1.22) 3.03 5.21 83.00 1.22 12.36 (0.16) 2578.00 0.78 0.335 3.08 33.00 1.38 1.04 0.97 7.30 (18.89) 0.410 (2.38) 1.300 0.78

56,000 29,800 86,000 15,725,000 25,000 10,913,300 24,420,000 777,000 514,010 30,000 3,000 0.00 50,180 750,700 1,074,700 30,000 1,400 60,000 60,000 115,500,000 2,290,000 3,970,000 75,000 437,400 1,000 27,000 14,000 212,000 147,400 97,000 1,930,000 530 2,453,900 198,770 480,000 1,234,700 4,688,000 4,511,000 330,000 257,000

122,000.00

(61,627,132.00) (13,800.00) 211,890.00 4,658,053.00 1,965 (23,283,255.00)

27,558,081.00 11,550.00 558,000.00

(1,657,600.00) (256,530.00) 10,200.00 (2,106,410.00) (7,440.00)

(90,000.00) 38,830.00 (18,485,984.00) (88,391,350.00)

(22,737,075.00) 30,900.00 60,609.00 40,500.00

0.0058 4.75 18.84 16.70 0.265 18.60 0.86 1.04 14.80 0.51 1.000 1.100 0.0590 0.0590 16.12 5.00 0.5600 3.470 0.0200 0.0200 5.90 15.24 29.40 0.040 224.80 0.0170

3.57 0.00 2.28 (20.48) 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.97 (1.33) 2.00 0.00 2.80 0.00 1.72 0.12 2.04 (6.67) 1.17 5.26 0.00 0.00 0.93 0.00 2.56 0.72 0.00

120,000,000 1,000 646,400 13,800 2,260,000 107,300 834,000 1,531,000 18,400 291,000 64,540,000 5,708,000 132,060,000 3,760,000 579,800 80,000 166,000 415,000 46,800,000 2,000,000 24,000 1,701,000 75,400 125,200,000 210,330 100,700,000 306,500 2,000 1,403,600 4,690 332,900 33,250 136,410 0.49 719,000 97,000 99,400

565,654.00 17,500.00

2,378,300.00

(7,020,566.00) (69,600.00)

(2,149,620.00) 117,540.00 (2,628,600.00) 25,425,850.00 489,000.00 304,610.00

32.60 1.56 103.00 0.00 9.35 2.19 107.10 (1.29) 74.85 0.13 74.10 0.20 75.00 0.00 1016.00 1.75 1.70 0.00 0.00

130,500.00 3,760 720,100.00

9.00

(5.76)

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Manila ManilaStandardToday

Business
momentum. Asian nations have loosened scal or monetary policies this year to protect growth, with rate cuts in China and Thailand and higher spending by Philippine President Benigno Aquino and Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak. We are pretty much already at the bottom of the rate- cutting cycle for most of the region, said Enrico Tanuwidjaja, an economist at Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc in Singapore. The dynamics of

THURSDAY DECEMBER 20, 2012

B3

WB sees 2013 Asian recovery

THE World Bank said growth in East Asias emerging nations will accelerate next year as Chinas economy recovers, reducing the need for policymakers to cut interest rates.
Developing East Asia will probably expand 7.5 percent in 2012 and 7.9 percent in 2013, the Washington-based lender said in a report Wednesday, raising the forecast for this year from an October prediction of 7.2 percent. The region is expected to account for about 40 percent of global growth in 2012, it said. We see a bit of an uptick next year in part because of Chinas recovery that is going on already, World Bank chief economist for East Asia and the Pacic Bert Hofman said in a Bloomberg Television interview. We see most of the economies to be almost at full capacity, so further stimulus at this point wouldnt make much sense, it would just result in higher ination. The region still faces risks from Europe and the US, where spending cuts and tax increases are due to take effect in January if lawmakers dont resolve a scal policy dispute, the World Bank said, even as recent reports showed a global recovery may be gathering ination and growth for East Asia dont warrant further easing. China effect The World Bank raised its growth prediction for emerging East Asia after third-quarter data showed government measures to support expansion in China gave quite a boost to the economy, and may continue to do so next year, Hofman said. World trade has also improved since August, and the risks from Europe are now considerably less than six months ago, he said. We expect quarter four also to be good and that then feeds into a very strong next year and that lifts the region up as a whole, he said in the interview. Even outside China, domestic demand is driving growth in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, so there also growth is quite strong. Chinas economy may grow 7.9 percent in 2012, compared with 9.3 percent in 2011, the World Bank said. Asias largest economy may expand 8.4 percent next year, and the countrys slowdown appears to now have bottomed out, it said. Growth in 2013 will be a result of a combination of lagging effects of earlier monetary expansions, local government scal stimuli, accelerated approval of central investment projects, and an upswing in the business cycle, according to the report. China has set its initial target for economic growth at 7.5 percent for a second year and tightened its ination goal to the lowest level since 2010, two bank executives and a regulatory ofcial said this month, asking not to be named as they werent authorized to disclose the details. Bloomberg

Govt eyes P3t worth of energy investment

By Alena Mae S. Flores
THE government needs P3 trillion worth of investments in the energy sector until 2030 to ensure power security, Energy Secretary Jericho Petilla said Wednesday. A minimum of P3 trillion will be required to put up the necessary production and logistical network to ensure availability and continuous supply of all forms of energy in the economy, Petilla told reporters at the launching of the Philippine Energy Plan 2012 to 2030. energy infrastructures particularly for natural gas, Petilla said. He said a reliable and efcient power sector was the key to ensuring energy security. With the forecasted economic growth of the country to reach over 7 percent at the end of the planning horizon, we will need an additional capacity of 11,400 megawatts based on our Power Development Plan. These are all private-sector initiated projects, Petilla said. Petilla said the energy sector would be guided by the policy thrusts under the PEP, including the availability of energy supply at a reasonable price, rural electrication, low-carbon future. The plan also aims to ensure that energy facilities and infrastructures are resilient to climate change, promote investments and develop regional energy plans. One of our new initiatives is the formulation of Geographic Energy Plans that aim to dene the clustered regions potential energy sources that can be harnessed to address specic area-based energy issues and concerns, he said. The geographic energy plans will be developed in consultation with the Regional Development Councils and complement the Regional Development Plans. The plans will also be an opportunity to assist LGUs in mainstreaming energy planning at the local levels, he said. Petilla said government would launch early next year the Mindanao Geographic Energy Plan which would contain the policy and program framework for a sustainable solution to Mindanaos power supply problems.

Electricity conference. Manila Electric Co. agreed to host the rst International Electricity Research Exchange-Technological Issues and Solutions Asia Meeting in the Philippines at the Fairmont Hotel on Jan. 16 and New World Hotel on Jan. 17 to 18, 2013. The convention will gather top ofcials from the Energy Department, Energy Regulatory Commission and major electric utilities in the country. IERE secretarygeneral Tetsuo Matsumura (center) paid a courtesy call on Meralco president and chief executive Oscar Reyes (leftmost) recently. Also shown are Kingsu Marketing Corp. (IERE Philippine cooperating partner) president Teddy Kingsu, IERE deputy secretary-general Yoshiaki Nishimura and IERE deputy director Teruo Tagaki. IERE is a non-prot international organization that provides venues for experts from around the world to share innovative ideas on technological issues and solutions, focusing primarily on electricity.

Subic, Batangas ports underutilizedstudy

By Julito G. Rada
SUBIC and Batangas ports, which handle cargo volume representing less than 10 percent of their capacity, should be used more often to decongest Manila ports, according to the SubicClark Alliance Development Council. Council chairman Felicito Payumo supported a proposal from a Japanese agency to decongest the Manila ports by rerouting the cargo trafc north to Subic or south to Batangas. He said this would be a major boost to the underutilized Subic and Batangas ports where spillover container cargoes from Manila could be handled adequately. Payumo said if the proposal was adopted, it can stimulate the development of Southern Tagalog and Central Luzon regions. The proposals are contained in a study funded by Japan International Cooperation Agency, which include new pricing strategies such as reduced wharfage, berthing fees and vessel-related charges in Batangas and Subic ports. The study proposed a six-year delay in capacity-expansion investments at the South Harbor and Manila International Container Terminal. It suggested that the country look at the Thailand experience. The JICA-funded study validates what we have been saying all along: that we should learn from Laem Chabang experience and that the already congested Manila ports should stop accommodating more shipments and allow the active use of both Subic and Batangas ports, Payumo said. Payumo said the Bangkok port experience led to the rise of nearby port of Laem Chabang. He said Manila was equidistant at 110 kilometers from both Subic up north and Batangas down south, nearly the same distance between Laem Chabang and Bangkok. By way of comparison, the Laem Chabang port in Thailand was built to decongest the Bangkok river portthe same reason we built Subic port to decongest Manila. Both Bangkok and Manila ports were doing two million TEUs [twenty-footer equivalent units] then. Now, Laem Chabang with six berths is doing three million TEUs while Bangkok is limited to just one million TEUs, Payumo said. The JICA-funded study, conducted by Transport and Trafc Planners Inc., said port usage in Subic in 2011 was 5.6 percent of its actual capacity while port utilization in Batangas was 4.2 percent. The Manila ports, it added, handled 98.2 percent of total volume of container trafc passing through these three major ports (Subic, Manila and Batangas). JICA estimated that the provinces of Pampanga, Zambales, Tarlac, Bataan, Bulacan and Pangasinan generated a combined cargo volume of 1,572 TEUs per week, reaching 786,000 TEUs a year, a volume that exceeded the combined capacities of two container ports in Subic. He said of the total investments required, P1.2 trillion would be needed for downstream natural gas projects, P959.7 billion for alternative fuels, P556.7 billion for renewable energy projects, P397 billion for power projects and P48 billion for upstream resource development. A more secured energy future would only mean the realization of our targeted increase in power generation capacities, an interconnected transmission system, a reliable distribution network through our electric cooperatives and timely implementation of downstream

UBS admits to fraud, to pay $1.5b

GENEVASwiss banking giant UBS AG said Wednesday it has admitted to fraud and agreed to pay some $1.5 billion to US, British and Swiss authorities in a probe into the rigging of global benchmark interest rates. The settlement caps a tough year for Switzerlands biggest bank, which is one of several leading banks that has been under investigation over allegations of manipulating the benchmark Libor interest rate, short for London interbank offered rate. It is used to set the interest rates on trillions of dollars in contracts around the world, including mortgages and credit cards. The rate is a self-policing system and relies on information that global banks submit to a British banking authority. American and British regulators have already ned Britains Barclays $453 million for submitting false information between 2005 and 2009 to keep the interest rate low. UBS said some of its employees tried to rig the Libor rate in several currencies, but that its Japan unit, where much of the manipulation took place, entered a plea to one count of wire fraud in a the proposed agreement with the US Justice Department. The statement from the UBS board of directors said some of its personnel had engaged in efforts to manipulate submissions for certain benchmark rates to benet trading positions. The bank also said that some of its employees had colluded with employees at other banks and cash brokers to influence certain benchmark rates to benefit their trading positions or had given inappropriate directions to UBS submitters that were in part motivated by a desire to avoid unfair and negative market and media perceptions during the financial crisis. Sergio Ermotti, who was appointed chief executive of UBS AG in November 2012 in the wake of a major trading scandal, said in the statement that the misconduct does not reect the banks values or standards. AP

SM promotes franchising. SM Global Pinoy and the Filipino International Franchise Association recently brought together franchisors, franchisees and Filipinos working overseas for a series of seminars at selected SM Supermalls nationwide. The seminars enabled migrant workers who were interested to invest their money in protable ventures to learn the process of franchising. The SM Global Pinoy Program aims to honor Filipino workers by being of service to them and their families. It is SM Supermalls way of expressing its appreciation to workers overseas whose remittances served as the countrys economic saving grace for several years now.

Facebooks Zuckerberg donating $500m in stock to Silicon Valley charity

SAN FRANCISCOFacebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said Tuesday he is donating nearly $500 million in stock to a Silicon Valley charity with the aim of funding health and education issues. Zuckerberg donated 18 million Facebook shares, valued at $498.8 million based on their Tuesday closing price. The beneciary is the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, a nonprot that works with donors to allocate their gifts. This is Zuckerbergs largest donation to date. He pledged $100 million in Facebook stock to Newark, New Jersey public schools in 2010, before his company went public earlier this year. Later in 2010, he joined Giving Pledge, an effort led by Microsoft Corp. founder Bill Gates and Berkshire Hathaway Inc. chief executive Warren Buffett to get the countrys richest people to donate most of their wealth. His wife, Priscilla Chan, joined with him. In a Facebook post Tuesday, Zuckerberg, 28, said hes proud of the work done by the foundation that his Newark donation launched, called Startup: Education, which has helped open charter schools, high schools and others. With the latest contribution, he added, we will look for areas in education and health to focus on next. He did not give further details on what plans there may be for funds. Marks generous gift will change lives and inspire others in Silicon Valley and around the globe to give back and make the world a better place, said foundation chief executive Emmett Carson. AP

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THURSDAY DECEMBER 20, 2012

Israel build-up will continue

JERUSALEMIsraels prime minister on Tuesday rejected international criticism of plans to build thousands more Jewish homes in east Jerusalem, insisting that construction will move forward. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued the response as European diplomats were discussing plans to condemn Israel in the UN Security Council. A UN resolution would be the latest in a wave of angry international reactions to Israeli plans to build in areas the Palestinians claim for a future state. Jerusalem is the eternal capital of the state of Israel, and we will continue to build there, Netanyahu said during a visit to the northern Israeli city of Acre. He said Israelis overwhelmingly believed in united Jerusalem, referring to Jewish west Jerusalem and east Jerusalem, the section of the city captured from Jordan and annexed by Israel but claimed by the Palestinians. A poll by the Dahaf agency and published Tuesday in the Haaretz daily said that 67 percent of center-left voters do not favor dividing Jerusalem meaning handing over east Jerusalem to the Palestinians. Center-left describes about half of the Israeli public, who otherwise would support handing over most of the West Bank for a Palestinian state. Much of the other half opposes giving up territory at all. Dahaf did not provide details of polling methods or a margin of error. Interior Ministry spokeswoman Efrat Orbach said a Jerusalem planning committee rejected proposals for additional Jewish houses to be built in east Jerusalem neighborhoods while approving 700 homes for Arab residents in that part of the city in a meeting late Tuesday. AP

Magsaysay awardee disappears in Laos

BANGKOKA social activist, who received the Ramon Magsaysay Award, has gone missing in Laos, and a colleague said police had taken him into custody. A statement issued Tuesday on behalf of 61 Thai nongovernmental organizations said Sombath Somphone disappeared Saturday afternoon in the Lao capital, Vientiane, where friends last saw him getting into his car to drive home from the development agency he founded. The United States also voiced concern about Sombaths disappearance. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the US is urging the Lao government to locate the activist. Laos has an authoritarian government with little tolerance for dissent, but friends and associates said Sombaths work was not directly political. He deals with business and education. His work isnt the type that would have created enemies, said Suntaree Hathi Sengging of the Thai NGO Coordinating Committee on Development. An ofcial who answered the phone Wednesday at the governments press ofce in Vientiane said Its too early to give any information regarding the disappearance because there is not enough evidence to reach a conclusion. The ofcial declined to give his name. One of Sombaths colleague in Vientiane told The Associated Press in a telephone interview on Tuesday that he had seen video showing the activist in the custody of police in Laos. He spoke on condition of anonymity for his safety. The man said Sombaths relatives on Monday reviewed closed-circuit television footage that showed that at 6 p.m. Saturday, Sombath was stopped by police on his way home and brought to a police station in Vientianes Sisattanak district. Later, a man walked out of the station with Sombath and drove away with him in a white pickup truck, the colleague said. That was the last known sighting of the activist. AP

Syrian rebels fear chemical weapons

ANTAKYA, TurkeySyrian rebels are closely monitoring the regimes chemical weapons sites, but dont have the means to seize and secure them, their newly elected military commander told The Associated Press.
Gen. Salim Idris, who defected from the Syrian army in July, said he is very afraid a cornered Syrian President Bashar Assad will unleash such weapons on his own people. Syria is said to have one of the worlds largest chemical arsenals. Earlier this week, Syrias UN ambassador said the regime would not use such weapons under any circumstances. However, recent US intelligence reports indicated the regime may be readying chemical weapons and could be desperate enough to use them. Idris, a 55-year-old Germantrained electronics professor, was chosen earlier this month as chief of staff by several hundred commanders of rebel units meeting in Turkey. With the election of Idris and a 30-member military command center, Syrias opposition hopes to transform largely autonomous groups of ghters into a unied force. The reorganization came after Syrias political opposition won international recognition this month as the sole representative of the Syrian people. In an interview late Tuesday, Idris said the rebels could defeat the regime within a month if supplied with anti-aircraft weapons. Assads troops are stretched thin and have lost ground in recent months, particularly in northwestern Syria, but have kept rebel ghters pinned down with massive air bombardments. The West has refused to supply Syrias opposition with weapons for fear they could fall into the hands of Islamic militants among the rebels, such as Jabhat al-Nusra, which was designated a terrorist group by the US last week. Idris played down possible threats posed by al-Nusra, saying that while the group was not part of the new unied command, they are not terrorists. Without foreign military help, driving out the regime could take one, two or three months, Idris said, speaking in a hotel lobby in the southern Turkish town of Antakya near the Syrian border. He claimed that more than 120,000 armed men are ghting Assads military, a gure difcult to conrm independently in the chaos of Syrias civil war. Idris said the new military command represents the vast majority of these ghters, and that he has begun taking command inside Syria in recent days. Idris said that on Tuesday, he spent much the day near the central city of Hama, observing a successful rebel attempt to capture ve regime checkpoints. Syrias conict began with a popular uprising in March 2011, but quickly turned violent, with protesters taking up arms in response to a brutal regime crackdown. Activists say more than 40,000 Syrians have been killed and aid ofcials estimate some 3 million people have been displaced by the ghting. Idris portrayed Assad as a powerless gurehead, saying decisions are made by his inner circle of fellow Alawites, followers of an offshoot of Shiite Islam. AP

IN BRIEF
17 escapees killed in Mexican prison
DURANGOA shootout during a prison break at a penitentiary in northern Mexico late Tuesday has left at least 11 inmates and six guards dead, authorities said. Durango state Public Safety Department said guards foiled a massive prison escape at the Cereso No. 2 facility in the city of Gomez Palacio. The inmates tried to climb the prisons back walls and when guards red into the air to stop them the reght ensued, a statement from the department said. The inmates started ring guns into the watchtowers and into custodian areas, it said. At least 17 people were killed. Soldiers surrounded the prison and helped stop the prison break, it said, adding that the prison was back under the control of authorities. Mass prison breaks are not uncommon in Mexico. In September, more than 120 inmates escaped from a prison in the border city of Piedras Negras, across the border from Eagle Pass, Texas. Authorities attribute the jailbreaks to drug gangs trying to swell their ranks as they ght bloody turf battles throughout Mexico, including Durango, where the Sinaloa and Zetas drug cartel are ghting for control. AP

Holiday colors. A Chinese couple frolics near Yuletide decoration outside a shopping mall in Beijing.

