Manila Standard Today - July 10, 2012 Issue

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Congress to set sharing scheme; 78 sites declared off limits
Govt denies airports
lack firefight ability
Enrile hints
why Miriam
must resign
Aquino suspends gov
for radioman assault
JBC leaves composition
issue with SC to resolve
Health draws up plan against deadly virus
Asean to take up code of conduct with China
Military used US
spy planes but no
dronesEsperon
Hold that smile. Graduates of an Arabic school in Quiapo, Manila, show their certicates during their graduation before the start of Ramadan on July 20. DANNY PATA
Linked arms for unity. Foreign Ministers from the Asean countries pose during their meeting in Phnom Penh. Philippine
Foreign Affaris Secretary Albert del Rosario is second from left.
Temperature alert. Quarantine ofcers use body
temperature scanners on incoming passengers to
detect carriers of the EV-71 virus. ERIC APOLONIO
TODAY
Standard
Manila
Vol. XXVI No. 124 12 Pages, 2 Sections
P18.00 TUESDAY, July 10, 2012
www.manilastandardtoday.com mst@mstandardtoday.com
In a televised brieng, En-
ergy Secretary Ramon Paje
said the government will not
approve new mining contracts
until Congress passes a bill
detailing the states share in re-
source contracts.
The policy, spelled out in
Executive Order 79, also limits
small-scale mining and prohib-
its mining in 78 tourism sites
and in primary agriculture and
shery zones, Paje said.
The state plans to raised the
fees for processing mining ap-
plications, he said.
Because the order could not
be implemented retroactively,
the administration was banking
on new legislation to allow the
government to impose higher
excise taxes and royalties on
new extractions covered by
existing mining contracts, Paje
said.
Paje said the government
was looking at a range of 5
percent to 7 percent for royal-
ties based on gross revenues
in the proposed law. It also
wanted to raise excise taxes,
which is now at 2 percent.
FORMER Armed Forces chief Hermogenes
Esperon Jr. said Monday the Philippine mili-
tary had been using US spy planes but not
attack drones to bomb enemy positions.
We had the PC3 Orion of the US, Es-
peron said.
We shared with them data gathered by
these unmanned aerial vehicle spy planes.
It was purely surveillance. They [the Ameri-
cans] had an ofce at Southcom [Southern
Luzon Command] during that time.
In a July 6 story in The New York Times
headlined The Drone Zone, author Mark
Mazzetti said US forces used attack drones in
2006 to bomb the position of Jemaah Islami-
yah leader Umar Patek, who was then with
the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group in Basilan.
According to three current and former
intelligence ofcials I spoke to, in 2006 a
barrage of Hellre missiles from a Predator
hit a suspected militant camp in the jungles
of the Philippines to kill the Indonesian ter-
rorist Umar Pateck, Mazzetti wrote.
The strike, which was reported at the
By Christine F. Herrera
THE government on Monday
denied charges that the reght-
ing capabilities at the countrys
major airports were inadequate,
but Bayan Muna Rep. Teddy
Casio, who raised the alarm
Sunday, insisted that safety at
the Davao International Airport
fell short of world standards.
The concern raised by Con-
gressman Teddy Casio that
Davao International Airport did
not have any re truck and inad-
equate reghting capability is
untrue and mere hogwash based
on old and outdated 2010 re-
port, the Department of Trans-
portation and Communications
and the Civil Aviation Authority
said Monday.
At the same time, the Manila
International Airport Authority
issued a statement saying the
reghting capabilities at the
Ninoy Aquino International Air-
port complied with the require-
ments of the International Civil
Aviation Organization.
The Bureau of Fire Protec-
tion also disputed the reports
that the NAIA had no working
re trucks.
But Casio said that neither
the Transport Department nor
the Civil Aviation Authority had
addressed the concerns in an
internal CAAP report dated De-
cember 2010, which said that,
to ensure public safety, interna-
tional airports must be equipped
with reghting vehicles equiv-
alent to Category 9 under inter-
national standards.
Government ofcials admit-
ted that the Davao airport had
equipment equivalent to only
Category 7 in a scale of 1 to 10,
with 10 being the highest.
While the government says the
Davao airport had ve re trucks
with a capacity of 15,700 liters
based on 2012 data, international
regulations say its re trucks must
have a combined usable water ca-
pacity of 24,300 liters, according
to Casio
PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III has sus-
pended for a month a provincial governor
who burst into a radio station and used a mi-
crophone to whack in the head a broadcaster
who had linked him to gambling and illegal
logging, Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa
said on Monday.
Ocho said Kalinga Gov. Jocel Baac was
found guilty of conduct unbecoming of a pub-
lic ofcer when he attacked DZRK announcer
Jerome Tabanganay on June 7 last year.
The conduct and behavior of all ofcials
and employees in the public service should be
circumscribed with the heavy burden of re-
sponsibility, Ochoa said.
Baac has denied hitting Tabanganay. A
footage of the incident showed the governor
only grabbing a microphone inside the an-
nouncers booth.
By Rey E. Requejo
THE Judicial and Bar Council
on Monday decided to let the
Supreme Court resolve the mat-
ter of its eight-member compo-
sition, which former solicitor
general Frank Chavez claims is
unconstitutional.
In a comment, the JBC left
it to the high court to resolve
whether or not its current setup,
where the Senate and the House
have their own representatives,
violates the Constitution which
says there should only be a rep-
resentative of the Congress.
By Macon R. Araneta
and Vito Barcelo
HEALTH Secretary Enrique Ona
said Monday the government had
come up with an anti-virus plan
to prevent the entry of the Entero-
virus 71, a deadly form of hand,
foot-and-mouth disease that af-
fects mainly children.
We received an ofcial report
from the World Health Organiza-
tion that they have discovered the
presence of the Enterovirus 71 in
samples collected from patients,
Ona said.
The WHO says the virus is
By Macon R. Araneta
SENATOR Miriam Defensor-
Santiago should now decide
what to do since she had been
assured of a seat in the Interna-
tional Criminal Court, Senate
President Juan Ponce Enrile
said Monday.
She voluntarily worked for
that. She obtained it, Enrile
said.
I hope she realizes the
country needs a full number of
senators to deal with national
problems when she is gone.
Enrile made his comment
on Santiago, who was elected
to a nine-year term as an ICC
judge on Dec. 12 last year,
even as he said he had never
talked politics with President
Benigno Aquino III following
claims he had lobbied for his
son, Cagayan Rep. Jack Enrile,
to be included in the Liberal
Partys senatorial slate in next
years mid-term elections.
PHNOM PENHThe members of the
Association of South East Asian Na-
tions on Monday agreed on a Code
of Conduct in the South China Sea,
and will now seek an agreement with
China, according to Kao Kim Hourn,
an ofcial with Cambodias foreign
ministry.
Right now what we have done was
agree on the key elements from Asean
only said Kao.
From now on, they [the Asean]
have to start discussions with China.
The agreement provided the high-
light of the opening day of the 45th
Asean Foreign Ministers Meeting,
which opened Monday in Phnom Penh.
Cambodian Prime Minister Jun Sun
earlier urged the Asean member-coun-
tries to adopt a legally binding code of
conduct for the South China Sea (West
Philippines Sea), which has been a
source of conict between the Asean
members and China.
No mining deals
stay; ban widens
Next page
Next page
Next page
Next page
Next page
By Joyce Pangco
Paares, Othel
V. Campos
and Maricel Cruz
PRESIDENT
Benigno Aquino
issued a mining
policy Monday
that seeks to
boost state rev-
enue and tighten
rules to protect
the environment.
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News
ManilaStandardToday mst.daydesk@gmail.com JULY 10, 2012 TUESDAY
A2
New forum. Customs Commissioner Ruffy Biazon (left) joins Agriculture Assistant Secretary Gavinio
Catbagan Monday during the launching of the Kapihan sa [Breakfast Forum at the] Aduana, where they
discussed the smuggling of frozen meat products. EY ACASIO
Enrile...
Thats unfounded. There is no basis to it, Enrile said.
I do not know the source of the story and for what
purpose it was disseminated. I do not know.
About Santiago, Enrile stopped short of saying
whether she should resign after having been elected
to the ICC, but he cited the impeachment trial of Chief
Justice Renato Corona in the Senate, where there had
been only 23 senators. He said the vacancy was auto-
matically a vote in favor of the impeached ofcial.
[And] When dealing with treaties, the vacancy is
immediately a minus for the required vote to ratify the
treaty,Enrile said.
There are many constitutional issues when dealing with
numbers that would require the presence of all senators.
Asked if Santiagos decision meant her resignation
from the Senate, Enrile said Its up to her. Im not say-
ing she should resign. Ill leave it to her.
JBC...
In view of its being under
the supervision of the Honor-
able Court, the respondent JBC
[wish to] be exempt from offer-
ing an opinion on the issue of
how many ofcials must rep-
resent Congress, as it defers to
the wise discretion of the Hon-
orable Court on the matter,
read the comment signed by
retired Supreme Court Justice
Regino Hermosisima, the most
senior member of the JBC who
sits as its chairman in the selec-
tion process for the chief justice
following the nomination and
inhibition of Acting Chief Jus-
tice Antonio Carpio.
The council appealed to the high
court to nally resolve the issue.
Indeed, there have been at-
tempts by the respondent JBC
itself to resolve the issue of how
many ofcials must represent
Congress in the JBC. All at-
tempts have failed. It is now high
time for the Honorable Court to
resolve the issue, the JBC said.
Meanwhile, the two represen-
tatives of Congress in the JBC-
--Senator Francis Escudero and
Iloilo Rep. Niel Tupas Jr.---led
a separate pleading seeking an
extension of the time to answer
the petition until July 13.
But Tupas claimed in an inter-
view that the framers of the Con-
stitution committed an over-
sight and an error when they
indicated that Congress should
only send one representative to
the Judicial and Bar Council.
They forgot to change the
phraseology, he said, adding
Congress was a bicameral body.
We will defend the one vote
for the House of Representa-
tives... I have discussed this with
members of the House and they
told me it was really an oversight
on the part of the framers of the
Constitution, Tupas said.
In his petition led last week,
Chavez questioned why the Sen-
ate and Congress had separate
representatives in the council
when section 8 (1) of article VIII
of the Constitution says there
should only be a representative
of the Congress.
Meanwhile, Justice Secretary
Leila de Limas chances of being
shortlisted for the post of chief
justice remained slim as a result
of the pending administrative
and criminal cases against her
before the Ofce of the Ombuds-
man and the Integrated Bar of the
Philippines.
But De Lima on Monday vowed
to plead to both bodies to resolve
her pending administrative and
criminal cases before the July 30
deadline imposed by the JBC for
the the nominees to the post to
complete their requirements.
The councils rules say the
aspirants to any judicial post
who have pending cases are
disqualied from being nomi-
nated to the post.
No...
The Mining Industry Coordi-
nating Council created by the new
executive order will recommend
to Congress a range of royalties
and tax rates based on best inter-
national practices.
The council, made up of the
Cabinets economic clusters in-
cluding the Justice secretary, the
chairman of the National Com-
mission on Indigenous Peoples
and the president of the Union of
Local Authorities, will also pro-
vide oversight on the operations
of provincial and city mining reg-
ulatory boards.
The Palace left it to Congress to
settle how revenue will be shared,
but the new order imposes a 5-per-
cent royalty on top of the excise tax
on new extractions in areas declared
as a mineral reservations.
Existing contracts would be
respected, but Paje said he hoped
the new legislation would allow
the government to cover new ex-
tractions under existing contracts.
If the 5-percent royalty was
implemented on the fresh ex-
tractions of existing mining op-
erations, in particular for the big
companies that would begin work
by 2014 and 2015, that would
translate to government revenues
of as much as P16 billion by the
time the President stepped down
in 2016, Paje said.
He said the order would also
pave the way for increases in oc-
cupational and application fees
for mining companies.
Mining rms will likely be re-
quired to pay occupational fees
upon the ling of their mining
claim as opposed to the current
practice of paying the fee only
upon the approval of their mineral
production agreement.
Paje said the government expect-
ed additional revenues of around
P760 million with the adjustments
in occupational fees alone.
We also intend to increase the
application fee of P50,000. We
still have to compute the exact
appropriate cost for ling, Paje
said.
Under the new executive or-
der, the granting of mining rights
and tenements will be undertaken
through competitive public bid-
ding, as opposed to the rst come,
rst served policy in the past.
The order also says all valuable
metals in abandoned ore and mine
wastes or the mill tailings gener-
ated by previous mining opera-
tions belong to the state and will
be developed and used through
competitive public bidding.
Paje said that would result in
revenues of up to P50 billion.
EO 79 also limits small-scale
mining operations to designated
areas and bans the use of mercury
in all such operations.
The Chamber of Mines, includ-
ing large-scale miners like Philex
Mining, Sagittarius Mines, Inc.
and TVI Resources Development,
Inc., welcomed the governments
mining policy.
In a statement, the groups said
the executive order was a signal to
all investors of the governments
desire to establish a consistent
and stable business environment
founded on a level playing eld.
The chamber has said it will
cooperate with the Executive and
Legislative branches to develop a
rational revenue-sharing scheme.
Philex vice president for com-
munications Mike Toledo said the
executive order would provide
predictability and consistency to
the industry.
Sagittarius Mines added in a
statement that it believed the ex-
ecutive order was a positive step
towards promoting a responsible
mining industry, while TVI Re-
sources said it was now ready to
invest more in its operations.
In the House, Minority Leader
and Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez
said the Aquino administration
was nally correcting the funda-
mental aw and onerous condi-
tions in revenue sharing, but said
the government should also take
into account the plight of local
government units.
He called EO79 a step in the
right direction.
Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evar-
done said he saw the order as a fair
compromise between the interests
of mining companies and the pro-
tection of the environment.
The mere fact that it suspends
the issuance of new mining permits
is already a major victory for people
who oppose irresponsible mining,
especially in tourism areas, prime
agricultural lands and island eco-
systems, Evardone said.
House Assistant Majority Leader
Sherwin Tugna said the order correct-
ly upheld the national laws protecting
the environment and sustainability
over municipal laws, especially if the
ordinances only sought to raise rev-
enues for local needs.
But Gabriela Rep. Luz Ilagan
dismissed the new order, saying it
did not do enough to protect the
environment.
It does not intend to protect
communities or make mining
companies liable for the damage
that has been inicted on our re-
sources, Ilagan said.
The Aquino governments
supposed objective to extract rev-
enue from mining with the new
EO is defeated by the fact that our
resources have already been plun-
dered to depletion.
The Catholic Church, which is
opposed to mining, said there was
nothing new about EO 79.
EO 79 is actually the same if
not worse than the other mining
polices because everything will
be dictated by the national gov-
ernment, Catholic Bishop Arturo
Bastes said. With Vito Barcelo
and Bloomberg
Health...
believed responsible for the mysterious deaths of at least 60 children
under seven years of age in Cambodia since April. The children
died within 24 hours of being admitted to hospital of Phnom Penh
and the northern town of Siem Reap.
The symptoms of the disease include high fever, vomiting, lethargy and
weakness of the limbs. It can result in paralysis, brain swelling and death.
Health authorities on Monday tightened the screening of airline
passengers from Cambodia by setting up a 24-hour command post
at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport manned by doctors and
medical assistants.
Airport manager Jose Honrado said scanners had been deployed in
six international airports in the country to screen in-coming passen-
gers. Those found to have high temperatures would be quarantined
and sent to the Research Institute of Tropical Medicine.
We will closely watch passengers coming in from Cambodia,
Bangkok, the Middle East countries and international ights that
landed in Cambodia or Bangkok, Honrado said.
In Phnom Penh, epidemiologists were still trying to piece together
information on the childrens cases by interviewing parents because
some details were wither omitted or missing from medical charts, and
specimens had not been taken from most of the children before they
died, said Nima Asgari, the doctor leading the WHO investigation.
As far as Im aware, EV-71 was not identied as a virus in Cam-
bodia before, Asgari said.
Hand, foot and mouth disease is spread by sneezing, coughing or
contact with uid from blisters or infected feces. It is caused by a
group of enteroviruses in the same family as polio. No vaccine or
specic treatment exists, but the illness is typically mild and most
children recover quickly without problems.
Military...
time as a Philippine military op-
eration, missed Patek but killed
others at the camp.
But Esperon, who was chief of
staff at the time, denied Mazzetti.
We were ying surveillance
planes but not attack drones, he said.
Our people were using the
Orions because the drones were
still being developed.
Leftist groups including the
Bagong Alyansang Makabayan
have demanded that the govern-
ment shed light on Times article
because of allegation Americans
forces had been participating di-
rectly in Armed Forces opera-
tions here, which was a violation
of the Visiting Forces Agreement
Bayan also wants to know if
the February 2012 air strike in
Sulu that killed several terror-
ists was a drone attack, but the
military insists that the bombings
were conducted using the Air
Forces OV10s.
Thats against the law, mili-
tary spokesman Col. Arnulfo
Marcelo Burgos Jr. said.
The United States does not
participate in military operations
here in the Philippines. [They]
only share information and train.
Other than that, nothing.
The leftists have also been
questioning President Benigno
Aquino IIIs plan to borrow spy
planes from the US to conduct
routine sovereignty patrol in the
West Philippine Sea.
Muntinlupa City Rep. Rodolfo
Biazon, also a former military
chief, backed the use of US spy
planes, saying that would be legal
because of the Mutual Defense
Treaty between the Philippines
and the US.
Manila and Beijing are still in a
standoff in the Panatag (Scarbor-
ough) Shoal that started on April 10.
The shoal is about 123 nautical miles
off Masinloc, Zambales, and well
within the Philippines 200-nautical-
mile exclusive economic zone, but
China is claiming the area and calls
it Huangyan Island.
Panatag aside, the Philip-
pines and China are also disput-
ing some islands and reefs on
the Spratlys in South China Sea
along with Vietnam, Taiwan,
Brunei and Malaysia. Florante S.
Solmerin
Asean...
Maintaining regional peace
and security is indispensable for
Asean prosperity, said the Cam-
bodian prime minister.
This was actually the second
Code of Conduct agreed by the
Asean members and China. In
2002, they signed a A Declara-
tion on the Code of Conduct, a
non-binding agreement which
hopes to formulate a binding code
for all claimant countries in the
region to follow when it comes
to their activities in the contested
waters.
The Cambodian leader also
observed that the economic
gap among Aseans 10 mem-
bers had narrowed but needed
to be reduced further to ensure
the groups competitiveness and
achieve real regional integration.
Apparently in response to
the agreement made during the
meeting, Foreign Ministry
spokesman Liu Weimin said that
China was willing to discuss a
code of conduct with Southeast
Asian nations over the disputed
islands.
When conditions are ripe,
China would like to discuss with
Asean countries the formulation
of the COC [code of conduct],
Liu told reporters in Beijing.
But I want to stress that the
COC is not aimed at resolving
disputes but [at] building mutual
trust and deepening cooperation.
In 2002 the Asean members
and China signed a A Declara-
tion on the Code of Conduct. The
non-binding agreement hopes to
formulate a binding code for all
claimant countries in the region
to follow when it comes to their
activities in the contested waters.
China was represented by its
Vice Foreign Minister Fu Ying
in the Asean foreign ministers
meeting, and reportedly held un-
ofcial talks with senior ofcials
from the Asean that led to the for-
mulation of a code of conduct.
The Philippines and Vietnam
had earlier pushed for a code of
conduct in an effort to reduce ten-
sion in the disputed islands situ-
ated in the West Philippine Sea
(South China Sea).
China claims all of the South
China Sea, believed to be rich in
oil and gas deposits, but Taiwan
and Asean members the Philip-
pines, Vietnam, Brueni and Ma-
laysia also claim ownership of
some of the islands.
Meanwhile, Vice President
Jejomar Binay said Monday that
French Foreign Minister Laurent
Fabius had thrown his support
behind the Philippines in its terri-
torial dispute against China in the
West Philippine Sea (South China
Sea).
Binay, who met with Fabius a
week ago, said the French For-
eign minister promised to take up
the issue with his fellow foreign
ministers in the European Union.
France is a founding member of
the EU, which counts 27 member-
states.
Binay said the European Union
should call for the maintenance of
freedom of navigation in the tense
West Philippine Sea (South China
Sea).
They [the EU] would also
want to maintain freedom of navi-
gation because this directly im-
pacts on their trade, Binay said.
I think he spoke with me be-
cause he wanted to strengthen our
economic ties [with France] and
to ask about the situation in the
Panatag Shoal. He promised to
help us.
The Philippines and the EU are
also expected to sign the Part-
nership Cooperation Agreement
during the sidelines of the Asean
Regional Forum.
Meanwhile, Senate President
Juan Ponce Enrile supported the
stance of his colleagues who had
earlier urged President Benigno
Aquino III to use quiet diploma-
cy in dealing with the countrys
territorial dispute with China.
I think that is the correct posi-
tion, Why should we be talking
about our national security con-
cerns publicly? We are too open
in that respect, Enrile said. AP,
with Sara Fabunan, Macon Ra-
mos-Araneta and Bloomberg
Aquino...
The governor is a member of President
Aquinos Liberal Party. A fact-nding com-
mittee organized by the Interior Depart-
ment also recommended his suspension for
one month.
Ochoa said Basacs action cannot be
countenanced because the image of the
government is necessarily mirrored in the
conduct, ofcial or otherwise, of the men
and women who work thereat.
Presidential Communications Operations
Ofce Secretary Herminio Coloma said the
disciplinary action on Basac should be a
warning to other local ofcials that the Ad-
ministration would not tolerate offensive
action against broadcasters and journalists.
Joyce Pangco Paares
Govt...
Category 9 also requires a foam
discharge rate of 9,000 liters a min-
ute, but the Transport Department
was silent on this measure.
I said that based on its own re-
port, CAAP said it has seven fire
trucks that are not working, in a
poor state of deterioration and could
not respond to an emergency within
three minutes, Casino said.
I am happy to be proven
wrong, but the number of working
re trucks is not the question here
but the capability of our airports
to ensure public safety. Even if it
has 10 trucks but they are below
par and do not meet the required
24,300 liters in water capacity, that
is still alarming.
The 2010 report said the airports
seven trucks failed to start.
Casio said the fact that the
Transport Department and the
Civil Aviation Authority had ad-
mitted that Davao had reght-
ing capabilities equivalent to only
Category 7 meant those agencies
did not fully address the concerns
raised in the 2010 report.
I hope [Transportation] Secre-
tary Mar Roxas and the new leader-
ship of CAAP would seriously look
into this and finally address the con-
cerns raised. I am not being alarmist
but we cannot allow our agencies to
overlook the safety of thousands of
passengers, Casio said.
Roxas on Monday disputed Ca-
sios claim that the Ninoy Aqui-
no International Airport relied on
the re trucks of the nearby Para-
aque re station.
The facts are that NAIA does
not borrow from local government
units; it has a full complement
of working re trucks compliant
with its rating as an international
airport. Davao has ve operational
re trucks plus one whose repair
will nish in a few weeks and an-
other whose repair will be bid out
shortly, Roxas told the Manila
Standard.
As for LGU support, it is cus-
tomary for host LGU to also re-
spond whenever an incident hap-
pens, but certainly this is not a case
of, as was the characterization in
the story, of airports borrowing
from LGUs.
The Transport Department said
the Civil Aviation Authority had al-
located P544 million to buy 11 more
fire trucks for deployment in the
various airports nationwide, includ-
ing the Davao International Airport.
The two agencies also said they
had earmarked some P26.46 mil-
lion to acquire protective clothing
for airport firefighters.
On Sunday, Casio also raised
the alarm over the dubious termi-
nation of a P243-million contract
for fire-fighting gear, and allegedly
to favor the regular suppliers of the
Bureau of Fire Protection.
House leaders on Monday sup-
ported Casios call for a congres-
sional inquiry into the firefighting
capabilities at the Davao airport.
There should be enough fire
trucks in the countrys major airports
to enable them to respond to emer-
gency situations, Speaker Feliciano
Belmonte Jr. said.
I support any investigation in
Congress to assess why the situation
has reached that point.
Ifugao Rep. Teddy Brawner Ba-
guilat Jr. expressed surprise at the
December 2010 report conducted
by the Civil Aviation Authority
that none of the airports seven fire
trucks at the Davao airport would
even start.
Seriously? Baguilat said. That
is an anomaly. With Maricel Cruz,
Eric B. Apolonio, Ferdinand Fabel-
la and Lailany P. Gomez
IN BRIEF
JULY 10, 2012 TUESDAY
A3 News
ManilaStandardToday mst.daydesk@gmail.com
3 meat importers suspended
Probe of child-laborers pushed
NBI biometrics centers expand
TWO lawmakers have sought a
congressional probe of the practice of
forcing children to do hard labor.
Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez
and Abante Mindanao party-list Rep.
Maximo Rodriguez sounded alarm over
such alleged abuses involving child-
laborers.
In a resolution, the lawmakers
urged the House Committee on
Welfare of Children to summon
officials of the Department of Labor
and Employment, the Commission on
Human Rights and other agencies to
shed light on the issue.
The practice is rampant in Agusan del
Norte, Agusan del Sur, Surigao del Sur
and Surigao del Norte, the lawmakers
said.
Parents of these children should also
be held accountable as they are the ones
who are supposed to provide for their
children and not the other way around,
the lawmaker said. Maricel Cruz
THE National Bureau of Investigation
has expanded its nationwide centers to
63 a year after it began implementing
its Biometrics Clearance System,
Deputy Director Reynaldo Esmeralda
said on Monday.
Some of the centers are located in the
malls.
The NBI Biometrics Clearance
System, which started on July 4, 2011,
has the mandate to act as national
clearing house of criminal records
and other information for use of law
enforcement entities in the Philippines,
of identication of records of all
persons without criminal convictions.
One can also use the e-clearance
facility on the internet: www.nbi.gov.ph.
The bureau extends courtesy lanes
for senior citizens, pregnant women,
nursing mothers, and people with
disability. Macon Ramos-Araneta
THE Customs bureau has suspended the
accreditation of three importers, one of
them included in the list of top 10 meat
importers in the country.
The three importers are Batoy Trading,
Red Hot Trading and Sacrecoure
Commercial, all meat and chicken
importers. He said Batoy Trading
belongs to one of the top ten importers
of fats, offals, skin/rind and other meat
products.
Interim Customs Accreditation
Registration chief Rhea Gregorio said
the three importers misrepresented
themselves and failed to comply with the
bureaus legal requirements.
They didnt meet the requirements
such as cold storage facilities and
warehouses, Gregorio said.
The Customs also launched a
campaign to remove non-existent
companies from its roster of accredited
importers and brokers. Joel Zurbano
ARMM-poll listing marred by hitches
Kidney transplants thriving despite the high cost
Palace position
on Cha-cha iffy
By Joyce Pangco Paares
MALACAANG is open to proposals to amend the 1987
Constitution as long as these fit the reform agenda of Presi-
dent Benigno Aquino III.
It cannot simply be about change for its own sake. Specic pro-
posals will have to be addressed and evaluated, presidential politi-
cal adviser Ronald Llamas said.
If they t the Presidents reform agenda, and are necessary,
then they can be considered. We are not closing the door on the
possibility of Charter change, but any proposal must undergo
rigorous evaluation and must be shown to be in line with and
indispensable toward achieving the administrations reform ob-
jectives, Llamas said.
Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. and Senate President Juan Ponce
Enrile have begun talks for possible Charter amendments.
But deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said Mr.
Aquinos position has not yet changed.
The last time we checked, the position of the President re-
mains the same that Cha-cha is not a priority, Valte said.
Senator Joker Arroyo earlier said the Palace may just be playing
coy about amending the Constitution since Enrile and Belmonte are
the ones broaching the idea.
Maybe there is a go-signal from Malacaang, he said.
Arroyo said that the Constitution should be reviewed because
some of its provisions might have become outmoded.
By Ben Cal

