Manila Standard Today - September 5, 2012 Issue

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CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
WEATHER
THE Bicol region, Visayas and the north-
ern section of Mindanao will experience
moderate to heavy rain and thunder-
storms that may trigger ashoods and
landslides, the state weather bureau said
Tuesday.
According to the Philippine Atmo-
spheric, Geophysical and Astronomical
Services Administration, the low-res-
sure area expected to bring cloudy skies
By Rey E. Requejo
THE Supreme Court will de-
liberate next Tuesday whether
the Judicial and Bar Council
should be compelled to dis-
close the psychiatric test re-
sults of all the applicants for
the position of chief justice for
the sake public interest.
Heavy rain in Bicol
SC to tackle
psycho issue
The President at work. President Aquino presides over the National Economic and Development Authority
board meeting in Malacaang. Shown with him are Neda head Arsenio Balisacan (center) and Finance Secretary
Cesar Purisima. (Story on A6)
Survival drill.
Elementary
school pupils
in Paraaque
City go through
a survival drill
following a 7.6
earthquake in
Eastern Visayas.
The map at left
shows the fault
line that endan-
gers portions
of Quezon City.
DANNY PATA
Budget woes. University of the Philippines professor and former
national treasurer Leonor Briones bares the hidden allocations in the
national budget. MANNY PALMERO
La Salle profs
defy church,
back RH bill
Compromise
RH bill eyed
Big villages
along fault
lines told
of danger
Sereno told: Stop
ex cathedra talk
Antique wont
give up island
ON SEA ISSUE
China warns US, Asean
to stop meddling in talks
Peace process on Mindanao
enters nal, crucial stages
Kitty is part of new budget
item hidden in special fund
Aquinos pork
barrel: P317b
TODAY
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Vol. XXVI No. 173 16 Pages, 3 Sections
P18.00 Wednesday, September 5, 2012
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By Christine F. Herrera
PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III has cre-
ated a special fund containing P317.58-bil-
lion in pork barrel that could be turned into
a campaign kitty to support administration
candidates in the 2013 elections, former na-
tional treasurer and Social Watch Philippines
convenor Leonor Briones said Tuesday.
This P317 billion [in the Special Pur-
pose Fund] is one big pork barrel that can
be used for election purposes. Only the
President is allowed by the Constitution
to tap the P317 billion in the undisclosed,
hidden and vague SPF, whichever way he
may see t, Briones said.
She added that the President could also
use intelligence funds and billions more
from approved projects.
Even the release of the P24.89 billion
in pork barrel funds of the senators and
congressmen was placed under the discre-
tion of the President in the Special Pur-
pose Fund, Briones said.
Briones group has been lobbying Con-
gress to disclose details of the Special Pur-
pose Fund.
This is the rst election budget of the
Aquino administration and the Constitu-
tion allows him to realign, advance or
withhold the release and transfer of the
SPF appropriations for election purposes,
Briones told a press brieng Tuesday.
I am not saying that the President
is corrupt, but we fear that he could be
tempted [to use] these funds for campaign
purposes because this is the rst mid-term
elections under his watch and he wants al-
lies to win the seats, Briones said.
We do not want the SPF approved by
Congress without both houses placing it
under serious and close scrutiny. This gov-
ernment owes it to the public to explain
where the P317 billion in special funds
would be used by the President, Briones
said.
While it is legal for the President to
create a Special Fund, in this case the
By Gigi David
AT least 45 professors of the Catholic-run De
La Salle University contradicted the position
of the Catholic church and declared support on
Tuesday to a bill seeking to provide people ac-
cess to various forms of contraceptives such as
the condom and the pill.
In this modern day, it is alarming that death
from childbirth continues to claim 4,500 women
every year or about 12 everday, the professors
said in a statement.
Lack of access to quality and affordable re-
productive health services and timely informa-
tion as much as poverty has kept many women
from nding their own voice, exercising their
basic rights, and taking their place as full mem-
bers of society, the prorfessors said.
Their declaration makes La Salle the second
Catholic-run school in which professors public-
ly support the Reproductive Health Bill despite
the opposition of the Catholic Church against
the measure. Nearly 200 professors from Ate-
neo de Manila University angered the church
last month for supporting passage of the bill.
By Maricel V. Cruz
THE supporters of the reproductive health bill
plan to introduce a compromise version aimed
at winning over the Catholic Church, but a bish-
op rejected the suggestion outright on Tuesday,
saying they would never support birth control.
Senior Deputy Majority Leader Janette Garin
said the House would form an informal working
group with the Executive, the Senate and some
reasonable members of the Catholic Bishops
Conference of the Philippines to reach an agree-
ment on the highly divisive measure.
Garin said the group would speed up the ap-
proval of the bill and avoid any delaying tactics
that anti-RH lawmakers might use to derail its
passage.
Putting it to a vote is the ultimate goal,
Garin told reporters.
The group, she said, would agree on amend-
ments and the process and timetable by which
voting would be done.
Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. admitted that
By Robert A. Evora
CALAPAN CITYThe provincial govern-
ment of Antique says there exists no conict
in the exercise of jurisdiction over the island
of Liwagao as it is legally, politically and
factually within the territorial jurisdiction of
the municipality of Caluya in that province.
By Joyce Pangco Paares and
Florante Solmerin
THE government and the Moro Islamic
Liberation Front resume their peace nego-
tiations in Kuala Lumpur starting today,
Wednesday, until Sept. 8, which both sides
have described as the peace process nal
and crucial stages.
Presidential peace adviser Teresita Deles
said this weeks discussions would center on
two sticky issues: the disarmament of the
ghters of the MILF and the creation of the
proposed political entity that will replace the
Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
There is no denying that the issues still
on the table will not be easy to settle as in
critical details of power and wealth shar-
ing, territorial scope, and normalization to
AS United States Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton prepared to
visit China today, Wednesday,, a
Chinese ofcial sent an implicit
warning to both the US and the As-
sociation of Southeast Nations to
stop meddling in the talks between
China and concerned countries
on the South China Sea issue.
Chinese Foreign Ministry
spokesman Hong Lei said the
countries outside the South China
Sea should respect the choice of
the parties concerned and remain
impartial.
The issue should be resolved
through friendly negotiations,
which is regulated by the Conduct
of Parties in the South China Sea
in 2002, Hong said in a report
posted on the Chinese government
portal on Tuesday.
Hong specically referred to
the territorial disputes over the
Spratly Islands, which China calls
Nansha Islands.
Aside from China, ve other
countries--the Philippines, Viet-
nam, Malaysia, Brunei and Tai-
wan--are claiming parts of the is-
lands as their own.
Since April, the Philippines
and China have also been locked
in a territorial row over the Pana-
tag Shoal (Scarborough Shoal/
Huangyan Island) after Chinese
By Rio N. Araja
THE Quezon City government on
Tuesday warned the residents in the
posh villages along the citys West
Valley fault line to move to safer
places after last weeks 7.6-magni-
tude earthquake in Eastern Visayas.
The potentially affected areas in-
clude 700 houses both in depressed
communities and posh subdivisions
including White Plains, Green Mead-
ows and Blue Ridge, said retired po-
lice general Elmo San Diego, head of
Quezon Citys Department of Public
Order and Safety.
It [the fault line] can move
any time.
Still, the Quezon City govern-
ment is having difculty convinc-
ing the people living in the sub-
division sitting on the fault line to
By Macon Ramos-Araneta
SENATOR Joker Arroyo on Tuesday said
he did not believe that the chief justice of
the Supreme Court had an angelic status
and instead asked her to refrain from speak-
ing ex cathedra.
Reacting to Serenos declaration that her
appointment as chief justice came only from
God, Arroyo said he hoped it did not mean
that she thought she was all-knowing.
When you talk ex cathedra that means
Map data@2012 Google
Kalibo
PANAY
SEMIRARA
ISLAND
BAUD
ISLAND
MOLOCAMBOC
ISLAND
Roxas
Iloilo Bacolod
Cadiz
Mindoro
Island
Calapan
Batangas
Dasmarias
Sablayan
San Jose
Bongabong
Daet
Libmanan
Naga
City of Iriga
Legazpi
Buenavista
Antique
ORIENTAL
MINDORO
BULALACAO
Bulalacao
LIWAGAO
ISLAND
LIWAGAO
ISLAND
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News
ManilaStandardToday mst.daydesk@gmail.com SEPTEMBER 5, 2012 WEDNESDAY
A2
China...
vessels prevented the Philippine
Coast Guard from arresting the
Chinese shermen who were
caught poaching in the area.
Panatag Shoal (Bajo de Ma-
sinloc) is a U-shaped rock for-
mation with a sprawling lagoon
teeming with rich maritime
resources located 124 nauti-
cal miles from Masinloc town
in Zambales. It is 472 nauti-
cal miles from Chinas nearest
coastal province of Hainan.
China, however, has rejected
Manilas assertion over the
shoal, saying proximity alone
should not be a basis for own-
ership. It said it was the rst to
have discovered Panatag, citing
ancient maps to prove its claim.
Beijing has since pressed its
claim on the entire South China
Sea by establishing Sansha City
and a military garrison, which it
said would administer Chinas con-
trol over the islands despite strong
protests from Manila and Hanoi.
Before ying to China, Clin-
ton stopped by Indonesia, where
she urged Asean members to
put up a unied stand against
China on the ongoing sea row.
She also voiced concern over
what she said was Beijings intimi-
dating tactics against its neighbors
in the Southeast Asian region.
The United States believes
very strongly that no party
should take any steps that would
increase tensions or do anything
that would be viewed as coer-
cive or intimidating to advance
their territorial claims, Clinton
told reporters in Indonesia.
Hong, meanwhile, reiter-
ated the position held by Chi-
nese Vice Foreign Minister Fu
Ying, who had said that China
preferred to negotiate only with
relevant countries on the
South China Sea issue.
The South China Sea is not an
issue between Asean and China,
but rather between China and rel-
evant Asean countries, Fu had
told Xinhua News in August.
Fu also indirectly blamed the
Philippines and Vietnam for the
non-issuance of a joint commu-
nique at the close of the Asean
Foreign Ministers Meeting in
Phnom Penh in July, saying some
Asean member nations tried to
impose their own positions on
this issue onto Asean.
That, he said, went against the
Declaration on the Conduct of
Parties in the South China Sea
signed by the countries involved.
Hong also made a similar
remark on the same day as US
Secretary of State Hillary Clin-
tons statement on Monday that
the territorial issues should be
discussed between a unied
Asean and China.
While in Indonesia, Clinton
met with Indonesian President
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
and visited the Asean headquar-
ters in Jakarta. AP, with Sara
Susanne D. Fabunan
Peace...
include disarmament, demobili-
zation, and reintegration of the
MILFs troops, Deles said on
Tuesday.
She said the government re-
mained cautiously optimistic
on the prospects of signing a
comprehensive peace agreement
with the MILF within the year.
The government and the MILF
had earlier signed the Decision
Points on Principles that provides
for the creation of a new autono-
mous entity in Mindanao during
their April meeting in Malaysia.
Based on the principles, the
future political entity will have a
ministerial form of government
with the power to enter into eco-
nomic agreements.
Under the principles, the pow-
ers that will be reserved for the
national government include de-
fense and external security, for-
eign policy, common market and
global trade, coinage and mon-
etary policy, citizenship and natu-
ralization and postal service.
Both sides also agreed that the fu-
ture autonomous entity must be given
the power to create its own sources
of revenue and to have a just share in
the revenues generated through the
exploration, development or utiliza-
tion of natural resources.
The political entity will also
have jurisdiction over the Shariah
justice system.
Deles cited the strong desire
from both sides of the table to
sign a peace agreement in the ear-
liest possible time.
She said an indication of the
MILFs sincerity in the talks was
the clear cooperation of the rebel
groups leadership in dealing with
the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom
Movement, headed by former
MILF commander Umbra Kato.
The BIFM has been launching
attacks in the towns of Maguin-
danao and North Cotabato since
last month.
The MILF disassociated itself
from Katos renegade group last
year and declared him a bou-
gat, or one who dees or does
not obey an order and engages in
lawless actions.
The military also heaped
praise on the MILF for its con-
tinuing cooperation in dealing
with Umbrakatos group, saying
the MILF leadership deserved
appreciation.
Armed Forces Chief of Staff
Gen. Jessie Dellosa said the
MILFs cooperation would go a
long way in preserving the peace
in the area.
The MILFs cooperation be-
ing accorded to the AFP [Armed
Forces of the Philippines] and the
PNP (Philippine National Police)
put into real essence the spirit of
the whole-of-nation and people-
centered approach of winning the
peace, as embodied in our IPSP
[Internal Peace and Security Pro-
gram] Bayanihan, Dellosa said.
Dellosa said that since day one
the members of the Coordinating
Committee on Cessation of Hos-
tilities Government of the Philip-
pinesMILF had been working
hard to put a stop to the atrocities
being perpetrated by the BIFF
and prevent them from further in-
icting casualties.
Big...
move, prompting its ofcials to
come up with a waiver for the
residents to sign to clear the city
of any liability once a major
city hits the area.
Perla delos Reyes, a geologist
and a supervising science re-
search specialist at the Philippine
Institute of Volcanology and Seis-
mology, said a major earthquake
was long overdue in Manila.
She said a typical fault line
experienced a major quake
once every 200 to 400 years,
and since it had been about 200
years since the last major move-
ment of the fault line in Quezon
City, it could move any time.
Residents were ordered to
move to higher ground after a
magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck
parts of the Visayas and Mind-
anao on the night of Aug. 31, trig-
gering level 3 tsunami alert.
The earthquakes epicenter
was 135 kilometers east of Su-
lungan, Eastern Samar.
Ofcials issued the tsunami
alert for Samar, Southern Leyte
and Surigao del Norte. A level
3 alert means waves of up to 10
meters high are expected.
The National Disaster Risk
Reduction and Management
Council on Sept. 2 said the
damage to infrastructure result-
ing from the earthquake had
reached at least P14.2 million.
Following that earthquake,
disaster ofcials said they were
now updating earthquake drills
that would be held nationwide.
Sereno...
infallibility. We hope she does
not think that way because that
is not good. That does not allow
dissent, Arroyo said.
In her ag ceremony speech at
the Supreme Court on Monday,
Sereno said her appointment was
Gods will. She denied that her
appointment was a result of po-
litical lobbying.
As a junior member of the Su-
preme Court, Sereno bypassed
11 other senior justices. She is
President Aquinos rst appoin-
tee to the Supreme Court and the
rst female chief justice.
Arroyo, a former human rights
lawyer and one of the senior
members of the Senate, showed
surprise when told about Sere-
nos divine referral of her ap-
pointment to the Supreme Court.
Annointed by God? he said.
She said Gods will. You see
the subliminal [message]? Her
faith can be mistaken for infal-
libility.
But Senate President Juan
Ponce Enrile said government
positions did not require reli-
gious tests, and that non-believ-
ers could be appointed as chief
justice of the Supreme Court.
You can appoint a born-
again Christian, or a Catholic.
You can also appoint a Bud-
dhist if hes qualified. We
have religious freedom in the
country, Enrile said.
Senator Francis Escudero
said Sereno was just a reli-
gious person, and that he be-
lieved her religious beliefs
would not infringe on her
functions as chief justice.
Heavy...
with scattered to widespread rain particularly
over the Bicol region, Bukidnon, Antique,
Iloilo and the provinces of Samar, Leyte,
Agusan, Misamis, Surigao and Lanao, was
estimated based on satellite and surface data
460 km East of the Bicol region as of 5:00
p.m. on Tuesday.
Southern Luzon and the rest of Mindanao
will have mostly cloudy skies with scattered
rain showers and thunderstorms. Other parts
of Luzon will be partly cloudy to cloudy with
isolated rain showers or thunderstorms mostly
in the afternoon or evening.
Moderate to occasionally strong winds blow-
ing from the north to northwest will prevail over
Luzon, where the coastal waters will be moder-
ate to occasionally rough.
Elsewhere, the winds will be light to
moderate from the south to southwest, and
the seas will be slight to moderate.
SC...
That possibility came up after
several Supreme Court justices
who were nominated and short-
listed for the position supported
Justice Arturo Brions plea to
the council to disclose his psy-
chiatric records, and despite the
councils rules disallowing such
disclosure.
Brions plea has been taken
up, but it was again scheduled
for the next Supreme Court ses-
sion attended by all justices.
An insider said Chief Justice
Maria Lourdes Sereno had sug-
gested that the matter be referred
to the council, saying that while she
was now the councils chairman, it
was nevertheless a collegial body
and she had to consult her peers.
CJ Sereno prefers that it
be tackled by the JBC rst on
Monday, the source said.
Earlier reports indicated that
Sereno received a very low
grade in her psychiatric and
psychological testing.
Sereno aside, Solicitor Gen-
eral Francis Jardeleza, another
Palace candidate, obtained a
grade of 4. Like Sereno,
Jardeleza was also shortlisted
for the post of chief justice.
Under the supposed rating sys-
tem used by psychologists and psy-
chiatrists tapped by the council to
conduct the exams, the 1 rating
was the highest or most superior,
while 3 was the median and 5
was the lowest or failing mark.
Agrade of 4 means the mental
state of the taker is not satisfactory.
Aside from Sereno and Bri-
on, the other magistrates who
applied for the position of chief
justice were Justices Antonio
Carpio, Presbitero Velasco,
Teresita Leonardo-De Castro
and Roberto Abad.
Antique...
The province of Antique
strongly stands in the position
that since time immemorial,
the island of Liwagao has been
within the territorial jurisdiction
of Barangay Sibolo, municipality
of Caluya, province of Antique,
says a resolution sponsored by
Antique Vice Gov. Rosie Di-
mamay.
Both Oriental Mindoro and
Antique are claiming ownership
of Liwagao Island, which is in
the Tablas Strait southeast of Bu-
lalacao in Oriental Mindoro and
northeast of Caluya in Surigao. It
is believed to have a high poten-
tial for tourism.
The 114-hectare island, for-
merly called Libago, has a long
stretch of white sand, different
types of quality pebbles, superb
coral formations and a diverse
marine ecosystem. It is a favorite
hatching ground of sea turtles,
and its northeastern portion is
thickly covered with coconut and
commercial trees. Its rich shing
grounds support the 200 families
living there.
Liwagao was one of the coves,
peninsulas, islands and islets that
President Ferdinand Marcos de-
clared tourist zones and marine
reserves on Nov. 10, 1978, and
placed under the administration of
the Philippine Tourism Authority.
Dimamays resolution says
Antiques ownership of the
114-hectare Liwagao Island is
evidenced by an Original Certi-
cate of Title No. 42891 issued to
a Joaquin Lim, who is believed
to be the father of former Caluya
Mayor Oscar Lim.
Dimamay claims that the cer-
ticate issued to the elder Lim
was dated March 4, 1971, and
was approved by former Under-
secretary of Agriculture Secretary
Arturo Tanco Jr.
Her resolution says that under
the torrens system, title is an
indefeasible and incontrovertible
proof of ownership establishing
that the island is legally a part of
the province of Antique as recog-
nized and surveyed by the Land
Registration Authority and Bu-
reau of Lands themselves.
But Oriental Mindoro Provin-
cial Legal Ofcer Kristine Suarez
says the title and ownership of
Liwagao Island are different issues
that we have to resolve separately.
The provincial government of
Oriental Mindoro has to deal rst
with the legal ownership of the
island, Suarez said
Our next move after knowing
the real owner of the island is to
nd out how that torrens title was
acquired.
On Aug. 18, a former munici-
pal mayor of Antique visited Ori-
ental Mindoro and said the island
belonged to Oriental Mindoro
and not to Antique.
I want to set the record straight
before I go [die] to rectify the is-
sue that I borrowed Liwagao
from my friend [Bulalacao] May-
or [Dolores] Bago, that Liwagao
really belongs to Oriental Mind-
oro, Oriental Mindoro Vice Gov.
Humerlito Dolor quoted former
Caluya, Antique, Mayor Oscar
Lim as saying.
Yes, Ill be willing to testify
even in Malacaang just to tell
the truth, Lim had said, add-
ing he wanted Interior Secretary
Jesse Robredo to settle the mat-
ter. He didnt know that Robredo
died on Aug. 18 when the light
plane he had chartered crashed
off the coast of Masbate.
Why not bring it to the at-
tention of Secretary Robredo?
Lim had told Dolor on the very
day that Robredos airplane
crashed, and Dolor, who was
with Bulalacao Mayor Ernilo
Villas, promised him that he
would bring the matter to the
Interior Department.
The Interior Department on
Monday, meanwhile, urged a
lawful resolution to the claims
over Liwagao Island.
Department spokesman Ariel
Tanangonan said that the courts
aside, Oriental Mindoro and An-
tique could also le before the de-
partment a petition that would es-
tablish who really owned Liwagao.
The [Interior Department]
cannot act yet on the issue unless
they ask us to do so, Tanangonan
said.
They should le a petition be-
fore us.
Lim had asked to borrow Li-
wagao Island from Dolores Bago
in 1979 to get rid of the cattle
rustlers, pirates, smugglers and
other lawless elements who make
Liwagao their sanctuary and hid-
ing place.
Bago agreed without any writ-
ten documents or formal author-
ity from their respective provin-
cial boards. After his term ended
in 1992, Lim dutifully returned
the island to new Bulalacao May-
or Guillermo Salas Sr., a brother
of Dolores Bago.
Still, the municipal govern-
ment of Caluya later claimed the
island as its own and annexed
Liwagao as its seventh island vil-
lage, although the islands inhab-
itants continued to pay their taxes
in Bulalacao.
Lim on Aug. 18 also signed a
new petition reafrming the peti-
tion he signed on Nov. 9, 2005,
saying Liwagao belonged to Ori-
ental Mindoro and not to Antique.
But the Oriental Mindoro pro-
vincial ofcial has said the Ofce
of the President has the sole au-
thority to settle the issue.
La Salle...
The bill has divided the nation
betweent pro-life advocates and
those who claim Filipinos can
have better lives by controlling
over population. In Congress, the
billl has been snagged by lobby-
ing from powerful groups, in-
cluding the Catholic church.
The La Salle professors said pas-
sage of the biull would strengthen
the capacity of the State to assist
women and their partners to make
informed choices.
Beyond protecting the very
important right of the unborn ... a
life that is weighed down by pov-
erty, sickness, and social inequal-
itynow compounded by en-
vrionmental stressesdeprives
humans of agency to transform
themselves and the world for the
common good, they said.
In a society marred by great
imbalances of power and wealth,
the freedom that comes with
choice has become a privilege
... Empowering the poor and the
marginalized, women in particu-
lar, requires opening up opportu-
nities for their self-actualization,
the professors said.
In their signed statement, the
professors, who were mostly heads
of various departments, said their
position on the issue did not reect
the stand of the university, which is
run by the La Salle brothers.
Reacting to the statement, the
De La Salle Ofce for Strategic
Communications, in a text mes-
sage to a news outt, said the
school respected the opinions ex-
pressed by the professors.
Discourse that contributes to
the enlightenment of our commu-
nity of learners, as they seek the
path of truth in the light of faith
and scholarship, will always have
an esteemed place in our institu-
tion, the message said.
In the case of the Ateneo fac-
ulty members, the Catholic Bish-
ops Conference of the Philippines
called on the school to investigate
the professors and threatened to
penalize other Catholic schools
whose faculty would not follow its
stand against the legislation.
But Senator Miriam Santiago said
the CBCP threat violated academic
freedom because you cannot dictate
to a professor what to teach.
The threat of the Catholic
Church to blacklist the members
of the Ateneo faculty just because
they took a position in favor of
the RH bill is an infringement of
a Constitutional rightthe right to
academic freedom, Santiago said.
Compromise...
House leaders would have
a difcult time passing the
bill before Congress goes on a
break on Sept. 21, unless they
could come up with some
breakthrough ideas.
Belmonte said the House
leaders would not sacrice other
important bills such as the 2013
budget to push the RH bill.
We have to concentrate on
the budget at some point, Bel-
monte said.
Garin, a doctor who supports
the bill, said all sectors needed
to come up with a compro-
mise version to win over the
Catholic bishops, who have
staunchly opposed the measure
because of its support for arti-
cial birth control and sex edu-
cation in schools.
She said the House propo-
nents of the bill had already
agreed to water it down by
limiting its scope and chang-
ing some terms. For example, a
provision promoting contra-
ceptives could be changed to
making them available.
Its easy to introduce
amendments if the propos-
als have already been agreed
upon, Garin said.
Garin also allayed Church
fears that the measure would
promote promiscuity, saying
contraceptives would only be
available to couples seeking
them from the Health Depart-
ment, the local government units
and their distribution centers.
She said that from what
she heard, President Benigno
Aquino III would also support
changes to the bill.
House Assistant Majority
Leader and Sherwin Tugna de-
scribed the working group as a
win-win approach to address
delays in RH bill deliberations.
Rep. Edcel Lagman, the
bills main author, said he was
still hopeful that it would be
approved.
There is no new RH bill be-
ing drafted in the House of Rep-
resentatives but the leadership of
the House and the authors of the
bill are consolidating acceptable
amendments to address the con-
cerns, reservations and objec-
tions of critics like some bishops
and their congressional allies,
Lagman said.
The principal thrust of the
latest round of amendments is
to emphasize the pro-poor ori-
entation and direction of the
bill and that the promotion and
distribution of RH information,
services and supplies will be
geared to the poorest and most
marginalized households.
In the Senate, the principal au-
thor of the bill, Senator Pia Cay-
etano, said she was willing to
delete any provisions that might
be confusing and misleading
to expedite its passage.
She also expressed the hope
that she could win over her col-
leagues who opposed the bill.
We are talking here about
the life of the mother and the
unborn child, she said.
She also rejected Senate
President Juan Ponce Enriles
suggestion that the bill be taken
up in June next year and criti-
cized the delaying tactics used
by anti-RH senators.
Enrile and Senate Major-
ity Floor Vicente Sotto III, vocal
critics of the bill, said they were
merely exercising their rights.
Enrile said he would de-
nitely propose amendments to
the bill.
Lipa Archbishop Ramon
Arguelles rejected talk of a
compromise, noting that even
if they changed the name of
the RH bill, its still the same
measure with the purpose of
depopulation. With Macon
Ramos-Araneta
Aquinos...
P317 billion Special Purpose Fund,
the Palace has no right to duplicate bud-
getary items and place them under the
sole discretion of the President, Brio-
nes added.
She referred to the new outlay of
P22.42 billion in Priority Social and
Economic Projects Fund under SPF
when she said there was already P44
billion allocated to the Conditional
Cash Transfer Program.
Budget Secretary Florencio Abad said
the new outlay of P22.4 billion involved
projects that agencies proposed but have
not yet been able to esh out in detail
and separate from the Conditional Cash
Transfer Program.
Briones also questioned a P70.8-
billion allocation for Budgetary Sup-
port to Government Corporations in the
Special Purpose Fund, when there was
already P16.82 billion set aside for this
purpose, and P60.86 billion in the Debt
Management Program, both under Un-
programmed Funds.
Abad sai d t he budget ary support
for government -owned and con-
t rol l ed corporat i ons under t he Un-
programmed Funds woul d cover t he
nat i onal government s advances for
t he debt servi ci ng of principal and
interest as well as interest advances
made by the Treasury on the loan ob-
ligations of state-owned companies.
This was separate from the regular
subsidies granted to state-owned en-
titites, he added.
Abad sought to answer other ques-
tions raised by Briones concerning
military pensions and local government
funds. He said the department was ready
to work with civil society groups such
as Social Watch Philippines to ensure
transparency in the way public funds
were spent.
SEPTEMBER 5, 2012 WEDNESDAY
A3 News
ManilaStandardToday mst.daydesk@gmail.com
Poll body pushes use
of voters biometrics
Customs take still falling
IN BRIEF
Palace vouches for Robredo