Although Christmas is not traditionally celebrated in China, some shopping malls welcome the festival with colorful displays to boost year-end sales. AP

Chinas poultry report tackles safety

LEADING rms are working with Chinese suppliers to ensure the safety of food they serve after China Central Television reported chicken sold had been fed antibiotics and growth hormones. Liuhe Group Co. and Yingtai Food Group Co., suppliers to customers including KFC and McDonalds, didnt properly inspect chickens they bought from farmers in Shandong province before delivering the poultry, the state broadcaster reported. The chickens may have been given unapproved antibiotic drugs and growth hormones by the farmers, CCTV said. We take food safety very seriously, Yum! Brands, the Louisville, Kentucky-based operator of the KFC and Pizza Hut chains, said in an e-mailed statement after the CCTV report. Each batch of chicken used by McDonalds is tested to meet standards at a thirdparty laboratory, the restaurantchain operator said in its Chineselanguage microblog yesterday, without identifying suppliers. The Chinese government has cracked down on food-safety violations after tainted baby formula was rst found in 2008 and cases involving additives in pork and the use of reprocessed cooking oil followed, sparking public outrage. The Ministry of Agriculture has dispatched a team to Shandong province to look into antibiotic misuse in chickens, and urged veterinary ofcials to strengthen monitoring, it said. Yum stopped buying from Liuhe in August, the company said in its KFC microblog. The companys e-mailed statement and microblog didnt say if it uses poultry from Yingtai. BLOOMBERG

Gang rape on bus drawing outrage

NEW DELHILawmakers, rights groups and citizens across India have expressed outrage over the gang rape of a woman on a bus in New Delhi and are urging the government to crack down on crimes against women. The outpouring of anger is unusual in a country where attacks against women are often ignored and rarely prosecuted. Opposition lawmakers protesting outside Parliament on Wednesday demanded the death penalty for the rapists. Demonstrations erupted outside New Delhis police headquarters demanding swift punishment for the rapists. Angry university students set up roadblocks across the city. Police say six men raped the 23-year-old medical student and beat her and her companion before throwing them out of the bus Sunday. Four men have been arrested. AP

Iraqi president suffers stroke

BAGHDADIraqi President Jalal Talabani has suffered a stroke and was in intensive care at a Baghdad hospital Tuesday, injecting new uncertainty into the countrys political future a year after the US military left. Although his ofcial powers are limited, Talabani, 79, is respected by many Iraqis as a rare unifying gure seen as able to rise above the ethnic and sectarian rifts that still divide the country. Known for his joking manner and walrus-like moustache, Talabani has been actively involved in trying to mediate an ongoing crisis between Iraqs central government and the countrys ethnic Kurdish minority, from which he hails. Iraqi state TV and several ofcials, including the prime ministers spokesman and Deputy Prime Minister Saleh al-Mutlaq, conrmed to The Associated Press that Talabani had a stroke. The severity remains unclear. Talabanis spokesman, Nasser al-Ani, told reporters that the president is in stable condition, though he did not say what he was suffering from. Medical ofcials who appeared with him were just as circumspect. They did not take questions. The presidents health is being closely followed up by our medical team. The vital organs are working and we hope that there will be no deterioration, said Dr. Ayad Abbas from the intensive care unit where Talabani is being treated. We hope that we will see improvement in the coming hours. The presidential ofce initially said Tuesday that Talabani was hospitalized the previous evening after showing signs of fatigue. A later statement cited tests showing he is suffering from a condition caused by a hardening of his arteries. It did not identify the condition. Some local media reports suggested that Talabani had died, but Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said that was not the case. Rie-toting soldiers assigned to the presidential guard were deployed around Medical City, Baghdads largest medical complex, where Talabani is being treated. A number of senior government ofcials and lawmakers were seen rushing to the hospital to check on his condition, though their bodyguards were mostly not being allowed inside. AP

Sixth-grader packs pistol

SALT LAKE CITYA Utah sixthgrader caught with a gun at school told administrators he brought the weapon to defend himself in case of an attack similar to last weeks mass shooting at a Connecticut school, ofcials said Tuesday. The 11-year-old was being held in juvenile detention on suspicion of possessing a dangerous weapon and aggravated assault after other students at the suburban Salt Lake City elementary school told police he threatened them with the handgun. Teachers and administrators at West Kearns Elementary School confronted the boy in class Monday after students reported the weapon, said Granite School District spokesman Ben Horsley. The boy had an unloaded gun and ammunition in his backpack, Horsley said. AP

May 30, 2012 le photo provided by the Miss Universe Organization, Miss Pennsylvania Sheena Monnin competes during the Miss USA Presentation Show in Las Vegas. Monnin, who claimed this years Miss USA contest was xed, has been ordered to pay the pageant organizer $5 million for defamation. AP

Beauty to pay. In this

9/11 cancer data need more study

CHICAGOThe most comprehensive study of potential World Trade Center-related cancers raises more questions than it answers and wont end a debate over whether the attacks were really a cause. The study suggests possible links with prostate, thyroid and a type of blood cancer among rescue and recovery workers exposed to toxic debris from the terrorist attacks. But there were few total cancers and even the study leaders say the results should be interpreted with caution. The study involved nearly 56,000 people enrolled in a registry set up to monitor health effects from those exposed to the aftermath of the trade center attacks. Most participants volunteered for enrollment, which could skew the results if people who already had symptoms were more likely to enrol than healthier people. Cancers diagnosed through 2008 were included in the study, but thats just seven years after the 2001 attacks, and cancer often takes longer to develop. People diagnosed with cancer before the attacks were excluded from the study in Wednesdays Journal of the American Medical Association. AP

Kansas exhumes In Cold Blood bodies

LANSINGThe bodies of the two men executed for the 1959 murders of a Kansas family that became infamous in Truman Capotes true-crime book In Cold Blood were exhumed Tuesday to solve slayings of a Florida family killed weeks later. Kyle Smith, deputy director of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, said bone fragments were collected from the skeletal remains of Richard Hickock and Perry Smith, who were hanged for the murders of Herb and Bonnie Clutter and their children in Holcomb, Kansas, on Nov. 15, 1959. The fragments were collected at the request of a Sarasota County Sheriffs detective, who has been trying to determine whether Hickock and Perry Smith were responsible for the deaths of Cliff and Christine Walker and their two young children on Dec. 19, 1959, in their home in Osprey, about four hours northwest of Miami near Sarasota. Smith and Hickock ed to Florida after the Clutter murders. Hickock and Perry Smith have been considered suspects in the Walker slayings since 1960, and Kyle Smith said Florida ofcials havewanted to renew the investigation. DNA testing now has ad-

vanced enough that older material can be analyzed more effectively, he said. We can get smaller samples, more decayed samples, and still get matches, Kyle Smith said during a news conference at the city hall in Lansing. They could have tried this 20 years ago and maybe used up what biological samples they had and gotten nothing from it. AP

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Gianna Maniego, Editor Dinna Chan Vasquez, Assistant Editor
Better than any other Christmas GetTogether will not be complete without the Greenwich Barkada: (from left) Vince Canizares, Mika Lagdameo, Solenn Heussaff, Anne Curtis, Kelly Misa and Lloyd Zaragoza

THURSDAY DECEMBER20, 2012

THE BRAND
for barkadas
Greenwich Special Overload Pizza and other Greenwich pizza variants can now be availed in 15-inch party pizza. It has 16 square cut slices and more of the overloaded toppings making Greenwich truly the favorite ng barkada.

GREENWICH recently hosted a Christmas bash to celebrate its success this year and to thank those who were instrumental in making it the countrys leading pizza chain.
It was also Greenwichs way of paying tribute to the brakada, which is the, focus of the Greenwich Barkada campaig. Of course, present during the event held at the Makati Shangri-La were Greenwich pasta girls Anne Curtis, Solenn Heussaff and Kelly Misa. Also present were members of the Pizza Gang, including Vince Canizares, Mika Lagdameo and Lloyd Zaragoza. This Christmas get-together is our way of showing our heartfelt gratitude to our friends from the press, said Cookie Cabrera, Greenwich PR and Corporate Affairs manager. They play an important role in helping us get our messages and stories across our market and in making the Filipinos aware of our latest offerings. During the event, Greenwich prepares exciting games, fun-lled Christmas carols from the Greenwich Barkada and fabulous surprises for its guests. The Greenwich Barkada entertained the guests with their rendition of popular Christmas tunes. They also shared their fun moments with their Greenwich family and gamely answered questions from the members of the media. Rockeoke session with the guests kept the night alive. Adding more fun to the gathering was the introduction of the latest Christmas offering-the 15in Party Pizza which is perfect for any barkada occasion and very much in time for the scheduled Christmas parties. The highlighted avor was the Greenwich Special Overload Pizza which is topped with 13 premium toppings which are served on hot, freshly made special crust thats crisp on the outside yet soft and chewy on the inside. Greenwich Special Overload Pizza and other Greenwich pizza variants can now be availed in 15-inch party pizza, making it ideal for big barkada get-togethers. With the new generous size and delicious taste, this is another reason why Grenwich is 3x more preferred by Filipino pizza lovers. The party pizza has 16 square cut slices and more of the overloaded toppings making Greenwich truly the favorite ng barkada.

Greenwich barkada Vince Cazinares will be celebrating his birthday this month and his Greenwich family gave him a surprise present during the Better Than Any Other Christmas Get-Together at Makati Shangri-la Hotel.

TEAM O is a group of Oishi-loving individuals from different parts of the media and entertainment industry out to save us from the humdrum of life. The team is made up of Oishi brand ambassador, Elmo Magalona; eventologist and well-known personality, Tim Yap; the incomparable funny man and internet sensation, Ramon Bautista; Rock Ed Philippines founder, Gang Badoy; and the boy-next-door heartthrob, Slater Young. Elmo Magalona and Tim Yap took it to the skies in a chopper and showered Marcelo H. del Pilar High School in Bulacan with thousands of Oishi snacks last July 20. Moments later, once the chopper has landed, Elmo and Tim stepped out of it and surprised the kids with an impromptu concert. One of the reasons why people are so taken by funny man, Ramon Bautista is because of his knack for the element of surprise. An authentically Oishi oblation run took place at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines during the 31st of August. On top of that, the runners had snacks attached to their bodies that the students could grab. Today, you cant talk about a surprise without thinking of the ever popular ash mob, which took place in the Glorietta food court last September 26 with a performance by the popular OPM band, Sandwich. Always the advocate for social change, Rock Eds founder, Gang Badoy, took the opportunity to promote anti-bullying, saying that an O, Wow! Life is one full of respect and dignity.

What makes Team O unique

If you think that the surprises have stopped, you couldnt be more wrong. Just last November 16, Oishi decided to set-up a photo booth at the Philippine Womens University and the Emilio Aguinaldo College where PBB winner, Slater Young, popped up to surprise students in the booth. The Team O missions have been memorable O, Wow! moments not only for Oishi and co-conspirators, but also the people who got a rsthand experience of the surprises. Youll never know whats up the sleeves of Oishi, so you better keep your eyes peeled. There could be more surprises, or even additions to Team-Os roster next year.

Comedian Ramon Bautista during the Oishi oblation run

Slater Young

SOMETHING OLD AND SOMETHING NEW

Can old be new and the new taste just like the old? Apparently, Chateau 1771 knows the way how to incorporate the old avors, which people love, to its new menu.

A HEALTHY, ENERGY-FILLED HOLIDAY

Get that boost you need for this stressful season minus the unwanted pounds from an energy drink that lets you perform at your best and be healthy at the same time.

S S AT AT WH WH

IDE INS

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THURSDAY DECEMBER 20, 2012

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Bieber ban; are you kidding me, Congress?

By Ed Biado
LAST Monday, all eyes were on the House of Representatives and the Senate for their historic approval of the Reproductive Health bill on third and nal reading. As the RH drama was the focus of everyone in the country, not a lot of people know that a resolution was led that morning seeking to declare a teen pop sensation persona non grata for making fun of a recently knocked-out boxing champion. House Resolution No. 2962, led by YACAP party-list Rep. Carol Jane Lopez and six other lawmakers, chastises Justin Bieber for having indirectly hurt and insulted the people of Sarangani when he made distasteful comments against Manny Pacquiao, who reprePacquiao sents the province in Congress. Bieber earlier voiced his opinion via social media that Floyd Mayweather Jr. had nothing to gain from ghting Pacquiao in the ring, following the latters startling loss against Juan Manuel Marquez. He also posted unattering stills of Pacquiao superimposed with images of Michael Jackson and Simba from The Lion King on Instagram to further mock the Philippines Peoples Champ. As his colleagues in this august body, it is incumbent upon us to demand an apology from Mr. Justin Bieber lest, we declare him persona non grata in this country, a portion of the resolution reads. Is this the kind of society we aspire to be; an oversensitive one whose Congress turns away foreigners with something critical to say? And we call ourselves a democracy? First of all, Bieber was indeed a giant a-hole for doing what he did. Second, we, as Filipinos, have every right to be offended when one of our own is being targeted. We can hate on the Biebs all we want and ask him to apologize. Sure, he pissed us all off with inaccurate, biased and juvenile comments but he did not abuse his right to freedom of expressionhe wasnt being racist and he didnt insult Filipinos directly or indirectly. He was talking about one individual in the context of boxing and nothing else. Dont these legislators know that Internet memes poking fun at everyone from US President Barack Obama to our very own President Noynoy Aquino and Senator Tito Sotto are commonplace in social media as a practice of free speech? Arent they also aware that trash-talking is standard practice within the sporting world, especially among hardcore fans and even sportsmen themselves? (Bieber is apparently a Mayweather fanatic.) So whats the fuss? Is it because, in insulting Pacquiao, the boxer, Bieber also insulted Pacquiao, the congressman, and his constituents? That doesnt seem accurate because Pacquiao ghts in the ring as a boxer not as a singer, not as a TV host and denitely not as a member of that august body. That should be clear to everyone. Besides, even Pacquiao himself isnt affected by trivialities like this. So we will pray for them, he said one time and added in Filipino, Lets forgive them.

A MIX OF OLD AND NEW

By Bernadette Lunas

WHEN it comes to offerings in the restaurant business, industry players can either go the "old" way, which nurtures the lingering palate of loyal patrons; or the "new" way, where cuisines regularly evolve to keep customers excited.
But there is also the choice of mixing the old and new, which Chateau 1771 has managed to do since the 80s back when it was still in its original Malate home. The restaurant, which evokes the exquisite avors of Swiss, Italian, and French, takes pride on being able to make concoction that kept foodies coming back for more. Now residing in its posh and upscale Greenbelt address, Chateau 1771 has remained on top-of-mind for those who wish to experience only the nest in dining and transform any ordinary day into something special. And before the year ends, executive chef Vicky Rose Pacheco rounds out the quarter with a new batch of dishes that will bring back old avors to redene gourmet food and to as well entice consumers. For starter one shouldnt miss the Salmon Pillows which showcases salmon in whole new different light: bits of salmon akes encased in golden puff pastry over

mango cream sauce and basil akes, this is a revival from the old menu wherein a more high-tech way of baking makes the waiting time shorter. Also, Chateau 1771's most loved butter-baked Oysters take a new spin as chef Vicky dresses these iconic and freshly harvested shellsh from Aklan by highlighting the bivalves at their zenith while the soft and creamy toppings don't overwhelm the briny juiciness retained inside. Another treasured and unique dish, Vanilla Brick Spring Chicken, is a certied organic whole spring chicken, butteried and deboned, with a spread of vanilla bean dots, butter and garlic grilled under a brick. While cooking under a brick slab is a technique that may seem primitive, the procedure proved to be the best way of creating a tasty and crisp texture of the skin and

also makes the meat moist and tender. Chateau 1771 treats desserts as a work of masterpiece, reason why every item exudes a unique homespun charm, just like the Valrhona Chocolate Ganache Tart. Chef Vicky capitalized on the bittersweet avor of 70 percent Valrhona chocolate, a quality French brand which has a deep, well-rounded, avor and a silkier texture when mixed with French cream making this dessert quite addicting. Other cuisines in the Degustation Menu that possess the gloss of luxury and delectable combination of old and new include the 1988 all-time favorite Pasta Chorizo with whole wheat spaghetti for a twist, Olive oil Poached Halibut, Baked Ocean Trout, Milk Braised Pork Shoulder, and Grilled Lamb Cutlet.

Tartine platter

Halibut

And to further nurture the restaurant's commitment to provide a luxury and extraordinary dining experience, Chateau 1771 swears by the fact that making room for the classics in the new menu is the best way to do.