KIDNEY transplants among Filipi-
nos have been steadily rising in the
past 20 years, a leading Filipino urol-
ogist said.
Dr. Benjamin l. Mendoza, a US
trained urologist, said that most kid-
ney transplants we are doing are those
aficted with diabetes.
In the 1980s, Filipinos aficted with
kidney disease was due to infection,
inammation and hypertension. But
in the last two decades, the culprit was
diabetes, he said.
About 1,000 kidney transplants per
year have been performed in the coun-
try during the past two decades and
still counting, Mendoza told the Phil-
ippines News Agency in an interview.
Fifty percent is attributed to diabe-
tes and the other half is due to various
illnesses, Dr. Mendoza added.
To avoid diabetes, you have to watch
your diet, exercise regularly, do brisk
walking for at least half an hour, and
have a regular medical check-up in-
cluding blood sugar or even urinalysis,
Dr. Mendoza said.
Drinking plenty of water is also
good but intake of water must be done
during the day. Drinking plenty of wa-
ter at night is not advisable because
ones sleep is interrupted when one has
to go to the rest room to urinate.
Early detection of diabetes is also
a big advantage for a patient to enable
him to control his blood sugar level,
he said.
Kidney transplant is very expen-
sive, with the cost ranging from P1
million if you have a donor to P3
million or more if you have none,
Mendoza said.
Mendoza who holds clinic at the
National Kidney Institute, St. Lukes
Medical Center, East Avenue Medical
Center and other big hospitals in Metro
Manila,said it is very expensive to un-
dergo kidney transplant.
However, he advised kidney pa-
tients to coordinate with the Na-
tional Kidney Institute and the kid-
ney foundation.
The foundation will help facilitate
the search for a donor, he said.
The donor will be assisted by the
foundation. The US-trained doctor
warned the public to avoid dealing
with middlemen in kidney transplant
because they are more expensive as
their only motive is money.
A prospective donor will be screened
thoroughly before he his case would be
considered, he said. It will take one to
two weeks to screen a donor.
We have to make sure that the
would-be donor is not suffering from
major illness, he said.
Mendoza said that foreigners ock
to the country to undergo kidney trans-
plant because the cost is much less.
Some areas encountered de-
lays. The voting machines have
yet to be delivered. It was high
tide so there was a delay, Elec-
tions Commission spokesman
James Jimenez said.
Jimenez said the problem en-
countered in some areas like Lanao
de Sur is the lacking of electricity.
In places where there is no elec-
tricity, what theyre doing is they
rst ll out the forms so that later
in the afternoon, they will proceed
with the biometrics, he said.
Despite the hitches, the general
registration in the ARMM is close
to 90 percent on schedule, accord-
ing to Jimenez.
Jimenez said there was no report
of ying registrants as of press-
time. He added the National Police
and the Armed Forces have set up
road blocks in strategic places to
prevent ying registrants.
The commission ordered the July
9-18 general registration to cleanse
the regions bloated list of voters.
The police and military person-
nel enforcing a gun ban in the re-
gion from July 1 to July 31.
Last week, the commission is-
sued a resolution exempting its
ofcials and employees assigned
in the region from the gun ban.
Exempted from the ban are of-
cials and employees of the com-
mission in the ARMM, including
its personnel from Cotabato City,
Zamboanga City, Isabela City, Bas-
ilan, and the Provinces of Sultan
Kudarat, Zamboanga del Sur, La-
nao del Norte and North Cotabato,
and those who will be deployed in
the ARMM for purposes of the gen-
eral registration of voters.
Security has also tightened
in the region, with some 10,000
police and military personnel de-
ployed to ensure peace and order
during the registration.
In the old list, registered voters
in ARMM reached 1.7 million, a
gure which is bloated, said Elec-
tions chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr.
He said the actual number could be
from 1.4 million to 1.5 million only.
Congress signed a joint reso-
lution, which was approved by
President Aquino on June 11,
that said the voters list in the
region needed to be nullied
because of the presence of hun-
dreds of thousands of illegal and
ctitious registrants.
By Joel E. Zurbano
THE 10-day general registration in the
Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindan-
ao, traditionally a political hotspot, be-
gan on Monday with only minor hitches,
an Elections ofcial said.
Manila
Standard
TODAY
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
Pay hike.
Members
of the
Wage Fight
Alliance
demand an
increase in
the monthly
basic pay
of state
workers
during
a press
conference
held in
Quezon City
on Monday.
MANNY
PALMERO
Delighted. President Aquino reacts while Chief Supt. Dionisio Mamaril of the Jail bureau cracks a joke. MALACAANG PHOTO
Opinion Adelle Chua, Editor
ManilaStandardToday
mst.lettertotheeditor@gmail.com JULY 10, 2012 TUESDAY
A4
IT IS less than a year before the 2013
mid-term elections. While we have been
promised change by the man who leads
our country now, it is clear that the game
of politics remains impervious to any
meaningful reform. We see this clearly as
our politicians regroup, recast their loyalties
and reposition themselves for the campaign.
Surprise, surprise: The man who led
millions of Filipinos to believe his rhetoric
is himself playing by the same rules.
Take, for example, the fact that the
administrations Liberal Party, of which
President Benigno Aquino III is chairman,
is forming a coalition with the Nacionalista
Party of Senator Manuel Villar and the
Nationalist Peoples Coalition of Mr.
Aquinos uncle, businessman Eduardo
Cojuangco.
Villar and Cojuangco bring with them
several big names in the present Senate who
are seeking re-election. The Liberal Party,
with its lackluster line-up of senatorial bets,
will certainly gain much from the joining
of forces.
Strange bedfellows, indeed. Recall that at
one point during the campaign, Mr. Aquinos
strongest opponent was Villar himself. It
was a difcult, scandalous time, with Mr.
Aquinos mental health being questioned
while Villars alleged connivance with the
reviled Gloria Arroyo was being revealed.
The other coalition is the United
Nationalist Alliance of former Vice
President Jejomar Binay and former
President Joseph Estrada. UNA has also
lately been in the spotlight given the
decision of Senator Aquilino Pimentel III
to bolt when Estrada made it known he
wanted Juan Miguel Zubiriwho Pimentel
says robbed him of four years in the Senate
in the slate.
The UNA team in this early stage features
familiar namesrelatives of prominent
politicians who are supposed to carry on the
legacies of their elders. Then again, its not an
aberration. The Liberal Party is considering
elding a cousin of the President whose
primary qualication for ofce is a strong
physical resemblance to the late Senator
Benigno Aquino Jr. Villars wife is also
running because her husband is barred from
seeking the same ofce this time.
Even if such candidates call themselves
guests, or independent players, the process
will be a sham. They stand to benet from
the political machinery of the party or
coalition with which they appear.
Then, too, we have yet to identify a political
party identied with specic policy issues. We
have yet to see a principled candidate running
on his or her ownand then winning. What
most Filipinos see are the bright smiles and
the song-and-dance numbers.
The administration party says: [we]
know whats good for the country so [we]
will rise above [our] political differences
Really, now? A coalition is dened as
a coming together of distinct groups for a
common purpose. With these politicians,
there is no distinction at all. The political
identity of our leaders is porous. They may
make themselves appear to be of different
stripes and colors, but at their core they are
all the same. Small wonder they offer the
country nothing new at all.
Alliances, dalliances
Cayetano eats
humble pie
EDITORIAL
July 4th
IT WAS amusing to read about the
President and his men falling all over
themselves last week to reassure the
country that, yes, they have a secret
plan to deal with the China problem.
One Cabinet member described the
plan as delicate, so sensitive that
I guess theyve been talking about
it in very hushed tones, or perhaps
in pig Latin or whatever their coded
vocabulary is when in executive
session. Even the usually voluble
Secretary Edwin Lacierda kept his
trap shut about the whole thing.
It was as if this bunch of Keystone
cops had nally discovered what
diplomacy meanseureka!and
could barely contain their excitement
over this wondrous new thing,
jumping up and down with glee,
exchanging high-ves, giggling and
smirking while covering their mouths.
For pure entertainment value, its
difcult to beat speculating how the
President must have reacted at this
latest uncovering of a real-life cheat
right out of his videogame world.
By contrast, one can imagine how
his predecessor might have handled
the whole situation, in the unlikely
event that it would have even gotten
so bad under her. First, she would
have put out all sorts of feelers
and exploited all available back-
channels to the Chinese. Second, she
would have maintained an imperious
distance in public, leaving subalterns
to handle the problem on the ground.
And so in the end, if all else failed
as Alex Magno reminds us in his
latest columnshe would have the
credibility, not just the authority, to
simply pick up the phone and talk to
her counterpart in Beijing.
***
It is children, not adults, who are
conceited enough to think that they
know it all, that they can do it all
themselves, that the world revolves
around them and they owe nothing
to anyone else. This can be cute in
childrens games, but it is perilous in
the practice of statecraft.
There are two achievements on his
watch that the President is practically
guaranteed to crow about in his
third State of the Nation Address
this month (apart of course from the
successful impeachment of the former
chief justice for an administratively
reversible reportorial oversight).
One is the continuing good news
about the Philippine economy, which
Im now convinced he truly believes
started only when he came into ofce. A
little knowledge (of economics, in this
case) can proverbially be a dangerous
thing, especially if assisted in his case
by an utter lack of regard for everything
that may have been contributed by those
who preceded him.
The other is his enlistment of
American support for his leadership.
This of course is a good thingthe last
thing this country needs is yet another
Edsa, even if one were possiblebut it
simply reects consideration received
by him in exchange for his support with
two things the Americans badly need in
our part of the world: effective oversight
of the anti-jihadist war (read: a US-
brokered ceasere with the MILF), and
strategic containment of China (read:
more visible US military presence here).
Luckily, these two concessions
are also good things for the rest of
the world, and so I really have no
quarrel with Aquinos conceit on this
score. What they might mean for our
countrys insular interests, though, is
another matter, albeit less important in
the larger (global) scheme of things.
***
Talking about America, a recent
new movie comes to mind. A break
in revisionist Spidermania came
last week-end when some theaters
screened a truly imaginative ick
titled Abraham Lincoln: Vampire
Hunter. From the title itself, one
would be well within his rights to
expect some kind of campy satire or
outlandish animated trope.
But the team behind it actually
comprises the darkly fantastical
mind of Tim Burton and the equally
fantasticalthough in a Slavic way
imagination of Russian director Tibor
Bekmambetov (natch, two TBs right
there). And so what we haveaside
from the predictably gory action
sequences in slow motionis an
allegorical attempt to thematically,
as well as narratively, pair up the
historical slavery of blacks in the
American South with the mythological
preying upon puny humans by the
powerful undead.
I found quite moving the scenes
showing the half-nished Washington
Monument and Capitol Building, still
under construction during Lincolns
term. These landmarks of the nations
capital are so deeply embedded in
the popular imaginationamong
Americans and even the rest of the
worldthat it is easy to imagine that
theyve been around forever. But of
course they havent.
There was a time when the earth
where they now stand was still wooded
forest, only starting to be cleared by
newly-arrived settlers from up North.
And it was in the clearing of this land,
and the building of these landmarks
as well as the ghting of a fratricidal
war to save the American soul from
the blight of slavery, if not vampiric
dominionthat a remarkable new
nation was established, one whose
Independence Dayalbeit a week
lateId like to toast today.
gbolivar1952@gmail.com
ITS perfectly obvious that Senator
Alan Peter Cayetano has not, in fact,
lost his mind. What remains to be seen
is if the famously mindless Filipino
electorate will see through the scam
Cayetano is trying to pull off.
Cayetano is now a candidate
for the Senate of the administration
Liberal Partys coalition next year.
Cayetanos conversion followed the
declaration of an alliance between his
Nacionalista Party and LP, together
with the Nationalist Peoples Coalition
of businessman Eduardo Danding
Cojuangco.
The LP-NP marriage of political
c o n v e n i e n c e
was solemnized
because Las
Pias Rep.
Cynthia Villar,
wife of outgoing
Senator Manuel
Villarwho is
also Nacionalista
c h i e f t a i n
needed a party for
her Senate run.
Mrs. Villar was
rejected outright
on the slate of
Vice President
Jejomar Binays
new United Nationalist Alliance
because Binays chief adviser, fellow
UNA collaborator and friend, former
President Joseph Estrada, could still
not forgive Manny Villar for running
against him in the presidential elections
of 2010.
To this day, Erap believes that he
would have won again as President, had
Villar not run against him and eventual
winner Noynoy Aquino. Its reasonable
to expect that Estrada is also still sore
at Villar for the latters role in Eraps
impeachment and because he stole the
trademark orange campaign color that
Estrada rst popularized.
And so there will never be a Villar
in UNA, because Erap said so. Even
offers from the Villar that they would
come to the table with money for the
Binay slates common campaign kitty,
Ive been told, were not entertained in
deference to the feelings of Estrada.
Because the Villars apparently feel
that they need to keep a relative in the
Senate now that Manny cannot run
again, Cynthia ran into the arms of
LP. The Presidents party, on the other
hand, needed to complete its own slate
of past losers and nobodies, which is
why they took in the NP bets; Aquino
must also nd no small comfort in the
fact that Villar, Cayetano and his other
former Nacionalista tormentors have
come begging him for an alliance,
when they were once merely content to
insinuate that he was mentally unt for
the presidency, when they mentioned
him at all.
Yes, it was Cayetano, as NP
secretary general and chief attack dog
of Villar against then-candidate Aquino,
who publicly demanded that Corys
son undergo psychiatric testing. It was
also this Cayetano who claimed that
Aquinos allies whom the NP senator
collectively called TOPAKwas
behind a black propaganda campaign
against Villar.
Topak, of course, is Tagalog patois
for loony, as is Noynoy has his
TOPAK, a statement which Cayetano
used as his personal mantra and which
he facetiously said actually meant that
Trapos, Opportunists and Kamag-
anaks were working to make Aquino
win.
Now Cayetano is Aquinos
candidate, just like Cynthia Villar, albeit
through the all-too-convenient pretense
of the LP-NP coalition. Aquino must
surely be saying with characteristic, ill-
concealed glee: Whos crazy now?
* * *
Of course, Cayetano has his own
personal stake in playing nice with
Aquino these days, since the senators
wife Lani Reyes-Cayetano is still
ghting off an election protest in Taguig
led by her rival in the last mayoralty
election, former
Supreme Court
Justice Dante
Tinga. Ever
since the ling of
Tingas protest,
the senator has
been overly
solicitous of the
desires of Aquino,
despite the fact
that he remains the
nominal minority
(or opposition)
oor leader of the
Senate.
As a result of
Cayetanos conversion to the Palace
faith, the Commission on Elections
(obviously acting on the behest of
Malacaang) cannot even nd its way
to the Taguig municipio to open the
ballot boxes being contested by Tinga,
after more than a year of trying. As
more than one Palace operative has told
me, Cayetano has decided that he has
to be one of Aquinos chief allies in the
Senate or the ax might fall on his wifes
delicate neck.
Cayetano cannot very well say that
he is merely being a good party man
and subordinate to Villar by joining a
President he disparaged as mentally
unt in coalition. Cayetanos troubles
in Taguig certainly predate Villars own
predicament with UNA; besides, if the
senator truly did not relish being made a
laughingstock in Malacaang, he could
have simply broken away from Villars
party and found some other partisan
home for himself.
(To complete the farce that is the
NPs coalescing with LP, re-electionist
Senator Antonio Trillanes has recently
taken his oath as a Nacionalista
member. Why Trillanes would have to
go this circuitous route, joining a party
that Aquino and his minions dismissed
as composed of surrogates of Gloria
Macapagal Arroyo even if everybody
knows Trillanes is an Aquino loyalist, is
unknown; even assuming that Trillanes
also needed a party to run with after
Comelec outlawed his Magdalo group,
it makes no sense for the senator to join
the Villars and Cayetano.
Of course, the current maneuverings
of the people who want to run for ofce
next year should surprise no one who
has observed Philippine politics for even
a few minutes. Political parties are truly
ridiculous vehicles for the ever-shifting
loyalties of our politicians but whats
a party, after all, if there are no clowns
debasing themselves in public?
JOJO
A. ROBLES
LOWDOWN
GARY
OLIVAR
BYPASS
Whats a party,
after all, if there are
no clowns debasing
themselves in
public?
ROLANDO G. ESTABILLO Publisher
RAMONCHITO L. TOMELDAN Managing Editor
CHIN WONG/ RAY S. EANO Associate Editors
JOEL P. PALACIOS News Editor
ROGELIO C. SALAZAR President & CEO
MEMBER
Philippine Press Institute
The National Association
of Philippine Newspapers PPI
can be accessed at:
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Standard
TODAY
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A5 Opinion Adelle Chua, Editor
ManilaStandardToday
mst.lettertotheeditor@gmail.com
SOME Chinese-Filipino businessmen
who regularly travel to China and
Hong Kong say that Beijing has
started admonishing the Chinese to
boycott Philippine products.
The news is unveried but it is
disturbing nonetheless.
The boycott will supposedly
include Philippine ore and other
mining products, agricultural produce
like bananas, Henry Sy malls in some
Chinese cities and the Metrobank
branch in Shanghai.
Chinese businessmen are also
reportedly being cautioned against
entering into
joint ventures
with Filipinos
especially oil and
gas exploration
activities in the
South China Sea,
which China
claims as its own.
Pa r t i c ul a r l y
affected is the
planned venture
of Manny
P a n g i l i n a n s
Philex with the state-owned gas and
oil conglomerate of China.
There are more than 200,000
migrant workers in Hong Kong and
Macau. At the rate the standoff is
worsening, we can expect the worst
from China.
We are already losing the big
market of Chinese tourists. Whats
next?
President Benigno Aquino IIIs
policy of maintaining silence on the
issue comes too late after a string of
verbal attacks coming mostly from the
more ignorant ones in our government.
Santa Banana, have we ever heard
anything from the Chinese president
or the premier about the standoff
at Scarborough Shoal? Only the
spokesman of the Chinese foreign affairs
department has been making statements.
**
I dont have much faith in the
Judicial and Bar Council which will
submit a list of nominees for chief
justice of the Supreme Court. President
Aquino is supposed to choose from the
names on this list.
I say this because it is the same JBC
that has been nominating members
of the Judiciary from top to bottom.
Corruption continues to exist in this
branch of government, especially in
the issuance of temporary restraining
orders. Court decisions also smack
of ignorance of the law and sheer
incompetence.
The JBC was created by the 1987
Constitution supposedly to do away
with politics in the Judiciary. But
the council made the system worse.
Political patronage prevails and even
the incompetent are appointed to plum
positions.
Would you believe that a municipal
or a regional trial court judge has to
be endorsed by politiciansmayor,
governor, congressmanbefore the
JBC starts the screening process? I
know this for a fact because a judge
nominated for a Mindanao court
was required by the JBC to submit
endorsements.
This practice goes up all the way to
the Supreme Court.
And then you have the fact that two
of the nominees for chief justice
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima
and elections commissioner Rene
Sarmientoare facing administrative
charges. Why have they not been
disqualied?
**
The existence of two political
coalitionsthe United Nationalist
Alliance of Vice President Jejomar
Binay and former President Erap
Estrada, and the proposed Liberal
Party coalition with the Nacionalista
Party and the Nationalist Peoples
Coalitionis creating a lot of
confusion. This could result in a
nightmare come the campaign period
and election day.
Some of the
names being
oated by
Malacaang for
the Senate
r e - e l e c t i oni s t
Senators Francis
E s c u d e r o ,
Loren Legarda
and Gregorio
H o n a s a n
have also been
mentioned by
the UNA earlier.
They have been ranked as winners in
poll surveys.
What happens if they are seen in
the rallies of both coalitions? They
will be seen as opportunists.
Theres also the problem of labeling
senatorial candidates because of the
coalitions. What if the candidates
belong to different parties? Its worse
during election day. Under the law,
each political party is entitled to
precinct watchers. How will these
watchers be counted?
These and many problems are
brought about by political coalitions
without any distinction as to
ideologies.
Santa Banana, everybody is
for good governance and against
corruption!
**
I was greatly saddened by the
passing of my good friend and former
classmate Mike Avancena over the
weekend. Mike was our perennial
class beadle.
His death at 86 years old, leaves
our Bachelor of Arts Class 50, the last
graduates from the ruins of Padre Faura,
with only seven out of 21 members.
The seven are former Vice President
Tito Guingona; Ting Roxas, our class
valedictorian and summa cum laude;
Ting Jayme, former nance and DPWH
secretary of the late Cory Aquino; Oscar
Calauag, from whom I have not heard
in a long time; Serge Montinola of the
Montinola family of Negros, Bobby
Sareal, statistician; and myself.
We are all in our mid-80s.
Our AB50 class in the ruins of
Padre Faura used quonset huts left
by the Americans as classrooms. We
were considered as gifted class. Many
of us became prominent in our chosen
elds. Back then, we ruled the school
organthe Guidon.
After we moved out to Loyola
Heights, I pursued my law studies and
became a high school instructor. My
most famous student at Ateneo High
was former President Joseph Estrada.
Too late
to shut up
The nuclear option
ENERGY Secretary Rene Almendras
recently announced that while this
administration would be studying the
use of nuclear power for Philippine
electricity, a decision on its use would
be left to the next administration. This
is a prudent move from the government,
investigatingand hopefully
enlightening the public with every
ndingthe promise and perils of
nuclear energy. Yet it doesnt answer the
question: should we even turn to nuclear
energy as a solution, present or near
future, for our countrys energy needs?
Do the circumstances of restrictions
in fossil fuel supplies and the growing
demands of a growing economy
necessitate looking to the power of the
atom? In this third column of a series on
energy options for the country, I explore
this option.
There is no doubt about the
technical aspects of nuclear power. It
certainly is an attractive option: almost
uninterruptible power supplies, as long
as the risks are mitigated properly. It is
not the science which is my main worry.
The environmental risks of nuclear
power are well-understood, and bear
little repeating. But the Filipino context
is what worries me mostin both
regular operation and contingency of
accident.
Nuclear power is very abundant,
no doubt, which could contribute to
lowering electricity rates, but in no way
can we consider it cheap. Constructing
a nuclear plant will require massive
investments, though we could foresee
it being funded either through Build-
Operate-Transfer or Private-Public
Partnership frameworks. Still, it is
a massive outlay of public funds or
interest to establish a nascent Filipino
nuclear industry (outright payments,
tax incentives, and so forth), and while
nuclear energy is technically almost
uninterruptible, thats not to say that
other variables, such as political pressure
especially after a nuclear accident
elsewhere, could successfully intervene
and invalidate all that investmentas
it had in Germany, where policymakers
pledged to phase out nuclear power in
the wake of the Fukushima catastrophe
in Japan.
A nding in the parliamentary
investigation into Fukishima revealed
how collusion between government
ofcials and plant operators abetted
the nuclear accident, nding alarming
ignorance and arrogance among
ofcials involved. How true would
this also be in the Philippines, facing
the challenge of dismantling a culture
of corruption, especially where
government projects or expenditures
are involved? Good governance and
accountability are critical in nuclear
safety oversight, something that needs
to be developed before the nuclear
option, not alongside it.
Security is another concern. Nuclear
material would be high on anyones
target lists, from proteering thieves,
to terrorists, to hostile states. Most of
the countries that operate nuclear plants
usually possess decent armed forces
and internal security to deter such
attacks, and/or enjoy relatively stable
internal and foreign relations. It is
perfectly clear that our country, facing
challenges of peace processes, military
modernization, and improving the
performance and accountability of both
armed forces and the police, doesnt
enjoy the same precondition.
Through the lens of disaster risk
management and reduction, Philippine
nuclear power is also not advisable.
Guarantees and histories of safe
operation aside, a nuclear safety
breach is unlike safety breaches in
other electrical generation options,
costing at least millions in correction,
necessary decontamination, and repair
alone. Meltdowns like Fukushima and
Chernobyl necessitate the evacuation
and resettlement of the surrounding
population, long-term decontamination
of affected land and properties, ability
to deal with the health effects on
the human population, and so forth.
Could the Philippines, sensitive in the
environmental and poverty aspects,
absorb the social, environmental, and
economic shocks of even a small-scale
accident?
Perhaps in the coming years, all
these concerns will be addressed.
Technology may improve nuclear safety
to impressive levels. We may have
developed governance and transparency
cultures to the highest standards. We
could even boast of security parity with
our Asean neighbors, and of rigorous
disaster preparedness. Yet I argue
that, in that same time, with smart
RE, energy conservation, and regional
energy economy policies, we can
achieve electrical self-sufciency even
without nuclear powerand likely with
lower economic, governance, political,
and security investments than would
be needed for atomic energy. Certainly
such an approach would also pose fewer
risks to the environment and human
safety.
The point is, do we need to resort to
nuclear energy to solve the Philippine
power crisis? Or could we develop
more economically and environmentally
sustainable options, holistically integrating
production, conservation, technology,
governance, and economics, to create a
Philippine energy infrastructure that is
sufcient, robust and resilient against
disaster, affordable, and sustainable? In
the coming columns, I will aim to explore
how we can do exactly that, using the
available renewable energy technology of
today
E-mail: Tonylavs@gmail. com
Facebook: tlavina@yahoo. com
Twitter: tonylavs
EMIL
P. JURADO
TO THE POINT
DEAN TONY
LA VIA
EAGLE EYES
BONG C.
AUSTERO
ARE WE THERE YET?
IS IT really too much to ask, given
the vast resources they have at their
disposal, that our legislators conduct a
thorough study on an issue before ling
a bill in Congress that would make a
major change on the lives of millions in
this country? Is it really unreasonable to
expect our legislators to buttress their
advocacies with hard scientic data
instead of mere observations and spur-
of-the-moment thinking and therefore
pave the way for a more enlightened
public discussion? Or that our
legislators step up to the role of being
thought leaders in this country since
they are in charge of crafting the laws
that could make or break progress for
this country?
The nature of the public debate
on Senator Franklin Drilons attempt
to resurrect the proposal to move
the opening of classes from June to
September is frustrating. Everyone
seems to be weighing in with opinions
and speculative gibberish that doesnt
really add anything of value to the
discussion. Kabataan Partylist objected
to the proposal by citing certain
arguments that were based on gut feel
and intuition. The Department of
Education ofcials hemmed and hawed
and in the end copped out by issuing
a lame we need to study the matter
further statement.
I am aghast that the Department of
Education still has no ofcial position on
the matter, and worse, has not seemingly
conducted a comprehensive study on
the merits and demerits of moving the
academic calendar despite the fact that
the measure has been continually tossed
around for at least a decade now. I am
disappointed that veteran legislators
like Drilon would le a bill on the issue
and go to town to announce his gambit
without anything to support his proposal
other than his concern for the safety of
his grandchildren.
This rankles because Drilon and
everyone else know that his proposal
to change the academic calendar is not
originalmany legislators have also
toyed with the idea in the past. Couldnt
Drilon have spared loose change from
his vast pork barrel to fund a formal,
perhaps comprehensive study so that we
are all guided by something else other
than opinions?
In fact, the reincarnation of the
measure was spurred by the fact that
thousands of schoolchildren in Metro
Manila got drenched by heavy rains
two weeks ago. The snafu happened
basically because of lack of leadership
skills on the part of the people who are
in charge of making the decision to
cancel classes. If we dont want our
schoolchildren to go through a similar
ordeal, the solution is to x the decision-
making system among local executives
and education ofcials and to remind
parents that they have the option not
to send their kids to school in case of
heavy rains. Moving the academic
calendar to respond to the problem is
like prescribing chemotherapy for a
benign cyst.
I am sure the move to change the
academic school year to a September-
May schedule has its merits. But
because of climate change, the
assertion that more typhoons visit this
country during the months of June
to August may not be a compelling
reason to do so. Moving vacation
time to June until August would also
mean changes in certain aspects of
Philippine culture. For example, we
must remember that in the rural areas,
which comprise the majority in this
country, estas are scheduled during
the month of May precisely because
it is vacation time. Children also
participate in various rituals during
May such as the Santacruzan and
Flores de Mayo. Most families also
travel during vacation time and the
months of June to August may not be
the safest of times for kids to travel in
boats or through land.
What we really need is a exible
academic calendar that can accommodate
days or weeks when children dont have
to be in school because of heavy rains.
We can schedule an academic calendar
that has, say, 30 days allowance to
cover days when classes would have
to be suspended. To start, we can
decree that graduation ceremonies are
not scheduled earlier than April so that
there is enough time for makeup classes
in March.
The solution is to allow our leaders
in the local levels more exibility
rather than ordering a one-size-ts-
all solutions which are not really
applicable given the diverse nature
of Philippine society. The solution is
not legislation but empowering people
local executives, education ofcials,
parentsto think strategically and act
decisively.
Towards more exibility
By William Pesek
MYANMARS conversion to democ-
racy is breathing new life into a project
with a terminally boring name: Greater
Mekong Subregion.
This name was bestowed on an in-
vestment bloc that the Asian Develop-
ment Bank put together in 1992. It was
made up of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar,
Thailand, Vietnam and Chinas Yunnan
Province. Talk about odd bedfellows.
It mixes constitutional monarchies, im-
mature multiparty democracies, com-
munist states and military regimes sud-
denly mulling elections with one thing
in commona waterway thats central
to the livelihood of 330 million people.
The potential of the resource-rich
Mekong River region has long intrigued
Asia-philes. If only this area got its act
together, trade might ourish and mar-
kets in this next frontier of the Asian
growth story could take off. Myanmars
opening makes this possible for the rst
time.
Myanmars reforms dont ensure suc-
cess, though. That requires overcoming
three big challenges: cordial relations
with and among its neighbors, weather-
ing the next global crisis and navigating
the regions role as a proxy for US and
Chinese designs on Asia.
In December, about the time Secre-
tary of State Hillary Clinton became
the highest-ranking US ofcial to visit
Myanmar in a half century, Mekong
leaders endorsed a 10-year plan: tighter
integration, more open trade and mar-
ket-oriented nancial policies, better
use of natural resources, improved in-
frastructure, increased tourism, and pov-
erty reduction.
Competitive advantages
The idea is that in order to ourish
together, we must work together, says
Neav Chanthana, the deputy governor of
the National Bank of Cambodia.
Adds Chartsiri Sophonpanich, the
president of Bangkok Bank Pcl: What
makes this workable is that different
countries in our region really do offer
complementary competitive advantag-
es. Thailand has banking expertise and
sophisticated markets; Myanmar has
substantial stores of petroleum, natural
gas and copper; Laos has considerable
hydropower know-how; Vietnam and
Cambodia boast young and growing
populations; Yunnan Province offers la-
bor and a pathway to the worlds fastest-
growing major economy.
Yet Asias history with co-ordination
is spotty. Japan and South Korea cant
put aside anger over World War II long
enough to share intelligence on North
Koreas Kim Jong Un. The Associa-
tion of Southeast Asian Nations, Asean,
engages in meaningless summits and
proved out of its depth when global mar-
kets crashed in 2008.
One enduring feature is distrust.
Aseans 10 members covet sovereignty
more than the European Union and have
vastly different takes on nancial open-
ness, press freedom and human rights.
Co-operation is often in short supply as
one nation undercuts another for short-
term gain. Bilateral trade agreements
have proven easier to negotiate than re-
gional ones.
If people are already looking at Asean
integration with caution, they will take the
Mekong subregion with even more skep-
ticism, says Tai Hui, Singapore-based
head of Southeast Asian research at Stan-
dard Chartered Plc.
Europes debt crisis will test Asia as
rarely before. The good news, says Xay-
paseuth Phomsoupha, general director
of Laoss Ministry of Energy and Mines,
is that the Mekong region is more in-
sulated from global turmoil. The bad
news, he says, is that more trouble
overseas will leave less money for de-
velopment projects at home.
How Asia copes with Europes com-
ing meltdown will say much about its
ability to increase growth, create jobs
and raise living standards. That goes,
too, for Chinas ability to play the role
of growth engine. Yet China is a contro-
versial player in the Mekong region.
Seething friends
Even as governments woo Asias
biggest economy, they seethe over the
huge Chinese dam projects that are re-
ducing ows downstream. These have
led to water shortages, depletion of soil
nutrients, reduced food production and
trouble for sheries and ecosystems.
Another ashpoint is the South Chi-
na Sea. The drilling plans of China Na-
tional Offshore Oil Corp. have enraged
the Vietnamese. China has repeatedly
shown a willingness to provoke conicts
in disputed waters, as it has with the
Philippines and Japan. If one of these
spins out of control it would cost China
dearly by driving Asian governments to
seek more support from Washington.
For Clinton and President Barack
Obama, the Mekong region is a micro-
cosm of China-US relations. Obamas
so-called pivot to Asia has unnerved
ofcials in Beijing, who almost see the
Mekong region as their birthright. Ac-
cess to natural resources is almost sec-
ondary. The bigger issue is who holds
sway over Asia a decade from now.
The creative tension emanating from
US and Chinese engagement has its ben-
ets. As both jockey for advantage, the
Mekong nations can play one off against
the other and seek investment, security
assurances and free-trade agreements.
Yet theres ample scope for things to go
awry.
For all the challenges, Myanmars re-
birth is a fresh start for the Mekong re-
gion. The process wont be smooth and
it wont necessarily go as planned. But
when a promising economic area with an
American-size population joins hands, the
potential can only grow. Bloomberg
Asias next booming economy
We can expect
the worst from
China.
News
ManilaStandardToday
mst.daydesk@gmail.com JULY 10, 2012 TUESDAY
A6
Transpo exec resigns