MALACAANG on Tuesday said the
widow of Jesse Robredo, Maria Leonor,
is qualied to be appointed as regional
trial court judge in Bicol.
Deputy presidential spokesman Abigail
Valte said the shortlist of the Judicial and
Bar Council has yet to be submitted to
President Benigno Aquino III.
I would not like to preempt the
President. (But) certainly, Attorney Leni
is qualied, Valte said.
Robredo, a lawyer by profession, was
among the 20 candidates who made it to
the JBC shortlist.
She was shortlisted for three separate
vacant positions in Calabanga and Pili in
Camarines Sur and Ligao City in Albay.
The JBC ofcially announced
Robredos application for the position on
March 28. Joyce Panares
3 Abu bandits slain in Basilan
AT LEAST three Abu Sayyaf bandits
were killed while four government
soldiers were wounded during a reght
Tuesday in Basilan.
Maj. Gen Ricardo Rainier Cruz III,
commander of the Armys 1st Infantry
Division, said the reght broke out at
around 11 a.m. after a platoon of soldiers
from the 3rd Scout Ranger Battalion
were ambushed.
Cruz said the encounter lasted about
two hours. The bandits outnumbered
the state troopers but suffered more
casualties.
The military said the Sayyaf bandits
were led by sub-leader Furuji Indama and
together with him were an undetermined
number of the terror group Jemaah
Islamiyah. Florante Solmerin
It collected only P22.22
billion for August as against its
P28.13 billion revenue goal.
The reason for the shortfall,
according to Commissioner
Ruffy Biazon, was the fewer
number of working days during
the month because of holidays
and the suspension of work
caused by the massive ooding
in Metro Manila.
He explained that for the
month of August, there were
three public holidays and two
suspended working days due
to the ooding in most parts of
Metro Manila and Luzon caused
by the monsoon rains.
The fewer working days
affected our collections aside
from the fact that we have
slower collections during the
past few months, Biazon said.
Of the P22.22 billion August
By Joel E. Zurbano
THE Customs bureau suffered a P5.9
billion collection shortfall for August,
bringing the cumulative decit to
P36.04 billion from January to August.
collection, P558 million came
from tax expenditure fund
(TEF), or paper revenues
that came from the importation
of government agencies such
as the National Food Authority,
Public Works and Transport
departments.
The bureaus revenues were
higher by a mere .3 percent or by P75
million than last years collection of
P22.15 billion, its lowest year-on-
year increase so far.
During the previous months,
the agency has been posting
collection increase of double
digit rates compared with the
previous years.
August collection was the
second lowest for the year. The
lowest Customs collection was
in January with its revenues at
P21.99 billion.
Biazon said the agencys
August 2011 take had a TEF
collection of P1.15 billion.
Another Customs ofcial said
that the agencys collection may
increase by more than P100
million as the Bureau of the
Treasury will credit some of the
cash collections that have not
been booked in July.
Biazon said that if not for
the huge collection late in the
month of August, the agencys
collection could have posted
lower revenues from last year.
Based on the data, the Customs
had a collection of P2 billion on
August 31, some P1.1 billion
of which came from the Port of
Limay, P286.91 million from
Port of Manila P269.02 million
from the Manila International
Container Port and the rest, from
other ports.
Im not too certain of
surpassing the target, the next
best thing that you can do is
to surpass the previous years
collection, Biazon said.
For the eight-month period,
the shortfall widened to P36.04
billion with its collection of
P190.04 billion as against its
target of P226.75 billion.
The January to August
revenues, however, was still
higher by more than 10 percent
from lat years collection of
P171.99 billion.
For the year, the agency is
tasked to collect P347.07 billion,
an amount that Biazon admitted
was too high to achieve.
By Maricel V. Cruz

THE National Police will need
at least 3,000 rookies to improve
police-to-population ratio to
be able to address the rising
criminality.
In Tuesdays hearing of the
House committee on appropriations,
Executive Secretary Pacquito
Ochoa, acting ofce in charge
for the Department of Interior
and Local Government, said that
the National police proposed a
P487.107 million budget for 2013
to beef up the police force.
Ochoa appeared before the
appropriations committee to defend
the agencys budget, pending the
appointment of Secretary Manuel
Roxas II as Interior chief.
Also present in the budget
hearing were Undersecretary
Rico Puno and Police director
general Nicanor Bartolome.
The PNP, an attached agency
of the DILG, has proposed a total
of P67 billion budget for 2013, or
P6 billion down from this years
operating budget of P73 billion.
Ochoa said that the P487.107-
million budget for the hiring of
3,000 new police ofcers would
come from the Miscellaneous
Personnel Benet Fund (MPBF
earmarked for unlled positions.
We will enhance visibility
and crime prevention efforts by
improving the police-to-population
ratio, Ochoa told lawmakers.
Northern Samar Rep. Emil Ong
said he would want an additional
budget for the DILG since the
police force is a deterrent to
criminality and to peace and
order abnormalities.
The mere presence of men in
police uniforms would prevent
criminality, Ong said.
Ong said that in his district
covering three islands, there are
only 23 policemen stationed in
the main island. He said it would
take one and a half hours to reach
the other two islands.
The PNP also proposed a P100
million fund for the construction
of 24 new stations.
While the National police
has nished the bidding for the
procurement of 59,900 units of
automatic pistols, Puno said the
delivery of the pistols will be
completed within one year.
3,000 rookie cops needed to boost population ratio
FOREIGN Affairs Sec-
retary Albert del Rosa-
rio has own to Syria to
speed up the repatriation
of more than 1,000 Fili-
pino workers trying to
escape the increasing vio-
lence there.
Some of the obstacles
the government faced
until recently was hav-
ing to pay refunds to
Syrian employers for
unfinished contracts and
fees levied by the Syrian
government.
Foreign Affairs spokes-
man Raul Hernandez said
Tuesday that the Philip-
pine government has now
obtained waivers from em-
ployers.
Del Rosario said in a
statement Tuesday that
President Benigno Aquino
III wants to ensure Filipi-
nos safety and repatriate
as many of them as pos-
sible. Del Rosario left for
Syria late Monday.
More than 2,100 were
repatriated since last
March. Hernandez said a
rapid response team from
the embassy in Damascus
is helping extract Filipinos
from conict areas. AP
Repatriation
of workers
from Syria
stepped up
Cagayan
flooding
victims
get jobs
High tribunal approves rules to speed up court trial
By Rey Requejo
THE Supreme Court has ap-
proved the guidelines for the
use of the so-called judicial af-
davits rule aimed at reducing
by half the proceedings for the
presentation of evidence.
Deputy Court Administrator
Raul Villanueva said that the
use of judicial afdavits had
been pilot-tested at the Que-
zon City regional trial court. It
would be implemented start-
ing January 1, 2013, he said in
a press brieng.
Judicial afdavits are sworn
statements containing the wit-
ness testimony in question-
and-answer form. They are be-
ing used in lieu of the traditional
direct testimony to hasten the
presentation of evidence.
Villanueva explained that
the Judicial Afdavit Rule will
be published on September 15
and will be enforced starting
January 1 next year.
Villanueva, vice chairman of
the Ad Hoc Committee on the
Proposed Practice Guidelines
for Quezon City Trial Courts,
was recently appointed by
Chief Justice Maria Lourdes
Sereno as her communicator
on judicial reforms.
The judicial-afdavit
rule has been adopted in
the trial proceedings of the
Maguindanao massacre case.
The government prosecutors
and the private lawyers of the
accused have agreed that only a
handful of the relatives of the 57
massacre victims would sit in
the witness stand to be directly
examined by the defense, while
the others would just execute ju-
dicial afdavits.
Under the revised rules on ju-
dicial afdavit, the witnesses in
all cases whose penalty does not
exceed six years will no longer
be subjected to an oral direct
testimony. Instead, trial will
proceed directly to cross exami-
nation by the opposing lawyer.
Villanueva said the revision
of the rules was upon the rec-
ommendation of Senior Associ-
ate Justice Antonio Carpio, who
chairs the SCs committee on the
revision of the rules of court, and
Associate Justice Roberto Abad,
head of the subcommittee on re-
vision on rules of procedure.
This will cut down by
50-percent the (time used by
the court in the) presentation
of witnesses, he said. A copy
of the Court resolution was not
immediately made available
because it was still being cir-
culated among the justices as
of press time.
Force multiplier. Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa and National Police Director General Nicanor Bartolome are one in saying that the police
need mores rookies to improve the police-population ratio during a testimony at a budget hearing in Congress. MANNY PALMERO
Party time. Nationalista Party chief Senator Manuel Villar administers the oath on Eastern Samar Vice
Governor Christopher Gonzales as NP member in a simple ceremony at the Senate. Senator Ferdinand
Bongbong Marcos attended the oath-taking. LINO SANTOS
By Sara D. Fabunan
THE International Labor Or-
ganization said on Tuesday that
it would establish an emergency
employment project aimed at
helping restore the livelihoods
of those severely affected by the
heavy ooding brought by Trop-
ical Storm Sendong last year in
Cagayan de Oro.
The ILO, in cooperation with
the Australian Agency for Inter-
national Development, said it
would employ survivors of the
disaster to clean and clear tons of
mud and debris brought by the
ash oods as Cagayan de Oros
local ofcials start working on
the construction of bunkhouses
and structures to protect slopes
and riverbanks against future en-
vironmental hazards.
The day the disaster hit the
country, the ILO felt the need
to reach out and help families
through cash-for-work. The main
challenge was how to rebuild, but
too often we overlook the fact that
we need to provide livelihoods for
individuals, ILO country ofce
for the Philippines director Law-
rence Jeff Johnson said.
Rotary Club of Cagayan de
Oro president and engineer
Marillo Paano said the project
will train and hire 60 survivors,
while 40 survivor families will
occupy the completed perma-
nent shelters.
We are not just constructing
houses but rebuilding communi-
ties we will also provide val-
ues formation like developing
positive attitudes while recover-
ing from the disaster and liveli-
hood training, Paano added.
Paanos Rotary Club, is
Mindanaos biggest club of
professionals, business and
community leaders, which en-
tered into a partnership with
the ILO to construct newly per-
manent houses in CDO.
They train selected survivors
for training in masonry, car-
pentry, painting and building.
One of the 102 workers hired
by Paanos group is 45-year-
old Liza Dinagsao of Calaanan,
Cagayan de Oro.
For six months, she and her co-
workers were employed to move
6,000 cubic meters of soil (equiva-
lent to 600 truckloads) to help pre-
vent erosion near the permanent
shelters built for families and sur-
vivors of Tropical storm Washi.
THE Commission on Elections wants Congress to
hasten the approval of a bill requiring biometrics reg-
istration for all qualied voters.
At a hearing before the House committee on appro-
priations, Comelec chairman Sixto Brillantes said that
9 million of the 52 million registered voters have yet
to submit to biometrics data-capture using the nger-
prints, photographs and signature of voters.
Theres a need for a law requiring the mandatory
biometrics capture of all registered voters to allow a
thorough cleansing of the national voters registry,
Brillantes said.
Records at the House committee on reforms and
suffrage chaired by Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr.
showed that a related billwas approved on May 5,
2011 and received by the Senate on May 31, 2011.
House Bill 3469, authored by Tarlac Rep. Susan Yap,
seeks to require all registered voters whose biometrics
have not been captured to appear before the Election of-
cer of their place of registration for purposes of having
their photographs, ngerprints and signatures captured
through the method of biometrics, for purposes of ensur-
ing that the Automated Fingerprint Identication System
(AFIS) can be utilized to purge the records of double or
multiple registrants. Maricel V. Cruz
Opinion Adelle Chua, Editor
ManilaStandardToday
mst.lettertotheeditor@gmail.com SEPTEMBER 5, 2012 WEDNESDAY
A4
WE listened with disbelief this
week as the newly minted chief
justice declared that it was Gods
will that she be appointed to head
the highest court in the land.
In remarks after her rst ag-
raising ceremony at the Supreme
Court, Chief Justice Maria
Lourdes Sereno said that she,
with the entire world as a witness,
rose to her ofce not by dint of
political or business lobbying but
by divine intervention that saw
t to install a humble servant
in the highest position in the
Judiciary.
God alone made this
appointment, she told the
assembled ofcials and employees
of the high court, forgetting
perhaps in her zeal the role that
President Benigno Aquino III
played in ejecting her predecessor
and installing her in his place.
Later on, she asked the
employees for prayers so
that the discussions with the
Budget Department would
proceed favorablytrusting
again in divine intercession that
the Supreme Court would be
adequately funded next year.
We see nothing wrong, of
course, with having devout men
and women in public ofce,
but the chief justices remarks,
reminiscent of Joan of Arc, are
worrisome.
They are particularly
troublesome to those among us
who subscribe to Section 6 of
Article II of the Constitution,
which states that the separation
of Church and State shall be
inviolable.
Given her clearly stated belief
in divine will and the role that
God expects her to play, we
cannot help but wonder how the
new chief justice will decide on
issues of national import in the
secular world.
For instance, how would a
chief justice who believes she
was installed by God handle a
constitutional challenge to the
reproductive health bill, if it is
passed into law? The Catholic
Church and its supporters have
launched a scorched-earth
campaign against the measure
on what are clearly religious
grounds. Would a chief justice
who sees the hand of God in her
own appointment not be inclined
do the same?
This is a legitimate question
that demands a serious answer,
particularly since this chief
justice rose to her position on a
call for greater transparency in
the judicial process.
Before Serenos appointment,
the Judicial and Bar Council had
disqualied one retired judge who
admitted to consulting imaginary
dwarves before passing judgment
on the cases brought before him.
Will this chief justice do the
religious equivalent and consult
scripture before settling legal
issues that affect all Filipinos,
regardless of their faith?
To believers, there is a whole
world of difference between
a widely accepted God and
imaginary dwarves, but most of us
agree that neither of them can be
seen in the real world, over which
our courts hold jurisdiction.
Appointed by God
EDITORIAL
Getting around Category 2
WE HAVE a catchy, albeit borrowed
travel slogan Its More Fun in the
Philippines, but the local airline
industry still languishes under the
long shadow cast by the Category 2
downgrade imposed by the US Federal
Aviation Administration.
The country now has a window
of opportunity to get around the US
blacklist if Philippine Airlines president
and chief operating ofcer Ramon Angs
ambitious plan for PAL to build its own
airport pushes through. Angs vision
and creative management style should
be given all the support considering
the governments inability to solve
the Category 2 problem. The USFAA
downgraded the countrys aviation
category due to the inadequate security
and outdated communications and
navigation gear of the Ninoy Aquino
International Airport. The proposed
airport could be the answer to get around
the Category 2 black hole. This would
relegate Naia 1 as a relic. It could also
serve as the domestic terminal.
The Estrada and Arroyo
administrations and one year of
Department of Transportation and
Communications Secretary Mar Roxas
stewardship of that agency failed to
address the problem. With Mar moving
to the Department of Interior and Local
Government, the Category 2 issue
now falls on new DOTC Secretary
Joseph EA Abaya who has taken over
Roxas job. Abaya has a well-rounded
background as an engineer, lawyer,
Philippine Military Academy and
Annapolis Naval Academy graduate.
Will Abaya do a better job than
Mar? If he still cant, he should give
all the support for PALs plan to build
its own airport. Its not clear whether
the planned airport would be exclusive
to PAL or would accommodate other
airlines as well. The proposed project
to be presented to President Aquino for
approval in January or February ts into
the governments master plan for the
tourism industry.
Since its a major project involving
the countrys aviation and tourism
strategy, the project would need
government approval. The timetable
for completion of the project to be
undertaken by Korean contractors is
three years or before President Aquino
ends his term in 2016. Mr. Ang is not
ready to disclose the cost of the entire
project which would include four
runways that could accommodate
simultaneous takeoff and landing of
jumbo jets. The present Ninoy Aquino
International Airport does not have that
capability, often clogging up ground
and air trafc above the Naia.
Like most modern-day airports, it
will have a viewing deck, a mall and
restaurants. The proposed airport will
be built on a 2,000-hectare lot in a still
undisclosed location but which sources
said would be nearer to Manila than
Clark International Airport. For sure,
the new airport hub will spur business
in and around the community of the
chosen property.
Its not going be all PAL money as
other investors are all lined up. If the
government approves it, construction
can start immediately, according to Ang,
whose business interests include food
and beverage, power and energy, roads
and tollways, a hotel and most recently
a 49-percent stake in PAL.
We dont see how and why the
government wont approve such a project
considering it dovetails with its Partners
for Philippine Progress policy. The only
way it could be torpedoed is if some
business crony gets the Presidents ear.
We hope the President does not succumb
to the bulong brigade and pass up the
project proposal of Ang who represents
San Miguel Corporation and its subsidiary
conglomerates with a successful track
record..
The new airport proposed by PAL will
be the biggest in the country, according
to Ang who announced the plan at the
companys annual stockholders meeting.
PAL also signed a multi-billion dollar
deal to acquire 50 planes from the French
manufacturer of Airbus. The purchase
is in line with PALs plan to extend its
international routes to include New York,
London, Rome and Paris.
The infusion of new capital by SMC
and Ang also augurs well for some 2,000
former employees to be rehired. The
airline recently held a job fair at Angs
Diamond Hotel in Manila interviewing
applicants for cabin crew. Applicants
from the provinces will be given a chance
when the job fair moves to Cebu, Bacolod,
Iloilo, Davao and Cagayan de Oro.
If you bought 50 new planes with
50 more in the pipeline, it makes good
business sense to have your own airport.
If things are looking up for PAL these
days, it can only be attributed to Angs
business acumen.
ALEJANDRO
DEL ROSARIO
BACK CHANNEL
JOJO
A. ROBLES
LOWDOWN
Epal as trickery
SURE, its epal to start putting up
billboards with your name on them,
especially if you shamelessly use
the image of the late Jesse Robredo,
as one particularly ghoulish Quezon
City congressman has done. But
the outrage over early campaigning
should by no means be limited to the
pathetic attempts of local politicians to
put their names on posters of various
sizes now littering
Metro Manila and
other places, in a bid
to get some name
recall.
Take the
television ads
of some very
forgettable people
all of them identied
with the Aquino
admi ni st rat i on
who want to be
elected to the Senate
next May. Take
them off the air, please.
While the Commission on Elections is
busy defending its suspicious outsource
automation partner Smartmatic from
charges of being less than accurate
(to say the least) and leasing land for
hundreds of millions of pesos to protect
its infernal counting machines, the pro-
administration people who want you to
vote for them have been clogging the
airwaves with their slick ads. And if
you truly believe that these politicians
are pushing freedom of information or
some other worthy cause, then youre
just the kind of voter that these ads are
targeting.
Ultimately, this must the cynical
strategy of these wannabe senators
and their hired guns in the advertising
trade: that voters will remember not
so much the questionable causes that
these politicians are pushing, but the
names and faces of their purveyors.
(Probably the most cynical of these
thinly-disguised political commercials
are those that want you to accept that
presidential cousin Bam Aquino really
looks like his uncle Ninoy and is
therefore deserving of your vote. And
people wonder why this country can
never seem to get out of the rut its in.)
Why should Alan Peter Cayetanos
halting and nebulous vision, in a
Senate speech, of a Philippines
2020 even be the subject of a TV
commercial, if he were not running
for reelection? And wouldnt Joel
Villanueva, hitherto known only as
the son of a televangelist who once
sought the presidency and failed, do
a better job training people without
employable skills if he didnt have to
spend time too much time in a studio
showing how effective he is?
Anyone with half a brain knows
that these TV ads are aimed at people
who vote for those they know. And
since a recent survey has shown that
almost all of the unknown candidates
of President Noynoy Aquinos Liberal
Party would not win in May, they need
to be introduced in the not-so-subtle
way of purchased prime time air time.
Early campaigning, by whatever
means, is epal and illegal. And no
matter how it is disguised or who it
pushes, its still misrepresentation. Its
condescending to the voters.
* * *
The decision of a Baguio City court
to start the arbitration process between
the Bases Conversion Development
Authority and the private developer
of Camp John Hay should lead to a
much-awaited settlement of the long-
standing dispute over the aborted
agreement involving the lease of the
former American military base in the
countrys summer
capital. BCDA and
the Camp John
Hay Development
Corp. should get
to face each other
at the negotiating
table to save
the 247-hectare
project at Baguios
special economic
zone, especially
after the latter
has demonstrated
its good faith by
complying with the
order of the court to pay an injunction
bond of P736 million as a prerequisite
to the start of talks.
But BCDA has publicly sought to
discredit the arbitration proceedings
by continuing a smear campaign
against CJHDevco and pursuing court
cases against the developer. After
making a mess out of the project,
BCDA has apparently decided not to
settle, something that would benet
the national government and the
residents of Baguio City.
Last week, BCDA president and
CEO Arnel Casanova made it clear that
despite the court-ordered arbitration,
BCDA will still pursue the criminal
cases it led against CJHDevco.
BCDA even led estafa charges against
CJHDevco, on top of the malversation
and other suits it lodged against the rm
earlier this year.
Earlier, Casanova ignored calls
by Congress to preserve the status
quo and proceeded instead to restart
a well-funded demolition campaign
against CJHDevco and to le a string
of cases against the private rm, the
latest of which was on the supposed
eve of the arbitration talks before
the Philippine Dispute Resolution
Center. The PDRCI talks should
proceed as directed by the Baguio
court to salvage the Camp John Hay
project.
The residents of Baguio are no longer
amused by the BCDAs confrontational
attitude. Baguio City Mayor Mauricio
Domogan has called on BCDA to
submit to arbitration for the benet of
the city instead of arbitrarily pushing
for the collection of fees [and] submit
itself to arbitration as stipulated in [its]
contract, Domogan said.
Baguio City is entitled to 25
percent of the lease rentals that
CJHDevco pays to BCDA for the
development of Camp John Hay.
Because of BCDAs refusal to
negotiate, the city has been deprived
of much-needed revenues.
Early
campaigning is
misrepresentation
and it is
condescending to
the voters.
ROLANDO G. ESTABILLO Publisher
RAMONCHITO L. TOMELDAN Managing Editor
CHIN WONG/ RAY S. EANO Associate Editors
JOEL P. PALACIOS News Editor
ROGELIO C. SALAZAR President & CEO
MEMBER
Philippine Press Institute
The National Association
of Philippine Newspapers PPI
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TODAY
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ManilaStandardToday
mst.lettertotheeditor@gmail.com
IN AN earlier column, I said that the
biggest setback of newly-appointed
Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno was
not that she is the youngest member of
the high court (she is 52). It is that her
appointment has ensured that nobody
among all other sitting justices could
ever aspire to be chief justice of the
Supreme Court.
No less than seven senior justices
snubbed Serenos rst ag-raising
ceremony at
the Supreme
Court grounds.
Cons pi cuous l y
absent were
Justices Antonio
Carpio, Presbitero
Velasco, Jr.,
Teresita Leonardo
de Castro, Arturo
Brion, Diosdado
Peralta, Lucas
Bersamin and
Martin Villarama.
When Sereno
took her oath
before President
Aquino, only four justices were present.
Sereno realizes that the cooperation
of her colleagues is crucial if she must
attain her goals at the Supreme Court.
Just how she can get them to cooperate
remains to be seen. It wont be easy.
This, aside from the pressure to
prove her independence from the
appointing power, is Serenos biggest
challenge.
Sereno should also stop invoking
the name of God as having a part in her
appointment as chief justice. I agree
that all that happens is the will of God.
But I think you and I know that the
Presidents wish is to have a friendlier
chief justice. He did not have this in
former Chief Justice Renato Corona.
We cannot do otherwise but live for
the next 18 years with Sereno as the
head of the Judiciary. She will serve
with two more presidents aside from
President Aquino. She needs all the
support and cooperation we all can
muster.
I say it is but natural for her more
senior colleagues to show their
resentment. I hope this wont take long.
The Chief Justice needs their cooperation
in restoring public condence in the
damaged judicial system.
***
Presidential Commission on Good
Government Chairman Dean Andy
Bautista, who I consider a rare jewel
in the Aquino administration, says that
the PCGG will continue to pursue the
hidden wealth of the late strongman
President Ferdinand Marcos.
In late 2010, Bautista proposed to
President Aquino that the PCGG be
abolished and the Institute for Good
Governance be set up in its place.
Records show that the PCGG has
been performing well with sequestered
corporations, listing a consolidated net
income of P2.8 billion in 2010 and P3.3
billion in 2011.
My gulay, it was during the tenure of
the previous PCGG management that
people wanted the agency abolished. It
became notorious for mismanagement
as well as graft and corruption, with
PCGG ofcials frequently traveling
abroad.
Let me suggest to Dean Bautista
to take another look at the failed
Operation Big Bird, which searched for
no less than $7.5 billion in identied
accounts of the Marcoses, not only in
Switzerland but elsewhere.
I was in a way privy to Operation Big
Bird which was conceived by banker
Michael de Guzman in cooperation
with then Brig. General Joe Almonte,
who was Chief of Intelligence and
Enforcement Bureau.
In later columns, I shall in detail
write about Operation Big Bird, which
could have unearthed and brought back
to the country part of if not all of the
identied billions of the Marcos hidden
wealth.
Unfortunately,
the operation
failed because of
the incompetence
of some
ofcials of the
Cory Aquino
administration.
They also
apparently did
not trust De
Guzman and
wanted to partake
of the 20-percent
commission due
him.
In fact,
when the House of Representatives
investigated Operation Big Bird,
a committee headed by then Rep.
Concoy Chavez and the late Rep.
Peping Roo and Rep. Dante Tinga,
who later became Supreme Court
justice, went to Switzerland to trace the
Marcos hidden wealth and came out
with an actual report. Strangely, that
report was archived by then-Speaker
Ramon Mitra Jr. since the operation
was labeled by the late Vice President
Doy Laurel as the greatest failure of
the Cory Aquino administration.
With enough imagination, Bautista
can still uncover and bring back to the
Philippines the Marcos wealth.
***
One of the biggest news that came
out last week was the announcement
of Ramon Ang, San Miguel president
and chief operating ofcer, and also
president of Philippine Airlines,
that the ag carrier had plans to
construct an airport terminal with two
runways on 2,000 or more hectares of
property near Metro Manila. Once
Malacaang approves the proposal,
this is supposed to happen in the next
two to three years.
Although Ang did not mention
where that airport would be, insiders
say that it would most likely be in
Bulacan, north of Metro Manila.
Coming from the new PAL president
and almost immediately after news
broke out that PAL was re-eeting with
the purchase of 50 Airbus planes, this
certainly is big news.
PAL executives and employees have
been invigorated lately with Angs
improvements. There are also plans to
rehire over 2,000 retrenched personnel
at PAL.
This new PAL airport terminal, the
cost of which has not been revealed,
makes a lot of sense. With road
connections through a railway or speed
train, this will be a boon for travelers.
It will decongest NAIA and erase the
stigma of the country having the worst
airport and terminal 1 in the world.
Trust Ang to make things better.
Serenos
setbacks
A ticking bomb called the Middle East
I LISTENED intently as the Supreme
Leader of the Iranian revolution keynoted
the 16
th
Summit of the Non-Aligned
Movement in Tehran last week. I am
not a great believer in theocracies, but I
admire a well-reasoned defense of any
position whenever I hear one, whether
I agree with it or not. And I thought
Ayatollah Khamenei was doing just that.
The issue was Irans nuclear energy
program. The United States, Israel and
their Western allies believe Iran is trying
to develop a nuclear bomb. Israel has
threatened to destroy the suspected site,
just as it had destroyed Iraqs Osirak
reactor in 1981, and a Syrian nuclear
reactor under construction in 2007. The
International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA) is still trying to determine the
real score, but Iran vehemently denies
the accusation.
In his speech to the summit, the
Ayatollah made the following points:
The use of nuclear, chemical
and similar weapons is a great and
unforgivable sin. But every country has
a right to the peaceful use of nuclear
energy, under international law. One
does not have to depend on others to
exercise that right.
Nuclear weapons neither ensure
security nor consolidate political power.
Rather, they are a threat to both security
and political power. Witness what
happened to the former Soviet Union:
it collapsed despite its nuclear weapons.
Today certain countries suffer from so
much insecurity, despite possessing the
same weapons.
Iran has never aspired to possess
nuclear weapons. Instead it has proposed
and is committed to a Middle East free
of nuclear weapons. But it will never
give up its right to the peaceful use of
nuclear energy. Irans motto is: Nuclear
energy for all and nuclear weapons for
none. The Western monopoly on the
production of nuclear energy must be
broken within the framework of the
Non-Proliferation Treaty, in the interest
of all independent countries, including
the members of NAM.
There are surreptitious moves to
consolidate a permanent monopoly over
the production and sale of nuclear fuel
to centers carrying an international label
but in fact within the control of a few
Western countries. The U.S., which
possesses the largest and deadliest
stockpiles of nuclear arms and other
weapons of mass destruction and the
only country guilty of its use, is eager to
carry the banner of opposition to nuclear
proliferation. That is a great irony.
Those who have large nuclear
stockpiles in their arsenals have no
right to declare themselves as standard
bearers of global security. They have
no serious and genuine intention of
removing their deadly weapons from
their military doctrines but would rather
use them to secure their political and
international position. This must be
rejected and condemned.
The U.S. and its Western allies have
armed Israel with nuclear weapons,
creating a major threat to the region.
But the same group would not tolerate
the peaceful use of nuclear energy
by independent countries, and even
opposes the production of nuclear fuel
for radiopharmaceuticals and other
peaceful and humane purposes.
It is not easy for anyone to say
which side is telling the truth, the whole
truth and nothing but the truth. But one
cannot help but feel having seen all this
before during the debates that raged on
prior to the U.S.-U.K. invasion of Iraq.
At that time, the Western powers
had a war looking for an excuse. They
had to invade regardless of the lack
of evidence of Iraqi weapons of mass
destruction to support their cause.
When it nally became absolutely clear
that Saddam Hussein had no WMD
stockpiled anywhere, they simply
rewrote the script to say they had come
to liberate the oppressed Iraqis from
their longtime despot and put some kind
of Iraqi democracy in place.
Thus, even as the Ayatollah and
President Ahmadinejad tried to assure the
world that Iran was not developing any
nuclear weapons, informed diplomatic
sources expressed fear that Israel, having
done it twice before, could launch a strike
against any of Irans nuclear power plants,
especially if by then a regime change shall
have occurred in Damascus. Then all hell
could break loose.
Iran, even without nuclear arms, is
not entirely without any capability to
retaliate. And Russia and China could
be drawn into the conict, especially if
the US chooses to get involved. Under
those terms, the risk of a thermonuclear
war, as Lyndon La Rouche has been
saying, cannot be easily discounted.
NAM could help reduce the risks.
But the summit is merely a starting
point. NAM should pursue the dialogue
that Vice President Binay spoke of in
his address. President Aquino could
pick up the initiative.
Binay, ably assisted by Foreign
Undersecretary Jose Brillantes,
Ambassador Libran Cabactulan, our
permanent representative to the United
Nations, Assistant Secretaries Eduardo
Menez and Petronila Garcia, had a
stellar performance at the summit. He
was asked to chair the conference after
delivering his speech within the seven
minutes allowed each chief delegate,
and then to meet with Ahmadinejad
again after the conference.
Ironically, as soon as he was back in
Manila, the rst earth-shaking question
that greeted him from the press was
about a certain Mar Roxas.
fstatad@gmail.com
EMIL
P. JURADO
TO THE POINT
FRANCISCO S.
TATAD
FIRST THINGS FIRST
SOCIAL networking sites have been
known to play a role in political and
social movements.
Recall how the Arab spring was aided
by Facebook, Twitter and You Tube
despite the controls these governments
imposed on the Internet. People
gathered on the streets to express their
discontent. Images were broadcast to
the rest of the world using smart phones.
More joined. Some of these movements
led to the toppling of dictators who had
been ruling for decades.
The Occupy Movements are another
example. What started on Wall Street
in New York City quickly spread
to other states and then to key cities
around the world. The so-called 99
percent expressed their outrage over
the greed of the 1 percent. The latter
are executives of corporations and
bankers who paid themselves lavishly
even while the rest of the nation
suffered the effects of the economic
downturn.
Years ago, our uses of social
networks were purely personal. It
enabled a user, for instance, to share
vacation photos with friends and
family. Status updates gave the users
friends a glimpse of what was going
through his or her mind. Whether or not
these updates were actual or idealized
were, of course, another story.
It also connected long-lost
relatives, old friends, and anything
in between. Imagine being friends
with your first boyfriend from 20
years (and many pounds) ago. Or the
classmate who bullied you no end in
grade school.
Much has been said about social
networks mostly how they are used by
those who want to project a glammed-up
version of themselves or celebrate the
mundane details of life. Nobody will
deny, however, that if used correctly,
they can be a force for good.
***
I talk about the power of social
networking in the light of reining in our
irrepressible politicians (and sometimes,
their enterprising chiefs-of-staff).
Trawling the news feeds from my
500 or so Facebook friends, for
instance, I have come across several
anti-epal pages. Epal is street
language for those who obsessively
crave attention.
For instance, there is a general Anti-
Epal page which now has more than
19,000 likes. The idea is for anybody
to take pictures of banners, tarpaulins
and billboards that promote the faces
and names of shameless politicians,
and post these pictures on this page
for the world to see. Videos can also
be uploaded.
Recall that President Aquino himself
expressed aversion to self-promotion
by politicians. But do todays crop of
leaders walk the talk?
A post on the Anti-Epal page breaks
down Epal into ve groups:
The credit grabber announces
the sponsorship of a visible public
infrastructure project using taxpayers
money.
The ef welcomer welcomes visitors
to his or her town as though it were his
or her efdom.
The interloper shouts out uncalled-
for public greetings during events like
esta, graduation and Christmas.
The parasite basks in the reected
glory of another public ofcial with
mass appeal or sterling credentials, even
though they may not even be acquainted
with one another. An example of this
would be that shameless ofcial who
used the death of DILG Secretary Jesse
Robredo to promote himself.
The issue bandwagon (rider) attaches
his or her name to an issue deemed
politically popular like the plight of
migrant workers, protection of the
environment, or assistance to senior
citizens.
Do any names come to mind already?
Anybody is free to create a similar
page, and that is exactly what other
Facebook users have done. They
have localized the campaign such
that they only carry photos and
videos of self-promoters in their own
towns or cities. This way, residents
of a specific town can keep closer
watch over their opportunistic local
officials.
Its an exercise that crosses party
lines. The idea is to take to task
ofcials OF WHATEVER POLITICAL
AFFILIATION. After all, party loyalties
change often but the politicians instinct
for self-preservation is in their DNA. All
of them are the samethey just want us
to believe otherwise.
The Anti-Epal watch is a simple
but effective tool to keep in line our
attention-starved politicos who would
rather enhance their form than work on
their substance. They want their names
and faces visible, right? Lets give it to
themon the wall of shame.
The effect is viral. The comments are
amusing. The backlash is immediate.
Anybody with a cell phone camera and
an Internet connection can do it. Lets
all go epal-hunting and remember NOT
to vote for these people in the next
elections.
Now thats Facebooking for a cause.
adellechua@gmail.com
On the wall of shame
ADELLE
CHUA
CHASING HAPPY
Quiet hero of the Titanic disaster
By Robert Harland
IN A few weeks, my family and I will
once again be heading off for a holiday
in the English countryside.
Well pick up our Hertz Car at
Londons Heathrow Airport and drive
south to my home town of Southampton
on the south coast.
In Southampton, its difficult
to escape the Titanic. It was from
there in 1912 that the worlds most
luxurious liner left on her ill-fated
maiden voyage across the Atlantic.
She struck an iceberg and went down
on 15 April 1912, leaving more than
1,500 people dead. The ship had
been vaunted as unsinkable.
Most of the crew who perished came
from Southampton.
The story of the doomed voyage
is well known, but less known is the
role of a Southampton master mariner
whose expertise saved more than 700
passengers and crew from almost
certain death.
Sir Arthur Rostron was in command
of the Cunard Line ship, RMS Carpathia.
She was very much a down-to-earth
workhorse ship carrying emigrants
westbound and American tourists or
returning migrs eastbound.
On April 11, 1912, Carpathia left
New York bound for Europe. At about
the same time, RMS Titanic was
heading west on her maiden voyage to
New York.
The 42-year-old Rostron had been
an ofcer with Cunard since 1895. He
lived near Chalk Hill Southampton, not
far from where my 91 year-old mother
lives today.
He had been master of Carpathia
for just three months, and with him
on board were 700 passengers.
At 12:15am on April 15, Carpathias
wireless operator Harold Cottam was
about to turn in for the night when he
received the rst SOS from the Titanic.
Cottam immediately ran to Rostrons
cabin to alert him.
Rostron quickly ordered the ship
to change course and race towards the
Titanics reported position, posting
extra lookouts to help spot and
maneuver around the ice he knew to
be in the area. About 58 nautical miles
(93 kilometers) separated his ship from
Titanics position.
Rostron and his crew skillfully
obtained the maximum speed possible
from the engines of Carpathia, coaxing
her up to 17.5 knots - three and a half
faster than her rated speed. Even so,
Carpathia, travelling through dangerous
ice oes, took about 3 and a half hours
to reach the Titanic.
During this time, Rostron turned off
heating to ensure maximum steam for the
ships engines and had the ship prepared
for the survivors; including getting
blankets, food and drinks ready, and
ordering his medical crew to stand by to
receive the possibly injured survivors.
At 4 am, on reaching Titanics
position, Carpathias engines were
stopped as the crew, together with
many passengers now on deck having
been alerted both by the hustle of
preparations and the increasing cold
in their quarters, strained to see some
sign of the ship.
Suddenly, they saw a green are red
by Titanic lifeboat number two, and the
rst survivors came aboard at 4:10am.
By 8:30am the nal person to be rescued
stepped aboard Carpathia.
Now carrying double her original
complement of passengers, Carpathia
steamed slowly among wreckage and
icebergs seeking more survivors, but
none were found.
The plucky little Carpathia would
end up rescuing 710 survivors out of the
2,228 passengers.
In 1926, Rostron was decorated
with the highly distinguished Knight
Commander of the British Empire.
Though praised and decorated for his
calm and exemplary actions, Rostron
was reluctant to speak publicly about
the disaster.
Many years later he was asked how
the little ship could have been coerced
to travel at such speed, and how she
had progressed safely through ice in
the dark, the deeply religious Rostron
simply replied; A hand other than
mine was on the wheel that night.
Commodore Rostron died in 1940 and
is buried in the graveyard of West End
Church.
My family and I will look for his
grave during our visit so we too may
pay our respects to this quiet hero of the
Titanic disaster.
Based in Bacolod, Robert Harland is
the British Embassy Warden for Negros
Occidental.
How can she get
her resentful,
more senior
colleagues to
support her?
News
ManilaStandardToday
mst.daydesk@gmail.com SEPTEMBER 5, 2012 WEDNESDAY
A6
Metro ood master plan okayed