Binalot supports Field of Dreams

A healthy, energy-lled holiday season

WITH the holidays in full swing, its easy to eat excessively and this often leads to unwelcome weight gain. This year, however, keeping off unwanted pounds despite the abundance of fatty and sugary treats is easier with Cobra Fit, an energy drink that lets people perform their best and be at their healthiest. An ideal beverage option for those who want to stay in shape, Cobra Fit boasts of a unique ActivBURN ingredient that combines the health-giving benets of Lcarnitine, ginseng, caffeine, vitamins B1, B3, B6, and B12 and helps boost ones energy and metabolism. Containing naturally benecial ingredients, without articial sweeteners and fat, Cobra Fit is the drink of choice for holidayloving, health-conscious folks. For only P21, anyone can experience a healthy rush of energy thats complemented with the refreshing taste of apple. With Cobra Fit, enjoying the delicious fare over the holidays is a guilt-free experience, whether its Noche Buena with the family or festive celebrations with friends. Stay energized the healthy way with Cobra Fit, now available in leading supermarkets, groceries, and convenience stores nationwide. awesome eats but also offer up essential tips for navigating the everwinding drive-thrus and ordering secret menu items, as well as delve into never-before-seen test kitchens of some of America's favourite chains. The TV show also reveals behind-the-scenes stories and little known facts. Fast Food Mania celebrates the accomplishments of what were once Mom and Pop businesses that evolved into great American successes and takes viewers on a nostalgic ride revisiting memorable campaigns, iconic outposts, and tasty menu items - sometimes with a side of fries. Fast Food Mania makes stops at beloved eateries such as Sonic, Dunkin Donuts, Dominos, Taco Bell, and the original hot dog stand by the sea, Nathan's Famous in Coney Island, NY.

Dig into pop culture cuisine

Binalot Fiesta Foods Inc., believes so much in the concept that community-based development strategy is a more effective way of Corporate Social Responsibility that Binalot chief executive Rommel Juan established DAHON or Dangal At Hanapbuhay para sa Nayon Program. The program was initiated to help the local banana farmers. To widen the scope and impact of the endeavor, Binalot teamed up with the Junior Chamber International Manila and its corporate community development partner Caltex in promoting an active lifestyle through different sports via JCI Manilas Field of Dreams project. Now on its third year under JCI Manilas Dare to C.A.R.E. (Community Awareness and Rehabilitation Effort), Field of Dreams has helped promote sports, education, and youth development. The event was hosted by celebrity model Henry Golding and TV sports buff Marc Nelson. Through the said event, 2,000 items of sports equipment were raised, one item for each child of the Smokey Mountain community. A celebrity football match was also arranged. WE'VE grown up with America's favorite treat - fast food. From beloved childhood memories to classic Americana, the art of quick and delicious fare represents some of life's greatest pleasures and often marks milestone moments. TLC invites fans to dive into the pop culture world of fast food and dig deep into its cuisine -- Fast Food Mania features its fanatics and explores all the one-of-a-kind wonders it has to offer. The immersive tour de food will be led by the intrepid fast food acionado, Jon Hein ("The Howard Stern Show" and "The Fast Food Show" on Sirius/XM) as he dines and decodes the world's most popular

dishes. Fast Food Mania, a ten-part series, premieres every Thursday at 10:00 p.m. with encores every Saturday at 4:00 p.m. and Sunday at 12:00 p.m and 9:00 p.m. The travel-packed and ngerlicking series will not only look at

Decorating tips and more at Mandaue Foam

ADDING a little orange and silver helps the rich green tones of your Christmas tree pop out from your living room. Is your living room getting a little bit dull for the holidays? Are you afraid that your visitors will notice those timeless stains on your sofa? Are your days getting ruined by your uncomfortable bed? Worry no more! Although the cost of getting new furniture has never been cheap, Mandaue Foam will make it easier for you with its upcoming Holiday Sale. Make an expensive dream an affordable reality from December 21 to January 6 at any of Mandaue Foams stores nationwide. Homeowners dont have to break the bank with a 50 percent discount off selected items in the store. To fully enjoy the sale, avail of their new Home Card to make your shopping more convenient. Home Card holders will be the first to know of upcoming sales, promotions and other events happening in Mandaue Foam. The Home Card is given to current loyal customers or it can be purchased for just P500 for a lifetime membership, so take advantage of the opportunity by getting your own card today. When shopping for furniture, customers look for something beautiful but affordable. At Mandaue Foam, we can give you just that. And with our Home Card, we can give them more through our 10 percent discount on all cash or card purchases at any of our stores, says Ryan Uy, Mandaue Foam managing director. Since its establishment in 1971, Mandaue Foam has expanded to include a diverse product line which includes dining tables, pillows, sofas, light xtures and other furniture for the home. Staying true to its commitment to provide its customers with quality and value for money products, Mandaue Foam is now one the countrys leading home stores. CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Marlon Magtira, Editor

email: tech@mst.ph

ManilaStandardToday

Tech

ManilaStandardTODAY

THURSDAY DECEMBER 20, 2012

C3

The rise of
smart TVs
Worldwide unit production of at-panel smart TVs will grow from 69 million in 2012 to 198 million in 2016. Worldwide unit production of smart TVs in 2013 is expected to reach 108 million. However, analysts said that smart TVs alone wont spur demand in the market. TV manufacturers must recognize the need to offer some compelling reasons for consumers to choose their brand over a competitors, Gartner said. In the end, the choice may be all about the extra content that one TV brand offers over another. Consumers will be asking questions such as, which Internet TV services can the TV access? Are these the sites I think are valuable? Can I use my smartphone or tablet with this TV? said Paul ODonovan, principal research analyst at Gartner. It is critical for the TV industry during this global economic downturn and decline in consumer condence levels, to sustain sales and maintain or grow market share especially in emerging markets. This is difcult when demand has slowed, so the extra functionality offered by smart TVs becomes the product differentiator if prices are

Internet-connected
By Marlon C. Magtira

Nearly 85 percent of all at-panel TVs produced in 2016 will be smart TVs, according to research rm Gartner.

Yuletide mobile, Internet scams warning

Smart TVs booming. Worldwide production of smart TVs will grow to about 200 million in the next three years, Gratner predicts. Smart TVs now offer consumers with greater access to a wide range of content in the living room that has, until recently, only been available on PCs, smartphones and tablets. (Photo: Bloomberg)

already competitive and all other variables are equal between brands, he said. Gartner denes a typical smart TV as having the ability to search the Internet for video content and then play that content back. It may or may not include a browser, but there is the functionality to add apps from an app store operated either by the TV manufacturer or by a third party. The functionality of the smart TV can include an interactive capability with live TV broadcasts, as well as a range of connectivity options to other consumer devices such as smartphones, tablets, or PCs. Internet-connected smart TVs will be able to access a wide variety of content from the Internet over a broadband

connection, and will receive traditional TV broadcasts via terrestrial transmissions or via satellite, cable or an Internet Protocol TV (IPTV) set-top box. They will still be connected in this way because pay-TV services will continue to carry much of the premium TV content such as sports and events that will not be readily available over the Internet. However, it is the connection to the home broadband that makes a smart TV different. Todays smart TVs can access video content on the Web in many ways such as via YouTube, Netix, Hulu and other sites, as well as social networks and can run some applications commonly found on devices such as smartphones or

tablets. The TV market is evolving, with the TV becoming the central component bringing together the multiple screens now present in the home. The smart TV offers consumers greater access to a wide range of content in the living room that has, until recently, only been available on PCs, smartphones and tablets. With connectivity to smartphones and tablets comes the ability to pull content from the Internet on one device and push that content to the TV. For those TV manufacturers that also make smartphones and tablets, the marketing advantage of the smart TV makes educating the consumer a lot easier, said ODonovan.

WIRELESS operator Smart Communications has cautioned the public to be extra vigilant against rampant mobile and Internet fraud this Christmas season. Smart has linked up with the National Telecommunication Commission (NTC) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to mount an information campaign against fraudulent text, email, and e-commerce activities. The campaign involves the roll-out of instructional materials on Smarts corporate website and Smart stores found in various parts of the country. Smart has also mounted sustained training programs for its frontliners and aftersales representatives to help act on customer concerns on fraudulent mobile and online transactions. To help protect the public fraud this Yuletide season, Smart advised its subscribers against the following: Smart urges mobile users, especially OFW beneciaries, to take action and report text messages that solicit over-the-air load transfers to an alleged roaming number. Smart discourages its subscribers from immediately acting on load transfer requests, especially when coming from an unknown caller or texter. Text/email scam Smart urges mobile users to take action and report text and email messages that solicit donations, electronic load transfers, or cash payments to unknown organizations or 11-digit mobile numbers. For its part, Smart assures its subscribers that valid Smart prize notications will not require cash nor load transfers. Smart promo winners are usually notied via a three- or fourdigit number or a Smart sender ID, via ofcial telegram, or via a phone call coming from a 7777 number. Smart reminds the public to be vigilant against fraudulent texts or calls that ask for emergency money. Scammers would pretend to be a family member or a relative, and ask victims to deposit cash to various bank or e-money accounts. The cash is supposed to help the caller during an emergency overseas situation or an accident requiring immediate medical attention. To avoid falling victim to scammers and losing hard-earned money, text messages or calls from unknown cellphone numbers should be double-checked and conrmed. The public is also advised to take precautionary measures when engaging in online shopping activities via e-commerce or social media sites. Scammers would usually sell merchandise at bargain prices, require payments via bank or mobile money transfers, give out ctitious courier tracking numbers, and fail to ship purchased goods. To prevent being duped by online scammers, consumers are advised to keep their bank and mobile money details private, and to transact only with reputable online sellers. A good measure of trusted online merchants and sites are those with consistent positive transaction reviews and websites URLs beginning with https://. When in doubt, subscribers are advised to call the following hotlines: 751-3330 (for DTI); 921-3251 or 926-7722 (for the NTC), or 888-1111 (for Smart) via any landline, to verify questionable text or email messages. Subscribers may also dial *888 via any Smart cellphone. For Smart Money concerns, account holders may contact 15177 via Smart mobile phones, or 845-7777 via landline. market, with the two companies accounting for 49 percent of shipments in 2012, up from 39 percent in 2011. While Nokia and Canadas Research in Motion (RIM) also held double-digit shares of the market in 2011, Samsung and Apple remain the only two players that will each command a doubledigit portion of the smartphone space in 2012. HTC and RIM face challenges Along with Nokia, two other entities HTC of Taiwan, as well as RIM struggled throughout 2012 in the smartphone market. HTC is facing a tough battle against Samsung, an acknowledged technology powerhouse, in the Android smartphone market. Market share for HTC will shrink to 5 percent in 2012, down from 9 percent in 2011. RIM, meanwhile, lacking a fresh new version of its operating system, has seen its market share slip as the companys traditional enterprise consumers left the platform for both Apples iOS and Googles Android. RIMs share will fall to 5 percent in 2012, down from 11 percent in 2011.

Migrant workers mobile scam

Budol-budol/dugo-dugo scam

Samsung dethrones Nokia

FOR the rst time in 14 years, wireless communications giant Nokia will not sit atop the global cellphone business on an annual basis at the end of 2012 with Samsung set to seize the mobile handset markets top rank. Samsung is expected to account for 29 percent of worldwide cellphone shipments, up from 24 percent in 2011, according to research rm IHS iSuppli. Nokias share this year will drop to 24 percent, down from 30 percent last year. A dislodged Nokia will cause Samsung to rise to rst place for the full year of 2012, up from the second rank in 2011, the rst time the South Korean electronics titan will occupy the top on a yearly basis. Nokia will fall to the runnerup spot, the rst time since 1998 it wont be in peak position for overall cellphone shipments during a full calendar year. The competitive reality of the cellphone market in 2012 was live by the smartphone; die by the smartphone, said Wayne Lam, senior analyst for wireless communications at IHS. Smartphones represent the fastest-growing segment of the cellphone market and will account for nearly half of all wireless handset shipments for all of 2012. Samsungs successes and Nokias struggles in the cellphone market this year were determined entirely by the two companies divergent fortunes in the smartphone sector. Global smartphone shipments are set to rise by 35.5 percent this year, while overall cellphone shipments will increase by approximately 1 percent. This rapid growth will propel 2012 smartphone penetration to 47 percent, up from 35 percent in 2011. Samsungs success vs. Nokias nosedive Samsungs success has been built on its fast follower strategy for design and manufacturing. The company produces dozens of new smartphone models every year that address all segments of the market, from the high end to the low end. Samsung monitors the big trends in smartphone design, user needs, and unmet market opportunities, then creates products to t those markets quickly and efciently. Meanwhile, Finnish-based Nokia is mired in transitioning its smartphone line to the Windows operating system, resulting in percent, up from 20 percent in 2011. In contrast, Nokia will suffer the biggest decrease, with its share forecast to plunge by 11 points to 5 percent in 2012, down from 16 percent in 2011. Samsung and Apple ended 2011 in a neck-and-neck battle for leadership in the smartphone market, with only 1 percentage point of market share separating them. However, entering the 2012 year, Samsung moved ahead decisively ahead of Apple with a wide range of Android smartphone offerings.

Samsung pulls ahead of Apple

Online scams

declining shipments for the company. Sales of the companys older Symbianbased phones have plunged, while its new Microsoft Windows 7-based handsets havent been able to make up for the loss so far. Samsung is expected to post the best performance among the Top 5 smartphone brands in 2012, with its share of global smartphone shipments rising 8 points to 28

Samsung made signicant gains in both the high end as well as the low-cost market with its Galaxy line of smartphones. This diversied market approach has allowed Samsung to address a larger target audience for its phones than Apples limited premium iPhone line. The Samsung and Apple duopoly represents the dominant force in the smartphone

With the growth momentum behind smartphones, IHS anticipates that the smartphone penetration rate in 2013 will elevate smartphones into the majority among all phone segments, at 56 percent. This event will mark a signicant tipping point in the mobile handset market, as the smartphone takes a dominant position in the industry. Newsbytes.ph

2013: Smartphones go mainstream

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Manila Standard TODAY

C4
THURSDAY DECEMBER 20, 2012 Isah V. Red, Editor standard.showbiz@gmail.com

showbitz

ABS-CBN once again earned the most seals of approval from parents, teachers, NGOs and other sectors of society for its child-safe programs and worthemulating TV personalities in the recently held Anak TV Awards. The Anak TV Seal, which is a seal of good housekeeping on Philippine television not found anywhere else in the world, is awarded to programs deemed as wholesome and generally child safe by the jurors. ABS-CBNs regional programs dominated the program awardees namely Arangkada, Bida Kapampangan, Derecho, Gandang Umaga Kapamilya, Halad sa Kapamilya- Cebu, Maayong Buntag Mindanao, Magandang Umaga South Central Mindanao, Mag TV na Amiga- Bacolod, Mag TV na Atin ToBaguio, Mag TV na Ato Ni- CDO, Mag TV na Oragon- Bicol, Mag TV na Sadya Ta- Davao, Marhay na Aga Kapamilya, Naimbag Nga Morning Kapamilya, Sikat Ka Iloilo, and The Morning ShowBacolod. ABS-CBN shows Ako ang Simula, Go Diego Go, I Got It, Junior Masterchef, Matanglawin, Rated K, Salamat Dok, The Penguins of Madagascar, and Why Not? also received the coveted seal. ABS-CBN personalities, on the other hand, also dominated the roster of male and female Makabata stars based on the Boto Ko To survey that surveyed adult voters who among local TV personalities their households held in high esteem. Actor Coco Martin topped the list of male Makabata stars followed by Boy Abunda, Gerald Anderson, Kim Atienza, Noli De Castro, Ted Failon, Zaijian Jaranilla, Vhong Navarro, Anthony Taberna, and Richard Yap. For the female personalities, the national jury found Kim Chiu, Anne Curtis, Karen Davila, Sarah Geronimo, Toni Gonzaga, Angel Locsin, Judy Ann Santos, Bernadette Sembrano, and Jodi Sta. Maria as the most credible, wholesome, and worth emulating by the youth. Meanwhile, seven out of the top 10 Most Well-Liked TV Programs in the country for 2012 were from ABS-CBN. Primetime newscast TV Patrol, which was also recognized recently by the Philippine Movie Press Club as Best Newscast in this years Star Awards for Television, clinched the top spot followed by phenomenal drama series Walang Hanggan. Also included in the top 10 are Matanglawin, Its Showtime, Be Careful with My Heart, Maalaala Mo Kaya, and Princess and I. ABS-CBN emerged as the most awarded network in this years Anak TV with 25 seals versus GMA7 with 15 seals and TV5 with only nine seals. The 11th Anak TV seal awarding ceremony was held in the Lords Flock Sanctuary, West Avenue, Quezon City hosted by Anak TV spokesperson Mikee Cojuangco Jaworski.

Anak TV Seals for Kapamilya shows

SIMPLY RED

ISAH V. RED

IF THERES one movie that might prevent Si Agimat, Si Enteng Kabisote, at Si Ako from taking the top spot in this years box ofce race at the Metro Manila Film Festival, it would be Wenn Deramas Sisterakas from Viva Films and Star Cinema.
The movie stars Vice Ganda, Kris Aquino, and AiAi delas Alas. All three are certied box ofce attractions. Add Deramas to the equation and you have a potential blockbuster. The industry has even adopted the gayspeak unkabogable (from the root word kabog, whatever that means) to describe the combination. In the story, Vice portray the role of Bernice, a super successful lord of the apparels industry and business leader of the Ponytale company. She is determined to bring all her opponents down, including her hardworking half-sister Detty (AiAi) whose family refuses to help Bernices family when they were poor, and Roselle (Kris) the equally brilliant and talented, eccentric business nemesis. In Bernices quest to secure her throne as the queen of her industry, although its against her will, Bernice will be forced to hire Detty as his 75th assistant. But things get out of hand and the Vice Ganda world gets crazier when Detty suddenly becomes an employee of Roselle. With the rivalry getting tougher and more intense than ever and severely affecting each, others intertwined lives, who among Bernice, Detty and Roselle will emerge victorious? Quantum Films and MJM Productions newest venture will give moviegoers a whole new experience by taking you into a world where nothing is ever what it seems: the world of The Strangers. The movie focuses on a family of ve. Each one tries to put aside differences on the eve of their kids 18th birthday. Fraternal twins Pat (Julia Montes) and Max (Enrique Gil) prepare to go on their annual out-of-town trip. Accompanied by their parents Roy and Evelyn (played by Johnny Revilla Enchong Dee and Cherry Pie Picache, respectively), their grandfather Pete (Jaime Fabregas) and his temporary caretaker Paloma (Janice de Belen), as well as their newly-hired driver Toning (Nico Antonio), they travel to the far-ung town of Murcia. Whatever problems they had with each other fade away as they head for Murcia. But their happiness comes to a screeching halt when their van hits an old lady, presumably killing her. Shaken, they get out of the van to see if they can help herand nd that her body has vanished into thin air.