IN BRIEF
Enforcement of bus lane ordinance intensied
Envoy denies role in land row
Man sees wife on cybersex sites
Seamens
Luneta
park spot
shut down
Republic of the Philippines
COMMISSION ON AUDIT
Regional Offce No. I
BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE
San Fernando City, La Union
1. The Commission on Audit, Regional Offce No. 1 San Fernando City, La Union through the General
Fund (Budget for IT Equipment and Software incorporated in the Annual Procurement Plan and Agency
Budget Matrix for CY 2012, intends to apply the sum of Three Million Seven Hundred Ten Thousand
One Hundred Sixty One Pesos (P3,710,161.00) being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to
payments under the contract for IT Equipment and Software. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall
be automatically rejected at bid opening.
2. The Commission on Audit Regional Offce No. 1 now invites bids for IT Equipment and Software On Lump
Sum Bid on the following items:
Item No. Quantity Unit Description
1 30 units Desktop Computer, LED Monitor Intel Core i7,3.4GHz-3.8GHz,
8GB DDR3,1TB
2 16 units Laptop 11.6 LED widescreen display,
128 GB Flash Storage, 2.0 GHz Dual core
Intel Core i7, 8GB of 1600MHz DDR3L on
board memory
3 18 units Laptop 14 LED widescreen display,
Intel Core i7, 8GB (2x4GB DDR3) 1600MHz
750GB-1TB HDD, DVD Super-Multi Drive
4 15 units Printer with print, copy and scan functions
5 2 units (1) unit Anti-Virus Software 2012 (for 30 plus users);(1) unit
Anti-Virus for Windows Server Enterprise Edition
6 2 units Server, Memory 32GB DDR3, 4Terabyte Hard Disk, 19 LED
Monitor
7 28 units Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) with AVR
230 V, 300 Watts/500 VA
8 2 units Uninterruptible Power Supply for Server
230 V, 865 Watts/1500 VA
Delivery of IT Equipment and Software is required upon issuance of Notice to Proceed. Bidders should
have completed, within fve (5) 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 a non-discretionary pass/
fail criterion as specifed in the Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA)
9184, otherwise known as the Government Procurement reform Act.
Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least
sixty percent (60%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines, and to
citizens or organizations of a country the laws or regulations of which grant similar rights or privileges to
Filipino citizens, pursuant to RA 5183 and subject to Commonwealth Act 138.
4. Interested bidders may obtain further information from the BAC Secretariat, Commission on Audit, Regional
Offce No. 1, San Fernando City, La Union and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below
during Mondays to Fridays at 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.
A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested Bidders on July 10, 2012 to July
30, 2012 from the address below and upon payment of a nonrefundable fee for the Bidding Documents
in the amount of Three Thousand Pesos (P3,000.00).
It may also be downloaded free charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic
Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the website of the Procuring Entity, provided that Bidders shall
pay the nonrefundable fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids.
5. The Commission on Audit, Regional Offce No. 1 will hold a Pre-bid Conference on July 17, 2012, 10:00
AM, 2nd Floor Conference Room, Commission On Audit, Regional Offce No. 1, San Fernando City, La
Union, which shall be open to all interested parties.
6. Bids must be delivered to the address below on or before 10:00 AM of July 30, 2012. All Bids must be
accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18.
Bid Opening shall be on July 30, 2012, 10:30 AM at 2
nd
Floor Conference, COA Regional Offce No. 1,
San Fernando City, La Union. 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.
7. The Commission on Audit, Regional Offce No. 1, reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, to annul
the bidding process, and to reject all bids at any time prior to contract award, without thereby incurring
any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.
8. For further information, please refer to:
MS. MARIA P. DOMAGAS
Head, BAC Secretariat
Commission on Audit, RO 1, San Fernando City, La Union
Tel No.: (072) 888-6780-81
Mobile No.: 09273914835
Email Add: mpd_c1@yahoo.com
(Sgd.) ORLANDO G. SOCO
BAC Chairman
INVITATION TO BID
for
Procurement of IT Equipment and Software
(MST-July 10, 2012)
But Manuel Iway, in his resigna-
tion letter addressed to President Beni-
gno Aquino III, maintained that he did
nothing wrong when he and his fellow
LTFRB Board Member Samuel Garcia
awarded the bus lines to Victory Bus
Liner and four other bus rms.
Iway said that they just based their
decision on previous LTFRB deci-
sions and followed the ruling of the
Court of Appeals favoring more than
2,000 retrenched employees of Pan-
tranco who were awarded the fran-
chises in payment for unpaid wages
and benets.
The former Pantranco workers
later sold the franchises to Victory
Liner, Pangasinan Five Star, Bataan
Transit, First North Luzon Bus Com-
pany and Luzon Cisco Transport, a
By Jonathan Fernandez
A MEMBER of the Land Transportation Fran-
chising and Regulatory Board resigned from his
post, effective July 15, over the questionable re-
vival of 489 purportedly-expired bus franchises
of the defunct Pantranco North Express Inc.
deal Iway and Garcia approved.
Iway apologized to the President
for the em bar as sing insinuations that
they might have received compensa-
tion for the questioned decision.
He said he was pained that his
superior, Transportation Secretary
Mar Roxas, called for his resignation
which he claimed placed the LTFRB
and the Mr. Aquinos declared policy
of keeping to the straight and nar-
row in a bad light.
Iways and Garcias decision
sparked opposition from other bus
operators, prompting Roxas to sus-
pend the revival of the franchise lines
while the case is being looked into by
a DOTC legal team.
In an interview, Iway said he will
seek the congressional seat of the rst
district of Negros Oriental in next
years elections to replace his niece, in-
cumbent Rep. Jocelyn Laimkaichong.
Meanwhile, the former Pantranco
workers urged the President to step
into their labor dispute and order the
payment of their claims from their
bus company they had served.
Jun Pascua, president of the Pan-
tranco Employees Association Inc.,
appealed to the President to intervene
on their ownership and sale of the
companys franchise, which is war-
ranted by a National Labor Relations
Commission decision in their favor.
He maintained that the awarding
of franchises from the bankrupt Pan-
tranco was legal and covered with
a board resolution from the Land
Transportation Franchising and Reg-
ulatory Board and NLRC.
With Rio N. Araja
Public
inconvenience.
The Metro Manila
Development
Authority
intensied the
implementatyion
of the yellow or
bus lane ordinance
on Monday, but
the sheer number
of buses and
their practise
of lingering
at bus stops
congested trafc
on the busiest
thoroughfare in
the metropolis.
MANNY PALMERO
By Rio N. Araja
AMID a number of road mishaps in-
volving passenger buses last week,
the Metro Manila Development Au-
thority ordered a strict enforcement
of the yellow or bus lane policy but
the sheer number of buses and the
practise of lingering at bus stops
caused congestion that again incon-
venienced commuters and motorists
in the metropolis.
Chairman Francis Tolentino ad-
mitted that trafc was heavy on both
northbound and southbound directions
of Edsa because of the strict implemen-
tation of the agencys bus lane policy,
but stressed that his trafc enforcers
were only implementing an ordinance
that was passed way back in 1989.
The policy is not a new law. It was
just disregarded in the past, Tolentino
said, adding that they he are looking at
the possibility of allowing buses to use
the yovers and underpasses during a
certain period, possibly from 6 a.m. to
10 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Meanwhile, the Technical Educa-
tion and Skills Development Authority
opened on Monday a re-training and
assessment program for bus drivers to
further hone their driving skills.
TESDA Director General Joel Vil-
lanueva said the free assessment and
certication program will be open to
bus drivers from July 9 to 20, August
20 to 31 and October 15 to 16 at TES-
DA ofces nationwide.
The re-training will be conducted
through TESDAs National Technical
Vocational Education Training Com-
petency Assessment and Certication
program, according to Villanueva.
With the TESDA certication, ap-
propriate skills and adequate pay, we
believe that there will be fewer if not
zero accidents, on the road, Villanue-
va said. With Ferdinand Fabella
By Ferdinand Fabella
UNDER re for allegedly harass-
ing an elderly land claimant, Am-
bassador to Portugal Philippe Lhu-
illier has denied taking ownership
of a disputed 346-square-meter
prime property in Makati City al-
though he admitted that the fam-
ily-owned PJL Corporate Center
Inc. bought the land from a woman
who presented fake documents.
Lhuillier, who owns the chain
of Cebuana Lhuillier pawnshops
in the country, also dismissed as
utterly preposterous allegations
that he had threatened Roberto
Santos, the 74-year-old retired em-
ployee who is claiming ownership
of the property the ambassadors
company had recently acquired.
In view of my appointment to
our countrys diplomatic corps, I
was and until now no longer ac-
tively involved in the manage-
ment of [PJL Corporate Center
Inc.s] affairs, Lhuillier said in
the two-page counter-afdavit he
led before Makati City Assistant
City Prosecutor Edna Conde.
As a mere stockholder of the
company, he pointed out that he
has no knowledge of or participa-
tion in the purchase of the prop-
erty. He said he was abroad when
such transactions took place.
Santos, a retired employee
of San Miguel Corp., has led
charges of trespassing, malicious
mischief, grave threats, grave
coercion, slight physical injury
and robbery against Lhuillier and
four of his men before the Makati
City Prosecutor after he was al-
legedly harassed and prevented
from entering his property on at
least three occasions in April.
Santos said he is the legiti-
mate owner of the subject lot
and commercial building located
right across PJLCCIs ofce in
N. Garcia Street in San Miguel
Village, Makati.
My alleged threat of disturb-
ing complainants physical posses-
sion of the property is utterly pre-
posterous. First, I have never met
the complainant in person or other-
wise. Second, I was informed and
verily believe that the complainant
has not been in actual possession
of the subject property, Lhuillier
said of Santos.
By Macon Ramos-Araneta
AGENTS of the National Bureau of Investigation
swooped down on a private house in Paraaque
City and rescued ve abused women after a man
complained that he saw his wifes pictures while he
was surng at least four cybersex websites.
The bureaus Technical Intelligence Division
chief Head Agent Palmer Mallari said the man
(identity withheld to protect his victim-wife)
led a complaint with the NBI on June 29, 2012
after seeing his wife posing as a model on some
cybersex websites.
The man said he was surprised to see his wife on
the cybersex websites because he thought his wife
was working as an attendant at an internet caf.
The NBI agents arrested the alleged recruiter,
identied as Arlene Lara, along with American na-
tional Rex Spencer in their house at 213 Jupiter St.,
Aeropark Subdivision, Better Living, Paraaque.
The raid was conducted last July 5 at the cou-
ples house which also serves cybersex den. The
raiding teams were armed with search warrant
issued by Judge Zaldy Docena of Malabon RTC
Branch 170.
The two suspects were charged with viola-
tion of Article 201 of the Revised Penal Code,
or Immoral doctrines, obscene publications and
exhibitions and indecent shows after agents
found sex toys, computers, a scanner, cameras
and other similar items used in operating the al-
leged cybersex websites.
The lawmen did not nd the complainants wife
at the house, but they did nd ve other women
(identities withheld), between the ages of 19 and
24, who claimed to have been enticed to work as
performers in the cybersex operation.
The victims, who came from the provinces, told
the NBI agents they were recruited by Lara and ini-
tially offered to work as household helpers or internet
cafe attendants, but they were later enticed to work as
performers due to the promise of high wages.
The rescued victims conrmed that the com-
plainants wife used to work with the suspects, but
she left the suspects residence last April and was
only working as a model part-time.
By Vito Barcelo
THE government warned
overseas Filipino workers,
particularly seamen, from ap-
plying jobs from recruitment
agencies operating at the Rizal
Park since they do not have
special recruitment authority
issued by the Philippine Over-
seas Employment Administra-
tion.
POEA Administrator Hans
Leo J. Cacdac said all recruit-
ment activities at Rizal Park
are deemed illegal because a
recruitment or manning agen-
cy cannot engage in recruit-
ment activities in places other
than that specied in their
licenses without previous au-
thorization from the POEA.
Because of reported hir-
ing malpractices, the POEA
stopped in May 2009 the is-
suance of SRA to manning
agencies, and ordered those
occupying booths managed
by Luneta Seafarers Welfare
Foundation Inc. at Rizal Park
to end their recruitment ac-
tivities or face administrative
sanctions, Cacdac said.
The POEA had already
suspended the license of 12
manning agencies and ordered
them to pay appropriate nes
for recruiting seafarers in the
area without special recruit-
ment authority.
P400m from Marcos
Arelma account remited
THE Presidential Commission on
Good Government on Monday said it
remitted more than P400 million to the
Treasury days after a New York Court
said the Philippine Supreme Court had
jurisdiction over one of its sequestered
bank accounts in a US investment rm.
PCGG Chairman Andres Bautista
said they remitted the money after a New
York court dismissed an appeal by hu-
man rights victims who had sought to
claim some of it.
The New York Appellate Court had
ruled that it was going to respect the Phil-
ippine Supreme Courts judgment to for-
feit the funds from the so-called Arelma
account in favor of the Republic of the
Philippines.
The account, worth $35 million, was
subsumed under Arelma S.A., a Pana-
manian entity created in 1972 by Mar-
cos, businessmen Jose Yao-Campos and
Swiss banker Jean Luis Sunier, which
invested $2 million with Merrill Lynch
in New York.
The decision to withdraw monies from
the Contingency Fund was a result of the
New York Court of Appeals decision to
dismiss the proceedings on the Arelma
case, Bautista said.
He said the founds would be used
to help implement the Comprehensive
Agrarian Reform Program within the
next two years. Florante Solmerin

