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Standard TODAY
Manila
Vol. XXVI No. 260 20 Pages, 4 Sections P18.00 Wednesday, December 19, 2012

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PNoy suspends Cebu governor

Enrile, Sotto spoil early bicam meet
By Macon RamosAraneta and Christine F. Herrera
THE bicameral conference committee is expected to meet this morning to reconcile differences between the Senate and House versions of the reproductive health bill, after Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III frustrated efforts to hold the session Tuesday night. Sotto, who voted against the bill, objected to a move by the bills sponsor, Senator Pia Cayetano, to convene the meeting at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, with the following members of the Senate contingent: Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano, Senators Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Teosto Guingona III, Francis Pangilinan, Panlo Lacson, Ralph Recto and Aquilino Pimentel III, and Sotto himself. Im objecting to the creation [of the bicam committee] because we are not ready. Why are we going to rush it? Sotto said, visibly irritated. It was already approved. What [more] do you want? Why do you want to railroad it? Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, who also opposed the bill, added: We have until January. Why do you want to railroad it? Cayetano replied that the two Senate ofcials should not attribute any malice to her wish to nish the job before Christmas, and said it was unfair for Sotto to delay the passage of the bill simply because he opposed it, a charge that the Senate majority Next page leader dismissed.

FOR ABUSE OF AUTHORITY

Garcias allies form barricade at Capitol

By Joyce P. Paares

GOV. GWEN GARCIA

PRESIDENT Aquino suspended Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia for six months for alleged grave abuse of authority, a senior Malacanang ofcial said on Tuesday.
The 11-page suspension order signed by Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa was transmitted to the Department of Interior and Local Gov-

Prayer vigil. More than 2,000 supporters of Gov. Gwen Garcia gather to pray at the provincial capitol.
ernment yesterday, said the official, who asked not to be identified because he has no authority to speak on the issue. The suspension means that Garcia will not be in power before, during and after the May 2013 mid-term elections, the ofcial said,who described the order as an early anking move to cut down political risks in opposition strongholds before the runup to national elections next year. Garcia told the Manila Standard Today in a telephone interview the timing of the suspension order was suspicious and the basis of the order was an old case in which the complainant is dead. The suspension order stemmed from Garcias alleged refusal to release the budget of the late Vice Governor Gregorio Sanchez Jr,
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RH a moral time bomb Church

By Vito Barcelo
THE Catholic Church on Tuesday said the Reproductive Health bill if signed into law would be a moral time bomb gift-wrapped in time for Christmas. It is only a matter of time, and then we will see more violations of Thou shall not kill and Thou shall not commit adultery among our families, our youth and children, Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas said in a pastoral letter that he signed. This law will open more doors to abortion and more crimes against women, said Villegas, vice president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines. The RH bill was approved in the House of Representatives on third and nal reading on a vote of 133-79 with seven abstentions, while the Senate voted 13-8 in its favor with two senators failing to cast their vote. The RH bill aims to guarantee universal access to the methods of contraception, fertility control, sexual education and maternal health care. They might have won through the tyranny of numbers but it does not mean that they are right, Villegas said in his letter entitled Let Us Move On.
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Divorce bill next in line after RH

By Maricel V. Cruz
HOUSE Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. on Tuesday said time has run out for the current Congress to tackle a divorce bill, but said the issue will likely be taken up by lawmakers after the passage of the hotly contested reproductive health bill. It is there in the back of our minds, Belmonte said at a news conference when asked about a bill to legalize divorce led by Gabriela Rep. Luz Ilagan. Belmonte added, however, that the 15th Congress would not have enough time to pass a divorce law, which he said was important to free couples from troubled marriages. I am in favor of the divorce bill, if a couples life has become intolerable, Belmonte said. Ilagan urged Belmonte to open the debates and said her group would re-le the bill in the next Congress if it fails to pass during the current one. Gabriela led a divorce bill during the 13th and 14th Congresses. Before the implementation of 1950 Civil Code, divorce was legal and was widely practiced among ancestral tribes in Palawan, Nueva Vizcaya, the Cordilleras, the Manobos and Muslims of the Visayas and Mindanao Islands. Divorce was prohibited when the New Civil Code took effect on Aug. 30, 1950 and only legal separation was available. The Ofce of the Solicitor General earlier disclosed
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If looks could kill. Senator Pia Cayetano a sponsor of the Reproductive Health bill, scowls at Senate Majority Floor Leader Vicente Sotto III who, on Tuesday, objected to the creation of a bi-cameral conference committee to reconcile the House and Senate versions of the bill, saying he was being rushed. EY ACASIO

Aquino to erring cops: Your days are numbered 3 more bodies found; By Florante Solmerin, typhoon toll at 1,046 Francisco Tuyay and Joyce
P. Paares
PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III on Monday warned cops involved in corrupt and illegal activities that their days are numbered. Mr. Aquino made the remark as he presided over the turnover ceremony on Thursday at Camp Crame, where he ofcially designated Deputy Director Alan Purisima as the new Philippine National Police chief, replacing outgoing PNP chief Director General Nicanor Bartolome. Aquino said cops who are drug users, pushers and protectors of illegal logging and even those who drive without license and do not wear proper uniform will be dealt with the full extent of the law and will see themselves in jail, wearing a different set of uniform. Malinaw ang atas ko, at hindi optional ang pagsunod sa batas. Oras
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By Francisco Tuyay, Eric Apolonio and Jonathan Fernandez

THREE more bodies were pulled out from the mud on Tuesday, bringing the total to 1,046 of those who died from Typhoon Pablo which wrought havoc in Visayas and Eastern Mindanao two weeks ago. Retrieved were Titing Bragat of Monkayo, Army Private First Class Fermin Segapo of New Bataan and Eliza Gungob of Mawab town, all in Compostela Valley. National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council Director Benito Ramos said they remain in a search and retrieval mode to look for 841 persons still missing. He said that the United National Development Program had sent building materials intended for the construction of houses for thousands of the typhoons victims. The armys 1st Infantry Division in the Zamboanga peninsula also sent several truck loads of relief goods to provide food and clothing to victims in Compostela Valley province. Ist ID Commander Major Gen. Ricardo Rainier Cruz ordered the delivery of two truckload of relief items from its headquarters in Labangan, Zamboanga del Sur.

Sen. Inouye bids aloha at 88

WA S H I N G TONSen. Daniel Inouye of Hawaii, the inuential Democrat who was one of the rst Asian-Americans in Congress and played key roles in congressional investigations of the Watergate and Iran-Contra scandals, died Monday. He was 88. Inouye, a sen- INOUYE ator since January 1963, was the longest serving senator and was president pro tempore of the Senate, third in the line of presidential succession. His ofce said Monday that he died of respiratory complications at a Washington-area hospital. Less than an
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Changing of the guard. President Benigno Aquino III smiles as new National Police

Chief Alan Purisima, left, shakes hands with his predecessor Nicanor Bartolome during the change-of-command ceremonies in Camp Crame on Tuesday. AARON FAVILA, AP

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WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 19, 2012

ManilaStandardToday

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ofcial said. A political analyst who asked not to be named said Aquino was trying to neutralize powerful political families who oppose Liberal Party candidates in next years elections. One by one they fall. First Espino. Now, its Garcia, the analyst said. He was referring to Pangasinan Governor Amado Espino Jr, who was accused of plunder in the Ombudsman, in an apparent bid to ruin his candidacy, for allegedly taking P1 billion in jueteng payoffs for the past 10 years. Espino, a member of the Nationalist Peoples Coalition, is running for re-election against Alaminos City Mayor Hernani Braganza of the Liberal Party. United Nationalist Alliance Secretary General Tobias Tiangco said it was hard not to suspect politics as the main reason for the administrations sudden interest in jueteng in Pangasinan because they are elding a candidate for governor who is a trusted lieutenant of Interior Secretary Mar Roxas. Sought for his reaction on the suspension of Garcia, Siquijor Rep. Orlando Fua, a senior opposition leader, gave a practical answer. We should understand that its political reality, he said.

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PNoy...
who died in April 2011, and she allegedly sat on request for renewal of contracts of 57 casual and contractual employees of the vice-governors ofce. Garcia released the funds to Magpale as soon as Sanchez died, the suspension order said. There is an upcoming electoral exercise. One cannot help but be suspicious of the timing of this decision. It is sad because this goes to show that they (administration) want to play dirty in the 2013 elections, Garcia said. This is an old case. The com-

plainant has actually died already, and they based their decision on the account of a witness who was not even present during the alleged incidents, she said. Garcias supporters, including priests and nuns, barricaded the provincial capitol and organizers said they will stage an overnight vigil to prevent the enemies of the people from taking over. Asked what action she will take to address the problem, Garcia said: I am still waiting for an ofcial copy of the decision. That said, we will exhaust all legal means available to us. Garcia, commonly known as In an interview with reporters late Monday night, Enrile said the ght over the hotly contested RH bill will likely continue in the bicameral conference committee. The Senate voted 13-8 to approve the measure while the House of Representatives did the same through a 133-79 vote. In the pre-bicameral conference committee meeting, Cayetano and nine of the 12-member House contingent met to identify conicting provisions in the House and Senate versions of the bill. They set the bicameral conference committee meeting for 9 a.m. today. At a press conference Tuesday, Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said the House would reach out to Catholic bishops who strongly objected to the bill and who mounted a erce campaign against its enactment. However, Belmonte said House leaders would not seek to dissuade the bishops from challenging the law before the Supreme Court. If I were in their shoes, having lost the battle here and in the Senate, where is the next way to go? The Supreme Court, and they are of course free to do so, Belmonte said. Belmone expressed the hope, however, that the bishops in time would accept that women and children would benet from the bill. At the same conference, Belmonte said he expects the House contingent to adopt the Senate provision on safe and satisfying sex when the bicameral conference committee meets. This would make it clear that women should not be treated as sex objects, and that husbands would not stumble home drunk and force their wives to have sex. right to life. Antipolo Bishop Gabriel Reyes on Tuesday described the approval of the RH bill as a sad day for our country. He criticized Malacaang for its passage. What is very sad also is that Malacaang has pressured our congressmen to vote yes, Reyes said. Had Malacaang not pressured our congressmen on second reading, we would have won. Still, Reyes said the Church would always be committed to educating the people on the evils of contraceptives. The members of the Pro-Life Movement on Tuesday said the approval of the RH bill on Monday was accompanied by irregularities. In the rst place, both in the second and third reading, [Budget] Secretary [Florencio] Abad, [Malacaang spokesman Ramon] Carandang and [Interior Secretary] Mar Roxas were seen in the inner sanctum, said Linda Valenzona, an expert on demographics. And some people even saw the distribution of envelopes here [in the House]. The allowances were released. In a statement released on Tuesday, Del Rosario, who previously worked as Philippine ambassador to Washington, said he was mourning the passing of a good friend. The Philippines mourns the passing of Senator Inouye, a true friend and an invaluable champion of the Philippines in the United States Congress, Del Rosario said. As we pay tribute to this consummate statesman, war hero and generous spirit, we express our deepest sympathies to his wife, Irene, his son, Kenny, the people of the Great State of Hawaii, and the American people on this monumental loss, he added. Inouye was a World War II hero and Medal of Honor recipient who lost an arm to a German hand gre-

Gwen, is Cebus rst woman governor. She was rst elected in 2004, re-elected in 2007 and is now a candidate for a congressional seat in Cebus third district under the homegrown One Cebu party. Aquinos Liberal Party has not elded a candidate against Garcia in the third district, but her brother, Pablo John Garcia, the incumbent third district congressman, is running against Hilario Davide, the administration-backed candidate for governor. Malacaang named Vice Governor Agnes Magpale, sister of Cabinet Secretary Rene Almendras, as Garcias replacement, the

Red Cross thanks mining company

THE support of private individuals and companies is key to helping the victims of Typhoon Pablo in Davao Oriental, says Cesar De Erio, chairman of the Philippine Red Cross in Davao Oriental, one of the provinces hit hard by the super storm. The help of private companies like Sagittarius Mines, Inc. is appreciated and needed as we attend to the victims of typhoon Pablo in Davao Oriental, De Erio said. Over the weekend, Sagittarius Mines turned over 1,700 food packs consisting of rice, noodles and sardines to the Mati-based Red Cross chapter in Davao Oriental. The company also turned over 6,264 rst-aid kits consisting of syringes, antiseptic solutions, hydrogen peroxide, gauze pads, alcohol, face masks, disposal gloves and 200 vials of anti-tetanus serums. The communities and local government units in the affected areas have requested the Red Cross to help sustain the victims for the next six months, De Erio said. He said the victims of typhoon Pablo in Davao Oriental needed six months to get back on their feet. They need daily subsistence, food and potable water, De Erio said. He said the members and ofcers of the Red Cross Davao Oriental were tapping their professional and personal network to seek help. If we talk of a daily supply of food and potable water for six months straight, that is a lot, and we are approaching everyone who is willing to help, De Erio said. He said Sagittarius Mines turned over P500,000 worth of relief to the Red Cross Davao Oriental chapter. According to [Sagittarius Mines], they prefer that their goods be sent directly to the municipality of Baganga, Davao Oriental, which is the hardest-hit area, De Erio said. Early last week, Sagittarius Mines also sent relief worth P500,000 to the victims of Typhoon Pablo in Compostela Valley, the other province that was hit hard by the storm.

Enrile...
Im very much tired of this accusation, Sotto shot back. Enrile and Sotto questioned the haste in holding the bicameral meeting, because the Senate approved the measure only Monday night, and they havent studied it yet. They said the House of Representatives approved their own version, also at the same time, and they didnt even have clean copies of the Senate bill, or a matrix showing the differences between the two versions. Sotto also said they could not hold a bicameral conference committee meeting while a session was in progress because the chamber would lose a quorum. Senator Franklin Drilon, who voted for the bill, recommended holding a pre-bicameral conference committee Tuesday night, to identify contentious issues that would be taken up at Wednesdays meeting. Cayetano agreed, but sought assurances that she would get the members of the Senate contingent that she wanted. Enrile and Sotto again objected, saying rules dictate that committee chairman may only nominate members, while the Senate president has the power to appoint members to the panel. Cayetano countered that in practice, the committee chairman and sponsor of the bill decided on the timing of the meeting as well as the composition of the panel. She added that she even included Sotto because he said he wanted to be part of the panel to watch what provisions were included in the nal version of the bill.

Shelter. SM City Cagayan de Oro opened its doors to 1,221 family evacuees who were affected by Typhoon Pablo. SM used its Door 5, 4th Level car park building as the venue for evacuation. Mall staff took turns in monitoring the evacuation areas and made sure the evacuees were supplied with safe drinking and hot water.

Divorce...
that the number of annulment cases in the Philippines increased by 40 percent from 4,520 cases in 2001 to 8,282 in 2010. It noted that 61 percent of those who led for annulment were women. About 8,000 to 10,000 petitions for annulment are led before the OSG, more than 90 percent of which have been granted by the courts. House Bill 1799 has been languishing before the House committee on revision of laws. The measure allows those who have been separated for ve years and those already legally separated for two years to apply for divorce. The grounds for legal separa-

RH...
He called for a more intensied moral and spiritual education of the youth and children in the archdiocese of Lingayen to strengthen their morals. He also urged the use of all means available to safeguard the health of expectant mothers in the communities. He called on parents to teach sex education to their children so they would understand that sex was a gift of God and must never be taught separate from God and isolated from marriage. We might not see eye to eye but we can work hand in hand for the real progress that our people so richly deserve, but it should be progress with God, in God and through God, Villegas said. Daang matuwid [the straight and narrow path] without God is a dead-end street. Rep. Juan Miguel MacapagalArroyo on Monday said the people opposing the RH bill could question it before the Supreme Court if it became law. As far as Im concerned, maybe the Supreme Court is an option, he said. Theres such a thing as

tion may also apply when these same grounds have already caused the irreparable breakdown of the marriage. As provided under Article 36 of the Family Code, psychological incapacity is one of the prime grounds for legal separation or nullity of marriage. Lack of authority of the solemnizing ofcer, bigamous or polygamous marriages and marriages where one or both parties were below the marrying age allowed by law are among the other grounds for the marriage to be nullied under the law. At the same press conference Tuesday, Belmonte said House leaders have committed to passing the freedom of information bill on second reading when Congress resumes session next year.

But Belmonte said he expects a tumultuous debate on the measure, with those who support the controversial right of reply bill authored by Nueva Ecija Rep. Rodolfo Antonino. We expect a lot of questioning, particularly those pushing for the inclusion of the right of reply in the FOI bill, Belmonte said. Belmontes statement came after the Senate approved on third and final reading its version of the FOI bill, which guarantees ordinary citizens access to information on matters of public concern. Belmonte said he does not see any reason to delay the passage of the FOI bill after most of the members of the House committee on public information approved a substituted bill.

Aquino...
na magkrus ang landas natin, hindi lang nyo isusurrender ang inyong tsapat uniporme. Papalitan pa natin iyan ng t-shirt na kulay orange at may malaking letrang P sa likuran. (My orders are clear. Obeying the law is not optional. Once our paths cross, you will not only surrender your badge and uniform. We will also make sure that we will change your uniform with an orange one with a letter P at the back). He also called on the new leadership to ensure the safe conduct of elections, which he said are embodied in the governments SAFE 2012 program, or the Secure and Fair Elections, which Gen. Purisima himself heads. Mr. Aquino said he had full condence on the capability of Purisima to lead the PNP, having known the new police chief since 1997 as a member of the Presidential Security Group detailed to provide security for the late President Corazon Aquino, the presidents mother. Purisima, the countrys 18th PNP chief, is best remembered as the young officer who nade during a battle in Italy. He became the rst Japanese-American to serve in Congress, when he was elected to the House in 1959, the year Hawaii became a state. He won election to the Senate three years later and served there longer than anyone in American history except Robert Byrd of West Virginia, who died in 2010 after 51 years in the Senate. President Barack Obama, a native of Hawaii, said in a statement, Tonight, our country has lost a true American hero with the passing of Sen. Daniel Inouye. ... It was his incredible bravery during World War II including one heroic effort that cost him his arm but earned him the Medal of Honor that made Danny not

shielded then 27-year old Benigno Aquino III from renegade soldiers during a bloody coup in 1987 against former President Corazon Aquino. Mr. Aquino also thanked Bartolome for agreeing to retire early to pave the way for Purisima, who was asked to oversee preparations for the 2013 elections. He later conferred to Bartolome the Philippine Legion of honor with the rank of commander. In his speech, Purisima said he would institute two major new policies: no multi-tasking for police personnel, and true crime reporting. Purisima rst implemented the no-multitasking policy during his stint as director of the the National Capital Region Police Ofce. He said he would replicate a system of crime reporting that accurately captured the true crime statistics, saying that data were manipulated purposely to show a lower crime rate. The President, meanwhile, said all policemen would have short rearms by 2013. With governance reforms in place, we were able to proceed with transparent and honest bidding to ll up our deciencies, Mr. Aquino said. been grateful to have, especially in her darkest hours, men who lead by example and who expect nothing in return, said Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie will appoint a replacement, choosing from a list of three candidates selected by the state Democratic Party. Whomever Abercrombie appoints would serve until a special election in 2014. Inouye has represented Hawaii since it became a state in 1959, rst in the House of Representatives. He was handily re-elected to a ninth term in 2010 with 75 percent of the vote. His last utterance, his ofce said, was Aloha.

3...
The council said relief from the government and international donors have already reached the devastated areas in Visayas and Easter Mindanao following the repair of Mapawa Bridge and the Montevista-DNAS Road in Compostela Valley, which serves as a vital link to Davao City. As this developed, the Australian government has announced that it will increase its assistance to P307 million (A$7.3 million) in response to the increasing demand for more assistance to victims of Typhoon Pablo. Australia will provide more food, safe drinking water and temporary shelters to thousands of affected families, and will provide support to people with disabilities. The Australian government will also provide support to protect and counsel traumatized children. As of Tuesday, the estimated damage went up to P24 billion pesos, broken down as follows: infrastructure, P7b; agriculture P16b and private properties, P48-m. The total affected individual was placed at 203,991 with 167,295 houses damaged by the typhoon. The council, meanwhile, is closely watching another weather disturbance in the Visayas which could develop into a low pressure area. According to experts, the low pressure area, which may enter either on December 24 or 25, may take the same path taken by Typhoon Pablo.

Sen....
hour after Inouyes passing, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced Inouyes death to a stunned chamber. Our friend Daniel Inouye has died, Reid said somberly. Shocked members of the Senate stood in the aisles or slumped in their chairs. In Manila, Foreign Affairs Department Secretary Albert del Rosario on Tuesday expressed his deepest condolence on the passing of United States Senator Daniel Inouye, who is best remembered as the US lawmaker who was instrumental in increasing American military assistance to the Philippines.

just a colleague and a mentor, but someone revered by all of us lucky enough to know him. Inouye died after a relatively brief hospitalization. Once a regular smoker, he had a portion of a lung removed in the 1960s after a misdiagnosis for cancer. Just last week, he issued a statement expressing optimism about his recovery. Despite his age and illness, Inouyes death shocked members of the Senate. Im too broken up, said Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy, who becomes president pro tem of the Senate. Leahy also is poised to take over the Senate Appropriations Committee. He was the kind of man, in short, that America has always

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WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 19, 2012

A3

Arrest bid on scam suspect snagged

By Rey Requejo

P100m to draft Bangsamoro law

By Joyce Pangco Paares
PRESIDENT Aquino has earmarked P100 million as initial fund for the Transition Commission that will draft a proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law. The 15-member commission will be chaired by a nominee from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, presidential peace adviser Teresita Deles said on Tuesday. The draft law is needed to enforcethe nal peace agreement that will be signed by the government and the MILF. The commission, created under Executive Order No.120, provides for eight representatives from the MILF and seven from the government. Deles said the government will give one of its seven slots to a representative from the Moro National Liberation Front. According to government chief negotiator Miriam Ferrer, the commission may recommend to Congress proposed amendments to the Constitution when necessary. The aim is to install the Bangsamoro through a new organic act as soon as possible in order to have an elected Bangsamoro government by 2016. This does not prevent the TC or its members from examining the Constitution and recommending constitutional reforms, she said. However, the President has made clear that constitutional change is not his priority during his term, Ferrer added.

THE issuance of an arrest warrant against Manuel Amalilio, head of Aman Futures Group who is allegedly behind the P12-billion scam that victimized some 15,000 people in Visayas and Mindanao, is unlikely to happen this year.
This came after the Department of Justice panel tasked to investigate the syndicated estafa charges against Amalilio and other executives and agents of the trading rm suffered another delay during the second hearing on the case in Pagadian City last Monday. Aman Futures board member Fernando Luna and his wife Nimfa sought more time to submit their counter-afdavits, saying they only received copies

of the complaints a few days before the hearing so they did not have time to prepare. As a result, the panel set a third hearing on Dec. 27 at 11 am in the DOJ ofce in Manila where the Lunas alleged right hand of Amalilio will subscribe to his counter-afdavit. Another respondent, Areceli Julian, was also summoned to afrm her answer, which she only subscribed before a notary public earlier. The complainants agreed to this resetting, said Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Edna Valenzuela, head of the special panel of DOJ conducting the preliminary inquiry that began Nov. 16. Valenzuela said all respondents except the Luna couple were able to submit their counter-afdavits during the hearing where Aman ofcers and agents faced their victims for the rst time since the rm collapsed earlier this year. The resetting means it would be unlikely for the panel to resolve the rst set of complaints and possibly secure arrest warrants against Amalilio and other respondents before Dec. 28, the last working day for this year. Amalilio has been hiding in Kota Kinabalu in

Malaysia, according to the National Bureau of Investigation. An arrest warrant would be needed to consider him a fugitive and compel him to return to the country to face trial with the assistance of International Police and the Malaysian government, prosecutors said. The Justice panel, which was swamped with 15 sets of complaint against Aman Futures, had to cancel the original schedule of hearing last Dec. 5 when typhoon Pablo battered Mindanao. The DOJ earlier vowed to le the case against Aman in court before Christmas after critics criticized the slow pace of the investigation. Valenzuela already explained earlier her panel had to be careful in observing the rules and procedures and accord the respondents due process in order to avoid legal questions on the process. The rst hearing was held in the DOJ ofce in Manila last Nov. 27 where ve other board members - Leila Lim Gan, Eduard Lim, Willanie Fuentes, Naezelle Rodriguez and Lurix Lopez appeared and submitted afdavits detailing their respective roles in the Ponzi-type scheme. They wanted to turn state witness against Amalilio.

Seven party-lists bank on SC chief for relief

THE Supreme Court is being swamped with petitions from party-list groups that are seeking to stop the Commission on Elections from disqualifying them. The latest batch of petitioners includes seven party-list groups which face being disallowed from joining the 2013 mid-term elections. At least 52 party-lists were disqualied by the Comelec. The seven groups want Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno to exercise her discretion to grant them reprieve when the Court en banc is in recess in order to restore their accreditation as party-list groups. The seven groups have led with the Supreme Court their respective petitions seeking issuance of status quo ante order, which would allow them to keep their slot in the poll bodys list pending resolution of legal questions on their qualication. The new petitioners in the high court were: Confederation of Savings and Loan Associations (Consla), 1st Kabalikat ng Bayan Ginhawang Sangkatauhan (Kabagis), Pilipinas Para sa Pinoy (PPP), 1 Serve the People, Educational Development Services for Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (EDSA), Angat Ahon Magsasaka (AAM) and Isang Kasambahay Po Inc. (1- Kasambahay Po). Consla and Kabagis were registered party-lists that were disqualied by Comelec. The other ve, on the other hand, were applicants that were denied registration also for supposedly not belonging to marginalized, underrepresented sectors. Rey Requejo

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES

COMMISSION ON APPOINTMENTS

ANNOUNCEMENT
President Benigno S. Aquino III has submitted to the Commission on Appointments (C.A.) for confirmation the nomination of Hon. Erlinda F. Basilio, as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Peoples Republic of China with concurrent jurisdiction over the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea and Mongolia, in the Department of Foreign Affairs. The public may submit any information, written report or sworn complaints or oppositions in forty (40) copies on the above nomination to the CA Secretariat, 6th Floor, PNB Financial Center, Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City, Metro Manila. For the schedule of the public hearings, the CA Secretariat can be reached through telephone numbers 551-7532, 831-0893, 831-1824, 834-2706, 831-1566 and 834-2713. 18 December 2012.