Sisterakas potential threat to

Agimat
Kris Aquino

Beware of The Strangers

AiAi delas Alas

When night sets in, Toning is attacked by a mysterious creature. Roy and Lofo Pete go missing, and Evelyn, Pat, Max and Paloma are left stranded in the middle of nowhere. They eventually nd their way to a village, where they are besieged by a series of aswang attacks. Pat nds an ally in one of the villagers, a young man named Dolfo (Enchong Dee). They realize the only way to survive is to band together against the aswang terrorizing the village. Whether or not they will survive is something moviegoers will nd out when The Strangers hits theaters on Dec. 25.

I SPY

RK VILLACORTA

Will Angelines 2013 be busier?

by); si Paulo (Avelino) at ang gandarang (read: pretty) si John Sweet Lapuz, she told us. For Angeline the year 2012 is a fruitful one for her. Thank you po sa lahat ng tulong ninyo, pertaining to the help of the entertainment press to her career. Weve learned from the singer that she just started to build her dream house.. Laking Sampaloc po ako pero right now sa Quezon City po ako nakatira para mas malapit sa ABS-CBN. Sa awa ng Diyos nakapagsimula na po ako makapagpatayo ng bahay ko sa may bandang Commonwealth-Fairview, she proudly informed us. The property, which cost almost P13 million, is near the home of singer Mark Bautista Sabi po ng architect na gagawa, minimalist po ang bahay na two levels, she described. With her hard earned bucks, she hopes to nish building her house before the end of 2013. Sana madaming raket (read: work-assignment) para walang aberya. Sabi po ng mga kaibigan ko, malaking gastos po kasi ang pagpapagawa ng bahay, she said *** Speaking of John Lapuz, hes back to his home turfthe Kapamilya Network after an absence for almost seven years. He said: Im really back home. The comedians career on television started on ABS-CBN at the time he was part of the networks showbiz oriented shows like Showbiz Lingo and The Buzz. Only last week, weve learned from the comedian that he signed another contract for a new teleserye that will start taping rst week of January with a target airing in February of next year. Ill be Angelines sidekick, he informed us. The comedian is in the MMFF entry on Dec. 25, Ang Agimat, si Enteng Kabisote at si Ako starring Bong Revilla, Vic (Sotto),and Judy Ann Santos. He plays one of the lamang-lupa. He added: Im so grateful kay Bossing dahil at the time na wala akong work (after Showbiz Central); he offered me the role. Happy ako dahil yong TF (talent fee) ko, rate ng pang-lead at hindi niya tinawaran, the comedian happily told us us. Hes lucky because with his TV career allowing him to work from one network to the other, like his friend Eugene Domingo who can do assignments for Kapuso, Kapatid and Kapamilya Networks. Sabi ni Uge (Eugene); do not burn bridges kaya follow ko naman ako at keri ko na maglagare at magtrabaho sa lahat ng istasyon, he added *** After his short vacation in the USA with girlfriend Marian Rivera to Dingdong watch Manny Paquiaos ght in Vegas; Dingdong Dantes is back. The young actors hectic schedule is now focus on the TV rounds and mall tours for the promotion of the lm One More Try with co-stars Angelica Panganiban, Zanjoe Marudo and Angel Locsin. At the lms presscon two weeks ago, the actor was not around. He was in Batangas for a taping for his teleserye with Lorna Tolentino on GMA 7. His absence was felt by the media and was not able to share some thoughts about his movie directed by Ruel Santos Bayani. It was a working Sunday for the actor who taped for Kris Aquinos morning show on Kapamilya Network. Seen the trailer of the lm, Dingdong might take home the bacon as 2012 MMFF Best Actor for his acting in the lm. SHORTCUTS: For the Revilla Family (Sen. Bong and wife Congresswoman Lani Mercado) Christmas Day is sharing their blessings with their constituents. Usually we celebrate New Years Eve with the whole clan the senator saidRosanna Roces was the topic of a taxi tambayan near Timog in QC. Hindi siya marunong magbayad kung ano man ang patak ng metro at pinaghihitay pa ang taxi, a driver told our source Guess whos this actress in her late 20s who has a child out of wedlock from a popular young actor who have changed career now as a pimp?...Heard that Ruffa Gutierrez is spending Christmas at an exclusive beach Down Under Dennis Padilla has found a new love after Marjorie Barretto in a Caucasian woman who inspires him at the moment. The comedian joins Janice de Belen and Arlene Muhlach in Regal Films MMFF entryShake, Rattle and Roll XIVA very good-looking actor is gay. He was seen with a hunk singer from an all-male singing group coming out from a discreet boutique hotel near Quezon City Hall. The actor and his partner are seen at the place two times a monthDyuts meaning small in gay lingo is the moniker of a cute actor who is a kept man of a TV executiveQuezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista is proud to inform the press that his son Harvey is into showbiz via the kiddie show Kulit Bulilit seen every Sunday on Kapamilya Network. Mahilig mag-showbiz. Mana sa tatay Aiza Seguerra is Pro-RH Bill. At the recent rally in front of Congress, she performs gratis. She also believes in Womens Rights and Concerns; Rights of the Children and the protection of the Environment. I think I was inuence by my mom. Nanay ko, basta may issues para sa kapakanan ng marami andun yun sa rally, she told us at the grand presscon of the MMFF entry Si Agimat, si Enteng Kabisote at si Ako Jake Cuenca just nished his pictorial for Summer Bench 2013 last Sunday. Its super sexy and very daring, a witness informed us

BUMPED to singing sensation Angeline Quinto at the Our Mother of Perpetual Help Church in Baclaran together with her manager Kate late Wednesday evening. The young singer always nds time to fulll her devotion to The Mother. Kahit po pagod, I see to it na makadaan ako dito (Baclaran) kahit early morning ng Wednesday at kung minsan, hinahabol ko pa po kahit madaling araw na ng Thursday, she told us. The singer who was in her plain t-shirt and jeans came from Tagaytay for a show and was in her tomboyish casual look. A nonshowbiz friend who was with us commented: Para siyang tibo (lesbian) sa kilos niya. Weve learned from our short chit-chat that shed be very busy this month with lots of corporate shows like Christmas parties. Next year po, magsisimula na rin ako ng tele-serye namin, she volunteered about her plans for 2013. Nag-story conference na kami for Kahit Konting Pagtingin. Puro guwapo po ang makakasama ko. Si Sam (Mil-

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Republic of the Philippines

THURSDAY DECEMBER 20, 2012

D1

Republic of the Philippines

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS AND HIGHWAYS

CORDILLERA ADMINISTRATIVE REGION

OFFICE OF THE REGIONAL DIRECTOR

ENGINEERS HILL, BAGUIO CITY

Department of Public Works and Highways Quezon 4th District Engineering Office, Lucena City
ITB No. 12-25

Republic of the Philippines

Department of Education
Tanggapan ng Kalihim
Office of the Secretary

Invitation to Bid
The Department of Public Works and Highways - Cordillera Administrative Region (DPWH-CAR, through the General Appropriations Act intends to apply the amount of the Approved Budget Cost to payments under the contracts and now invites bids for the contracts: 1. Contract ID No: Contract Name: Contract Location: Fund: Approved Budget Cost: Scope of work: Contract Duration: Cost of Bidding Documents: 2. Contract ID No: Contract Name: Contract Location: Fund: Approved Budget Cost: Scope of work: Contract Duration: Cost of Bidding Documents: 3. Contract ID No: Contract Name: Contract Location: Fund: Approved Budget Cost: Scope of work: Contract Duration: Cost of Bidding Documents: 4. Contract ID No: Contract Name: Contract Location: Fund: Approved Budget Cost: Scope of work: Contract Duration: Cost of Bidding Documents: 12PI0084 Upgrading of Mt. Province Ifugao Road (Kiling-Paracelis Section) K0461+927 K0464+780 Mt. Province CY 2013 Regular Infrastructure Program Php 47,916,648.27 PCCP, Stone Masonry, etc. 118 calendar days Php 20,000.00 12PI0085 Upgrading of Dantay Sagada Road K0391+000 K0391+677 & K0392+603 K0393+048.2 Bontoc, Mt. Province CY 2013 Regular Infrastructure Program Php 31,992,596.52 PCCP, Stone Masonry, etc. 99 calendar days Php 20,000.00 12PI0086 Road Upgrading of Mt. Province Ilocos Sur via Tue Road, K0387+240 K0387+630 Balaoa, Mt. Province CY 2013 Regular Infrastructure Program Php 8,640,000.00 PCCP, etc. 50 calendar days Php 10,000.00 12PI0087 Replacement of Malanas Bridge along Mt. Province Cagayan via Tabuk Enrile Road, K0415+997 Sadanga, Mt. Province CY 2013 Regular Infrastructure Program Php 11,577,714.22 Reinforcing Steel Bars, Construction/Maintenance & Removal of Detour Bridge/Road, Structural Concrete, Class A (Bridge Superstructure), Structural Steel H-Girders, PCCP, etc. 120 calendar days Php 10,000.00

INVITATION TO BID
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Quezon 4th District Engineering Office, Lucena City, through FY 2012 GAA, intends to apply the sum of SIXTEEN MILLION SEVEN HUNDRED NINETY ONE THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED TWENTY PESOS (P16,791,320.00) being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments for Contract ID No.. 12-DL-0115. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening. The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Quezon 4th District Engineering Office, Lucena City, now invites bids from eligible bidders for the following Contract: 1. Contract ID Contract Name 12-DL-0115 Construction of Diversion Road, SumulongGuinayangan Road, Brgy. Rizal Ibaba Contract Location : Calauag, Quezon Scope of Work : construction of road Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC): P 16,791,320.00 Source of Fund : FY 2012 DA Contract Duration : 85 CD Cost of Bidding Documents: P25,000.00 : :

Prequalification, Bids, and Awards Committee (PBAC) for Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Projects of the DepED School Infrastructure Project INVITATION TO PRE-QUALIFY TO BID FOR PPP FOR SCHOOL INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT 2012-2
The Department of Education (the "DepED") invites interested parties to apply to pre-qualify to bid for the design, financing, construction, and maintenance of one-storey, two-storey, three-storey, and four storey school buildings under the following Contract Packages: Regional Contract Package I II III IV-B V VI VII VIII IX X XI XII CARAGA CAR Total Expected Number of School Sites 72 353 262 630 488 334 455 645 286 499 134 300 314 395 5,167 Expected Number of School Buildings 80 355 262 630 524 343 472 649 286 530 139 316 353 395 5,334 Expected Number of Classrooms 241 547 1,017 1,108 1.061 732 1,037 903 476 1,222 355 637 708 635 10,679

Bidders must have an experience of having completed at least one (1) contract similar to the project. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II Instruction to Bidders. Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using nondiscretionary pass/fail criterion as specified in the Implementing Rules and Regulations of Republic Act 9184, otherwise known as the Government Procurement Reform Act. Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships/partnerships, or organizations with at least seventy-five percent (75%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines. Upon submission of Expression of Participation from December 20, 2012 January 07, 2013, interested Bidders may obtain further information from DPWH-Quezon 4th District Engineering Office, BAC Secretariat Office, Lucena City, and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below from 8:00A.M. 5:00 P.M., Monday to Friday. Interested contractors are also required to present the originals of their Contractors Registration Certificate (CRC) to the BAC for authentication, together with the printed copy of the Philgeps Order Form (Documents Request List DRL). A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested Bidders from the address below and upon payment of a non-refundable fee for the Bidding Documents. It may also be downloaded free of charge from the Website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the website of the DPWH, if available, provided that bidders shall pay the fee of Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids. The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Quezon 4th District Engineering Office, Lucena City will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on December 27, 2012 at 10:00 A.M. at the DPWH, Quezon 4th DEO Conference Room, which shall be open only to all interested parties. Bids must be delivered to the address below on or before 2:00 P.M. of January 10, 2013. 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 January 10, 2013 after 2:00 P.M. at DPWH, Quezon 4th District Engineering Office, Lucena City. Bids will be opened in the presence of the Bidders representatives who choose to attend at the address below. Late Bids shall not be accepted. The DPWH Quezon 4th District Engineering Office, Lucena City, 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. DPWH Quezon 4th District Engineering Office, Lucena City, likewise assumes no obligation whatsoever to compensate or indemnify any bidder or winning bidders, as the case may be, for any expenses or loss that said party(ies) may incur in its participation in the pre-bidding and bidding process nor does it guarantee that an award will be made. For Further information, please refer to: The BAC Chairman Attention: BAC Secretariat DPWH - Quezon IV District Engineering Office Inmaculada Concepcion Subdivision, Brgy. Isabang, Lucena City Tel. No. (042) 373-5626 Approved By: (Sgd.) RICARDO V. DE GUIO Chairman, BAC Tel. and Fax No. (042) 373-5626 N O T E D:

Bids received in excess of the Approved Budget Cost shall be automatically rejected at bid opening. Completion of the Works is required within the contract duration. Bidders should have completed, within ten (10) 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 Document particularly, in Section II, Instruction to Bidders. Bidders should have completed, within ten (10) years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a single contract similar to the Project, equivalent to at least fifty percent (50%) of the ABC. Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using non-discretionary pass/ fail criterion as specified in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act 9184 (RA 9184), otherwise known as the Government Procurement Reform Act. Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least seventy five percent (75%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines. Contractors/applicants who are interested in the DPWH civil works are required to register prior to the set schedule of submission of bid while those already registered shall keep their records current and updated. Contractors eligibility to bid on the project will be determined using the DPWH Contract Profile Eligibility Process (CPEP) and subject to further post-qualification. Information on registration can be obtained at DPWH website www.dpwh.gov.ph. A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested Bidders from the address below and upon payment of a nonrefundable fee for the cost of Bidding Documents. Interested bidders can also make payments for the purchase of the Bidding Documents at any DPWH Field Offices. It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the website of the Procuring Entity, provided that bidders shall pay the fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of bids. Letters of Intent and/or applications for eligibility and latest Class A documents are to be accepted by the BAC together with the Bids and other relevant documents on or before the deadline for submission of bids. The Department of Public Works and Highways Cordillera Administrative Region will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on December 27, 2012, 2:00 PM at Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) Office, 2nd Floor Department of Public Works and Highways Cordillera Administrative Region - Regional Office, Engineers Hill, Baguio City, which shall be open only to all interested parties who have purchased the Bidding Documents. Interested bidders may obtain further information from Department of Public Works and Highways- Cordillera Administrative Region, Engineers Hill, Baguio City and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below from 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. Bids must be delivered on January 8, 2013, not later than 10:00 a.m. at Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) Office, 2nd Floor Department of Public Works and Highways Cordillera Administrative Region - Regional Office, Engineers Hill, Baguio City. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18.1. Bids will be opened in the presence of the owner or the bidders authorized representatives who choose to attend at the above. Late bids shall not be accepted. The Department of Public Works and Highways Cordillera Administrative Region reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, to annul the bidding process, and to reject all bids at any prior to contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders. For further information, please refer to: (Sgd.) MICHAEL S. VILLAFRANCA ATTORNEY IV HEAD, BAC SECRETARIAT (074) 300-6047 (Sgd.) CONSTANTE R. SARMIENTO Chief, Maintenance Division BAC Chairman

The number of school sites, school buildings, and classrooms is still subject to change. Each school building will consist of the following components: Component I - Classroom Builingds, Component II Toilets, and Component III - Classroom Furniture, all to be designed and constructed or provided in accordance with the prescribed Minimum Performance Standards and Specifications to be released by DepED. Each Contract Package will be bid out separately. Interested parties may apply to pre-qualify to bid for any, some, or all Contract Packages, as described in greater detail in the Invitation Documents. The Project will be awarded through competitive public bidding, as a PublicPrivate Partnership ("PPP") project, in accordance with applicable laws, including the Build-Operate-and Transfer ("BOT") Law (R.A. No. 6957, as amended by R.A. No. 7718), and its Implementing Rules and Regulations. The bidding will follow the two-stage system: (a) Prospective Bidders shall first be pre-qualified by the DepED based on legal, technical and financial capacity requirements; and (b) the Prospective Bidders which pre-qualify shall be invited to submit their bids. Prospective Bidders may obtain the Invitation Documents, consisting of (a) this Invitation to Pre-Qualify to bid, (b) the Instructions to Prospective Bidders, including the required Qualification Documents, (c) the Draft Minimum Perforance Standards and Specifications, and (d) the Information Memorandum, from the office of the PBAC for PPP Projects, at the DepED Complex in Meralco Avenue, Pasig City, 1600 Philippines, c/o PBAC Secretariat- Procurement Service, 2nd Flr., Dorm-B with Telephone/Fax No. (+632) 633-9343/6366542 starting 10 January 2013, upon payment of a non-refundable fee of PhP100,000.00. This fee may be paid in cash or by manager's check issued by any bank in the Philippines payable to the Department of Education. Only persons or firms who have purchased the Invitation Documents shall be allowed to participate in the pre-qualification process. The DepEd may release updates, clarifications, amendments, or additions to any or all of the Bidding Documents at any time. Prospective Bidders must submit their applications for pre-qualification, together with duly accomplished Qualification Documents in the required format, to the DepED-PBAC Secretariat not later than 10:00 a.m. on 12 February 2013, at the abovementioned Office of the PBAC through its Secretariat. The DepEd-PBAC reserves the right to reject any and all bids, and declare failure of bidding, not award the contract, or annual the bidding process without thereby incurring any liability to the affected parties. (Sgd.) FRANCISCO M. VARELA Undersecretary for Finance and Administration and Chairman, PBAC for PPP Projects
(MST-Dec. 20, 2012)