Amalia Fuentes sued
by tenants over beating
FORMER actress Amalia Fuentes is
facing charges of frustrated homicide,
grave threats and slander led by
her tenants before the Quezon City
prosecutors ofce.
The complainants, spouses Peter and
Rosemarie Tan Licup, sued Fuentes, or
Amalia Muhlach in real life and her pho-
tographer-son Gerard Stevens over an al-
tercation that took place on July 4.
The couple claimed Muhlach and Ste-
vens went to their rented house at 50-F A
and B 4th Street in Barangay Damayang
Lagi and picked a ght with the couple
who claimed the mother and son were ac-
companied by several men at the time of
the incident.
Muhlach earlier claimed that he went
to the couples home because they owed
her overdue rent. Rio N. Araja
Jose Leonido, 80
JOSE Monponbanua Leonido, of Robert
Kennedy Street, Barangay Bahay Toro,
Project 8, Quezon City died of multiple
organ failure on July 7. He was 80.
He is survived by his wife Nieves
Muoz, children and in-laws Gina and
Andrew Villasis, Jojo and Jennelyn Le-
onido, Tess and Zane Bendickson; Dr.
Nap Leonido; and Cyril Leonido.
His remains are at Loyola Memorial
Chapels and Crematorium along Com-
monwealth in Quezon City.
IN BRIEF
Brown leads PSA guests
Caguiao is best player
A LONG list of guests, headed by for-
mer Philippine Basketball Association
Most Valuable Player Ricardo Brown,
headlines todays edition of the Philip-
pine Sportswriters Association Forum at
Shakeys UN Avenue.
The session aired live over dzSR Sports
Radio 918 and presented by Smart, the
Philippine Amusements and Gaming
Corporation, and Shakeys, will be the
rst-ever public appearance for Brown,
the former star point guard of Great Taste
and San Miguel Beer, upon his arrival in
the country for a brief, weeklong visit.
Owing to the numerous guests appear-
ing in the public sports program, PSA
President Rey Bancod of Tempo said the
forum will start earlier on at 10 a.m.
Teams Cebu and Manila, protagonists in
the coming Baseball Philippines Series 9
Finals, will also be on hand, together with
ofcials of the Pacic X-Treme Combat.
EXPECT Mark Caguioas game to rise
when the stakes are higher.
The man nicknamed The Spark
displayed this anew last Sunday when
he came up big in Barangay Ginebras
cliffhanger of an 87-85 win over Petron
Blaze that stoked its bid in the Philippine
Basketball Association Governors Cup
seminals at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Cedric Bozeman came up with the game-
winner, but it was the Accel-PBA Press Corps
Player of the Week for the period July 2 to 8
who pointed the Kings in the right direction
by notching game-highs of 25 points and six
assists to go with six rebounds.
The performance came on the heels of
a relatively bland outing in an 89-76 win
against Meralco at the start of the ve-
game semis last Friday, when Caguioa
only had 10 markers.
Still, Caguioa came up with two-game
averages of 17.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and
3.5 assists to emerge as the most consis-
tent local in the week that was.
A7 Sports Riera U. Mallari, Editor
ManilaStandardToday
sports_mstandard@yahoo.com
Dy clinched another
international crown after
last years US Kids World
Championship trophy, posting
2 PH jungolfers win in San Diego
SAN DiegoVictories by Jed Dy and
Bernice Olivarez-Ilas in their respective
divisions highlighted an impressive Phil-
ippine campaign in the San Diego Junior
Masters over the weekend, putting the
Filipino kids in the right frame of mind
for the bigger mission this week at the
Junior World golf championships here.
Murray falls short as British wait continues
WIMBLEDONHope turned to dis-
appointment one more time for Andy
Murray and British tennis.
Murray stood closer to the Wimble-
don title Sunday than any British man
had in three-quarters of a century, two
sets away from ending one of the lon-
gest waits in British sports.
But he also stood across the net
from Roger Federer, who knows bet-
ter than anyone how to win on Centre
Court, and who wasnt about to let
Murray Mania get in the way of
a record-equaling seventh title at the
All England Club.
Federer took advantage of a rain de-
lay and a closed roof to outplay Mur-
ray the last two sets, assuring that the
wait for a homegrown mens Wimble-
don champion still has a way to go.
Im getting closer, a teary-eyed
Murray told the Centre Court crowd af-
ter losing to Federer 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4.
It was the closest any British man
had been since Fred Perry won his last
Wimbledon title in 1936. Murray had
already taken Wimbledon hysteria to
a new level at home by becoming the
rst British man to even reach the -
nal since 1938, when Bunny Austin
lost in straight sets.
In a nal that began in bright sun-
shine, Murray gave the country and
his multitude of fans reason to believe
he could go one better by winning
the rst set. But when the rain came,
and the roof closed, Murray simply
couldnt deal with Federers perfect
timing indoors.
The Swiss star went on to secure
his seventh Wimbledon title. And for
the fourth time in four Grand Slam -
nals, Murray was left to give the run-
ner-ups acceptance speech. With his
voice cracking, Murray thanked the
crowd for sticking by him yet again.
Everybody always talks about the
pressure of playing at Wimbledon, how
tough it is, said Murray, who lost in
the seminals the last three years. Its
not the people watching. They make it
so much easier to play. The support has
been incredible, so thank you.
The Scotsman has a mixed relation-
ship with British fans and media
some refer to him as a Brit when he
wins and a Scot when he loses. But
his popularity seems greater than ever
following Fridays seminal victory
against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
And with the country so eager to
see a homegrown champion in its
most prestigious annual sports event,
the Royal Box on Centre Court was
lled with dignitaries, politicians and
celebrities. Among them was Prime
Minister David Cameron, Prince Wil-
liams wife, the former Kate Middle-
ton, and David Beckham.
At 10 Downing Street, the Scottish
ag was ying in recognition of Mur-
rays achievement. Tickets to Centre
Court sold for thousands of dollars
online.
And on Aorangi Terracethe large
slope at the All England Club previ-
ously known as Henman Hill and
now commonly referred to as Murray
Mountthousands gathered to watch
the match on a giant video screen and
witness what they hoped would be
history. Many of them camped over-
night for tickets, others arrived hours
before the match and sat through
heavy morning rain showers to get a
good spot. AP
FIFTEEN athletes, all full-time
employees of Globe Telecom, are
set to compete in the premier en-
durance event in the countrythe
2012 Ironman 70.3 Philippines.
Team Globe, composed of 11
male and 4 female athletes, al-
ready took part in various tune-
up races such as the Anvaya
Cove Invitational Triathlon,
Subic Bay International Triath-
lon, 5i50 Triathlon in Subic,
and the TriUnited 2 in Batangas
to prepare for the countrys top
multisport competition.
We are looking forward to
the challenges from the new race
course and have been preparing
diligently since the start of the
year focusing on consistency and
training intelligently towards our
goal of again nishing strong,
said Globe Team Captain Elmer
Santiago.
Last year, 11 Globe employees
and one relay team successfully
nished the race.
The Ironman 70.3 Philippines
has become one of the most-gru-
eling sporting activities in the
country. The event, which will
be held on Aug. 5 at Shangri-La
Mactan Island Resort in Cebu,
features a 1.9 kilometer swim
beginning at the Makati Shangri-
La beach; a 90 kilometer bike
ride that covers 4 municipalities
in Lapu-Lapu, Mandaue, Cebu
City, and Talisay; and 21 kilo-
meter run that will start at Punta
Engano in Lapu-Lapu City.
The race (which will be held in
Cebu City for the next three years)
holds a record number of partici-
pants with over 1,300 triathletes
and 115 relay teams which is three
times the size of the rst Ironman
70.3 race.
Globe joins Ironman
BONIFACIO Global
City goes the extra
mile in supporting the
sport of Football in the
country as Fort Bonifacio
Development Corporation,
owner and developer
of BGC, signed a
memorandum of agreement,
with the Philippine Football
Federation to support
the Philippine womens
football team, Malditas,
in its bid for international
titles this year.
Turf BGC, the countrys
rst publicly accessible
football eld located in
BGC, will be the new home
of the Malditas. The national
team will have free access to
the eld for their practice
and training sessions.
It will also receive cash
sponsorship from FBDC and
Alveo Land .
The Malditas are currently
preparing for the 2012
ASEAN Football Federation
Womens Championships
in Vietnam and the 2012
LA Vikings Cup in Los
Angeles, California .
Were proud to support
Malditas and PFF. Weve
been working with PFF
since the development of
Turf BGC. This MOA will
cement our partnership
in promoting Philippine
football, said FBDCs
head of commercial
operations Manny Blas II.
PFF helped in the technical
and communal aspects of
constructing Turf BGC.
Wed like to thank BGC
for putting up Turf BGC,
a world-class artificial
football field. It provides
national teams with a venue
where they can hone their
skills. Hopefully, other
institutions will follow
BGCs lead, PFF president
Nonong Araneta said.
BGC steps up support for football
Bucks
to keep
Ilyasova
MILWAUKEEThe Milwau-
kee Bucks are close to a deal
to re-sign free-agent forward
Ersan Ilyasova.
We are engaged in free-agent
negotiations with Ersan Ilyas-
ova, Bucks general manager
John Hammond said in a state-
ment released Sunday night.
We intend to enter into a player
contract with Ersan once the
moratorium period has ended.
The 6-foot-10, 235-pound
Ilyasova had a breakout season
for Milwaukee in 2011-12, av-
eraging 13 points, 8.8 rebounds
and 1.2 assists. He played in 60
games and made 41 starts.
The 25-year-old Turkish
player has spent four seasons
with the Bucks, with career
averages of 9.7 points and six
rebounds.
If Ilyasova does return, hell
be part of a suddenly crowded
frontcourt. Milwaukee recently
made a trade with the Houston
Rockets to acquire veteran cen-
ter Samuel Dalembert, then took
North Carolina power forward
John Henson with the No. 14
pick in the NBA draft. The addi-
tion of Dalembert likely means
Drew Gooden will move back to
power forward after playing out
of position as a center last sea-
son, and several other forwards
are likely to gure in the Bucks
rotation next season.
a six-stroke win over Jason
Xie of China with 9-hole
scores of 34 and 32 in two
rounds of the boys 7-8 years
division.
Olivarez-Ilas completed a
come-from-behind win in the
girls 9-10 years. She scored 33
and 30 in a torrid nish, where
she made an eagle and four
birdies on the last six holes to
beat Karah Sanford of the United
States by one.
Team Phlippines missed
a third title after Princess
Superal lost in a three-player
playoff for the girls 15-18
years crown with her 73-73
good for a tie for first place
with Julienne Soo of Australia
and American Aliea Clark in
regulation play.
US-based Jeanne Padillo,
meanwhile, won the girls
6-under crown, prevailing by
two over the only other entry in
her division, Milana Chang of
the US.
Dy, Olivarez-Ilas and Superal
who were own here by the
countrys ag carrier Philippine
Airlines as a reward for ruling a
national qualifying tournament
are among the countrys top
bets in the Junior World golf
meet in 11 different courses
in San Diego starting Tuesday
(Wednesday in Manila).
Harmie Constantino nished
second in the girls 11-12, while
Arnie Taguines and Lois Kaye Go
placed third in the girls 7-8 and
13-14, respectively, for the other
top three nishes achieved by the
Filipino kids carrying the colors
of the Junior Golf Foundation of
the Philippines.
The other boys bets oundered,
however, with Carl Corpus and
LJ Go chalking up the other
best nishes of seventh place in
the 9-10 and 15-18 age-groups,
respectively.
Gio Gandionco, the spearhead
of the Junior World mission,
wound up 21
st
.
Potter Jr. weaves magic
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va.
Ted Potter Jr.s rst PGA Tour victory
means a lot more than a big paycheck.
The 28-year-old rookie can take a trip to
Augusta National off his wish list.
By making a 4-foot birdie putt on the
third hole of a playoff Sunday to beat
Troy Kelly in the Greenbrier Classic,
Potter earned a spot in the Masters, some-
thing he listed as career goal.
Simply winning, though, had been the
top priority for a player who rst joined
the former Nationwide Tour in 2004 and
didnt have much success until last year.
When youre missing cuts every week,
you get down on yourself, Potter said. I
mean, its hard to pick yourself back up.
But the plus side for me is I was still young.
I just knew I had plenty of time and just be
patient and it will come back around again.
Potter nished second on the Nation-
wide money list last year to advance to
the PGA Tour. He tied for 13th in his
rst event of the year but had missed ve
straight cuts entering the week. AP
Elorde: Sato refused to ght
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PROMOTER Gabriel Bebot Elorde Jr.
claims that World Boxing Council super fly-
weight silver champion Sylvester Lopez failed
in his bid to win the world crown from Japans
Yota Sato at the Bunka Gym in Yokohama on
Sunday because the Japanese didnt want to
go toe-to-toe.
Satos plan was to just runaway and go the dis-
tance. Lopez did his best to win the ght, but what
can you do when he (Sato) refused to engage?
Elorde told the Manila Standar d.
Plans call for Lopez to rest for a few days and
then get back into the gym.
Lopez will try to ght at the heavier division,
which means moving up to bantamweight.
It was obvious from the Philippine televi-
sion coverage over AKTV IBC 13 that Lopez
couldnt handle the tactics of the taller Sato,
who was a clear winner on points, with two of
the three judges giving it to the champion by a
comfortable margin, while the third judge had it
much closer.
Lou Moret scored the ght, 119-109, for the
defending champion, while David Bilocerkowec
scored the ght for Sato, 118-110. However,
South Koreas Chan Soo Kim had Sato ahead by a
much closer 116-113 margin.
The 24-year-old Lopez had earned the title shot
with a stunning eighth-round technical knockout
over highly favored Mexican Oscar Ibarra in a
title eliminator in Mexico on Sept. 24, 2011, but
failed to come close to duplicating that winning
performance against the shifty Sato.
With the loss, Lopez dropped to 19-4-1 with 15
knockouts, while his 28-year-old opponent Sato
improved to 25-2-1, with 12 knockouts.
Globe Team
Captain Elmer
Santiago shows
his form at last
years Ironman
70.3 Philippines.
Some 15 athletes,
all full-time
employees of
Globe Telecom,
are set to
compete in
the premier
endurance event
in the country
the 2012 Ironman
70.3 Philippines
on Aug. 5. at
Shangri-La
Mactan Island
Resort in Cebu.
Andy Murray of Britain takes a tumble during the mens singles nal
match against Roger Federer of Switzerland at the All England Lawn Tennis
Championships at Wimbledon, England, Sunday. AP
Japanese champion Yota Sato (left) and Filipino
challenger Sylvester Lopez exchange punches in the
fourth round of their WBC super flyweight title bout in
Yokohama, Japan on Sunday. Sato retained his title by a
unanimous decision. AP
A8
Donaire to choose between Nishioka, Arce for his next ght
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
AFTER adding the International
Boxing Federation super bantam-
weight title to his World Boxing
Organization crown in convincing
fashion at the Home Depot Center
in Carson City, California on Sunday
(Manila time), Nonito Donaire has
to decide who he wants to ght next
World Boxing Council Diamond
belt champion Toshiaki Nishioka or
Mexican warrior Jorge Arce.
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum
trimmed the list down to Nishioka
and Arce after World Boxing Asso-
ciation champion Guillermo Rigo-
neaux and Abner Mares laid claim
to a title shot at Donaire.
Nishioka, who joined Donaire
in the ring after the latters lop-
sided unanimous decision over
IBF champion Jeffrey Mathebula,
told the Manila Standard that he
wants to ght the Filipino next, but
Arum said the decision will be up
to the unied champ.
There are strong indications that
Manila is bidding to host the ght,
although Arum said nobody has
talked to him about it as yet.
However, Arum is scheduled to have
dinner with ABS-CBN vice president
for Sports, Peter Musngi, who was at
the ghts, which were telecast over the
giant broadcast network, with whom
Top Rank has an exclusive agreement.
They are likely to initially explore
the possibility of staging Donaires
next title ght in Manila, with Arum
disclosing that HBO Sports has al-
ready agreed to cover the ght from
the Philippines if it is staged there.
Most Filipino ght fans and the
media believe an Arce showdown
would be more attractive, given
the long-standing Philippine-Mex-
ican rivalry, although Arum said a
Philippine-Japanese battle between
Donaire and Nishioka should also
be an exciting prospect.
A sidelight to the possible Manila
ght would be the choice of a venue,
with the spanking new Mall of Asia
arena likely to make a bid against the
historic Araneta Coliseum, the Phil-
ippines Mecca of sports and enter-
tainment and the venue of the famed
Thrilla in Manila between Muham-
mad Ali and Joe Frazier.
Sports
Manila Standard TODAY
sports@manilastandardtoday.com sports_mstandard@yahoo.com Riera U. Mallari, Editor
Blazers
batter
Knights
77-60
By Peter Atencio
THE College of St. Benilde
Blazers went small in the
second half and completed a
77-60 demolition of the under-
manned Letran Knights yester-
day at The Arena in San Juan.
With their big men Robert
Bartolo and Ryan Ongteco in
foul trouble, coach Richard
del Rosarios decision to eld
smaller teammates Juan Taha
and Mark Romero paid off as
the Blazers posted their second
win in four matches.
The victory sent the Blaz-
ers to third spot in the ongo-
ing 88th National Collegiate
Athletic Association (NCAA)
mens basketball tournament.
With Taha and Romero tak-
ing charge of the shaded lane,
the speedier Blazers were
able to match the speed of the
Knights to overhaul a 35-40
halftime decit. The Blaz-
ers even outrebounded the
Knights, 49-34.
La Salle transferee Joel To-
lentino poured in ve of his
game-high 17 points in the
third period and Luis Sinco
added another ve points to
help carry the Blazers to a 51-
47 edge late in the quarter.
This is an important win for
us. We are playing San Beda in
our next game and we could not
afford to lose this game. And to
think we already made mistakes
in our last game against Mapua,
said del Rosario.
The Blazers, who bounced
back from a 55-64 loss to the
Mapua Cardinals last Thursday,
capitalized on the absence of
suspended Knight Jam Cortes.
After Letran threatened, 54-
58, Tolentino connected with a
triple, and teammate Jonathan
Grey added eight points to cap
another CSB run which pushed
the Blazers ahead by 17, 75-
58, in the last 1:58.
MILWAUKEEThe Milwau-
kee Bucks are close to a deal to
re-sign free-agent forward Er-
san Ilyasova.
We are engaged in free-
agent negotiations with Ersan
Ilyasova, Bucks general man-
ager John Hammond said in
a statement released Sunday
night. We intend to enter into
a player contract with Ersan
once the moratorium period has
ended.
The 6-foot-10, 235-pound
Ilyasova had a breakout season
for Milwaukee in 2011-12, av-
eraging 13 points, 8.8 rebounds
and 1.2 assists. He played in 60
games and made 41 starts.
The 25-year-old Turkish play-
er has spent four seasons with
the Bucks, with career averages
of 9.7 points and six rebounds.
If Ilyasova does return, hell
be part of a suddenly crowded
frontcourt. Milwaukee recently
made a trade with the Hous-
ton Rockets to acquire veteran
center Samuel Dalembert, then
took North Carolina power for-
ward John Henson with the No.
14 pick in the NBA draft. The
addition of Dalembert likely
means Drew Gooden will move
back to power forward after
playing out of position as a cen-
ter last season, and several other
forwards are likely to gure in
the Bucks rotation next season.
Milwaukee went 31-35 last
season, nishing third in the
Central Division and missing
the playoffs. Hammond and
coach Scott Skiles will return
next season, but both are enter-
ing the nal year of their con-
tracts with the team. AP
US quintet
condent
NCAA SCORES
All set for UAAP Season 75
By Jeric Lopez