Press forum. President Benigno S. Aquino III delivers his message while Presidential

communications chief Herminio Coloma looks on during the 26th Annual Bulong Pulungan Christmas party at the Sotel Philippine Plaza Hotel in Pasay City on Tuesday. The press forum started 26 years ago formed by top journalists at the onset of Edsa People Power. RYAN LIM/ MALACAANG PHOTO BUREAU.

ARTURO L. TIU Secretary

(MST-Dec. 19, 2012)

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WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 19, 2012

ManilaStandardToday Adelle Chua, Editor

Opinion
Against all logic, the Church leaders also refused to acknowledge the link between uncontrolled population growth and poverty, and even argued against the evidence that having more mouths to feed and precious few resources with which to do this would somehow miraculously propel this country into a progressive, industrialized state. In place of logic, the Church and its allies sowed fear, offering up the dangers of an aging population when more than one third of all Filipinos are below the age of 15, and when only 4.3 percent are above the age of 64. When it nally began to dawn on the bishops that they could not even convince the intellectually discerning among their own ockincluding the courageous professors from Catholic universities who, at risk of their own jobs, signed a manifesto in favor of the billthey turned to their allies in Congress to do what they have done so well over the last decadestall until there is no time left to pass the bill. At the same time, the bishops threatened lawmakers who voted for the bill that they would suffer a Catholic backlash in the elections next year. Such threats might have had more

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EDITORIAL
IN the run-up to Mondays historic vote in Congress to approve the reproductive health bill, the leaders of the Catholic Church in this country clearly misplayed their hand, betting everything on a re-and-brimstone campaign that might have worked in a different century. With the House and Senate both passing the bill with a clear majority on third reading, it is apparent that this approach failed miserably and damaged the credibility of these same leaders for their utter disregard for the facts and logic. As in years past when the Church

Scare tactics dont work

was able to cow lawmakers into aborting the bill, this latest campaign began with a classic propaganda technique: Paint with a wide brush. Those opposed to the bill, which seeks to provide Filipinos with information and access to safe and legal birth control methods, portrayed themselves as pro-life, while all those who disagreed with them were anti-life, or proabortion or worse, murderers. A vote for the bill was a vote for abortion, the bishops intoned, ignoring the fact that the bill itself states clearly that abortion is illegal, and that the measure compels nobody to use contraceptives. traction if public opinion polls did not show that a clear majority of Filipinos, including Catholics, supported the reproductive health bill. In business, we speak of throwing good money after bad to describe the act of investing heavily in a oundering venture. The bishops refusal to trade in their shopworn scare tactics in favor of enlightened discourse clearly ts the description, and their continued insistence on ghting the bill all the way up to the Supreme Court shows just how disconnected they are from reality and their own people.

The clowns we elected

LOWDOWN
THE best Congress that taxpayers money can buy didnt only decide that it could not afford to ght Malacaang. It has also agreed that it should take on Canadian pop star Justin Bieber instead. This, after all, is where your taxes go: Congress, on President Noynoy Aquinos deadline and upon his certication of its urgency, coughed up the reproductive health bill to the Palace, signed, sealed and delivered. At the same time, allies of Aquino in the House of Representatives led Resolution No. 2962 to declare Bieber persona non grata and barring him from entering the Philippines if he does not apologize for insulting Filipino boxing idol (and their Congress colleague) Manny Pacquiao. In both cases, it is fair to ask: why should we pay for a Congress that acts this way? In the rst instance, concerning the shameless railroading of the RH measure, Congress once again abdicated its role as a co-equal branch of the Executive when it did not even pretend that it was doing something other than the Presidents bidding. Despite the deep divisions that Aquinos RH bill was obviously causing amongst the citizenry, both Houses could not even slow down the RH Express, especially after Aquino sent key Cabinet members to attend the deliberations and as soon as the President had certied the measure as urgent. If Congress were truly a co-equal of the Executive, instead of a pork-fueled rubber stamp subsisting entirely on the taxpayers dime, it would have at least called a ceasere to the overheating proceedings. It would have asserted its independence and told Malacaang that it wasnt operating on Aquinos deadline, as it should have under a true republican democracy. Instead, Congress delivered what Aquino wanted when he wanted it, as if our congressmen and senators represented Malacaang, instead of the people who elected them to ofce. And all because Congress cannot afford to be on the bad list of the Palace Santa who would get coal instead of the pork that Aquino offers in this and every other season. And the irony of it all is that the pork that Congress receives does not come from the Palace itself, even if it disburses it to our senators and congressmen. Thats our money that is being doled out and the law says that all members of Congress should get it, regardless of whether theyve been naughty or nice to the President. But Congressor the moneygrubbing majority that has always populated it, anywayhas once again
JOJO A. ROBLES

Why should we pay for a Congress that acts this way?

forgotten who pays for its upkeep and lost its way. And its not Aquino who pays congressmen, even if he holds the terrible power to hand out Congress funds when and to whom he chooses. And they said Ferdinand Marcos single-House Batasan was a rubber stamp. The latter-day Congress is a lot worse, if only because it is populated by hypocrites who say they are free and independent but who jump at the sound of Butch Abads dinner bell. In the end, even the congressmen who initially voted against the RH bill changed their minds, after Aquino got serious. And Congress forgot who pays the bills and from whose esh the pork they enjoy ultimately came from. I agree with former Senator Kit Tatad, who argued that Aquino is now the chief corruptor of Congress. But I must add that I never saw a collection of people so willing to be corrupted with money that they are entitled to, to begin with. *** As for the banBieber proposal, I can only hope that the outraged congressmen behind it arent angling for an additional infusion of money from the Palace or even from their billionaire colleague from Saranggani. Hey, you never know, do you? But its more likely that this group of congressmenwho shall, for our purposes, remain unnamedmerely wants to salvage some of that old Pinoy Pride that got mauled together with Pacquiao, when he fell unconscious to the canvas after being hit by Juan Manuel Marquez. Pinoy Pride is like thatit basks in the reected glory of individual Filipino achievers like Pacquiao and gets severely offended when foreigners poke fun at it, as it often so richly deserves. The Pinoy Priders are the same ones who get angry when some Hollywood celebrity remarks on the size of the cockroaches in Manila. They bully anyone from another country (online, especially) when someone says something that they feel deserves to be taught that you cant mess with Filipinos, never mind if they come off as pikon, as the locals describe someone who cant take a joke made at their expense. Perhaps these congressmen believe that if they can pass a resolution commending Pacquiao on yet another victory, they are obliged to take up the cudgels for the boxer, never mind if he was made the butt of online jokes by a singer they never even heard of. Or maybe these lawmakers just had too much time on their hands because, as Aquino allies, they already knew how they would vote on RH and all the other palace-initiated proposals. But thats the quality of the Congress voters elected to ofce. And perhaps thats probably why we shouldnt complain too much about how bad our lawmakers arewe put them there, after all, and they represent us so well.

Batasan instead of New Bataan

THE passage of the deeply divisive reproductive health bill at the House of Representatives (133-79) and the Senate (13-8) is notable for the all-out harnessing of government resources. Questions were raised about the presence of Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas and Budget Secretary Florencio Abad at the Batasan gallery during deliberations on the measure. Shouldnt they have been at New Bataan in Compostela Valley instead of monitoring proceedings at the Batasan? New Bataan and Cateel were the worsthit areas by Typhoon Pablo. So far, 1,043 have been conrmed dead and casualties could rise with hundreds more still missing. TV coverage showed heartwrenching images of men, women and children desperately running after the few food relief trucks that were able to reach the ravaged areas. The national government said many roads were impassable and even helicopters were unable to land to bring food to the starving victims. But the TV networks and media proved more resourceful to get to the scene ahead of government. Its not the typhoon victims in Mindanao who are isolated; its our ofcials perverse priorities in imperial Manila who are isolated from Mindanao. The 5.3 million who lost their homes and livelihood in Mindanao could spell the difference between victory and defeat for administration candidates in next years mid-term elections if not enough is done soon to ease their misery.

BACK CHANNEL

ALEJANDRO DEL ROSARIO

No one is blaming the government for the natural calamity that visited Mindanao. But it speaks volumes of government inefciency when the delivery of relief goods took more than a week to reach many of the victims. Picture this: A grown man crying over the loss of loved ones and not having any food to feed the surviving ones. Although advanced warnings were issued by local governments, there were no evacuation centers to run to. Schoolhouses and gymnasiums used as refuges were destroyed by ooding and landslides spawned by Pablos powerful winds and torrential rains. What was Budget Secretary Abad doing at the Batasan? Was it to count noses of congressmen who would get their ll at the pork barrel trough for voting yes on the Aquino- certied bill? Rep. Roilo Golez (LP), a known opponent of the RH Bill and who had introduced amendments to it, was conspicuously absent during voting last Thursday. I walked out and deed the party order to vote for the bill, said Golez in explaining his absence from the Batasan Hall. But Catholic lay leaders called his act political cowardice. That explains why Roxas, presumably resigned Liberal Party president, and Abad who handles pork barrel disbursements, were at the Batasan instead of New Bataan in Compostela Valley. The simple rural folk who dont understand the workings of government are asking if the President cant order his Budget Secretary to channel all unspent pork barrel funds of every congressman and senator into Mindanaos relief and rehabilitation. But that would be asking too much of our leaders who are mostly residing in Manilas gated communities, or living

high and dry in some condo tower in Fort Bonifacios Global City. Congressmen do visit their rural constituencies when they are not traveling abroad on some ofcial business. There were 26 congressmen who ew recently to Las Vegas for the Pacquiao-Marquez ght even as Typhoon Pablo was already unleashing its fury on Mindanao. Mitigating sea surges, ooding Offering a different view on mitigating sea surges and ooding, Mines and Geosciences Bureau Director Leo Jasareno and urban planner Felino Palafox Jr. said the reclamation of land from the sea can in fact serve as barriers. In addressing the concern of environment advocates, Jasareno and Palafox are on the same page that if engineered properly with a well-planned drainage system, building on reclaimed land can prevent ooding. Palafox has supervised several building projects on reclaimed land in Dubai. He said there has been no problem encountered in Dubai which faces the sea. He also pointed out that Hong Kongs Chek Lap Kok Airport and Singapores Changi Airport were built on land reclaimed from the sea. The two international model airports have yet to experience ooding in their areas. Both expertsJasareno is an engineer while Palafox is an architect were addressing the concern of former Las Pias congresswoman and senatorial candidate Cynthia Villar that reclaiming a marshland bird sanctuary would result in the ooding of her town. The bird sanctuary is being blamed by Ninoy Aquino International Airport authorities for the increasing frequency of bird strikes on landing and departing ights. Birds getting sucked into the jet engines have resulted in plane crashes.

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ManilaStandardToday Adelle Chua, Editor

Opinion
FIRST THINGS FIRST
US PRESIDENT Barack Obama was seen to wipe a tear away upon the death of 20 children and seven adults who were killed by a heavily armed 20-yearold before he killed himself in Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut last Friday, in one of the worst killings in recent history. It did not quite top last years killing in Norway which claimed 77 lives, nor the 2007 shooting at Virginia Tech University, which took 32. But it did exceed the 1999 rampage in Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, where two teenagers killed 13 students before killing themselves, and the July 2012 killings at a midnight screening of a Batman movie, also in Colorado, that left 12 killed and 58 wounded. In terms of the violence inicted upon the victims, it probably set a record. Every child and adult had been shot more than once, some as many as 11 times, according to the state medical examiners report. The bullet-riddled bodies were too gruesome to look at; families had to be kept away from them, and were merely shown photographs of their faces. Ive been at this for a third of a century, but this is probably the worst Ive seen, the state medical ofcer was quoted as saying. So even Obama shed a tear. Our hearts are broken today, for the parents and grandparents, sisters and brothers of these little children and for the families of the adults who were lost, said Americas newly reelected black president. Messages of condolences poured in from all over the worldfrom the leaders of Iran and Israel, from Pope Benedict XVI and from Queen Elizabeth II, from European Commission president Jose

WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 19, 2012

A5

Facts and lies about Apeco

TO THE POINT
SANTA Banana, they are it again! Im referring to the on-again, off again attempts of some disgruntled members of the Senate to oust Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile. This time, the oust-Enrile movement is being engineered not only by Senator Antonio Trillanes, the most traveled (at government expense) senator, but also Senator Miriam Santiago, Enriles goddaughter in marriage. The reason is Enriles objections to the many facets of the sin tax bill and his vigorous opposition to the reproductive health bill, which aims to control population in the name of maternal care and free choice. I doubt whether this latest oust-Enrile movement would succeed. Enrile continues to have the support of the majority. Enrile, for his part, says: I have no Torrens title to the Senate presidency. If they can muster 13 votes, they can have it. But the majority has continued to support Enrile because he has enhanced the Senates credibility and integrity as a co-equal branch of government. We can only recall his masterful handling of the impeachment trial of former Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona. I can understand why Trillanes wants Enrile out. It was Enrile who exposed the former as some kind of a backroom negotiator with China on the Scarborough (Panatag) Shoal dispute. But my gulay, what I cannot understand is why Santiago hates Enrile so much. He gave her a Senate committee to chair after Miriam attacked him. And this after Miriam apologized to JPE. This is gratitude for yoursome people have it, others simply dont! Or is it true that Miriam is schizophrenic, or has a double personality? As for Pia Cayetano, she should not take Enriles objection to the RH bill personally. Senators are free to support and oppose any bill. Besides, Pia, a Protestant, as an author of the RH bill together with Miriam, should now be more magnanimous with the bill already passed both chambers of Congress. If Enrile returned the Christmas gifts of both Miriam and Pia, he was just being true to himself. Be that as it may, Enrile would just love to be in the minority if ousted as Senate President. Hes the type who would be effective as a scalizer, despite being almost 89 years old. Even now, hes thinking of bringing the RH bill, if enacted and signed into law, to the Supreme Court on the issue of constitutionality. *** The truth always has a way of coming out. Take the case of the Aurora Pacic Economic Zone Freeport Authority (Apeco) which has been the subject of non-stop severe criticism from some groups and residents in the project area. Envisioned to be the only seaport in the Pacic rim and Eastern Seaboard of Luzon, Apeco is aimed at bringing economic progress to the country. Recently, a hundred or so protesters claiming to represent 3,000 families in the municipality of Casiguran, Aurora province, were able to squeeze into the tight schedule of President Aquino.
EMIL P. JURADO

A perverse Christmas gift

FRANCISCO S. TATAD
Manuel Barroso, among others. Even Philippine president Benigno Aquino III sent a message. Many were quick to blame the tragedy on the lax US laws on gun control; it is so easy to own a gun in America and there are simply too many guns oating around. But as compelling as that argument may be, there must be other equally or even more compelling reasons for it. The culture of death has grossly devalued human life in Western society; somehow that must be held to account. What the US and the rest of the civilized world had condemned at Nuremberg in 1945-46 as a crime against humanity when practiced by the Nazis on captive peoples in World War II has since been consecrated into a right by legislation or judicial at in many countries. According to the World Health Organization, 40 million to 50 million unborn babies are aborted worldwide each year. In the United States alone, four in every 10 pregnancies end in abortion, for an average of 3,000 abortions a day. That has broken the hearts of many God-fearing Americans, but not the heart of its apostate leaders nor of ofcial America. To the contrary, the US actively funds abortion activities in developing countries not only as a moral or economic export, but above all as a politically integrating instrument of US foreign policy. And there are any number of individuals, including government leaders, who are willing to act as foreign agents , as dened by Philippine law. In the UN, some treaty monitoring bodies like that for the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women try to pressure memberstates, including the Philippines, to change their laws in order to legalize abortion or increase access to it. This is nothing less than genocide, or the propagation thereof. But out of political correctness no one uses that word anymore, except when a Pol Pot carries out his purge in Cambodia, or a Saddam Hussein attacks a Kurdish minority with poison gas, or the Hutus massacre the Tutsis in Rwanda. The murder of unborn babies is now, if you believe Obama, Hillary Clinton, CEDAW, UNFPA, IPPF, etc., a human right in its own class. But if you could capture on lm how the tender skulls of the unborn are crushed to satisfy a womans right to privacy, as dened in Roe v. Wade, and present it for public viewing in movie houses, restaurants and even commercial airlines, then you would probably see something innitely more revolting than the carnage at Connecticutsomething no one should have copied from the Nazis. In the Philippines, abortion remains a punishable crime. But the fact that it is punishable has not prevented the racial imperialists from pushing their own abortion agenda among ignorant and gullible Filipinos. On Monday, they scored a big propaganda victory when Congress, at Aquinos personal behest and direct intervention, approved on third and nal reading a reproductive health bill that has already divided the nation, and threatens to divide it further still. The incoming law trashes the constitutional mandate that the State protect the life of the unborn from conception, as well as the Catholic majoritys religious belief in the sanctity of human life, the family and marriage, and the evil of contraception and sterilization. In this Advent season, in this Year of Faith, when Filipinos are celebrating the recent arrival of a new martyr-saint, and a new Cardinal for their primary archdiocese, an unjust RH law is a perverse and diabolically ordained Christmas gift. fstatad@gmail.com

Truth always has a way of coming out.

They had a dialogue with him. The meeting was the high point of their dramatic 18-day march from their place to Metro Manila, seeking to stop Apeco and funding from government. Unfortunately for them, all the President could promise was a review to be made by the National Economic Development Authority before he decides on the issues raised mainly that they were on the short end of the projects stick and they are marginalized because they were not consulted. My gulay, I watched the coverage of the meeting on television, and Im glad that the President advised them to have an open mind despite all the obviously well-rehearsed hufng and pufng they have been doing since Day One. I was jolted, however, by the presence of former Comelec chairman Christian Monsod as counsel for the anti-Apeco group. I wonder if he has even listened to Apecos position and reply to the issues and complaints raised by the Dumagats. For that matter, has Monsod even gone to the project site to do a spot check on whats really going on there and how the majority of the residents, including the Dumagats, really feel about Apeco? Not surprisingly, that move of the protesters prompted more than 1,000 Apeco workers last weekend to march to the provincial capitol to denounce and dispute the groups allegations against the project that, even now, has already given jobs to over a thousand people there. Reports state that the marchers were even joined by four chieftains of the ve Dumagat settlements as if to stress that, contrary to what has been raised by the antis, no trespassing on ancestral domains is taking place, and that even the indigenous people there support Apeco. Apeco President Malcom Sarmiento says that the Apeco has never resorted to the right of eminent domain or expropriation to acquire lands. Neither has Apeco bought land nor coerced anyone to sell properties at unreasonably low prices. And by the way, how can the antiApeco protesters insist they represent some 3,000 Casiguran families when there are only a little over a thousand families that will affected by planned developments in the area. The protesters represent some 3,000 families, my foot! Thats a big lie! The giveway was when it was also discovered that those in the group who claimed that their land was forcibly taken by Apeco are in fact informal settlers or just plain squatters in a school reservation owned not by Apeco, but by the Aurora State College of Technology or Ascot. According to reports, there are 28 families displaced by the construction of an airstrip, which is a project of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, and not by Apeco. Financial assistance has been extended to them and they are even among those included in the list of Apeco-National Housing Authority housing beneciaries. These are the lies and the truth on Apeco! *** I dont know why NAIA General Manager Jesus Angel Honrado hates my late brother-Guillermo Willie Juradoso much that he had all the photos of former airport managers put up without my late brother. Willie was also airport manager during the Marcos regime. If the late Luis Tabuena is there, why not my late brother, who also served as airport manager? Thats history.

A Church of the poor

By Nelson Flores
THE DIFFERENT Christian sects worldwide are in crisis not only because there is a marked decline in the number of churchgoers and believers but mainly due to the corrupting power of mindless individualism and the unbridled desire for material things and worldly comfort. Individualism and the desire for mammon have fundamentally changed the way Christianity is practiced nowadays and its communal nature almost totally forgotten. For the changed ones (whether Roman Catholic or protestant), it has become an institution for a one on one or private relationship with God as if Christianity can exist in a vacuum. Christianity for most is desirable only because it is has become a source of comfort from the evils of the world. It became a tool to assuage a guilty conscience through regular acts of charity to others. Unfortunately, charity is where their Christianity ends. Thus it is common hear stories about a company boss who is a devout Christian and yet an oppressive manager. Most Christians are just afraid to do more than charity for it could actually result in an uncomfortable confrontation with the establishment as that is the logical end for those who went beyond giving alms. By starting to address the root cause of poverty and inequality in society, those who crossed the line so to speak are branded as undesirables. Jackson Browne hit the nail on its head when he wrote if anyone of us should interfere in the business of why there are poor they get the same (treatment) as the rebel Jesus in his song The Rebel Jesus. Yes, where did we ever get the idea that Christianity should just be comforting and a path for a personal relationship with God? Where did we learn that Christianity is simply mystical and transcendent? A lot of us have forgotten that Christianitys real purpose is not to protect or comfort us from the evils of this world but to give us hope and the strength to change it. Jesus did not shirk from that duty of transforming the world to make it a better place for the downtrodden and he was crucied for it. Christianity cannot be experienced in a vacuum for its essence is the welfare of the community. It cannot be practiced privately nor can it only be about worship in stone temples. It is a living praxis on how to empathize and serve the poor, deprived and the oppressed. Our role as true Christians is to transform the world. *** Empathizing with the poor Filipino is what the Iglesia Filipina Independiente is all about although it does more than that. Historic records showed that the IFI was founded in 1902 by unionized laborers led by Isabelo De los Reyes at a time when labor organizing was dangerous because the FilipinoAmerican war was in progress. Because it was founded by poor workers to serve the interest of the Filipino, the Church thus earned the title Simbahan ng mga Dukha or church of the poor. The IFI immediately was in the forefront of the ght to Filipinize and secularize the Roman Catholic churches in the Philippines as it was then dominated by Spanish friars and European religious orders. Its rst supreme bishop (Obispo Maximo), Gregorio Aglipay, was a Roman Catholic priest who was greatly inuenced by the martyred priest Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos and Jacinto Zamora. Aglipay was excommunicated by the Roman Catholic Church on May 5, 1899, a day after he urged Filipino priests nationwide to ask Pope Leo XIII to appoint Filipinos in all church positions. Church records showed that Aglipay later accepted De los Reyes offer shortly after he was approached by Jesuit Fathers Francisco Foradada and Joaquin Villalonga who tried to woo him back to the Roman Catholic fold. Aglipay said he would come back if the Church would continue to work towards appointing more Filipino priests. Foradada reportedly asked him why he wanted more Filipino priests so badly, as he felt they were inefcient and vicious; this statement greatly offended Aglipay. Some even said Aglipay punched the arrogant Jesuit priest. *** Bishop Deogracias Iiguez, a member of the Catholic Commission on Ecumenical Affairs, should resign from the commission since his hard line position on the reproductive health bill, which was aired in several radio stations recently, is diametrically opposed to what the commission is all about. The CCEA is supposed to promote Christian unity, foster dialogue with ecumenical councils and leaders of other Christian churches. But with a fundamentalist like Iniguez in the commission, I doubt if the council would achieve its stated goals. *** It does make me wonder why the princes of Roman Catholic Church want their priests to impose their archaic belief on RH to non-Roman Catholic like myself. If that is not tyranny, then I dont know what it is. Nelson Flores is a veteran journalist and a Freemason.

CHASING HAPPY
THE world was horried to hear about the shooting of 26 people, 20 of them children aged ve and six, by a disturbed 20-year-old man who had earlier killed his mother. He eventually shot himself. United States President Barack Obama was shown as shedding a tear as he spoke about the children whose lives were senselessly snuffed out. The incident also sparked debates over gun control in the United States where access to guns is relatively easy. The coverage trumped other reports involving childrenthe continung crisis in Syria, for instance, the destruction caused by Pablo in Mindanao, and the death of Afghan children who wandered off into a landmine while gathering rewood. Perhaps the world has become desensitized to deaths from places where

ADELLE CHUA

Grieving for the babes

disaster and violence are a way of life. By contrast, Newtown, Connecticut is a relatively prosperous, peaceful and closely knit community where children do normal kid stuff. What happened at Sandy Hook Elementary School is indeed a tragedy. But it is no more of a tragedy than the deaths of other children all over the world from causes ranging from hunger, disaster, disease to both systemic and random violence. We grieve all deaths alike, from those covered extensively to those we never even know about. A lot like life Plunging into a semester of thesis writing is a lot like living. First, you have to choose your topic. In a context where you are free to choose any topic you want, so long as you can justify its relevance to your program, this rst hurdle is perhaps the toughest one. Because its journalism, that eld that talks about anything, and because youre a journalist, which means you at least have a modicum of creativity, you more or less can decide to write about any topic that catches your fancy Then again, not all would-be topics are created equal. There are things you like, there are things you like better, and there are things you can really get worked up about. Does it follow that you can choose the thing that you are most passionate about? Not necessarily. Sometimes, it is just not doable. Either the data would be nearly impossible to obtain, you dont have much time, you dont have the freedom and the means to travel for your research. So you ditch the topic and look around for something you like well enough, and something that you can possibly nish within three and a half months. Remember, if you want to march in March, you have to deliver the complete package before the end of February. You write your proposal, pore over journals and newspaper clippings, and will yourself to nd an apt framework and a humanly possible methodology to achieve your objective. Defending the proposal is akin to declaring your commitmentnot only to your choice of topic but to what you want to achieve and how you want to achieve it. When you are given the green light to proceed with your study (i.e., if your defense goes well), there is no turning back. You have settled. If at any point in the semester you have an epiphany about a better project, banish the thought that you can still pursue it. Youve been hitched. You nd yourself staying late every night rming up what exactly you want to do. You gather data: analyze pages of newspapers, set up interviews with industry veterans, and realize that the more you read, the more you have to keep reading. And then you write. You sink or swim. You do a good job or you botch it. You stick to the plan or procrastinate. Sometimes, and heaven forbid, you get a streak of bad luck. The sources wont cooperate, the data is incomplete, nothing falls into place. You remember you still have a job and a household to run and relationships to nurture. You decide to do anything but give up. Everybody hopes for an outstanding nished product. We crave that A and, more than that, the feeling that what we produced actually made even a little difference. Successlike love, or happiness is a combination of hard work and serendipity, or as others will call it, Gods grace. Life is truly a Masters Project. Merry Christmas to all. adellechua@gmail.com

A6

WEDNESDAY

DECEMBER 19, 2012

ManilaStandardToday

News
legal activities from Trestiza. Before the blast inside the MSC happened, Dela Pena heard Anora instructing a certain Torres, through a mobile phone, to get the grenade at a tank early in the morning. He (Dela Pena) also cited that he was not surprised when he heard that it was Jeff Bulusok (Villa) who threw the grenade because Jeff Bulusok is a known loyal servant who serve at the whims and caprices of Torres, Rojas pointed out. A few days after, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima ordered the replacement of the head of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) after relieving heads of the NBP. In Department Order No. 981, she recalled the designation of Parole and Probation Administrator Manuel Co as ofcer-in-charge of BuCor and assigned National Bureau of Investigation deputy director Rafael Ragos to the post.