(MST-Dec. 20, 2012)

(MST-Dec. 20, 2012)

(Sgd.) JOSE E. ALMERO OIC District Engineer

Republic of the Philippines

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES

Republic of the Philippines

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS AND HIGHWAYS

QUIRINO DISTRICT ENGINEERING OFFICE Cabarroguis, Quirino
-000DPWH INFRA-07 -Standard Adverlisement-Revised IRR

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS AND HIGHWAYS ILOCOS SUR 1st DISTRICT ENGINEERING OFFICE BANTAY, ILOCOS SUR

Department of Public Works and Highways

CEBU CITY DISTRICT ENGINEERING OFFICE V. Sotto Street, Cebu City December 17, 2012

INVITATION TO BID FOR IMPROVEMENT OF FARM-TO-MARKET ROAD, VINTA ARC, CAOAYAN, ILOCOS SUR
1. The Department of Public Works and Highways, lIocos Sur First District Engineering Office, Bantay, 1I0cos Sur, through ARISP, intends to apply the sum of TWENTY TWO MILLION THREE THOUSAND NINE HUNDRED SIXTY FIVE PESOS & 76/100 (Php22,003,965.76) being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for Contract No. 12AC0093 -IMPROVEMENT OF FARM-TO-MARKET ROAD, VINTA ARC, CAOAYAN, ILOCOS SUR. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening. The Department of Public Works and Highways, lIocos Sur First District Engineering Office, Bantay, lIocos Sur now invites bids for road works which includes clearing & grubbing of 4,190 sq. m., removal of 24 pcs. small trees, removal of 18 structures & obstructions, removal of 49 pcs. tree trunks, 349.41 cu. m. of surplus roadway excavation, manual structure excavation of 107.04 cu. m., providing 1,591.42 cu. m. embankment from roadway excavation, sub-grade preparation of 20,451.91 sq. m., spreading 5,510.12 cu. m. of aggregate sub-base course, concrete paving of 16,370.52 sq. m., installation of 50 lm & 391m 0.30m & 0.91m R.C. pipe culverts respectively, providing 164.62 cu. m. grouted riprap & 42.62 cu. m. stone masonry; providing river crossing structures which includes structure excavation of 423.46 cu. m. by using backhoe, 22.70 cu. m. foundation fill, 5,915 kgs. reinforcing steel, 196.44 cu. m. concrete class A, 190 1m of 0.61m R.C. pipe culverts, 143.94 cu. m. rubble concrete, 216.17 cu. m. cofferdam, dewatering; other related works such as construction of bunkhouse, mobilization & demobilization, construction safety & health and permanent markers. Completion of the Works is required within one hundred eighty (180) calendar days. Bidders should have completed, within ten (10) 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. Bidding .shall be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using nondiscretionary pass/fail criterion as specified in the- Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act 9184 (RA 9184), otherwise known as the Government Procurement Reform Act. Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizen / sale proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least seventy five percent (75%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines. 4. Interested bidders may obtain further information from DPWH, lIocos Sur 1st District Engineering Office and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below from 8 am to 5 pm starting December 17, 2012 to January 15, 2013. A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested Bidders from the address below and upon payment of non refundable fee for the, Bidding Documents in the amount of Php25,000.00. It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhiIGEPS) and the website of the Procuring Entity, provided that bidders shall pay the fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids. 6. The DPWH, lIocos Sur 1st District Engineering Office will hold a pre-bid Conference on January 3, 2013 at the Office of the BAC Chairman, which shall be open to all interested parties. Bids must be delivered to the address below on or before January 15, 2013 at 10:00 in the morning at the Office of the BAC, Chairman. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18. Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders representatives who choose to attend at the address below. Late bids shall not be accepted. 8. The Department of Public Works and Highways, lIocos Sur First District Engineering Office, Bantay, lIocos Sur 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. For further information, please refer to: SUSANA M. PARDO BAC Secretariat Department of Public Works and Highways lIocos Sur First District Engineering Office Bantay, lIocos Sur (077) 722-3024 Fax No. (077) 722-8054 (Sgd.) URBANO R. PALACPAC BAC Chairman
(MST-Dec. 20, 2012)

INVITATION TO BID
The DPWH - Cebu City District Engineering Office, through its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), invites contractors registered with and classified by the Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board (PCAB) to apply for eligibility and, if found eligible, to bid for the following contract: Item I RBH 1. Contract ID: Contract Name: 12HH0119 Concreting of Cambinocot Paril Farm to Market Road, Contract Location: Cebu City Description: Concreting Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC): Php 5,790,000.00 Contract Duration: 90 calendar days Cost of Bidding Documents: Php 10,000.00 Contract ID: Contract Name: 12HH0120 Concreting of Sirao Malubog Farm to Market Road, Sitio Langub (Cemetary) Contract Location: Cebu City Description: Concreting Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC): Php 5,790,000.00 Contract Duration: 90 calendar days Cost of Bidding Documents: Php 10,000.00

INVITATION TO BID
The Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) of Department of Public Works and Highways - Quirino District Engineering Office, Cabarroguis, Quirino, invites contractors to bid for the aforementioned project/s: 1. Contract ID. Name of Project : 12BK0064 (Re-advertised) : Rehabilitation/Reconstruction/Upgrading of Damaged Paved National Roads (MFO-2) (Intermittent Sec.) Jct. Mangandingay-Saguday-lsabela Bdry. Road, K0337+000 -K0341+000 Location : Saguday, Quirino Scope of Work : Rehabilitation/Reconstruction/Upgrading of Damaged Paved Roads Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC): P 7,340,843.88 Duration : 120 CD Cost of Bid Documents : P10,000.00 : 12BK0065 (Re-advertised) : Asphalt Overlay Echague-Jones-Maddela Road (Villa Norte-Panang Section). a.)K0384+000-K0385+000 b.) K0386+(-562)-K0386+818. Location : Maddela, Quirino Scope of Work : Asphalt Overlay Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC): P15,391,046.49 Duration : 40CD Cost of Bid Documents : P25,000.00

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2. Contract ID. Name of Project

The BAC will conduct this through open competitive bidding, using non-discretionary pass / fail criterion as specified in the Implementing Rules and Regulation (IRR) of Republic Act 9184 (R.A. 9184), otherwise known as the Government Procurement Reform Act. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening. To be eligible to bid for the contract, a contractor must have a Current Cebu City Mayors Permit, Certificate of Registration with PhilGEPS and an approved Activation of BIR Electronic Filing and Payment System (EFPS) and must meet the following major criteria: (a) prior registration with the DPWH, (b) Filipino citizen or 75% Filipinoowned partnership/corporation with PCAB license applicable to the type and cost of the contract, (c) completion of a similar contract within ten (10) years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, and (d) Net Financing Contracting Capacity at least equal to ABC, or credit line commitment/cash deposit certificate for at least 10% of ABC, (e) Letter of Authority for the representative / Liason Officer (as reflected in the CRC) to submit Bids.. The DPWH will use non-discretionary pass/fail criteria in the eligibility check, preliminary evaluation of bids, evaluation of bids, post qualification and award. Unregistered contractors, however, may submit their LOIs simultaneously with their applications for registration, to the Cebu City District Engineering Office before the deadline set below the receipt of LOIs. The DPWH Central BAC-TWG will first process the contractors applications for registration and issue the Contractors Certificate of Registration (CRC) before processing their LOIs. The DPWH Central BAC-TWG will process only those with complete registration requirements. The significant times and deadlines of procurement activities are shown below: 1. Issuance of Bidding Documents 2. Pre-bid Conference 3. Deadline of LOI from Prospective Bidders 4. Receipt of Bids 5. Opening of Bids 6. Venue of Activities Deadline: December 27,2012 January 16,2013 Date & time: January 4, 2013, 10:00 AM Date: January 11, 2013 Deadline: January 16, 2013, 8:00 to 10:00 AM Date & time: January 16, 2013, 2:00 PM Conference Hall, Cebu City District Engineering Office, V. Sotto St., Brgy. Tinago, Cebu City

The BAC will conduct the procurement process in accordance with the Revised IRR of RA 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 of 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 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 for at least 10% of the ABC. The BAC will use non-discretionary pass/ fail criteria in the eligibility check and preliminary examinations of bids. Unregistered contractors, however, shall submit their applications for registration to the DPWH-POCW Central Office before the deadline for the receipt of LOI. The DPWHPOCW Central Office will only process contractors application for registration with complete requirements and issue the Contractors Certificate of Registration (CRC). Registration forms may be downloaded at the DPWH website www.dpwh.gov.ph. The significant times and deadlines of procurement activities are shown below: 1 2 3 4 5 6 Receipt of LOis from prospective bidders Issuance of Bid Documents Pre-Bid Conference Receipt of Bids Opening of Bids Notice of Award December 29, 2012 not later than 10:00 AM. December 14, 2012 - January 3, 2013 December 21, 2013 at 2:00 P.M. January 3, 2013 not later than 10:00 AM. January 3, 2013@ 2:00 P.M. January 4, 2013

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5.

The BAC will issue hard copies of Bidding Documents at the BAC Secretariat, DPWH - Quirino District Engineering Office, Cabarroguis, Quirino, upon payment of a nonrefundable feels of (as stated above). Prospective bidders that will download the BDs from the DPWH website shall pay the said fees on or before the submission of their bid Documents. The Pre-Bid Conference shall open only to interested parties who have purchased the BDs. 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 specified in the BDs in two (2) separate sealed bid envelopes to the BAC Chairman. The first envelope shall contain the technical component of the bid, which shall include a copy of the CRC. The second envelope shall contain the financial component of the bid. Contract will be awarded to the Lowest Calculated Responsive Bid as determined in the bid evaluation and the post-qualification. The Department of Public Works and Highways - Quirino District Engineering Office, Cabarroguis, Quirino reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, to annul the bidding process at anytime prior Contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder/s. Approved: (Sgd.) NESTOR T. PAGATPATAN Chief Construction Engineer BAC Chairman
(MST-Dec. 20, 2012)

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Prospective bidders may download the Registration and LOI Forms from the DPWH website www.dpwh.gov.ph. The BAC will issue hard copies of LOI Forms at Cebu City District Engineering Office. Prospective bidders shall submit their accomplished LOIs and obtain the results of the eligibility check at the same address at the day of Bidding. Prospective bidders may also download the Bidding Documents (BDs) , if available, for the DPWH website. Bidders that will download BDS from the DPWH Website shall pay the said fees as stated above on or before the submission of their bid documents. The BAC will issue hard copies of the BDs at the same address to eligible bidders upon payment of a non-refundable fee stated above. Interested Bidders may obtain further information and inspect the bidding documents at the same address. Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders representatives who choose to attend and late bids shall not be accepted. The Cebu City District Engineering Office reserves the right to accept or reject any bid and to annul the bidding process anytime before Contract award, without incurring any liability to the affected bidders and no responsibility to compensate or indemnify bidders for any expenses incurred in the preparation of their bids. APPROVED: (Sgd.) ANACORITA E. DIEZ BAC Chairman NOTED: (Sgd.) NICOMEDES S. LEONOR, JR. District Engineer
(MST-Dec. 20, 2012)

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THURSDAY DECEMBER 20, 2012

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Republic of the Philippines

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In Classified Ads section must be brought to our attention the very day the advertisement is published. We will not be responsible for any incorrect a d s n o t reported to us immediately.

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES REGIONAL TRIAL COURT NATIONAL CAPITAL JUDICIAL REGION BRANCH 48, MANILA IN THE MATTER OF THE PETITION FOR RECOGNITION AND ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF FOREIGN DIVORCE VILMA B. CEJES-PRAMASURYA, Petitioner, -versusHON. REGISTRAR CIVIL REGISTRY OF MANILA, AND THE OFFICE OF THE CIVIL REGISTRAR GENERAL, NATIONAL STATISTICS OFFICE (NSO), Respondents. CIVIL CASE NO. 12-128103 x----------------------------x AMENDED ORDER In a verified amended petition filed on August 30, 2012, petitioner through counsel prays that the instant petition be granted, the foreign divorce decree between petition and her former husband be recognized, acknowledged and be given the same force and effect in the Philippines, to order the respondent Office of the Civil registrar of Manila to record the Decision of this Court and to order CRG,NSO to duly record the said Decision. It is therein alleged that petitioner and her husband KURNIADI PRAMASURYA, an Indonesian citizen were married on November 21, 1999 at the Indonesian Bethel Church at Bethany, Jakarta, Indonesia. That after ten (10) years of living as husband and wife, the petition filed a petition for divorce at the District Court of Pekanbaru, Indonesia on October 14, 2009. Thereafter, the petition was heard and divorce decree was duly issued by the said Court. NOW, THEREFORE, private respondent KURNIADI PRAMASURYA whose residence is last known to be at Block E7, Kelurahan, Labuh Baru Barat Kecamatan,Payung Sekaki, Pekanbaru City, Indonesia, is hereby summoned. and directed to file his answer or responsive pleading to the instant petition within. thirty (30) days from the last date of publication of this summons. Let this Amended Order and a copy of the Amended petition be published once a week for two (2) consecutive weeks in any duly authorized newspaper of general circulation in Metro Manila to be selected by raffle at the expense of the petitioner. SO ORDERED. Manila, October 19, 2012. (Sgd.) SILVERIO O. CASTILLO Judge REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES NATIONAL CAPITAL JUDICIAL REGION REGIONAL TRIAL COURT OF MANILA BRANCH 48 IN THE MATTER OF THE PETITION FOR RECOGNITION AND ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF FOREIGN DIVORCE, VILMA B. CEJES-PRAMASURYA, Petitioner,

2. Declare and determine as a law that the marriage between the plaintiff and the defendant, which was instituted on 21st November 1999 under a Covenant of Marriage No. 41/SDR/RN/XI-99 at Gereja Bethel Indonesia, Jakarta and then proceeded to the Marriage Registration of the Civil Registry Office of Bekasi Municipality on 22nd November 1999 under an excerpt of Marriage Certificate No. 28/KOD/1999, expired with all its legal consequences: 3. Declare as a law that that Plaintiff shall raise, nurture educate and take care of the adopted child of the Plaintiff and the defendant. which is still under age, named KURVI CEJES PRAMASURYA: 4. Punish the defendant with an obligation to pay the costs of living and education of the plaintiffs and the defendants adopted child in the amount of Rp. 3,000,000.00 (Three Million Rupiah) commencing from the date on which this judgment has had permanent legal force: 5. Order the Registrar of the District Court of Pekanbaru or the appointed officer to send the copy of this judgment which has had permanent legal force to the Head of Civil Registry of Bekasi City to be recorded in the Register made available for such a purpose; 6. Decline the remaining and other claims of the Plaintiff: 7. Punish the defendant with an obligation to pay the court charges in the trial of this case amounting to Rp.141.000 (One Hundred and Forty One thousand Rupiah): 5. That during marriage of petitioner with Kurniadi, the minor Kurvi Pramasurya was born on 16 May 2007 at Pateros, Metro Manila, Pursuant to the Divorce Decree, the custody and the care of the minor child, Kurvi was awarded to petitioner. WHEREFORE, petitioner, most respectfully prays of this Honorable Court that the instant petition be granted and: 1. The Foreign Divorce Decree. between petitioner and her former husband be recognized, acknowledged and be given the same force and effect in the Philippines pursuant to Article 26 of the Family Code of the Philippines; and 2. To order the respondent Registrar, Office of the City Civil Registry of Manila to record the Decision of this Honorable Court. 3. To order respondent CRG, NSO to duly record the Decision of this Honorable Court recognizing the foreign divorce decree of petitioners. Other reliefs as are just and equitable within the premises are likewise prayed for. Makati City for Manila, August 23, 2012. SUNICO, MALABANAN & RANA LAW OFFICES Counsel for Petitioner 2nd Floor, ODC International Plaza Condominium 219 Salcedo St., Legaspi Village, Makati City Tel. Nos. 840-2511 to 15 Email: smrlawfirm@gmail.com By:____________________________ MELQUIADES T. MALABANAN Roll of Attorney No. 25424 MCLE Compliance Cert. No. 3-0013850/04.26.2010 Lifetime IBP No. 7777/Makati 02.08.1996 PTR No. 3175885/Makati City/1.03.2012 (Sgd.) RAMON I RANA Roll of Attorney No. 37212 MCLE Compliance Cert. No. III00015319/5.5.2010 IBP LRN-06297/Makati/01.15.2007 PTR No. 3175886/Makati City/1.03.2012 VERIFICATION AND CERTIFICATION I, VILMA B. CEJES-PRAMASURYA, after having been sworn to in accordance with law, hereby depose and state that: 1. I am the Petitioner in the aboveentitled case; 2. I have caused the preparation of the foregoing Amended Petition; that I have read the Amended Petition; the allegations of which are true and correct of my own personal knowledge and based on authentic documents; 3. On my personal knowledge, I have not commenced any other action or proceeding involving the same issues raised in the above-entitled case, in the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals, or different divisions thereof, or any other tribunal or agency; 4. There is no such action or proceeding now pending in the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals, or different division thereof; 5. Should I learn that a similar action of proceeding has been filed or is pending before the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals, the different division thereof, or any other tribunal agency, I will accordingly notify this Honorable Office within five (5) days from such notice. (Sgd.) VILMA B. CEJES-PRAMASURYA SUBSCRIBED AND SWORN to before me on this 29th day of August 2012, affiant exhibited to me her Passport No. XX1898470 Expiring on August 26, 2013. Doc. No. 144 ; Page No. 30; Book No. 9; Series of 2012.