IN BRIEF
Airport janitor returns
P1.8 million in satchel
QC judge ned for delay in raps vs Mo Twister
Marikina workers told to shun use of plastics
Pipe bomb parts. A police explosives expert examines pipes, bullets , blasting caps and cell phones that may have been
used to construct a pipe bomb at the Santos Pension house in Ermita, Manila. The police are now hunting down the man
who rented the room, but left before the police could arrest him. Story in Briefs. DANNY PATA
Relief donation. Pepsi-Cola Products Philippines turned over hundreds of cases of
assorted beverages to Muntinlupa Mayor Aldrin San Pedro (4th from right) for the city
governments relief operations to ood victims in the city. Others in photo are (from
left) Pepsi executives Roy Corrales, sales manager for Muntinlupa; Ethel Gonzales, -
nance manager for Metro Sales; Lyn Udarbe, nance director for Luzon 1; Jika Dalupan,
vice president for corporate affairs and communications; Alvin Valencia, general man-
ager for Metro Sales; Domeng Almazan, vice president and senior general manager for
Luzon 1; and Rodolfo Oliquino, chief of the Tricycle Regulatory Unit of Muntinlupa.
Presidential Communications Devel-
opment Secretary Ramon Carandang said
the ood management masterplan was
given an initial allocation of P5 billion.
The masterplan is going to take a
number of years to be completed. It will
be completed in 2035. So its a multi-
year multi-agency program headed by
the Department of Public Works and
Highways, Carandang said yesterday.
Public Works chief Rogelio Singson
earlier said the initial ood management
projects will form part of a P352-billion
masterplan that was presented to the
President last month.
The high priority projects include x-
ing and raising of breached dikes in Pam-
panga, Malabon and Navotas, among
others that would take at least six months
to complete; upgrading of various pump-
ing stations in Metro Manila; and clear-
ing of waterways, especially those in the
Marikina and Pasig rivers and around
Laguna Lake.
At the same time, the Metro Manila
Development Authority will need at least
P1.9 billion just for the repair, rehabili-
tation and replacement of its 12 major
pumping stations to stop oods in the
metropolis, MMDA general manager
Corazon Jimenez told congressmen in a
budget hearing on Monday.
Our pump stations could no longer
accommodate extra volume of rainwater.
That is why we need an immediate up-
grade of our pumps, she told the Manila
Standard Today.
Some of these stations were put up in
1973 and 1983, and must be replaced be-
cause of frequent malfunctions. We need
additional new pumping stations, she
added, noting that the MMDA operates a
total of 51 pumping stations.
Jimenez said the P1.9-billion bud-
get only covers the cost of the pumping
stations and the agency will still need
P1.481 billion more for its operational
costs next year.
Meanwhile, Carandang said the fol-
lowing projects were also approved dur-
ing the NEDA board meeting:
Various bridge construction projects
in calamity-stricken areas;
Change in scope and increase in
some cost components for road improve-
ment projects in Mindanao, in particular
those in the Autonomous Region in Mus-
lim Mindanao;
Light Rail Transit-Line 2 east exten-
sion to Cainta;
Capacity extension of the Metro Rail
Transit-Line 3 to add more trains;
Bicol International Airport project in
Daraga;
Panglao Airport project in Bohol;
Strengthening of the Angat Dam and
dike project of the Metropolitan Water-
works and Sewerage System;
Request of the Power Sector Assets
and Liabilities Management Corp. for
the nancing of the Agus hydroelectric
power plant.
But the NEDA board deferred the ap-
proval of the Cavite-Laguna expressway
project as well as the acquisition of ve-
hicles for the Philippine Coast Guard.
By Joyce P. Paares and Rio N. Araja
PRESIDENT Aquino has approved nine priority
infrastructure projects, including a ood manage-
ment masterplan for Metro Manila and neighbor-
ing provinces, during Tuesdays National Econom-
ic Development Authority board meeting.
THE Supreme Court ned Quezon
City Regional Trial Court Judge San-
tiago Arenas P5,000 for the delay in
the resolution of the breach of contract
case the GMA Network led against
television host Mo Twister and the As-
sociated Broadcast Co.
The high court adopted and ap-
proved the ndings and recommen-
dations of Court Administrator Jose
Midas Marquez last Jan. 25 that Are-
nas incurred unreasonable delay in
resolving GMAs motion for volun-
tary inhibition, violating a constitu-
tional provising requiring the resolu-
tion of court motions within 90 days
from the its submission.
The publics faith and condence
in the judicial system depends largely
on the judicious and prompt disposi-
tion of cases Failure to decide on
a case or resolve a motion within the
prescribed period constitutes gross
inefciency and warrants the im-
position of administrative sanction
against the erring judge, Marquez
said in his recommendation.
The case stemmed from the com-
plaint GMA led before the high court
on July 29, 2011 accusing Arenas of
gross inefciency and undue delay in
resolving the civil case GMA Net-
work Inc. vs. Mohan Gumatay a.k.a.
Mo Twister and Associated Broadcast
Company, docketed as Q-10-67164.
GMA led the complaint against
Gumatay for breach of contract on May
25, 2010 and it was rafed to QCRTC
Branch 217. GMA sought the issuance
of a temporary restraining order and
writ of preliminary injunction to stop
Gumatays appearance on ABC5.
Gumatay had signed an exclusive
contract with GMA on May 4, 2009,
giving GMA the exclusive option to
renew the contract, but when the net-
work exercised the option, Gumatay
still accepted the offer of ABC5 to
appear on its shows.
In December 2010, Arenas denied
GMAs application for a TRO and set
a hearing for a writ of preliminary in-
junction.
According to GMA, Arenas dis-
carded GMAs position that Gumatay
had a live contract with GMA and
was entitled to a TRO and/or prelimi-
nary injunction.
In response to Arenas denial of the
TRO, GMA sought the judges volun-
tary inhibition on January 24, 2011
because the judge had purportedly pre-
judged the case on the merits.
Moreover, GMAs complaint assert-
ed that Arenas has been deliberately
sitting on its Motion for Voluntary
Inhibition for more than four months
since the ling of ABC5s Rejoinder
dated March 16, 2011. GMA also said
that Arenas gross inefciency and de-
liberate inaction caused GMA preju-
dice and irreparable injury.
By Gigi Muoz-David
MARIKINA City has ordered all its
ofcials and employees to show resi-
dents and establishments the way in
regulating the use of plastics and to-
tally banning the use of polystyrene
foam in the city.
Marikina Mayor Del de Guzman
ordered the city environmental man-
agement ofce to spearhead the im-
plementation of Executive Order 15,
which he issued last July 30, which
prohibits the use of disposables made
of plastic or polystyrene foam in all
government ofces, buildings, and fa-
cilities in Marikina City.
The regulation is an offshoot of Or-
dinance No. 18-2012, which will take
effect this November after the city gov-
ernment gave residents and establish-
ments until Sept. 30 to use up all their
remaining supplies.
People in the government must
set as good examples and stewards of
environmental protection and preser-
vation and be in the forefront in com-
bating global warming and climate
change.
Marikina employs about 2,000 peo-
ple who man local government ofces,
buildings, and facilities.
Moreover, the city has 17 public
elementary schools, 10 public high
schools, and two public colleges with
a total average enrollment of around
110,000 students and about 2,000
members of faculty and staff.
According to the waste analysis and
characterization study undertaken by
the CEMO, the estimate waste genera-
tion of all government ofces per day is
120 kilograms and in all public schools
per day is 1,049 kilograms.
If we can avoid this amount of gar-
bage collected each day, it can greatly
help our environment. Thats why we
should lead our residents and business-
men in complying with this ordinance,
De Guzman said.
Earlier, the plastics industry
scored supposed myths about pollu-
tion and claimed governmental bans
on the use of plastics is not really as
benecial as it has been made out to
be and may actually be more harmful
to the environment.
The plastic ban is ill advised and
offers no benet to the people. It is
just politically appealing. It is also
bad actually for the environment
because it results in more paper use
which requires the cutting of trees,
and the use of more water and power
for production, said industry spokes-
man Crispin Lao, a former president
of the Philippine Plastic Industry As-
sociation.
By Vito Barcelo
AN airport janitor returned P1.8
million in cash and jewelry which
was left behind by passenger at the
Ninoy Aquino International Airport
Terminal 2 Monday afternoon.
The 28-year-old janitor Ronald
Gadayan, assigned at the South Wing
of Terminal 2, returned a Burberry
satchel he found under one of the
chairs at the boarding gate.
Gadayan immediately informed
authorities about his discovery and
they tried to locate the owner of the
bag, who was identied as Francis
Lloyd Chua Ty, who left for Cebu
on board a Philippine Airlines
Flight PR849.
In the presence of other airport
ofcials,
The satchel was opened in the
presence of several airport ofcials
to inventory its contents and they
found cash of various denominations
amounting to P634,807.96 and as-
sorted jewelry and wristwatches with
an estimated value of P1.8 million.
The janitor, who hails from
Norzagaray, Bulacan, said he was
taught from childhood not to take
things that are not his.
Ang turo po ng aking magu-
lang ay huwag kunin ang bagay
na hindi sa iyo. Lumaki po akong
naghihikahos pero kailan man ay
di ko pinag-interesan ang mga
bagay na napupulot ko sa trabaho
[My parents taught me not to take
things that are not yours. I grew
up in poverty, but never did I take
interest in the things I pick up at
work], Gadayan said.
The bag was later turned over to
Chuas representative Marve Che-
rie Lyn Cruz.
Pipe bomb parts found
THE police found bomb parts in a
budget hotel in Manilas tourist district
on Tuesday, prompting tighter security
in public places and more intense street
patrols.
Police said a janitor found more than
100 rie and shotgun shells that had
been mostly emptied of their gunpow-
der, along with two metal pipes, blast-
ing caps and cellphone parts in a room
at a Manila inn where a man stayed
overnight before checking out at dawn
on Tuesday. The man left with a back-
pack and a bag.
Police Inspector Arnold Santos of
the Manila police Explosives and Ord-
nance Division said it was possible
the man may have already assembled
a bomb, prompting authorities to take
security precautions. AP
Nonagenarian murdered
A 92-YEAR-OLD US pensioner was
stabbed to death at least 30 times inside
a house she shared with her relatives
and grandchildren in Makati City.
Police said they are eyeing rob-
bery in the death of Victoria Delas
Alas-Gonzales, whose blood-soaked
body was found on her bed at around
8 pm on Monday, at her house on An-
ahaw Street in Barangay Comembo,
chief of police Senior Supt. Jaime
Santos said.
Santos said the victim has just with-
drawn her pension hours before she
was found murdered. Missing was the
widows US$400 monthly pension she
receives from the US government, but
the house had no signs of forced entry
or struggle.
The victim had 32 stab wounds in
the chest and neck. All the members of
the household will be investigated, San-
tos said. Ferdinand Fabella
QC lot offered to Senate
THE Quezon City council on Tuesday
offered an idle three-hectare property
of the Government Service Insurance
System at Philcoa to be the home of the
Senate of the Philippines.
Mayor Herbert Bautista said the
29,567-square meter property at the
corner of Commonwealth Avenue and
Elliptical Road in the Philcoa area in
Diliman is suitable for a Senate build-
ing since the area is considered as an
institutional zone and is quite close to
the House of Representatives.
Earlier, Senator Franklin Drilon was
authorized by Enrile to explore the pos-
sibility of building the Senates own
building at the University of the Philip-
pines campus in Diliman to serve as its
permanent home. Rio N. Araja
A7 Sports Riera U. Mallari, Editor
ManilaStandardToday
sports_mstandard@yahoo.com
The man now hoping to pump up
the volume at the US Open: Andy
Roddick.
One loss from retirement, No. 20
seed Roddick plays his fourth-round
match against No. 7 seed Juan Martin
del Potro on Tuesday night, in search
of the rst big-time upset in a mens
draw that has mostly gone to form
and very quietly at that.
Third-seeded Murray defeated No.
15 Milos Raonic of Canada 6-4, 6-4,
6-2 to wrap up play Mondaya day
that included a walkover for No. 1
Roger Federer, who advanced when
Mardy Fish withdrew because of
health reasons.
Today was by far my best match
of the tournament, said Murray, who
beat Federer to win the Olympic gold
Top 2YO thoroughbreds
No drama for Murray
NEW YORKRefusing to allow his opponent
even a glimmer of hope under the lights, Andy
Murray wrapped up a straight-set win on a drama-
free evening inside Arthur Ashe Stadium.
IN BRIEF
PBA scribes fete Gilas five
THE PHILIPPINE Basketball Associa-
tion Press Corps will honor the Smart
Gilas-Pilipinas Five, which deed the
odds to win the 34th William Jones Cup
in Taipei two weeks ago.
Led by tournament most valuable play-
er LA Tenorio and mercurial coach Chot
Reyes, the Filipinos dropped just one of
eight games, claiming the title for the
fourth time for the Philippines after a 76-
75 edging of the United States.
Team members will share the stage
with the Press Corps major awardees for
the 2011-2012 PBA Season, including
Gary David, whose extra-ordinary offen-
sive year makes him the rst recipient of
the Scoring Champ award.
Smart/PLDT will be the main presen-
tor of the affair slated to start at 7 p.m. on
Sept. 10, at Kamayan EDSA.
Other backers of the event include Air21,
Petron Blaze, B-MEG, Barangay Ginebra,
AKTV, Cinnabon, Meralco, Talk N Text,
Alaska, Rain or Shine, Barako Bull, Global
Port, the management rms of Danny Es-
piritu, Charlie Dy and Matthew Manotoc-
Marvin Espiritu and the PBA.
The Coach of the Year and Executive
of the Year awards will also be handed
out, together with the Mr. Quality Min-
utes, the All-Rookie Team, the Defensive
Player of the Year and the Comeback
Player of the Year citations.
PBAPC president Musong Castillo of
the Philippine Daily Inquirer is inviting
all members, past presidents and PBA
personalities to attend.
THE Sept. 4 trial results of the Philip-
pine Charity Sweepstakes Ofce Spe-
cial Maiden Race for this month are
in, and it looks like Gees for Victory
is looking mighty able.
The Eduardo Gonzalez-owned lly
ridden by hotshot jockey Jonathan
Hernandez bested ten other fellow ju-
veniles. She ran off the pace and won
by a length over Altas Finest, a colt.
Another lly, Gold on Fire, placed
third, followed by Right Direction, a
colt, in fourth.
The quarters were 12-25-25-29
for a total 1:30.4 over 1,400 meters at
the San Lazaro Leisure Park.
The actual race will be held at
SLLP on Sept. 22. With these re-
sults, punters have a pretty good
idea of what the sales trend will look
like on that day, and handicap their
choices accordingly.
There is a saying in racing, though,
that goes, Apat ang paa nilang lahat,
(They each have four legs) meaning
anything can happen in any race, es-
pecially in one involving elite 2YO
such as these.
* * *
The other major races set for Sep-
tember are sponsored by the Philip-
pine Racing Commission and will be
held at Santa Ana Park: 3rd leg Juve-
nile Fillies, Sept. 15, and the 3rd leg
Juvenile Colts, Sept. 16, both 1,500
meters; and Opal Stakes (5th leg Im-
port/Local Challenge series), Sept. 30,
2,000 meters.
This is a great kick-off to the
ber season that features the big
racing festivals of the horseown-
ers organizations Klub Don Juan
de Manila (October at SLLP), and
MARHO and Philtobo (November
and December at Santa Ana Park
respectively).
Everyone is looking forward to the
PCSO 40th Presidential Gold Cup on
Dengue run offers discounts
THE 2012 Run Against Dengue, pre-
sented by Tempra, slated on Sept. 23 at
the Roxas Blvd. in Manila, is offering
discounts to corporate accounts and even
student runners.
This was revealed by Invida-Tempra
Sales and Marketing Manager Eric Pablo
Ma. Lejano at the Philippine Sports-
writers Association Forum Tuesday at
Shakeys Malate, where he was joined
by his senior brand manager Cleo Roda
C. Nodado, race manager John Henri
Mariano and Manila Sports Council
Chairman Paul Edward Almario.
Corporate accounts may avail of as much
as P100 discount on the already low rates
of P500 for 10k, P450 for 5k and P400 for
3k runs. Students can avail of the P150 rate
in the 3k run (without singlet).
Registration is now ongoing at Tobys
branches at the SM Mall of Asia, SM
Manila and SM San Lazaro, and at the
MASCO ofce, Manila City Hall. Inter-
ested participants may also call Subterra-
nean Ideas at 504-5990 (landline), 0916-
2246221 (Globe), 0923-3323737 (Sun)
or 0928-2618028 (Smart). Online listup
is also accepted at siguecorrer.com.
The advocacy run is also backed by The
Generics Pharmacy, Guard Insect Repel-
lent, Ascorbic Acid Ceetrus, Goldlife,
Maynilad, French Baker, Philippine Sports
Commission, Tune Hotels, Jansport, NGO
partner Happy Homes and media partners
TalkTV, Business Mirror, Health and Fit-
ness Magazine, Takbo.ph, siguecorrer.
com, DZRHs MBC Sports Center, Sports
Radio and sportsmanila.net.
We not only promote wellness with
the running part, we also create aware-
ness in the ght against the deadly disease
and how dengue can be prevented, said
Lejano at the Forum presented by Smart,
the Philippine Amusement and Gaming
Corporation, and Shakeys. We are here
to support the run because it is for a very
good cause.
For more information about the run, like
its facebook account at 2012 Run Against
Dengue.
JENNY
ORTUOSTE
THE HOARSE WHISPERER
THE Philippine Memory team will
attend the opening ceremonies of the
Philippine State College of Aeronau-
tics Intercolor games today at 8 a.m.
Malaking inspirasyon sa mga
atleta at estudyante ng PHILSCA
ang pagdating ng mga miyembro ng
Philippine Memory team na nagbi-
gay ng karangalan sa ating bansa sa
nakaraang World Memory Olym-
pic Championships sa Guangzhou,
China kung saan ay nakuha natin
ang overall second place sa team
competition at sa fth Thailand In-
ternational Memory Championships
sa Bangkok, Thailand na nakuha
naman natin ang 10 gold medals,
said Gigi Abalos-Manaog, chief or-
ganizer of the event.
The PHILSCA three-day Inter-
color games with this years theme
Building a Legacy in Aero Space
will open at the Villamor Air Base
in Pasay City, with PHILSCA Pres-
ident Dr. Bernard R. Ramirez, Dr.
Gemma Capacia, Ricardo Santia-
go, Zoilo Manalo, Abalos-Manaog
and engineer Carmelita Arbozo
gracing the event, along with rst
lipino Grandmaster of Memory
Mark Anthony Castaneda of Rizal
Technological University, Roberto
Racasa of Polytecnic University
of the Philippines and Axelyancy
Cowann Tabernilla of Lyceum of
the Philippines.
PHILSCA athletes from the de-
partments of Aero, AT, ATC, AMT,
AET, ICS, ILAS, NSTP and ROTC
will compete in basketball, volley-
ball, badminton, arnis, sepak takraw,
taekwondo, chess, table tennis,
cheerdance, dodgeball, tug of war,
shower ball and patintero, among
others. Organizers will also hold the
search for Mr. and Ms. PHILSCA.
The Philippine Charity Sweep-
stake Ofce-Mandaluyong-Bagong
Henerasyon Philippine Memory
Team will get to test their mettle
against the worlds best in the 21st
World Olympic Memory Champion-
ships on Dec. 14, 15 and 16 at the
Lilian Baylis Technology School,
323 Kennington Lane in London,
United Kingdom.
PH Memory Team inspires Philsca athletes
medal earlier this summer but is still
in search of his rst Grand Slam title.
Hopefully, I can get some good rest
tonight and tomorrow, get ready for the
quarternals, you know, get pumped.
Because youre only a few sets from
maybe competing for a Grand Slam
nal and you need to get ready for it.
Defending champion and No. 2 seed
Novak Djokovic also plays his fourth-
round match Tuesday, against No. 18
Stanislas Wawrinka. Through Monday,
the top three men have lost a grand to-
tal of one set. Murrays four-set win
over Feliciano Lopez in the third round
has been the only match to include so
much as a tiebreaker.
Djokovic has gone the last two
matches without facing a single break
point. Against big-serving Raonic,
Murray got halfway to matching that,
serving 14 games without ever fac-
ing a loss. Meanwhile, he used his
good return game to take away his
opponents biggest weapona serve
that maxed out at 140 mph. Raonic
nished with 14 aces, but also six
double-faults and never found an an-
swer for Murrays serve.
Not much I could do, Raonic said.
I tried everything. I tried three differ-
ent ways. I tried playing back, playing
high to him. I tried coming in a lot. Ev-
erything really. AP
Agojo seeks HK title repeat
JAYVIE Agojo hopes to ride the momen-
tum of her thrilling Santi Cup victory last
week as she opens defense of her crown
in the Hong Kong Ladies Open Amateur
and Mid-Amateur Golf Championships
beginning today at the Discovery Bay
Golf Club.
Agojo fought back from two strokes
down then nipped Malaysia Kelly Tan in
the countback to bag the individual crown
in the ladies side of the Southeast Asian
Amateur Golf Championships in Indone-
sia, further boosting her condence head-
ing to this weeks 54-hole tournament
featuring the leading and rising players in
the region.
But the 26-year-old former Philippine
Ladies Open champion expects a tough
outing right in the opening round as she
draws fellow Team ICTSI-Philippines
spearhead Princess Superal and local bets
Lee Ching Nam in the 7:40 a.m. ight.
DE La Salle University-Dasmarias con-
tinued its winning streak in the womens
division of the Sandugo-Collegiate Athletic
League, posting its fth straight victory by
beating University of Sto. Tomas anew, 72-
56, to remain the only unbeaten team in the
division.
Adamson University picked up its fourth
win against two losses when it preyed on
a hapless Don Bosco Technical College,
76-42, and remained in second place, while
idle College of St. Benilde is in third with
its 3-1 record.
UST, with a game to go, is at 2-6, but
has better chances of advancing to the next
round as cellar-dweller DBTC has yet to
win after six games.
In the mens division of the league also
supported by the Philippine Sports Commis-
sioner Akiko Guevarra, PC Gilmore, Phiten,
Gatorade, Uratex, Platinum Fitness, and Pri-
movit Multi-vitamins, Informatics-A had an
easy 94-70 win over DBTC for its fth win
against a single loss to remain in second place
behind idle CSB which has a 5-0 record.
At third is Trinity University of Asia at 4-2,
followed by Colegio de San Lorenzo, which
nished the elimination round with a 4-3 re-
cord. Emilio Aguinaldo College is at 3-2.
The rest of the teams are University of
Asia and the Pacic (1-4), DBTC (1-5) and
Informatics-B (0-6).
League organizers LAN Sports and
Events Inc., meanwhile, is holding an orga-
nizational meeting for the proposed boys
high school division on Sept. 6 at the Metro
Club in Makati, with the junior division
conference tentatively set to start Nov. 11.
La Salle-Dasma
posts 5
th
victory
Dec. 9 at Santa Ana Park, which could
quite possibly see the long-awaited
face-off between local track idol and
2012 Triple Crown slammer Hagdang
Bato versus island-born champion
Magna Carta.
* * *
Happy birthday (Sept. 3) to an el-
der statesman of racing, Mr. Aristeo
G. Puyat.
Known in the industry and to
friends as Putch, he has been a
horseowner and breeder for sev-
eral decades and has seen countless
champions run to victory on the
track, quite a few of them bred on
his Paris Match Farm.
During his term as president of
MARHO (Metropolitan Association
of Race Horse Owners), he, along
with MARHO chairman Mayor
Leonardo Sandy M. Javier Jr., es-
tablished the San Miguel Beer-MAR-
HO Cup Championships in 1996.
Now on its 17th year, it is the
longest-running horseowner-staged
event and the one with the biggest
races and fattest purses.
To this day Mr. Puyat is still with
MARHO as president emeritus and
is often asked for advice on industry
matters. He always emphasizes strat-
egy and direction as well as better
marketing as being among the ways
to industry growth.
From his message in last years
MARHO Cup souvenir program:
While we honor the champions
and accomplishments of the past,
we also need to se the directions for
where we want the sport to go, and
evolve plans and solutions on how to
get thereThe industry has tremen-
dous growth potentials that remain
untapped. While forward strides are
being made, together we can do so
much more.
Happy, happy birthday, dear Tito
Putch!
* * *
Email: jennyo@live.com, Blog:
http://jennyo.net, Facebook: Gogirl
Racing, Twitter: @jennyortuoste, In-
stagram: @jensdecember
HOST Lyceum University of the Phil-
ippines-Batangas started on the right
foot with back-to-back wins in the 14th
National Collegiate Athletic Association
South basketball tournament held recent-
ly at the Lyceum International Maritime
Sports Center in Batangas City.
The Lyceum Batangas Pirates
clipped the La Salle-Lipa Green Chev-
rons, 69-66, then followed it up with a
58-53 triumph of the San Beda College
Alabang Red Lions to share the early
lead with University of Batangas.
Armed with a relentless pressing
defense, the Bhramans routed the Ala-
bang Red Lions, 95-65, then subdued
the Don Bosco-Mandaluyong Grey
Wolves 98-82 to serve notice of their
serious championship aspirations.
First Asia Institute of Technology
and Humanities dumped Philippine
Christian University, 94-79, while de-
fending champion University of Per-
petual Help-Laguna opened its title-
retention bid with a lopsided 67-49
triumph over Colegio de San Juan de
Letran-Calamba.
In juniors action, the ve-time de-
fending champion Alabang Red Cubs
crushed the Baby Pirates, 112-22; the
Junior Bravehearts topped the Baby
Dolphins, 66-50; and the Baby Saints
whipped the Letran-Calamba Squires,
92-59.
In volleyball, FAITH swept its
mens and womens matches against
University of Batangas.
The Bravehearts subdued the Bh-
ramans, 25-23, 25-17, 25-20, while
their female teammates struggled past
their foes, 25-21, 26-24, 29-25.
La Salle-Lipa was extended to ve
sets by Letran-Calamba before nally
prevailing, 25-21, 25-19, 23-25, 23-
25, 15-10 while Lyceum-Batangas
beat PCU-Dasmarias, 25-16, 25-20,
25-13, in other mens matches.
The La Salle-Lipa volleybelles
topped Letran-Calamba, 25-12, 12-
25, 25-10, 28-26,
Pirates score
double win
Bowling Hall of Famer Olivia Bong Coo and Philippine State
College of Aeronautics president Dr. Bernard R. Ramirez
THE transfer of the National
Collegiate Athletic Associa-
tion basketball coverage to
AKTV IBC 13, coupled with
its primetime telecast, is
reaping dividends, according
to gures based on Nielsen
TV Audience Measurement.
AKTV claims that the
NCAA, which is now on its
88th season and is the oldest
collegiate league in the coun-
try, has garnered a 13 percent
lead over the University Ath-
letic Association of the Phil-
ippines in terms of absolute
numbers of viewers in the
overall national urban scale.
In data covering the pe-
riod June 23 to Aug. 18, the
NCAA coverage generated
a an average viewership of
almost 200,000 in its prime-
time slot from 4 to 8 p.m.
AKTV reported that in
Mega Manila alone, the
NCAA obtained a huge 56
percent lead with an average
of 120,000 viewers against the
77,000 average of the UAAP.
It pointed to the exciting
game between the San Beda
Red Lions and the Univer-
sity of Perpetual Help Altas,
which attracted 374,296 view-
ers in a game that went into
overtime where University
of Perpetual Help stunned the
heavily favored Lions in the
process ending a seven-year
drought beginning since 2005.
Ratings for the opening
day game between the Le-
tran Knights and the San
Sebastian Stags also regis-
tered a high 297, 460.
Ronnie Nathanielsz
AKTV
gaining
ground
Proponents of the 2012 Run Against Dengue, presented by Tempra, on Sept. 23 at the
Roxas Blvd., Manila display their race singlet at the PSA Forum, Shakeys Malate. They are
(from left) Invida-Tempra Sales and Marketing Manager Eric Pablo Ma. Lejano, Manila
Sports Council Chairman Paul Edward Almario, Tempra senior brand manager Cleo Roda C.
Nodado and race manager John Henri Mariano. LINO SANTOS
Sports
SEPTEMBER 5, 2012
Manila Standard TODAY
WEDNESDAY
A8
Tuason repeats title run at Formula Cadet run
PROVING that his rst Asian win
was no uke, Arthur AT Tuason
of the TRS-Castrol Racing Kids
Team showed a marked improve-
ment by sweeping the Pre-Final and
Final races anew to capture his sec-
ond straight Formula Cadet Expert
crown in the 2012 Asian Karting
Open Championship recently at the
Carmona Racetrack.
The 12-year-old Tuason not only
displayed consistent driving skills
and a erce ghting heart, he also im-
pressed the crowd with his the never-
surrender spirit.
His feat delivered the lone cham-
pion trophy for the TRS-Castrol Rac-
ing Kids Team powered by Castrol,
Bridgestone, Standard Insurance, C!
Magazine, OMP, Coke Zero, Oakley,
Aguila and Toptul.
His teammate Wils Casequin
bagged second runner-up honors in
same class, while Flynn Jackes ended
fth in the Mini-ROK division.
Finishing third in the qualifying heat,
Tuason showed better competitive form
as he quickly grabbed the pole upon
green light and controlled the top spot
nearly all the way to rule the Pre-Final
heat, tagging along Casequin, who also
unveiled a better show to secure a 1-2
nish for the team.
Dylan Arambulo, who took third
place in the Pre-Finals just 1.408 sec-
onds behind, put up a tougher ght in
the Finals as he diced with Tuason for
the lead several times and got the top
spot with six laps to go.
Arambulo appeared headed to victo-
ry as he gained distance from his rivals,
but Tuason found a renewed energy to
catch up with the former and fought
neck-and-neck in the dying laps.
The crowd went speechless as Tua-
son pulled off a risky but decisive
maneuver on Arambulo at the curve
to regain the top spot on the nal lap
and closed all passing doors from the
latter to seal a close triumph.
Tuason completed the 15-lap nal
race in 14 minutes and 58.924 seconds,
barely escaping by just 0.115 of a sec-
ond over runner-up Arambulo. Case-
quins third-place feat marked his best
performance so far this season.
For more info about the TRS-Cas-
trol Racing Kids, interested parties
may email www.tuasonracing.com or
info@tuasonracing.com, or visit Tua-
son Racing School fanpage on face-
book or call the TRS secretariat, c/o
Aileen Urgelles or John at 820-4203.
Pacquiao among Top 5 ghters of all time
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
EVEN as Fighter of the De-
cade Manny Pacquiao still
hasnt picked his opponent for a
planned Dec. 8 ght, renowned
boxing and pool emcee John Mc-
Donald has ranked the Filipino
icon as one of the ve top ght-
ers of all time.
Pacquiaos adviser Michael
Koncz told the Manila Standard
on Tuesday no decision has yet
been made, but he expects one
in a day or two, adding that he is
working on a couple of things.
The options have been nar-
rowed down to a rematch with
Timothy Bradley, who grabbed
Pacquiaos World Boxing Orga-
nization welterweight title in a
roundly condemned split decision,
and a fourth ght with Mexican
legend Juan Manuel Marquez.
As a ghter, Pacquiao is cer-
tainly among the top ve ght-
ers in the world and thats a good
club to try and get into, said
McDonald, who is emceeing
the World Cup of Pool, which
opened Tuesday in Manila.
While conceding that the word
legend is sometimes used a
bit too frequently, McDonald
referred to Pacquiao as a leg-
end, who had earned his spurs.
I could sit in Manila quite
condently and say Manny Pac-
quiao is among the top 5 ghters
in history, he said.
Stressing that he believes nobody
has a right to tell Pacquiao what to
do, McDonald said: If Pacquiao is
happy to continue ghting, if hes
medically sound to continue, if he
wants to continue there should be
no reason why he shouldnt. If Pac-
quiao is a little bit tired and could
do with a break, nobody should be-
grudge him that.
McDonald pointed out that as
one grows older, it becomes harder
and the same is true for Pacquiao.
While the youngsters of today
wont appreciate that, there will
come a time when they cant quite
y up the stairs as they think they
can and it happens to a ghter, too,
although the older they get, the
more mature they get.
sports@manilastandardtoday.com sports_mstandard@yahoo.com Riera U. Mallari, Editor
PH stuns
Bulgaria in
Olympiad
RISING SUNS WIN
Saludar faces Mexican at card honoring late boxer
THE memory of the late promising boxer Karlo
Maquinto will be remembered in the coming ght
promotion Kamao: Kidlat at Maso.
Unbeaten Froilan The Sniper Saludar takes on
Mexican Jose Alfredo Tirado in the main bout of
the Sept. 21 ring card at the Astrodome, promoted
by the Shape Up boxing gym, the Baguio-based
boxing stable, where Maquinto belonged prior to
his untimely death last February.
The 21-year-old Maquinto collapsed after his last
ght against Marc Joseph Costa last Jan. 28 in Ka-
lookan City after suffering from what doctors called
as subdural hematoma. He fell into a coma and
died ve days later. A native of Lambunao, Iloilo,
Maquinto had a record of 8-0, with 6 KOs.
Karlo is well known in Baguio, mahal na ma-
hal siya ng mga tao doon. Kaya this is our way of
paying homage to him and ghters just like him,
whose careers were snuffed out too soon, said
Shape Up boxing gym owner Anson Co Tiu, who
became emotional as he remembered the fallen
boxer, who used to be close to him during Ma-
quintos stay in the countrys Summer Capital.
Tiu was at the Philippine Sportswriters Associa-
tion Forum Tuesday at Shakeys Malate, joined by
Saludar, Mark Jason Melligen, Jerwin Ancajas,
Joven Jimenez, promoter Sammy Gello-ani, and
Games Amusements Board chairman Juan Ramon
Guanzon, and boxing division chief Dr. Nasser Cruz.
World Boxing Organization executive Leon
Panoncillo also attended the public sports program
presented by Smart, the Philippine Amusements
and Gaming Corporation, and Shakeys, as the
WBO Interim Oriental yweight title will be at
stake in the 12-round ght.
Saludar, holder of 15-0 record with 11 KOs,
vows to beat Tirado (27-11, 19 KOs) in honor of
Maquinto.
PBA seeks
banner year
LOTTO RESULTS
6/49 000000000000
6/42 000000000000
6 DIGITS 000000000000
3 DIGITS 000000
2 EZ2 0000
P0.0M+
P0.0M+
League commissioner Chito
Salud singled out both franchis-
es as possible contenders capa-
ble of giving the regular PBA
top guns a run for their money
in the coming new season.
The Elasto Painters already
proved their worth in the last
Governors Cup when they
stunned favorite B-MEG Lla-
mados (now San Mig Coffee)
in the deciding Game 7 of
the Finals to win their break-
through championship.
Meanwhile, the Batang Pier
of team owner Mikee Romero
are expected to pick up from
where their predecessorsthe
Powerade Tigersleft off as
they continue to build their
roster this off-season follow-
ing the acquisition of two-time
Most Valuable Player Willie
Miller to team up with scoring
champion Gary David.
Global Port and Rain or
Shine, these are competitive
teams. They have good rosters,
and our fans want good teams
to be able to challenge peren-
nial favorite in San Miguel,
B-MEG, and Talk `N Text,
said Salud, who was the main
special guest in Tuesdays
session of the Philippine
Sportswriters Assciation Fo-
rum at Shakeys Malate.
At the same time, the
commissioner said the re-
cent off-season, four-team
trade involving Miller, so-
phomore star JV Casio, and
ace playmaker LA Tenorio,
would somehow help further
achieve parity in Asias pio-
neering pro league.
Balance competition after
all, has been one of the major
reasons for the PBAs contin-
ued success the past few sea-
sons, including last year when
it achieved a record gross sales
of more than P100 million.
The new trade that has been
approved, I sincerely believe,
would strengthen the overall
competitiveness balance of
the league, and in terms of cre-
dentials and lineup, it would
be more exciting for the PBA
and the fans, stressed Salud
in the session presented by
Smart, Shakeys, and the
Philippine Amusement and
Gaming Corporation.
THE successful title quest of underdog team Rain or
Shine and the entry of a new team in Global Port are
expected to rm up competition and make the games
more exciting when the 38
th
season of the Philippine
Basketball Association kicks off beginning Sept. 30.
GRANDMASTER Oliver Barbosa
delivered the clincher as the 35th-
seed Philippines nipped 10th-seed
Bulgaria, 2.5-1.5, in one of the big-
gest upsets in the sixth round of the
40th World Chess Olympiad at the
WOW Convention Center in Istan-
bul, Turkey, early Tuesday morning.
Handling the black pieces on
board 2 against GM Kiril Georgiev
(2682), Barbosa, who holds an Elo
rating of 2554, was scrambling with
his two rooks and knight against
Georgievs queen and bishop when
the latter made a blunder on his 57th
move in their Slav encounter. A
couple of moves later, Georgiev re-
signed, with Barbosa set to take his
queen after a discover check.
The victory wouldnt have been
possible without the valiant stand
of GMs Wesley So (2652), Eugene
Torre (2469) and Mark Paragua
(2508), who drew their respective
matches against higher- rated players.
So split the point with GM
Veselin Topalov (2572) on board
1 after 48 moves of Nimzo-Indian
Defense; Torre agreed to a draw
opposite GM Ivan Cheparinov
(2681) on board 3 after 47 moves
of Pirc Defense; and Paragua
halved the point with GM Alexan-
der Delchev (2596) on board 4 af-
ter 32 moves of Sicilian Defense,
Rossolimo variation.
CAGAYAN Valley-Perpetual Help neutralized
Armys vaunted repower with a solid net
defense while Thai reinforcements Kunbang
Pornpimol and Sutadta Chuewulim stepped
up to power the Rising Suns to a 23-25,
25-22, 25-18, 25-17 victory over the Lady
Troopers in the Shakeys V-League Open at
the Ninoy Aquino Stadium yesterday. The
win gave the streaking Cagayan side a share
of second with its victim at 6-2.
DEFENDING champions Ralf
Souquet and Thorsten Hohmann
of Germany got off to a blazing
start to advance into the second
round of the 2012 PartyPoker.
net World Cup of Pool at Rob-
insons Place, Manila with an 8-1
whipping of the Serbian duo of
Andrea Klasovic and Zoran Svi-
lar on Tuesday.
On the eve of their match, Sou-
quet fell ill with food poisoning
and had to be given intravenous
drips and medical treatment.
But that didnt faze the Ger-
man stalwart, who belongs to
the group of younger players
who believe in working out in
the gym to stay in shape and it
proved helpful as Souquet and
Hohmann won handily, although
the Serbs had their chances but
were unable to convert them.
In a post-match interview,
former World Pool Champion
Hohmann paid tribute to his
partner. I think Ralf played
great. I made a few more deci-
sion making mistakes than him.
The big factor was the break.
We still havent gured it out,
but we got lucky because when
we left it open, they missed a few
times or they didnt have a shot
and had to play safe or kick. Then
they would leave it open and of
course once its open, its easy for
us. Ronnie Nathanielsz
Champs
in blazing
pool start
Filipino boxers Froilan Sniper Saludar, WBO Youth flyweight
champion Mark Jason Melligen and Jerwin Jimez (center) join
officials of the Games and Amusement Board, WBO Asia promoter
Sammy Gello-ani and Shape Up Boxing gym owner Anson Co Tiu
(second from left) to promote their coming fights yesterday at the
PSA Forum in Shakeys Malate.
AT Tuason (left) bagged a second straight AKOC Formula
Cadet Expert plum, while Wils Casequin delivered his best
performance by far after clinching third place
Armys Rachel Anne Daquis (13) and Joanne Bunag combine forces to thwart a kill by Cagayan-Perpetual Helps Joy Cases
in a Shakeys V-League Open Conference game won by the Rising Suns, 23-25, 25-22, 25-18, 25-17, at the Ninoy Aquino
Stadium in Manila. EY ACASIO
Salud
Business
B1
Ray S. Eano, Editor extrastory2000@gmail.com
Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor
IN BRIEF
PSE COMPOSITE INDEX
Closing September 4, 2012
OIL
PRICES
TODAY
P584-P695
LPG/11-kg tank
P47.15-P53.07
Unleaded Gasoline
P38.40-P41.05
Diesel
P40.30-P52.20
Kerosene
P27.20-P31.00
Auto LPG
FOREI GN EXCHANGE RATE
Currency Unit US Dollar Peso
United States Dollar 1.000000 42.0270
Japan Yen 0.012778 0.5370
UK Pound 1.589300 66.7935
Hong Kong Dollar 0.128931 5.4186
Switzerland Franc 1.049098 44.0904
Canada Dollar 1.014405 42.6324
Singapore Dollar 0.803342 33.7621
Australia Dollar 1.023541 43.0164
Bahrain Dinar 2.652661 111.4834
Saudi Arabia Rial 0.266667 11.2072
Brunei Dollar 0.800128 33.6270
Indonesia Rupiah 0.000105 0.0044
Thailand Baht 0.032031 1.3462
UAE Dirham 0.272264 11.4424
Euro Euro 1.259600 52.9372
Korea Won 0.000884 0.0372
China Yuan 0.157711 6.6281
India Rupee 0.018008 0.7568
Malaysia Ringgit 0.321440 13.5092
NewZealand Dollar 0.797321 33.5090
Taiwan Dollar 0.033514 1.4085
Source: PDS Bridge
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
PESO-DOLLAR RATE
40
42
44
46
48
P41.905
CLOSE
Closing SEPTEMBER 4, 2012
5,175.87
43.21
VOLUME 735.300M
HIGH P41.840 LOW P41.920 AVERAGE P41.884
5200
4460
3720
2980
2240
1500
1200
Neda okays P67.3-b projects
PLDT explores sale
of outsourcing unit
Apec nance ministers meet. Finance ministers from the member-economies of the Asia-
Pacic Economic Cooperation, including the Philippines Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima (fourth from
right, second row) pose for a posterity photo at the 19th nance ministers meeting in Moscow, Russia.
The meeting that concluded last week focused on advancing policies to make the nancial sector more
balanced and inclusive in the Asia-Pacic region, particularly in public nance governance, to mitigate
immediate global and regional challenges. The results of the meeting will be reviewed at the Apec
economic leaders meeting on Sept. 8 to 9 in Vladivostok, Russia that will be attended by President
Benigno Aquino III.
By Lailany P. Gomez
PHILIPPINE Long Distance Telephone Co. admitted
Tuesday it is exploring the possibility of selling
SPi Global Holdings Inc., its outsourcing unit,
which employs more than 18,000 employees in six
countries.
The telecom giant, controlled by the group of
businessman Manuel Pangilinan, however, said it
had not reached any decision yet with respect to
disposing SPi.
SPi is considered the largest Filipino-owned
business process
o u t s o u r c i n g
company in the
world.
It has more than
18,000 employees
working in six
countries, including
the Philippines,
India, Vietnam,
Australia, the
Netherlands and the
United States.
As part of its
continual strategic
review of its
portfolio, PLDT
regularly evaluates and explores potential options
with regard to acquisitions and divestitures of specic
subsidiaries and business units including SPi, PLDT
said in a disclosure to the stock exchange.
However at this time, no decision has been made
with regard to any sale or other disposition of SPi,
it added.
Bloomberg reported earlier PLDT was seeking
buyers for SPi and had mandated UBS as the sell-
side adviser.
However, PLDT said its management along
with SPi ofcers remain focused on continuing the
strong performance of the outsourcing business and
investing to support its ambitious business plan.
PLDT remains very condent in the long-term
prospects of SPi given the strength of the business
model and management team and believes it is
well positioned to capitalize on signicant market
opportunities for further growth, it added.
PLDT set up ePLDT which had call center and
data center operations in the early 2000s. The groups
outsourcing business was later consolidated under
SPi Global which posted gains in the past two years
and accounted for 5 percent of the PLDT groups
total revenues.