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Inmates charged over blast

The NBI cited the testimonies of inmates Emelito Sitchon, Nino Garing, and George dela Pena, who recounted THE National Bureau of Investigation has asked the incidents that transpire before and during the explosion. the Department of Justice to prosecute the inSitchon, an inmate who witnessed the explosion, told investigators that he mates involved in the grenade explosion at its saw Villa threw an object and heard a maximum security compound last month. loud explosion ve seconds later. Sitchon said that he tried to call the The bureau charged the inmate who As a consequence thereof, they attention of Villa, who was then trotting lobbed the grenade and four gang lead- would be the ones who will control the toward the direction of Sunlight Chaers allegedly seeking control of contra- illegal activities inside the New Bilibid pel, by yelling at him but the suspect bands inside the national penitentiary. Prison, like the illegal drugs and li- ignored him. Sitchons statement was Charged with attempted murder be- quors trade and kidnapping of inmates corroborated by another inmate idenfore the Muntinlupa City Prosecutors visitors, NBI director Nonnatus Cae- tied as Nino Garing, who positively identied Villa as the person walking Ofce were Henry Villa, alias Jeffrey sar Rojas said in a transmittal letter. Bulusok; Pablo Anora alias Boyet AnRecords show that at least six inmates toward Building 11. Dela Pena, on the other hand, told ora, ofcer-in-charge of Batang City were injured when Villa hurled a grenade Jail; BCJ member Joseph Mostrales; at another group while jogging exercise probers that he heard the conversations of Torres, Mostrales and Gerry Jerry Pepino, commander of Batang at 5:55 a.m. in Building 11s premises. Mananalo gang; and Pablo Anora alias A CCTV footage showed the sus- Pepino, which centered on their plot Boyet Anora, head of Batang Samar pect meters away before tossing the to bomb the jail in order for them to seize the leadership and control of ilLeyte. grenade.

IN BRIEF
Drug assets get reward
SEVEN informants received over P3.8 million in cash rewards from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency on Tuesday. Undersecretary Arturo Cacdac Jr., PDEA director general, identied the assets through their codenames as Marlyn, Darla, Hang Ten, Kinchay, Nike, Bruno and Dies, who were instrumenal in raids of clandestine shabu laboratories, arrests of several highvalue drug offenders, and conscation of methamphetamine hydrochloride, or shabu, and cocaine. The activity is made possible through Operation Private Eye, a citizen-based information collection program designed to encourage the active participation of citizens to report illegal drug activities in their communities with assurance of anonymity and utmost condentiality, he said. Cacdac, Private Eye Rewards Committee chairman said his members who come from the academe, non-government organizations, law enforcement, religious and business sectors approved to the P3,844,673.08 cash award. Dies received P1.2 million pesos for his tip leading to last Augusts bust in Paraaque City. Gigi Muoz David and Florante S. Solmerin

By Rey E. Requejo

Ifugao caving pushed

By Dexter A. See
KIANGANWeekend adventurers looking for other ecotourist destinations can sign up in a caving expedition here. Lally Dulnuan, Municipal Tourism Ofcer, made the invitation at the turnover of equipment through Rep. Teodoro Baguilat Jr. in his advocacy of Cordillera tourism set at Sitio Imbuliklik of Barangay Nagacadan. The presentation to the Ifugao Terraces Movement and witnessed by the Kiangan Tourism Council ofcers and members. According to Dulnuan, the spelunking gears worth P250,00 would help promote the recently discovered Pangagawan Caves located in Barangay Bolog of this municipality. The adventure of exploring the caves can also serve as an economic driver that will propel the municipality toward its vision of developing itself as a cultural and eco-tourism haven of the Cordilleras, Dulnuan told Manila Standard. She said the entry to Pangagawan Caves is a vertical opening that requires descending 23 meters on a rappel. With luck, training and proper planning, the caves will no longer remain unexplored because the equipments provided will enable the adventurers to explore the caves and learn more about its secrets and mysteries, Duluan said.

Co slayers sought
CHAIRMAN Loreta Rosales, of the Commission on Human Rights, on Tuesday said the soldiers who gured in the killing of a scientist and two other civilians should be charged. But the military rejected citing a legitimate encounter with rebels where the victims were caught in the crossfire. That is gross incompetence, gross negligence. They should be criminally charged in court, Rosales told Manila Standard. Brig. Gen. Domingo Tutaan Jr., head of the Armed Forces Human Rights Ofce, said they respect the CHR ndings and opted to wait until the formal copy of the CHR resolution was issued. But Rosales said no encounter that happened on Nov. 15, 2010 in the forest of Kanagan town in Leyte where Cos group was collecting specimen. Those soldiers involved should be criminally and administratively charged, she said quoting from a resolution she and the rest of the commission had approved. The CHR wants criminal and administrative charges led against Lt. Col. Federico Tutaan, Tutaans brother, and commander of the 19th Infantry Battalion, along with 1Lt. Ronald Odchimar. Florante S. Solmerin

Families of workers gather at Mendiola bridge to mark International Migrants Day to focus on unresolved cases of human trafcking, mysterious deaths and still to be repatriated Filipinos in the Middle East. DANNY PATA

First 9-Dash passport turns up

By Eric B. Apolonio
A CHINESE traveler on Tuesday turned up at the immigration counter of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 and presented a 9-Dash passport which the Department of Foreign Affairs has refused to recognize. Following Foreign Service Circular 211-12, no visa of any kind will be stamped on regular passports bearing ther old or new designs issued by the Peoples Republic of China. The immigration ofcer on duty was surprised to see for the rst time bearing a map with the 9-dash line on almost the entire South China Sea on page 24. The DFA directive is being implemented by the Bureau of Immigration at all ports of entry based on its own circular issued last December 3 by Commissioner Ricardo David. Philippine visa on old and new PROC passport is stamped instead on visa application form 2 while the no change in processing applies to diplomatic, ofcial and service passports.

SNAP plants get ISO certied

By Jessica M. Bacud
SN Aboitiz Powers Magat and Ambuklao hydroelectric power plants have received their environmental and safety certications after audit. SNAP Group president and chief executive Emmanuel Rubio said the clearance was a milestone in Magats ve-year history under the rm. It is important that we operate viably without negatively impacting on the environment, he said. The 360-megawatt plant tapping Magat river was granted its ISO 14001:2004 for its environmental management system. SNAP technology chief Kjell Valdal said this certicate is not just something for the wall, but a symbol of the culture of safety that we in SNAP all live by. The plant at the border of Isabela and Ifugao was owned by the government before it was privatized.

Chinese passport sports new design. ERIC APOLONIO

Gensan, foundation seal partnership for health

SM Foundation has partnered with Mahintana Foundation and the General Santos City government to provide better health services with the turnover of the newly renovated Barangay Health Center in Lagao, the rst Wellnes Center upgraded in Mindanao. The center has a modern reception and triage area, consultation/treatment room and Rural Health Midwife room, an air-conditioned Delivery/Labor room with two hospital beds equipped with intravenous stands, an emergency dressing cart, and a delivery bed to provide safe birth giving. Two cribs for newborn babies, a dental room complete with facilities and upgraded toilet facilities are also provided. Its Center for the Elderly attends to senior citizens while a Center for Children has toy and books for the wards. A medical mission was held led by health workers, student nurses, doctors and dentists treating 900 patients. Among those present were SM City General Santos Asst. Mall Manager Hermon Hernandez and General Santos City Integrated Health Services Ofce Chief Edgardo Sandig along with local ofcials.

Barangay Chairman Rolito Blando, Mayor Darlene Antonino-Custodio, SMFIs Connie Angeles and Liza Hora of Mahintana Foundation are joined by other local government ofcials at the inauguration of the wellness center.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

ManilaStandardToday Riera U. Mallari, Editor

Sports

WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 19, 2012

A7

Gonzales, Mosqueda gain in Philta meet

TOP seed Marcen Gonzales and No. 2 Dave Mosqueda stormed into the quarternal round of the boys 16-and-under class with straight-set romps while fancied Roxanne Resma and Erika Manduriao gained in the ladies side of the Philippine Sports Commission-Philippine Tennis Association Age-Group Tennis Championships at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center yesterday. Marcen Gonzales whipped Ivan Gonzales, 6-1, 6-0, to set a quarters duel with No. 7 Jose Nicholas Cano, who downed Jeremiah Bayna, 6-3, 6-4, while Mosqueda overpowered Jan Seno, 6-0, 6-2, to move into the Last 8 against Daniel Villaseor, who blanked Edward Baig, 6-0, 6-0, in the lower half of the draw. No. 5 Jeremiah Latorre thumped Gio Chakas, 6-2, 6-1, to likewise advance to the quarters along with Betto Orendain, who shut out Emmanuel Vacallares, 6-0, 6-0, and fourth seed Kyle Joseph thwarted Jerome Romualdez, 6-4, 6-3, in the week-long event sponsored by PSC and Philta with Dunlop Fort as the ofcial ball. Resma, meanwhile, launched her title drive in the girls 16-andunder with an emphatic 6-0, 6-0 romp over Bianca Catoto while Manduriao fought back from an opening set setback and survived a thrilling second and third set duels to outlast Mariz Gonzales, 3-6, 7-6(3), 7-5, and reach the Last 8 phase. Resma also drew an opening round bye in the premier 18-andu class and will take on Nicole Amistad, who routed Stef Del Rosario, 6-3, 6-0, for a spot in the seminals against the winner of the Khim Iglupas-Anne Castillo match. Iglupas scored a walkover win over Samantha Um while Castillo pulled off a tough 6-4, 7-6(4) win over Isabella Mendoza. Also advancing to the quarters were Joy Yuen, who held off Mariz Gonzales, 6-2, 6-4, and Ma. Dominique Ong, who beat Samantha Villar, 6-0, 6-1. Andre Rodriquez became the rst player to reach the quarters of the boys 18-and-u division as he beat Ivan Gonzales, 6-2, 6-2, with the rest of the survivors still battling it out for Last 8 berths at presstime. Eleven-year-old Jacob Martin clipped Mimo Tomacruz, 7-5, 6-1, to lead the quarternalists in the boys 14-and-u class. He will next face Soheimen Mama, who dominated Norman Gaspar, 6-1, 6-3.

Linsanity all over again

NEW YORKHis old fans booed him. His old friend clobbered him.
Otherwise, it was Linsanity all over again at Madison Square Garden. Jeremy Lin had 22 points and eight assists in his return to New York, leading the Houston Rockets to a 109-96 victory Monday night that ended the Knicks 10game home winning streak to open the season. Cheered then jeered, and later oored by Tyson Chandlers agrant foul, Lin added another masterpiece to the ones he put together last season during the height of his memorable run. No longer the fan favorite he was when wearing the home uniform, Lin got a mixed reception when he left the game with 2:25 remaining and the Rockets leading by 16. It was a lot of fun playing out there and I think our team, we took a step in the right direction, Lin said. And for me, it was great to be back and it was a lot of fun to play on that court again. James Harden had 28 points and 10 rebounds for the Rockets, who blew out the Knicks for the second time this season. They have won the last seven meetings, including a 131-103 rout in Houston on Nov. 23. Rookie Chris Copeland scored a career-high 29 points for the Knicks, who played without leading scorer Carmelo Anthony and had their four-game winning streak snapped. They fell to 186, matching the record they nished last season with under Mike Woodson. Woodsons team decided not to match Houstons contract offer to Lin, and nobody could argue when Raymond Felton, Jason Kidd and Pablo Prigioni led the Knicks to the best record in the Eastern Conference with a team that led the NBA in fewest turnovers. But Lin was the best point guard on the oor, just as he so often was during his dazzling run last winter, when the NBAs rst Americanborn player of Chinese or Taiwanese descent went from undrafted benchwarmer to the biggest story in basketball. He had a good game, without a doubt, Felton said. I never talked junk about Jeremy Lin. Anything I said about Jeremy, I felt like he deserved anything. He deserved everything he got. He had a good game. Plain and simple. Felton scored 14 points but shot 7 of 18. Kidd was 2 for 9, and both committed three turnovers. The Rockets outscored the Knicks 54-29 over the middle two quarters, denying New York its rst 11-0 start at home since the 1991-92 season. The Knicks trailed by just ve midway through the third quarter before the Rockets blew it open with a 15-0 run, with Lin either scoring or assisting on ve of their six baskets. His layup opened the run, and he then found Marcus Morris for a layup and a 3-pointer for a 67-55 Houston lead. Lin assisted on the second of Hardens consecutive 3-pointers, then had a steal and layup that gave Houston a 75-55 cushion. Lin saw some fans wearing his old jersey, but said he didnt let his mind drift back to last season during the game. Ive moved on, theyve moved on, he said. We have good memories, but at the same time were all in a different place now. AP

7 candidates eyeing Knights coaching job

A NEW coach from among seven candidates will be chosen to handle the Letran Knights before the end of the year. Athletic moderator Fr. Vic Calvo said this yesterday as the school is set to begin screening applicants, who could possibly replace former mentor Louie Alas. So far, assistant coaches Justino Pinat and Monch Gavierres are in the list. And so is former cager Ronjay Enrile, along with former College of St. Benilde Blazers coach Carlos Garcia, Larry Albano and Nel Parado. Retired Philippine Basketball Association cager Avelino Samboy Lim Jr. is said to be also interested. But he has not sent an application form. Alas quit immediately after the Letran Knights nished their campaign in th recent 88th season of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, and is planning to take a yearlong leave. Next season, the Knights are expected to start their campaign with a new coach after seven years. Peter Atencio

Army rowing team members display their trophies and medals after ruling the fourth leg and capturing overall honors in the Cobra Energy Drink Regatta series held at the Manila Bay along Roxas Boulevard last weekend.

US Opens switch Army rowers sweep Cobra regatta honors to Monday finals PHILIPPINE ArmyLake Buhioff route to Tritonspots, respectively runner-up and the 11th IDBF World DragonCobra Energy Boat Cham(1:19.26) taking staved another third in the Cobra- pionships in Hungary, said strong challenge by en Mendoza. Once competition. leg and overall mens opposed by body sweeping the fourththrilling conclusion to sponsored A ruled the womens competi- Drink brand manager Jef to them bringing again, we look forward Triton team honors in a
LONDONThe ATP opposes the U.S. Opens switch to a Monday nal in 2013 and is not satised with the prize money increase for the tournament. The U.S. Tennis Association announced last Friday that the womens nal would be moved to Sunday and the mens championship match to Monday next year. While the move builds in a rest day ahead of each nal for the rst time, the ATP said Monday it was against the change and would continue to ght it. The ATP and its players have made it clear to the U.S. Open that we do not support a Monday nal, the governing body for mens tennis said in a statement. We strongly believe the U.S. Open should keep a similar schedule to the other Grand Slams, with the mens seminals completed by Friday and the nal on Sunday. It is unfortunate the U.S. Open response did not reect our views on this issue and the ATP and its players will continue to pursue this matter in its discussions with the USTA. Rain forced the USTA to postpone the mens nal from its scheduled Sunday slot to Monday each of the past ve years. Some top male players complained that the U.S. Open was the sports only major tournament that put their seminals and nal on consecutive days. The mens seminals in New York will stay on Saturday under the new plan. A decision about 2014 and beyond probably will come after the 2013 tournament. Wimbledon, the French Open and Australian Open follow another pattern: womens seminals Thursday, mens seminals Friday, womens nal Saturday, mens nal Sunday. The USTA also announced Friday that total prize money in 2013 will jump $4 million to a record $29.5 million. The increase is the largest in tournament history, doubling the roughly $2 million hike from 2011 to 2012. The ATP said the increase was appreciated but did not go far enough. Over the last nine months the ATP and its players have asked that the U.S. Open fully recognize the fundamental role of the players in driving U.S. Open revenues, which are the largest in our sport, the statement said. The ATP therefore remains committed to continuing discussions on this issue, with the objective of ensuring that the players share of the revenues at the U.S. Open truly reects the value that they generate for the event. AP

the Cobra Energy Drink Regatta national nals last rainy weekend at the Manila Bay along Roxas Boulevard. In a rematch between established powers and rising stars in the sport, the Army rowers broke loose from their travel-weary Lake Buhi rivals in the last 100 meters to rule the 300-meter standard boat race in a time of one minute and 10.12 seconds. The Buhi paddlers, who arrived a few hours before the race after a 12-hour, nonstop road trip from the lakeshore town of Buhi, Camarines Sur, still managed to nish a close second (1:11.44) while newcomer Philippine Coast Guard took third (1:13.61) in the event organized by the Philippine Dragon Boat Federation. But the Buhi squad didnt leave home empty-handed, copping rst place in the mixed division with a time of 1:15.54, with Manila Ocean Park (1:18.85) and

tion in 1:35.34, Philippine Coast Guard placed second (1:36.24) and De La Salle University third (1:42.58)) in the last dragon boat racing event of the year also backed by Smart, Cetaphil, Ramada Manila Central and Sunlife Financial. Once again we would like to thank all the rowers in making this a successful regatta series for the fourth straight year and Cobra Energy Drink for supporting our event, said PDBF president Marcia Cristobal. This event gave the chance for new rowers like those from Buhi to be discovered. Cristobal added that based on the superb showing of the Buhi paddlers, the PDBF might consider some of them for international competitions next year. Cobra Energy Drink will continue to support dragon boat rowing next year, including our rowers who will compete in

honors to our country. We would likewise thank all the rising number of rowers and teams that took part in our regatta, which just goes to show that dragon boat rowing now has a greater following in the country, noted Cobra Energy Drink senior brand assistant Karlene Sebastian. With their fourth straight rst-place nish, Army bagged the overall team crown with 530 points while Onslaught and One Piece were third and second, respectively, following a raceoff between the two latter teams. Triton bagged the womens overall plum with 290 points, Manila Ocean Park was second with 200 points and De La Salle University third with 170 points. Manila Ocean Park secured the mixed overall championship with 290 points, La Salle runner-up (270) and Onslaught third (260).

VIENTIANEFar Eastern Universitys athletics mainstay Josie Malacad added another medal to her collection as Team University Athletic Association of the Philippines had a lean haul Monday in the 16th ASEAN University Games here. Malacad gained the silver in the womens 400-meter hurdles with a clocking of 1:03.48, more than two seconds behind gold-medal winner Nguyen Huyen of Vietnam. On Saturday, Malacad won the bronze she won in the 400-meyer individual event. Another standout from reigning nine-time womens athletics champion Lady Tamaraws, Dalyn Carmen took the bronze in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time was 12:10.73 in the event won by Vietnamese bet Nguyen Thi Phuong. After breaking the Philippine record in the 110-meter hurdles last Sunday, La Salles Patrick Unso settled for fourth in the mens 400-meter hurdles with a time of 54.45 seconds. Janry Ubas of University of Santo Tomas did not win a medal in the long jump, although he equaled his personal best with a 7.01-meter effort to nish sixth. The swimmers failed to crash to a podium nish as University of the Philippines Nikita Decera and La Salles Johansen Aguilar nished fourth in the mens 800-meter freestyle and 200-meter individual medley, respectively. Ateneos Jasmine Ong also fell short in winning a medal after wounding up in fourth spot in the womens 800-meter freestyle, while her teammate Kim Uy placed seventh in the same event.

Lean haul for UAAP athletes in Ventiane

Never Cease takes 2012s last PCSO race

THE HOARSE WHISPERER
RACEHORSE owner and breeder Mandaluyong Mayor Benhur Abalos is having a mighty good fourth quarter of the year, with the continued stellar performance of his runners, and a plucky juvenile lly is no exception. His Never Cease ran in the lead over 1,300 meters to take the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Ofces last race of the year, the 2YO Special Maiden held last Sunday at San Lazaro Leisure Park. It was sent off as the favorite, with Kelvin Abobo on board, jumping clean out of the gate with August Romeros colt Boss August clinging to her ank, with Herminio Esguerras colt Basic Instinct dogging the other two for the entire race. Never Cease never gave up the lead till the wire, winning by a nose despite a desperate challenge by Basic Instinct, Boss August settling for

JENNY ORTUOSTE

third and Lamberto Almeda Jr.s Vina Anika in last all the way. Total time was 1:24.4 (7-25-2428). ***** PCSOs racing calendar for 2013 kicks off on January 26 with a 1,200-meter 3YO Open Maiden at Santa Ana Park. That race will be followed by two races in February, both at SLLP: on the 16th, a 3YO Open (distance to be announced, but it will either be 1,300 or 1,400 meters) and on the 17th, the mile PCSO Freedom Cup, open except to imports. There will be at least one PCSO race per month for next year, giving a welcome boost to the racing community, with which the agency has had long-term ties. The agency has tentatively allotted several races to the forthcoming Metro Manila Turf Club in March, July, and November but pending a formal request from MMTC, these schedules have not been conrmed. ***** Speaking of MMTC, the Philippine Racing Commission has already included them in their 2013 racing

calendar. In fact in the rst week of January, they are scheduled to run solo on the 2nd and with Santa Ana Park on the 3rd and 5th in a simulcast fashion. As to the manpower shortage they were said to be challenged with and that might bar them from opening in January, a text message from a source at Manila Jockey Club says that MMTC has agreed to hire as regular employees all regular raceday employees of MJC. That would take care of the manpower concern and give much welcome added employment to the raceday employees. MMTC and MJC are to run three times each per week, and Philippine Racing Club four times. This is why there will be simulcasting. As to why the tracks do not simply adopt alternate raceweeks as has been the practice with two racetracks, it is because PRC has opted to call upon certain provisions in its franchise law that allow it to run four days a week. *** Email: jennyo@live.com, Blog: http://jennyo.net, Facebook: Gogirl Racing, Twitter: @jennyortuoste

Bombers hold off Cagayan

JOSE Rizal University coach Vergel Meneses said his Heavy Bombers still lacked maturity in their game. But hes pleased with the progress of their showing. Philip Paniamogan tallied a careerhigh 26 points, including a trey that sent the game into overtime, while John Villarias made a tough 3-pointer of his own in the extra Games Tomorrow (Ynares Sports Arena) session as 12p.m. Caf France the Heavy vs Blackwater Bombers held off 2p.m. NLEX vs Cebuana Lhuillier the hardfighting Cagayan Valley Rising Suns, 103-100, yesterday in the Philippine Basketball Association D-League Aspirants Cup at the Emilio Aguinaldo College Gym. The win was only the second in six games for the Heavy Bombers, but it kept JRU in contention for a quarternal berth, while closing the year on a winning note. In the other game, Terrence Romeo and Mar Villahermosa led a big secondquarter charge by Big Chill that propelled the Superchargers to a lopsided 88-68 victory over skidding Erase Xfoliant.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

NBA HOME TEAM IN CAPS

ORLANDO 102 Minnesota 93 Houston 109 NY KNICKS 96 LA Clippers 88 DETROIT 76 MEMPHIS 80 Chicago 71 OKLAHOMA CITY 107 San Antonio 93 PHOENIX 101 Sacramento 90

Sports
Riera U. Mallari, Editor

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

6/49 00 00 00 00 00 00 P0.0 M+ 6/42 00 00 00 00 00 00 P0.0 M+ 6 DIGITS 00 00 00 00 00 00 3 DIGITS 00 00 00 2 EZ2 00 00

LOTTO RESULTS

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WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 19, 2012

Titans clash as semis begins

P2.5-m rich golf tour underway
TONY Lascuna will be the marked man, but a slew of others will be in hot pursuit of the richest purse staked on the ICTSI Philippine Golf Tour, guaranteeing a shootout right in todays start of the P2.5 million ICTSI Wack Wack Championship at Wack Wacks east course. Lascuna is all red-up to wrap up the Order of Merit crown after zooming to the top of the ranking with two victories and two runnerup nishes on the local circuit midway through the season before moving to the Asian Tour, where he had not as much success. Still, his joint fth place nish in last Sundays Iskandar Johor Open in Malaysia has put him in good stead heading to the 72-hole championship organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. which offers a top purse of P450,000. I feel good and condent of my chances at Wack Wack. But the eld remains strong and anybody can win, said Lascuna in Filipino. But he will be up against an elite eld also raring to close out the season on a winning note, including Juvic Pagunsan, Angelo Que, Elmer Salvador, Miguel Tabuena, Jay Bayron and Frankie Minoza, who overhauled a seven-stroke decit in the nal round to snatch the ICTSI Wack Wack crown last year.