THE stage is set for the
opening of the diamond
season of the University
Athletic Association of the
Philippines.
In the leagues kick-off
press conference yesterday at
the new Mall of Asia Arena,
the board and this years host
National University expressed
readiness to host the season,
which opens shop on Saturday.
UAAP President Nilo
Ocampo is condent that
this will once again be a
banner season for the coun-
trys premier collegiate
league, now on its 75
th
year.
Unbreakable. Thats the
word to describe the UAAP
on its 75
th
season. The emer-
gence of the UAAP as the
premier collegiate athletic
league will be in display. We
are expecting a big thing,
said Ocampo.
Hostilities in the mens
seniors basketball starts on
Saturday as the league holds
its opening ceremonies in the
said venue with the traditional
activities at 12:30 p.m.
The vastly improving Na-
tional University Bulldogs
plunge to action against Uni-
versity of the East Warriors
in the seasons opening game
at 2 p.m., while a battle of
potential contenders follow
with the University of Santo
Tomas Tigers squaring off
against the Far Eastern Uni-
versity Tamaraws at 4 p.m.
The next day, Sunday, the
other four squads open their
season with the retooled
De La Salle Green Archers
taking on University of the
Philippines at 2 p.m., while
ve-peat seeking Ateneo De
Manila University gets an
acid test against the Adam-
son Falcons at 4 p.m.
Ateneo is still the team
to beat, of course, but I think
National University is de-
nitely a contender after what
it showed in the pre-sea-
son, said Adamson coach
Leo Austria. This is a very
exciting season.
Malakas ang Ateneo and
NU this season. Tapos yung
ibang teams ganoon din,
said FEU coach Bert Flores.
Since this new recogni-
tion is kind of a new thing
for the Bulldogs, coach Eric
Altamirano only wishes that
those assumptions are right
for the team, who went un-
beaten when it took a pre-
season crown.
We had a good summer as
a team and sana lang madala
namin yan sa UAAP kasi iba
na dito, said Altamirano.
For Ateneo coach Nor-
man Black, its business as
usual. The aim is to do one
thingdefend their crown
and win their fth straight
championship to further
cement their collegiate
dominance.
WIMBLEDONUp in the players
box on Centre Court, Roger Federers
twin daughters squirmed, yawned, made
funny faces and then applauded the new
Wimbledon champion.
The girls turn 3 this month. They
were 6 months old the last time Fe-
derer won a Grand Slam title.
The victory today is a dream
come true for me and my family,
you know, seeing them there, he
said. Its big.
At 30, Federer showed the kids
what he can do, and strength-
ened his contention hes far from
nished. Federer ended a Grand
Slam drought and equaled a Wim-
bledon record by winning the
tournament for the seventh time
Sunday, beating Andy Murray of
Britain, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4.
For months Federer had been
widely viewed as a champion in
decline, eclipsed by Rafael Nadal
and Novak Djokovic. Now he has
won a 17th major title, padding his
record, and hes back atop the ATP
rankings for the rst time since
June 2010, matching Pete Sampras
record of 286 weeks at No. 1.
In less than three weeks, Fed-
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FEDERER FAR
FROM FINISHED
erer will be back at Wimbledon
trying to win his rst Olympic
singles gold medal. Hell be tough
to beat in a setting where he plays
his best tennis.
I feel better here for some rea-
son, he said. I dont know why,
but its very unique and special in
many ways.
He matched the record of seven
Wimbledon titles set in the 1880s
by William Renshaw and tied in
2000 by Federers hero, Sampras.
And while he ended his own 2
1/2-year Grand Slam dry spell, he
extended decades of frustration
for the British, who havent had
a homegrown mens champion
since 1936.
Murray, a Scotsman, was the rst
Brit to make the mens nal since
1938. In anticipation of the match,
fans camped out overnight in the
rain just for a grounds pass so they
could watch on a large video screen
near the practice courts.
The Royal Box audience includ-
ed British Prime Minister David
Cameron, soccer star David Beck-
man and Prince Williams wife, the
former Kate Middleton. Murray
tried to give them a good show, tak-
ing an early lead and then losing a
close second set when he was bro-
ken in the nal game.
The match began in sunshine,
but rain interrupted play early in
the third set, and the retractable
roof was closed for a singles -
nal for the rst time since it was
added in 2009.
And while Federer is good on
grass, it turns out hes especially
good indoors on grass.
When the roof closed, he played
unbelievable tennis, Murray said.
Federer agreed.
I played terric, he said.
Coming into the match, Fed-
erer had won 20 of his 74 titles
indoors. With wind eliminated as
a factor, he can swing even more
aggressively and hit his pinpoint
serves with even more accuracy.
Thats what happened. A
26-point, 20-minute game in the
third set proved pivotal and pro-
vided the matchs most memora-
ble moments. Murray fell to the
grass three times during the game,
but also saved ve break points
before he was nally broken to
give Federer a 4-2 lead. AP
Tams remain favorites
By Peter Atencio