Smart is market leader
in Mindanao
THE prepaid brands of
wireless leader Smart
C o mmu n i c a t i o n s ,
Inc. (Smart) are now
the preferred mobile
services of subscribers
in Mindanao, according
to MillwardBrowns Q2
Brand Monitor research.
Led by its mass market
brand Talk N Text,
Smart provides mobile
services to 56% of the
predominantly prepaid
Mindanao market, as
of end-June 2012. Talk
N Text has over fve
million subscribers
in Mindanao, or a
commanding 33%
market share, according
to the same report.
Smart considers
the Mindanao market
key to its strategy of
maintaining market
leadership.
Serving subscribers
in Mindanao and
enabling them to beneft
from all the services
enjoyed by the rest of
the country have always
been a priority for us
in Smart, said Noel
C. Lorenzana, head
of Smarts Wireless
Consumer Division.
We have designed
our services, Talk N
Text, in particular, to
be relevant to the needs
of our subscribers
in Mindanao, and
calibrated our network
so that connectivity is
present where it matters
most, particularly to the
most remote barangays
and municipalities
of Mindanao, added
Lorenzana.
Additionally, Talk
N Text is on track to
maintain, if not exceed,
this level of growth and
proftability Ior the rest
of the year, according to
Lorenzana.
The brand achieved
this stellar performance
primarily because of
its clear positioning
as a value brand for
the mass market and
community segments,
and the healthy take-up
of services precisely
designed to address the
unique preferences of
subscribers on a per-
region basis, added
Lorenzana.
In Mindanao, among
these best-selling,
sachet load services
are the UnliText and
Text2All usage buckets,
and its denominations at
various price points.
Usage of these offers
has driven the overall
frst-halI revenues and
wallet-share of Talk N
Text to increase year-
over-year and quarter-
on-quarter.
Also contributing
to its performance
are new approaches
to market, including
youth marketing, with
programs such as TV
Juan, a series of acting,
directing, photography,
and singing workshops
provided for free to
students. The brand has
also started tapping in
the digital and social
networking space via its
Talk N Text YouTube
channel and Facebook
page.
With the right
programs in place, Talk
N Text is expected
to become the fastest
growing prepaid brand
in the industry. The
brand is also set to
expand its footprint
as Smarts network
continues to expand and
cover over 99% of the
countrys population.
By Maria Bernadette Lunas
THE National Economic and
Development Authority board on Tuesday
approved 11 major projects with a
combined cost of P67.3 billion, including
the extension of Light Rail Transit Line 1
and expansion of Metro Rail Transit 3.
The amount would actually
balloon to more than P400
billion, if the whole P351-billion
cost of the ood management
master plan for Metro Manila
and surrounding areas from 2012
to 2035 would be included.
Neda approved a P5-billion
budget for the anti-ood project
in 2012 and 2013, which would
involved the improvement of
various oodway/drainage systems
and rivers in Metro Manila, Central
Luzon and Calabarzon.
Also cleared for implementa-
tion are two rail projects, two
airports, a dike rehabilitation,
national bridge construction and
Mindanao roads improvement.
However, it deferred the
approval of the Cavite-Laguna
expressway project as well as
the acquisition of vehicles for the
Philippine Coast Guard.
The Neda board approved
the MRT 3 capacity extension
project, with an initial cost at
P8.6 billion. Under the project,
52 additional train cars will be
bought for the expansion of the
railway system which runs from
North Avenue in Quezon City to
Taft Avenue in Pasay.
This will enable the operation
of the MRT 3 system at a four-car
train conguration, Neda board
vice chairman Arsenio Balisacan
said. The MRT Line 3 expansion
project is expected to be nished
by 2019.
The board also approved the
P9.76 billion Light Rail Transit
Line 2 east extension project, with
project duration of 2012 to 2016.
The project aims to construct a
4.19-kilometer extension from
the existing Santolan Station to
Masinag Junction.
Neda also cleared the
strengthening of Angat Dam and
dike project with a P5.72-billion
budget. The project includes the
rehabilitation of the 44-year-old
Angat Dam and embankment
structures. The dam provides 97
percent of water requirements of
Metro Manila and generates 246
megawatts of power.
Also included in the list of
recently approved projects are the
P4.8-billion Bicol international
airport and the P7.4-billion
Panglao airport development
project, which both involve the
construction and development of
new airport facilities.
Neda also allowed a budget
of P6.12 billion for Bridge
Construction Acceleration
project Phase II for calamity-
stricken areas; P8.4-billion
for National Roads Bridge
Replacement project; P4.97
billion for Restructuring of
the Bridge Construction and
Replacement project; and the
P3.91 billion for Mindanao
Roads Improvement project.
In addition are the P5.72- billion
Strengthening of Angat Dam and
Dike project; and the PSALMs
request for nancing Agus VI
hydroelectric power plant (Units 1
and 2) uprating project, with initial
approved cost of P2.6 billion.
With Joyce Pangco Paares
Dont fear mining
TOLEDO City Mayor Aurelio
Espinosa urged stakeholders in
South Cotabato, to be steadfast in
their commitment to protect the
environment but to have an open
mind in accepting mining as a way
to progress and development.
South Cotabato provincial
ofcials were in Toledo City
recently to observe an open-pit
mining operation in the area. The
visit of South Cotabato provincial
ofcials was a response to Toledo
Citys economic team visiting
South Cotabato in July.
The Tampakan mining project
will be able to provide assistance
and benets for every town or
locality in your area, just as like
how Toledo City is beneting from
the operation of Carmen Copper,
he said.
In Toledo, we have
implemented and are implementing
our environmental rules strictly,
Espinosa said.
Espinosa said that because they
were condent they can implement
their environmental rules properly
that the people of Toledo accepted
open-pit mining in their area.
Espinosa said this led to the
benets of responsible mining
improving the lives of the people
of Toledo City via improved social
services, infrastructures, education
programs.
Do not fear change and
development that come to your
locality, Espinosa said.
Century in Quezon City
CENTURY Properties Group
is investing in a 4.4-hectare
community in Quezon City. The
project called The Residences
at Commonwealth by Century
will introduce the uncommon
to redene the standards for
residential living in the countrys
most populous city.
The project name is the
companys stamp of assurance
that homeowners will enjoy the
same mark of innovation and the
same tradition of life-enhancing
residential experiences in this
development, said Century co-
chief operating ofcer Marco
Antonio.
Commonwealth by Century
seeks to surpass the standards set
for residential projects within this
category by introducing pioneering
amenities and features that will
exceed what the market has been
accustomed to, Antonio said.
The eight-tower mid-rise
development integrates a world-class
design, large unit cuts with extended
balconies, and distinctive, beyond-
the-usual amenities that encourage
residents to engage in healthy
pursuits.
Its a topnotch package for
a premium home that has never
been offered before in this part of
the metropolis, he said.
TRADI NG SUMMARY
SHARES VALUE
FINANCIAL 7,754,457 565,259,727.65
INDUSTRIAL 515,348,771 1,711,780,106.01
HOLDING FIRMS 117,173,861 1,209,052,501.14
PROPERTY 116,087,374 488,874,137.76
SERVICES 378,621,985 573,289,413.26
MINING & OIL 780,857,366 172,497,777.99
GRAND TOTAL 1,915,843,814 4,720,753,663.81
FINANCIAL 1,282.54 (DOWN) 11.03
INDUSTRIAL 7,863.56 (DOWN) 38.67
HOLDING FIRMS 4,350.66 (DOWN) 1.78
PROPERTY 1,991.29 (DOWN) 28.01
SERVICES 1,752.19 (DOWN) 19.92
MINING & OIL 21,120.02 (DOWN) 92.67
PSEI 5,175.87 (DOWN) 43.21
All Shares Index 3,439.03 (DOWN) 16.26
Gainers:54; Losers: 102; Unchanged: 49; Total: 205
STOCKS Close
(P)
Change
(%)
Euro-Med Lab. 2.18 21.79
Alaska Milk Corp. 23.80 10.19
Lorenzo Shipping 1.42 9.23
Apex À' 5.00 7.53
United Paragon 0.0150 7.14
San Miguel'Pure Foods `B' 900.00 5.88
Alcorn Gold Res. 0.0180 5.88
APC Group, Inc. 0.630 5.00
Waterfront Phils. 0.460 4.55
Paxys Inc. 2.75 4.17
STOCKS Close
(P)
Change
(%)
Imperial Res. À' 6.97 (12.88)
I-Remit Inc. 2.82 (11.88)
Vivant Corp. 8.52 (11.71)
Asiabest Group 20.95 (10.85)
Sinophil Corp. 0.300 (7.69)
Greenergy 0.0160 (5.88)
MRC Allied Ind. 0.1640 (5.20)
Pancake House Inc. 7.30 (5.19)
Abacus Cons. À' 0.73 (5.19)
Leisure & Resorts 7.40 (5.01)
TOP GAI NERS TOP LOSERS
Market dips amid
lack of fresh leads
Business
ManilaStandardToday
extrastory2000@gmail.com
B2
52 Weeks Previous % Net Foreign
High Low STOCKS Close High Low Close Change Volume Trade/Buying
MST BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2012
M
S
T
FINANCIAL
70.50 46.00 Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. 60.65 60.65 59.70 59.70 (1.57) 2,517,270 (68,780,864.50)
77.45 50.00 Bank of PI 73.90 73.90 72.20 72.40 (2.03) 632,930 (2,019,911.00)
1.82 0.68 Bankard, Inc. 0.70 0.71 0.69 0.69 (1.43) 432,000
595.00 370.00 China Bank 478.00 481.80 479.00 479.00 0.21 42,520 (11,418,966.00)
2.20 1.42 BDO Leasing & Fin. Inc. 1.93 1.93 1.93 1.93 0.00 12,000
23.90 13.80 COL Financial 20.70 20.70 20.50 20.50 (0.97) 9,600
20.70 18.50 Eastwest Bank 19.60 19.60 19.58 19.60 0.00 325,500 5,312,258.00
22.00 7.95 Filipino Fund Inc. 10.70 11.00 10.44 11.00 2.80 3,700
0.95 0.62 First Abacus 0.77 0.76 0.76 0.76 (1.30) 1,000
89.00 50.00 First Metro Inv. 74.60 74.70 72.80 74.70 0.13 1,640 (3,725.00)
3.26 1.91 I-Remit Inc. 3.20 3.08 2.80 2.82 (11.88) 437,000
650.00 420.00 Manulife Fin. Corp. 450.00 440.00 440.00 440.00 (2.22) 40
39.20 3.00 Maybank ATR KE 27.80 27.50 27.00 27.00 (2.88) 4,700 13,500.00
102.50 60.00 Metrobank 92.75 92.85 92.45 92.50 (0.27) 1,661,400 (43,591,392.50)
3.06 1.30 Natl Reinsurance Corp. 1.92 1.95 1.92 1.92 0.00 32,000
77.80 41.00 Phil. National Bank 69.00 70.40 69.00 69.10 0.14 194,830 (1,155,400.00)
95.00 69.00 Phil. Savings Bank 87.00 87.00 85.00 87.00 0.00 70
500.00 210.00 PSE Inc. 373.60 373.20 373.00 373.00 (0.16) 1,310 48,490.00
45.50 29.45 RCBC À 44.00 44.00 43.55 44.00 0.00 137,200.00 1,237,050.00
155.20 77.00 Security Bank 150.00 150.70 150.00 150.30 0.20 1,061,850 126,017,232.00
1100.00 879.00 Sun Life Financial 925.00 925.00 925.00 925.00 0.00 100
140.00 58.00 Union Bank 102.00 102.80 102.50 102.80 0.78 53,420 (1,549,460.00)
2.06 1.43 Vantage Equities 1.82 1.82 1.80 1.80 (1.10) 190,000 54,000.00
INDUSTRIAL
35.50 26.50 Aboitiz Power Corp. 33.80 33.95 33.55 33.70 (0.30) 1,188,300 11,126,980.00
13.58 8.00 Agrinurture Inc. 8.38 8.59 8.36 8.59 2.51 3,230,200
23.95 11.98 Alaska Milk Corp. 21.60 23.80 23.20 23.80 10.19 39,900
1.70 0.97 Alliance Tuna Intl Inc. 1.47 1.52 1.44 1.49 1.36 1,384,000 30,680.00
48.00 25.00 Alphaland Corp. 29.60 29.70 29.70 29.70 0.34 1,600
1.62 1.08 Alsons Cons. 1.38 1.37 1.37 1.37 (0.72) 105,000
Asiabest Group 23.50 23.90 20.00 20.95 (10.85) 684,300 (670,805.00)
26.55 12.50 C. Azuc De Tarlac 12.90 13.02 13.02 13.02 0.93 1,500
2.96 2.12 Calapan Venture 2.55 2.57 2.55 2.57 0.78 23,000 56,340.00
2.75 2.30 Chemrez Technologies Inc. 2.58 2.58 2.54 2.56 (0.78) 528,000 549,880.00
9.74 7.41 Cirtek Holdings (Chips) 9.68 9.65 9.25 9.65 (0.31) 21,100
6.41 4.83 Energy Devt. Corp. (EDC) 5.98 5.97 5.88 5.88 (1.67) 1,059,800 (3,902,433.00)
7.77 2.80 EEI 7.35 7.40 7.20 7.20 (2.04) 657,000 36,250.00
3.80 1.00 Euro-Med Lab. 1.79 2.18 2.18 2.18 21.79 1,000
19.40 12.50 First Gen Corp. 18.68 18.76 18.60 18.62 (0.32) 1,398,900 3,721,318.00
79.30 51.50 First Holdings A 77.00 77.50 77.00 77.00 0.00 805,930 7,030,413.50
0.02 0.0110 Greenergy 0.0170 0.0170 0.0160 0.0160 (5.88) 330,000,000 200,000.00
13.10 7.80 Holcim Philippines Inc. 12.42 12.42 12.42 12.42 0.00 140,200 865,674.00
6.00 3.80 Integ. Micro-Electronics 4.05 4.02 3.98 3.98 (1.73) 12,000
2.35 0.61 Ionics Inc 0.630 0.630 0.610 0.620 (1.59) 74,000
120.00 80.00 Jollibee Foods Corp. 98.50 98.90 97.40 97.50 (1.02) 401,720 704,797.00
Lafarge Rep 9.30 9.50 9.00 9.30 0.00 710,000 36,000.00
91.25 25.00 Liberty Flour 38.00 38.00 38.00 38.00 0.00 1,600
8.40 1.04 LMG Chemicals 2.25 2.35 2.22 2.33 3.56 1,567,000 23,460.00
27.45 18.10 Manila Water Co. Inc. 26.80 27.00 26.80 26.80 0.00 1,165,400 (20,690,030.00)
6.95 0.75 Mariwasa MFG. Inc. 2.60 2.60 2.52 2.52 (3.08) 10,000
18.10 8.12 Megawide 16.800 16.800 16.500 16.600 (1.19) 14,500
280.60 215.00 Mla. Elect. Co À 254.20 254.20 247.80 248.00 (2.44) 158,810 (751,788.00)
12.20 7.50 Pancake House Inc. 7.70 7.50 7.00 7.30 (5.19) 20,300 (146,750.00)
3.65 1.96 Pepsi-Cola Products Phil. 3.70 3.74 3.62 3.65 (1.35) 4,699,000 3,480,540.00
16.00 9.70 Petron Corporation 9.99 10.00 9.97 9.98 (0.10) 713,600 (821,500.00)
14.94 8.05 Phoenix Petroleum Phils. 8.35 8.39 8.34 8.34 (0.12) 14,900
4.42 1.01 RFM Corporation 4.11 4.11 4.05 4.07 (0.97) 189,000 121,800.00
34.60 26.50 San Miguel Brewery Inc. 34.40 34.40 34.00 34.40 0.00 120,700
129.20 110.20 San Miguel Corp À 111.80 111.80 111.20 111.20 (0.54) 574,100 (47,909,190.00)
3000.00 800.00 San MiguelPure Foods `B 850.00 900.00 900.00 900.00 5.88 40
2.62 1.25 Seacem 2.47 2.49 2.29 2.36 (4.45) 17,662,000 46,200.00
2.44 1.73 Splash Corporation 1.75 1.76 1.76 1.76 0.57 3,000
0.196 0.112 Swift Foods, Inc. 0.141 0.145 0.139 0.139 (1.42) 920,000
14.66 3.30 Tanduay Holdings 11.70 11.88 11.64 11.68 (0.17) 505,700 (58,312.00)
2.88 1.99 TKC Steel Corp. 2.12 2.14 2.04 2.04 (3.77) 7,000
1.41 0.90 Trans-Asia Oil 1.16 1.18 1.16 1.16 0.00 3,449,000 (35,990.00)
69.20 37.00 Universal Robina 61.00 61.95 61.00 61.70 1.15 1,652,500 37,394,679.00
5.50 1.05 Victorias Milling 1.37 1.38 1.34 1.36 (0.73) 2,535,000
0.77 0.320 Vitarich Corp. 0.590 0.590 0.580 0.580 (1.69) 410,000
18.00 2.55 Vivant Corp. 9.65 9.65 8.52 8.52 (11.71) 2,100
1.22 0.77 Vulcan Indl. 0.91 0.91 0.90 0.90 (1.10) 400,000
HOLDING FIRMS
1.18 0.65 Abacus Cons. À 0.77 0.80 0.73 0.73 (5.19) 37,240,000 (14,800.00)
59.90 35.50 Aboitiz Equity 48.20 48.20 47.55 48.00 (0.41) 739,600 (11,543,600.00)
0.019 0.014 Alcorn Gold Res. 0.0170 0.0180 0.0170 0.0180 5.88 4,800,000
13.70 8.00 Alliance Global Inc. 12.00 12.04 11.96 12.02 0.17 18,765,600 97,641,784.00
2.60 1.80 Anglo Holdings A 2.00 2.00 1.98 2.00 0.00 51,000
5.02 3.00 Anscor À 4.72 4.65 4.60 4.60 (2.54) 13,000 (37,200.00)
6.98 0.260 Asia Amalgamated A 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 0.00 15,500
2.98 1.49 ATN Holdings A 1.50 1.55 1.50 1.54 2.67 231,000
4.16 2.30 ATN Holdings B 1.88 1.94 1.80 1.90 1.06 312,000
485.20 272.00 Ayala Corp À 415.00 422.00 415.80 416.00 0.24 353,100 (15,310,596.00)
64.80 30.50 DMCI Holdings 57.75 57.85 56.40 56.90 (1.47) 1,227,200 (20,805,984.50)
4.19 1.03 F&J Prince A 2.65 2.55 2.51 2.55 (3.77) 22,000
5.20 3.30 Filinvest Dev. Corp. 3.99 3.98 3.97 3.98 (0.25) 272,000
556.00 455.40 GT Capital 537.00 540.00 537.00 537.50 0.09 233,080 (2,376,730.00)
5.22 2.94 House of Inv. 4.80 4.85 4.80 4.80 0.00 106,000 451,200.00
36.20 19.00 JG Summit Holdings 33.50 33.70 32.80 33.00 (1.49) 662,400 (1,847,955.00)
6.21 4.00 Lopez Holdings Corp. 5.12 5.20 5.10 5.13 0.20 5,400,800 (5,146,969.00)
1.54 0.61 Lodestar Invt. Holdg.Corp. 1.06 1.08 1.05 1.05 (0.94) 2,132,000
0.91 0.300 Mabuhay Holdings À 0.460 0.440 0.440 0.440 (4.35) 100,000
3.82 1.800 Marcventures Hldgs., Inc. 2.34 2.38 2.28 2.28 (2.56) 787,000 (23,800.00)
4.65 2.56 Metro Pacic Inv. Corp. 4.22 4.23 4.17 4.20 (0.47) 21,763,000 34,446,430.00
6.24 3.40 Minerales Industrias Corp. 5.18 5.15 5.03 5.03 (2.90) 15,000
0.0770 0.045 Pacica À 0.0520 0.0520 0.0510 0.0510 (1.92) 2,410,000
2.20 1.20 Prime Media Hldg 1.400 1.400 1.400 1.400 0.00 15,000
0.82 0.44 Prime Orion 0.480 0.470 0.470 0.470 (2.08) 100,000
4.10 1.56 Republic Glass A 2.07 2.08 2.00 2.00 (3.38) 6,000 2,070.00
2.40 1.01 Seafront À 1.46 1.41 1.41 1.41 (3.42) 9,000
0.490 0.285 Sinophil Corp. 0.325 0.320 0.300 0.300 (7.69) 17,070,000 (4,628,350.00)
760.00 450.00 SM Investments Inc. 711.00 725.00 711.00 718.50 1.05 586,660 184,251,430.00
2.71 1.08 Solid Group Inc. 2.16 2.20 2.15 2.16 0.00 687,000 (87,500.00)
1.57 1.14 South China Res. Inc. 1.14 1.12 1.12 1.12 (1.75) 10,000 (11,200.00)
0.420 0.101 Unioil Res. & Hldgs 0.2380 0.2400 0.2200 0.2400 0.84 400,000 (4,400.00)
0.620 0.082 Wellex Industries 0.3250 0.3250 0.3100 0.3150 (3.08) 450,000
0.980 0.380 Zeus Holdings 0.405 0.405 0.405 0.405 0.00 120,000
P R O P E R T Y
3.34 1.70 A. Brown Co., Inc. 3.05 3.04 2.95 3.00 (1.64) 99,000 75,000.00
0.83 0.42 Araneta Prop À 0.540 0.530 0.530 0.530 (1.85) 1,000
24.15 13.36 Ayala Land `B 22.90 22.95 22.45 22.45 (1.97) 8,206,400 50,570,900.00
5.62 3.08 Belle Corp. À 4.84 4.81 4.78 4.79 (1.03) 221,000 (38,400.00)
9.00 2.26 Cebu Holdings 5.34 5.50 5.35 5.50 3.00 122,200
5.60 2.00 Cebu Prop. À 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 0.00 20,000
2.85 1.35 Century Property 1.54 1.55 1.50 1.55 0.65 7,426,000 (3,003,200.00)
2.91 1.20 City & Land Dev. 2.80 2.89 2.80 2.89 3.21 117,000
1.50 1.05 Cityland Dev. À 1.10 1.14 1.08 1.08 (1.82) 31,000 10,800.00
0.092 0.060 Crown Equities Inc. 0.074 0.074 0.070 0.074 0.00 510,000
1.11 0.67 Cyber Bay Corp. 0.82 0.82 0.81 0.82 0.00 100,000
0.94 0.54 Empire East Land 0.850 0.880 0.850 0.860 1.18 14,622,000
3.80 2.90 Eton Properties 3.70 4.10 3.68 3.70 0.00 515,000 26,450.00
0.310 0.10 Ever Gotesco 0.201 0.203 0.191 0.192 (4.48) 2,170,000 4,030.00
2.74 1.63 Global-Estate 1.90 1.89 1.86 1.87 (1.58) 4,179,000 (1,690,900.00)
1.44 0.98 Filinvest Land,Inc. 1.29 1.30 1.28 1.29 0.00 23,032,000 634,610.00
2.14 0.65 Interport À 1.34 1.36 1.24 1.31 (2.24) 398,000 (12,400.00)
2.34 1.51 Megaworld Corp. 2.22 2.23 2.21 2.22 0.00 32,749,000 (39,047,410.00)
0.36 0.150 MRC Allied Ind. 0.1730 0.1700 0.1620 0.1640 (5.20) 7,030,000 (13,200.00)
0.990 0.089 Phil. Estates Corp. 0.6800 0.6800 0.6700 0.6800 0.00 447,000
0.67 0.41 Phil. Realty À 0.470 0.480 0.480 0.480 2.13 200,000
38.10 12.60 Phil. Tob. Flue Cur & Redry 18.00 20.00 18.00 18.00 0.00 4,400
19.94 10.00 Robinsons Land `B 19.00 18.80 18.70 18.70 (1.58) 818,500 7,664,150.00
7.71 2.51 Rockwell 3.65 3.70 3.56 3.56 (2.47) 137,000
2.85 1.81 Shang Properties Inc. 2.80 2.80 2.70 2.80 0.00 55,000
8.95 6.00 SM Development À 6.16 6.15 6.05 6.06 (1.62) 2,220,200 3,532,773.00
18.20 10.94 SM Prime Holdings 13.94 14.06 13.76 13.76 (1.29) 6,264,300 (31,804,980.00)
0.91 0.64 Sta. Lucia Land Inc. 0.69 0.70 0.67 0.68 (1.45) 1,050,000
4.55 1.80 Starmalls 4.00 3.99 3.99 3.99 (0.25) 73,000
0.64 0.45 Suntrust Home Dev. Inc. 0.510 0.530 0.500 0.510 0.00 163,000 1,500.00
4.66 2.60 Vista Land & Lifescapes 4.460 4.500 4.440 4.480 0.45 915,000 (915,300.00)
S E R V I C E S
42.00 24.80 ABS-CBN 25.85 26.00 25.65 26.00 0.58 189,000
18.98 1.05 Acesite Hotel 1.31 1.35 1.25 1.34 2.29 528,000
0.78 0.45 APC Group, Inc. 0.600 0.630 0.600 0.630 5.00 44,000 (24,000.00)
10.92 7.30 Asian Terminals Inc. 9.10 9.00 9.00 9.00 (1.10) 3,200
102.80 4.45 Bloomberry 9.68 9.65 9.45 9.50 (1.86) 11,444,400 (41,747,083.00)
0.5300 0.1010 Boulevard Holdings 0.1700 0.1770 0.1680 0.1710 0.59 194,950,000 350,000.00
24.00 5.20 Calata Corp. 5.58 5.79 5.60 5.72 2.51 269,100 57,282.00
82.50 60.80 Cebu Air Inc. (5J) 59.00 58.80 58.50 58.50 (0.85) 507,650 7,735,044.50
9.70 5.44 DFNN Inc. 5.84 5.80 5.50 5.80 (0.68) 52,400
1750.00 800.00 FEUI 1000.00 1000.00 970.00 1000.00 0.00 455
1270.00 831.00 Globe Telecom 1150.00 1150.00 1140.00 1140.00 (0.87) 7,035 3,109,660.00
11.00 6.18 GMA Network Inc. 9.90 9.90 9.70 9.70 (2.02) 305,300
77.00 43.40 I.C.T.S.I. 68.70 68.70 67.20 67.50 (1.75) 669,360 (27,122,358.50)
0.98 0.36 Information Capital Tech. 0.410 0.400 0.390 0.400 (2.44) 400,000 94,800.00
18.40 5.00 Imperial Res. À 8.00 8.00 6.00 6.97 (12.88) 186,400
6.80 4.30 IPeople Inc. À 7.80 7.80 7.80 7.80 0.00 2,800
4.70 1.75 IP Converge 2.02 2.01 1.85 2.00 (0.99) 1,156,000 (11,760.00)
34.50 0.036 IP E-Game Ventures Inc. 0.030 0.030 0.026 0.029 (3.33) 157,300,000 8,400.00
3.87 1.00 IPVG Corp. 1.00 1.02 1.00 1.00 0.00 1,482,000
5.1900 2.550 ISM Communications 3.0300 3.1000 3.1000 3.1000 2.31 10,000 (31,000.00)
3.45 2.01 JTH Davies Holdings Inc. 1.63 1.69 1.50 1.65 1.23 61,000
10.30 5.90 Leisure & Resorts 7.79 7.77 7.35 7.40 (5.01) 2,077,400 (740,450.00)
3.70 2.60 Liberty Telecom 2.74 2.75 2.64 2.64 (3.65) 31,000
2.65 1.03 Lorenzo Shipping 1.30 1.50 1.25 1.42 9.23 7,000 (1,420.00)
4.08 1.21 Manila Jockey 2.69 2.69 2.60 2.62 (2.60) 1,094,000 13,050.00
9.60 6.50 Metro Pacic Tollways 6.00 6.01 6.00 6.00 0.00 1,300 1,200.00
8.58 5.35 PAL Holdings Inc. 7.62 7.70 7.64 7.66 0.52 78,400 (38,350.00)
3.39 1.05 Paxys Inc. 2.64 2.84 2.72 2.75 4.17 1,586,000
17.88 12.10 Philweb.Com Inc. 16.96 16.96 16.64 16.96 0.00 286,600 1,270,930.00
2886.00 2096.00 PLDT Common 2760.00 2762.00 2730.00 2730.00 (1.09) 74,155 (1,673,250.00)
30.15 10.68 Puregold 29.00 29.50 29.05 29.40 1.38 2,684,100 (27,695,410.00)
3.30 2.42 Transpacic Broadcast 2.60 2.62 2.50 2.50 (3.85) 142,000 125,000.00
0.79 0.34 Waterfront Phils. 0.440 0.470 0.440 0.460 4.55 150,000
MINING & OIL
0.0083 0.0038 Abra Mining 0.0050 0.0050 0.0048 0.0048 (4.00) 199,000,000 (49,000.00)
6.20 3.01 Apex À 4.65 5.00 5.00 5.00 7.53 2,000
20.80 14.50 Atlas Cons. À 16.94 17.04 16.96 17.00 0.35 356,500 (1,461,894.00)
48.00 20.00 Atok-Big Wedge À 26.90 26.90 26.90 26.90 0.00 1,200 32,280.00
0.345 0.170 Basic Energy Corp. 0.260 0.270 0.255 0.265 1.92 730,000
29.00 19.98 Benguet Corp À 23.90 23.80 23.00 23.00 (3.77) 6,200
34.00 21.20 Benguet Corp `B 22.35 23.10 23.10 23.10 3.36 1,000
2.23 1.05 Century Peak Metals Hldgs 1.06 1.08 1.08 1.08 1.89 50,000
61.80 6.96 Dizon 23.00 23.40 21.65 22.50 (2.17) 314,600
1.21 0.50 Geograce Res. Phil. Inc. 0.56 0.57 0.55 0.57 1.79 1,613,000
1.81 1.0600 Lepanto À 1.130 1.140 1.120 1.130 0.00 4,391,000
2.070 1.0900 Lepanto `B 1.200 1.210 1.180 1.190 (0.83) 9,200,000 256,500.00
0.085 0.042 Manila Mining À 0.0600 0.0600 0.0590 0.0590 (1.67) 124,770,000
0.840 0.570 Manila Mining `B 0.0610 0.0610 0.0590 0.0600 (1.64) 151,220,000
36.50 15.04 Nickelasia 17.18 17.24 17.18 17.20 0.12 603,300 6,802,590.00
12.84 2.91 Nihao Mineral Resources 7.20 7.27 7.15 7.20 0.00 139,200 (71,779.00)
1.100 0.008 Omico 0.6700 0.6800 0.6600 0.6600 (1.49) 243,000 56,280.00
8.40 2.99 Oriental Peninsula Res. 4.600 4.650 4.400 4.500 (2.17) 1,087,000
0.032 0.014 Oriental Pet. À 0.0170 0.0180 0.0170 0.0170 0.00 123,100,000
0.033 0.014 Oriental Pet. `B 0.0180 0.0180 0.0180 0.0180 0.00 4,100,000 (36,000.00)
7.05 5.10 Petroenergy Res. Corp. 5.96 5.96 5.96 5.96 0.00 200
28.25 18.40 Philex À 19.22 19.20 18.88 18.90 (1.66) 3,664,200 20,138,594.00
48.00 3.00 PhilexPetroleum 34.00 34.30 33.30 34.00 0.00 99,300 860,980.00
0.062 0.017 Philodrill Corp. À 0.048 0.049 0.047 0.048 0.00 144,300,000 (94,000.00)
257.80 161.10 Semirara Corp. 219.20 220.00 218.00 219.20 0.00 119,670 (7,866,480.00)
0.029 0.015 United Paragon 0.0140 0.0150 0.0140 0.0150 7.14 8,400,000
PREFERRED
50.00 23.05 ABS-CBN Holdings Corp. 25.45 25.80 25.20 25.75 1.18 559,800 (5,148,765.00)
580.00 535.00 Ayala Corp. Pref À 541.00 541.00 541.00 541.00 0.00 1,000
103.50 100.00 First Gen G 103.00 103.50 103.00 103.50 0.49 18,250
109.80 101.50 First Phil. Hldgs.-Pref. 103.50 102.00 102.00 102.00 (1.45) 12,000
11.02 6.00 GMA Holdings Inc. 9.73 9.89 9.56 9.70 (0.31) 273,300
116.70 108.90 PCOR-Preferred 108.50 108.50 108.50 108.50 0.00 1,770
80.00 74.50 SMC Preferred 1 77.50 76.40 75.00 76.40 (1.42) 1,200
1050.00 1000.00 SMPFC Preferred 1013.00 1013.00 1010.00 1010.00 (0.30) 1,570
6.00 0.87 Swift Pref 1.20 1.20 1.20 1.20 0.00 47,000
WARRANTS & BONDS
1.31 0.62 Megaworld Corp. Warrants 1.21 1.21 1.21 1.21 0.00 79,000
0.210 0.00 Omico Corp. Warrant 0.0300 0.0320 0.0310 0.0310 3.33 3,000,000
IPVG buying seafood exporter
STOCKS retreated Tuesday, amid a dearth
of local news and as uncertainty persisted
about what authorities in the US, China
and Europe might do to deal with a souring
global economy.
The Philippine Stock
Exchange index, the 30-
company benchmark, fell
43 points, or 0.8 percent, to
close at 5,175.87. All the six
counters ended in the red, with
the property sector posting the
sharpest loss of 1.4 percent.
The heavier index, representing
all shares, also lost 16 points, or
0.5 percent, to 3,439.03, as losers
outnumbered gainers, 102 to 54,
with 49 issues unchanged.
SM Investments Corp., the
most actively traded stock, rose
1.1 percent to P718.50 but SM
Prime Holdings Inc. dipped 1.3
percent to P13.76.
Philippine Long Distance
Telephone Co. shed 1.1 percent
to P2,730, following reports
the telecom giant is selling SPi
Global, its outsourcing unit.
Philex Mining Corp. dropped
1.7 percent to P18.90, after the
gold miner conrmed that another
leak occurred at its tailings pond
in Benguet.
Meanwhile, Asian stocks
were mostly lower as investors
wait for authorities to take more
aggressive measures to shore up
economic growth.
We are all waiting for more
monetary policy to come out,
said Linus Yip, strategist at
First Shanghai Securities in
Hong Kong. We are all waiting
and hope the PBOC will do
something.
Japans Nikkei 225 index fell
0.1 percent to 8,773.14. Hong
Kongs Hang Seng lost 0.3
percent to 19,497.47 and South
Koreas Kospi shed 0.2 percent to
1,907.70. Australias S&P/ASX
200 fell 0.6 percent to 4,303.30.
Benchmarks in Taiwan,
Indonesia and mainland China
also fell. Thailand and New
Zealand rose.
Investors around the world
will have a number of issues to
contend with over the rest of the
week, culminating with Fridays
US non-farm payrolls report for
August.
On Thursday, European
Central Bank president Mario
Draghi, is expected to announce
details of a new bond-buying
program intended to keep the
borrowing costs of countries
such as Spain and Italy from
soaring.
Meanwhile, on Sept. 12,
Germanys constitutional court
is set to issue its verdict on
the legality of the European
Stability Mechanism, Europes
planned bailout fund.
Last Friday, Federal Reserve
Chairman Ben Bernanke
suggested that more central bank
action was possible to support
the US economy, leading
investors to think the Fed will
act sooner rather than later.
Previous Fed stimulus packages
have shored up markets as the
fresh liquidity on offer made its
way round nancial markets.
With Bloomberg, AP
By Jenniffer B. Austria
PUBLICLY-LISTED IPVG
Corp. said Tuesday it is in an
advanced stage of negotiations
to acquire a leading producer and
exporter of seafood products.
IPVG said in a disclosure to the
stock exchange the transaction
could lead to issuance of primary
and second shares and acquisition
of protable businesses.
The groups are entering into
advanced stages of discussions
including due diligence, IPVG
said.
The company did not identify
the seafood company that it was
planning to acquire, but said
the target is a leading producer
and exporter of high-quality,
premium frozen seafood and
aquaculture products catering to
the global market.
The management will be
recommending to the IPVG
board this Friday to schedule a
shareholders meeting to amend
the primary purpose of the
company to include seafood,
aqua-culture, seafood processing,
and agriculture, IPVG said.
The amendment is in line with
the companys strategic direction
and focus on natural resource
plays.
IPVG approved in May the
amendments of its articles
of incorporation to change
the primary purpose of the
corporation allowing it to
establish a renery in the
Philippines to rene metal ores
and minerals.
IPVG also signed a
memorandum of understanding
with Canadian rm REC to build
and operate mineral renery in
the Philippines.
IPVG and its subsidiary New
Wave Resources Ltd. had already
signed a $250-million design, build
and operate deal with the foreign
rm. The facility was expected to
be operational by 2015.
IPVG said it was planning
to export most of its nished
products to countries such as
Japan, Korea, United States and
Europe.
The company also signed a
similar agreement with REC to
build reneries in India.
Globe, RIM launch exclusives. Globe Telecom and Research in Motion, the maker of Blackberry
phones, recently launched the Globe and BlackBerry Music Exclusives, a series of music events designed to
provide Globe BlackBerry subscribers the chance to be part of exclusive music events and parties. Shown
are celebrity hosts Robi Domingo and Bianca Roque, Globe marketing manager Teolo Reyes, host Chino Lui
Pio, and RIM country director Cameron Vernest.
Business
ManilaStandardToday extrastory2000@gmail.com SEPTEMBER 5, 2012 WEDNESDAY
B3
Deal eyed to allow
more US vegetables Grid restores power
supply in Mindanao
New rules
to cover
all airlines
By Othel V. Campos
THE government is nalizing a
work plan for a bilateral agreement
with Washington D.C. to increase
imports of temperate vegetables
from the US, the Bureau of Plant
Industry said Tuesday.
Upon completion of the PRA
[pest risk analysis], we will be
drafting the nal work plan for
the bilateral [agreement]. We
still have to nalize the exact
volume the Philippine market
can tolerate, in so far, as the
increase in the volume of US
vegetable is concerned, said
BPI director Clarito Barron.
He said at present, an import
permit could only bring in
250 kilograms of imported
vegetables.
Barron said the agency was
on its nal stages of approving
the pest risk analysis following
a four-day ocular inspection
of the sources of vegetables
in California, by Philippine
quarantine experts in July 2012.
The team went to Bakerseld,
California to inspect farms
producing carrots, potatoes,
cabbage, cauliower and celery.
A pest risk analysis is a trade
protocol required by an importing
country to ensure that no pests
and other diseases, that usually
infects agricultural produce, post
danger to consumers and the
local plant or vegetable industry
of the importing country.
Barron said the Philippines
was particularly keen on nding
out how the US government
was intending to control pests
and diseases that usually afict
cabbage, celery, lettuce and
carrots.
CUSTOMS Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence Danny Lim
can kiss his dream of succeeding Customs Commissioner Ruffy
Biazon goodbye, even as the young Biazon is reportedly slated
to run under the administrations Liberal Party in next years
senatorial elections.
According to Happy Hour stoolies, Lim has allegedly fallen
out of the Presidents good graces after failing to capitalize on his
intel to check large-scale rice smuggling from India to the Subic
Freeport Zone several months ago. It turns out that it was actually
President Aquino who tipped off the BOC about the smuggling
in Subic of some 420,000 sacks of rice valued at half a billion
pesos.
With just a month before the ve-day ling of certicates of
candidacy for national positions, various personalities are said
to be jockeying for the position that would soon be vacated by
Biazon. Among those purportedly eyeing the plum post include
former Cagayan Rep. Manuel Mamba, a Liberal Party stalwart;
former Customs Commissioner Ber t Lina; Senator Ping Lacson
and Davao City Vice Mayor Rodr igo Duter te.
Happy Hour sources, however, intimated that the President
already has a shortlist for the top position in the BOCbut is
keeping it very close to his heart meantime. Lim, unfortunately,
is nowhere near the Presidents radar, Happy Hours informants
claimwhich is probably why the former brigadier general and
defeated senatorial candidate has reportedly been busy placing his
men in key positions at the bureau.
No easy payback
The (presumably) tell-all
book on the day Team 6 of the
US Navy SEALs stormed the
Abbotabad, Pakistan fortress
of Osama Bin Laden is
creating a restorm, with the
US government threatening to
sue the author and publisher
for possible violation of a non-
disclosure agreement regarding
classied information. Authored
by decorated ex-Navy SEAL
Matt Bissonnette (who used
the pseudonym Mar k Owen),
No Easy Day: The Firsthand
Account of the Mission that
Killed Osama bin Laden paints
a vivid picture quite contrary
to the ofcial Whitehouse version that the terrorist leader had
resisted during that fateful day in May 2011.
The authors rst person account of the raid claimed that bin
Laden was unarmed (although there was an AK-47 in the room
but with no bullets), and that Owen and other Team 6 members
continued to pump bullets into the twitching body of the al Qaeda
leader while two wailing women cowered in a corner. The book
also contains incriminating details, like instructions for the SEALs
to lie in the event that Pakistani ofcials catch them during the
raid, with the alibi being that the elite team members were trying
to locate a lost drone.
An e-book titled No Easy Op authored by still another
former Navy SEAL operative claims though that Bissonnette/
Owen wrote the book as payback for the poor treatment he
received from the service. Owen was allegedly ostracized
from his unit and sent home posthaste after telling some of
his teammates that he was thinking of pursuing other interests.
No Easy Days co-author, journalist Kevin Maur er , disputes
the allegation, saying that Owen just wanted to honor the men
and women all over the world who risk their lives in defense of
the United States.
Bissonnettea registered Republicansaid the book was
written to set the record straight, denying any political motives.
The book contains rather unattering comments supposedly made
by SEAL members against the US President before the raid,
saying Obama will take credit for it and that it will ensure his
reelection. The book was supposed to hit bookshelves on Sept.
11 but apparently, the controversy has generated a lot of interest
triggering a surge in advance orders, prompting the publisher to
release the hardcover edition a week earlier. A winning move?
Denitely.
Filipino dar ter s hit bulls eye
Cheers to Team Neeson Philippines that won as overall
champion in the team category during the recently-concluded
Malaysian Open Darts Championship 2012 held at the Amansari
Residence Resort in Johor, Malaysia. The Philippine team bested
350 participants from nine countries, including Singapore,
Brunei, Hong Kong, Thailand, India, Australia, New Zealand and
host Malaysia. Team Neeson Philippines is composed of Ally
Salazar , Lourence Ilagan, Jer r y Salenga and Br uno Par ungao
with Australian darter Rod Neeson as team manager. Our sports
ofcials should stop all their squabbling and take a very serious
look at Filipino darters who are right on target, silently making a
name in international darts competitions.
For comments, reactions, photos, stories and related concerns,