By Jeric Lopez

THE last four teams standing are all raring to go and showcase their wares as the 2013 Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup opens its seminals stage today.
Top seed and defending champion Talk N Text continues its title defense when it takes on rising Alaska at 5:15 p.m. today in Game 1 of their series at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. An intriguing rematch of last Governors Cup nalists takes place in the second game at 7:30 p.m. as second seed San Mig Coffee and third seed Rain or Shine renew their brewing rivalry. Both pairings will be best-ofseven tussles. Cone expects a tough battle against the Painters. Rain or Shine is such a complete team and we learned that last conference in the nals, where they beat us. But well be a more prepared team now. We also have the tools. This will be a long series, said Cone. Were lucky that their quarternals series got extended the distance and were hoping we can catch them a bit tired at the beginning. Even Rain or Shine superstar Paul Lee, this weeks Player of the Week, who has been tearing up the opposition since his return from his shoulder injury, thinks the same way. Maganda itong series na ito. Maghahanda kami kasi alam namin gusto nila bumawi sa amin. Hindi magiging madali ito para sa aming dalawang teams, said Lee. To show how evenly these two squads fare against each other, they split their two eliminationround encounters. Rain or Shine took the rst one with a come-from-behind 80-79 squeaker last Oct. 24, while San Mig Coffee took the last one just two weeks ago, escaping with a 93-92 edging as both wins were decided by a solitary point. Even if his team is playing splendid consistently throughout the conference, Talk N Text coach Norman Black still believes that his squad needs to up its level of play if they aim for a return trip to the nals for a chance at a third straight Philippine Cup crown. I am condent that we can match up well against them (Alaska), but we also need to raise and elevate our level of play if we want to win the semis and achieve our goal of getting back to the nals and play for the championship, said Black. Given how the Tropang Texters operate like a well-oiled machine, Alaska coach Luigi Trillo knows that his underdog Aces have their hands full and there will certainly be no room for errors if they want to have a chance at an upset. We just cant make mistakes against them (Talk N Text). Not against a top seed and a champion team. We need to be at our best and we respect what they do and their character, said Trillo, who will coach his rst seminals game today in the pros, while the other three mentors in the last four are all seasoned veterans. On the other hand, Trillo has something to hold on to heading in as his Aces are only one of two teams to defeat the Tropang Texters thus far this conference. In fact, Alaska was actually the rst one as it snapped Talk N Texts 6-0 tournament jumpstart with a tight 94-92 win last Nov. 2, when Jvee Casio tore the house down with a scintillating fourth period to roar the Aces back in that one. We played them pretty well in our game in the elimination round and I hope we can do that again the entire series. Leading Best of Player of the Conference candidate and sensational rookie Calvin Abueva will denitely be a key for the Aces in this series like he always has been since he started wearing the white and red colors of the Uytengsu franchise.

Cagayan Valleys Roberto Bartolo (left) tries to score against JRUs Michael Miranda in a PBA D-League Aspirants Cup game won by the Bombers, 103-100. Story on A7

Donaire, wife Rachel return home today

By Ronnie Nathanielsz
NONITO Donaire, who sealed his position as the best super bantamweight in the world with his spectacular third-round knockout of Mexican warrior warrior Jorge Arce, is returning to Manila today for a short vacation with wife Rachel. The World Boxing Organization and Ring Magazine champion, who eased the pain of millions of Filipinos over the heartbreaking sixth-round knockout of Manny Pacquiao, told the Manila Standard that he has been asking Top Rank promoter Bob Arum to work things out with Golden Boy Promotions and arrange a showdown with WVBC champion Abner Mares. However, Arum is in no hurry to negotiate with bitter rival Golden Boy Promotions, saying that Mares contract runs out soon and he will bide his time until the talented champion is free to negotiate a Donaire ght, without Oscar Dela Hoyas group. Arum said that Mares was tied up with Showtime, while Donaire is with HBO Sports, the decidedly bigger and more prestigious network and that a Mares ght with the Filipino will have to be on HBO. He said the Showtime deal of Mares will also lapse alongside his Golden Boy contract, which would make things easier. Donaire is in line for the coveted Fighter of the Year award, which is likely to be won by The Filipino Flash because of his command performance against Arce, while the Knockout of the Year is expected to be awarded to Juan Manuel Marquez.

Filipino athletes get boost

By Peter Atencio
THE country will be able to make full use of 30 international sports agreements in the coming year. Philippine Sports Commission chairman Ricardo Garcia said this yesterday as the agency gets ready to receive sports equipment the Chinese government will turn over next month. There will be a formal turnover this January by the embassy. Umpisa pa lang ito, said Garcia during a press brieng yesterday. Garcia said the turnover is the Chinese governments way of reaching out to the country after misunderstandings took place recently involving territorial disputes over the West Philippine Sea. Under the agreement with the Chinese, coaches and trainers will be able to train in China free of charge, while athletes in weightlifting can go there to prepare for the 2013 Southeast Asian Games in Myanmar. Plans are also in the works to send karatedo and judo athletes to Iran. So far, eight countries have already signed memorandums of agreement with the Philippines, including China. The other countries are Brunei, Indonesia, Laos, Russia, Argentina, Vietnam and Spain. Garcia added that in the countrys build up for next years Southeast Asian Games, a total of 13 foreign coaches have been acquired to help national athletes to prepare better.

10-milers 24th run set on March 17

YAKULT Philippines Inc. announced the staging of the countrys pioneer and premier 10 -mile race, the Yakult 10 MILER on March 17. Now on its 24th year, the event which will be held at the Cultural Center Complex grounds in Pasay City, is the longest running 16K race in the country. According to Michael Ong, Yakult Phils., Inc. sales and planning manager, registration is on going at four Mizuno Outlets: Trinoma Mall, 916 6495; SM Megamall, 634 6293; Bonifacio High Street at Bonifacio Global City, 856 1432 and at SM Mall of Asia, 915 1946. Registration fees are P500 for the 16K run and P450 for the 5K and 3K runs, inclusive of a running singlet issued upon registration and with all nishers receiving an additional nishers t-shirt and a bottle of Yakult, the unique health drink with lacto bacilli shirota strain. Cash prizes plus trophies and Yakult gift packs await the top ve nishers of the 16K run. The 5K and 3K top three nishers will receive medals and Yakult gift packs. Although the 3K run is open to individuals 18 years and above, top nishers awards will only be for kids 6 to 9 years old and 10 to 12 years old.

Grassroots program. Philippine Badminton Association honorary chairperson Amelita Ming Ramos poses with young participants aged 9 to 19 during the opener of the PBA Ming Ramos Victor Youth Non-Ranking Championships of the PBAs Bagong Bida Grassroots Program at Jump Smash courts in QC recently. With them is PBAs BBGP head Police Gen. Federico Laciste Jr. (second from right).

Diwa named Offroad Driver of the Year

CLARKFollowing his dominating triumph in the 2012 Philippine Tough Truck Challenge XII, Red Diwa of Isabela Extreme also emerged the 2012 National Association of Filipino OffRoaders Driver of the Year recently at the Clark International Speedway. Diwas feat capped another successful banner year for NasFOR, now under new president Ramon To-ong, as it drew the support of 45 competitors from as far as Tuguegarao in the north and Bukidnon in the south for its agship event presented by 199 OffRoad House and sponsored by Colt 45, RaceTech Suspensions, Maxxis Tires and Casio Protrek the ofcial timer of the Philippione Tough Truck Drenched in champagne, Driver of the Year Red Challenge. Diwa (right) receives his champion trophy, Race Tech Diwa, the outgoing NasFOR VP Suspension Coilover and Colt 45 gift pack from newly for Luzon, bagged his second Naselected National Association of Filipino OffRoaders FOR Driver of the Year in three years president Ramon To-ong (left). CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK with 233 Championship points after clinching the top plum in 2009. Kapampangan Racing Teams Edison Dungca, in another runner up nish, tallied 181 points, while last years Driver of the Year Reynan Jayme was third with 127 points. Kapampangan Racing Team emerged as Team Champion of the Year. Championship points were accumulated from the 12 legs of the 2012 NasFOR National 4x4 Extreme Series. This years Tough Truck Challenge heralded the entry of young racers and the emergence of new and more aggressive designs of race vehicles due to the availability of new technology in suspensions, most specically the coilover shocks. The result a tougher race course, which had the racers running the nals up to 9 p.m. Incidentally, the Top 3 nishers use coilovers for their rigs. With this development, organizers are expecting the competition to heat up a few notches higher next season. The Philippine Tough Truck Challenge XII is also supported by Ride Off-Road, TJM, Clark International Speedway, SMART Communications, Grantrail Cycles, Bilstein Shocks, Motolite, Frabelle Yummy Hotdogs, Air Asia, media partners Monster Radio RX 93.1, Autoindustriya.com and TV-5, Makna Marketing, Motul, Dupont car paints, Fox Racing, The Provincial Government of Pampanga, Gerrys Grill, Clark International Airport Corporation, Air Asia, Laus Group of Companies, VHT, 112 LC House and LCA General Merchandising.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Business
Manila Standard TODAY
Ray S. Eano, Editor business@mst.ph Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor extrastory2000@gmail.com to conduct geotechnical investigation that will include surface exploration of the SC 72 site in October but was unable to get the required approval from the government, especially the Foreign Affairs Department. Why [DFA]? Because what is at stake is not only energy. It goes beyond energy. So we have to deal with Foreign Affairs for this matter and its being done right now, Petilla said. Petilla said his department would defer the matter to Foreign Affairs, which would give the nal directive. If they say, weve stopped an arrangement with China or if it is okay to give them a permit, then we do not have any problem. But if they say, hold that, it may complicate things and will escalate, so we will hold, Petilla said. Petilla said his departments role does not include territorial disputes. As far as territorial dispute is concerned, ours is on technical side, so will wait for proper authorities for that, he said.

WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 19, 2012

B1

China row delays Forum exploration

By Alena Mae S. Flores
FORUM Energy Plc, an oil and gas company controlled by Philex Mining Corp., cannot proceed with the exploration of Recto Bank in the disputed West Philippine Sea without clearance from the Foreign Affairs Department. Energy Secretary Jericho Petilla told reporters the permits given to oil and gas exploration companies exploring West Philippine Sea had certain limitations. The limitation of SC [Service Contract] 72 is that is part of the dispute we have right now with China and because of that, everything that we have to do on SC 72, we have to get clearance [from] DFA, Petilla said. SC 72 covers an area spanning 8,800 square kilometers in offshore west Palawan, including the Recto Bank. The area is estimated to have mineral resources of as much as 16.6 trillion cubic feet of gas and 416 million barrels of oil. Forum Energy planned

Aquino OKs buyout of Metro Rail shares

By Lailany P. Gomez

Monday gave the go-signal to buy out the shares of the private sector in Metro Rail Transit Corp. following a meeting with Cabinet secretaries.
On the equity buyout, the consensual decision of the Cabinet secretaries was to go ahead with the buyout. Its good for the government and for the people. The Department of Finance will determine the computation and will do the terms of the buyout and the funding, Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya said Tuesday. He said the government was expected to shell out at least $1 billion in buying out the private shareholders in Metro Rail Transit. The government, through Development Bank of the Philippines and Land Bank of the Philippines, has an 80percent stake in Metro Rail Transit. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas has ordered the two government nancial institutions to divest of their exposure in the rail company. Abaya said one solution was for LandBank and DBP to sell their interest to the private sector.

PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III on

The other option is for the government to take over everything who will now buy all private interests and convert everything to the government, he said.

The private sector owns the balance of 20 percent. Metro Pacic Investments Corp. offered to acquire the shares held by LandBank and DBP in MRT 3 for $1.1 billion, enough to settle the governments outstanding debt to Metro Rail Transit bondholders. Abaya said conglomerate San Miguel Corp. had also expressed interest in infusing investment into MRT Line 3 to complement its planned $1.6billion MRT 7 project. Abaya also said the group of businessman Manuel Pangilinan merely has an option. When asked for comment, Pangilinan said his group would cooperate with the government and deal with the remaining shareholders.

ALI signs real estate deal with Gatchalian

By Jenniffer B. Austria
AYALA Land Inc. has signed an agreement to develop the so-called Plastics City of businessman William Gatchalian in Valenzuela City. Ayala Land president Antonino Aquino said in an interview at the sidelines of the groundbreaking of the One Bonifacio High Street in Taguig City the agreement covers 17 hectares of property, with 2.3 hectares to be initially developed by low-income housing unit Avida Land Corp. Aquino said Ayala Land plans to develop the entire 60hectare lot, which is owned by Gatchalians Philippine Estate Corp. The property, which Ayala will develop over a period of 10 years, will be transformed into a mixed-use project with retail, residential and ofce components. Aquino said Ayala Land would put up several mid-rise buildings on the 2.3 hectares up for initial development. Ayala Land, meanwhile, said it started developing the premium urban block at the Bonifacio Global City that would house the P3-billion new headquarters of the Philippine Stock Exchange, a high-end residential tower and a P2-billion premium commercial complex. PSEs headquarters is a 22story building that will have a gross oor area of 36,000 square meters. About 29,000 square meters are leasable area, with 19,000 square meters to be allotted to the PSE and active stockbrokerage rms. The iconic building is expected to be completed by 2016. Ayala Land will develop a P2-billion high-end mall offering 24,000 square meters of gross leasable area.

IN BRIEF
Unemployment rate rises
UNEMPLOYMENT rate climbed to 6.8 percent of the labor force in October from 6.4 percent a year ago, the National Statistics Ofce said Tuesday. The NSO said 2.76 million Filipinos had no jobs as of October, up from 2.64 million during the same month last year. Data showed the number of jobs in the country fell over a 12-month period, from 38.55 million in October 2011 to 37.67 million in October this year. Underemployment rate, or the percentage of workers desiring additional hours of work, however, eased slightly to 19 percent in October this year from 19.1 percent a year ago. Some 7.16 million Filipinos were underemployed in October, down from 7.38 million during the same month last year. The NSO said of the 37.7 million employed persons in October 2012, workers belonging to the services sector comprised the largest proportion with 52.6 percent. Workers in the agriculture sector represented 32.3 percent while the industry sector accounted for 15.2 percent. Laborers and unskilled workers comprised the largest group making up 33.5 percent of the total employed persons during the month. Farmers, forestry workers and shermen were the second largest group with 14.4 percentage share. Anna Leah Estrada

BPO tower groundbreaking. Fort Bonifacio Development Corp., owner, developer and management company of Bonifacio Global City, held the groundbreaking ceremony for BGC Stopover Pavilion, a mixed-use development that will include a 16-level premium grade business process outsourcing tower and a three-level retail complex. At the groundbreaking ceremony are (from left) FBDC chief nance ofcer Lourdes Reyes, FBDC executive vice president and Ayala Land Inc. senior vice president Meann Dy, FBDC and ALI president Antonino Aquino, Taguig City chief public information ofcer Darwin Icay, ALI executive vice president and commercial business group head Bobby Dy, ALI vice president and business development and strategic planning head Corazon Dizon, ALI vice president and chief operating ofcer Rowena Tomeldan, Makati Development Corp. president Dante Abando and FBDC commercial operations head Manuel Blas II.

Toll road dispute simmers

THE government stepped in to resolve the dispute between San Miguel Corp.-led Citra Metro Manila Tollways Corp. and Metro Pacic Tollways Corp. on how to proceed with their major road projects. We met here just the other day. Apparently, they just couldnt agree to specic terms that the government has to come in and decide for the group. I think eventually they will follow what the governments decision might be, Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya said. We also want to make sure that the common alignment is available to other party whoever would not be constructing it. I think those things are implementable. What remains an issue is the arrangement on the common alignment, Abaya said. CMMTC proposed to construct a P25.4billion 14-kilometer, six-lane tollway that will have exits in Quirino, Manila and Plaza Dilao, Aurora Boulevard, E. Rodriguez Ave., Quezon Boulevard, Sgt. Rivera, and Balintawak in Quezon City. Lailany P. Gomez

Filinvest, IMI comply with public float rule

AYALA-LED Integrated Microelectronics Inc. and Gotianun-owned Filinvest Development Corp. heve complied with the 10-percent minimum public ownership rule of the Philippine Stock Exchange. FDC said in a disclosure to the stock exchange its parent company ALG Holdings Corp. sold 636 million shares at P5 apiece to third-party investors through cross-sale transactions. The 636 million FDC shares, which raised P3.18 billion in proceeds, accounted for 6.66 percent of the companys total outstanding shares of stocks. This share sale transaction resulted in the increase of FDCs public oat from 3.35 percent to 10.16 percent, thereby complying with and meeting the PSEs 10-percent minimum public ownership requirement, FDC said. IMI said in a separate disclosure to the stock exchange major stockholder AYC Holdings Ltd., a subsidiary of Ayala Corp., agreed to dispose a portion of its shareholdings to the public. The move will enable IMI to meet the minimum public oat requirement and maintain itself as a listed company. IMI expects that the transaction will be completed before the end of the year, the company said. LT Group Inc. of business tycoon Lucio Tan sold 508.54 million shares out of the 8.554 billion shares to hike its public oat from 4.7 percent to 10.4 percent on Monday. About 18 listed companies are still not compliant with the minimum public ownership rule of the PSE. These are Synergy Grid & Development Phils Inc., Manchester International Holdings Unlimited Corp., SPC Power Corp., Vivant Corp., Atok-Big Wdge Co. Inc., Mariwasa Siam Holdings Inc., Southeast Asia Cement Holdings Inc., PAL Holding Inc., and 2Go Group Inc. Jenniffer B. Austria

2012 economic growth likely to exceed 6%, says Balisacan

By Anna Leah Estrada
ECONOMIC Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said Tuesday economic growth will likely exceed 6 percent in 2014, before picking up to as high as 7 percent in 2013 and 7.5 percent in 2014. Balisacan said in a news brieng at the National Economic and Development Authority the gross domestic product grew 6.5 percent in the rst three quarters, supported by a 7.1-percent expansion in the third quarter. This means that we will most likely surpass the fullyear growth assumption
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Indonesia Thailand UAE Euro Korea China India Malaysia New Zealand Taiwan Rupiah Baht Dirham Euro Won Yuan Rupee Ringgit Dollar Dollar 0.000104 0.032690 0.272257 1.316400 0.000933 0.160385 0.018232 0.327225 0.844167 0.034435 0.0043 1.3416 11.1734 54.0251 0.0383 6.5822 0.7482 13.4293 34.6446 1.4132
Source: PDS Bridge

of 5 to 6 percent set by the Development Budget Coordination Committee for 2012. In fact, this is much closer to our aspirational target of 7 to 8-percent annual real GDP growth that we have set out in the Philippine Development Plan for 2011-2016, he said.

We forecast growth in 2013 to be between 6 percent and 7 percent and in 2014 between 6.5 percent and 7.5 percent, Balisacan said. The government, he said, hopes to see a more vibrant industry sector, as the world economy is expected to recover in 2013

E ATE PSE COMPOSITE INDEX F OREIGNUnitXCHANGE RPeso Currency US Dollar

Closing December 18, 2012
United States Japan UK Hong Kong Switzerland Canada Singapore Australia Bahrain Saudi Arabia Brunei Dollar Yen Pound Dollar Franc Dollar Dollar Dollar Dinar Rial Dollar 1.000000 0.011923 1.620400 0.129032 1.089918 1.016777 0.820143 1.054630 2.652520 0.2666652 0.816793 41.0400 0.4893 66.5012 5.2955 44.7302 41.7285 33.6587 43.2820 108.8594 10.9434 33.5212 5200 4460 3720 2980 2240 1500 1200

P584-P695 LPG/11-kg tank

P47.15-P53.07 Unleaded Gasoline

OIL PRICES
TODAY

PESO-DOLLAR RATE
Closing DECEMBER 18, 2012
40 42 44 46 48

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

P41.075
CLOSE

12.74

5,636.59

HIGH P41.000 LOW P41.080 AVERAGE P41.046 VOLUME 568.600M

and 2014. Construction is also expected to grow robustly in 2013 due to the onset of major public infrastructure projects and additional boost coming from private construction, while utilities will be driven by the growing demand for power, water and gas, he said. He said to achieve inclusive growth, the government will institute more reforms that will further boost the countrys growth in the coming years. We will continue social investments on the poor through the conditional cash transfer program, Philhealth, socialized housing and even the community-based employment program. Through these and other programs, we hope to stimulate the economy in the countryside, Balisacan said.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

B2 WEDNESDAY

Business Market rebounds; MST BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW RFM, Ayala climb
DECEMBER 19, 2012 ManilaStandardToday
52 Weeks

business@mst.ph extrastory2000@gmail.com

High

Low

STOCKS rebounded toward the end of trading Tuesday, snapping a four-day slump, after the government announced that economic growth this year will likely surpass 6 percent.
The Philippine Stock Exchange index, the 30-company benchmark, gained 12 points, or 0.2 percent, to close at 5,636.59, as four of the six sectors ended in the green, led by mining stocks. The heavier index, representing all shares, however, dropped 10 points, or 0.3 percent, to 3,630.27, as losers outnumbered gainers, 115 to 61, with 39 issues unchanged. Value turnover reached P11.6 billion. Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said gross domestic product growth in 2012 would likely surpass the governments target of 5 percent to 6 percent. We forecast growth in 2013 to be between 6 and 7 percent and in 2014 between 6.5 and 7.5 percent, Balisacan said. SM Investments Corp. rose 1.6 percent to P829, but Belle Corp. where the SM Group has stake, fell 0.8 percent to P4.71. Belle was the most active stock Tuesday, with value turnover of P1.2 billion. Conglomerate Ayala Corp. rebounded 1 percent to P500 while property unit Ayala Land Inc. rose 1.2 percent to P25. Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. rose 1.3 percent to P2,558 while sister rm Metro Pacic Investments Corp. dipped 4.6 percent to P4.32. RFM Corp. was the biggest gainer among the most active stocks, as it rose 4.5 percent to P4.65. Meanwhile, Asian stock markets traded mostly higher Tuesday, boosted by signs Chinas recovery is gaining traction and hopes for a new stimulus in Japan. Oil prices gained to stay above $87 per barrel amid optimism American leaders can reach a budget deal and avoid automatic tax and spending cuts that might dampen growth. Tokyos Nikkei 225 rose 1.2 percent to 9,928.07, adding to the previous sessions 0.9percent gain. Chinas benchmark

Shanghai composite index was up 0.7 percent to 2,176.01 and Hong Kongs Hang Seng gained 0.2 percent to 22,554.9. Sentiment in China was supported by signs the worlds second-largest economy is emerging from its deepest slump since the 2008 global crisis. Optimism was boosted by last weekends pledge by new Communist Party leaders to support a recovery with more spending and easy credit if needed. They also promised reforms aimed at expanding private business. The economic recovery is gaining further traction, particularly supported by improvement in domestic demand conditions, said JP Morgan economists Haibin Zhu and Grace Ng in a report. In Japan, markets gained following the weekend election victory of the Liberal Democratic Party, whose leader, Shinzo Abe, in line to become prime minister, wants to shore up growth with higher public works spending. That was despite concern about the consequences of adding to Japans towering public debts and doubts about the effectiveness of looser policy. With AP

70.50 77.45 1.82 595.00 28.50 23.90 20.70 22.00 3.26 650.00 39.20 102.50 77.80 95.00 500.00 45.50 155.20 1100.00 140.00 2.06 35.50 13.58 1.70 48.00 1.62 138.00 2.96 144.00 2.75 9.74 6.41 7.77 3.80 25.00 19.40 79.30 0.02 13.10 6.00 2.35 120.00 8.40

46.00 50.00 0.68 370.00 27.80 13.80 18.50 7.95 1.91 420.00 3.00 60.00 41.00 69.00 210.00 29.45 77.00 879.00 58.00 1.43 26.50 8.00 0.97 25.00 1.08

45.00 2.12 42.00 2.30 7.41

4.83 2.80 1.00 5.80 12.50 51.50 0.0110 7.80 3.80 0.61 80.00 1.04

Returning to the basics of the long-term deposit or investment certificate

3.20 3.19 27.45 6.95 18.10 280.60 12.20 3.65 16.00 14.94 4.42 3.90 6.50 34.60 129.20 3000.00 2.62 2.44 0.196 2.88 1.41 69.20 5.50 0.77 18.00 1.22 1.18 59.90 0.019 13.70 2.60 5.02 6.98 2.98 485.20 64.80 4.19 5.20 556.00 36.20 5.70 6.21 1.54 3.82 4.65 6.24 9.66 0.0770 0.82 2.40 0.490 760.00 2.71 1.57 0.420 0.620 0.980 48.00 3.34 0.83 0.195 24.15 5.62 9.00 5.60 2.85 1.50 0.092 1.11 0.94 3.80 0.310 2.74 1.44 3.80 2.14 2.34 0.36 0.990 0.67 4.33 19.94 7.71 2.85 8.95 18.20 0.91 4.55 0.64 4.66 4.72 42.00 18.98 0.78 10.92 102.80 0.5300 24.00 82.50 9.70 5.90 1270.00 11.00 77.00 0.98 18.40 6.80 4.70 34.50 3.87 0.0760 5.1900 10.30 3.70 0.84 4.08 22.95 8.58 3.39 71.00 17.88 2886.00 0.39 30.15 4.75 3.30 0.79 0.0083 6.20 20.80 48.00 0.345 29.00 34.00 2.23 61.80 1.21 1.81 2.070 0.085 0.840 36.50 12.84 1.100 8.40 0.032 0.033 7.05 28.25 48.00 0.062 65.00 257.80 0.029 50.00 103.50 109.80 11.02 116.70 80.00 1050.00 1.31 1.38 6.20