REMINDER
MST Classified Ads section requires a Two (2) day CUT-OFF PERIOD on all ITBs, BID BULLETIN, NOTICES and REOIs prior to publication date(s).
EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENT

INVITATION TO BID FOR CONSTN./ IMPROVEMENT OF DRAINAGE STRUCTURES ALONG MANILA NORTH ROAD, KM. 179+000- KM. 180+500 , NANCAYASAN SECTION , URDANETA CITY AND KM. 186+900 KM. 187+400, SUMABNIT SECTION, BINALONAN, PANGASINAN 1. The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Pangasinan 3rd District Engineering Office, Tumana, Rosales, Pangasinan, through the GAA CY 2013 intends to apply the sum of P6,000,000.00 being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for Constn./ Improvement of Drainage Structures along Manila North Road, Km. 179+000 km. 180+500, Nancayasan Section, Urdaneta City and km. 186+900 Km. 187+400, Sumabnit Section, Binalonan, Pangasinan. Contract ID No. 12AI0275. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening. The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Pangasinan 3rd District Engineering Office, Tumana, Rosales, Pangasinan now invites bids for Constn./ Improvt. of Drainage Structures. Completion of the Works is required 90 c.d. The prospective bidder must have an experience of having completed at least One (1) contract that is similar to the contract to be bid, and whose value, adjusted to current prices using the NSO consumer price indices, must be at least fifty percent (50%) of the ABC to be bid. Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using non-discretionary fass/fail criterion as specified in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act 9184 (RA 9184), otherwise known as the Government Procurement Reform Act. Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizen/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least seventy five (75%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines. 4. Interested bidders may obtain further information from Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Pangasinan 3 rd District Engineering Office, Tumana, Rosales, Pangasinan and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below from 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested Bidders from the address below and upon payment of a non-refundable fee for the Bidding Documents in the amount of P10,000.00. It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the website of the Procuring Entity. Provided that bidders shall pay the fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids. 6. The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Pangasinan 3rd District Engineering Office, Tumana, Rosales, Pangasinan will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on December 26, 2012 at 10:00 A.M. at the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Pangasinan 3rd District Engineering Office, Tumana, Rosales, Pangasinan which shall be open to all interested parties Bids must be delivered to the address below on or before January 07, 2013 at 10:00 A.M.. All bids must be accompanied a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18. Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders representatives who choose to attend at the addresss below. Late bids shall not be accepted. 8. The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Pangasinan 3rd District Engineering Office, Tumana, Rosales, Pangasinan 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. For further Information, please refer to: Head, BAC-Secretariat DPWH, Pang. 3rd DEO, Tumana, Rosales, Pang. Telephone No. _(075) 541-5469 Fax No. _____ _(075) 582-3993 (Sgd.) EMMANUEL P. RIBOROSO BAC-Chairman

2.

Notice is hereby given that the Estate of the late Luisa V. Trinidad-Fernandez who died intestate on October 23, 2007 at their residence at 9148-C Pateros St., Brgy. Olympia, Makati City, Metro Manila has been extrajudicially settled among her heirs as per Doc. No. 86; Page No. 18; Book No.: 03, Series of 2012, executed before Notary Public Atty. Rogelio Marasigan.
(MST-Dec. 13, 20 & 27, 2012)

NOTICE
Notice is hereby given that CEBU AIR, INC., with office address at 43rd Floor, Robinsons-Equitable Tower, ADB Avenue corner Poveda Road, Ortigas Center, Pasig City, is applying for registration with the BOARD OF INVESTMENTS (BOI) as a New Operator of Air Transport Services for the acquisition of one (1) Aircraft (A320 #26) on a Pioneer status. Any person with valid objection/s on the above-mentioned project may file his/her objection in writing, under oath, with the BOI within three (3) days from the date of this publication. (SGD.) EVARISTE M. CAGATAN Director Infrastructure and Services Industries Department
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
(MST-Dec. 20, 2012)

3.

Ads Work.

For fast ad results, please call 6594903 or 6594830 loc 303

Department of Public Works and Highways

Region IV-A Laguna I District Engineering Office Sta. Cruz, Laguna Telephone Nos. (049) 810-4089 to 93

Republic of the Philippines

Invitation to Bid
The Department of Public Works and Highways- Laguna I District Engineering Office, Sta. Cruz, Laguna, through the FY 2013 Regular School Building Program (RSBP) and FY PDAF, GAA, RA 10155 intends to apply the sum of Fifty Million Two Hundred Eighty Nine Thousand Eighty Pesos (Php50,289,080.00) being the Approved Budget for the Contracts (ABC) to payments under the contract for various infrastructure projects listed below. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening. 1. 12DH0127 Cluster I- Const. of one (1) Storey, one (1) cl School Building a. Gagalot-Taytay E/S-Annex, Majayjay, Laguna b. Layug E/S, Cavinti, Laguna c. Sisilmin E/S, Cavinti, Laguna d. Scope of Work: Const. of one (1) classroom school building (modified) e. Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC)/Cost of Bidding documents: a. Php 620,730.00 b. 620,730.00 c. 620,730.00 Php 1,862,190.00/Php5,000.00 f. Duration: 60 c. d. 12DH0128 Cluster II- Const. of one (1) Storey, one (1) cl School Building a. Matalinting P/S, Sta. Maria, Laguna b. New Little Baguio E/S, Sta. Maria, Laguna c. Pao-O E/S Main, Sta. Maria, Laguna d. Pao-O E/S Annex, Sta. Maria, Laguna e. Pulong Mindanao E/S, Sta. Maria, Laguna f. Sta. Maria NHS, Calangay Annex, Sta. Maria, Laguna d. Scope of Work: Const. of one (1) classroom school building (modified) e. Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC)/Cost of Bidding documents: a. Php 620,730.00 b. 620,730.00 c. 620,730.00 d. 620,730.00 e. 620,730.00 f. 670,230.00 Php3,773,880.00/Php5,000.00 f. Duration: 60 c. d. 12DH0129 Cluster III- Const. of one (1) Storey, one (1) cl School Building a. Palanas E/S (Llavac), Siniloan, Laguna b. Poten & Eliseo M. Quesada MNHS-Papatahan Annex, Paete, Laguna d. Scope of Work: Const. of one (1) classroom school building (modified) e. Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC)/Cost of Bidding documents: a. Php 620,730.00 b. 670,230.00 Php 1,290,960.00/Php5,000.00 f. Duration: 60 c. d. a. Contract ID: b. Contract Name: c. Contract Location:

5.

-vsHON. REGISTRAR CIVIL REGISTRY OF MANILA, AND THE OFFICE OF THE CIVIL REGISTRAR GENERAL, NATIONAL STATISTICS OFFICE (NSO), Respondent. CIVIL CASE NO. 12-128103 x---------------------------------------------x AMENDED PETITION FOR RECOGNITION AND ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF FOREIGN DIVORCE COMES NOW, the petitioner, through counsel, unto this Honorable Court, respectfully alleges: l. That the petitioner, VILMA B. CEJES-PRAMASURYA, is of legal age, Filipino citizen and with postal address at 2358-B Radium St., San Andres, Manila, Philippines was previously married to KURNIADI PRAMASURYA of legal age, married, Indonesian citizen with postal address at Block E7, Kelurahan, Labuh Baru Barat Kecamatan Payung Sekaki, Pekanbaru City, Indonesia; 1.1 Respondent Registrar of the City Civil Registry of Manila, is a government office with address at the City Hall, Manila, where he may be served with summons and other court processes. 1.2 The Office of the Civil Registrar General, is a public office tasked in the recording of births, marriages and others, with principal office at the National Statistics Office, Central Office, R. Magsaysay, Sta. Mesa, Manila, where it maybe served with summons and other court processes. 2. That the petitioner and her husband were married on November 21, 1999 at the Indonesian Bethel Church at Bethany, Jakarta, Indonesia. 3. That .after ten (10) years of living as husband and wife, the petitioner filed a petition for divorce at the District Court of Pekanbaru, Indonesia on 14 October 2009. Thereafter, the petition was heard and a divorce decree was duly issued by the said Court. 4. That likewise said Divorce Decree was duly translated into English language by Dr. Hendra Tanu Atmudja, sworn and authorized translator in Indonesia. Said official translation was duly authenticated by the Department of Foreign Affairs here in Manila on 26 April 2011, and recorded by the respondent Civil Registry Office of Manila under Registry No. 4107 Series of 2011. The dispositive portion of the Decision reads as follows: Now, therefore, in view of Law No. 1 of 1974 and Government Regulation NO. 9 of 1975, and other relevant laws: HAS ADJUDICATED: 1. Grant the plaintiffs claim in part,

7.

2. a. Contract ID: b. Contract Name: c. Contract Location:

9.

3. a. Contract ID: b. Contract Name: c. Contract Location:

(MST-Dec. 20, 2012)

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS AND HIGHWAYS

REGION VII Office of the District Engineer Cebu 3rd District Engineering Office Toledo City

Republic of the Philippines

4. a. Contract ID: 12DH0130 b. Contract Name: Construction of three (3) Storey, Fifteen (15) cl School Building c. Contract Location: Pedro Guevara MNHS, Sta. Cruz, Laguna d. Scope of Work: Const. of three (3) storey, fifteen (15) classroom school building e. Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC)/Cost of Bidding documents: Php20,468,250.00Php25,000.00 f. Duration: 240 c. d. 5. a. Contract ID: b. Contract Name: c. Contract Location: d. Scope of Work: 12DH0131 Construction of three (3) Storey, Twelve (12) cl School Building Don Manuel Rivera MNHS, Pila, Laguna Const. of three (3) storey, twelve (12) classroom school building, complete with ceiling, painting and toilet e. Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC)/Cost of Bidding documents: Php15,419,250.00Php25,000.00 f. Duration: 180 c. d. 12DH0132 Construction of two (2) Storey, four (4) cl School Building Sta. Catalina NHS, Majayjay, Laguna Const. of two (2) storey, four (4) classroom school building complete with ceiling, painting and toilet e. Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC)/Cost of Bidding documents: Php4,651,020.00Php5,000.00 f. Duration: 60 c. d. 12DH0133 Construction of two (2) Storey, two (2) cl School building Siniloan NHS, Siniloan, Laguna Const. of two (2) Storey, two (2) classroom school building complete with ceiling, painting e. Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC)/Cost of Bidding documents: Php 2,323,530.00/Php5,000.00 f. Duration: 60 c. d.

INVITATION TO BID
The Cebu 3rd District Engineering Office through its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), invites contractors to apply to bid for the following contract(s):

6. a. Contract ID: b. Contract Name: c. Contract Location: d. Scope of Work:

(MST-Dec. 6, 13 & 20, 2012)

Contract ID A) Contract Name

: 12HF0112 : Construction of Flood Control at Sapangdaku River, Toledo City, Cebu : Brgy. Sangi, Toledo City, Cebu : Const. of Flood Control Structure (Grouted Riprap, L=770m) with Structure Excavation and Embankment Works.

Province of Batangas MUNICIPALITY OF MABINI BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITIEE

Republic of the Philippines

B)Contract Location C) Brief Description

7. a. Contract ID: b. Contract Name: c. Contract Location: d. Scope of Work:

INVITATION TO BID
The Municipality of Mabini through its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), invites contractors registered with and classified by the Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board (PCAB) to apply for eligibility and if found eligible, to bid for the hereunder contract:

D) Approved Budget For the Contract (ABC) : Php 29,100,000.00 E) Contact Duration : 180 Calendar Days F) Bid Documents : Php 25,000.00

8. a. Contract ID: b. Contract Name:

Procurement will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures in accordance with R.A. 9184 and its Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations. The Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) will conduct this public bidding in accordance with R.A. 9184 and its Implementing Rules and Regulations Part A. 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 Office before the deadline for the receipt of LOI. The DPWH POCW-Central Office will only process contractors applications for registration with complete requirements and issue the Contractors Certificate of Registration (CRC). Registration Forms may be downloaded at the DPWH website www.dpwh.gov.ph. The significant times and deadlines of procurement activities are shown below: 1. Issuance of Bidding Documents 2. Pre-Bid Conference 3. Deadline of Receipt of LOI from Prospective Bidders 4. Receipt of Bids 5. Opening of Bids Dec. 13, 2012-Jan. 04, 2012- 4:00 PM December 28, 2012 2:00 P.M. December 21-28, 2012- 12: 00 Noon Deadline: January 09, 2013 10:00 A.M.-12:00 Noon January 09, 2013, 2:00 P.M.
rd

12DH0134 Construction of Classrooms, Balian Community College (Phase III) c. Contract Location: Isla (Poblacion), Pangil, Laguna d. Scope of Work: Const. of two (2) Storey, four (4) classroom e. Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC)/Cost of Bidding documents: Php 500,000.00/Php500.00 f. Duration: 40 c. d.

Approved Budget for The Contract (ABC) 1. Improvement of the Municipality Improvement 20,000,000.00 of Mabinis Waterworks Systems Under the Mabini Water District

Name of Contract & Location

Brief Description

Contract Duration 120 C.D

The Department of Public Works and Highways- Laguna I District Engineering Office, Sta. Cruz, Laguna now invites bids for the above stated projects. Completion of the Works is required as above stated. Bidders must have an experience of having completed at least one (1) contract similar to the Project. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II. Instruction to Bidders. Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using non-discretionary pass/fail criterion as specified in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act 9184 (RA 9184), otherwise known as the Government Procurement Reform Act. Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least seventy five percent (75%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines. Interested bidders may obtain further information from DPWH Laguna I District Engineering Office, Sta. Cruz, Laguna and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below from 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased until 10:00 a. m. of December 28, 2012 by interested Bidders from the address below and upon payment of a nonrefundable fee for the Bidding Documents in the amount stated above. It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the website of the DPWH, provided that bidders shall pay the fee for the Bidding Documents not later that the submission of their bids. The DPWH Laguna I District Engineering Office, Sta. Cruz, Laguna will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on December 17, 2012 at 10:00 A.M. at the BAC Chairmans Office, Brgy. Callios, Sta. Cruz, Laguna, which shall be open only to all interested parties who have purchased the bidding documents. Bids must be delivered to the address below on or before December 28, 2012 until 2:00 P.M. at DPWH Laguna I District Engineering Office, Brgy. Callios, Sta. Cruz, Laguna. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18. Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders representatives who choose to attend at the address below on December 28, 2012 after 2:00 p. m. Late bids shall not be accepted. Interested bidders are also required to present to the BAC Secretariat, DPWH-Laguna I District Engineering Office, Sta. Cruz, Laguna original copies of the following documents for authentication and issuance of Bid documents: a. PCAB License; b. Contractors Registration Certificate; c. Certificate of Materials Engineer accreditation; d. Two (2) valid IDs of authorized Liason Officer as appearing in the CRC; e. Certificate of Safety Officer Seminar from Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE); f. Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (Philgeps) Certificate of Registration and Order form (Documents Request List); g. CPES Rating and h. Tax Clearance. The DPWH Laguna I District Engineering Office, Sta. Cruz, Laguna 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. The DPWH Laguna I District Engineering Office, Sta. Cruz, Laguna likewise assumes no obligation whatsoever to compensate or indemnify any bidder or winning bidders, as the case maybe, for any expenses or loss that said party(ies) may incur in its participation in the pre-bidding and bidding process nor does it guarantee that an award will be made. For further information, please refer to: ENGR. THEODORO S. LLANTOS BAC Chairman DPWH Laguna I District Engineering Office Brgy. Callios, Sta. Cruz, Laguna (049) 810-4090 APPROVED: (Sgd.) THEODORO S. LLANTOS BAC Chairman NOTED: (Sgd.) NESS S. VILLANUEVA District Engineer
(MST-Dec. 20, 2012)

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 ) available 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-qualification of the lowest calculated bid. All particulars relative to Eligibility Statement and Screening, Bid Security, Performance Security, Pre-Bidding Conference, Evaluation of Bids, PostQualification 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 BAC activities is as follows:

BAC ACTIVITIES 1. Advertisement 2. Submission of Letter of lntent (LOI) including Application for Eligibility 3. Eligibility check and Issuance of Eligibility Forms and Bidding Documents 4. Pre-bid Conference 5. Submission and Opening Bids

SCHEDULE December 19-26, 2012 December 26, 2012 December 27, 2012 December 28, 2012 January 11, 2013 not later than 10:00 AM

The above activities will be held at the Office of the BAC Secretariat, Mabini Municipal Hall, Poblacion, Mabini, Batangas. The BAC will issue Forms to prospective bidders upon their payment of nonrefundable amount of Two Thousand Five Hundred Pesos (P 2,500.00) to the Office of the Municipal Treasurer. The Municipal Government of Mabini assumes no responsibility whatsoever to compensate or indemnify bidders for any expenses incurred in the preparation of their bids. (Sgd.) ANACETAS A. DALANGIN Municipal Planning & Devt. Coordinator Chairman, Bids & Awards Committee NOTED BY: (Sgd.) ATTY. NILO M. VILLANUEVA Municipal Mayor
(MST-Dec. 20, 2012)

The BAC will issue hard copies of Bidding Documents (BDs) at Cebu 3 District Engineering Office, Brgy. Ibo, Toledo City, Cebu .Prospective bidders may also download the BDs from the DPWH web site, 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 specified in the BDs in two (2) separate sealed bid envelopes to the BAC Chairman. The first envelope shall contain the technical component of the bid, which shall include a copy of the CRC. The second envelope shall contain the financial component of the bid. Contract will be awarded to the Lowest Calculated Responsive Bid as determined in the bid evaluation and post-qualification. The Cebu 3rd District Engineering Office reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bid and to annul the bidding process anytime before Contract award, without incurring any liability to the affected bidders.