readers may e-mail to happyhourtoday2012@yahoo.com.
Fall from grace?
Assets
International Reserves P 3,286,515,864,004.16
Deposits with foreign banks 251,232,380,850.59
Other cash balances 295,386,673.14
Investments 2,633,965,314,781.91
Gold 351,911,882,654.54
International Monetary Fund special drawing rights 49,110,899,043.98
Investment in government securities 240,373,316,448.34
Loans and advances 114,136,912,867.00
Other fnancial assets 102,225,579,540.11
Acquired assets held for sale 1,211,831,925.51
Investment property 9,745,269,777.80
Bank premises, furniture, fxtures and equipment 15,375,347,147.28
Other assets 18,341,609,718.03
Total P 3,787,925,731,428.23
Liabilities and capital
Liabilities
Currency in circulation P 648,910,932,721.13
Foreign currency borrowings 22,925,649,630.50
Government deposits 62,079,848,121.23
Deposits of banks and other fnancial institutions 761,449,419,985.83
Securities sold under agreements to repurchase 296,041,225,511.11
Special deposit accounts 1,642,722,475,616.91
Allocation of special drawing rights 56,519,113,069.64
Revaluation of foreign currency accounts 145,793,441,584.71
Other fnancial liabilities 3,991,552,761.22
Other liabilities 7,475,846,244.20
Total 3,647,909,505,246.48
Capital
Capital 20,000,000,000.00
Surplus 50,235,578,837.60
Unrealized gains/(losses) on investments (8,017,499,776.81)
Capital reserves 77,798,147,120.96
Total 140,016,226,181.75
Total liabilities and capital P 3,787,925,731,428.23
Other information :
Revaluation of foreign currency accounts is presented in the liability section
in accordance with Section 45, R.A. 7653 of the New Central Bank Act.
For the COMMISSION ON AUDIT:
(Sgd.) MA. TERESITA R. GOJUNCO (Sgd.) WILLIE S. ASTO
SA V - Supervising Auditor Managing Director
(Sgd.) AMANDO M. TETANGCO, JR.
Governor