1.32 1.08 18.10 0.75 8.12 215.00 7.50 1.96 9.70 8.05 1.01 2.01 2.90 26.50 110.20 800.00 1.25 1.73 0.112 1.99 0.90 37.00 1.05 0.320 2.55 0.77 0.65 35.50 0.014 8.00 1.80 3.00 0.260 1.49 272.00 30.50 1.03 3.30 455.40 19.00 2.30 4.00 0.61 1.800 2.56 3.40 1.22 0.045 0.44 1.01 0.285 450.00 1.08 1.14 0.101 0.082 0.380 18.00 1.70 0.42 0.150 13.36 3.08 2.26 2.00 1.35 1.05 0.060 0.67 0.54 2.90 0.10 1.63 0.98 1.21 0.65 1.51 0.150 0.089 0.41 2.10 10.00 2.51 1.81 6.00 10.94 0.64 1.80 0.45 2.60

HE otherwise placid waters of the investment community of the country were recently stirred, not so mildly, by the issuance of the Department of Finance of Revenue Regulation No. 14-2012. What caused a lot of consternation amongst the always sober and somber investment community is Section 3 which deals with Section 22(FF) of the National Internal Revenue Code relating to a bank product known as the longterm deposit or investment certicate. If my recollection serves me right (and I intend to conrm this as soon as I am able to do research at the Senate archives), the banks were at that time under severe criticism for their lending practice: they were predominantly lending short-term. This forced companies to borrow short-term in order to fund their projects which had long-term gestation periods. The defense of the banks was simple. They lent short-term because the money they have, aside from their capital, is also short-term, in the form of savings deposits which can be withdrawn any time and in time deposits which ordinarily are in 30, 60, or 90-day maturities. Thus, they cannot, said the banks, afford the risks involved in the mismatch of borrowing short and lending long. The solution was therefore to supply the banks with long-term money. A source for long-term funds that was identied was the pool of savers in many households who kept their excess funds, not in the banks but under their mats and, for the more afuent ones, mattresses. The idea was to entice these savers to put their savings with banks and the enticement, was, tax-exemption on the interest income. This history explains the characteristics demanded by Revenue Regulations No. 14-2012 and reiterated Revenue Memorandum Circular No. 81-2012 that was issued on Dec. 10, 2012. First and foremost is that the persons beneted by the tax exemption are individuals, not corporations. The reason is that it is persons who keep their money in mats and mattress. Corporations have their safes. Not all individuals, however, are beneted. For obvious reasons, non-resident aliens who are not engaged in trade or business in the Philippines are not included because they do not stay here long enough. In fact, they are, in their incomes from the Philippines, taxed on the gross. It follows, from the fact that the owner is the individual, that the name of the said individual must be what appears on the certicate itself. Not the name of the bank managing his or her account, regardless of any authorization, private to the bank and the individual, authorizing the bank to put the certicate in the banks name. It also follows that the denominations of the certicate be in small amounts, specically, P10,000 or other denominations prescribed by the BSP. Again, we are after the small depositors; hence, the threshold ought to be at the low level that small depositors can afford. Because the arrangement is a bank product, it is similarly logical that the form be that prescribed by the regulator of banks, the Bangko Sentral. To my knowledge, the BSP has yet to formally prescribe a form for this type of certicates. The law, unfortunately, had an imbedded defect right

THE TRUST GURU

GERRY GERONIMO

at its inception, with regard to the arrangement that was to be beneted. There is no doubt that savings and time deposit certicates are issued by banks; they are the banks liabilities. However, for reasons which I will deal with later, the tax code also gives the same treatment to common or individual trust funds, deposit substitutes, investments management accounts... The error is that while savings and time deposits are bank liabilities, common or individual trust funds and investment management accounts are not. They are service arrangements where the bank does not owe the owner money (as in the case savings and time deposits) but instead owes the owner the duty of managing the owners money. In other words, whereas in savings and time deposits, banks do business with their clients. In trust and investment management accounts, the banks do business for their clients. The former has maturities (time when the money owed must be paid back; the latter has none, and in most cases terminable at will depending on the condence that the owner of the money has in the managing bank. In trusts and investment management accounts, what has maturity are the instruments in which the money is placed by the trustee or the agent, not the relationship of trustor-trustee or owner-agent. The question that arises is therefore which ought to be for ve years? Is it the relationship of trust or agency or is it the instruments that the trustee or agent has placed the money? Revenue Memorandum Circular No. 81-2012 makes it very clear: the trust or investment management account must be for ve years and the underlying investments (the outlets where the money was placed) must be also for ve years. Those underlying investments must also comply with the requirements of Section 22(FF) of the tax code. And, very important, the trust or investment management account must hold on to the underlying investment for at least ve years. What is also crucial is that the certicate be issued by banks and not by any other institution, even if they happen to be nancial institutions. It was only the banks who could issue the certicates because it is they who had complained, in the defense of their predilection for short-term lending, that they had no long-term funds to lend. Other nancial institutions were legally constrained by their very nature to go into this or that type of lending. Only the banks had the statutory authority to lend short or long as the exigencies of their business demanded. Revenue Memorandum Circular No. 81-2012 stresses that the bank needs to have a license to do banking by the Bangko Sentral. The maturity period of the deposit or investment must be for at least ve years. This is written in the law itself to ensure the long-term nature of the money placed in the hands of the bank. As a way of supporting this long-holding period, there is some sort of penalty for pre-terminating the placement. This penalty is graduated, according to the length of time that the deposit or investment was maintained in the bank. The longer it had stayed in the bank, the lighter the penalty, which is the imposition of a tiered system of tax on the interest that would otherwise have been tax-free if the depositor or investor had stuck with the original intent of the arrangement. In effect what the Commissioner had done was to return to the original purpose and intent of the long-term deposit or investment certicate. In the process, some pruning had to be done. But pruning is essentially a lifeenhancing exercise. (For comments, e-mail me at thetrustguru@icloud.com.)

1.20 24.80 1.05 0.45 7.30 4.45 0.1010 5.20 60.80 5.44 1.45 831.00 6.18 43.40 0.36 5.00 4.30 1.75 0.036 1.00 0.042 2.550 5.90 2.60 0.57 1.21 13.80 5.35 1.05 18.00 12.10 2096.00 0.25 10.68 3.30 2.42 0.34

0.0038 3.01 14.50 20.00 0.170 19.98 21.20 1.05

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

SHARES 22,881,769 298,617,380 1,107,437,160 643,370,195 313,336,132 742,366,860 3,128,405,396

VALUE 1,828,810,829.19 1,095,066,112.10 4,973,851,537.59 2,254,802,466.57 1,194,633,658.74 201,841,123.27 11,553,334,843.4578

FINANCIAL 1,488.37 (down) 7.71 INDUSTRIAL 8,654.36 (up) 10.62 HOLDING FIRMS 4,958.59 (up) 23.34 PROPERTY 2,199.31 (down) 6.20 SERVICES 1,710.13 (down) 7.02 MINING & OIL 19,150.13 (up) 136.52 PSEI 5,636.59 (up) 12.74 All Shares Index 3,630.27 (down) 10.10 Gainers: 61; Losers:115; Unchanged: 39; Total: 215

6.96 0.50 1.0600 1.0900 0.042 0.570 15.04 2.91 0.008 2.99 0.014 0.014 5.10 18.40 3.00 0.017 39.00 161.10 0.015 23.05 100.00 101.50 6.00 108.90

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

M S T
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2012
Previous

STOCKS

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Close Change Volume

70.00 92.05 0.70 54.60 23.00 19.50 28.80 10.22 2.65 490.00 22.00 97.40 87.00 90.00 403.00 57.75 162.00 995.00 112.90 2.34 36.00 6.80 1.96 27.40 1.29 18.88 55.30 4.05 65.00 2.99 19.80 4.43 6.57 9.80 1.90 11.00 22.25 87.00 0.0220 13.80 3.93 0.630 107.50 10.70 1.83 12.42 12.38 12.98 31.55 3.44 16.920 256.00 7.80 5.74 10.40 9.08 4.65 3.60 4.88 32.00 102.80 243.00 1.51 1.74 0.152 1.78 1.10 78.50 1.27 0.99 6.60 1.44 0.66 51.90 0.1370 16.30 2.16 5.18 4.95 0.99 500.00 53.00 2.80 4.68 650.00 38.00 4.70 6.25 0.96 1.79 4.32 6.04 5.80 0.0500 0.550 1.61 0.315 829.00 1.92 1.04 0.2500 0.3100 0.355 17.00 2.97 0.700 0.177 25.00 4.71 4.10 5.00 1.40 1.12 0.066 0.79 1.020 2.88 0.390 1.91 1.49 1.80 1.16 2.72 0.1580 0.7100 0.455 4.00 20.50 2.57 3.03 5.90 15.16 0.69 3.99 0.550 4.990 (1.27) 0.11 0.00 0.18 9.52 (2.50) (1.20) (6.07) (5.02) 0.00 4.76 (0.98) (1.14) 2.27 (0.25) (1.28) 0.00 (1.49) (0.79) 0.00

Net Foreign

Trade/Buying
32,908,502.00 5,131,844.50

Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. Bank of PI Bankard, Inc. China Bank Citystate Savings COL Financial Eastwest Bank Filipino Fund Inc. I-Remit Inc. Manulife Fin. Corp. Maybank ATR KE Metrobank Phil. National Bank Phil. Savings Bank PSE Inc. RCBC `A Security Bank Sun Life Financial Union Bank Vantage Equities Aboitiz Power Corp. Agrinurture Inc. Alliance Tuna Intl Inc. Alphaland Corp. Alsons Cons. Asiabest Group Bogo Medellin Calapan Venture Conc. Aggr. `A Chemrez Technologies Inc. Cirtek Holdings (Chips) DNL Industries Inc. Energy Devt. Corp. (EDC) EEI Euro-Med Lab. Federal Chemicals First Gen Corp. First Holdings A Greenergy Holcim Philippines Inc. Integ. Micro-Electronics Ionics Inc Jollibee Foods Corp. Lafarge Rep LMG Chemicals LT Group Manchester Intl. A Manchester Intl. B Manila Water Co. Inc. Mariwasa MFG. Inc. Megawide Mla. Elect. Co `A Pancake House Inc. Pepsi-Cola Products Phil. Petron Corporation Phoenix Petroleum Phils. RFM Corporation Roxas Holdings Salcon Power Corp. San Miguel Brewery Inc. San Miguel Corp `A San MiguelPure Foods `B Seacem Splash Corporation Swift Foods, Inc. TKC Steel Corp. Trans-Asia Oil Universal Robina Victorias Milling Vitarich Corp. Vivant Corp. Vulcan Indl. Abacus Cons. `A Aboitiz Equity Alcorn Gold Res. Alliance Global Inc. Anglo Holdings A Anscor `A Asia Amalgamated A ATN Holdings A Ayala Corp `A DMCI Holdings F&J Prince A Filinvest Dev. Corp. GT Capital JG Summit Holdings Keppel Holdings `B Lopez Holdings Corp. Lodestar Invt. Holdg.Corp. Marcventures Hldgs., Inc. Metro Pacic Inv. Corp. Minerales Industrias Corp. MJCI Investments Inc. Pacica `A Prime Orion Seafront `A Sinophil Corp. SM Investments Inc. Solid Group Inc. South China Res. Inc. Unioil Res. & Hldgs Wellex Industries Zeus Holdings

Anchor Land Holdings Inc. A. Brown Co., Inc. Araneta Prop `A Arthaland Corp. Ayala Land `B Belle Corp. `A Cebu Holdings Cebu Prop. `A Century Property Cityland Dev. `A Crown Equities Inc. Cyber Bay Corp. Empire East Land Eton Properties Ever Gotesco Global-Estate Filinvest Land,Inc. Highlands Prime Interport `A Megaworld Corp. MRC Allied Ind. Phil. Estates Corp. Phil. Realty `A Primex Corp. Robinsons Land `B Rockwell Shang Properties Inc. SM Development `A SM Prime Holdings Sta. Lucia Land Inc. Starmalls Suntrust Home Dev. Inc. Vista Land & Lifescapes

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

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

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

FINANCIAL 70.90 71.20 69.80 91.95 92.45 91.50 0.70 0.70 0.70 54.50 55.00 54.00 21.00 23.00 23.00 20.00 19.94 19.50 29.15 29.10 28.80 10.88 10.22 10.22 2.79 2.75 2.65 490.00 500.00 490.00 21.00 23.20 21.50 98.36 98.70 95.85 88.00 87.80 84.50 88.00 90.00 88.00 404.00 406.00 402.20 58.50 58.50 57.50 162.00 162.50 161.80 1010.00 995.00 990.00 113.80 113.50 112.00 2.34 2.34 2.33 INDUSTRIAL 36.45 36.35 35.80 6.84 7.00 6.73 2.03 2.06 1.96 27.45 27.40 26.00 1.30 1.30 1.27 17.50 18.88 18.80 86.00 84.00 55.30 4.10 4.05 4.05 65.00 65.00 65.00 3.00 2.99 2.97 18.2 22.00 18.32 4.42 4.500 4.38 6.68 6.69 6.54 10.00 9.96 9.75 1.85 1.90 1.90 9.90 11.00 9.99 22.65 22.70 22.20 88.30 89.00 87.00 0.0220 0.0230 0.0220 13.88 14.00 13.80 4.00 4.00 3.92 0.630 0.630 0.620 104.00 107.50 105.50 10.80 10.88 10.50 1.81 1.88 1.83 12.60 12.64 12.42 13.90 14.10 12.00 14.80 15.28 11.50 31.85 31.85 31.50 3.92 3.90 3.44 16.920 16.940 16.800 257.40 260.40 254.00 7.90 7.81 7.80 5.90 5.87 5.74 10.40 10.40 10.38 9.10 9.10 8.90 4.45 4.67 4.45 3.50 3.60 3.48 4.95 4.99 4.85 33.00 33.00 27.00 101.00 103.40 101.90 242.00 243.00 242.00 1.46 1.60 1.48 1.76 1.74 1.74 0.150 0.152 0.152 1.69 1.78 1.78 1.10 1.12 1.10 76.90 78.50 76.80 1.28 1.30 1.27 1.03 1.12 0.96 7.00 6.62 6.60 1.49 1.50 1.44 HOLDING FIRMS 0.67 0.67 0.65 51.70 52.05 50.80 0.1360 0.1400 0.1350 16.20 16.50 16.20 2.17 2.16 2.06 5.67 5.25 5.11 5.02 5.10 4.75 1.00 0.99 0.95 495.00 505.00 489.00 52.50 53.00 52.10 2.90 2.80 2.80 4.79 4.80 4.66 665.00 683.50 650.00 38.05 38.80 37.50 4.40 4.70 4.50 6.31 6.36 6.25 0.97 0.99 0.96 1.80 1.79 1.79 4.53 4.53 4.32 6.10 6.14 5.85 5.63 5.80 5.65 0.0500 0.0510 0.0500 0.560 0.550 0.550 1.85 1.68 1.60 0.330 0.340 0.315 816.00 850.50 819.00 1.93 1.97 1.92 1.05 1.05 1.04 0.2500 0.2500 0.2500 0.3200 0.3200 0.2950 0.340 0.360 0.340 PROPERTY 17.10 17.00 17.00 2.95 2.97 2.91 0.700 0.730 0.700 0.179 0.177 0.177 24.70 25.35 24.60 4.75 4.81 4.70 4.05 4.19 4.10 5.10 5.00 5.00 1.40 1.41 1.39 1.13 1.13 1.12 0.067 0.066 0.062 0.80 0.80 0.79 1.060 1.070 1.010 2.81 2.88 2.81 0.370 0.410 0.370 1.92 1.96 1.90 1.50 1.54 1.47 1.80 1.80 1.80 1.17 1.17 1.16 2.79 2.83 2.72 0.1540 0.1600 0.1540 0.8000 0.8000 0.7100 0.450 0.455 0.455 3.21 4.15 3.19 20.35 20.70 20.30 2.60 2.70 2.57 3.03 3.03 3.00 5.92 5.95 5.80 15.52 15.88 15.04 0.69 0.70 0.67 4.00 3.99 3.98 0.560 0.560 0.550 5.000 5.040 4.950 SERVICES 1.75 1.80 1.73 32.20 32.40 32.10 1.26 1.26 1.22 0.850 0.880 0.800 9.60 9.60 9.60 12.86 12.94 12.58 0.1410 0.1430 0.1360 4.10 4.40 3.65 60.00 60.30 60.00 4.30 4.30 4.30 2.30 3.00 2.32 1100.00 1100.00 1097.00 8.79 9.00 8.85 69.90 69.90 69.50 0.380 0.380 0.380 6.50 6.65 6.65 9.30 9.00 9.00 2.95 3.15 2.82 0.026 0.028 0.026 0.57 0.60 0.57 0.0540 0.0530 0.0510 2.1700 2.2300 2.1700 7.70 7.70 7.66 2.45 2.40 2.30 0.73 0.73 0.72 2.62 2.60 2.50 13.80 13.82 13.78 4.96 4.99 4.90 3.00 3.07 2.88 80.00 82.00 80.00 12.46 12.42 12.30 2526.00 2584.00 2554.00 0.315 0.325 0.315 33.40 33.70 32.50 1.05 1.07 1.02 10.28 10.78 8.22 2.06 2.10 2.00 0.410 0.420 0.410 1.330 1.420 1.210 MINING & OIL 0.0056 0.0057 0.0056 4.75 4.75 4.75 18.30 18.98 18.00 22.00 22.00 21.00 0.270 0.270 0.265 18.00 18.60 18.60 18.20 18.00 18.00 0.86 0.86 0.86 1.05 1.05 1.02 15.00 15.20 14.80 0.51 0.52 0.50 0.990 1.010 0.970 1.030 1.070 1.020 0.0570 0.0590 0.0580 0.0580 0.0590 0.0580 16.10 16.12 16.08 5.09 5.20 4.78 0.5700 0.6000 0.5700 3.390 3.480 3.400 0.0190 0.0200 0.0190 0.0200 0.0200 0.0200 5.98 6.00 5.90 15.02 15.300 14.980 29.20 29.50 28.60 0.040 0.041 0.038 43.00 41.00 41.00 223.00 223.60 222.60 0.0170 0.0170 0.0170 PREFERRED 32.25 32.95 31.90 105.50 105.50 105.00 103.00 103.00 103.00 9.13 9.20 9.11 107.90 108.50 108.50 74.85 74.85 74.75 74.40 73.95 73.95 75.00 75.25 75.00 1006.00 1011.00 1011.00 WARRANTS & BONDS 1.73 1.75 1.75 1.80 1.70 1.70 SME 7.93 11.88 9.10

8,689,190 598,820 11,000 57,130 500 100,500 1,382,600 600 39,000 1,140 2,500 6,960,410 1,624,820 223,680 9,970 286,300.00 558,580 20 84,100 140,000

42,510.00 1,560,000.00 12,597,650.00

(259,927,718.50) 2,552,366.50 84,840.00 812,857.50 834,830.00

(11,250.00) (53,798,550.00) (600,000.00) 7,940.00

(1.23) (0.58) (3.45) (0.18) (0.77) 7.89 (35.70) (1.22) 0.00 (0.33) 8.08 0.23 (1.65) (2.00) 2.70 11.11 (1.77) (1.47) 0.00 (0.58) (1.75) 0.00 3.37 (0.93) 1.10 (1.43) (10.94) (12.30) (0.94) (12.24) 0.00 (0.54) (1.27) (2.71) 0.00 (0.22) 4.49 2.86 (1.41) (3.03) 1.78 0.41 3.42 (1.14) 1.33 5.33 0.00 2.08 (0.78) (3.88) (5.71) (3.36) (1.49) 0.39 0.74 0.62 (0.46) (8.64) (1.39) (1.00) 1.01 0.95 (3.45) (2.30) (2.26) (0.13) 6.82 (0.95) (1.03) (0.56) (4.64) (0.98) 3.02 0.00 (1.79) (12.97) (4.55) 1.59 (0.52) (0.95) 0.00 (3.13) 4.41

3,555,800 10,400 1,835,000 300 338,000 1,100 9,050 15,000 30 302,000 89,500 12,263,000 16,249,800 2,006,200 6,000 1,000 1,272,700 488,680 190,900,000 1,800 53,000 117,000 421,000 503,900 121,000 2,482,500 172,100 42,600 1,642,900 180,000 323,400 747,470 12,000 4,807,300 1,110,500 158,600 35,174,000 357,000 243,000 38,300 427,970 420 119,000 7,000 300,000 8,000 1,745,000 897,020 4,372,000 11,658,000 3,900 700,000 4,315,000 799,290 272,490,000 5,709,100 55,000 85,100 366,800 14,000 850,430 440,530 40,000 1,728,000 134,230 1,846,800 25,000 2,078,000 557,000 52,000 28,440,000 406,400 17,500 5,700,000 230,000 301,000 8,970,000 777,070 155,000 40,000 460,000 1,780,000 2,930,000

437,000.00 5,395,930.00 (19,040,495.00) (3,444,375.00) 11,400.00

(7,327,410.00) 2,808,986.50 1,728,400.00

6,781,294.00 (28,590.00) (124,400.00)

(8,402,455.00) (3,580.00) 202,860.00 50,326,566.00 (14,606,354.00) (3,454,880.00) 134,250.00 138,917,970.00 (392,250.00)

3,064,097.00 29,050.00 (7,550.00)

(13,442,428.00) 667,390.00

(33,000.00) 10,729,462.50 8,928,600.00 25,340,400.00 (108,287.00)

(39,651,307.00) 9,463,304.00

(6,443,430.00) 4,084,130.00 15,144,725.00 45,000.00 1,161,200.00 (80,082,940.00)

422,642,750.00

53,250.00

(0.58) 0.68 0.00 (1.12) 1.21 (0.84) 1.23 (1.96) 0.00 (0.88) (1.49) (1.25) (3.77) 2.49 5.41 (0.52) (0.67) 0.00 (0.85) (2.51) 2.60 (11.25) 1.11 24.61 0.74 (1.15) 0.00 (0.34) (2.32) 0.00 (0.25) (1.79) (0.20)

109,500 233,000 1,440,000 1,030,000 8,255,800 252,368,000 36,000 500 5,094,000 80,000 290,000 1,023,000 26,154,000 25,000 77,510,000 1,742,000 8,889,000 13,000 184,000 67,013,000 3,500,000 18,891,000 50,000 392,000 3,477,000 263,000 474,000 655,200 16,715,700 3,447,000 21,000 1,672,000 11,472,700

57,595,750.00 812,960.00 1,030,130.00

1,170,110.00 (1,078,900.00) 275,330.00 1,179,250.00

26,305,620.00 (187,650.00) (144,500.00) (17,667,795.00) (52,000.00)

613,235.00 (59,445,802.00) (220,000.00) (15,229,264.00)

1.73 32.20 1.24 0.800 9.60 12.62 0.1370 3.80 60.00 4.30 2.70 1098.00 8.85 69.70 0.380 6.65 9.00 2.95 0.027 0.57 0.0510 2.1700 7.70 2.40 0.72 2.50 13.78 4.90 2.88 82.00 12.38 2558.00 0.325 32.55 1.03 9.00 2.10 0.420 1.290 0.0056 4.75 18.42 21.00 0.265 18.60 18.00 0.86 1.03 15.00 0.50 1.000 1.070 0.0590 0.0580 16.10 4.90 0.6000 3.430 0.0190 0.0200 5.90 15.10 29.40 0.039 41.00 223.20 0.0170

(1.14) 0.00 (1.59) (5.88) 0.00 (1.87) (2.84) (7.32) 0.00 0.00 17.39 (0.18) 0.68 (0.29) 0.00 2.31 (3.23) 0.00 3.85 0.00 (5.56) 0.00 0.00 (2.04) (1.37) (4.58) (0.14) (1.21) (4.00) 2.50 (0.64) 1.27 3.17 (2.54) (1.90) (12.45) 1.94 2.44 (3.01) 0.00 0.00 0.66 (4.55) (1.85) 3.33 (1.10) 0.00 (1.90) 0.00 (1.96) 1.01 3.88 3.51 0.00 0.00 (3.73) 5.26 1.18 0.00 0.00 (1.34) 0.53 0.68 (2.50) (4.65) 0.09 0.00

76,000 77,400 44,000 57,410,000 500 11,255,700 50,390,000 4,173,000 354,330 18,000 167,000 105,395 1,057,800 1,551,440 40,000 200 100 727,000 139,300,000 1,134,000 4,590,000 103,000 454,300 42,000 4,000 747,000 30,000 55,000 2,650,000 5,460 1,847,300 84,165 1,000,000 1,790,900 12,766,000 4,884,300 60,000 450,000 255,000

(12,200.00) (205,000.00)

(99,424,610.00) 57,460.00 (9,680.00) (9,057,301.00) (10,658,075.00)

(7,943,236.00)

(1,350,000.00) (115,980.00) (1,296,680.00) (354,760.00)

115,500.00 447,420.00 (8,058,822.00) (37,805,750.00) (20,989,270.00) 2,732,000.00 8,100.00 60,200.00 (8,680.00)

45,000,000 699,000 1,209,100 3,800 1,630,000 11,200 20,000 300,000 5,161,000 11,000 1,987,000 18,439,000 3,787,000 100,570,000 31,000,000 225,300 129,700 602,000 439,000 39,500,000 9,900,000 44,500 4,720,800 81,700 370,600,000 2,500 182,730 106,100,000 1,879,300 83,190 2,970 6,770,600 8,300 61,400 6,610 155,850 0.50 943,000 100,000 395,900

11,459,774.00 21,250.00

820,900.00 (1,084,900.00)

(1,231,972.00) 1,115,400.00 (11,680,500.00) 12,895,234.00 41,084,920.00 20,668,401.00 10,850.00 (1,002,990.00) 80

32.10 (0.47) 105.50 0.00 103.00 0.00 9.15 0.22 108.50 0.56 74.75 (0.13) 73.95 (0.60) 75.00 0.00 1011.00 1.75 1.70 1.16 (5.56) 20.43

315,000.00

9.55

extrastory2000@gmail.com business@mst.ph

Manila ManilaStandardToday

Business
nancial strength ratings range from D to E. Our central scenario is for the Philippine economy to deliver real GDP growth of 5.5 percent in 2013, lower than the 6.3-percent forecast in 2012, but up signicantly from 3.9 percent in 2011, it said. Moodys said domestic business activity and consumption would be supported by healthy corporate sector balance sheets, steady inow of remittances from Filipinos overseas, a nascent but growing household credit

WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 19, 2012

B3

Moodys raises banks outlook

By Anna Leah Estrada

Service on Tuesday upgraded the outlook for Philippine banks to positive from stable, citing the strong domestic growth as well as improvements in asset quality and earnings.
The robust and evolving state of the domestic economy will continue to offset any potential weakness in exports, Moodys analyst Simon Chen said. In particular, household consumption and steady government-led infrastructure spending will support a stable GDP growth rate of above 5 percent, which will in turn buttress the earnings growth of

DEBT watcher Moodys Investors

banks without raising concerns about overheating, Chen said. The Moodys report titled Banking System Outlook Philippines detailed its assessment on how the creditworthiness of the countrys banks would evolve over the next 12 to 18 months. Moodys rates eight commercial banks in the Philippines, which together accounted for 63 percent of banking systems assets at end2011. These banks have an average long-term bank deposit rating of Ba1, while bank

market and low interest rates. We expect system credit growth to reach 11 percent to 13 percent per annum in the coming 12 to 18 months; a slight reduction from the robust 14 percent recorded so far in 2012, it said. Moodys said Philippine banks were well-positioned to meet the new Basel III requirements, which will be fully effective in 2014. It said even if the eight banks maintained their current asset growth and protability levels over the next 12 months, seven of them would still show

Tier 1 capital ratios of 10 percent or more at end-2014. Moodys also expects the banks to maintain excess and stable liquidity on their balance sheets over the next 12 to 18 months. The rated banks are further likely to maintain good protability in the coming 12 to 18 months, despite high infrastructure costs arising from their continued network expansion and mild pressure on net interest margins, due mainly to loans being re-priced faster than deposits in a low rate environment, it said.