(Sgd.) ANGELITO M. GUINTO BAC Chairman Noted: (Sgd.) JAMES D. DELLOSA District Engineer
(MST-Dec. 20, 2012)

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

adv.mst@gmail.com
Page Compositor: Diana Keyser Punzalan

ManilaStandardToday

Classifieds
Republic of the Philippines Department of Public Works and Highways BATANGAS IV DlSTRICT ENGINEERING OFFICE Lipa City
December 17, 2012

THURSDAY DECEMBER 20, 2012

D3

For fast ad results, please call 527-83-51 to 55 locals 227-228 Manila Office
Department of Public Works and Highways
Region I Pangasinan 3rd District Engineering Office OFFICE OF THE DISTRICT ENGINEER Tumana, Rosales, Pangasinan
Republic of the Philippines

INVITATION TO BID FOR CONSTN./ IMPROVEMENT OF DRAINAGE LATERAL ALONG PANGASINAN- NUEVA VIZCAYA ROAD, POBLACION, TAYUG, PANGASINAN , KM. 195+000 KM. 196+000 WITH EXCEPTIONS 1. The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Pangasinan 3rd District Engineering Office, Tumana, Rosales, Pangasinan, through the GAA CY 2013 intends to apply the sum of P6,000,000.00 being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for Constn./ Improvement of Drainage Lateral along Pangasinan- Nueva Vizcaya Road, Poblacion, Tayug, Pangasinan , Km. 195+000 Km. 196+000 with exceptions .Contract ID No. 12AI0274 . Bids recieved in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening. 2. The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Pangasinan 3rd District Engineering Office, Tumana, Rosales, Pangasinan now invites bids for Constn./ Improvt. of Drainage Lateral . Completion of the Works is required 59 c.d. The prospective bidder must have an experience of having completed at least One (l) contract that is similar to the contract to be bid, and whose value, adjusted to current prices using the NSO consumer price indices, must be at least fifty percent (50%) of the ABC to be bid. 3. Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using non-discretionary fass/fail criterion as specified in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act 9184 (RA 9184), otherwise known as the Government Procurement Reform Act. Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizen/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least seventy five (75%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines. 4. Interested bidders may obtain further information from Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Pangasinan 3 rd District Engineering Office, Tumana, Rosales, Pangasinan and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below from 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. 5. A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested Bidders from the address below and upon payment of a non-refundable fee for the Bidding Documents in the amount of P10,000.00. It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the website of the Procuring Entity. Provided that bidders shall pay the fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids. 6. The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Pangasinan 3rd District Engineering Office, Tumana, Rosales, Pangasinan will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on December 26, 2012 at 10:00 A.M. at the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Pangasinan 3rd District Engineering Office, Tumana, Rosales, Pangasinan which shall be open to all interested parties 7. Bids must be delivered to the address below on or before January 07, 2013 at 10:00 A.M. All bids must be accompanied a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18. Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders representatives who choose to attend at the addresss below. Late bids shall not be accepted. 8. The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Pangasinan 3rd District Engineering Office, Tumana, Rosales, Pangasinan 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. 9. For further Information, please refer to: Head, BAC-Secretariat DPWH, Pang. 3rd DEO, Tumana, Rosales, Pang. Telephone No. _(075) 541-5469 Fax No. _____ _(075) 582-3993 (Sgd.) EMMANUEL P. RIBOROSO BAC-Chairman
(MST-Dec. 20, 2012)
(MST-Dec. 20, 2012)

INVITATION TO BID FOR (12-2012-36)

1. Contract ID: 12DD0206 SARO No. BMB-A-12-T0016067 Source of Fund: 101 Contract Name: Project Location: Brief Description: Approved Budget for the Contract: Contract Duration: Bidding Documents:

Constructionl/Replacement of Yaboc Bridge along San Juan-Laiya National Arterial Road San Juan, Batangas Construction Replacement of Bridge Php.19,307,807.51 150 Calendar Days Php. 10,000.00

Bidders should have completed, within ten (10) 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. Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using nondiscretionary pass/fail criterion as specified in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (lRR) of Republic Act 9184 (RA 9184) otherwise known as the Government Reform Act. Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizen/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least seventy five percent (75%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to the citizens of the Philippines. Interested bidders may obtain further information from Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Batangas IV District Engineering Office and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below from 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested bidders from the address below and upon payment of a nonrefundable fee for the Bidding Documents in the amount stated above. It may be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhiIGEPS) and the website of the Procuring Entity, provided that bidders shall pay the fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids. As per Memorandum dated November 15, 2012 of Secretary Rogelio L. Singson, Letter of Intent (LOI) and/or application for eligibility and latest Class A documents shall be submitted to the BAC on or before the deadline which is on January 3, 2013. The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Batangas IV District Engineering Office will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on December 27, 2012 @ 10:00 A.M. which shall open only to all interested parties who have purchased the Bidding Documents. Bids must be delivered to the address below on or before January 8, 2013 @ 10:00 A.M. at the Conference Room of DPWH, Batangas IV District Engineering Office, Lipa City. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18. Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders representatives who choose to attend at the address below. Late bids shall not be accepted. The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Batangas IV District Engineering Office reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, to annul the 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: GERARDO E. NARIO Head, BAC Secretariat DPWH, Batangas IV District Engineering Office Maraouy, Lipa City Tel. No. (043) 756-1818 (Sgd.) GIL B. AGGARI BAC-Chairman Noted by: (Sgd.) NESTOR I. CLEOFAS District Engineer
Republic of the Philippines

Department of Public Works and Highways BAGUIO CITY DISTRICT ENGINEERING OFFICE OFFICE OF THE DISTRICT ENGINEER
Engineers Hill, Baguio City Tel. No. 442-8195 Fax No. (074) 442-8195 Cordillera Administrative Region

INVITATION TO BID
The Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) of the DPWH Baguio City District Engineering Office invites contractors to bid for the aforementioned project/s: Source of Fund: 1. Contract ID: Contract Name : GOP through GAA 2012 12PD0127 Repair/Rehabilitation of Box Culvert/Protection Work and Drainage Facilities along Lt. Tacay Road KO308+(-450)-KO308+300 with exception Contract Location : Baguio City Scope of Work : Pipe culverts, manhole Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) : Php 2,000,000.00 Contract Duration : 100 calendar days Cost of Bidding Documents : Php 5,000.00 GOP through GAA 2012 12PD0128 Repair/Rehabilitation of Box Culvert/Protection Work and Drainage Facilities along Quezon Hill Road I KO308+300-KO308+500 with exception Contract Location : Baguio City Scope of Work : Structural Concrete, Reinforcing Steel Bar Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) : Php 3,000,000.00 Contract Duration : 100 calendar days Cost of Bidding Documents : Php 5,000.00 GOP through GAA 2012 12PD0129 Repair/Rehabilitation of Flood Control and Drainage System Facilities along Quirino Highway (BaguioBauang Road) KO300+000-KO304+000 with exception Contract Location : Baguio City Scope of Work : PCCP, Pipe culverts Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) : Php 14,700,000.00 Contract Duration : 120 calendar days Cost of Bidding Documents : Php 25,000.00 GOP through GAA 2012

Source of Fund: 2. Contract ID: Contract Name :

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Source of Fund: 3. Contract ID: Contract Name :

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Source of Fund: 4. Contract ID: Contract Name :

12PD0130 Repair/Rehabilitation of Drainage Protection works along Kennon Road KO242+000-KO243+000 Contract Location : Baguio City Scope of Work : PCCP, Grouted Riprap, concrete Curb and Gutter Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) : Php 5,595,100.00 Contract Duration : 90 calendar days Cost of Bidding Documents : Php 10,000.00

Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening. Bidders should have completed, within ten (10) 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. Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using nondiscretionary pass/fail criterion as specified in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act 9184 (RA 9184), otherwise known as the Government Procurement Reform Act. Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least seventy five percent (75%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines. Interested bidders may obtain further information from DPWH-Baguio City District Engineering Office and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below from 8:00 a.m. 5:00 p.m. A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested Bidders from the address below and upon payment of a nonrefundable fee for the Bidding Documents as indicated. It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the website of the Procuring Entity, provided that bidders shall pay the fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids. The DPWH-Baguio City District Engineering Office will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on December 27, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. at the DPWH-Baguio City District Engineering Office Conference Hall which shall be open only to all interested parties who have purchased the Bidding Documents. Bids must be delivered to the address below on or before January 8, 2013 at 10:00 a.m. at DPWH-Baguio City District Engineering Office. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18. Bids will be opened on January 8, 2013 at 2:00 p.m. at DPWH- Baguio City District Engineering Office in the presence of the bidders representatives who choose to attend at the address below. Late bids shall not be accepted. The DPWH-Baguio City District Engineering Office 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. For further information, please refer to: Nora R. delos Santos DPWH-Baguio City District Engineering Office Engineers Hill, Baguio City Telefax No. (074) 442-8195 dpwh.bcdeo.bac@gmail.com Approved by: (Sgd.) GIL L. NUQUE Engineer III Chairman Noted by: (Sgd.) IRENEO S. GALLATO District Engineer

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(MST-Dec. 20, 2012)

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authority concerned or proof that the required notice within the 3-day reglementary period as provided in Section 3 hereof has been complied with. The Department of Budget and. Management (DBM) and the Commission on Audit (COA), Including all their filed offices, shall not release or authorize the release of any appropriation, or pass in audit, payments or expenditures of public funds that may be directly used in violation of the foregoing prohibitions. All field offices of the CSC are directed to submit immediately to the Commission a written report on any violation of said provisions of the Omnibus Election Code . SECTION 11. Penalty. - Any violation of the provisions of this Resolution shall constitute an election offense and shall be punishable by imprisonment of not less than one (1) year but not more than six (6) years, among other penalties provided by law. SECTION 12. Effectlvity - This resolution shall take effect on the seventh day after its publication in two (2) dally newspapers of general circulation In the Philippines. SECTION 13. Dissemination. - The Education and Information Department shall cause the publication of this resolution in two (2) dally newspaper of general circulation, give this resolution the widest dissemination and furnish copies thereof to all concerned. SO ORDERED. a.

ManilaStandardTODAY
Conduct inquest on persons apprehended in flagrante delicto for violation of election laws committed a day before and on election day, and file the proper information in court, if warranted; b. Assist the officials and deputies of the Commission and the DOJ in the investigation and prosecution of election cases; and c. Perform such other functions that may be assigned by the Commission and the DOJ in the exigency of service. SEC. 3. Rules governing preliminary Investigation and prosecution of other election law offenses. - Preliminary Investigation and prosecution of other election law violations not included in Sec. 2 hereof shall be governed by the Comelec Rules of Procedure. SEC. 4. Turnover of documents and evidence in preliminary examination. - In furtherance of the enforcement of the ban on firearms and security personnel and other election law violations, the Chief of Police of Cities/municipalities of the Philippine National Police shall, after conducting the investigation of complainants and witnesses, require all officers and men under his jurisdiction to turn over to the Comelec-DOJ Task Force all documents and evidence in connection with the arrest made for violation of the election laws during the elections. SEC. 5. Where to hold office; progress reports. - The COMELEC-DOJ Special Task Force for the National Capital Region shall hold office at the Office of the Regional Election Director, National Capital Region, and at the Office of the Provincial Election Supervisor for Comelec-DOJ Special Task Force in the province. It shall submit to the Commission and the DOJ periodic progress reports of investigations and prosecutions handled by it under Sec. 2 hereof. SEC. 6 . Effectivity. - This Resolution shall take effect on the seventh (7th) day after its publication In two (2) daily newspapers of general circulation in the Philippines. SEC. 7. Dissemination. The Education and Information Department shall cause the publication of this resolution and furnish a copies hereof to the Department of Justice and all Chief, Philippine National Police for dissemination to the different station commanders in the country. Let the Law Department implement this resolution. SO ORDERED.

Republic of the Philippines

COMMISSION ON ELECTIONS
Manila IN THE MATTER OF ENFORCING THE PROHIBITIONS AGAINST APPOINTMENT OR HIRING OF NEW EMPLOYEES, CREATING OR FILLING OF NEW POSITIONS, SALARY INCREASE GIVING ANY OR TRANSFERRING OR DETAILING ANY OFFICER OR EMPLOYEE IN THE CIVIL SERVICE AND SUSPENSION OF ELECTIVE LOCAL OFFICIALS, IN CONNECTION WITH THEMAY 13, 2013 AUTOMATED SYNCHRONIZED NATIONAL LOCAL AND ARMM REGIONAL ELECTIONS. x -------------------------------------------x Brillantes, Sixto Jr. S., Sarmiento, Rene V., Tagle, Lucenito N., Velasco, Armando C., Yusoph, Elias R., Lim, Christian Robert S., Padaca, Maria Gracia Cielo, M., Chairman Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner

SIXTO S. BRILLANTES Chairman Promulgated: December 18, 2012

RENE V. SARMIENTO Commissioner

LUCENITO N. TAGLE Commissioner

RESOLUTION NO. 9581

WHEREAS, the Omnibus Election Code of the Philippines provides: SEC. 261. Prohiblted Acts - The following shall be guilty of an election offense: xxx xxx xxx g) Appointment of new employees, creation of new position, promotion, or giving salary increases. - During the period of forty five (45) days before regular election and thirty days before a special election (1) any head, official or appointing officer of a government office, agency or Instrumentality, whether national or local, Including government-owned or controlled corporations, who appoints or hires any new employee, whether provisional, temporary or casual, or creates and fills any new positions, except upon prior authority of the Commission. The Commission shall not grant the authority sought unless, It is satisfied that the position to be filled Is essential to the proper functioning of the office or agency concerned, and that the position shall not be filled in a manner that may influence the election. As an exception to the foregoing provisions, a new employee may be appointed in case of urgent need: Provided, however, That notice of the appointment shall be given to the Commission within three (3) days from the date of the appointment. Any appointment or hiring in violation of this provision shall be null and void. (2) Any government official who promotes, or gives any increase of salary or remuneration or privilege to any government official or employee, including those In government - owned or controlled corporations. (h) Transfer of officers and employees in the civil service - Any public official who makes or causes any transfer or detail whatever of any officer or employee in the civil service including public school teachers, within the election period except upon approval of the Commission. (Underlining supplied) xxx xxx xxx (x) Suspension of elective provincial, city, municipal or barangay officer - The provisions of law to the contrary notwithstanding during the election period, any public official who suspends, without prior approval of the Commission, any elective provincial, city/ municipal or barangay officer, unless said suspension will be for purposes of applying the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act in relation to the suspension and removal of elective officials; in which case the provision of this section shall be inapplicable. WHEREAS, to enforce effectively the foregoing provisions, there is a need to promulgate the necessary rules for the guidance of all concerned : NOW, THEREFORE, the Commission on Elections, pursuant to the powers vested In It by the Constitution, the Omnibus Election Code, and other election laws, RESOLVES, as it hereby RESOLVED to promulgate, the following rules to implement the provision of Section 261, subsections (9), (h) and (x) of the Omnibus Election Code: SECTION 1. Prohibited Acts. A. During the election period from January 13, 2013 to June 12, 2013, no public official shall, except upon prior written authority of the Commission: 1. Make or cause any transfer or detail whatsoever of any officer or employee in the civil service, Including public school teachers. Transfer as used in this provision shall be construed as any personnel movement from one government agency to another or from one department, division, geographical unit or subdivision of a government agency to another with or without the issuance of an appointment. 2. Suspend any elective provincial, city, municipal or barangay officer, unless the suspension will be for purposes of applying the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act in relation to the suspension and removal of elective officials. B. Beginning March 29, 20 13 until May 13, 2013 1. No head or appointing officer of any national or local government office, agency or instrumentality, including government-owned . or controlled corporations, shall, except upon prior authority of the Commission: a. Appoint or hire any new employee, whether permanent, provisional, temporary, substitute or casual; or b. Create and fill any new position. 2. No government official shall promote or give any Increase of salary or remuneration or privilege to any government official or employee, including those in government- owned or controlled corporations. SECTION 2. Request for authority of the Commission on transfer or detail; Where and How to file. A. Requests for authority to make or cause any transfer or detail shall be in writing, indicating the (1) office and place to which the officer or employee is proposed to be transferred or detailed or otherwise moved; and (2) stating the reasons therefor: B. Said request shall be filed with: 1. The Law Department Requests for authority to make or cause any transfer or detail of any officer or employee in the civil service shall be filed with the Law Department, when; a. The official station is in the central/main offices or national agencies and government-owned or controlled corporations; b. It involves Regional Directors, Assistant Regional Directors or positions of similar rank, Philippine National Police Provincial/District Directors or Commanders, Officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines with the rank of major or equivalent rank, and/or holding positions of battalion commanders or higher, Provincial Treasurers and Schools Division Superintendents, irrespective of their official stations and government employees with official stations In the field offices Including the National Capital Region; and C. The transfer or details Inter-regional 1. With the Regional Election Director Requests for transfer or detail involving City/Municipal Treasurers and Assistant Superintendents, irrespective of their official stations and government employees with official stations In the field offices including the National Capital, Region shall be filed with the corresponding offices of the Regional Election Directors where the employee/s sought to be transferred or detailed is stationed. SECTION 3. Request for authority of the Commission to appoint or hire new employees; Where and How to file. A. Requests for authority to appoint or hire new employees shall be in writing stating all the necessary data and reasons for the same, B. Said request shall be filed with: 1. The Law Department Requests for authority to appoint or hire new employees in the central or main offices of national government agencies and government-owned and controlled corporations. 2. The Regional Election Director Similar requests shall be submitted to the Office of the Regional Election Director of the region where the vacancy exists. SECTION 4. Request for authority of the Commission to create and fill new positions; Where and How to file. A. Requests for authority to create and fill new positions shall be submitted In writing to the Law Department of the Commission. B. The Commission shall not grant the authority unless it is satisfied that the position to be filled is essential to the proper functioning of the office or agency concerned and that the filling up of such position shall not in any manner Influence the results of the elections. SECTION 5. Request for authority of the Commission to suspend an elective provincial, city, municipal or barangay officer applying the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practice. Act: Where and How to file. Requests for authority to suspend an elective provincial, city, municipal or barangay officer shall be submitted to the Law Department of the Commission, supported by a copy of a formal complaint executed under oath end containing the specific charges therefor. SECTION 6. Procedure on the requests for authority of the Commission. A. The Law Department shall submit all requests received by it, together with its recommendation, to the Commission for approval or disapproval. B. The Regional Election Director shall approve or disapprove all requests received by him and submit a report on the requests acted upon by him to the Law Department, within seventy-two (72) hours from his action thereon, by the fastest means of communication. Provided that, all actions of the Regional Election Directors granting the requests for exemptions from the coverage of the ban herein involved are subject to review by the Commission and shall remain valid end effective, unless otherwise rescinded or nullified by the Commission. SECTION 7. When request for authority is not necessary. Renewal of appointments of temporary, casual, substitute and contractual personnel are not covered by this prohibition and will no longer need prior authority of the Commission. However, the appointing authority shall furnish the Commission, through its Regional Offices for field positions, and through the Law Department for main office positions, a complete list of employees whose appointments were renewed, indicating their position, item number, salary grade and station. SECTION 8. Urgent need to appoint new employees. - Where there is urgent need to appoint or hire new employees and such employee has already been appointed or hired without prior authority of the Commission, the days from the date of the appointment or hiring, stating therein the (1) exact date when the position sought to be filled became vacant, (2) the cause of vacancy, (3) the reason/s for said appointment or hiring and (4) all the necessary data or information regarding the same. Notification shall be made through the respective offices of the Regional Election Directors in case of field positions, or through the Law Department In case of central or main office positions. Tile appointment or hiring of new employees shall be valid, unless the same is found by the Commission: (1) to have been made to influence in any manner the results of the election; (2) to have been issued without the required notice; or (3) that there is no urgent need for the appointment. The need to fill up a vacant position by a new employee may be considered urgent if the position to be filled is essential to the proper functioning of the office or agency concerned and that the same has been vacated either by death, retirement, resignation, promotion or transfer of the regular incumbent; provided, that the appointment is issued within sixty (60) days from occurrence of the vacancy, and that the same cannot be filled by promotion or transfer of insiders within the same period; and provided further, that the position shall not be filled in any manner that may influence the election. Appointment to a position which has been vacant for more than Sixty (60) days shall not be considered urgent and must therefore, require prior written authority from the Commission or the Regional Election Directors concerned. SECTION 9. Total ban on promotion, salary Increases, grant of privileges, Promotion or increase of salary, giving of remuneration or privilege to any government official or employee including those In government-owned and controlled corporations, shall be strictly prohibited. Promotion as used in this provision shall mean the advancement of an employee from one position to another with an increase in duties and responsibilities as authorized by law, and usually accompanied by increase In salary. Promotion may be from one department or agency to another or from one organizational unit to another within the same department agency, SECTION 10. Injunction. - The Civil Service Commission (CSC), Including all Its field offices is hereby enjoined not to approve the appointment of new employees where no prior written approval of the Commission or its regional offices is presented by the appointing
Page Compositor: Diana Keyser Punzalan