GENERAL BALANCE SHEET
As of December 31, 2011
Republic of the Philippines
Department of Public Works and Highways
Davao del Sur 2
ND
Engineering District
OFFICE OF THE DISTRICT ENGINEER
Buhangin, Malita, Davao del Sur
(MST-Sept. 5, 2012)
1. The DPWH 2
nd
District Engineering Offce, Buhangin, Malita, Davao del Sur,
through the RA-Fund 101-General Fund- FY 2012]
1
intends to apply the sum
of Seven Million Seven hundred Seventy three thousand Five hundred Eighty
Pesos (Php 7,773,580.00) being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC)
to payments under the contract for CID # 12LE0032-Repair/Maint. Of Culaman
Flood Control, Culaman, Malita. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be
automatically rejected at bid opening.
2. The DPWH 2
nd
District Engineering Offce, Buhangin, Malita, Davao del Sur
now invites bids for Removal of damage structure; excavation; reinforcing
steel; Handlaid rocK embankment].
2
Completion of the Works is required
Ninety (90CD)]. 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 . Instruction to Bidders.
3. Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using
nondiscretionary pass/fail criterion as specifed in the mplementing 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 fve percent (75%) interest or outstanding
capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines.
4. Interested bidders may obtain further information from DPWH 2
nd
District
Engineering Offce, Buhangin, Malita, Davao del Sur and inspect the Bidding
Documents at the address given below from 8:00 o clock in the morning to
5:00 o clock in the afternoon.
5. A complete set of Bidding 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 Ten Thousand pesos only (Php 10,000.00).
It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine
Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the DPWH
website, provided that the bidders shall pay the fee for the Bidding Documents
not later than the submission of their bids.
6. Select one of the following two paragraphs, and delete the other; 3
a) If the Procuring Entity intends to open the Pre-Bid Conference to all
interested Bidders;
The DPWH 2
nd
District Engineering Offce, Buhangin, Malita, Davao del
Sur will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on September 11, 2012 at 10:00 oclock
in the morning at DPWH 2
nd
District Engineering Offce, Buhangin, Malita,
Davao del Sur-BAC Offce, which shall be opened to all interested parties.
7. Bids must be delivered to the address below on or before September 24, 2012
at DPWH 2
nd
District Engineering Offce, Buhangin, Malita, Davao del Sur-BAC
Offce at 10:00 o'clock in the morning. 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. Deadline of Receipt of LOI's from prospective bidders at 5:00 o'clock in the
afternoon of September 19, 2012 and Issuance of bidding documents starts
on September 3, 2012 to 9:00 o'clock in the morning of September 24,2012.
9. The DPWH 2
nd
reserves the right to accept or reject any bids, to annul the bidding process, and
to reject all bids at any time prior to contract award, withouth thereby incurring
any liability to the affected bidders.
10. For further information, please refere to:
ANDREW A. PANGAN
BAC Chairman
DPWH 2
nd
DEO, Buhangin, Malita, Davao del Sur
Contract number 0947-4164895
(Sgd.) ANDREW A. PANGAN
Engineer III-BAC Chairman
NOTED:
(Sgd.) NOE V. PLACER
District Engineer
____________________
3
May be deleted in case the ABC is less than One Million Pesos (PhP1,000,000) where the
Procuring Entity may not hold a pre-bid conference.
Invitation to Bid for
Contract ID Number 12LE0032
Repair/Maintenance of Culaman Flood Control, Culaman,
Malita, Davao del Sur
Assets
International Reserves P 3,286,515,864,004.16
Deposits with foreign banks 251,232,380,850.59
Other cash balances 295,386,673.14
Investments 2,633,965,314,781.91
Gold 351,911,882,654.54
International Monetary Fund special drawing rights 49,110,899,043.98
Investment in government securities 240,373,316,448.34
Loans and advances 114,136,912,867.00
Other fnancial assets 102,225,579,540.11
Acquired assets held for sale 1,211,831,925.51
Investment property 9,745,269,777.80
Bank premises, furniture, fxtures and equipment 15,375,347,147.28
Other assets 18,341,609,718.03
Total P 3,787,925,731,428.23
Liabilities and capital
Liabilities
Currency in circulation P 648,910,932,721.13
Foreign currency borrowings 22,925,649,630.50
Government deposits 62,079,848,121.23
Deposits of banks and other fnancial institutions 761,449,419,985.83
Securities sold under agreements to repurchase 296,041,225,511.11
Special deposit accounts 1,642,722,475,616.91
Allocation of special drawing rights 56,519,113,069.64
Revaluation of foreign currency accounts 145,793,441,584.71
Other fnancial liabilities 3,991,552,761.22
Other liabilities 7,475,846,244.20
Total 3,647,909,505,246.48
Capital
Capital 20,000,000,000.00
Surplus 50,235,578,837.60
Unrealized gains/(losses) on investments (8,017,499,776.81)
Capital reserves 77,798,147,120.96
Total 140,016,226,181.75
Total liabilities and capital P 3,787,925,731,428.23
Other information :
Revaluation of foreign currency accounts is presented in the liability section
in accordance with Section 45, R.A. 7653 of the New Central Bank Act.
For the COMMISSION ON AUDIT:
(Sgd.) MA. TERESITA R. GOJUNCO (Sgd.) WILLIE S. ASTO
SA V - Supervising Auditor Managing Director
(Sgd.) AMANDO M. TETANGCO, JR.
Governor

GENERAL BALANCE SHEET
As of December 31, 2011
Department of Public Works and Highways
Davao del Sur 2
ND
Engineering District
OFFICE OF THE DISTRICT ENGINEER
Buhangin, Malita, Davao del Sur
(MST-Sept. 5, 2012)
1. The DPWH 2
nd
District Engineering Offce, Buhangin, Malita, Davao del Sur,
through the RA-Fund 101-General Fund- FY 2012]
1
intends to apply the sum
of Seven Million Seven hundred Seventy three thousand Five hundred Eighty
Pesos (Php 7,773,580.00) being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC)
to payments under the contract for CID # 12LE0032-Repair/Maint. Of Culaman
Flood Control, Culaman, Malita. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be
automatically rejected at bid opening.
2. The DPWH 2
nd
now invites bids for Removal of damage structure; excavation; reinforcing
steel; Handlaid rocK embankment].
2
Completion of the Works is required
Ninety (90CD)]. 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 . Instruction to Bidders.
3. Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using
nondiscretionary pass/fail criterion as specifed in the mplementing 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 fve percent (75%) interest or outstanding
capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines.
4. Interested bidders may obtain further information from DPWH 2
nd
District
Engineering Offce, Buhangin, Malita, Davao del Sur and inspect the Bidding
Documents at the address given below from 8:00 o clock in the morning to
5:00 o clock in the afternoon.
5. A complete set of Bidding 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 Ten Thousand pesos only (Php 10,000.00).
It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine
Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the DPWH
website, provided that the bidders shall pay the fee for the Bidding Documents
not later than the submission of their bids.
6. Select one of the following two paragraphs, and delete the other; 3
a) If the Procuring Entity intends to open the Pre-Bid Conference to all
interested Bidders;
The DPWH 2
nd
District Engineering Offce, Buhangin, Malita, Davao del
Sur will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on September 11, 2012 at 10:00 oclock
in the morning at DPWH 2
nd
District Engineering Offce, Buhangin, Malita,
Davao del Sur-BAC Offce, which shall be opened to all interested parties.
7. Bids must be delivered to the address below on or before September 24, 2012
at DPWH 2
nd
District Engineering Offce, Buhangin, Malita, Davao del Sur-BAC
Offce at 10:00 o'clock in the morning. 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. Deadline of Receipt of LOI's from prospective bidders at 5:00 o'clock in the
afternoon of September 19, 2012 and Issuance of bidding documents starts
on September 3, 2012 to 9:00 o'clock in the morning of September 24,2012.
9. The DPWH 2
nd
reserves the right to accept or reject any bids, to annul the bidding process, and
to reject all bids at any time prior to contract award, withouth thereby incurring
10. For further information, please refere to:
ANDREW A. PANGAN
BAC Chairman
DPWH 2
nd
DEO, Buhangin, Malita, Davao del Sur
Contract number 0947-4164895
(Sgd.) ANDREW A. PANGAN
Engineer III-BAC Chairman
NOTED:
(Sgd.) NOE V. PLACER
District Engineer
____________________
3
May be deleted in case the ABC is less than One Million Pesos (PhP1,000,000) where the
Procuring Entity may not hold a pre-bid conference.
Invitation to Bid for
Contract ID Number 12LE0032
Repair/Maintenance of Culaman Flood Control, Culaman,
Malita, Davao del Sur
DA assures Mindanao of support. Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala (second from left)
assures Mindanao local chief executives that the Agriculture Department will continuously provide
needed technical, marketing and
infrastructure support to increase
the productivity and incomes of
farmers and sherfolk, during
the Mindanao cluster conference
of the League Municipalities of
the Philippines in Cagayan de
Oro City. He is shown receiving a
plaque of appreciation from LMP
national president Mayor Donato
Marcos of Paombong, Bulacan, as
other mayors look on.
By Alena Mae S. Flores
THE National Grid Corp. of the Philippines
said Tuesday power supply has been restored
in Mindanao households and industries
affected by a re that forced the shutdown of
two major plants in the island.
National Grid spokesman
Cynthia Alabanza said the
tripping of Agus 6 and 7
affected power supply to
Iligan Light and Power Co.
Inc., Lanao del Norte Electric
Cooperative and several
industries directly connected to
the Agus complex.
The Agus 6 and 7 are a part
of the Agus-Pulangi power
complex which supply about 50
percent of Mindanaos power
requirements.
The Agus power plants supply
about 727 megawatts. The re,
which damaged the cables
of Agus 6 and 7, reduced the
capacity of the Agus complex
by 166 MW.
The National Power Corp.,
which owns the plants, said it
was still investigating the cause
of the re.
Alabanza said the National
Grid was able to prevent
damage and maintain the
security and reliability of the
Mindanao grid despite the
incident by connecting the
affected customers to the power
grid.
A re broke out at Napocors
Agus 6 complex in Iligan City
on Saturday, causing National
Grids 69-kiloVolt lines to trip.
Power delivery services
to all affected customers
have been fully restored as
of 4:15a.m. of Sept. 4, 2012.
Upgraded facilities equipped
with anti-re systems prevented
damage on NGCPs facilities,
Alabanza said.
National Grid embarked
last year on 106 operation and
maintenance projects, which
included 22 anti-re projects
as well as 69 slope protection
projects, nine transmission line
comprehensive maintenance
and six rehabilitation projects.
National Grid also regularly
conducts preparedness drills for
res, earthquakes, typhoons,
and other disasters which may
affect power transmission
in its effort to continuously
improve and speed up
restoration procedures during
emergencies.
By Lailany P. Gomez
THE Transportation Depart-
ment is likely to issue within
the month the nal draft of
the proposed Air Passenger
Bill of Rights that will also
cover foreign airlines, an of-
cial said Tuesday.
Civil Aeronautics Board
executive director Carmelo
Arcilla said the nal draft of
the measure was submitted
to the Transportation Depart-
ment and was likely to be
signed within the month.
He said inclusion of foreign
carriers in the list would en-
sure a level playing eld.
The CAB along with the
Transportation and Trade De-
partments jointly proposed the
bill of rights for air passengers,
which require airlines to make
full and clear disclosure of all the
terms and conditions of the con-
tract of carriage.
The proposed measures
also require clear and non-
misleading advertisements
of and important reminders
regarding fares, refundability
and rebookability as well as
denial of boarding.
Budget carriers had ex-
pressed support to the gov-
ernments effort to safeguard
the riding public and the avia-
tion industry.
Airlines, during the recent
public consultations, raised
issues such as the opening
and closing hours of check-
in counters depending on the
type of aircraft; required ad
space for airlines to clearly
state the restrictions, condi-
tions and other matters about
air ticket, including inclusion
of terms and conditions twice
in English and Filipino.
Also raised are issues on
the declaration of the num-
ber of seats offered on promo
fare; compensation for denial
of boarding; compensation
for loss, damage and delay of
baggage; special provisions for
persons with disabilities; im-
mediate payment of compensa-
tion; and reserve aircraft.
B4
IN BRIEF
Provinces
Edited by Leo A. Estonilo www.manilastandardtoday.comleoestonilo@gmail.com
Pawid urged to keep word
Tourism drive targets shopper-travelers
Commission
gives Binga
power unit
clearance
TOURISM Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. is
laying the ground work to push the country
as a shopping haven.
At the recent National Retail Conference
and Stores Asia Expo, he said about 10
million tourists are expected by 2016,
creating a huge group of potential buyers.
Stores must convey their desired image.
And importantly, they must be able to offer
goods or services to their market that t the
image. When these two jive, then a pleasant
shopping experience can take place, said
the former advertising executive who
headed his agencys creative department.
Tourism is the twin industry of retail,
said Frederick Go, Philippine Retail
Association and president of Robinsons
Recreation Corp.
Go said the country would host the
2015 Asia Pacic Retailers Convention
and Exposition, the longest running retail
conference in Asia.
We are showing the whole world that,
indeed, it is more fun in the Philippines.
We do this through quality products and
excellent services, he said, adding that over
200,000 delegates are expected to attend.
Samie Lim, PRA chairman emeritus,
described the travel sector as on the upswing.
In a single month, weve had over 400
thousand tourist arrivals, he said, noting
that promortions should focus on shopping
destinations as well.
He cited the National Statistical
Coordination Board nding that foreign
tourists spend only 21 percent of their
budget on shopping.
A shopping fest can double this number,
he said.
Lim, who also heads Automatic Centre
and Blims Furniture, said getting visitors
has always been a competitive game.
We have to act fast because other
countries have long promoted shopping
for tourism, he said, noting Indias Grand
Kerala along with the shopping festivals of
Dubai and Hong Kong.
There is a need to develop concept stores
that offer Philippine products and will serve
as one stop shops, Lim said. The One
Town, One Product store of the Department
of Trade and Industry, and the Agri-Kart of
the Department of Agriculture are steps in the
right direction. So is SMs Kultura stores.
Boy dies, father
hurt in ambush
AUTHORTIES are on hot
pursuit of ve armed men who shot
a Subanon leader and Barangay
chairman, leaving his 11-year-old
son dead Tuesday morning in Bayod
town, Zamboanga del Sur.
Maj. Gen. Ricardo Rainier
Cruz III, commander of the
Armys 1st Infantry Division,
said the ambush happened at
around 6 a.m. at the junction of
Barangay Matin-ao and Barangay
Datagan.
Hon. Timuay Lucenio Manda,
the barangayu captain of Conacon,
and one of the four tribal leaders of
Bayog together with his son Jordan
Manda were the victims of the
ambush, Cruz said.
He said Manda was taking his
son to school at the time.
The younger Manda died on
the spot while his father sustained
minor injuries. Timuay is an anti-
mining advocate in Zamboanga del
Sur, Cruz said, adding that soldiers
from the 53rd Infantry Battalion
were sent to get the suspects.
Florante S. Solmerin
Cebuana ties up
with wheatgrass
24K Cebuana Card members
can earn loyalty points when
they transact in any of Cebuana
Lluilliers 4,000 outlets.
The points can be converted to
reward coupons in denominations
of P50, P100, P200 and P500
which can be used in buying
products and services at face
value from partner establishments
which include Easy Pha-max
Philippines, the nations leading
distributor of wheatgrass-based
food supplements.
24K Cebuana members can
use the coupons to buy wheatgrass
products from Easy Pha-max kiosks
in 19 shopping malls in Luzon,
Visayas and northern Mindanao.
The wheatgrass kiosks are
located in Festival Mall, Robinsons
(Ermita, Galleria, Cagayan de Oro),
Limketkai Cagayan de Oro and SM
malls (Fairview, North Edsa, MOA,
Las Pinas, Bicutan, Megamall,
Hypermarket Pasig, Baguio, Clark,
Cebu and Naga).
For every P20 service fee paid,
4K Cebuana Card members earn
one point which is equivalent to P1.
At least 50 points are needed for
conversion to cash coupons. The
coupons are valid for one year from
the time customers redeem them
from the pawnshop.
LEGAZPI CITY-Albay Governor
Joey Salceda has allocated P36 million
for about 34,000 poor but deserving
scholars from the province.
When I was elected governor in 2007,
I asked my colleagues in the Provincial
Board to give priority to education under
my administration, he said after signing
an agreement with 53 schools at the
capitol.
At least 14,000 scholars are going to
graduate this year, Salceda said. Im
still short of 70 college graduates to complete my program of one
college graduate in every family in Albay.
Salceda was rst elected as representative of the third district.
I integrated the School for Philippine Craftsmen in Polangui
with the Bicol University now known as BU Polangui Campus,
he said. From 289, it has now an enrolment of 3,000.
Salceda pushed for an ordinance to create Provincial Education
Department to manage the scholarship and hold the annual search
for outstanding students, teachers, principals and Kadunong
for outstanding localities, recognizing best practices and
achievements. Florencio P. Narito
Albay sets P36-m
fund for scholars
THE Department of Agriculture,
Jollibee Foundation Inc., Sagip
Saka and the Congressional
Oversight Committee for
Agriculture and Fisheries
Modernization have packaged
a P11.8-million assistance fund
for eight provinces.
The foundation is the social
responsibility arm of one of
the countrys largest food
conglomerates while Sagip
Saka is an advocacy program
of the Ofce of Senator Francis
Pangilinan, chairman of the
senate committee on food and
agriculture.
Pangilinan said the funds
will be used on post-harvest
facilities such as rain shelters,
transportation vehicles, and
tractors; water pumps and other
equipment; fertilizers, pesticides
and other inputs; and other
forms of assistance to increase
the productivity and income of
onion, red pepper, tomato, and
lettuce growers.
Recipients come from Vigan,
Caoayan, and Sinait in Ilocos
Sur; Alaminos, Alcala, Bani, and
Aguilar in Pangasinan; Tarlac
City, Tarlac; Alabat, Quezon
Province; San Jose City, Nueva
Ecija; Santa Josefa, Agusan del
Sur; Mati, Davao Oriental; and
Impasug-ong, Bukidnon.
Over 400 farmers and their
families in 13 sites in the eight
provinces will benet from this
program.
Sagip Saka [is] our advocacy
that aims to achieve sustainable
modern agricultureand food
security by transforming
agricultural communities to reach
their full potential, improving
farmers and shers quality of
life, and bridging gaps through
public-private partnerships,
Pangilinan said.
He cited the pillars of Sagip
Saka as access to investments
and credit; opening up markets;
rolling out infrastructure;
strengthening research and
development; organizing farmer
communities and cooperatives;
ensuring the quality and
consistency of supply; and
mitigating the risks brought
about by climate change.
The success of JFIs
intervention on the Kalasag
Farmers cooperative gave us
a good template for this type
of public-private partnership,
Pangilinan said. Both the farmers
group and Jollibee beneted from
this because Jollibee was able to
get a steady and reliable source
of onions, while the farmers were
able to substantially increase their
incomes by going direct to the
market. Macon Ramos Araneta
Farmers get P12-m assistance
Golden grains. Farmers take advantage of sunny weath-
er to harvest their crop at Sitio Uno in Barangay Buayan,
General Santos City along the GENSAN-GLAN (Sarangani)
national highway. Wholesalers buy unmilled rice for P16 per
kilogram. COCOY SEXCION
OFFICIALS and employees of
the National Commission on
Indigenous People will press
for the resignation of Chairman
Brigida-Zenaida Pawid who
told the Commission the other
week that she had resigned
only to retract last week, saying
it was made in a jest.
When Pawid announced
during an en banc meeting
that she was quitting as
chairman and member of the
commission then declared she
was just testing the waters in
the agency, she has to walk the
talk, according to the group
composed of mostly mid-level
executives and members of the
NCIP Employees Association.
President Dong Laquibol,
of NCIPEA, said his board has
passed a resolution condemning
Pawids accusation na
walang ginagawa ang mga
empleyado (employees are
doing nothing). NCIPEA has
120 members at the Quezon City
ofce and 1,587 nationwide.
At least four NCIP bureau
directors denied being the
brains behind chain letters
and white papers citing her
for inhumane treatment of the
ofcials and employees of the
tribal commission and the graft
cases she is facing before the
Ombudsman.
The bureau directors have
taken a stand and submitted
it to the ofce of Pawid to
preempt the move to put them
in a freezer as what happened
to NCIP ofcer-in-charge
Director Jose Dumagan of
CARAGA Region and Surigao
de Norte Provincial Ofcer
Vicente Valdoza, who were
ordered suspended for one year
without pay.
But they were ordered
reinstated immediately absent
the alleged Ombudsman
directive as basis to ground
them due to unveried
complaints.
Laquibol also questioned
Pawids motive for witholding
funds for the benets of
employees and disallowing
travels for seminars and
training especially after the
letters and white papers started
to circulate.
By Dexter A. See