Sotto (cant get) no satisfaction

FINALLY! After languishing in Congress for over a decade, the Reproductive Health bill has been approved on third and nal reading both in the Senate and the House of Representatives. But the work is not over for the modern day, Filipina versions of Boadicea, Senators Miriam Santiago and Pia Cayetano, who carried on the RH bill revolt against well-entrenched opposition mainly from the Romish men in cassocks, who have vowed to go all the way to the Supreme Court. The proposed measure still has to go through a bicameral session for the upper and lower Houses to come up with a reconciled version. But with no less then President Noynoy Aquino giving his imprimatur, having certied the RH bill as urgent, Filipinos can expect a happily (re)productive Christmas knowing they will have access to information that would help them become more responsible parents by having children they can provide for, and when they are ready to do so. Theres been so much dramaand comedysurrounding the RH bill, with many dismayed at hearing and seeing rsthand the kind of politicians they voted into ofce. As suspected, a number of them can have another career option as clowns or jesters, whose antics can literally make you laugh until you cry out of sheer exasperation. But the most memorable of course is Senator Tito Sotto who has enriched the vocabulary of Filipinos. Happy Hour machos surmise the Senator will now have no satisfaction knowing that his proposed insertionser, amendment to the proposed denition of reproductive healthpeople are able to have a safe and satisfying sex life, that they have the capability to reproduce and the freedom to decide if, and when, and how often to do so was thumbed down. Perhaps Sotto thinks of sex in the context of mere copulation, not as an act that people use to express love and affection, so for him its okay if people get no satisfaction. LTE coverage to skyrocket Happy Hour came across an interesting article by Michal Harris, the market insight and strategy director of leading customer experience systems provider Amdocs, who gave her fearless forecast that video and data trafc will continue to grow exponentially, and that the number of people who will enjoy LTE (long-term evolution) coverage will skyrocket in the next few years. Operators are beginning to realize the business opportunity that big data can bring, and it should not be surprising to see a much wider focus from service providers in capturing more customer data and using analytics to offer more proactive experiences and enhanced services relevant to subscribers, Michal said. Realizing that individual customers may have specic or unique needs, service providers will integrate different channels that will allow customers to continue interacting in a seamless manner. For instance, if a customer wants to change the data package, he should be able to do the research from his laptop or ofce PC, save a draft order in his shopping cart, and while thinking about it on his way home, be able to make changes (in the draft) about his order through his smartphone. And then, when he has made up his mind much later, be able to make the purchase through his tablet any time in the eveningwithout having to start from scratch or redo his specic order all over again. In short, simplifying the experience for customers. And in case Murphys Law strikes, a simple call to the customer care center will help sort out the problem since the call center agent can access the recent actions of the customer and get a better handle on the situation. In fact, a recent survey by Amdocs showed that service providers are looking at offering personalized plans and realtime visibility and control to improve customer experience, and of course, improve the bottom line with their 4G investments. 4G, of course, refers to the fourth generation technology for telecommunicationshigh speed mobile broadband such as the one offered by Smart, which as far as Happy Hour knows is currently the regions only tri-band 4G-LTE operator. Telecommunications technology has denitely come so far and it will go even farther, and much faster, in the very near future. For comments, reactions, photos, stories and related concerns, readers may e-mail to happyhourtoday2012@yahoo.com.

Banana growers get LBP funding

By Othel V. Campos
LAND Bank of the Philippines is offering a nancing package for cavendish banana growers, whose farms were recently destroyed by typhoon Pablo. Under the loan program, banana growers, which include cooperatives and small and medium enterprises, may avail of P430,000 credit per hectare, with an annual interest rate of 6 percent xed for 10 years. The program will provide borrowers with more time to pay for the loan as they are given a grace period of two years on the principal and interest. In addition to the loan, LandBank plans to restructure existing banana production loans under the same terms and conditions of the rehabilitation program. LandBank is one with the Aquino administration in its programs to help rehabilitate the banana industry in the typhoonhit provinces by addressing the nancing needs of banana growers, said LandBank president and chief executive Gilda Pico. Initial reports by theAgriculture Department indicated the industry suffered losses of P7.44 billion. About 154,446 metric tons of crops were destroyed, leaving 25,907 hectares unrecoverable, the reports said. The Davao region, the countrys top and the worlds third biggest producer, suffered the biggest loss. LandBank, meanwhile, started the distribution of 4,000 sacks of rice and 14,000 bags of relief goods to typhoon victims as part of the lenders total donation of P12 million. LandBank employees across the country contributed P2 million to the amount.

Emergency communications. Leading wireless service provider Smart Communications Inc.

teamed up with international non-government organization Telecoms Sans Frontieres and the Vodafone Foundation to provide emergency communications support to ongoing disaster relief efforts in the province of Davao Oriental, which was hard-hit by typhoon Pablo. Shown are TSFs Sebastien Latouille (left) and Vodafone Foundation volunteer Clifford Robertson testing the foundations instant network in Baganga, Davao Oriental. The foundation and TSF have deployed an ultra-portable mobile phone networkthe Vodafone Instant Networkdeveloped in collaboration with Huawei. The equipment ts into four large suit cases and weighs slightly over a hundred kilos.

GT Capital issuing P10-b bonds

By Jenniffer B. Austria
GT CAPITAL Holdings Inc., the listed holding company of business tycoon George Ty, plans to issue P10 billion worth of 7- and 10-year bonds to nance expansion of power generation and property projects. GT Capital said in a ling with the Securities and Exchange Commission it would use net proceeds from the bond offering to fund equity calls on the ongoing Toledo and Panay power projects and retail and commercial ventures. GT Capital, through unit Global Business Power Corp., is expanding the Toledo power plant by adding an 82-megawatt clean coal-red station in Cebu. It is also nalizing the reconguration of its current expansion plans in Panay from two 82-MW plants into one single station with a 150-MW capacity. The groups real estate arm, Federal Land Inc., meanwhile, is looking to put up ofce spaces for business process outsourcing companies. The bond offering will start on Feb. 11, 2013 and end on Feb. 19, 2013. The bonds, which will be listed in Philippine Dealing and Exchange Corp., are expected to be issued on Feb. 27, 2013. First Metro Investments Corp. is the lead underwriter for the offering. GT Capital is a major Philippine conglomerate with interests in market-leading businesses across banking, real estate development, power generation, automotive and life insurance. It is the primary vehicle for the holding and management of the diversied business interests of the Ty family.

Cirtek bullish on prospects

LISTED Cirtek Holdings Philippines Corp. is bullish on its growth prospects next year after receiving $3 million worth of orders from new customers. The company is expected to outperform the industry in terms of percentage sales growth; this statement is based on the companys track record of consistently outperforming the industry and forecast provided by Cirteks key customers, Cirtek said in a statement. The $3 million represents preliminary assessment of the value of new business for 2013, i.e. new products/packages and new customers. This is in addition to the growth expected from the current business existing customers and existing products/packages, it said. Cirtek said the new business would come from technology intended for mobile phone applications, gadgets and accessories, telecommunications, networking as well as customer specic application devices. Cirtek recently signed a joint venture agreement with Sony LSI Design Inc. over the sale and manufacturing of test boards. The company is working closely with Sony LSI during the initial stages of the business. We are optimistic that the tie-up with Sony will make a signicant contribution to the companys operating performance beginning 2013, the company said.

OceanaGold donation. OceanaGold (Philippines) Inc. donated P300,000 worth of medicines and bottled water to the victims of typhoon Pablo. Defense Undersecretary and National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council executive director Benito Ramos (left) receives the boxes of medicines from Bradley Norman, OceanaGold country director (second from right), and Philippine Mine Safety and Environment Association president Louie Sarmiento (middle) during the turnover at Camp Aguinaldo. With them (right) is OceanaGold community relations manager Jun Floresca.

Maxicare introduces two prepaid health cards

MAXICARE Healthcare Corp. has introduced seamless and superior healthcare services to its members by designing two prepaid health cardsMyMaxiCare Lite and EReady Cards. MyMaxicare Lite is a one-time availment prepaid healthcard that covers up to P25,000 of in-patient care services for six common diseases, including dengue, malaria, cholera, typhoid and paratyphoid, gastroenteritis and pneumonia. Maxicare cardholders and non-members can avail of the service at affordable variants of P1,599 and P2,199 with a validity of one year. Both variants have the same maximum benet limit of P25,000 but the higher grade provides added comfort of having access to six major hospitals, namely Asian Hospital Medical Center, Cardinal Santos Medical Center, Makati Medical Center, St. Lukes Medical CenterGlobal City, Taguig; St. Lukes Medical Center-Quezon City and The Medical City. EReady, meanwhile, is designed to provide emergency medical services during accidents and unexpected illnesses. EReady is available in P788 and P988 variants, with a validity of one year and one-time emergency expense coverage of up to P15,000. EReady provides access to Maxicares wide network of hospitals nationwide, with EReadys higher variant also providing access to the same six major hospitals.

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WORLD
Manila Standard TODAY
ROME-A new report from Amnesty International is alleging widespread exploitation of foreign migrant workers in Italy, saying they often receive less than the minimum wage and sometimes are not paid at all.
The international human rights group said Tuesday that two visits to Italy this year, mainly in southern farming areas, conrmed other studies that also found a pattern of labor exploitation of migrants across Italy. Amnesty said migrant workers are frequently paid much less than Italians doing the same job. Migrant workers, both legal and illegal, work mainly in farming, tourism and construction in Italy. The group credits Italian investigators for prosecuting some extreme cases of exploitation cases, but contends less serious abuses often go unpunished. The report focuses on migrant workers from Africa and Asia. Amnesty Internationals research found evidence of instances of widespread and/or severe labor exploitation, in violation of Italys obligations under several international conventions on labor rights, in particular wages below the minimum wage agreed between unions and employers organizations, arbitrary wage/salary reductions, delays or non-payment of wages and long working hours, the report said. The places researchers visited included Rosarno, a southern farm town notorious for a violent tensions between natives and migrants in 2010. At least 38 people were wounded in clashes, which began when two migrants were shot with a pellet gun in an attack the migrants blamed on racism. Under a crackdown by former Premier Silvio Berlusconis conservative government, which included an antiimmigrant coalition partner, formal employment contracts are required before migrant workers can obtain residence permits. Thus migrants might feel pressured to accept unattractive job conditions in return for legal permission for themselves and their families to live in Italy. AP

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Migrants abuse in Italy hit

An Indonesian child holds a colored chick to be sold at a chicken farm in Jakarta unmindful of the H5N1 virus. AP

Indon bird flu kills boy

JAKARTAA 4-year-old Indonesian boy has died from bird u, bringing the death toll to 160 in the country hardest-hit by the deadly virus, a health ofcial said Tuesday. While the H5N1 bird u virus has killed relatively few people, scientists have been closely monitoring it for its potential to mutate and affect humans worldwide. The boy died Dec. 6 in Tangerang city, just west of Jakarta, the capital, said Health Ministry ofcial Rita Kusriastuti. He developed symptoms of a cold and fever on Nov. 30 and was treated at a public health center before being hospitalized the same day he died. Kusriastuti said the boy, from the West Java district of Bogor, was believed to have been infected with the H5N1 virus after having direct contact with dead fowl around his house. Bird u has killed at least 360 people worldwide since 2003. It remains hard for people to catch, but experts fear it could mutate into a more deadly form that spreads easily from person-toperson. So far, most human cases have been linked to contact with infected poultry. Last week, Kusriastuti said a form of the H5N1 virus not previously detected in Indonesia had killed hundreds of thousands of ducks on the main island of Java. The type of virus has been found circulating in a number of other countries and does not indicate any change that makes humans more susceptible. AP

China detains doomsday mongers

BEIJINGChinese police have detained more than 100 people, among them members of a fringe Christian group, for spreading rumors about the worlds impending end, state media reported Tuesday. Police seized leaets, video discs, books and other apocalyptic materials in the recent arrests of 101 people across eight provinces and regions, from the prosperous east coast to less developed western China, the Xinhua News Agency said. The detentions come ahead of Friday, Dec. 21 a date some say the Mayans prophesized would be the end of the world and which was the subject of the apocalyptic movie 2012. Nearly half those detained are reported to be members of the group Almighty God, which is also called Eastern Lightning, after a phrase from the Bibles Book of Matthew. Widely regarded as a heretical Christian sect, the group preaches that Jesus has reappeared as a woman in central China. It has been accused of targeting Christians, kidnapping and beating them to force conversions. Chinese society has been in tumult as decades of rapid free-market economic growth discredit communist ideology, loosen social controls and pull hundreds of millions from the countryside to the cities. Into the spiritual void have rushed traditional Buddhist groups and Daoist practices, as well as evangelical Christian churches and other spiritual groups, some with unorthodox and apocalyptic visions. Eastern Lightning rst appeared around 20 years ago, and Xinhua said that its members had recently latched on to the Mayan doomsday prophesy to predict that the sun will not shine and electricity will not work for three days beginning on Dec. 21. The state-run Huashang website last week, citing local authorities, reported that the group is urging followers to exterminate the great red dragon a reference to the Communist Party and found a country under the rule of Almighty God. AP

IN BRIEF
Santa delivers UN presents
UNITED NATIONSSanta Claus arrived early at the United Nations and delivered two gifts for Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. The UN chief moved back into his newly renovated ofce on the 38th oor of the Secretariat building after three years in temporary quarters on Monday morning, and in the afternoon he was presented with a new armored car wrapped in a red ribbon with a big bow. Ban marveled at his new beautifully renovated ofce and brand new beautiful armored vehicle. This looks like a very big holiday gift for me, he said at the presentation of the Hyundai car. The United Nations began renovating its now 60-year-old iconic steel and glass headquarters overlooking New Yorks East River in May 2008. The project is expected to be nished in 2013. AP

Syrian vice president: Army cant win over rebels

BEIRUTSyrias vice president has acknowledged that the army cannot defeat the rebel forces trying to topple the regime and called for a negotiated settlement to save the country from ruin. The rare, candid comments by Farouk al-Sharaa, a longtime close aide to President Bashar Assads family, suggested his embattled regime may be contemplating an exit strategy as rebel forces move closer to the capital Damascus. He spoke in an interview published Monday by Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar. I dont see that what the security forces and army units are doing will lead to a denitive victory, alSharaa was quoted as saying in the interview conducted in Damascus. All these opposition forces can only conclude the battle to topple the regime if their goal is to push the country into chaos and a cycle of violence that has no end, he added. Al-Sharaa pushed for a negotiated political settlement that includes the formation of a national unity government with wide jurisdiction. His comments coincided with a step-by-step peace plan for Syria outlined by Iranian ofcials on Sunday. It would be capped by Syrian elections that presumably could usher in a new leader in Damascus. Tehran is Assads closest and perhaps only remaining regional ally and the initiative suggests its embrace of the Syrian president could be cooling. The initiative while almost certain to be rejected by Syrian rebel factions marks one of the clearest signals yet that Irans leadership is looking to hedge its bets and remain a player in Syrian affairs if Assad is toppled. AP

Low turnout in Egypts vote

CAIROJust under a third of voters turned out for the rst stage of the referendum on a constitution meant to be a historic milestone in setting Egypts future a showing critics say deepens doubts over the legitimacy of a charter that has already polarized the country. The dismal showing also raises the question whether Egyptians have been turned off by the turmoil that has characterized the countrys politics throughout the nearly two years since the ouster of Hosni Mubaraks autocratic regime. Last Saturdays voting took place in 10 of Egypts 27 provinces, including Cairo and the nations second largest city Alexandria. Some 26 million voters were eligible to vote, but only 32 percent of them did. Voting in the remainder 17 provinces will take place the coming Saturday. The turnout was the second lowest of the relentless series of ve nationwide elections that Egyptians have been called to in the 22 months since Mubaraks fall in last years popular uprising. The highest was nearly 60 percent in the election of parliaments lawmaking lower chamber. The lowest was an embarrassing 8 percent for the vote for the upper chamber, a largely toothless body that the public cares little about.AP

Young warriors train in a attempt to turn rag-tag groups into a disciplined force even as Syrian vice president Farouk al-Sharaa admits before journalists in a joint press conference with Italian Premier Romano Prodi at Chigi palace, that the army cannot defeat the rebels. AP

Polls show gun control favored

A MAJORITY of Americans support stricter gun-control measures, including a ban on high-capacity ammunition clips, according to a poll released today following the murder of 26 people, including 20 children, in Newtown, Connecticut. The ABC News/Washington Post survey showed 54 percent of respondents backing new limits on gun rights, with 43 percent opposed. When asked about banning ammunition clips that contain more than 10 bullets, 59 percent supported the idea, while 38 percent opposed it. In addition, 52 percent backed a ban on semiautomatic handguns, with 44 percent in opposition. A Pew Research Center poll also released today showed 47 percent of respondents said the killing rampage reected problems in US society, while 44 percent said it was an isolated act by one person. Asked about the July shootings in a Colorado movie theater that killed 12 people, 67 percent viewed it as an isolated act and 24 percent said it was a societal problem. The suspect in the Dec. 14 Connecticut killings, Adam Lanza, brought handguns and an assault rie to Sandy Hook Elementary School before embarking on the seconddeadliest US school shooting. He killed himself at the scene, police said. In 2007, 33 people including shooter Seung-Hui Cho died at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, popularly known as Virginia Tech, in Blacksburg. In the July 20 shootings in Aurora, Colorado, James Holmes is facing charges of rst-degree murder Majorities have consistently supported gun-control measures going back to 1993, when 60 percent were in favor of stronger laws, according to surveys. Congress banned certain assault weapons in 1994, though 10 years later thenPresident George W. Bush and the Republican-controlled Congress didnt renew the prohibition when it expired. Senator Dianne Feinstein, a California Democrat, said she would introduce legislation next month to reinstate the assault- weapons ban. BLOOMBERG

Korea election may hang on youth

SHIN So Yoon had wanted to spend tomorrows national holiday in Seoul indulging her appreciation of Edward Scissorhands director Tim Burtons works. Instead, shell be skipping the exhibition and voting. How many of the 29-year-old high school nutritionists generation join her in South Korean voting booths tomorrow may determine whether Park Geun Hye, daughter of the nations 1970s military dictator, or Moon Jae In, a former humanrights lawyer, becomes president. In the last election, when Parks party won, voters in their late 20s made up the lowest share of votes. Shin said she will vote for Moon, countering the Park vote from her mother, who at age 64 exemplies the appreciation of some older voters for the rapid growth under Park Chung Hee four decades ago. At issue for Asias fourth-largest economy is how concerted an effort will be made under the incoming government to rein in the role of chaebols, the conglomerates that Park senior embraced to propel exports and development. The support from those above age 50 is strong but its not enough to guarantee a win for Park, said Kim Ji Yoon, director of the Public Opinion Studies Center at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul. Moon hasnt been in the lead but he has shown a steady rise, especially a steep one toward the end, she said, referring to opinion polls that closed on Wednesday. Every president eventually ends up being the same and rarely does anything change fundamentally for the better, Shin said in an interview last week. BLOOMBERG

Longer life risks more illnesses

FIRST the good news: people are living longer than they did 20 years ago. The bad news? The extra years are marred by illness, according to the largest study of global health trends in history. Over the last two decades, life expectancy rose to 67.5 from 62.8 for men and 73.3 from 68.1 for women worldwide, the study, published in the journal The Lancet today, found. Still, the gap between years lived and the number of those years in which people enjoy good health widened, to 9.2 for men and 11.5 for women. The study, written by almost 500 researchers from 50 countries, shows that economic development is a two-edged sword: while bugs and viruses kill humans far less often than they used to, poor diets and bad

habits are taking their place. Thats putting medical systems worldwide in a train-wreck scenario, said Peter Piot, the director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. We should live as long as we can and as healthy as we can until the last day of life, and that doesnt seem to be the case, Piot said at a brieng in London today. BLOOMBERG

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Manila Standard TODAY

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Palate-pleasing Fish Fillet with Tamarind Sauce

home work relationship

Gianna Maniego, Editor Dinna Chan Vasquez, Assistant Editor

WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 19, 2012 standardlifestyle@gmail.com

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State of the art Recaro se a a more com fortable rest ts recline to lie-at mod e for

PAL launches direct flight to TORONTO

THE TORONTO DIARIES 1:

words by Gianna G. Maniego images by Roy Bonghanoy

BALIKBAYANS in Toronto, Canada just might be singing Ill Be Home for Christmas this year.
With the launch of its non-stop ight between Manila and Toronto, Philippine Airlines has made life so much easier for Filipino Canadians to be home for the holidays. And just in the nick of time too, as the airline company kicks off one of the busiest travel periods on the calendar. The Manila-Toronto ight, according to Philippine Airlines president Ramon S. Ang, is the ag carriers response to the clamor of Filipinos on the eastern seaboard for their own service. There are about 250,000 Filipino Canadians residing in Toronto. Of these, about 117,400 come to the Philippines each year, accounting for one of the biggest visitor groups in the country. As you can imagine, thats a lot of clamor coming from that side of the world. We heard them loud and clear, and were excited to serve them, says Ang. Send off Taking off last Nov. 30 on a brand-spanking new Boeing 777300ER, the ag carrier pulled out all the stops to make its inaugural run a memorable event, in the air and on the ground. The excitement was undeniable as those of us lucky enough to be invited on the maiden ight (members of the media, aviation, tourism and diplomatic ofcialsincluding the Canadian ambassador H. E. Christopher Thornleyas well as key PAL executives) were sent off in style. In his speech before the ight, Ang noted the new direction the airline company is headed in, declaring these exciting times for the country and your ag carrier, Philippine Airlines. The Manila-Toronto ight marks the rst major route expansion since the partnership between San Miguel and the Lucio Tan Group was formed. It also marks PALs rst service to Toronto and re-establishes our presence in the North American East Coast after 15 years. When we take delivery of more planes in the coming months, we can expect more events like these as we launch new routes to more exciting destinations. Toronto is PALs 27th international destination. Party in the air On board the magnicent aircraft, the inaugural party began, as passengers marked the momentous occasion on Twitter and Facebook. That included celebrities Patty Grandidge, Toni Gonzaga and Rachelle Ann Go, who came along for the inaugural festivities

Philippine Airlines president Ramon S. Ang, center, led the ribbon-cutting ceremonies, along with , from left, ,Tourism Undersecretary Daniel Corpuz, Canadian Ambassador, H.E,. Christopher Thornley, and Tourisnm Undersecretary Jose Lotilla and MIAA general manager Jose Honrado

PAL president Ang during his send off speech at the Naia 2

Pearson Airport Ceremonial Cake Cuting

From left (standing) : PAL ofcer-in-charge commercial group Rafael Rollan; assistant vice president for advertising Jess Garcia; manager sales Grace Valenzuela; PAL advertising and promotions ofcer Terry Romilla; PAL advertising and promotions specialist Lynn Haltland; PAL country manager Dina Mae Flores; The Charisma Girls, PAL BRT, Melissa Ungson ; PAL vice president for sales Jing Javier; PAL corp. comm ofcer Cielo Villaluna; PAL vice president for marketing Bong Cruz ; from left (seated): corp. comms multimedia specialist Roy Bonghanoy; PAL Canada country manager Allan Coo; PAL product manager.Josh Vasquez; PAL vice president for corp. comms Joey de Guzman; PAL marketing lead, Business Review Team Raymund Acedera; PAL advertising and promotions ofcer Calo Bello.

planned in Toronto). Needless to say, there was a lot to be happy about, not the least of which were the Recaro seats (the same seats used on Porsches) that reclined to full lie-at mode at the touch of a button which many of us surreptitiously played with to get the proper angle (dont lie, I caught you guys.) Once in the air, many of us took advantage of the inight entertainment (a state-of-the-art fully digital system with AVOD or audio-video on demand capability) and caught up on movies and videos we missed. (FYI, Rachelle watched Inception while Toni watched Praybeyt Benjamin.) The inight cuisine did not disappoint either as passengers were treated to Grilled Veal With Sundried Tomato and Mushroom, Salmon in Spicy Shrimp Sauce and other palate-pleasing dishes concocted by top gourmet chefs including Fernando Aracama, Billy King, Malaysias See Cheong Yan, Japans Masahiro

Mizumoto and Thailands Khun Suwanna Puangdee. Gateway to the east Journeying in the Boeing 777300ER was no hardship. The luxurious wide-body jet is especially designed for ultra-long haul, intercontinental journeys. It boasts the worlds most powerful engines, allowing it to cover the 13,230 km between Manila and Toronto in no time at all. What would normally take 21 hours in travel time has now been whittled down to 15. More importantly, the thriceweekly service not only offers a direct link to Canadas biggest city, it also gives the ag carrier a foothold in the North American East Coast. (PAL used to have a Manila, Vancouver and Newark service that was halted in 1997 after the airline was downgraded to Category 2.) It is also a shorter, more direct ight to Manila and 55 other destinations for passengers from New York and other cities on the US East Coast as well.