ARMANDO C. VELASCO Commissioner

ELIAS R. YUSOPH Commissioner

SIXTO S. BRILLANTES Chairman CHRISTIAN ROBERT S. LIM Commissioner MARIA GRACIA CIELO M. PADACA Commissioner RENE V. SARMIENTO Commissioner LUCENITO N. TAGLE Commissioner

_______________________________________________________________________

ARMANDO C. VELASCO Commissioner Republic of the Philippines COMMISSION ON ELECTIONS Intramuros, Manila RULES AND REGULATIONS ON THE LIQUOR BAN IN CONNECTION WITH THE MAY 13, 2013 AUTOMATED SYNCHRONIZED NATIONAL LOCAL AND ARMM REGIONAL ELECTIONS. Brillantes, Sixto Jr. S., Sarmiento, Rene V., Tagle, Lucenito N., Velasco, Armando C., Yusoph, Elias R., Lim, Christian Robert S., Padaca, Maria Gracia Cielo, M., Chairman Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner

ELIAS R. YUSOPH Commissioner

CHRISTIAN ROBERT S. LIM Commissioner

MARIA GRACIA CIELO M. PADACA Commissioner

____________________________________________________________________

x-------------------------------------------------x

Promulgated: December 18, 2012 Republic of the Philippines COMMISSION ON ELECTIONS Intramuros, Manila GUIDELINES ON THE ESTABLISHMENT AND OPERATION OF COMELEC CHECKPOINTS IN CONNECTION WITH THE MAY 13, 2013 AUTOMATED SYNCHRONIZED NATIONAL, LOCAL AND ARMM REGIONAL ELECTIONS. x---------------------------------------------x Brillantes, Sixto Jr. S., Sarmiento, Rene V., Tagle, Lucenito N., Velasco, Armando C., Yusoph, Elias R., Lim, Christian Robert S., Padaca, Maria Gracia Cielo, M., Chairman Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner

RESOLUTION NO. 9582

WHEREAS, the Omnibus Election Code of the Philippines provides: Sec. 261. Prohibited Acts. - The following shall be guilty of an election offense: xxx xxx xxx (dd) Other prohibitions: (1) Any person who sells, furnishes, offers, buys, serves or takes intoxicating liquor on the days fixed by law for the registration of voters in the polling place, or on the day before the election or on the election day. Provided, That hotels and other establishments duly certified by the Department of Tourism as tourist-oriented and habitually in the business of catering to foreign tourists may be exempted for justifiable reasons upon prior authority of the Commission. Provided, further, That foreign tourist taking intoxicating liquor in said authorized hotels or establishments are exempted from the provisions of this sub-paragraph. WHEREAS, violation of said prohibited acts shall be punishable with imprisonment of not less than one (1) year but not more than six ( (6) years and shall not be subject to probation, and in addition, the guilty party shall suffer disqualification to hold public office and deprivation of the right of suffrage; NOW, THEREFORE, the Commission on Elections (Commission) pursuant to the powers vested in it by the Constitution, the Omnibus Election Code and other election laws, has RESOLVED to promulgate, as it hereby RESOLVES to promulgate the following implementing rules: SECTION 1. ProhibIted Acts. - It shall be unlawful for any person, including owners and managers of hotels and establishments to sell, furnish, offer, buy, serve, or take intoxicating liquor anywhere In the Philippines. SECTION 2. Prohibition Period. - The liquor ban shall be in force and effect on the day before the election (May 12, 2013) and on election day (May 13, 2013). SECTION 3. Exemption. - Hotels and other establishments duly certified by the Department of Tourism as tourist-oriented and habitually in the business of catering to foreign tourists may be exempted from the liquor ban, PROVIDED they secure prior written authority upon showing that there are justifiable reasons therefor from the action officers enumerated In Sec. 4 hereof. Only foreign tourists taking intoxicating liquor in said authorized hotels or establishments are exempted from the prohibition. SECTION 4. Where to apply for and secure exemption. Applications for exemption together with supporting documents, shall be flied with, and duly acted upon by the following: a. Regional Election Director of the National Capital Region (NCR), in cases of hotels and other establishments located in the NCR; b. Provincial election Supervisors with respect to establishments located In the municipalities within their respective provinces; and c. City Election Officers with respect to those located within their respective cities/districts. SECTION 5. Conditions for the grant of exemption. - Exemption may be granted only upon compliance and submission of the following: a.) the request/petition/application for exemption must be under oath and must contain a statement that the hotel/establishment operators/owners have not been convicted for an election offense; b.) A certification by the Department of Tourism shall state that the requesting hotel or establishment is: 1) tourist - oriented; and 2) habitually In the business of catering to foreign tourist. c.) Currently licensed to do business; and d.) Has paid t he required taxes and/or fees imposed by the government or any of its agencies or instrumentalities. SECTION 6. Revocation of exemption. - The exemption granted may be revoked or withdrawn by the Commission upon petition of any interested party on showing, among others, that the reason upon which the exemption was made does not exist or is not justifiable, or that the requesting party or applicant has committed misrepresentation in the application, or introduced or submitted falsified documents. SECTION 7. Who shall Implement. - The Philippine National Police (PNP), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Regional Election Directors, Provincial Election Supervisors, Election Officers and the COMELEC Election Laws Enforcement Team, If any, which will be fielded by the Commission in specific areas, shall implement this resolution. SECTION 8. Effectivity. - This Resolution shall take effect on the seventh day after its publication In two (2) dally newspapers of general circulation in the Philippines. SECTION 9. Dissemination. - The Education and Information Department shall cause the publication of this resolution for two (2) daily newspapers of general Circulation and shall furnish copies hereof to the Department of Tourism, Association of Hotels and Restaurants, Regional Election Directors, Provincial Election Supervisors, Election Officers, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Philippine National Police, the National Bureau of Investigation and the accredited Citizens Arm of the Commission. SO ORDERED. SIXTO S. BRILLANTES Chairman RENE V. SARMIENTO Commissioner ARMANDO C. VELASCO Commissioner LUCENITO N. TAGLE Commissioner ELIAS R. YUSOPH Commissioner

Promulgated: December 18, 2012

RESOLUTION NO. 9588

WHEREAS, to effectively implement the firearms ban during the election period, It Is necessary to establish COMELEC checkpoints; WHEREAS, there is a need to ensure that in the Implementation of the proper search procedures and seizure at the COMELEC checkpoints, civil, political and human rights are not violated; NOW THEREFORE, The Commission on Elections, pursuant to the powers vested In It by the constitution, Omnibus Election Code and other election laws, RESOLVED to promulgate, as it hereby RESOLVES to promulgate the following guidelines: SECTION. 1. Comelec Checkpoints. - There shall be at least one COMELEC checkpoint in each city/municipality. However, additional checkpoints may be established at the discretion of the highest ranking official of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) or the Philippine National Police (PNP) in the city/municipality, Sec. 2. Checkpoint location. - The officials mentioned in the immediately preceding section shall, in consultation with the city/municipal Election Officer (EO), establish Comelec checkpoints in their respective areas of jurisdiction only in places which are well-lighted. In areas where electric light is not available, artificial lighting shall be provided for the purpose. Sec. 3 Checkpoint signboard. - Every, COMELEC checkpoint shall have a signboard measuring three feet by four feet (3x4), to clearly identify the place as a COMELEC checkpoint from a reasonable distance. The following shall be printed/painted on both sides of the signboard in bold letters on a white background: STOP COMELEC CHECKPOINT Please bear with us Thank you for your cooperation. _______________________________________________ Name and address of Election Officer _______________________________________________ Name of Commanding Officer/Team Leader Sec. 4. Notice of location of checkpoints. - The commanding officer/team leader of the checkpoint must give notice to the Election Officer, as well as non-government organizations and other civic organizations about the establishment and location of Comelec checkpoints in the locality. Sec. 5. Spot checkpoint. - Where the circumstances warrant, spot checkpoints may be established in locations other than those mentioned in the preceding section. Before establishing such checkpoints, the coordinating officer/team leader shall give notice to the Election Officer. Sec. 6. Personnel to man checkpoint. - Any unit designated to man a Comelec checkpoint must be led by a regular member of the Armed Forces of the Philippines or the Philippine National Police with a rank of at least lieutenant/Inspector. AFP and PNP personnel manning the checkpoints must be in complete uniform and shall not be under the Influence of liquor/drug. Any violation hereof shall make the offender and his commanding officer jointly liable for administrative/criminal action. Sec. 7. Briefing by the commanding officer/team leader. A briefing must be given by the commanding officer/team leader to all members of the unit who will be designated to man the checkpoints, with emphasis on the proper manner of searching with reasonableness. Sec. 8. Searches at Comelec checkpoint. - Any search at any Comelec checkpoint must be made only by members of the unit designated to man the same. It should be done in a manner which will impose minimum inconvenience upon the person or persons so searched, to the end that civil, political and human rights of the person/s are not violated. As a rule, a valid search must be authorized by a search warrant duly issued by an appropriate authority. However, a warrantless search can be made In the following cases: Moving vehicles and the seizure of evidence made In plain view; As long as the vehicle is neither searched nor its occupant/s subjected to a body search, and the Inspection of the vehicle is merely limited to a visual search; c) When the occupant/s of the vehicle appear to be nervous or suspicious or exhibit unnatural reaction. d) If the officer conducting the search has reasonable or probable cause to believe that either the occupant/s is a law offender or that the instrumentality or evidence pertaining to the commission of a crime can be found In the vehicle to be searched; or e) On the basis of prior confidential information which are reasonably corroborated by other attendant matters. Sec. 9. Rights of person arrested. - Any person arrested at a Comelec checkpoint must be treated humanely and with utmost respect for his constitutional rights. He must be informed of the following rights: a) To remain silent, and be informed that anything he says may be used against him in court. This right cannot be waived except In writing and in the presence of counsel; b) To have competent and independent counsel preferably of his own choice, but if he cannot afford the services of counsel, he must be provided with one. The right cannot be waived except in writing and in the presence of counsel c) To be released from detention if no charges have been flied against him within eighteen (18) hours from the arrest, unless he is charged under P.O. 1866, as amended. Sec. 10. Record of arrest. - Any arrest made at a Comelec checkpoint shall be immediately and chronologically recorded in a logbook for the purpose, stating the circumstances of the arrest and other particulars, about the person and confiscated weapons, ammunitions and materials. The arresting officer shall execute an affidavit of arrest stating clearly and distinctly the facts and Circumstances surrounding the arrest. Sec. 11. Report and turn-over of arrested person. - Any person arrested at a Comelec checkpoint Including the confiscated material, weapon, ammunition and material, must be turned-over to the nearest law enforcement station or office together with the corresponding affidavlt/s of arrest for proper action. The chief of police/detachment commander concerned shall conduct a preliminary examination and submit the result thereof to the provincial/city prosecutor for preliminary investigation, coy furnished the Law Department, EO, and their respective operation centers. Sec. 12. Report of the Law Department. - The Law Department shall submit to the COMELEC a progress report stating the particulars of all arrests made during the election period. Sec. 13. Effectivity - This resolution shall take effect on the seventh day after its publication in two (2) daily newspapers of generaI circulations, Sec. 14. Dissemination. - The Education and Information Department shall cause the publication of this resolution In two (2) dally newspaper of general circulation, and shall furnish copies hereof to the AFP Chief of Staff, the Director General of the Philippine National Police, the Regional Election Directors, the Provincial Election Supervisors and the Election Officers, copies of said resolution. SO ORDERED. a) b)

CHRISTIAN ROBERT S. LIM Commissioner

MARIA GRACIA CIELO M. PADACA Commissioner

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Republic of the Philippines COMMISSION ON ELECTIONS Intramuros, Manila IN THE MATTER OF REQUESTING THE HONORABLE SECRETARY OF JUSTICE TO ASSIGN PROSECUTORS AS MEMBERS OF A SPECIAL TASK FORCE CREATED BY THE COMMISSION TO CONDUCT THE INVESTIGATION AND PROSECUTION OF ELECTION OFFENSES IN CONNECTION WITH THE MAY 13, 2013 AUTOMATED SYNCHRONIZED NATIONAL, LOCAL AND ARMM REGIONAL ELECTIONS. x------------------------------------------------x Brillantes, Sixto Jr. S., Sarmiento, Rene V., Tagle, Lucenito N., Velasco, Armando C., Yusoph, Elias R., Lim, Christian Robert S., Padaca, Maria Gracia Cielo, M., Chairman Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner

Promulgated: December 18, 2012

RESOLUTION NO. 9584

WHEREAS, one of the constitutional tasks of the Commission on Elections (Commission) is to investigate and where appropriate, prosecute cases of violations of election laws; WHEREAS, in connection with the May 13, 2013 National, Local and ARMM Regional Elections, this task is hampered by the want of lawyers of the Commission to handle the investigation and prosecution of election offenses; WHEREAS, under Sec. 43 of R.A. 9369 amending Sec. 265 of the Batas Pambansa Blg. 881, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has concurrent jurisdiction to conduct preliminary investigation of all election offenses punishable under the said act; WHEREAS, under Sec. 269 B.P. 881, the Commission and all prosecuting officials are enjoined to give preference and priority to the Investigation and prosecution of cases involving violations of the election laws; NOW, THEREFORE, pursuant to the authority vested in it by Sec. 2, paragraph (6), Article lX-C, of the Constitution, and Sec. 265 and Sec. 269 of the promulgates as follows: SEC. 1. COMELEC-DOJ Special Task Force. - the Commission hereby requests the Honorable Secretary of Justice to designate ten (10) Prosecutors of the DOJ as members of a special task force in the National Capital Region and two (2) Prosecutors in each province, hereinafter referred to as COMELEC-DOJ Special Task Force, which shall assist the Commission and .the DOJ in the exercise of their concurrent powers to conduct preliminary investigation of election offenses punishable under the existing laws, and prosecute the same. The Law Department and the Office of the Chief State Prosecutor of the DOJ shall jointly supervise the investigatory and prosecutory functions of the COMELEC-DOJ Special Task Force. SEC. 2. FunctIons of the Comelec-DOJ Special Task Force. The Comelec-DOJ Task Force shall have the following functions:

SIXTO S. BRILLANTES Chairman

RENE V. SARMIENTO Commissioner

LUCENITO N. TAGLE Commissioner

ARMANDO C. VELASCO Commissioner

ELIAS R. YUSOPH Commissioner

CHRISTIAN ROBERT S. LIM Commissioner

MARIA GRACIA CIELO M. PADACA Commissioner

(MST-July 17, 2010)