ITOGONEnergy Regulatory
Commission has awarded the Certicate
of Compliance to the 31.45-megawatt
Unit 1 of SN Aboitiz Power-Benguets
Binga Hydroelectric Power Plant amid
blackouts expected to hit Luzon in ve
years.
Lawyer Mike Hosillos, SNAP B vice president for corporate
affairs, said the new turbine replaced the 25-MW unit as part of
upgrading the 100-MW Binga facility to 125 MW by next year.
According to him, the unit is second of four modules declared
compliant since SNAP-Benguet embarked on a refurbishment program
in 2010 enabling it contribute 62.5 MW to the Luzon Grid.
Our rehabilitation program is right on track and we hope to complete
the whole project within the next two years so that the Binga power
plant will be fully operational, Hosillos told Manila Standard.
Unit 1s refurbishment was completed in July 2012 while Unit
4 was completed in December 2011, he said. Work on the two
remaining units is expected to begin early 2013 and completed
by said years end.
Binga HEPP, located in barangay Tinongdan in Itogon, was bidded
out as a package in 2007 with Ambuklao HEPP through the power
sector privatization program. SNAP-Benguet also began in 2008 the
upgrading of Ambuklao which had been unused since 1999.
It restarted operations in October 2011 to produce 105 MW.
We want to assure the public that we will be providing reliable
and quality power for the grid, Hosillos said, underscoring
the urgency of acting now to avert shortages that could lead to
blackouts in 2017.
Hosillos said SNAP is committed to maintain, operate and
administer the Ambuklao and Binga for 25-year period subject
to renewal for another 25 years under the administrations public
private partnership program.
Books for all. House Assistant Minority Leader and Leyte 1st district Rep. Rep. Ferdinand Martin FM
in partnership with Childrens International Philippines Inc. turns over more than 300 textbooks to
Head Teacher Imelda Dagal for Grade 1 to 6 pupils of Sitio Caloogan Elementary School in Barangay San
Jose Palo. VER NOVENO
sha.re/
Manila Standard TO-
A THREE-DAYS/TWO-NIGHTS Hong Kong honeymoon trip,
a luxurious pair of fashionable wedding rings set with emer-
ald cut diamonds 0.25 total carat weight festooned with small
round brilliants 0.12 tcw in 14kt white gold setting amounting
to P73,500; a nely crafted set of 13 pure silver wedding arrhae
intricately designed with distinct virtues essential to building
a successful marriage worth P80,000, both from Goldenhills;
and Smart Shot Studios P50,000.00 photo and video coverage
package are at stake at Wedding Expo Philippines.
Now celebrating 21 editions of being the most comprehen-
sive wedding wonderland in the country, Themes & Motifs
Wedding Expo Philippines welcomes thousands of soon-to-
weds from all over the country and from all over the world to
plan their wedding and get world-class nuptial inspirations from
the two-day grand event in a 6,000 square meter space, on Sept.
8 to 9 at the SMX Convention Center, SM Mall of
Asia Complex.
Soon-to-weds and their guests may get
free admission by pre-registering online
through www.themesnmotifs.com
(The Wedding Ideas Portal Philip-
WHEN we use the word luxury to describe something, we mean that it is expen-
sive and exquisite. Luxury also means comfort and value for money. Uptown Ritz
at Bonifacio Global City, Megaworld Corp.s latest condominium developments,
attempts to redene luxury.
standardlifestyle@gmail.com
home work relationship
C1
Gianna Maniego, Editor
Dinna Chan Vasquez, Assistant Editor
WEDNESDAY
THE GLOBE SOLUTION
Globe Business has designed
solutions that are highly advanced,
fast, secure and reliable--and cost
only a fraction of what they pay to
other providers.
W
H
A
T
S
I
N
S
I
D
E
THE THAI EXPERIENCE
Sherwin Lao talks about his wine-
tasting experience in Bangkok,
Thailand and the different wines
that he got to try.
SEPTEMBER 5, 2012
Uptown Ritz offers not only upscale
units as well as premium amenities
and facilities exclusive to tenants, but
it also offers the luxury of time. Liv-
ing in townships like Bonifacio Global
City gives you that privilege. In Up-
town Ritz, you dont need to go far
because everything that you may need
is just around the area, shares Noli
Hernandez, Megaworlds senior vice
president for sales and marketing.
The Ritz life
The 45-storey buildings striking
glass and aluminium facade make it
stand among other residential prop-
erties in BGC. But theres more to it
than an air of sophistication.
Uptown Ritz premium amenities
housed on the rst eight oors are
designed to give comfort to condo
owners while the 7th oors two
decks has everything one may need
to relax and enjoy in their abode
pools, outdoor recreation areas,
function rooms and a tness center.
Families will also enjoy living in the
three and four-bedroom suites on the
penthouse oors located at the 40th
to 45th levels of the building. The
parking area, which occupies the 2nd
to 6th oors are also expansive, giv-
ing occupants a hassle-free parking
with its 330+ allocated slots.
We want to make our tenants feel
that they are a part of an exclusive
community by simply living in Up-
town Ritz, which offers an uptown
lifestyle that suits their wants and
needs. It is the experience of living a
luxurious life in a different sense, be-
cause we do not only offer the value
of their money but also the value of
time, says Harold Geronimo, di-
rector for sales and marketing.
New central business district
Uptown Ritz is part of Mega-
worlds master planned township in
BGC dubbed as Uptown Bonifacio,
which is considered as the brand-
new central business district. The
sprawling 15-hectare community
closely follows the companys for-
mula for townships as upscale hubs
for home, business and leisure.
Another latest development of
Megaworld is Uptown Place mall,
a three-storey high-end dining and
shopping hub for those who do not
want to out of BGC district. The Up-
town Place mall is a mere walking
distance from the Uptown Ritz and
complements its shopping boutiques
at the ground level.
Uptown living, as Hernandez
explains it, means that every fam-
ilys needs are addressed. The place
boasts of its prime location conve-
niently tucked close to BGCs key
locations such as the Grand Hyatt
Hotel, St. Lukes Medical Center
and S&R. Kids may also attend top
institutions such as the International
School Manila, Manila Japanese
School and the British International
School.
Uptown Ritz is also very acces-
sible to major roads such as Edsa
and C5, which enables working pro-
fessionals and business people get to
their destinations or business centers
like Makati Central Business Dis-
trict, McKinley Hill and Eastwood
City in less than 20 minutes.
In Uptown Ritz, its an under-
statement to assume that its residents
live in luxury. Its more than that
its uptown luxury, says Geronimo.
(Condominium units at Uptown
Ritz are priced at P9.4M to P27M)
Puttin on the RITZ
By Joba Botana
RITZ
Puttin
on the
Noli Hernandez, Megaworlds senior
vice president for sales and marketing
pines) or get free passes from the showroom of Themes & Motifs in
Makati Shangri-la.
This years September edition features the launch of the beta
version of www.themesnmotifs.com (The Wedding Ideas Portal
Philippines), the Philippines rst and only interactive wedding
website for soon-to-weds and wedding professionals. This world-
class portal of Philippine wedding resources allows its users to
keep their wedding planning les of photos, videos, and articles
through their very own free online T&M account (called a WED-
site). They can get and share great wedding ideas and connect with
the Pinoy wedding community all over the Philippines and around
the world. Its Facebook integration allows readers, families, and
friends, to post comments, like uploaded entries, and send well
wishes and wedding greetings to brides and grooms through their
WEDsite. Personalized event passes to T&M events, such as the
upcoming Wedding Expo Philippines can be downloaded directly
from a WEDsite. On the other hand, Pinoy Wedding Professionals
from anywhere in the world can connect to thousands of brides
and grooms in the T&M database by creating their own account to
post their contact information to the portals Wedding Profession-
als Directory. An upgraded account allows a wedding profession-
al to promote a product, service, or company by posting photos,
videos, blogs to his own WEDsite which automatically uploads to
the portals homepage, as well, for added exposure for the wed-
ding company. A special page on Promos & Great Deals becomes
a virtual marketplace where soon-to-weds can see a summary of
special offers, discounts, giveaways, etc. posted by wedding pro-
fessionals in their respective T&M accounts.
Themes & Motifs
celebrates grand
wedding expo
Smart Shot Studios P50,000.00 photo and video coverage package.
A luxurious pair of fashionable
wedding rings set with emerald
cut diamonds 0.25 total carat
weight (tcw) festooned with small
round brilliants 0.12 tcw in 14kt white
gold setting amounting to P73,500
The
45-storey
Uptown
Ritz striking
facade make
it stand
among other
residential
properties in
BGC.
(with over P2.5M at stake)
THE Grand
Wine Expe-
rience 2012
as revealed
by Ray-
mond Jo-
seph will be
on Novem-
ber 23, at the Marriott Hotel Grand
Ballroom in Resorts World Manila,
same as last year. This wine extrava-
ganza promises to be bigger than the
events of previous years, and I have
no doubt based on the historical track
record of this event that it will break
records again in terms of attendance
and wines being poured.
World class
I was in Bangkok recently and
attended a very similar wine event. This
one is a lot more modest and was called
`World Class Wines Tasting Party 2012.
World Class Wines, being the name of
the Thai wine importer. The event was
held at the Surasak Ballroom in the
recently opened deluxe hotel Eastin
Grand Hotel Sathorn. While Grand Wine
Experience normally features over 500
wines, and several spirits too, The World
Class Wines Tasting Party featured just
around 50 different wines from eight
wine countries. These wines may not
be much, but admittedly they were well
selected. The prices of these wines range
from a low of Bht800 (around P1,040) to
a high of almost Bht3,000 (P3,900). No
WEDNESDAY C2
SEPTEMBER 5, 2012
Gianna Maniego, Editor
Dinna Chan Vasquez, Assistant Editor
ManilaStandardToday
home work relationships
sha.re/
standardlifestyle@gmail.com
Mini grand wine experience Thai style (Part 1)
By Ed Biado
BUILDING a home, remodeling or even splashing
on a fresh coat of paint is no easy feat. There are
a lot of things to consider, like time, budget and
labor. Then, there's the look and feel that you're
going for. Some of us have the resources to hire
architects and interior designers to help us out in
the process. Even then, sometimes, you
don't exactly get what you want because
it's hard to verbalize what's in your head
and you and the people you hire don't
understand one another. And what if you
have no idea what you want? Where and
how do you begin?
Thankfully, information and inspiration can
be found everywhere. There are home and
design magazines, TV shows and websites all
with a lot of fantastic ideas. But really, all you
need is one mobile appHouzz, one of the
best, most comprehensive and easy-to-access
places to look for interior design inspirations.
Available for free download on the Apple
App Store, the app is a nifty tool and reference
guide that can help you nd the aesthetics
that you're looking for. Launch the app and
browse through the database of more than
665,000 images (and counting) uploaded by
professionals, categorized by room and style
(Asian, contemporary, eclectic, etc.). If you nd
something you like, save the picture in your
own ideabook and/or share it on Twitter and
Facebook. A lot of the photos have embedded
product information (description, price and
vendor), signied by a little green price
tag superimposed over certain items.
You can also steal ideas from other
users by peeking into their ideabooks.
The Houzz app, together with its parent
Web site, www.houzz.com, is useful for
everyone who wants to improve their
home in any way, even if it's just to spruce up an
existing space with new throw pillows or an accent
piece. Those who don't are devoid of inspiration
can jumpstart their creative juices and those who
have specic ideas in mind can nd visual pegs to
match their concept.
And if you're anything like me (that is,
someone who doesn't have an upcoming home
improvement project but likes looking at pictures
of pretty houses), then I assure you that you're
gonna have plenty hours of fun with this app.
Your home ideabook
IN almost every household,
the busiest, most hardwork-
ing person would have to be
the mother. Oftentimes, moms
are too absorbed in their duties
and chores that they hardly take
time to rest and recharge.
This is why Surf Aroma-
therapy Fabric Conditioner,
the brands new premium line
of fabric conditioner, is em-
barking on an advocacy titled
Me Oclock ni Mommy.
The campaign aims to encour-
age mothers to take some time
off and enjoy a well-deserved
break. This will help them re-
charge and rejuvenate so that
they will have renewed energy
to do better and do more for
their loved ones.
The Surf Aromatherapy Fab-
ric Conditioner Me Oclock
campaign will reach out to moms
on Facebook. It will also interact
with moms directly via the Surf
Aromatherapy Fabric Condi-
tioner Spa Time Bus which will
go around the Metro to provide
relaxing massages and free
manicures and pedicures. On
top of these, Me Oclock moms
will have a chance to win grand
rejuvenating getaways through
the Surf Aromatherapy Fabric
Conditioner Me Oclock Photo
Contest.
At home, moms can log on
to Surf Philippines Facebook
page at www.facebook.com/
SurfPhilippines, where they
can get a daily dose of tips and
suggestions on how they can
spend quality time with their
families, learn new relaxing ac-
tivities they can do to recharge,
and nd uplifting photos and
messages to cheer them up.
The page will also provide
moms with a platform to con-
nect and share their experiences
with each other.
And while theyre on the Surf
Philippines Facebook page,
moms can also join the Surf
tioner Me Oclock Photo Con-
test where they can get a chance
to become one of the monthly
winners who will win a vacation
getaway for two to Boracay,
Palawan or Cebu, inclusive of
airfare, hotel accommodations,
and full board meals.
To join, simply go to the Me
Oclock application in Surf Phil-
ippines Facebook page, upload
a photo of you enjoying your
favorite Me Oclock activity,
and briey describe your Me
Oclock moment. Design and
personalize your photo with op-
tions in the app and once youre
done, just click post and your
photo will automatically be-
come an entry. Aside from the
grand prize winners, there will
also be three monthly winners
who will win an overnight stay
at Hotel H2O with 1 hour aro-
matherapy massage.
As an added treat, moms need
not go far to unwind as the Surf
tioner Spa Time Bus will bring
relaxation right at their door-
steps. This mobile spa facility
will travel around selected areas
in the Metro to pamper moms
with a well-deserved relaxing
and refreshing experience.
Surf Aromatherapy Fabric
Conditioner comes in 800 ml
bottles and pouches, 360 ml
pouches and 25 ml sachets and
is now available in all super-
markets nationwide.
The Me Oclock
campaign
THE Philippines, being a tropical country,
experiences typhoons, tropical storms and
monsoon rains almost all year long.
The monsoon rains that submerged the
metropolis in oods, mud and trash in Au-
gust proved to be very destructive and dan-
gerous for metro and suburban residents. Af-
ter the oods, the danger remains. Bacteria,
fungi and viruses threaten to compromise
the health of families, indoors or outdoors.
Stanhome World shows how mothers
can clean up their homes and make their
surroundings safe for their families and
household members.
1.Check cabinets, containers and
entire areas in the house for wet spots
and soggy clothes. Wash the cloths and
garments with laundry powder and fabric
conditioner that have anti-bacterial prop-
erties, like Stanhome Worlds Prime Wash
laundry detergent and Prime Wash Fresh
Bloom. Its Sani-Soft Fabric Conditioner
also repels bacteria and is phosphate-free.
2.Floods also cause mud residues to
stick to walls and other surfaces. Stanhome
Worlds Try-It Super Concentrated Cleaner
is formulated for difcult cleaning needs like
tough stains from mud, grease and smudges
on resistant surfaces like concrete, coarse fab-
rics, plastics, and wrought iron. The less dirt,
the less germs in the home.
3.Floods bring waste and all manner
of dirt inside the home. Sanitation is a
must for oors and other submerged parts
of the house that are teeming with bacte-
ria and fungi. Stanhomes Germ-Trol is a
powerful disinfectant that can effectively
kill 99.999 percent of viruses, bacteria and
fungi. After application, it prevents build-
up of microorganisms on treated surfaces
for longer-lasting protection.
For more information about these
Stanhome World products, visit the
Stanhome World Philippines Facebook
Fan Page, email feedback@stanhome-
worldph.com or contact 091-STAN-
HOME (0917-8264663).
low end wines at all. And these prices
were already 20 percent discounted
from regular World Class Wines
pricelist for this DAY only. The Tasting
Party was in effect a sort of sampling
event before purchasing for interested
wine acionados.
The entrance fee is extremely friendly at
only Bht700 (P910), and one can already
have access to all the 50 featured wines - free
owing wines while supply lasts (six to 10
bottles of each wine). And with around 200
guests only, all coming via invitation and
without mass media announcement, there
were plenty of wines to go around. The food
was more like nger foods, canaps, and
cheeses no meat carvings like the Grand
Wine Experience. But then again, the charge
is just P910 per head as against Grand Wine
Experience ticket price of P3,500. The low
entrance fee was made viable through subsi-
dies from participating wine principals who
have to pay joining fees and donate wines.
In exchange, the wine principals get expo-
sure to the network of World Class Wines, as
well as immediate sales turnover, which can
turn to a very nice reorder volume. A few
foreign wine principals were also present to
participate hands-on in this Tasting Party.
According to one of the directors of
the import company, TK Kollert, most
of their guests in this Tasting Party come
from the HORECA (Hotel, Restaurant
and Caf) business. And World Class
Wines run this annually, on its third year
now, to introduce some of their new
wine acquisitions.(To be continued)
Cleaning
after a ood
y
our house
The New EASTIN GRAND HOTEL Sathorn
Bangkok
The World Class Wines Tasting Party
Livelihood Program For Laguna Women: PMFTC Inc. Pres-
ident Chris Nelson (center) witnesses the signing of a memoran-
dum of agreement between the Epektibo at Responsableng Kilu-
san ng Kababaihan sa Bagong Laguna (ERKKBL) and the Jaime
V. Ongpin Foundation for a community-based ecological solid
waste management program in the province. PMFTC contributed
funds for the project. Signing the agreement are ERKKBL execu-
tive director Gina Tiu (left) and JVOF executive director Ma.
Rosario Lopez (right).
According to Blue Avelino,
Head of Small and Medium Busi-
ness, Globe Business, big corpora-
tions in the top SEC rankings are
always looking for ways to reduce
their operating costs without sacri-
cing efciency and productivity.
The big corporations, in fact,
are the ones that incur the biggest
costs in terms of operating expens-
es. Theyre the ones who have hun-
dreds or even thousands of employ-
ees. They have ofces across the
country. They have eets of vehi-
cles, machine assets, and terabytes
of sensitive corporate data that
need to be secured. In order to stay
competitive and keep in-
creasing their productiv-
ity, they need solutions
that let them maximize the capa-
bilities of telecoms technology
while at the same time keeping
costs down. To meet their needs,
Globe Business has designed solu-
tions that are highly-advanced, fast,
secure and reliableand cost only
a fraction of what they pay to other
providers, said Avelino.
Fun, learning, and sharing
Those who attended the Globe
Lounge event participated in ice-
breakers and other fun, yet mean-
ingful, games that lightened the
days mood and helped put them at
ease during the presentations.
During the session, participants
were asked to share what
business they are involved
in, as well as their dreams
REDUCING COSTS
Increasing productivity,
CORPORATE clients in and around the Laguna
Industrial Park had the chance to learn how they
can avail of advanced telecoms technologyfor
fast and reliable wireless and wireline connec-
tionsat a fraction of the cost compared to other
providers. This was during a day of games and
presentations at the Globe Lounge in The Mills at
the Carmel Ray Country Club in Laguna.
and aspirations for their company
and their loved ones.
Presentations included lectures
and videos of three Globe Business
solutions that were featured that
day. These included: 1) M2M So-
lutions; 2) Cloud Solutions; and 3)
Business Flex and Device Bundles.
Talking machines
M2M Solutions is a high-tech
system that allows computers, ma-
chines, equipment, and other assets
to remotely communicate and share
information with other machines
and computers. M2M Solutions are
connected to the Globe Business
M2M Management System.
M2M Solutions have various
applications for business. In gen-
eral, these include the areas of
Fixed Assets Management, Fleet
Management, and Security and
Surveillance.
Fleet Management allows com-
panies to manage their eet of ve-
hicles through a real-time tracking
system; this ensures the delivery
and security of products and sup-
plies. It uses a Global Positioning
System (GPS) to monitor the pre-
cise location of assets like trucks,
cargo and products; it also allows
companies to determine if these ar-
rived at their destination/delivery
point on time.
M2M Solutions may also be
used as a Security and Surveillance
service for company sites.
Using the Cloud
Essentially, Cloud Solutions pro-
vide entrepreneurs with a digital
storage facility that ensures safe,
reliable, and quick access to huge
amounts of vital information for
their business.
A cost-effective alternative
would be to store company data
through Globe Business Cloud
Solutions. Globe Business pro-
vides the pool of servers con-
nected through a managed,
maintained, and secured digital
network. All that the entrepreneur
has to do is pay the affordable
monthly subscription.
Flexible plans, device packages
Globe Business also offers Busi-
ness Flex and Device Bundles.
These are mobile communications
plans that are customized to the
needs of corporate clients. These
packaged plans include free mobile
phones or tablet devices, plus un-
limited texting, unlimited calling,
and unlimited data features (terms
and conditions apply).
For example, Globe Busi-
ness offers one type of Business
Flex and Device Bundle at Plan
3000. For only P3,000 a month,
the client will get eleven free
Samsung Nari mobile phones,
plus unlimited calling and un-
limited texting features.
Another Business Flex and Device
Bundle is offered at Plan 800, which
provides two free mobile phones, one
Samsung Pocket Galaxy and one
Samsung Nari, with unlimited tex-
ting and unlimited calling features,
plus P300 worth of consumable
credits. The subscriber gets all these
for only P800 a month.
For those who need a mobile In-
ternet connection, they could avail
of the P2 package, which includes
a Samsung Galaxy Tab with un-
limited texting, unlimited calling,
and unlimited data connection to
the Internet. The plan also includes
P300 worth of consumable credits.
All these are packaged together for
just P1800 a month.
Learn more by visiting any
Globe store or calling the Globe
Business Hotline at +632 730-
1010. You may also log on to http://
www.globe.com.ph/business
Dinna Chan Vasqauez
C3
ManilaStandardTODAY
online.editor@manilastandardtoday.com
Marlon Magtira, Section Editor
Tech
ManilaStandardToday
DOST installs automated
rain gauge in Basilan
Consumers
in PH rarely
buy online
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS AND HIGHWAYS
NEGROS OCCIDENTAL 4
TH
DISTRICT ENGINEERING OFFICE
Bago City, Negros Occidental
Tel. No. (034) 4610-599 (034) 4611-250 (034) 7324632
Email Add: dpwhnegocc4thdeo@yahoo.com.ph
I NVI TATI ON TO BI D
(MST-Sept. 5, 2012)
The Department of Public Works and Highways Negros Occidental 4
th
District
Engineering Offce, through its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), invites contractors to
apply to bid for the following contract(s):
Contract ID No.: 012GN051
Contract Name: Construction of Flood Control Structure across Bago River
along Bacolod South National Arterial Road
Contract Location: Bago City, Negros Occidental
Scope of Works: Fl ood Cont r ol (Const . of Rubbl e Concr et e Type Bank
Protection)
Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC): Php 24,941,529.24
Contract Duration: 50 Calendar Days
Source of Funds: ABM-BMB-A-12-0006415 dtd 1/2/2012; SR2012-07-006310 dtd
7/31/2012
The BAC will conduct procurement through open competitive bidding and procedures
in accordance with R.A. 9184 and its Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations.
To bid for this contract, a contractor must submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) 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 with PCAB license
applicable to the type and cost of this contract, (c) completion of a similar contract costing
at least 50% of ABC within a period of 10 years, and (d) Net Financial Contracting Capacity
at least equal to ABC, or credit line commitment for at least 10% of ABC. The BAC will use
non-discretionary pass/fail criteria in the eligibility check, preliminary examination of bids,
evaluation of bids, post-qualifcation and award.
Unregistered contractors, however, shall submit their applications for registration to
the DPWH-POCW Central Offce, 5
th
Floor, DPWH Building, Bonifacio Drive, Port Area,
Manila before the deadline for the receipt of LOI. The DPWH-POCW Central Offce will
only process contractors applications for registration, with complete requirements, and
issue the Contractors Certifcate of Registration.
The signifcant times and deadlines of procurement activities are shown below:
1. Issuance of Bidding Documents September 4, 2012 to September 25, 2012 until 12:00 NN
2. Pre-Bid Conference September 11, 2012 @10:00 AM
3. Deadline of Receipt of LOIs from Prospective Bidders September 18, 2012 until 12:00 NN
4. Receipt of Bids September 25, 2012 until 2:00 PM
5. Opening of Bids September 25, 2012 @ 2:15 PM
The BAC will issue hard copies of Bidding Documents (BDs) at BAC Offce, DPWH
Negros Occidental 4
th
District Engineering Offce, Bago City, Negros Occidental, upon
payment of non-refundable fee for Bidding Documents (BDs) as scheduled below:
FEES PER PROJECT
Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) Bidding Documents (BDs) Fee
Above 20 Million up and 50 Million Php 20,000.00
Prospective bidders may download the BDs, if available, from the DPWH website.
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 be accompanied by a
bid security, in the amount and acceptable form, as stated in Section 27.2 of the Revised IRR.
Bidders who failed to submit their Letter of Intent (LOI) on the deadline specifed shall
not be allowed to submit their bids.
The BAC will only receive the contractors LOI/Expression of Interest (NR003) and
issue Bidding Documents upon presentation of the original copies of their PCAB License and
Contractors Registration Certifcate (CRC) in person or thru their Authorized Representative
as refected in their CRC.
Prospective bidders shall submit their duly accomplished forms as specifed in the BDs
in two (2) separate sealed bid envelopes to the BAC Chairman. The frst envelope shall
contain the technical component of the bid, which shall include the eligibility requirements.
The second envelope shall contain the fnancial component of the bid. Contract will be
awarded to the Lowest Calculated Responsive Bid as determined in the bid evaluation
and the post-qualifcation.
The DPWH, Neg. Occ. 4
th
District Engineering Offce, Bago City, Neg. Occ. 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.
Approved by:
(Sgd.) RICARDO C. GARAYGAY
OIC-Assistant District Engineer
BAC Chairman