According to Ang, the Toronto service is just the rst step in PALs expansion plans that will ultimately put the ag carrier back on the US East Coast, Europe and the Middle East. Soaring to new heights Felix Bong Cruz, vice president for marketing support, emphasized this vision at the press conference ushering in the formal inaugural festivities of the ManilaToronto service. As outlined by our president Mr. Ang, there are three pillars of growth for our expansion: eet modernization, network expansion and service innovations, he said. This includes beeng up the airlines eet with two more B777s (scheduled for delivery next year), on top of the 64 Airbus aircraft already ordered earlier. These new aircraft are expected to be delivered starting 2013 through 2017, totaling 100 new aircraft. Cruz pointed out the new amenities offered by the airline, in-

cluding the Recaro seats, inight access to iPads, and the inight gourmet cuisine. On the ground, Cruz said, passengers may even be able to book a ight while gassing up their cars. PAL book-and-buy kiosks will be set up at Petron stations where motorists can book their ights and pay for their tickets in cash. This is especially useful for those who prefer not to use their credit cards in booking online. Cruz recalled Angs vow to return to Europe and the Middle East, as well as plans to add more destinations in Australia. Expect more big things in the coming year, Cruz promised. Its just more fun, period To make sure the new service created attention-getting reverb, PAL launched several activities including a welcome ceremony at Pearson International Airport upon landing, an electronic billboard that ashed PALs commercial in Yonge-Dundas Street (Torontos version of Times Square), a booth

at the Paskuhan trade show and a formal reception at the Shangri-la Toronto Hotel that was attended by key members of the Filipino Canadian society. The event, hosted by PAL, dovetailed nicely with the Department of Tourisms launch of the Its More Fun in the Philippines campaign in Canada. Rachelle Ann Go, a strong candidate for Kim in the upcoming Miss Saigon movie, belted out a few favorites including an updated take on the Jose Mari Chan-penned PAL jingle. Toni Gonzaga, who performed at the Paskuhan event, also granted PALs request to sing. Roundtrip packages from Toronto to Manila, Boracay, Cebu and Bohol were also rafed off to lucky Fil Canadian tour operators and agents. The packages included hotel accommodations and were worth millions of pesos. The festivities started out as a formal cocktail reception presided over by Patty Grandidge, but easily slid into a no-holds-barred rockeoke with PAL assistant vice president for advertising and former Hotdog band member Jesse Garcia taking over the drums. Non-Filipinos who attended the reception could only marvel nonplussed as visitors including the ofcials and diplomatsloosened their ties, put their hands in the air and shimmied to Bongga Ka Day and Annie Batungbakal. It was an event of Bieber magnitude, and as inaugural events go, as memorable as the Northern Lights. (Next: Playing tourists in Toronto) PALs Toronto service (PR 118) departs Manila every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday at 3:00 p.m. Arrival at Terminal 3 of Toronto Pearson International Airport is at 5:00 p.m. on the same days. The return ight (PR 119) departs Toronto every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday at 7:35 p.m., stopping in Vancouver at 9:30 p.m. The service continues on to Manila at 11:30 p.m. and arrives at Terminal 2 of Ninoy Aquino International Airport at 5:45 a.m. two calendar days later. From November 30, the current daily service between Manila and Vancouver, British Columbia, on Canadas West Coast, will be revised to four times weekly from Manila to Vancouver alternating with a threetimes-weekly non-stop from Manila to Toronto. On the return journey, Vancouver-Manila will have a dedicated product four times weekly along with a shared service from Toronto three times weekly. Toronto-Manila, therefore, will be a one-stop service via Vancouver. For more information, visit the PAL Web site (www.philippineairlines.com)

PO-TAY-TOE, PO-TA-TO
Bite into the brown lump of earth heavenly that is potato as Winchelle shares her lavish dinner experience featuring this starchy, tuberous crop.

2013 INTERIOR DESIGN TRENDS

Update your living space with a few touches of interior design trends for the coming year.

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IDE INS

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ManilaStandardToday Gianna Maniego, Editor Dinna Chan Vasquez, Assistant Editor

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WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 19, 2012

home work relationships

standardlifestyle@gmail.com

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Interior design trends for 2013

By Ed Biado
JUST like wardrobes, living spaces deserve an update every season. It is, after all, the place you see everyday and it would denitely be nice to come home to something thats not stuck in the Middle Ages. Even if your space is classic, a few touches of modernity cant hurt. Here are some interior design trends for the coming year that you can incorporate into your home as early as now. Trend-spotter Lidewij Edelkoort believes that yellow will replace orange as the must-have color of the year, although she did not mention a specic shade. It doesnt matter because all sorts of yellow are fantastic way to brighten up a room and make it more cheerful, either as a dominant color or an accent. Aside from being the new orange, its also the new pink. A lot of design experts are saying that patterns and orals will reclaim their trendiness in 2013. This will be seen in upholstery, wallpapers, laminated wood and other surfaces. Color-blocking was huge in 2012, with the use of bold solids against one another. But this trend is on its way out in favor of the more vintage and artsy feel of retro stripes and dainty ower prints. Tribal and medieval patterns from all over the world are also expected to make their interior design debut, as well as botanical-inspired patterns. Texture is another aspect of furniture that designers are buzzing about. In recent years, the industrial look introduced unnished walls and rough nishes on other big surfaces. This season, this trend is taken a step further by using raw wooden surfaces with no nishing whatsoeverno smoothing (unless, of course, the surface can cut through skin), no varnish, no paint. A great example is a set of hardwood chairs made by the Royal College of Art, which were exhibited at the London Design Festival. For dcor, brass is a top material that a lot of designers are currently crushing on, including Melissa Rufty. And theyre using it on everything from lamp

stands to trays for display. If you have an antique set of brass items in your storage, now would be the time to look for them. Other designers, like Jeffrey Bilhuber, dont have a specic material in

mind, but are convinced that glossy and shiny materials are great on any object that demands attention. (The same goes for paint: Matte is out, high-gloss lacquer is in.)

ONE POTATO, TWO POTATO

By Winchelle Nacague Uy

Holiday-themed baked goodies

THE French Baker whips up exciting Christmas goodies for the holidays. Wonderfullycrafted Gingerbread house, Classic Fruit Cake (cake aux fruites) and a medley of freshly-baked cookies including the French Almond tile (tuilles aux amandes), M&M choco chips, snickerdoodle, ginger molasses and pure Danish butter cookies. All products are available at French Baker stores nationwide.

WHAT is it about potatoes that it makes dishes instantly more appetizing? When forced to choose between two dishes I often choose the dish that contains a potato whether it's a potato gratin or creamy mashed potatoes. There's just something about this starchy goodness that makes me look forward to relishing my meal when its with a feel-good yummy potato. Even Oprah calls this humble, brown lump of earth heavenly.
So are all potatoes really the same banana? Or as the saying goes, 'Po-tay-toe, po-ta-to, its all the same!' Some renowned chefs beg to differ. US potatoes are a crop above the rest, according to them. US potatoes are preferred by chefs as an integral ingredient of some of the worlds best cuisines. Besides variety, restaurateurs can be assured of a steady supply because US potato growers offer processors a plentiful yearround delivery of the nest potatoes that meet stringent FDA and USDA specications. The ideal growing temperatures, rich soil, state-of-the-art processing facilities and generations of expertise required by US Potatoes enable chefs to achieve a sumptuous meal with desirable appearance, taste, and texture. In order to express their gratitude to all friends, partners, sponsors and media who have been supportive of their products and events, a Thanksgiving Dinner party is exactly what the United States Potato Board (USPB) and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) have cooked up this year. For 2012, two esteemed chefs have teamed up to roll out a lavish dinner spread. Chef Myrna Segismundo once again opened the doors of Restaurant 9501 to the USPB, coming up with an all-new gastronomic feast featuring US Frozen Potatoes for the Thanksgiving Dinner. This time around, she is joined by chef Robby Goco, of the famed CYMA chain of restaurants serving authentic Greek cuisine, whose demonstration of the exibility of US Dehydrated (Dehy) Potatoes also showcased his versatility.

US Roast Turkey with Candied US Half Shell Potatoes

Say cheers to 2013

CELEBRATE the New Year with Tupperware Eco Bottles in refreshing colors. This handy and environmental bottle is available in the new Pink Punch and Lime Aid shades. It also comes with the special edition heart and sh charms that will attract love and good fortune to usher 2013. The Tupperware Eco Bottle is made of safe, non-toxic materials and has a perfect handy size to bring to work, school or outdoor activities.

Guests were rst treated to a unique US Mashed Potato 'Mashtini Bar' with pass-around cocktails and appetizers prepared by chef Robby. These delicious potato concoctions, made from US Mashed Potato Mixes, combined both subtle and powerful avors, taking their cues from the different countries where potato is a popular ingredient. The earthy Turkey Stew, quintessential to any American Thanksgiving feast, was served alongside a delicate Potato Espuma. Fans of Asian cuisine found that the spicy Wasabi/Potato Espuma complemented the rich Korean Beef Stew. There were two plates that gave a nod to chef Robbys specialty and afnity for Greece: the heady Lamb Stifado and the Roasted Eggplant/Potato Espuma came together naturally, while the aromatic Skordalia Espuma met

its match with the Deep-Fried Halibut. True to the theme of abundance and Americana, the savory dishes by Chef Myrna featured the many ways US Frozen Potatoes can be enhanced and enjoyed especially by a group. Dinner began with heaping bowls of US Straight Cut Potato and Mixed Seafood Chowder. Those seeking comfort and warmth from home food relished the Pot Roast US Beef with Half Shell Potatoes and Mushrooms, while those wanting a heavy, lling meal with a sharp kick found it in the Barbecued US Baby Back Ribs and Potato Wedges in Smokey Hickory Sauce. Of course, it would not be a proper American Thanksgiving Dinner without the presence of US Roast Turkey with Bread and Nut Stufng, Cranberry Relish, Giblet Gravy and Candied US Half Shell Potatoes. To cap off the

night, servings of the all-American US Criss-Cut Potato and Apple Pan Dowdy, the sweetly delectable US Berry Trie, and the refreshing Fruit and US Cheese Platter offered diners the luxury of choice. From start to nish, US Potatoes have been able to bring life to any dish and any party. Whether as part of a full-course dinner or as light cocktail fare, the culinary possibilities of US Potatoes are endless. USPB has always believed in the work and talent of Filipinos in the food industry and has pursued in its commitment to nourish their creative spirit by providing various opportunities for chefs, caterers, and restaurant owners to explore the versatility of US Potato products. For more details about US Frozen Potatoes, please visit http:// www.potatoesusa-philippines. com or call Reji Retugal-Onal at 534.8534 / 534.8223.

Piedmont Wines 101 with Pio Boffa (Part 1 )

around 500,000 bottles annually. As Pio Boffa would reveal, 75 percent of the winery production goes to export, and Pio himself travels more than half the year to personally be the brand ambassador of his own winery. Over 95 percent of Pio Cesare wines are from their own vineyards, and the rest from long term contracts with reliable growers in the region. Pio Cesare at present owns over 65 hectares of prime vineyards, including some of the best located estates in both Barolo and Barbaresco. Barbaresco, when most of the Piedmont wineries would price Barolo higher? Pio: Why shouldnt I price them the same? There is no reason for me to price Barolo and Barbaresco differently. Both wines are from low yield harvest, same labor cost, same three years period in oak barrels, same kind of barrels - everything the same except the value of the vineyards. But I do The range of Pio Cesare wines being not think like that. The value of tasted the vineyards only matters when you need to sell them. These common, has rekindled some lands are for my familys next perked-up frustration from Pio let the reworks begin) generation. Pio: Let me rst say I am disapAuthor: Why are Pio Cesares Barbera and Dolcet- pointed that I am always asked this to more expensive than other question. Is there really an answer to when a wine peak? It is to me Piedmont brands? Pio: A dominant percentage of an exercise in futility. Wines over a these wines come from our own period of time will be different. To vineyards. Since majority of our say it is better or worst is entirely own vineyards are in the prime subjective. It depends on whether Barolo and Barbaresco areas, one likes wine with more tannin, where we could have planted just more acid, more bouquet, and so Nebbiolos and make more Barolos on all that affect wine during the and Barbarescos, we opted to also bottle aging process. And there are plant other cheaper varietals like the issues of storage, cork quality, Barbera and Dolcetto. That is why and so on. (When I interjected some people nd us crazy for do- that the French Grand Crus aling this as it makes no economic ways talk of aged Bordeauxs and sense. We feel that we can make several new releases being too more complex versions of these young to drink, Pio became livid) varietals if planted in the prime Well, what can I say.. (some locations. And that is why we do it, off-the-record things). We cannot and price is actually very good if make excuses for young wines. When we release the wines, it is you look at our quality. Author: When is the peak for drinking. The Italians created time to drink your Barolo or wines for pleasure of drinking with Barbaresco? (authors note: food. So even if a young wine like this question though quite a Barolo is austere, it will still be

PIEDMONT wines have been some of Italys most sought after wines, and it is because of the success of historic wineries such as Gaja and Pio Cesare (since 1881), that this trend continues to be the case with wine lovers across the globe. As my friends and fellow wine colleagues know, I am a self confessed Piedmont wine lover especially of the red varietals: Nebbiolo (for the regions top DOCGs Barolo and Barbaresco), Barbera and Dolcetto. But my knowledge of this wine region has just been bolstered two to three folds more when I recently sat down to interview Mr. Pio Boffa, 5th generation owner of Pio Cesare on his recent trip to Manila.

Up close and personal with Pio Boffa

Pio Boffa is in his mid-50s and quite a dapper gentleman. Pio has a very animated personality that bets the characters of his beautiful wines. He may appear intimidating at rst with his authoritative tone and no `B.S. manner of expressing himself, but this is what made my talk with him much more interesting and fun to say the least! The candidness is refreshing with no sound bites, so please enjoy below my interview with the very outspoken and passionate Pio Boffa. Author: When did you start with the Pio Cesare winery? Pio: I started in 1972 when I was still in my teens. My dad was my boss. It was in the mid1980s that the rein of the company was passed to me. But I still worked together with my dad a lot during those times. Author: Why is Pio Cesare Barolo priced similarly to its

Mr. Pio Boffa, 5th generation owner of Pio Cesare

International brand appeal

I have known the Pio Cesare brand for their Barolo for a long while now, and their brand name and reputation for quality Piedmont wines is indeed quite famous. Even in my travels in Asia, I have seen the brand in very good restaurants and wine shops. This is quite an achievement given that the winery only does an average of 42,000-45,000 cases of standard nine liters, or just

good to taste with food. Wines will change over time of course, but it really depends on the drinkers preference. The beauty in drinking the same wines in different stages is to discover how these wines age and differ over time. I would refrain from giving a time for my wines to be drunk, though I can tell you that my Barolos and Barbarescos can last a very long, long time. Author: Other countries, and other regions outside of Piedmont have been making Nebbiolo wines too. Have you tried any? And what is your opinion on these New World Nebbiolos? Pio: I have tried Nebbiolos made in Australia, and it is also good. But while the New World can probably make good Nebbiolos, these wines still will not have the soul of a real Nebbiolo wine grown in a Barolo and Barbaresco.

Author: What are your better vintages since the new millennium? Pio: The last 20 years in Piedmont have not been that signicantly different. Except may be that yields are getting lesser, and therefore quality more consistent. Our 2002 and 2005 are probably the top vintages, but not overwhelmingly. More on Mr. Pio Boffa and Pio Cesare wines, plus my customary tasting notes next week. ----For comments, inquiries, wine event coverage, wine consultancy and other wine related concerns, please email me at protegeinc@yahoo. com . I am a proud member of the Federation Internationale des Journalists et Ecrivains du Vin et des Spiritueux or FIJEV since 2010. You can also follow me on twitter at www. twitter.com/sherwinlao.

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Republic of the Philippines REGIONAL TRIAL COURT National Capital Judicial Region Manila Branch 37 PHIL. SOCIETY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERS, INC., ET AL., Plaintiffs, -versusCIVIL CASE NO. 08-120297

activities geared towards the advancement of mechanical engineering as a profession and the unification of the rather diversified field of mechanical engineering. Such activities include the holding of conventions, workshops, seminars, and plant visits. 5. Defendants used to be members of PSME. Sometime in 2006, defendants decided to form a renegade group after their group lost in the election for directors and officers held in the same year. As a consequence, defendants were delisted from the membership roll of PSME. 6. Despite having formed their own group, however, defendants called themselves Philippine Society of Mechanical Engineers, and held themselves to the public as the national officers and directors of said organization. 7. Defendants misrepresentation, particularly defendant Macedas claim that she is the current president of PSME, earned the rebuke from the Chairperson of the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), who categorically stated that based on existing records, investigation and evaluation made, you (Maceda) do not represent the accredited professional organization. Copies of the PRC letters dated 25 April 2008 and 21 May 2007 to defendant Maceda are attached hereto and made integral part hereof as Annexes B and B-1, respectively. 8. On the other hand, plaintiffs petition for the renewal of its Certificate of Accreditation filed through its President, Saylito M. Punisma, was approved by the PRc on 01August 2008. A copy of PRC Resolution No. 2008-469 Series of 2008, approving plaintiffs petition for renewal of accreditation, is attached hereto and integral part hereof as Annex C. 9. Notwithstanding the foregoing several other individuals (hereinafter collectively referred to as defendant JOHN DOES) have since joined and affiliated themselves with the defendants group, and some of them are in fact been subsequently elected as directors and/or officers of said group, also known as the Cleofas Maceda Group. Due to the fact that their identity and whereabouts are not known and cannot be ascertained with diligent inquiry, it is prayed that they be served with summons by publication be made. FIRST CAUSE OF ACTION INJUNCTION 10. Plaintiff repleads by reference the foregoing allegations as integral part hereof. 11. Up to the present, defendants have been maliciously and illegally using the name Philippine Society of Mechanical Engineers and discharging and performing certain functions properly pertaining to PSME and its duty elected directors and officers. 12. As a result of defendants fraudulent misrepresentation, the payments/remittances of fees, dues, and other obligations of some PSME members have been illegally collected and received by defendants, thereby adversely affecting the financial condition and throwing in disarray the records and books of accounts of plaintiff. 13. Also as a result of their unauthorized use of the name Philippine Society of Mechanical Engineers and their misrepresentation that they are the directors and officers of PSME, defendants have been able to attend conferences organized by bigger professional groups where PSME is a member. 14. This case of double representation has created a lot of confusion and has caused a series of embarrassment, as it reflects negatively on PSME as an institution and gives the impression of instability and lack of unity. Worse, other professional organizations, as well as donors and sponsors (whether domestic or international), have become hesitant to deal with plaintiff. 15. Defendants have likewise held parallel activities under the same PSME, such as but not limited to holing of national convention, mid-year convention, workshops, seminars, and plant visits, resulting in confusion among PSME members. 16. These fraudulent and illegal acts and misrepresentations perpetrated by defendants are highly prejudicial to plaintiffs rights and interests and they sabotage plaintiffs goal of fostering unity among all mechanical engineers in the country and uplifting the status of their profession. 17. What makes defendants act even more repulsive is the fact that they have commited these acts despite the official reprimand and the cease-anddesist order isuued by PRC Chairperson Leonor Tripon-Rosero, particularly eddressed to defendant Maceda who claims to be the leader of defendants group (please see Annexes B and B-1 hereof) SECOND CAUSE OF ACTION DAMAGES 18. Plaintiff repleads by reference the foregoing allegations as integral part hereof. 19. By reason of the malicious and fraudulent misinterpretation committed by defendant, manifestly intended to weaken and undermine the plaintiffs stability and create confusion in both the public and private sectors, plaintiff PSME has suffered serious damage to its reputation and goodwill. 20. To deter similarly minded persons from the same or similar acts as those described in the foregoing paragraphs, and to serve as an example for the public good, defendants should be adjudged liable to pay, jointly and severally, exemplary damages in the amount of at least Five Hundred Thousand Pesos (P500,000.00). 21. Lastly, plaintiff was compelled to seek judicial redress to protect its interest and to incur expense of litigation, including attorneys fees in the amount of at least Two Hundred Thousand Pesos (P200,000.00) for which defendants should be ordered jointly and severally, to indemnity plaintiff. ALLEGATIONS IN SUPPORT OF THE PRAYER FOR THE ISSUANCE OF A WRIT OF PRELIMINARY PROHIBITORY INJUNCTION 22. Plaintiff repleads by reference the foregoing allegations as the integral part hereof. 23. Plaintiff possess a clear a clear legal right to the exclusive use of its registered name and to the unhampered performance of its functions as the sole national organization of all the mechanical engineers in the country accredited by the PRC. 24. The continuous use of defendants of plaintiffs registered name and their false representation that they are the officers and directors of PSME, and their conduct of activities parallel to and simultaneously with those of plaintiffs such as but not limited to mid-year convention, national convention, workshops, seminars and plant visits; have wrought havoc to plaintiff as an institution and have caused confusion and agitation among its members. 25. Defendants aforementioned acts constitute undue interference with the affairs of PSME and an invasion of plaintiffs clear legal rights. Moreover, there are many who fall prey to defendants misinterpretation and deception, in the erroneous belief that the latters group and plaintiff PSME are one and the same 26. Plaintiff is entitled to the relief demanded, and the whole or part of such relief consists in restraining and prohibiting the commission or continuance of the acts complained of. 27. Plaintiff is willing to post a bond in such amount as may be fixed by this Honorable Court to answer for whatever damage that defendants may sustain by reason of the issuance of a writ of preliminary prohibitory injunction should the Honorable finally adjudge that Plaintiff is not entitled thereto. PRAYER WHEREFORE, plaintiff Philippine Society of Mechanical Engineers, Inc. respectfully prays of this Honorable Court as follows: (a) That after due notice and hearing, the Honorable Court order the issuance of a writ a preliminary injunction prohibition and enjoining defendants, and all other persons directly or indirectly affiliated with them, or acting for and on their behalf, or deriving whatever rights or interests from them, from committing or performing, during the pendency of this case, and any or all the following acts: (I) Using the registered name, logo, emblem and acronym (PSME) of plaintiff; (II) Misinterpreting themselves, whether publicly, privately, collectively or individually, as members, officers or directors of plaintiff PSME; (III) Soliciting from donors, sponsors and advertisers under the name of PSME; (IV) Collecting and receiving membership dues, charges, fees and other obligations from PSME members; (V) Organizing and holding meetings, conferences, conventions, seminars, workshops, plant visits, fairs, expositions and the like under the name of PSME; (VI) Issuing certificates of good standing to mechanical engineers for purposes of obtaining PRC licenses; and (VII) Such other similar acts as may tend to mislead third parties to believe that defendants are members, officers or directors of PSME; (b) That after trial, the Honorable Court render judgment as follows; (I) Making preliminary injunction permanent; (II) Ordering defendants to pay plaintiff, jointly and severally, the following amounts: a. Five Hundred Thousand (P500,000.00) as and for exemplary damages; and b. Two Hundred Thousand Pesos (P200,000.00) as and for attorneys fees. Plaintiff further prays for costs of suit and such other relief as may be deemed just and equitable. Quezon City for Manila; 3 February 2012. (SGD) MARIA CECILIA OLIVAS Counsel for Plaintiff UNIT 206, 2nd FLOOR, DON RAUL BUILDING 77 KAMUNING ROAD, KAMUNING QUEZON CITY IBP NO. 877394/03 JANUARY 12/ RSM/ROLL NO. 41824 PTTR No. 6031032/02 Jan. 12/Quezon City MCLE Compliance No. III-004283 Copy furnished: Atty. Danny Villanueva Counsel for Defendants (Maceda, Cala, Bueser, Reyes, De Leon, Simbilio, Roxas, Candor, Atencio, Cesar, Constantino, Ancis, Berdejo, Dapitan and Hernandez) 3rd Floor, Senor Ivan de Pelacio Building MANILA STANDARD TODAY Published on December 19, 2012 No. 139 Malakas cor. Matalino Streets Diliman, Quezon City

C3

WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 19, 2012

MA. CLEOFAS MACEDA., ET AL., Defendants, x--------------------------x

Republic of the Philippines

Department of Public Works and Highways

OFFICE OF THE DISTRICT ENGINEER
Cebu 6th District Engineering Office A.C. Cortes Avenue, Mandaue City, Cebu Tel. No. 5-2020-44