THE Far Eastern University Tamaraws,
even without ve key players who have
graduated, will remain among the fa-
vored teams who could make it to the Fi-
nal Four, or even reach the nals again in
the 75th season of the University Athlet-
ic Association of the Philippines mens
basketball tournament.
Coach Bert Flores yesterday expressed
his condence with his two shooting
aces, RR Garcia and Terrence Romeo,
who averaged 13.8 points during the pre-
season games.
The presence of the Tams two prized
guards enabled FEU to make it to the Fi-
nal Four in 2008 and 2009, and the nals
in 2010 and 2011.
But, during those times, big men Aldrech
Ramos, Chris Exceminiano, Ric Cawal-
ing, Jens Knuttel and Pippo Noundou were
around to provide the needed inside presence.
This year, three rookies could make a
difference under the boards for the Tams.
Flores said rookie American reinforcement
in 66 Anthony Hargrove, a transferee from
the Technological Institute of the Philippines,
will be there, along with the 63 Rey Mark
Belo and Arvie Bringas, a 64 rebounder
and former La Salle forward.
Flores believes that his big men can
hold their own against the likes of the
Ateneo Blue Eagles and the University
of Santo Tomas Tigers, which look for-
midable this season.
May adjustment kami with RR and
Terrence. They have to involve their team-
mates in their game for us to win. Dagdag
sa rebounds ang tatlong baguhan, said
Flores during yesterdays press conference
which ushered the start of the 75th season
at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
Hargrove, who is second tallest player
of the team after the 67 Russell Es-
coto, can make the biggest contribution
among the three rookies with his norm of
10 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks
in pre-season games.
Making up the rest of the Tams are Jolas
Guerrero, Carl Cruz, Clarence Foronda, Gry-
ann Mendoza, Roger Pogoy, Antonio Inigo
Jr, Christian Sentcheu and Chris Tolomia.
The Tams are looking forward to an-
other nals stint. They hope to improve
on their runner-up nish to the Ateneo
Blue Eagles which won the titles the past
two seasons.
Roger Federer of Switzerland falls to the ground after winning the mens singles nal against Andy Murray of Britain at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships at Wimbledon,
England, Sunday. AP
Donaire
St. Benilde 77Tolentino 17,
Romero 13, Taha 10, Lastimosa 10,
Grey 9, Bartolo 7, Sinco 5, Ongteco
4, Tan 2, Maconocido 0, Deles 0.
Letran 60Racal 18, Cruz 13,
Alas 11, Belorio 6, Olotu 5, Lituania
4, K. Alas 2, Cudal 1, Luib 0,
Almario 0, Pantin 0.
Quarters: 17-23, 35-40, 56-50,
77-60.
Business
B1
IN BRIEF
Meralcos July rates
up by P0.32 per kWh
Ray S. Eano, Editor extrastory2000@gmail.com
Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor
Govt expects GDP
to rise 8.5% in 2016
BSP says
hot money
down 66%
PH confident of more banana export deals
PLDT becomes the 1
st
local firm to get investment grade ratings
PSE COMPOSITE INDEX
Closing July 9, 2012
5,263.74
98.94
OIL
PRICES
TODAY
P584-P695.00
LPG/11-kg tank
P47.15-P53.07
Unleaded Gasoline
P38.40-P41.05
Diesel
P40.30-P52.20
Kerosene
P27.20-P31.00
Auto LPG
FOREI GN EXCHANGE RATE
Currency Unit US Dollar Peso
United States Dollar 1.000000 41.8020
Japan Yen 0.012563 0.5252
UK Pound 1.549300 64.7638
Hong Kong Dollar 0.128969 5.3912
Switzerland Franc 1.024380 42.8211
Canada Dollar 0.982415 41.0669
Singapore Dollar 0.787154 32.9046
Australia Dollar 1.021346 42.6943
Bahrain Dinar 2.652661 110.8865
Saudi Arabia Rial 0.266660 11.1469
Brunei Dollar 0.784068 32.7756
Indonesia Rupiah 0.000106 0.0044
Thailand Baht 0.031606 1.3212
UAE Dirham 0.272264 11.3812
Euro Euro 1.230000 51.4165
Korea Won 0.000877 0.0367
China Yuan 0.157124 6.5681
India Rupee 0.018028 0.7536
Malaysia Ringgit 0.315457 13.1867
NewZealand Dollar 0.798085 33.3615
Taiwan Dollar 0.033381 1.3954
Source: PDS Bridge
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas
Monday, July 9, 2012
PESO-DOLLAR RATE
40
42
44
46
48
P41.945
CLOSE
Closing JULY 9, 2012
5200
4460
3720
2980
2240
1500
1200
VOLUME 901.380M
HIGH P41.875 LOW P42.015 AVERAGE P41.951
By Julito G. Rada
THE government expects to clinch
export deals from the recent banana
mission by a Philippine delegation to
the Middle East and Europe.
We are expecting deals will be made
out of the mission because we received
reports that a lot expressed their interest
[to buy bananas from the Philippines],
Trade Secretary Gregory Domingo
told Manila Standard in an interview
Monday.
Domingo said, however, there
was no official word yet from the
Philippine contingent that conducted
the mission overseas.
I am expecting to receive the nal report
within this week and eventually come out
with our own report, Domingo said.
The delegation left in mid-June to
look for alternative markets other than
the Asian region after banana exports
to China slowed down owing to more
stringent phytosanitary inspections in
that country.
The slowdown in exports also coincided
with the Scarborough territorial issue
between the Manila and Beijing, which
was considered by many as the real
reason behind the trade restriction.
The Bureau of Export Trade
Promotion, an attached agency of the
Trade Department, spearheaded the
mission, which included 15 banana
grower rms based in Mindanao.
The group went to Abu Dhabi and
Dubai in the Middle East and proceeded
to Italy and Brussels in Belgium.
The Philippines is expected to proceed
with its trial shipment of banana exports
to the United States by the third quarter
this year.
Domingo said despite gaining entry
to the US, the banana industry could
not afford to ignore the Chinese market,
which is one of the largest markets of
agricultural products.
By Alena Mae S. Flores
MANILA Electric Co., the biggest
power retailer, will increase its billings to
consumers by P0.32 per kilowatt-hour this
month due to a higher generation charge,
after prices at the Wholesale Electricity
Spot Market rose in June.
Meralcos generation charge
rose to P6.4549 per kWh in July
from P6.1375 per kWh in June.
The increase translates into
an increase of P64 to Meralco
consumers with a monthly
consumption of 200 kWh.
Meralco in a statement also
warned its over ve million
consumers that the generation
charge could further increase
in the August billing due to the
shutdown of the Malampaya gas
eld in July.
Electricity prices at the WESM
rose by as much as P4.43 per
kWh to a high of P20.73 per
kWh in June from P16.30 per
kWh in May due to power supply
constraints.
This is the second consecutive
month that WESM prices went
up. The rates increased by P8.39
per kWh to P16.30 per kWh in
May from P7.91 in April.
WESM is a venue where
electricity produced by
generating companies is traded,
similar to commodities that are
dealt in their respective markets.
The prices at WESM rose
after a series of power plant
outages, both forced and
planned, that led to frequent
incidents of yellow and even
red alerts.
Meralco said 11 out of the 31
days in the June supply month
experienced yellow or red alerts
against only three in May.
The power distributor said
although the rates of National
Power Corp. and independent
power producers declined, they
were not enough to offset the
increase in WESM prices.
The cost of power sold by
state-owned Napocor declined by
P0.056 per kWh while the IPPs
registered an average decrease
of P0.14 per kWh due to the
appreciation of the peso against
the US dollar.
Meralco secures 36 percent
of its power requirement from
Napocor and 44 percent from the
IPPs. Meralcos IPPs include
First Gas Power Corp., Quezon
Power Philippines Ltd. and
DMCI Power Corp.
Although WESM only
accounted for 6 percent, its rates
pushed the overall generation
charge up, Meralco said.
Meralco said the scheduled
eight-day maintenance shutdown
of the Malampaya natural gas
pipeline in mid-July will likely
push up rates because natural
gas plants will have to utilize the
more expensive liquid fuel.
Meralco said it does not earn
from the generation charge.
The payment for the generation
charge, which is a pass-through
cost for Meralco, goes to the
power producers such as Napocor,
the IPPs and WESM.
Meralco said its charges only
accounted for about 16 percent of
the total electricity bill. The rest
of the pass-through costs include
transmission, taxes and other
charges.
By Lailany P. Gomez
PHILIPPINE Long Distance
Telephone Co., the countrys largest
telecommunications company, has
earned the distinction of being the
rst Philippine company to be given
investment grade credit ratings
by all three major international
credit watchers, following a recent
upgrade by Standard & Poors
Ratings Services.
We are gratied that PLDT is
the rst corporate in the country to
obtain such ratings from the three
major global credit watchers
S&P, Moodys Investors Service,
and Fitch Ratings, said PLDT
president Napoleon Nazareno.
S&P raised on Thursday PLDTs
long-term foreign currency credit
rating to investment grade at
BBB- from BB+, following the
recent Philippine sovereign credit
rating upgrade.
S&P said the outlook on the
PLDT rating was stable. The
credit watcher also reported that
the Asean scale long-term rating on
PLDT been raised to aXA- from
axBBB+.
Moodys in May raised its outlook
on PLDTs ratings to positive from
stable with the foreign currency
bond and local currency issuer
ratings at Baa3, which is considered
investment grade.
Fitch afrmed in November 2011
PLDTs long-term foreign and
local currency issuer default ratings
at BBB and A-, respectively.
The ratings of Moodys and Fitch
were also considered investment
grade.
We are pleased with the recent
credit rating action by S&P. The
overall nancial strength and
competitive advantage of PLDT
are reected in the distinction of
being the only Philippine company
whose debt ratings are similarly
regarded as investment grade by all
three international rating agencies,
said PLDT chairman Manuel
Pangilinan.
By Anna Leah G. Estrada
FOREIGN portfolio
investments, or hot money,
shrank 66 percent year-on-year
as of June 22, amid risk aversion
stemming from the European
debt crisis.
Data from the Bangko Sentral
showed net inows of foreign
funds that are invested in
stocks, government securities
and money market amounted
to just $824.1 million as of
June 22.
That represented a 66-percent
drop from a net inow of $2.4
billion registered during the
same period last year.
Gross investments fell 11.3
percent to $7.9 billion as of June
22 from $8.9 billion a year ago
while capital withdrawals rose
to $7.1 billion from $6.5 billion
during the same period.
The Philippine Stock
Exchange index hit a record
level this year, as both foreign
and local investors placed their
funds in local equities amid
prospects of continuing growth
in the country.
The gross domestic product
expanded 6.4 percent year-on-
year in the rst quarter, one of
the fastest growth rates in the
region.
Net foreign buying in stocks
contributed to the appreciation
of the peso against the US dollar
in the past. The peso hit a four-
year high of 41.68 against the
dollar on July 5, before heading
to a downswing.
The peso dropped the most in
two weeks on Monday after the
Bangko Sentral tightened rules
on capital inows by limiting
where overseas investors can
put their money.
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas
will prohibit foreign funds from
investing in its special deposit
accounts, Governor Amando
Tetangco said earlier.
Looking at the recent runup
in the peso, it would be time for
the currency to give up some
gains, said Leong Sook Mei,
Singapore-based regional head
of global currency research at
Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ
Ltd.
The peso weakened 0.4 percent
to 41.945 to the dollar on Monday,
the most since June 25, according
to Tullett Prebon Plc.
One-month implied volatility
for the peso, a measure of
exchange-rate swings used to
price options, increased 30 basis
points, or 0.30 percentage point,
to 6.20 percent.
Phoenixs P500-m note
PHOENIX Petroleum Philippines Inc. will
issue a P500-million convertible corporate note
with a warrant offering amounting to P180 mil-
lion to renance debts and fund its expansion.
Phoenix said in a statement it plans to put up
an additional 100 stations this year from around
220 outlets as of end-2011.
BDO Capital and Investment Corp. will act as
exclusive underwriter and arranger for the con-
vertible debt.
Phoenix Petroleum said it would seek ap-
proval of stockholders during a special meeting
on Sept. 6. The company also reported the board
approved the companys acquisition of Chelsea
Shipping Corp.
Phoenix will acquire 100 percent of the shares
of stock of Chelsea through share-for-share
swap to ensure control of product supply and
minimize and eliminate potential disruptions
due to scarcity of tanker vessels.
The strategic acquisition of Chelsea Ship-
ping is consistent with our goals of sustaining
our competitiveness in the industry and fostering
the long-term success of our company, Phoenix
Petroleum president and chief executive Dennis
Uy said. Alena Mae S. Flores
SM increases bond issue
SM Investments Corp. increased its retail
bond issue to P15 billion from the initial size of
P10 billion due to strong demand from both re-
tail and institutional investors.
The issue consists of the 6-percent Series C
bonds due 2019 and 6.9442-percent Series D
Bonds due 2022. The company said investors rang-
ing from individuals in the retail market, to banks,
investment funds, pension funds, insurance com-
panies and other corporates purchased the bonds.
The strong market response prompted the
joint issue managers and joint lead underwrit-
ers to exercise the companys oversubscription
option. The offering period for the SM bonds
opened on June 27, 2012 and closed on July 6,
2012. The issue date is on July 16, 2012.
SMs maiden peso-denominated public bond
issue in June 2009, comprising of ve-year Se-
ries A and 7-year Series B tranches, was similar-
ly oversubscribed. From an initial offer size of
P5 billion, the 2009 issue doubled to P10 billion
on strong demand.
By Maria Bernadette Lunas
THE government expects economic growth to hit 7.5 percent to 8.5
percent by the end of President Benigno Aquinos term in 2016.
The inter-agency Development Budget Coordination Committee,
which sets the governments economic assumptions, kept the growth
target of 5 percent to 6 percent this year, but said the expansion was
expected to accelerate in the next four years.
Budget Secretary Florencio Abad said in a news brieng the DBCC
maintained a conservative growth target of 5 percent to 6 percent in
2012.
We will maintain this rather conservative position despite the
growth of 6.4 percent during the rst quarter in consideration with
present uncertainties in the global market, Abad said.
The committee, which is composed of government economic
managers, also set the growth targets at 6 percent to 7 percent in
2013, 6.5 percent to 7.5 percent in 2014, and 7 percent to 8 percent
in 2015.
National Economic and Development Authority director-general
Arsenio Balisacan earlier said the agency opted for a conservative
outlook because of the situation in Europe.
Meanwhile, the economic managers expect exports to bounce back
with a 10-percent growth in 2012. They are projected to rise by 12
percent in 2013 and 2014 before picking up 14 percent in 2015 and
2016.
Imports are projected to rise 12 percent in 2012, 14 percent in
2013, 15 percent in 2014, and 16 percent in 2015 and 2016.
Ination rate, on the other hand, is expected to remain within
the range of 3 percent to 5 percent this year up to 2014 and to ease
between 2 percent and 4 percent in 2015 to 2016.
Abad said the peso was expected to remain broadly stable against
the dollar over the medium term, trading within the government
assumption of 42 to 45 to a dollar for the period of 2012 to 2016.
Maynilad award. Maynilad Water Services Inc., operator of Metro Manilas west concession, won in the Project Innovation
Awards (Asia Pacic) of the International Water Association for its water service transformation program. The award is a
prestigious international competition which recognizes innovation and excellence in water engineering projects around the
world. Maynilad received the Honour Award under the Operations/Management Category because of its quick and dramatic
turnaround. Chris Hertle of GHD Pty Ltd. (left) presents the trophy to Maynilad chief operating ofcer Herbert Consunji, business
area operations head Christopher Lichauco and corporate communications head Cherubim Ocampo-Mojica.
Business
ManilaStandardToday
extrastory2000@gmail.com
B2
Software update
Stocks lose steam
on global concerns
52 Weeks Previous % Net Foreign (Peso)
High Low STOCKS Close High Low Close Change Volume Trade/Buying
MST BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW
MONDAY, JULY 9, 2012
M
S
T
FINANCIAL
70.50 46.00 Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. 63.65 63.55 62.20 62.25 (2.20) 2,019,340 (59,700,197.50)
76.80 50.00 Bank of PI 75.95 75.95 74.55 74.55 (1.84) 974,100 7,825,607.00
595.00 370.00 China Bank 490.00 490.00 488.00 489.00 (0.20) 6,880 (53,900.00)
1.95 1.42 BDO Leasing & Fin. Inc. 1.85 1.85 1.85 1.85 0.00 48,000
23.90 12.98 COL Financial 22.50 22.90 22.90 22.90 1.78 800
20.70 18.50 Eastwest Bank 18.78 18.78 18.68 18.70 (0.43) 263,900 (385,406.00)
22.00 7.56 Filipino Fund Inc. 10.02 10.02 10.02 10.02 0.00 300
89.00 50.00 First Metro Inv. 82.00 81.50 80.00 81.50 (0.61) 360
3.26 1.91 I-Remit Inc. 2.78 2.66 2.56 2.56 (7.91) 229,000 2,660.00
681.00 450.00 Manulife Fin. Corp. 455.00 455.00 455.00 455.00 0.00 20
39.20 3.00 Maybank ATR KE 38.10 37.80 37.80 37.80 (0.79) 3,000
98.00 60.00 Metrobank 96.00 94.95 92.90 93.05 (3.07) 2,621,220 (69,918,961.50)
3.06 1.30 Natl Reinsurance Corp. 1.98 2.00 1.98 2.00 1.01 30,000 (56,000.00)
77.80 41.00 Phil. National Bank 75.00 75.00 73.30 73.60 (1.87) 220,560 125,324.00
500.00 204.80 PSE Inc. 360.00 365.00 355.00 355.00 (1.39) 110 (35,500.00)
45.50 25.45 RCBC À 43.80 44.20 43.80 43.90 0.23 265,600.00 4,201,920.00
155.20 77.00 Security Bank 143.00 142.50 140.00 140.20 (1.96) 81,150 (728,618.00)
1240.00 890.00 Sun Life Financial 908.50 909.00 908.50 908.50 0.00 40
140.00 58.00 Union Bank 102.00 102.00 101.00 101.00 (0.98) 148,150
2.06 1.43 Vantage Equities 1.87 1.87 1.87 1.87 0.00 50,000
INDUSTRIAL
35.50 26.50 Aboitiz Power Corp. 34.60 34.40 34.00 34.00 (1.73) 785,500 6,053,735.00
13.58 8.00 Agrinurture Inc. 8.83 8.83 8.60 8.60 (2.60) 139,300 264,900.00
23.90 11.98 Alaska Milk Corp. 16.00 15.24 15.22 15.22 (4.88) 10,500
1.70 0.97 Alliance Tuna Intl Inc. 1.45 1.45 1.41 1.45 0.00 393,000 227,450.00
48.00 25.00 Alphaland Corp. 29.20 29.10 29.10 29.10 (0.34) 200
1.65 1.08 Alsons Cons. 1.34 1.32 1.30 1.32 (1.49) 1,168,000
Asiabest Group 35.80 36.20 33.60 33.60 (6.15) 298,800
138.00 45.00 Bogo Medellin 61.00 61.20 61.20 61.20 0.33 40
26.55 12.50 C. Azuc De Tarlac 17.40 14.02 14.02 14.02 (19.43) 300
3.07 2.30 Chemrez Technologies Inc. 2.70 2.69 2.68 2.68 (0.74) 60,000 104,520.00
9.70 7.41 Cirtek Holdings (Chips) 8.99 9.05 8.90 8.90 (1.00) 24,100
7.00 4.83 Energy Devt. Corp. (EDC) 6.24 6.24 6.05 6.06 (2.88) 7,332,800 (7,553,086.00)
6.75 2.80 EEI 6.65 6.60 6.43 6.58 (1.05) 1,062,000 (1,747,661.00)
25.00 5.80 Federal Chemicals 11.16 11.16 10.28 10.28 (7.89) 1,900
18.00 12.50 First Gen Corp. 17.84 17.88 17.72 17.80 (0.22) 648,600 4,665,034.00
78.55 51.50 First Holdings A 77.50 77.90 76.30 76.45 (1.35) 491,010 (16,002,690.50)
30.90 22.50 Ginebra San Miguel Inc. 21.00 21.00 21.00 21.00 0.00 77,200
0.02 0.0099 Greenergy 0.0140 0.0140 0.0140 0.0140 0.00 7,500,000
12.36 7.80 Holcim Philippines Inc. 11.68 11.68 11.60 11.60 (0.68) 111,000 (116,320.00)
7.40 3.80 Integ. Micro-Electronics 4.10 4.18 4.05 4.18 1.95 34,000 8,120.00
2.35 0.74 Ionics Inc 0.790 0.770 0.750 0.750 (5.06) 80,000
120.00 80.00 Jollibee Foods Corp. 105.10 107.30 104.30 104.30 (0.76) 70,880 (4,479,829.00)
91.25 25.00 Liberty Flour 51.00 50.50 50.50 50.50 (0.98) 550
8.40 1.04 LMG Chemicals 1.70 1.69 1.60 1.60 (5.88) 546,000 5,010.00
1.90 1.11 Mabuhay Vinyl Corp. 1.51 1.46 1.46 1.46 (3.31) 20,000
3.20 1.05 Manchester Intl. A 2.42 2.39 2.32 2.32 (4.13) 39,000
26.00 18.10 Manila Water Co. Inc. 25.35 25.50 25.30 25.50 0.59 250,600 4,935,650.00
6.95 0.75 Mariwasa MFG. Inc. 2.81 2.84 2.84 2.84 1.07 8,000
15.30 8.12 Megawide 17.44 17.44 15.80 17.10 (1.95) 24,100
295.00 215.00 Mla. Elect. Co À 266.00 266.00 251.20 252.00 (5.26) 111,020 (14,046,704.00)
3.00 1.96 Pepsi-Cola Products Phil. 2.82 2.81 2.80 2.80 (0.71) 41,000 437,300.00
17.40 9.70 Petron Corporation 10.20 10.22 10.08 10.22 0.20 2,355,900 (4,566,372.00)
13.70 10.20 Phinma Corporation 10.60 11.00 10.90 11.00 3.77 600
14.94 8.05 Phoenix Petroleum Phils. 8.40 8.50 8.27 8.45 0.60 102,000
9.50 5.25 Republic Cement À 8.65 8.50 8.50 8.50 (1.73) 13,500
3.78 1.01 RFM Corporation 3.38 3.46 3.25 3.25 (3.85) 3,925,000 (3,777,980.00)
6.50 2.90 Salcon Power Corp. 5.26 6.20 5.21 6.20 17.87 140,100
33.00 26.50 San Miguel Brewery Inc. 31.00 33.00 31.00 33.00 6.45 434,100 1,102,420.00
132.60 110.20 San Miguel Corp À 114.90 114.90 114.40 114.90 0.00 561,560 (1,130,148.00)
1.90 1.25 Seacem 1.79 1.83 1.78 1.78 (0.56) 18,512,000 16,031,430.00
2.44 1.80 Splash Corporation 1.88 1.90 1.86 1.86 (1.06) 101,000
0.250 0.112 Swift Foods, Inc. 0.128 0.131 0.131 0.131 2.34 40,000
5.30 3.30 Tanduay Holdings 4.40 4.43 4.40 4.42 0.45 722,000 635,300.00
3.00 1.99 TKC Steel Corp. 2.12 2.20 2.12 2.12 0.00 11,000
1.41 0.90 Trans-Asia Oil 1.23 1.25 1.23 1.25 1.63 1,111,000
69.20 37.00 Universal Robina 63.00 63.25 61.60 62.20 (1.27) 1,695,660 (25,265,458.50)
5.50 1.05 Victorias Milling 1.36 1.42 1.36 1.36 0.00 619,000
1.12 0.310 Vitarich Corp. 0.660 0.650 0.630 0.630 (4.55) 275,000
HOLDING FIRMS
1.18 0.65 Abacus Cons. À 0.72 0.71 0.71 0.71 (1.39) 100,000
59.90 35.50 Aboitiz Equity 49.45 49.45 48.00 48.50 (1.92) 357,700 (2,952,460.00)
0.019 0.014 Alcorn Gold Res. 0.0170 0.0170 0.0160 0.0160 (5.88) 5,300,000
13.70 8.00 Alliance Global Inc. 11.82 11.74 11.44 11.44 (3.21) 13,771,600 (69,984,302.00)
2.97 1.80 Anglo Holdings A 2.00 2.00 2.00 2.00 0.00 135,000
6.98 0.260 Asia Amalgamated A 5.10 5.13 5.00 5.02 (1.57) 213,200
3.15 1.49 ATN Holdings A 2.38 2.40 2.34 2.40 0.84 910,000
485.20 272.00 Ayala Corp À 480.00 481.00 470.00 473.00 (1.46) 182,090 (11,216,518.00)
64.80 30.50 DMCI Holdings 59.20 59.50 58.50 58.90 (0.51) 924,110 15,952,802.00
4.19 1.03 F&J Prince A 2.75 2.95 2.80 2.95 7.27 7,000
5.20 3.30 Filinvest Dev. Corp. 3.96 3.96 3.94 3.95 (0.25) 112,000 (98,500.00)
520.00 455.40 GT Capital 514.00 513.00 501.00 510.00 (0.78) 30,370
5.22 2.94 House of Inv. 4.80 4.81 4.80 4.81 0.21 37,000
36.20 19.00 JG Summit Holdings 34.65 34.50 33.55 33.55 (3.17) 593,700 (479,400.00)
4.19 2.27 Jolliville Holdings 2.88 2.87 2.87 2.87 (0.35) 25,000 71,750.00
6.21 4.00 Lopez Holdings Corp. 6.10 6.09 5.90 5.90 (3.28) 1,900,300 (2,569,149.00)
1.54 0.61 Lodestar Invt. Holdg.Corp. 1.29 1.30 1.24 1.24 (3.88) 4,402,000
3.82 1.790 Marcventures Hldgs., Inc. 2.66 2.69 2.58 2.58 (3.01) 2,175,000
4.65 2.56 Metro Pacic Inv. Corp. 4.30 4.29 4.17 4.22 (1.86) 10,396,000 11,579,830.00
6.24 2.55 Minerales Industrias Corp. 5.68 5.74 5.55 5.68 0.00 162,500
7.50 1.22 MJCI Investments Inc. 6.60 6.65 6.00 6.50 (1.52) 35,700
0.0770 0.045 Pacica À 0.0570 0.0590 0.0570 0.0590 3.51 3,780,000
2.20 1.20 Prime Media Hldg 1.320 1.480 1.480 1.480 12.12 10,000
0.82 0.44 Prime Orion 0.470 0.485 0.480 0.485 3.19 420,000
0.490 0.285 Sinophil Corp. 0.340 0.340 0.340 0.340 0.00 1,580,000
750.00 450.00 SM Investments Inc. 745.00 744.50 732.00 736.50 (1.14) 89,380 9,911,035.00
1.78 1.00 Solid Group Inc. 1.45 1.42 1.39 1.40 (3.45) 1,118,000 63,450.00
1.57 1.14 South China Res. Inc. 1.21 1.22 1.22 1.22 0.83 5,000
0.420 0.101 Unioil Res. & Hldgs 0.2850 0.2850 0.2750 0.2750 (3.51) 220,000 11,000.00
0.620 0.620 Wellex Industries 0.3500 0.3500 0.3400 0.3450 (1.43) 880,000
1.370 0.185 Zeus Holdings 0.540 0.590 0.540 0.560 3.70 31,472,000 53,500.00
P R O P E R T Y
48.00 18.00 Anchor Land Holdings Inc. 22.00 22.00 21.80 22.00 0.00 2,000 30,590.00
3.34 1.70 A. Brown Co., Inc. 2.54 2.63 2.55 2.55 0.39 16,000 7,860.00
22.85 13.36 Ayala Land `B 22.40 22.35 21.45 21.60 (3.57) 4,807,500 (34,480,710.00)
5.62 3.08 Belle Corp. À 5.14 5.22 5.06 5.06 (1.56) 11,778,100 (8,745,329.00)
9.00 2.26 Cebu Holdings 5.70 5.68 5.60 5.60 (1.75) 83,700
5.66 0.80 Century Property 1.42 1.44 1.43 1.44 1.41 429,000
2.90 1.20 City & Land Dev. 2.70 2.55 2.50 2.50 (7.41) 34,000
1.50 1.07 Cityland Dev. À 1.20 1.20 1.12 1.20 0.00 51,000
0.127 0.060 Crown Equities Inc. 0.076 0.075 0.074 0.074 (2.63) 900,000
1.11 0.67 Cyber Bay Corp. 0.82 0.83 0.79 0.79 (3.66) 410,000
0.90 0.54 Empire East Land 0.800 0.810 0.780 0.790 (1.25) 21,224,000 (17,600.00)
3.06 1.63 Global-Estate 2.05 2.04 1.97 1.99 (2.93) 6,321,000 (1,841,030.00)
1.44 0.98 Filinvest Land,Inc. 1.31 1.31 1.28 1.30 (0.76) 22,166,000 14,206,550.00
2.14 0.65 Interport À 1.14 1.16 1.13 1.13 (0.88) 352,000
2.33 1.51 Megaworld Corp. 2.26 2.26 2.20 2.21 (2.21) 76,676,000 (20,088,920.00)
0.42 0.168 MRC Allied Ind. 0.1680 0.1750 0.1650 0.1680 0.00 14,730,000
0.990 0.080 Phil. Estates Corp. 0.6800 0.6800 0.6600 0.6700 (1.47) 4,727,000
38.10 12.50 Phil. Tob. Flue Cur & Redry 14.90 14.60 14.58 14.58 (2.15) 3,400
3.50 2.08 Primex Corp. 3.50 4.20 3.53 4.00 14.29 1,020,000 (730.00)
18.86 10.00 Robinsons Land `B 17.90 17.90 17.48 17.50 (2.23) 2,132,900 (6,605,450.00)
7.71 2.51 Rockwell 3.55 3.53 3.35 3.45 (2.82) 448,000 108,560.00
2.70 1.80 Shang Properties Inc. 2.58 2.60 2.51 2.60 0.78 458,000
8.95 6.00 SM Development À 6.25 6.24 6.19 6.19 (0.96) 660,600 (630,200.00)
18.20 10.94 SM Prime Holdings 13.32 13.30 13.00 13.08 (1.80) 7,452,400 (34,059,248.00)
1.03 0.64 Sta. Lucia Land Inc. 0.69 0.72 0.70 0.70 1.45 335,000
4.55 1.80 Starmalls 4.30 4.30 4.15 4.25 (1.16) 135,000 (21,350.00)
4.50 2.60 Vista Land & Lifescapes 4.150 4.150 4.100 4.130 (0.48) 5,801,000 1,985,560.00
S E R V I C E S
42.00 28.60 ABS-CBN 35.75 36.00 35.75 36.00 0.70 12,800
18.98 1.60 Acesite Hotel 3.00 3.08 2.57 2.61 (13.00) 955,000 35,920.00
0.78 0.45 APC Group, Inc. 0.660 0.680 0.680 0.680 3.03 1,000
10.92 7.30 Asian Terminals Inc. 9.20 9.00 9.00 9.00 (2.17) 55,000
102.80 4.12 Bloomberry 10.46 10.94 10.48 11.00 5.16 23,883,200 33,684,626.00
0.5300 10.2000 Boulevard Holdings 0.1400 0.1430 0.1400 0.1410 0.71 15,810,000 (71,000.00)
24.00 6.66 Calata Corp. 9.94 10.50 9.80 10.10 1.61 5,522,300 543,468.00
86.90 62.00 Cebu Air Inc. (5J) 68.90 68.90 67.90 68.00 (1.31) 301,360 (119,540.00)
9.70 5.40 DFNN Inc. 6.09 6.13 6.00 6.13 0.66 57,000
1750.00 800.00 FEUI 1000.00 1000.00 1000.00 1000.00 0.00 4,905
1270.00 831.00 Globe Telecom 1164.00 1163.00 1148.00 1149.00 (1.29) 31,985 8,944,970.00
11.00 6.18 GMA Network Inc. 10.64 10.80 10.20 10.30 (3.20) 1,994,700
33.00 30.00 Grand Plaza Hotel 33.00 40.00 40.00 40.00 21.21 300
77.00 43.40 I.C.T.S.I. 74.00 74.00 71.05 71.05 (3.99) 840,260 (23,470,297.50)
0.98 0.36 Information Capital Tech. 0.405 0.405 0.400 0.405 0.00 500,000
6.80 4.30 IPeople Inc. À 6.70 7.00 6.30 7.00 4.48 158,500
4.70 2.00 IP Converge 2.53 2.65 2.43 2.43 (3.95) 56,000
34.50 0.036 IP E-Game Ventures Inc. 0.038 0.039 0.037 0.038 0.00 23,300,000
3.87 1.00 IPVG Corp. 1.10 1.11 1.08 1.08 (1.82) 231,000
0.0760 0.042 Island Info 0.0500 0.0500 0.0500 0.0500 0.00 6,960,000
3.79 1.62 JTH Davies Holdings Inc. 2.50 2.63 2.63 2.63 5.20 8,000
11.12 5.90 Leisure & Resorts 8.50 8.50 8.10 8.10 (4.71) 12,390,300 (32,049,643.00)
3.85 2.60 Liberty Telecom 2.85 2.95 2.85 2.85 0.00 30,000
3.15 1.10 Manila Jockey 2.40 2.35 2.24 2.26 (5.83) 1,523,000 408,770.00
22.95 14.20 Pacic Online Sys. Corp. 14.60 14.50 14.42 14.42 (1.23) 2,200
8.58 4.60 PAL Holdings Inc. 7.40 7.40 7.30 7.38 (0.27) 10,800
3.32 1.05 Paxys Inc. 3.07 3.11 3.05 3.07 0.00 493,000
60.00 18.00 Phil. Seven Corp. 57.50 62.00 53.00 61.70 7.30 135,220 6,408,605.00
17.88 12.10 Philweb.Com Inc. 12.28 12.36 12.26 12.36 0.65 518,300 (2,656,706.00)
2886.00 2096.00 PLDT Common 2754.00 2754.00 2700.00 2728.00 (0.94) 48,595 (14,698,100.00)
0.48 0.25 PremiereHorizon 0.325 0.325 0.320 0.320 (1.54) 1,140,000 (22,750.00)
30.10 10.68 Puregold 29.50 29.75 28.25 28.70 (2.71) 7,062,900 90,809,125.00
0.79 0.27 Waterfront Phils. 0.440 0.440 0.420 0.440 0.00 640,000 (88,000.00)
MINING & OIL
0.0083 0.0038 Abra Mining 0.0042 0.0044 0.0042 0.0042 0.00 140,000,000 (84,400.00)
6.20 3.01 Apex À 5.40 5.40 5.31 5.31 (1.67) 975,900
6.22 3.00 Apex `B 5.40 5.40 5.40 5.40 0.00 5,000
25.20 14.50 Atlas Cons. À 17.98 18.02 17.70 17.74 (1.33) 457,300 (1,774,244.00)
48.00 20.00 Atok-Big Wedge À 29.70 29.70 29.70 29.70 0.00 300
0.380 0.148 Basic Energy Corp. 0.265 0.270 0.260 0.265 0.00 2,890,000 91,000.00
30.35 19.98 Benguet Corp À 23.90 23.90 23.90 23.90 0.00 2,900
34.00 14.50 Benguet Corp `B 25.00 25.00 25.00 25.00 0.00 4,000
2.51 1.62 Century Peak Metals Hldgs 1.35 1.35 1.34 1.35 0.00 384,000
61.80 5.68 Dizon 35.85 37.00 33.50 33.55 (6.42) 2,815,700 3,482,355.00
1.21 0.50 Geograce Res. Phil. Inc. 0.73 0.73 0.70 0.70 (4.11) 4,623,000 1,440.00
1.82 0.9000 Lepanto À 1.470 1.500 1.390 1.390 (5.44) 90,809,000
2.070 1.0200 Lepanto `B 1.570 1.590 1.480 1.490 (5.10) 41,760,000 9,559,200.00
0.085 0.042 Manila Mining À 0.0750 0.0770 0.0700 0.0700 (6.67) 770,960,000
0.087 0.042 Manila Mining `B 0.0780 0.0810 0.0730 0.0730 (6.41) 298,730,000 391,250.00
36.50 15.04 Nickelasia 30.45 30.60 29.80 29.90 (1.81) 290,800 (30,000.00)
12.84 2.13 Nihao Mineral Resources 10.14 10.16 9.65 9.80 (3.35) 1,757,700 (54,380.00)
1.100 0.008 Omico 0.7300 0.7200 0.7100 0.7100 (2.74) 58,000
8.40 2.99 Oriental Peninsula Res. 5.480 5.630 5.410 5.420 (1.09) 2,463,800 40,557.00
0.032 0.012 Oriental Pet. À 0.0190 0.0190 0.0180 0.0190 0.00 19,500,000
0.033 0.014 Oriental Pet. `B 0.0200 0.0200 0.0200 0.0200 0.00 25,500,000
7.05 5.10 Petroenergy Res. Corp. 6.00 6.10 6.00 6.00 0.00 19,000
28.95 18.50 Philex À 23.85 24.40 23.50 23.50 (1.47) 2,682,200 7,242,165.00
48.00 3.00 PhilexPetroleum 44.15 44.10 43.25 43.90 (0.57) 346,800 4,717,740.00
0.062 0.017 Philodrill Corp. À 0.055 0.055 0.052 0.053 (3.64) 943,850,000 1,080,700.00
257.80 161.10 Semirara Corp. 218.00 220.40 218.00 220.20 1.01 98,750 174,518.00
0.029 0.014 United Paragon 0.0190 0.0200 0.0190 0.0190 0.00 79,000,000
PREFERRED
580.00 535.00 Ayala Corp. Pref À 544.00 544.00 544.00 544.00 0.00 260
First Gen G 101.20 102.50 102.30 102.50 1.28 14,600
11.02 6.00 GMA Holdings Inc. 10.68 10.70 10.22 10.22 (4.31) 1,568,800 (102,040.00)
116.70 107.00 PCOR-Preferred 110.00 110.00 109.80 110.00 0.00 16,620
1050.00 1000.00 SMPFC Preferred 1020.00 1020.00 1020.00 1020.00 0.00 5,990
WARRANTS & BONDS
1.31 0.62 Megaworld Corp. Warrants 1.26 1.21 1.21 1.21 (3.97) 36,000
0.210 0.00 Omico Corp. Warrant 0.0670 0.0670 0.0670 0.0670 0.00 10,000
TRADI NG SUMMARY
SHARES VALUE
FINANCIAL 7,205,717 541,947,854.80
INDUSTRIAL 83,721,293 9,840,825,394.79
HOLDING FIRMS 84,037,260 621,502,492.49
PROPERTY 183,206,243 571,122,867.39
SERVICES 108,250,421 998,726,258.13
MINING & OIL 2,430,055,941 588,150,964.66
GRAND TOTAL 2,896,476,875 13,162,275,832.26
FINANCIAL 1,299.11 (down) 25.35
INDUSTRIAL 7,8560.51 (down) 117.55
HOLDING FIRMS 4,490.63 (down) 81.37
PROPERTY 1927.60 (down) 49.12
SERVICES 1,785.83 (down) 26.58
MINING & OIL 24,6728.31 (down) 716.35
PSEI 5,263.74 (down) 98.94
All Shares Index 3,490.50 (down) 36.98
Gainers: 41; Losers: 113; Unchanged:39; Total: 1943
CHIN WONG
DIGITAL LIFE
ITS been an exciting couple of months for
Ubuntu users.
The release of the latest version (12.04) of
the popular Linux distribution in April has
been accompanied by a urry of development
elsewhere that has made this a great time to be
running Ubuntu. After successfully upgrading
my operating system, I checked out some of the
goodies that are available.
My rst stop was the latest release of Gimp,
the free and open source image editor. Version
2.8, released in May, has been long anticipated
for two new features: an optional single-window
edit mode and on-canvas text editing. Users of
Adobe Photoshop might take these features for
granted, but Gimp users have waited three years
to see them incorporated into their favorite free
image editor.
Single-window mode (which can be activated
in the Windows menu) gathers all of the
programs oating windows, docks and its
toolbox into one main window, making it less
confusing and unwieldy. This feature should
reduce the culture shock for those who are just
shifting from Photoshop, but even experienced
Gimp users will appreciate the more efcient
work ow that it enables.
Direct on-canvas editing of text means
Gimp users will no longer need to enter text
in a separate dialog box. This gives the design
process a more intuitive feel and enables
you to quickly visualize the outcome of your
typing. You can also now select a word or even
just a letter within the bounding text box and
change its font, size, spacing or color, making
it much easier to manipulate text as a graphic
element.
For the hardened Gimp user, these two
features alone would make the upgrade
worthwhile, but theres a whole lot more.
Gimpuser.com lists 36 of them, including the
ability to group layers and merge them down,
rotatable brushes, a customizable toolbox, and
enhanced paint dynamics. About the only thing
I still miss is a way to export the RGB images
to CMYK separations, a crucial feature for
professional designers who need to send their
work to press.
Ubuntu users who want to move to the latest
version of Gimp can cut and paste these two
lines into Terminal:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:otto-
kesselgulasch/gimp
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install
gimp
Whether you are an old hand or new to Gimp,
this is the version youll want on your Linux
box.
Another update I installed was the latest version
of my favorite video player, VLC. Version 2.0.2
is described as a major upgrade, but the most
signicant improvements seem to be for the Mac
version. I downloaded and installed the program
on my Linux desktop for the bug xes, anyway,
with three lines in Terminal:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:videolan/stable-
daily
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install vlc
A third update I installed was VirtualBox
(4.1.18), a virtual machine from Oracle that
lets you install and run other operating systems
within your host computer. I was planning to try
out Windows 8 in a virtual machine, but wasnt
able to download the preview version in time
for this weeks column. If youre on Ubuntu and
want to move the latest version of VirtualBox,
you can nd a good guide in Ubuntu Geek (www.
ubuntugeek.com).
I always look forward to improvements on old
favorites, but there are a lot of new applications
coming, too.
A nifty utility I stumbled upon recently is
Downverter (http://www.downverter.com),
which gives you a fast and easy way to download
streaming videos from YouTube and Metacafe
and save them to your local drive for ofine
playback. You can download videos in high
denition and automatically convert them to
MP3, AVI, 3GP, MP4, MOV, WMV and a slew
of other formats for your iPod, PSP or mobile
phone. Ive used many YouTube downloaders
before; Downverter is the best one yet. While I
tested the program on Ubuntu, it is also available
for Windows and the Mac.
More new programs are on the horizon, thanks
to the Ubuntu App Showdown, a three-week
programming contest organized by Ubuntu
sponsor Canonical. The contest, which ended
July 9, has gathered an impressive gallery of
new applications, including MenuLibre, an
advanced application entry and menu editor;
LibreEdit, an epub development application;
GWOffice, a desktop client for Google Drive
and Docs; Web Form-er, a visual form builder;
DayJournal, a digital journal; HumanTask, a
personal task manager; and Cuckoo, a simple
alarm clock with Ubuntu in mind.
Top prizes include System 76 laptops (with
Ubuntu installed, of course) and Linux-based
Nokia phones, but the biggest winners may
well be the end-users, as the new harvest of
applications nd their way to the Ubuntu
Software Center.
Column archives and blog at:
http://www.chinwong.com
STOCKS fell Monday on weak
economic data from the United States,
Japan and China, which prompted
investors to take prot from last weeks
record gains.
The Philippine Stock
Exchange index, the 30-company
benchmark, dipped 98 points, or
1.8 percent, to close at 5,263.74,
with all six counters ending in the
red. It was the gauges sharpest
loss since June 4.
The heavier index representing
all shares also tumbled 36 points,
or 1.1 percent, to 3,490.50, as
losers outnumbered gainers, 113
to 41, with 39 issues unchanged.
Value turnover hit P13.2 billion.
Only two of the 20 most
actively traded stocks ended in
the green. Bloomberry Resorts
Corp. rose 2.3 percent to P10.70
while Calata Corp. advanced 1.4
percent to P10.08.
Mining and oil companies
posted the sharpest losses
after the government issued an
executive order on mining policy
that suspended the approval of
new mining bills, pending the
approval of mining tax measures
in Congress. Gold prices in
the world market also slid for a
fourth day.
Lepanto Consolidated Mining
Co.s Class-A shares, which are
reserved for Filipinos, sank 5.4
percent to P1.39, the sharpest
loss since Feb. 9. Manila Mining
Corp.s Class-B shares, which have
no ownership restrictions, declined
6.7 percent to 7 centavos.
Globe Telecom Inc., the
nations second-biggest mobile
phone company, slid 1.3 percent
to P1,149, the steepest loss since
June 20. Philippine telephone
companies second-quarter
revenues are expected to remain
at, Vishesh Gupta, an analyst
at JPMorgan Chase & Co., wrote
in a report. Analysts estimates
for earnings before interest, tax,
depreciation and amortization
have been revised down by about
2 percent and we expect negative
revisions to continue, he wrote.
Trans-Asia Oil & Energy
Development Corp. advanced
1.6 percent to P1.25, the most
since May 28. Lafarge Republic
Inc. said it signed an agreement
to buy electricity from Trans-
Asia under a ve-year contract
starting Dec. 26.
Meanwhile, Asian stocks
fell the most in a month after
Japanese machinery orders sank
the most in more than ve years
and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao
said the nations economy faces
relatively large downward
pressure.
This also followed a
disappointing US jobs report that
stoked concern that the worlds
biggest economy remains mired
in weak growth.
The US economy added
a less than expected 80,000
jobs last month, the Labor
Department said Friday. The
tepid employment growth,
which followed the rst drop
in US manufacturing in three
years, increases pressure on the
Federal Reserve to implement
monetary stimulus measures
known as quantitative easing.
Japans Nikkei 225 index
fell 1.3 percent to 8,906.71 and
Hong Kongs Hang Seng was
down 1.6 percent to 19,492.12.
With Bloomberg, AP
B3
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ManilaStandardToday
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DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS AND HIGHWAYS
Offce of the Regional Director
Region II- Cagayan Valley Region
Tuguegarao City
I NVI TATI ON TO BI D
(MST-July 10, 2012)
The DPWH Regional Offce No. 2 through Bids and Awards Committee
(BAC), invites contractors to apply to bid for the following contracts.
Contract ID: 12B00017
Contract name: REHABILITATION OF DPWH REGIONAL OFFICE
BUILDING
Contract Location: Carig Regional Site Center, Tuguegarao City,
Cagayan
Brief Description: Repair/maintenance of DPWH Regional Offce
Building
Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC): 10,365,420.00
Contract Duration: 140 cd
Contract ID: 12B00018
Contract name: SUBSURFACE EXPLORATION OF NAMUAC
BRIDGE
Contract Location SANCHEZ MIRA, CAGAYAN
Brief Description: 4 Bore holes (2 abutments on land and 2 off shore)
Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC): P671,027.30
Contract Duration: 45 calendar days
Procurement will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures
in accordance with RA 9184 and its Revised Implementing Rules and
Regulations.
To bid for this 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 or 75% Filipino-owned partnership,
corporation, cooperative, or joint venture, (c) with PCAB license applicable to
the type and cost of this contract, (d) completion of a similar contract costing
at least 50% of ABC, (e) Net Financial Contracting Capacity at least equal to
ABC, or credit line commitment at least equal to 10% of ABC. The BAC will
use non-discretionary pass/fail criteria in the eligibility check and preliminary
examination of bids.
Unregistered contractors, however, shall submit their applications for
registration to the DPWH-POCW Central Offce before the deadline for the
receipt of LOI. The DPWH-POCW Central Offce will only process contractors
application 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 time and deadlines of procurement activities are shown
below:
1. Issuance of Bidding Documents July 10-31, 2012
2. Pre-Bid Conference July 17, 2012
3. Receipt of Bids 10:00 AM, July 31, 2012
4. Opening of Bids 10:30 AM, July 31, 2012
The BAC will issue hard copies of Bidding Documents (BDs) at the DPWH
Regional Offce No. 2, upon payment of a non refundable fee of P10,000.00.
Prospective bidders may also download the BDs from the DPWH website, if
available. Prospective bidders that will download the BDs from the DPWH
website shall pay the said fees on or before the submission of their bids
documents. Bids must 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 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 Regional Offce No. 2 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.
Approved by:

(Sgd.) EDILBERTO B. BATTUNG
Chief Materials Quality Control
And Hydrology Division
(BAC Chairman)
Benguet 2
nd
District Engineering Offce
OFFICE OF THE DISTRICT ENGINEER
Natubleng, Buguias, Benguet
(MST-July 10, 2012)
The Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) of the Department of Public Works
and Highways, Benguet Second District Engineering Offce, Natubleng, Buguias,
Benguet through ABM - BMB - A - 12 - 0006415 invites contractors to bid for the
aforementioned project:
1. Contract ID : 12PF012
Contract Name : Construction of Various Flood Control Structures along Atok
and Buguias, Benguet (Package Vl-2012)
a) Construction of Amburayan Flood Control (Boneng
Section) along Acop - Kapangan - Kibungan - Bakun
Road, Atok, Benguet
ABC- P518,505.00
b) Construction of Amburayan Flood Control (Naguey
Section) along Acop - Kapangan - Kibungan - Bakun Road,
Atok, Benguet
ABC: 8,434,010.00
c) Construction of Loo Flood Control along Gurel - Bokod -
Kabayan- Buguias - Abatan Road Loo, Buguias, Benguet
ABC: P 3,845,145.81
Contract Location : Atok and Buguias, Benguet
Scope of Work : FHR - Flood Control/Hydraulics/River Control
Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) : P 12,797,660,81
Contract Duration : 120 calendar days
The BAC will conduct the procurement process in accordance with the Revised
IRR of R.A. 9184. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected
at the opening of bid.
To bid for this contract, a contractor must submit a letter of Intent (LOI), purchase
bid documents and must meet the following major criteria: (a) prior registration with
DPWH, (b) Filipino citizen or 75% Filipino-owned partnership, corporation, cooperative,
or joint venture, (c) with PCAB license applicable to the type and cost of this contract,
(d) completion of a similar contract costing at least 50% of ABC within a period of 10
years, and (e) Net Financial Contracting Capacity at least equal to ABC, or credit line
commitment at least equal to 10% of ABC. The BAC will I use non-discretionary pass/
fail criteria in the eligibility check and preliminary examination of bids.
registration to the DPWH-POCW Central Office before the deadline for the receipt
of LOI. The DPWH POCW-Central Office will only process contractors applications
for registration with complete requirements and issue the Contractors Certificate
of Registration (CRC). Registration Forms may be downloaded at the DPWH
website www.dpwh.gov.ph. Letter of Intent thru mail will not be accepted. Only
Authorized Liaison Officer as reflected in the Contractors Registration Certificate
(CRC) will be allowed to transact with the BAC.
The signifcant times and deadlines of procurement activities are shown below:
1. Issuance of Bidding Documents From July 6 - August 7, 2012
2. Pre-Bid Conference July 26, 2012 (10:30 am)
3. Deadline of Receipt of LOI from Prospective
Bidders
August 2. 2012 (before 12:00 noon)
4. Receipt of Bids Until 10:00 am August 7, 2012
5. Opening of Bids August 7.2012; 10:30am
The BAC will issue hard copies of Bidding Documents (BDs) at Benguet Second
District Engineering Offce, Natubleng, Buguias, Benguet upon payment of a non-
refundable fee of Ten Thousand Pesos (P 10,000.00).
Prospective bidders may also download the BDs from the DPWH web site, if
available. Prospective bidders that will download the BDs from the DPWH website
shall pay the said fees on or before the submission of their bids documents. Bids must
accompanied by a bid security, in the amount acceptable form, as stated in Section
27.2 of the Revised IRR.
Prospective bidders shall submit their duly accomplished forms as specifed in
the BDs in two (2) separate sealed bid envelopes to the BAC Chairman, The frst
envelope shall contain the technical component of the bid, which shall include a copy
of the CRC The second envelope shall contain the fnancial component of the bid,
Contract will be awarded to the Lowest Calculated Responsive Bid as determined in
the bid evaluation and post-qualifcation.
The Benguet Second District Engineering Offce, Natubleng, Buguias, Benguet
reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, to annul the bidding process anytime
prior contract award, without incurring any liability to the affected bidders.
Approved by:
(Sgd.) EDUARDO C. GALANZA
OIC, Asst. District Engineer
BAC Chairman
DPWH-BSDEO, Natubleng, Buguias, Benguet
Noted:
(Sgd.) DOMINADOR A. DAWAY
OIC-District Engineer
Albay 1st Engineering District
Airport Site, Legazpi City
(MST-July 10, 2012)
The Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) of the DPWH- Albay 1
st
Engineering
District Airport Site, Legaspi City, invites contractors to bid for the aforementioned
project(s):
Contract ID 12-FA-0035
Contract Name Cluster & Rehab./Impvt. Of Sto. Domingo
Pob. Road (Asphal t Overl ay) Sto.
Domingo, Albay
Contract Location KO 545+197-KO545+740 & KO545+740-
KO545+1172
Scope of Work Asphalt Overlay
Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) P19,799,862.95
Contract Duration 90 CD
Cost of Tender Documents P10,000.00
Contract ID 12-FA-0036
Contract Name Construction of New Road (Opening)
Sitio Tambogon to Sitio Alimsog
Contract Location Bacacay and Sto. Domingo, Albay
Scope of Work Road Opening
Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) P16,575,000.00
Contract Duration 120 CD
Cost of Tender Documents P10,000.00
The BAC will conduct the procurement process in accordance with the Revised
IRR of RA 9184. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected
at the opening of bid.
To bid for this contract, a contractor must submit a Letter of Intent (LOI), purchase
bid documents and must meet the following major criteria: (a) prior registration with
the DPWH, (b) Filipino Citizen or a 75% Filipino-owned partnership, corporation,
cooperative, or joint venture, (c) with PCAB License applicable to the type and
cost of this contract (d) completion of a similar contract costing at least 50% of
ABC within a period of 10 years, and (e) Net Financial Contracting capacity at least
equal to ABC, or a credit line Commitment at least equal to 10% of ABC. The BAC
will use non-discretionary pass/fail criteria in the eligibility check and preliminary
examinations of bids.
registration at 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.
Issuance of Bidding Documents July 9-31, 2012
Pre-Bid Conference July 19, 2012 at 10:30am
Deadline of receipt of LOI from Prospective Bidders July 26, 2012 at 10:00am
Receipt of Bids/Opening of Bids July 31, 2012 at 2:00pm
BAC will issue hard copies of Bidding Documents at DWPH- BAC Offce,
DPWH-Albay 1
st
Engineering District Airport Site, Legazpi City, upon payment of
a non-refundable fee as stated above. Prospective bidders may also download
the Bidding Documents, from the DPWH Website, if available. Prospective
bidders that will download the Bidding Documents from the DPWH website shall
pay the said fees on or before the submission of their bid documents. The Pre-
Bid Conference shall be open only to interested parties who have purchased the
Bidding Documents. Bids must accompanied by a bid security, in the amount and
acceptable form, as stated in Section 27.2 of the Revised IRR.
in the Bidding Documents (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 the post-qualifcation.
The DPWH- Albay 1
st
Engineering District, Airport Site, Legazpi City reserves
the right to accept or reject any or all bid and to annul the bidding process anytime
prior Contract Award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder/s.
(Sgd.) RAFAEL B. PRESBITERO
OIC, Assistant District Engineer
Chairman, BAC
Noted:
(Sgd.) ROBERTO M. RITO
OIC, District Engineer
Benguet 1
st
Wangal, La Trinidad, Benguet
Telefax No. (074)422 6163
(MST-July 10, 2012)
July 5, 2012
The Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) of the Benguet 1
st
District Engineering
Offce, through the IRF, invites contractors to bid for the aforementioned projects:
a. Contract ID: 12PE028
b. Name of Project: Clustered Restoration Project
c. Location: Bokod and Tuba, Benguet
d. Scope of Work: Flood Control, Gabion
e. Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) : Php7,339,509.30
f. Duration: 116 C.D.
g. Source of Fund: IRF
NOTE: Expressions of Interest submitted thru mail will not be accepted.
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.
purchase the bid documents and must meet the following major criteria: (a) prior
corporation, cooperative, or joint venture, (c) with PCAB License applicable to
the type and cost of this contract, (d) completion of a similar contract costing at
least 50% of ABC within a period of 10 years, and (e) Net Financial Contracting
Capacity at least equal to ABC, or credit line commitment at least 10% of ABC.
The BAC will use non-discretionary pass/fail criteria in the eligibility check and
preliminary examination of bids.
applications for registration, with complete requirements, and issue the
Contractor 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:
2. Pre-Bid Conference July 13,2012
3. Deadline of Receipt of LOI from
Prospective Bidders
July 20, 2012 @ 12:00 P.M.
4. Receipt of Bids Until 10:00 A.M., July 26, 2012
5. Opening of Bids July 26, 2012
The BAC will issue hard copies of Bidding Documents (BDs) at Benguet
1
st
District Engineering Offce, upon payment of a non-refundable Cost of Bid
Documents of Php 10,000.00. Prospective bidders may also download the BDs
from the DPWH Website, if available. Prospective bidders that will download
the BDs from the DPWH website shall pay the said fees on or before the
submission of their Bid 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.
frst envelope shall contain the technical component of the bid which shall include
as determined in the bid evaluation and the post-qualifcation.
The Benguet 1
st
District Engineering Offce reserves the right to accept or
reject any bid, to annul the bidding process any time prior to the contract award,
without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder/s.
Approved by:
(Sgd.) CESAR L. BACANI
Chief, MQCHS
BAC Chairman
Noted:
(Sgd.) DAVID A. BULIYAT
OIC - District Engineer
Benguet 1
st
Wangal, La Trinidad, Benguet
Telefax No. (074)422 6163
(MST-July 10, 2012)
July 6,2012
The Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) of the Benguet 1
st
District
Engineering Offce, through the MVUC FUND, invites contractors to bid for
the aforementioned projects:
a. Contract ID: 12PE029
b. Name of Project: Repair/Rehab. and Improvement along Baguio-
Bauang Road
c. Location: K 0284+900 - K 0284+925, Sablan, Benguet
d. Scope of Work: Grouted Riprap
e. Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC): PhP9,899,410.60
f. Duration: 154 C.D.
g. Source of Fund: MVUC FUND
NOTE: Expressions of Interest submitted thru mail will not be accepted.
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.
purchase the bid documents and must meet the following major criteria: (a) prior
corporation, cooperative, or joint venture, (c) with PCAB License applicable to
the type and cost of this contract, (d) completion of a similar contract costing at
least 50% of ABC within a period of 10 years, and (e) Net Financial Contracting
Capacity at least equal to ABC, or credit line commitment at least 10% of ABC.
The BAC will use non-discretionary pass/fail criteria in the eligibility check and
preliminary examination of bids.
Contractor 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:
2. Pre-Bid Conference July 13,2012
3. Deadline of Receipt of LOI from
Prospective Bidders
July 20, 2012 @ 12:00 P.M.
4. Receipt of Bids Until 10:00 A.M., July 27, 2012
5. Opening of Bids July 27, 2012
The BAC will issue hard copies of Bidding Documents (BDs) at Benguet
1
st
District Engineering Offce, upon payment of a non-refundable Cost of Bid
Documents of Php 10,000.00. Prospective bidders may also download the BDs
from the DPWH Website, if available. Prospective bidders that will download
the BDs from the DPWH website shall pay the said fees on or before the
submission of their Bid 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.
frst envelope shall contain the technical component of the bid which shall include
as determined in the bid evaluation and the post-qualifcation.
The Benguet 1
st
District Engineering Offce reserves the right to accept or
reject any bid, to annul the bidding process any time prior to the contract award,
without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder/s.
Approved by:
(Sgd.) CESAR L. BACANI
Chief, MQCHS
BAC Chairman
Noted:
(Sgd. DAVID A. BULIYAT
OIC - District Engineer
For f ast ad r esul t s,
pl ease c al l
6594803
or
6594830
l oc al
303
(MST-July 8, 9 & 10, 2012)
The AFP-Retirement and Separation Benets System (AFP-RSBS) invites interested
parties to purchase, by way of sealed bid, the following properties on as-is basis.
Description Location Min. FIoor Price
197 Residential and 16 Commercial
Condominium Units (as one lot) with
TFA: 16,512.19 sqm, with TCT No.
227367 (TLA: 1,179 sqm)
Lot 1961 (TLA: 10,947 sqm) with TCT
No. T-326756
143 Yakal St., Brgy.
Kayamanan A, Makati
City
Sta. Rosa, Laguna
Php404,330,400.00
Php18,609,900.00
Interested bidders may obtain bidding documents with property descriptions upon payment
of P10,000.00 (for Makati property) and/or P500 (for Sta. Rosa property) starting JuIy 9,
2012 at the Marketing and SaIes Department, G/F AFP-RSBS BIdg., 424 Capinpin
Ave., Camp AguinaIdo, Q.C. All bids must be accompanied by a bid deposit equivalent to
10% of the minimum foor price. A pre-bidding conference is scheduled on JuIy 17, 2012
at 10 am, at the GaIang HaII, AFP-RSBS BIdg., 424 Capinpin Ave., Camp AguinaIdo,
Q.C. Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders or their representatives on JuIy
27, 2012 at 10 am in the same venue. For inquiries, please call Ramir or Wendell at
912-0056 or 911-0313.
(Sgd.) MGen DanieI R Casabar, Jr AFP (Ret.)
Chairman, Real Estate Asset Bidding Committee
AFP-Retirement and Separation Benefts System
424 Capinpin Avenue, Camp Emilio Aguinaldo, Quezon City
INVITATION TO BID
(MST-July 10, 2012)
Contract ID : 12IB0081
Contract Name : Road Concreting of Brgy. Rawis FMR
Location of the Contract : Can-avid, Eastern Samar
Department of PubIic Works and Highways
Eastern Samar District Engineering ofce
Borongan City
TeI. Nos. (055) 560-9423
Fax No. (055) 261-2196
EmaiI Address: dpwh esed@yahoo.com
July 5, 2012
SUPPLEMENTAL BID BULLETIN NO. 12-001
Subject: Amendments of Bidding Documents
This Supplemental Bid bulletin No. 12-001 is issued to modify or amend the
bidding documents specifcally the contract duration of the above stated contract.
This is to inform all concerned that the duration of the above stated contract was
corrected and adjusted in compliance with the Memorandum of DPWH Undersecretary
ROMEO S. MOMO, CESO , dated 7 July 2012 in which this offce was directed to
implement the Standardization of Construction of DPWH Projects in strict compliance
to the Department Order No. 44 series of 2012 dated June 22, 2012, thus follow:
Advertised Corrected
Contract Duration 60 CD 27 CD
Approved:
(Sgd.) RUDYARD M. LIM
BAC-Chairman
OIC-Asst. District Engineer
This is to inform the public that
Hanwool I&D Corporation will no
longer be in business effective at the
close of offce on July 6, 2012, as
per Board Resolution unanimously
approved by its Stockholders dated
June 6, 2012.
Notice of Dissolution
(MST-July 10,17 & 24, 2012
ERRORS
&
OMI SSI ONS
I n Cl assi f i ed Ads
sect i on must be
b r o u g h t t o o u r
attention the very day
the advertisement is
published. We will
not be responsible
for any incorrect ads
not reported to us
immediately.
Ofce of the District Engineer
LA UNION FIRST ENGINEERING DISTRICT
Lingsat, San Fernando City
(MST-July 10, 2012)
The Department of Public Works and Highways, La Union First Engineering
District, through its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), invites contractors to
apply to bid for the clustered contracts listed below:
1. Contract No. : 12AE0079 (CIustered)
Contract Name : Construction /RehabiIitation of MuIti Purpose
BuiIdings within the First District of La Union
Scope of Work : BIL
Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC): P5,298,000.00
(SARO No. BMB-A-12T000001412 dated
May 3, 2012) PDAF of Hon. Victor F. Ortega,
Representative, First District of La Union
Duration : 127 CaIendar Days
Project
No.
Name of Project Approved Budget
Cost
1 Construction of MPB at San FeIipe E/S, San FeIipe,
San Juan, La Union
P990,000.00
2 Construction of MPB (RTC-City Procecutors Ofce),
SeviIIa, San Fernando City, La Union
P990,000.00
3 RehabiIitation of MPB La Union NationaI High SchooI,
Catbangen, San Fernando City, La Union
P990,000.00
4 Construction of MPB at San Francisco EIem. SchooI,
San Francisco, Sudipen, La Union
P990,000.00
5 Construction of MPB at NationaI Commission on
Indigenous PeopIe, PobIacion, Sudipen, La Union
P990,000.00
6 Construction of MPB at Oya-oy, Bacnotan, La Union P198,000.00
7 Construction of MPB at Gen. Prim EIem. SchooI,
Gen. Prim, Bangar, La Union
P150,000.00
TotaI ABC = P5,298,000.00
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 this contract, a contractor must submit a letter of Intent (LOI) and
must meet the following major criteria; (a) prior 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, (co 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/
fall criteria in the eligibility check and preliminary examination of bids.