Noted:
(Sgd.) EMMANUEL C. MENDIGUARIN
OIC - District Engineer
Batch #26/12
DPWH INFRA-07 Standard Advertisement-Revised IRR
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS AND HIGHWAYS
Region I
Ilocos Sur 2nd District Engineering Offce
Candon City, Ilocos Sur
(MST-Sept. 5, 2012)
The Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) of the Ilocos Sur 2
nd
District
Engineering Offce, invites contractors to bid for the aforementioned project:
Contract ID No. : 12AD0116
Contract Name : Repair/Rehabilitation/Improvement along
Manila North Road
Contract Location : C a n d o n - S a n t i a g o S e c t i o n ,
K0349+189-K0357+000 with exception
Brief Description : Concreting of Shoulder
Approved Budget for : P 9,900,000.98
The Contract
Source of Fund : MVUC 2012 (SR 2012-06-005041)
Contract Duration : 59 calendar days
Cost of Bid Documents : P 10,000.00
The BAC will conduct the procurement process in accordance with the
Revised IRR of R.A. 9184. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be
automatically rejected at the opening of bid.
To bid for this contract, a contractor must submit a Letter of Intent (LOI),
purchase bid documents and must meet the following major criteria: (a)
prior registration with DPWH, (b) Filipino citizen or 75% Filipino owned
partnership, corporation, cooperative, or joint venture, (c) with PCAB
License applicable to the type and costof 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 for at least 10% of ABC. The BAC will use non-discretionary
pass/fail criteria in the eligibility check and preliminary examination of bids.
Unregistered contractors, however, shall submit their applications for
registration to the DPWH-POCW Central Offce before the deadline for
the receipt of LOI. The DPWH-POCW Central Offce will only process
contractors applications for registration, with complete requirements, and
issue the Contractors Certifcate of Registration (CRC). Registration Forms
may be downloaded at the DPWH website www.dpwh.gov.ph.
The signifcant times and deadlines of procurement activities are
shown below:
1. Issuance of Bidding Documents : From September 5 to September 24, 2012
2. Pre-bid Conference : September 13, 2012 @ 10:00 A.M. , BAC Offce
3. Receipt of LOI from Prospective Bidders : From September 13 to September 17, 2012
4. Receipt of Bids : September 24, 2012 until 10:00 A.M.
5. Opening of Bids : September 24, 2012 @ 2:00 P.M.
The BAC will issue hard copies of Bidding Documents (BDs) at Ilocos
Sur 2
nd
District Engineering Offce, upon payment of a non-refundable fee
as stated. Prospective bidders may also download the BDs, if available,
from the DPWH web site. 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. The Pre-bid Conference shall be open only to
interested parties who have purchased the BDs. Bids must be accompanied
by a bid security, in the amount and acceptable form, as stated in Section
27.2 of the Revised IRR.
Prospective bidders shall submit their duly accomplished forms as
specifed in the BDs in two (2) separate sealed bid envelopes to the BAC
Chairman. The frst envelope shall contain the technical component of
the bid, which shall include the technical component of the bid, which
shall include a copy of the CRC. The second envelope shall contain the
fnancial component of the bid. Contract will be awarded to the Lowest
Calculated Responsive Bid as determined in the bid evaluation and the
post-qualifcation.
The Ilocos Sur 2
nd
District Engineering Offce 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.
Approved by:
(Sgd.) RODOLFO B. ANTIPORDA
BAC Vice Chairman
Kagawaran ng Pagawain at Lansangang Pambayan
Tanggapan ng Distrito Inhenyero
Telepono: 0917-7079668
Negros Oriental 1
st
District Engineering District Offce
Bindoy, Negros Oriental, Rehiyon VII
(MST-Sept. 5 & 11, 2012)
The DPWH, Negros Oriental 1
st
District Engineering Offce, through the Bids and Awards Committee
(BAC), invites contractors to apply to bid for the contract(s);
1.) Contract ID 012HJ0007
Contract Name Rehabilitation/Reconstruction/Upgrading of Damaged Paved National Roads
(Intermittent Sections)
Contract Location K0111+680 K0112+234.23
Scope of Works SPL I Mobilization and Demobilization, SPCL II Facilities for the Engineers,
SPCL III Facilities for Handicapped Persons (BP 344), SPCL IV Safety and
Health Programs, SPCL V Facilities for Gender and Development (GAD-5%
of Appropriation) - Additional Stone Masonry Open Canal, SPCLVI Installation
of Billboard, 101(3a) Removal of Existing Dilapidated Asphalt Pavement,
102(4) Surplus Common Excavation (Canal), 104(1) Embankment, 105(1)
Subgrade Preparation (Common Materials), 201 Aggregate Base Course,
311(1) Portland Cement Concrete Pavement (Plain, t=280mm), 311(2) Portland
Cement Concrete Pavement (Reinforced, t=280mm), 505(5) Riprap and
Grouted Riprap, Class A, 704 Masonry Units (Stone Masonry Open Canal),
612(1) Refectorized Thermoplastic Pavement Markings (white), and 612(2)
Refectorized Pavement Markings (Yellow)
Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) P 9,475,930.00
Duration 120 Calendar Days
Contract Name Reconstruction of Habag Bridge
Contract Location La Libertad, Negros Oriental
Scope of Works A.1 Construction of Detour
101(1) Removal of Structure and Obstruction, 102(4) Surplus Unclassifed
Excavation, 103(3) Foundation Fill, 104(1) Embankment, 201 Aggregate Base
Course, 505(a) Grouted Riprap, Class A, 500(1)c 910mmRCPC

A.2 Construction of Bridge Structure
101(3) Removal of Detour Road, 101(4)a Removal of Existing Damage
Concrete Pavement, 101(2) Removal of Damage Existing Bridge, 103(2)
Bridge Excavation, 311(2) PCC Pavement (Reinforced), 280mm thk., 400(22a)
Reinforced Concrete Test Pile (F&D), 400(22b) Reinforced Concrete Pile (F &
D), 401 Bridge Railings, 404(1) Reinforcing Steel Grade 40 (FCHB & P), 405(1)
Structural Concrete Class A, 405(1a) Structural Concrete Class A (fc=28
mpcs), 406 Pre-Stressed Structural Concrete Girder, 506 Stone Masonry,
SPL-1 Mobilization and Demobilization, SPL-2 Facilities for the Engineers,
SPL-3, Provide Project Sign Board, SPL-4 Construction Safety and Health
Program, SPL-5 Facilities for Handicapped Persons (BP 344) and SPL-6
Facilities for Gender and Development (5%)
Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) P 12,222,000.00
Contract Name Reconstruction of Martilo Bridge
Contract Location La Libertad, Negros Oriental
Scope of Works A.1 Construction of Detour
102(4) Surplus unclassified Excavation, 103(3) Foundation Fill, 104(1)
Embankment, 201 Aggregate Base Course, 505(a) Grouted Riprap, Class
A , 500(1)c 910mmRCPC
A.2 Construction of Bridge Structure
101(2) Removal of Damage Existing Bridge, 103(2) Bridge Excavation,
400(22a) Reinforced Concrete Test Pile (F & D), 400(22b), Reinforced
Concrete Pile (F & D), 401 Bridge Railings, 404(1) Reinforcing Steel Grade 40
(FCHB & P), 405(1) Structural Concrete Class A, 405(1a) Structural Concrete
Class A (fc=28 mpcs), 406 Pre-stressed Structural Concrete Girder, SPL-1
Mobilization and Demobilization and SPL-3 Provide Project Sign Board
Approved Budget for the Contract P 10,290,000.00
Procurement will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures in accordance with
R.A. 9184 and its Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations.
To bid for the contract, a contractor must submit a Letter of Intent (LOI), purchased bid documents
and must meet the following major criteria; (a) prior registration with DPWH, (b) Filipino Citizen owned
partnership, corporation, cooperative, or venture (c) with PCAB License applicable to the type and the cost
of this contract, (d) completion of a similar contract costing at least 50% of ABC, or credit line commitment
at least equal to 10% of ABC. The BAC will use non-discretionary pass/fll criteria in the eligibility check
and preliminary examination of bids.
Unregistered contractors, however, shall submit their applications for registration to the DPWH-POCW
Central Offce will only process contractors applications for the registration with complete requirements
and issue the Contractors Certifcate of Registration (CCR). Registration forms may be downloaded at
the DPWH website www.dpwh.gov.ph.
The signifcant time and deadlines of procurement activities are shown below:
1. Receipt of LOI from Prospective Bidders Deadline: September 12, 2012
2. Issuance of Bidding Documents September 12, 2012 to October 2, 2012
3. Pre-Bid Conference September 18, 2012 @ 10:00 A.M.
4. Receipt of Bids October 2, 2012 (12:00 Noon)
5. Opening of Bids October 2, 2012 @ 1:30 P.M.

The BAC will issue hard copies of Bidding Documents (BDs) upon payment of a non-refundable
fee of P 10,000.00 per Contract ID respectively.
Prospective bidders may also download the BDs from the DPWH website, if available. Prospective
bidders that will download form the DPWH website shall pay the said fees on or before the submission
of their documents. Bids must be accomplished by a bid security, in the amount and acceptable form, as
started in Section 27.2 of the Revised IRR.
Prospective bidders shall submit their duly accomplished forms as specifed in the BDs in two
(2) separate sealed bid envelopes to the BAC Chairman. The frst envelope shall contain the technical
component of the bid, which shall include a copy of the CRC. The second envelope shall contain the
fnancial component of the bid. Contract will be awarded to the lowest calculated responsive bid as
determined in the bid evaluation and post-qualifcation.
The DPWH, Negros Oriental 1
st
District Engineering District Offce reserves the right to accept
or reject any or all bid and annul the bidding process anytime before contract award, without incurring

Approved:

(Sgd.) SALOME C. GRAVADOR
(Vice-Chairman)
The City Government of Makati, through its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), invites suppliers/manufacturers/
distributors/contractors to apply for eligibility and to bid for the hereunder projects:
NO. NAME OF PROJECT AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION LOCATION APPROVED BUDGET
1 Information and Communication Technology supplies and
peripherals for the use of various schools of Dep-Ed Makati
DEP-ED P2,577,463.50
2 Vitek 2 Reagents and other laboratory supplies for the use of
Ospital ng Makati
OSMAK P8,339,272.00
3 Dry Medical Films for the use of Ospital ng Makati OSMAK P2,505,600.00
4 Wheel Chairs and other mobility aids for the use of Makati Social
Welfare Department
MSWD P3,325,260.00
5 Various materials for the replacement of Air-Conditioning Units
at Benigno Aquino High School
DEP-ED P2,738,843.00
Prospective Bidders should have experience in undertaking a similar project with an amount of at least 50% of the
proposed project for bidding. The Eligibility Check/Screening as well as the Preliminary Examinations of Bids shall use
non-discretionary pass/fail criteria. Post-Qualifcation of the Lowest Calculated Bid shall be conducted.
All particulars relative to Eligibility Statement and Screening, Bid Security, Performance Security, Pre-Bidding
Conference(s), Evaluation of Bids, Post-Qualifcation and Award of Contract shall be governed by the pertinent provisions
of R.A. 9184 and its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR).
The complete schedule of activities is listed, as follows:
ACTIVITIES SCHEDULE
1. Pre-Bidding Conference at BAC Conference Room, 9th Floor September 18, 2012 (02:00 P.M.)
2. Opening of Bids at BAC Conference Room, 9th Floor October 02, 2012 (02:00 P.M.)
Bidding Documents will be available only to Prospective Bidders upon payment of a non-refundable amount of
______________________to the City Government of Makati Cashier.
(fee for Bid Documents) (Procuring Entity)
The City Government of Makati assumes no responsibility whatsoever to compensate or indemnify
(Procuring Entity)
bidders for any Expenses Incurred in the preparation of the bid.
The City of Makati reserves the right to disqualify any or all proposal, to waive any defects or informalities therein and
to accept such proposal as may be considered most advantageous to the Government.
Approved by:
(Sgd.) MARJORIE A. DE VEYRA
Chairperson

Bids and Awards Committee
J.P. Rizal St. corner F. Zobel St., Makati City
Tel. No. 870-1000 Fax No. 899-8988
www.makati.gov.ph
INVITATION TO BID
REPUBLIKA NG PILIPINAS
LUNGSOD NG MAKATI
(MST-Sept. 5, 2012)
ONLINE consumers in the
Philippines are amongst Asia-
Pacics most active in terms
of conducting product research,
reading consumer reviews, and
searching for online deals, ac-
cording to a Nielsen research
report on the inuence of digi-
tal media on shopping habits.
The Nielsen report found
that amongst consumers who
engaged in eCommerce activi-
ties, over two thirds of online
consumers in the Philippines
(72 percent), indicated using the
Internet for grocery shopping re-
search in the past month, and 47
percent of those consumers did
so daily, compared to 39 percent
in Asia-Pacic.
Online Filipino consumers
were also the most active in
Asia-Pacific to search online
for deals; 61 percent have
done this in the past month
compared to 39 percent in
Asia-Pacific.
However, when it comes to
online purchase conversion,
only 34 percent have made
a purchase online in the past
month compared to 62 percent
in Asia-Pacic and 49 percent
globally.
With Internet penetration
increasing exponentially in the
Philippines, and the growing
number of consumers who are
turning to the internet to con-
duct product research and ensure
they are getting the best price or
deal, this trend provides an apt
environment to convert online
researchers to make online pur-
chases, said Stuart Jamieson,
managing director of Nielsen
Philippines.
The Internet presents an op-
portunity for retailers and man-
ufacturers to tap into a broader
consumer base and increase
engagement levels with con-
sumers. However, clear strate-
gies to build online consumers
trust and ultimately increase
purchase conversion rates need
to be ascertained.
Myra Alih, provincial science
and technology director, said
Thursday the equipment can pro-
vide real time and accurate data
on rainfall in the province, which
is key to disaster mitigation.
Every year, the Philippines
experiences strong typhoons with
heavy rains and ooding during
monsoon season. In recent past,
these natural phenomena have
plagued the country, claiming
lives and millions worth of prop-
erties, Alih said.
In preparation for such ca-
lamities, the Advanced Science
and Technology Institute, in
cooperation with the Philippine
Atmospheric, Geophysical, As-
tronomical Services Administra-
tion (Pagasa), both attached to
the Science Department, has en-
hanced the countrys capability
in monitoring real-time weather
disturbances by developing and
producing low-cost system so-
lutions and instrumentations.
The rain gauge deployment is
part of the Development of Hy-
brid Weather Monitoring System
and Production of Weather and
Rain Automated Stations Proj-
ect, which aims to develop and
deploy a network of automated
weather stations and ARGs to
monitor real-time weather chang-
es occurring in specic localities
all over the country.
Provincial science and tech-
nology director of Maguin-
danao Abdulmasa K. Pangilan,
together with his assistant Mar-
ilyn C. Manibpalm provided
technical assistance in the in-
stallation of the rain gauge in
Lantawan municipality after
the launch in Isabela City.
Pangilan said the gauging sta-
tion is developed to gather and
record the amount of rainfall
over a set period of time and au-
tomatically sends data to a central
base station on a pre-determined
interval basis.
The rainfall data are sent
wirelessly through the cellular
network as a text message or
Short Messaging System. It is
equipped with the ASTI-devel-
oped datalogger platform GSM
Data Acquisition Terminal that
serves as the mini-computer or
brain that intelligently controls
all the functions and data com-
munications of the station,
Pangilan said.
The rain gauge is designed to
be rugged and standalone, the
station can be deployed even in
the harshest remote areas and
can operate continuously as it
gets power from the sun backed
up by the internal rechargeable
battery, Pangilan said.
A memorandum of agreement
was signed between the DOST-
ARMM, headed by OIC Re-
gional Secretary Dr. Abdulgalib
I. Halud, the provincial govern-
ment of Basilan as represented
by provincial administrator Tahir
Latip, and the municipal govern-
ment of Lantawan headed by
Mayor Rustam Ismael.
Speaking in Tausog, Ismael
expressed his gratitude to the
DOST-ARMM ofcials for
visiting Basilan and bringing
assistance from the national
government for the good of the
people.
Ismael said he is also thankful
for the trust given to Lantawan as
host to the rain gauge equipment,
which is installed at the perim-
eter of the municipal hall.
Ismael assured that the equip-
ment will be well taken care of
under his watch because of its
value to save lives.
After the installation, Pangilan
briefed local technical personnel
on how the equipment works. He
said the system uses a tipping
bucket rain gauge that measures
the amount of precipitation or
rain that has fallen.
By Rene V. Carbayas
The Department of Science and Technol-
ogy in Basilan ha completed the instala-
tion of an automated rain gauge in Atong-
Atong, Lantawan municipality, placing
Basilan in the national map of monitored
rainfall activity.
New printers launched. Epson Philippines ofcials, led by its new president Toshimitsu Tanaka, (3rd
from right) pose with Epson Singapore GM Siew Jin Kiat (left) during the launching at Marriott Hotel in Pasay
City on Tuesday. Photo: Melvin Calimag
C4
Isah V. Red, Editor standard.showbiz@gmail.com
showbitz
ISAH V.
RED
SIMPLY RED
Accoridng to her, she actu-
ally nds the character very
challenging, Because its
very far from who I am re-
ally. This only means shes
doing a great job, as people
are beginning to believe that
Graciela and Sarah really are
one and the same.
While Sarah counts her
current project as a blessing,
she also admits that there is
pressure in being part of a big
showthough, not for the
reason people might expect.
Mas masasabi ko na
yung pressure ay galing sa
expectations ng bosses and
viewers, Sarah explains. She
doesnt think that being Rich-
ar d Gutier rezs leading lady
should put her under pressure,
saying [na] ang kailangan
bigyan ng halaga ay ang pag-
seseryoso at pagpapaganda
ng show at ow ng story.
People could misconstrue
Sarahs attitude as proof that
success is getting into her
head; but for her, its some-
thing she has to maintain to
keep her grounded.
Ayokong isipin na ang
showbiz ay ang buhay ko,
kasi mag bibigay yun ng mal-
ing satisfaction, she adds.
Sarah prefers to keep every-
thing professional; choosing
to ignore issues that link her
with other celebrities, or wav-
ing away credits she doesnt
think she deserves. She adds
that she doesnt want to think
[na] sa akin umiikot ang
mundo, insisting that, Being
an actor is my job. Thats it.
In fact, instead of heading
out to clubs to be seen, Sarah
heads home instead to be with
her parents and close friends.
I read books, hangout with
[them], and rest.
Sarah wants to be an ac-
tress, and not just a celebrity.
But thats not to say Sarah
isnt enjoying her job, because
she is.
Whats that Disney quote?
If you love what you do, you
never have to work a day in
your life. Sarah says she be-
lieves in this saying. And even
though there are days when be-
ing an actress in the Philippines
can become taxing, its the
feeling I get
most days
that matters.
Life is
amazing and
I am beyond
blessed, she says.
Among those
blessings, Sarah counts
co-stars in Makapiling
Kang Muli. I love that
[the cast are] all batikan,
but [theyre] all so hum-
ble and willing to help
you when you need
advice or motivation
for a scene.
Thats a better
reason to be known
for, more than being
seen hobnobbing
with other celebri-
ties, she adds.
Meanwhile, the
rumor mill is con-
tinually churning
out stories about
her and co-star
Richard Guti-
errez. Although
Sarah, in several
instances that we met and
talked, didnt conrm that
they are now a couple, the
mill says otherwise.
The question many are
asking now is, What will
happen after Makapiling
Kang Muli ends this week?
Will there still be Sarah in
Richards thoughts?

Sarah Gs rst
concept album
The other, more popu-
lar Sarah in show business
though has a concept album
now. Her rst, she says. And
its back to her rst love,
which is music.
It is an exciting moment for
Sar ah Gs fans the world over
as she releases her new album
under parent music label Viva
Records. Pure OPM Classics,
the new album nds Sarah G
updating, revising and pay-
ing tribute to the great OPM
songs of our time.
Pure OPM Classics is ex-
actly what it suggests: Origi-
nal Pinoy Music at its pure,
unadulterated best.
Only the classics through
and throughfrom start to
nish.
Those familiar with Sarah
Gs work would know that she
has had her share of song cov-
ers over the years in several al-
Sarah
bums, but this one
is special.
It has Sarahs
take on the Flo-
rante original
Handog and
Umagang Kay
Ganda and
APO Hik-
ing Societys
Panalangin.
She also
does Mas-
dan Mo
Ang Ka-
paligiran,
by Asin and
Tao, by
Sa mpa gu-
ita.
Sarah sam-
ples a few of the
best ballads in
Joey Alberts
Ikaw Lang Ang
Mamahal i n,
Nonoy Zu-
nigas Doon
Lang, and Rey
Valeras Ma-
layo Pa Ang
Umaga.
She also
gives her nod to
George Canseco
with Hanggang
Sa Dulo Ng Walang
Hanggan.
Meanwhile, Ryan Cay-
abayab is also featured here
with Kay Ganda Ng Ating
Musika.
There is again Sarahs
amazing rendition of the great
OPM hit Anak, by the inimi-
table Freddie Aguilar.
The music is no doubt
memorable, and even moreso
sung with Sarah Geronimos
singing style. Its a combina-
tion of great songs being sung
by a modern-day great singer.
The new Sarah Geronimo set
is certainly worth the long
wait. Destined to be one of
the favorites among Sarahs
growing catalog of albums.
Blockbuster
Movie Exper ience
Share a good laugh and turn
a stormy weather to a wonder-
ful family bonding experience
at home with SkyCable 499, the
blockbuster movie package that
gives you unlimited access to
superb movie entertainment.
HBO (Ch. 54) airs movie
adaptations of the classic car-
toon series. Spend quality time
with the kids and enjoy another
Animation Blow-out from Star
Movies (Ch. 55) at 6 a.m.
Star Movies Sweet Flicks
Tuesday at 9 p.m. gives you back-
to-back Hollywood romantic
movies that are perfect for a stay-
at-home movie date with your
husband. Give yourself a special
treat and enjoy your alone time at
home with the best local movies
in Cinema Ones (Ch. 56) Pop
Theater from Monday to Friday, 9
p.m. Unwind and lighten up your
day with feel-good movie hits
that are sure to make your me-
time worth it from the countrys
bankable artists.
Imagine getting your every-
day dose of movies with dif-
ferent genres for only P499 a
month with SkyCable 499.
With a wide array of movie
channels for quality entertain-
ment, this blockbuster movie
package is indeed the perfect
choice for the whole family for
endless move date nights.
For more information, visit
www.mysky.com.ph or call Sky-
Cables customer service hotline
at (02) 381-0000 (Metro Manila,
CAMANAVA and Rizal), (046)
484-4701 (Cavite), (02) 520-
8560 or (049) 534-2814 (La-
guna) and (044) 693-5877 (Bu-
lacan), (032) 345-2278 (Cebu)
and (082) 305-5456 (Davao).
Dance Moms and
Aby Lee Miller
On Friday, Anderson will
feature a pair of daytime exclu-
sives. First, the cast of the con-
troversial hit-reality series Dance
Moms, sits with Ander son to
narrate their experience on being
mentored by their dance instruc-
tor, Abby Lee Miller .
Known for her ery, volatile
ways, Miller often gets into con-
frontations with the dancers stage
mothers. Our host examines the
effect of the extreme competi-
tion on the young girls. Then, the
medical examiner who performed
the autopsy of Caylee Anthony
responds to her critics and reveals
some surprising details of her fo-
rensic ndings that led to the ac-
quittal of Caylees mother.
Anderson can be seen Mon-
days to Fridays via Satellite at 8
to 9 p.m. with next day replays at
2 a.m. and 9 a.m. on TalkTV
Ch. 16 on SkyCable, Ch. 28 on
Destiny and
Ch. 21 on
Cignal.
I DONT relate much to my
character in Makapiling Kang
Muli, says Sar ah Lahbati
when asked if Graciela,
the character she plays in
the GMA7s primetime
series, is close to who
she is in real life.
SINCE conductor and music
educator Olivier Ochanine
joined the Philippine Philhar-
monic Orchestr a in 2010 as its
principal conductor and music
director, he has been committed
to bringing the performances of
the symphony group to a wider
range of audience.
In the past years, apart from
its regular performances at the
Cultural Center of the Philip-
pines, the PPO has staged con-
certs in unconventional ven-
ues hardly visited by other
symphony groups.
PPO is dedicated to popu-
larizing classical music and
giving young audience the
opportunity to discover the
beauty of this genre.
Recently, Ochanine shared
with the press the dynamic
lineup the PPO has prepared
for its 30
th
Concert Season, at
the same time answering ques-
tions on the status of classical
music in the country.
A veteran journalist jested
that classical music is no longer
a dying genre but a vanishing
breed, someone retorted that
we have to blame the popu-
lar notion that classical music
is only for the elite class, to
which Ochanine retorted, Au-
dience of classical music in the
Philippines is growing slowly
and surely and Im happy we
have younger audience as well.
Believe me, its not only in
the Philippines, even the New
Yor k Orchestr a is confronted
by decreasing audience and
marketing issues.
The French-American con-
ductor is also positive that clas-
sical music can thrive in the
country with the support of insti-
tutions that genuinely care about
reviving the interest of people in
the relatively unpopular genre.
He supports the idea of exposing
young children to classical music
at an early age. While Ochanine
was promoting the shows of PPO
he also sent a shout out to those
who continuously ask for com-
plimentary tickets from him.
It aggravates me, he said
unapologetically and elaborated
that complimentary tickets will
not help musician, with great
talents, to get paid, If you can
afford [to buy tickets] I strongly
suggest that you pay for them. I
would rather give a complimen-
tary ticket to a taxi driver or to
a Ministop employee who can
benet more from it.
He said that some critics say
that he programs hard music for
the PPO and hes been featuring
unpopular artists in the ensem-
bles repertoire. Little did many
people know, his main objec-
tive is to give audience a wide
range of musical experience.
Actually we feature popu-
lar artists whose works are not
popular in the Philippines, he
stressed.
Ochanine will lead the
countrys premier musical en-
semble to open its new concert
season with an orchestral re-
work performing the Shasta-
kovichs Suite for Variety
Orchestra, Nielsens Aladdin
Suite, and Rachmaninoffs
Symphonic Dances on Sept. 21
at the Philamlife Auditorium.
End of movies
in lm
Soon the 35 mm movie for-
mat will be a thing of the past,
at least in commercial movie
exhibition and this might
sound both good and bad news
for local lm producers.
Since digital conversion of
local theaters is in full swing,
unauthorized distribution of
movies (read: movie piracy)
will be prevented. The tighter
copy protection that comes
with digital conversion pre-
vents the distribution of unau-
thorized copies before the local
and world premiere of lms,
as the interception of prints
will no longer happen. Movies
will be distributed via Internet
without comprising security.
On the other hand, digital
conversion could be costly to
movie producers because they
would need to come up with
both 35 mm format and digi-
tal copy of their lms. The rst
is for archiving purposes with
the Film Development Council
of the Philippines (FDCP) and
the second is for commercial
distribution.
According to FDCP ofcial,
this may be costly at the initial
stage but local producers will
greatly benet from this pro-
gram as they will save at least
60 percent of distribution cost
in the a long term.
From the cinema operators
standpoint, digitization will
help them attract bigger audi-
ence (which means increased
revenue).
We can guarantee that there
will simultaneous showing of
lms available in Manila in other
parts of the country. Additionally
with digital format we can show
trailers of local movies two to
three months before their pre-
miere. Normally, we show their
trailers two weeks before their
opening date. Actually, thats
nothing compared to Hollywood
lms because their trailers are
available six months or even a
year before their premiere, an
SM Cinema ofcial said.
Based on our survey, 75
percent of mall visitors who
have seen the trailers ended up
watching the movie, he added.
This month, 100 percent or
about 240 movie screens of SM
Cinemas will be converted to
digital under the Virtual Print
Fee (VPF) program. This, in the
end, will denitely make 35 mm
lm a thing of the past.
Thoughts of a music master
NICKIE
WANG
WITHOUT WANG
2
Sarah Geronimo
records new album
Sarah
Lahbati as
Graciela in
Makapiling
Kang Muli
actress,
celebrity
not

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