Unregistered contractors, however, shall submit their application for
receipt of LO. The DPWH-POCW Central Offce will only process contractor's
Contractor's Certifcate of Registration (CRC). Registration Forms may be
downloaded at the DPWH website www.dpwh.gov.ph.
1. Receipt of LOI from Prospective Bidders JuIy 6 - JuIy 20, 2012
2. Issuance of Bid Documents JuIy 6 - JuIy 23, 2012
3. Pre bid Conference (Contract No. 12AE0073) 10:00 AM on JuIy 19, 2012
4. Receipt of Bids DeadIine:12 Noon, JuIy 31, 2012
5. Opening of Bids 2:00 P.M. on JuIy 31, 2012
The BAC will ssue hard copies of Bidding Documents (BD's) at the DPWH
La Union First Engineering District, Lingsat, City of San Fernando, La Union,
upon payment of a non-refundable fee of P10,000.00 per D.O. 52 series of
2011.
Prospective bidders may also 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 accompanied by a bid security, in the amount and
acceptable form, as stated in section 27.0 of the Revised IRR.
The Department of Public Works and Highways La Union First Engineering
District reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bid to annul the bidding
process anytime before Contract award, without incurring any liability to the
affected bidders.

Approved by:

(Sgd.) ISABELO V. LOPEZ, JR.
BAC Chairman
Noted:
(Sgd.) ELPIDIO C. PARAGAS
District Engineer
B4
Provinces
Edited by Leo A. Estonilo www.manilastandardtoday.comleoestonilo@gmail.com
Puerto Princesa to get
full power by yearend
6 mayors face illegal logging raps
Soya barge
sinks off
Mariveles
P8.5-billion rent payments refused
Green thumb. Puerto Princesa City Mayor Edward Hagedorn
and his wife Ellen plant an acacia mangium sapling in the forest of
Barangay Irwan to mark the 21
st
Pista Y Ang Cagueban. Advocates
joined Ms. Earth beauties in a campaing to plant150,000 seedlings
such as acacia, cherry blossoms, gmelina and fruit trees .
ILAGANMayor Jose Marie
Diaz said the cityhood of
Isabelas capital enjoyed a boost
when President Benigno Aquino
III signed RA 10169 for the
towns conversion.
We are happy, in behalf
of Ilaguenos, that the dream
and inspirations are coming
into reality, he said. This we
greatly owe to our very own rst
district Congressman Rodolfo
Albano, the very supportive
Governor Faustino Dy III and
Vice Governor Rodito Albano
III.
Diaz said the plebiscite would
be welcome after ve attempts
in pprevious administrations.
Ilagan will be the second
largest in the country with a
land area of 1,166.26 square
kilometers next to Davaos
2,443.61 sqkm.
Diaz said Commission on
Elections-Isabela has set August
11 for the plebiscite.
Jessica M. Bacud
Ilagan cityhood under way
By Florante S. Solmerin
INTERIOR Secretary Jesse Robredo on
Monday said at least six local executives
in Agusan del Sur are in hot water for
failure to enforce the total log ban ordered
by President Benigno Aquino III.
Yes, six mayors were ordered
to show cause, Robredo told
Manila Standard in a phone
interview.
Earlier, Manobo tribal chief
Bae Hawodon Cugbahan Merlyn
Tagleong Coguit said cutting
of trees have continued in the
communitys ancestral domain
which the government declared
in 1988.
Its a common knowledge
here who promotes illegal
logging and mining activities,
she said, noting the hot spots
in the towns of Loreto, La Paz,
Talacogon, San Luis, Esperanza
and Las Nieves.
When told about the places,
Robredo conrmed that the list
without mentioning the names of
the executives.
Mr. Aquino issued
Executive Order 23 in
February last year a full
stop to logging including
the 51,000-hectare Manobo
Agroforestation Complex.
Recently, Malacaang ordered
the Anti-Illegal Logging Task
Force under Executive Director
Renato Miranda to prosecute
illegal loggers following the relief
of 31 environmental ofcers
in Region 13 together with the
Agusan del Sur police director
and several chiefs of police
for inaction over unauthorized
cuttings and tracking of
contraband lumber.
During the Liberal Party
meeting over the weekend, Mr.
Aquino lashed out at the mayors
of Agusan del Sur for defying his
directive.
By Alena Mae S. Flores
THE Energy Department on
Monday proposed National
Power Corp. to supply electricity
to Puerto Princesa City starting
December amid Mayor Edward
Hagedorns declaration of a
state of emergency.
The move came after Palawan
Electric Cooperatives failure
to choose a power supplier for
the second time, threatening
damage to the booming
tourism industry and crippling
businesses.
To address present and
future demand, there have
been continuous discussions
between Paleco ofcials and
the DOE on the possible
involvement of NPC to
provide for additional power
by December to help mitigate
the power supply decit,
Energy Secretary Jose Rene
Almendras said in a statement.
Puerto Princesa suffered up to
three hour brownouts last week.
Almendras said Paleco
has set a voluntary load
curtailment program joined
by big load consumers as
a stop gap measure amid
recurrent power outages in
the last two months due to the
breakdown in the generating
units of power providers,
Palawan Power Generation
Inc. and Delta P.
Paleco, since April last year,
initiated bidding for its third new
power provider in anticipation
of the expiration on October
2013 of the Napocor-PALECO
Interim Supply Agreement for
10 megawatts to 45MW of
energy.
The bidding covers supply of
25MW of electricity to cover
the replacement of supply
coming from Napocor and the
additional demand.
Peak demand in Palawan is
30.5 MW while power supply
from present providers total
35.5 MW.
A new provider is expected to
deliver power in the island by
September 2013.
THE developer of Camp John
Hay said offers for payment to the
Bases Conversion Development
Authority were being blocked
allegedly by BCDA president
Arnel Casanova.
Lawyer Manuel Ubarra,
spokesman, said as early as Aug.
17, 2011 up to Oct. 7, 2011,
Camp John Hay Development
Corp. offered to pay BCDA
lease rental payments covering
even the periods when BCDA
was in default amounting to
P8.5 billion.
Ubarra admitted that on May
15, 2012, BCDA Chairman
Felicito Payumo was still open
to the offer and invited CJH
DevCo representatives to present
the proposal to the Board, which
was accepted.
But Casanova allegedly
blocked CJH DevCo ofcials
from even entering the BCDA
board meeting.
It was very frustrating,
recalls CJH DevCo Executive
Vice President Alfredo
Yniguez.
We went there upon invitation
of the Chairman of BCDA,
but could not even enter the
BCDA board room to present an
improved proposal in good faith
because of the opposition of
Casanova, he said. In effect,
Casanova rejected P5.4 billion
of payments to BCDA without
reason.
Last week, a graft complaint
was led before the Ofce of the
Ombudsman against BCDA for
violation of the Anti-Graft and
Corrupt Practices Act, among
other laws.Rey E. Requejo
A BARGE loaded with
1,050 tons of soya beans
sank after colliding with a
cargo vessel off Mariveles
in Bataan, the Coast Guard
said on Monday.
Reports from the CG
Vessel Trafc Monitoring
System in Corregidor
showed that MV Prosper
rammed the barge Jupiter
333 near Barangay Lucanin
Sunday night.
The crew of the barge
Rafael Ebroli and Dioseter
Omallaowere retrieved
by members of the CG
special operations group
on board tugboat Limay
2.
After a hospital checkup,
they were declared in good
physical condition.
Lt. Cdr. Armand Balilo,
Coast Guard spokesman,
said the cargo vessel was on
its way to Pasig City from
Mariveles when it collided
around 7:30 p.m. with
the barge being towed by
Stargate 2 bound for Manila
from Subic.
The captain of Jupiter 333
was ordered to place a buoy
as marker and remain in
place to warn any water craft
transiting the area while the
master of Stargate 2 was
advised to le a marine
protest. Joel E. Zurbano
Wellness cheques. Quezon Governor David Suarez (second from left) and Mayor Rosauro
Masilang (second from right) distribute health coupons to 43 villages in Sariaya town during turnover rites
in Barangay Mamala-1. BENJIE ANTIOQUIA

Manila Standard Today - July 10, 2012 Issue

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Droits d'auteur :

Manila Standard Today - July 10, 2012 Issue

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Droits d'auteur :

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