OMNIBUS ORDER This resolves the following filed by plaintiffs: a. Motion to Admit attached Amended Complaint; and b. Motion to Issue Summons by Publication On the first motion, considering that this Court has already granted the Motion for Extension of Time dated January 30, 2012 within which to file amended complaint, and there being no prejudice suffered by defendants, the attached Amended Complaints is hereby ADMITTED subject to plaintiffs correction of the caption of the Amended Complaint by indicating the correct branch of this Court. Thereafter, let summons be served to the new defendants as their given addresses. With respect to the unknown defendants designated as John Does, as prayed for, let summons be served upon them thru publication pursuant to Rule 14, Section 14 of the Rules of Civil Procedure. Plaintiffs are directed to publish summons, as well as Amended Complaint, once in a newspaper of general circulation in the Philippines. SO ORDERED Manila, February 10, 2012 (SGD) VIRGILIO V. MACARAIG Presiding Judge Republic of the Philippines REGIONAL TRIAL COURT National Capital Judicial Region Manila Branch 37 CIVIL CASE NO. 08-120297 SUMMONS (by publication)

INVITATION TO BID
The Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) of the Department of Public Works and Highways. Cebu 6th District Engineering Office, through its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC). invites contractors to bid for the aforementioned projects: Item No. 1 a. Contract ID b. Contract Name c. d. e. f. g. : 12HN0081 : Repair/ Rehabilitation / Improvement of Cebu North Road (Canduman) K11+657 to K12+585, Mandaue City, Cebu Contract Location : Mandaue City, Cebu Scope of Work : Asphalt Overlaying Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) : Php 9,896.433.21 Contract Duration : 30 Calendar Days Source of Fund SARO No. BMBA12-0028891

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 registration with DPWH, (b) Filipino citizen or 75% Filipino-owned partnership, corporation, cooperative. or joint venture with PCAB license applicable to the type and cost of this contract. (c) completion of a similar contract costing at least 50% of ABC within a period of 10 years, and (d) Net Financial Contracting Capacity at least equal to ABC. or credit line commitment for at least 10% of ABC. The BAC will use non-discretionary pass/fail criteria in the eligibility check and preliminary examination of bids. Unregistered contractors, however, shall submit their applications for registration to the DPWH-POCW Central Office before the deadline for the receipt of LOI. The DPWHPOCW Central Office will only process contractors applications for registration, with complete requirements, and issue the Contractors Registration Certificate (CRC). Registration Forms may be downloaded at the DPWH website www.dpwh.gov.ph The significant times and deadlines of procurement activities are shown below: 1. Issuance of Bidding Documents 2. Pre-bid Conference 3. Receipt of LOIs from Prospective Bidders 4. Receipt of Bids 5. Opening of Bids December 19, 2012 to January 9, 2012 December 28, 2012 at 1:00pm January 7, 2012 at 12:00pm January 9, 2013 at 9:00am - 12:00pm January 9, 2013 at 2:00pm

PHILIPPINE SOCIETY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERS, INC. represented by its National President SAYLITO M. PURISIMA, Plaintiff, -versusMA. CLEOFAS O. MACEDA, FERNANDO M. CALA, BAYANI Y. BUESER, JOSE Q. REYES, DEMOSTHENES DE LEON, RODEL G. SIMBILLO, LEMICIO J.S. ROXAS, CESAR O. CANDOR, ROMEO D. ATENCIO, GIL Z. CESAR, FERNANDO P. CONSTANTION, ELINORE L. ANCIS, ROLANDO Q, BERDEJO, FERMILIANO E. DAPITAN, GUILERMO C. HERNANDEZ, DANILO C. LLENA, CONSTANTE F. VILORIA, RODOLFO G. AQUINO, EDGRADO B. CRUZ, JUAN H. DELOS SANTOS, ALEX S. PAMPLONA, TEDORO E. ARNAIZ, ACMED B. ALIP, EDILBERTO B. ABEJAR, ROBERTO A. QUIAMBAO, ERNESTO B. SALCEDO JR., MARCIAL M. COROZA, RAINIER PATAWI, JOVINEL M. YAMBAO, SAMUEL M. PAETE, JESSE H. DOMINGO, RUSTY PERALTA, EDGARDO M. ESPERANZILLA, FRANK SANTOS, GEORGE DIRAY, CHARLES MASIDO, STANLEY H. SOMOSIERRA, JULIUS F. VILLANUEVA, MARIO B. GILBUENA, DONATO B. PASCO, ERIC JUDE SOLIMAN, REMIGO TO. MENDOZA, ROBERTA J. AJERO, MANUEL M. CABATINGAN, HENRY V. HICETA, SOTERO M. JALA, ROBERTO A. LOZADA, ANTONIO AVELLANOSA and JOHN DOES, Defendants, x--------------------------x TO: JOHN DOES GREETINGS: You are hereby required within sixty (60) days from publication of the Summons to file with this Court and serve on the Plaintiff your Answer to the Amended Complaint, copy which is likewise published herewith: You are reminded of the provision of the IBP-OCA Memorandum on Policy Guidelines dated March 12, 2002 to observe restraint in filing a Motion to Dismiss and instead allege the grounds thereof as defense in the Answer. If you fail to answer within the time fixed, the Plaintiff will take judgment by default and may be granted the relief applied for the Complaint. WITNESS my hand under the seal of the Court, this 22nd day of February 2012. ATTY. JENNIFER C. BUENDIA Clerk of Court By: (SGD) ATTY. GUYLA A. VISTA Branch Clerk of Court Republic of the Philippines REGIONAL TRIAL COURT National Capital Judicial Region Manila Branch 24 PHILIPPINE SOCIETY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERS, INC. represented by its National President SAYLITO M. PURISIMA, Plaintiff, -versusMA. CLEOFAS O. MACEDA, FERNANDO M. CALA, BAYANI Y. BUESER, JOSE Q. REYES, DEMOSTHENES DE LEON, RODEL G. SIMBILLO, LEMICIO J.S. ROXAS, CESAR O. CANDOR, ROMEO D. ATENCIO, GIL Z. CESAR, FERNANDO P. CONSTANTION, ELINORE L. ANCIS, ROLANDO Q, BERDEJO, FERMILIANO E. DAPITAN, GUILERMO C. HERNANDEZ, DANILO C. LLENA, CONSTANTE F. VILORIA, RODOLFO G. AQUINO, EDGRADO B. CRUZ, JUAN H. DELOS SANTOS, ALEX S. PAMPLONA, TEDORO E. ARNAIZ, ACMED B. ALIP, EDILBERTO B. ABEJAR, ROBERTO A. QUIAMBAO, ERNESTO B. SALCEDO JR., MARCIAL M. COROZA, RAINIER PATAWI, JOVINEL M. YAMBAO, SAMUEL M. PAETE, JESSE H. DOMINGO, RUSTY PERALTA, EDGARDO M. ESPERANZILLA, FRANK SANTOS, GEORGE DIRAY, CHARLES MASIDO, STANLEY H. SOMOSIERRA, JULIUS F. VILLANUEVA, MARIO B. GILBUENA, DONATO B. PASCO, ERIC JUDE SOLIMAN, REMIGO TO. MENDOZA, ROBERTA J. AJERO, MANUEL M. CABATINGAN, HENRY V. HICETA, SOTERO M. JALA, ROBERTO A. LOZADA, ANTONIO AVELLANOSA and JOHN DOES, AMENDED COMPLAINT Plaintiff PHILIPPINE SOCIETY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERS INC., by counsel respectively states: 1. Plaintiff PHILIPPINE SOCIETY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERS INC. (PSME) a registered professional association duly organized and existing under and by virtue if Philippine laws, presently holding office at Room 401, Don Lorenzo Building, No. 859 Paredes Street, Samplaoc, Manila. For in purposes of this Complaint, PSME is represented by Engrs. Saylito M. Purisima and/or Renato A. Florencio, National President and Executive Vice-President of PSME, respectively. A copy of the Secretarys Certificate authorizing Engrs. Purisima and/or Florencio to represent PSME in this action is attached hereto and made integral part hereof as Annex A. However, for the purpose of verification and issuance of a certification of non-forum shopping the instant Amended Complaint is being verified and certified by Anna Molina, Executive Director of plaintiffs Secretariat. This is being done in view of the fact that Engrs. Purisima and/or Florencio are unavailable despite diligent efforts to reach them within the period given to plaintiff for the purpose of filing the instant Amende Complaint. ________________________ 1Secretarys Certificate authorizing Molina is appended hereto after the Verification and Certification of Non-forum Shopping. 2. Defendats MA. CLEOFAS O. MACEDA, FERNANDO M. CALA, BAYANI Y. BUESER, JOSE Q. REYES, DEMOSTHENES DE LEON, RODEL G. SIMBILLO, LEMICIO J.S. ROXAS, CESAR O. CANDOR, ROMEO D. ATENCIO, GIL Z. CESAR, FERNANDO P. CONSTANTION, ELINORE L. ANCIS, ROLANDO Q, BERDEJO, FERMILIANO E. DAPITAN, GUILERMO C. HERNANDEZ, DANILO C. LLENA, CONSTANTE F. VILORIA, RODOLFO G. AQUINO, EDGRADO B. CRUZ, JUAN H. DELOS SANTOS, ALEX S. PAMPLONA, TEDORO E. ARNAIZ, ACMED B. ALIP, EDILBERTO B. ABEJAR, ROBERTO A. QUIAMBAO, ERNESTO B. SALCEDO JR., MARCIAL M. COROZA, RAINIER PATAWI, JOVINEL M. YAMBAO, SAMUEL M. PAETE, JESSE H. DOMINGO, RUSTY PERALTA, EDGARDO M. ESPERANZILLA, FRANK SANTOS, GEORGE DIRAY, CHARLES MASIDO, STANLEY H. SOMOSIERRA, JULIUS F. VILLANUEVA, MARIO B. GILBUENA, DONATO B. PASCO, ERIC JUDE SOLIMAN, REMIGO TO. MENDOZA, ROBERTA J. AJERO, MANUEL M. CABATINGAN, HENRY V. HICETA, SOTERO M. JALA, ROBERTO A. LOZADA, and ANTONIO AVELLANOSA are all of legal age, Filipinos and presently holding office at No. 19 Scout Bayoran Street, South Triangle, 1103 Quezon City, where they may be served with summonses, notices orders, and other processes of this Honorable Court. ALLEGATIONS COMMON TO ALL CAUSES OF ACTION 3. The Philippine Society of Mechanical Engineers (PSME), is the national organization of all mechanical engineers in the Philippines, organized and operated for the exclusive purpose of advancing the arts and sciences of mechanical engineering. It was founded in 1952 with the objective of uniting all mechanical engineers in the pursuit of further professional growth and upilftment of the profession in general. On 8 July 1975, PSME was duly accredited by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) as the national professional organization of mechanical engineers (PRC Accreditation Certificate No. 004). 4. Through the years, PSME has been conducting and sponsoring various

Prospective bidders shall submit their duly accompanied forms as specified in the BDs in two (2) separate sealed bid envelopes to the BAC Chairman. The first envelope shall contain the technical component of the bid, which shall include the eligibility requirements. The second envelope shall contain the financial component of the bid. Contract will be awarded to the Lowest Calculated Responsive Bid os determined in the evaluation and the post qualification. LOI Form and Bidding Document Fees are shown below: ABC of Project Php 500,000.00 and below Php 500,000.01 - Php1,000, 000.00 Php 1 ,000,000.01 - Php5,000,000.00 Php5,000,000.01 - Php 10,000,000.00 Php 10,000,000.01 - Php 50,000,000.00 Php50,000,000.01 - Php500,000,000.00 Bidding Document Fee Php 500.00 Php 1,000.00 Php 5,000.00 Php 10,000.00 Php 25,000.00 Php50,000.00
th

The Department of Public Works and Highways - Cebu 6 District Engineering Office reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bid and to annul the bidding process anytime before Contract award, without incurring any liability the affected bidders. Approved by: (Sgd.) MYRNA A. DELA SERNA BAC Chairman NOTED: (Sgd.) SUZE E C. NWANAKA OIC District Engineer
(MST-Dec. 19, 2012)

Republic of the Philippines Negros Occidental 4th District Engineering Office Bago City, Negros Occidental Tel Nos. (034)4610-599; (034)4611-250 & 732-4632 Email Add: dpwhnegocc4thdeo@yahoo.com.ph INVITATION TO BID for the CONCRETING OF SIBUCAO GUINTORILAN SAGASA FMR,STA. 0+000 STA. 0+580, VALLADOLID-SAN ENRIQUE, NEGROS OCCIDENTAL
The Bids and Awards Committee, DPWH Neg. Occ. 4th District Engineering Office, Bago City, Neg. Occ., through the SARO-BMB-E-12-0024494 dated October 19, 2012 intends to apply the sum of Php 9,766,378.00 being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract no. 12GN0069. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening. The Bids and Awards Committee, DPWH Neg. Occ. 4th District Engineering Office, Bago City, Neg. Occ. now invites bids for the CONCRETING OF SIBUCAO GUINTORILAN SAGASA FMR,STA. 0+000 STA. 0+580, VALLADOLID-SAN ENRIQUE, NEGROS OCCIDENTAL - Concreting (250mm) with Net Length of 580.00 lm. Completion of the Works required is 40 Calendar Days. Bidders should have completed, within ten (10) years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the project. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II, Instruction to Bidders. Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using non-discretionary pass/fail criterion as specified in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act 9184 (RA 9184), otherwise known as the Government Procurement Reform Act. Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least seventy five percent (75%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines. Interested bidders may obtain further information from DPWH Neg. Occ. 4th District Engineering Office, Bago City, Negros Occidental and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below from 8:00 A.M. 5:00 P.M. A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested Bidders from the address below and upon payment of a non-refundable fee for the Bidding Documents in the amount of Ten Thousand Pesos (Php 10,000.00). It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the website of the Procuring Entity, provided that bidder shall pay the fee for the Bidding Documents not later that the submission of their bids. The Bids and Awards Committee, DPWH Neg. Occ. 4th District Engineering Office, Bago City, Neg. Occ. will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on December 27, 2012, 10:00 A.M. at BAC Office, DPWH Neg. Occ. 4th DEO, Bago City, Neg. Occ., which shall be open to all interested parties. Letters of Intent (LOIs) and/or applications for eligibility (NR003) and latest Class A documents are to be accepted by the BAC together with the Bids and other relevant documents on or before the deadline for submission of Bids. A contractor must present their Contractors Registration Certificate (CRC) in person or thru their authorized representative as reflected in their CRC with their valid IDs upon buying and submission of bids. Bids must be delivered to the address below on or before January 10, 2013 until 9:00 A.M. and to be opened at 2:00 P.M. of the same day at BAC Office, DPWH Neg. Occ. 4th DEO, Bago City, Neg. Occ. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18. Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders representatives who choose to attend at the address below. Late bids shall not be accepted. The Bids and Awards Committee, DPWH Neg. Occ. 4th District Engineering Office, Bago City, Neg. Occ. reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, to annul the bidding process, and to reject all bids at any time prior to contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders. For further information, please refer to: MARIO T. MULETA Head, BAC TWG Mobile No. 09298633408 DPWH Neg. Occ. 4th DEO Bago City, Neg. Occ. Tel. Nos. (034) 4610-599, (034)4611-250 & (034)7324632 Email Add: dpwhnegocc4thdeo@yahoo.com.ph. MAGDALENO C. RUIZ Head, BAC Secretariat Mobile No. 09173098007 DPWH Neg. Occ. 4th DEO Bago City, Neg. Occ. Tel. Nos. (034) 4610-599, (034)4611-250 & (034)7324632 Email Add: dpwhnegocc4thdeo@yahoo.com.ph.

Department of Public Works and Highways

(Sgd.) RICARDO C. GARAYGAY Acting Assistant District Engineer BAC Chairman Noted: (Sgd.) EMMANUEL C. MENDIGUARIN OIC-District Engineer
(MST-Dec. 19, 2012)

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

C4

WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 19, 2012

Manila Standard TODAY

Isah V. Red, Editor standard.showbiz@gmail.com

showbitz
can join the campaign by liking Solar News Channel Facebook page. They will then post their own pictures to the Solar News Channel wall with the caption My One Small Act this Christmas is People can also send in their entries by following @SolarNewsCh on Twitter and tweeting their one small act. One act, no matter how small, always counts. If all Filipinos just made one small act, it will surely add up and bring in big changes in the end. Solar News Channel is on Sky Cable Ch.16, Destiny Ch.28, Cignal ch.21, Cablelink Ch.12 and on free TV SBN Ch.21 to save Toytown with his friends Big Ears, Tessie Bear and Bumpy Dog. Amp up your little ones playtime with this other vibrant shows, like My Little Pony, Postman Pat, Strawberry Shortcake, Jelly Jam, and Carebears by tuning into Cartoonito on SkyCable Channel 152. Cartoonito is included in SkyCable Selectthe Metro Pack, replacing Boomerang, and is also available via SkyCable Select for P20 a month. A s Toonam i

ON A mundane morning in an average town, ve people are randomly shot dead while going about their everyday lives. All of the evidence points to one man: A sharp-shooting assassin who also is ex-military, a trained sniper. He is swiftly apprehended and dragged into custody. Despite a marathon interrogation, the prisoner offers up nothing except a cryptic demand he scribbles on a notepad in lieu of a confession: Get Jack Reacher. Who is this Reacher? Not an easy question to answerin fact, its hard to prove that he even exists. Little matterJack Reacher (Tom Cruise) is already on his way. Ex-Army, erstwhile military investigator, the enigmatic Reacher prefers to avoid the company of othersbut, he knows this shooter. A news report about the killings compels him to come out of the shadows and share with the authorities what he knows about this prisoner, which is plenty. Based on lurid past history, Reacher believes theyve got the right man. By the time Reacher arrives, the accused killer lies in a coma, thanks to a brutal beating during transfer, and his defense attorney (Rosamund Pike) is loaded with questions for Reacher: What is her clients history with Reacher, and why would he request help from a man whos convinced of his guilt? Despite some trepidation, she honors her clients request and hires Reacher to investigate. At rst it seems the police have effectively and thoroughly examined the crime scene and, through their perfect detective work, captured the killer. But Reacher has a problem with perfection. Quick with a quip, easily self-sufcient and hyper-observant, he is attuned to tiny but specic false notes that escape others. The more he delves into the case, the less clear cut it proves to be. So begins an extraordinary pursuit for the truth, where nothing is what it seems and friend and family may actually be foe. Tough and smart, with a disarming wit, no detail is too small for Reacher. Although he may be a loner who plays by his own rules, ultimately he is driven by a keen sense of justice. Reacher nds himself pitted against an unexpected and astute enemy, one with an enormous predilection for violence and a secret to keep, maybe one worth killing for. Written and directed by Academy Award-winning lmmaker Christopher Mcquarrie, Jack Reacher stars Tom Cruise, Rosamund Pike, Robert Duvall, Richard Jenkins and Werner Herzog. It Tom Cruise, Don Granger, Paula Wagner and Gary Levinsohn are the producers. Jack Reacher is distributed by United International Pictures thru Solar Entertainment Corporation.

Who is Jack Reacher?

GMA Network, Inc. (GMA) says it is headed to close 2012 at the top. It avers continued leadership in the broadcast industry, leading in ratings nationwide. The network quotes Nielsen TV Audience Measurement s partial year data.
ISAH V. RED

Kapuso
claims national leadership
Young boys in the household can now join their favorite superheroes and anim characters on Toonami. This month, they can learn about courage and social responsibility on Young Justice which features the epic adventures of the Teamteenage counterparts of the famous adult superhero team, the Justice League. Toonami also brings you non-stop action and exploits in Batmanthe Brave and the Bold, Iron Man, Avengers, Dragon Ball Z, and Cats.

SIMPLY RED
For the period January to November 2012 (Nov. 25 to 30 based on overnight data), GMA recorded an average total day (6 a.m. to 12 midnight) household audience share of 34.6 percent in National Urban Philippines or NUTAM; up 3.1 points up from ABSCBNs 31.5 percent, and 19.6 points from TV5s 15 percent. GMA also scored impressive total day ratings in the viewer-rich areas of Mega Manila and Urban Luzon, where it led competition by double digits. In Urban Luzon, which makes up 77 percent of the total urban television households in the country, GMA delivered a solid 38.4 percent total day average; 11 points higher than ABS-CBNs 27.4 percent, and 23.9 points higher than TV5s 14.5 percent. GMA also came ahead of other stations in its bailiwick Mega Manila, which makes up 59.5 percent of all urban television households nationwide, with a commanding total day average of

across NUTAM, Urban Luzon, and Mega Manila. In November, GMA programs dominated the lists of top-rating programs across NUTAM, Urban Luzon, and Mega Manila. Multi-awarded news magazine program Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho emerged as the no.1 program in Mega Manila scoring a 24.8 percent average household rating. Other Kapuso shows that occupied the top slots in the lists are 24 Oras, Kapuso Movie Night Pinoy Flicks, Aso ni San Roque, Kaps Amazing Stories, Coffee Prince, Eat Bulaga, and Pepito Manaloto, among others. GMA and TV5 subscribe to Nielsen TV Audience Measurement . ABSCBN ignores it and insists on using data from Kantar Media.

Small act for Philippines Christmas

New channels for kids

The Philippines is undoubtedly the most hospitable country in the Philippines, and caring for others goes up to a whole new level on Christmas. Solar News Channel acknowledges people who care through One Small Act for the Philippines. One Small Act was launched l a s t June 2012 t o

Joining Fatima (Mona Louise Rey) in her magical adventures is the dog Anghel

39.4 percent. GMA was remarkably ahead of ABS-CBNs 25.8 percent by 13.6 points, and of TV5s 15.1 percent by 24.3 points. During the 11-month period, GMA was also ahead of ABS-CBN and TV5 in the morning (6 a.m. to 12 noon) and afternoon (12 noon to 6 p.m.) blocks

celebrate the 114th anniversary of Philippine Independence and now continues to be a growing advocacy of the news channel. This Christmas, Solar News Channel it continues to embrace this advocacy by asking its audience to do One Small Act for the Philippines. Facebook users

Coffee Princes Arthur Ochoa played by Aljur Abrenica

ABC Monsters

Toonami, on SkyCable channel 42, is included in SkyCable 499, Silver and Gold replacing TV Espanol, and also available as an add-on channel to your current subscription via SkyCable Select for P20 a month. Bring your preschooler to a world of imagination where he can play with adorable and lovable characters like Noddy, Toytowns very own cabdriver, who often gets into trouble because of the villainous tricks that the Goblins Sly and Gobbo play on him. Join Noddy as he solves various challenges

and Cartoonito join the SkyCable line up of Kiddie channels, Knowledge Channel moves down from channel 42 to channel 9. TV Espanol, on the other hand, may now be added on top of any basic cable plan for P20 a month. For more information, visit www. mysky.com.ph or call SkyCables customer service hotline at (02) 381-0000 (Metro Manila, CAMANAVA and Rizal), (046) 484-4701 (Cavite), (02) 520-8560 or (049) 534-2814 (Laguna) and (044) 693-5877 (Bulacan), (032) 345-2278 (Cebu) and (082) 305-5456 (Davao).

WITHOUT WANG2

NICKIE WANG

Pinoy movies on IMAX?

In the meantime, lets set aside our question because the answer is quite apparent. Besides, romantic comedy and melodramatic lms still have a dened marketthe paying public satised in movies with grainy images and awfully engineered sound. Its a mix of everything at the 38th edition of the Metro Manila Film Festival. Starting this Christmas a slew of lms ranging from drama to action and from comedy to fantasy will hit all the major theaters in the metropolis. The total of seven festival entries will be shown, they are Shake Rattle & Roll XIV, El Presidente, Thy Womb, The Strangers, Si Enteng, Si Agimat at si Ako, Sisterakas and One More Try. Regal Films entry is the 14th installment of the horror series, which normally comes in trilogy. This year, Chito S. Roo is at the helm of all the three episodesPamana, Lost Command, and Unwanted. The lm stars Janice de Belen, Herbert Bautista, Dennis Trillo, Lovi Poe, Paulo Avelino, Martin Escudero and Vhong Navarro. El Presidente (Scenema Concept International) is a bio-epic about the countrys rst president. The lm that bids for Best Picture stars more than 50 actors including E.R. Ejercito in the lead title role, with Cesar Montano, Christopher de Leon, Nora Aunor, and Cristine Reyes in supporting roles.

WATCHING high-octane action and animated movies in Imax makes us wonder. Will there ever be a Filipino lm that can be shown in Imax theaters? Films in Imax is a totally unique and different experience compared to watching movies on conventional screens. It justies the adage bigger is better as you get to see stunning larger than life images complemented by visually arousing effects. Everything has stunning detail and clarity. In 2010, a local outt attempted to give cinemagoers a taste of what Filipinos can showcase in the eld of digital movie entertainment via RPG Metanoia. The lm was touted the rst full length Philippine animated lm presented in 3D. It had an estimated budget of P100 million but only earned a fraction of its production cost. A year later, actorpolitician Bong Revilla said that he plans to produce the rst Filipino lm that will be shown in Imax. His vision is to project a 3D Panday on a 20-meter screen. And thats about it. The fact is, Filipino cinemagoers are highlyentertained by Hollywood lms. They are used to seeing brilliant and relatively better movies. This is the same exact reason why major lm outts are wary about producing expensive lms. They already know their own capacity and limitation. They dont want to risk millions of pesos just to lose money and be ignored. Case in point, RPG Metanoias P15 million gross against its multimillion production cost.

Ten days of Pinoy movies

Another lm that includes the superstar in the billing is the festival quality movie, Thy Womb (Centerstage Productions). The drama directed by Brillante Mendoza and also stars Lovi Poe and Mercedes Cabral has already been exhibited in major lm festivals overseas where it already won important awards including best director and best actress for Nora Aunor. One more for the horror genre is Quantum Films The Stranger. Described as a teen horror ick, it features an ensemble cast of Star magic talents including Enchong Dee, Julia Montes, Enrique Gil and JM De Guzman. The lm revolves around the stories of the mythical aswangs. A possible box-ofce hit is Si Agimat, Si Enteng at Ako is a fantasy action starring Vic Sotto, Bong Revilla and Judy Ann Santos. The lm is a fusion of Agimat and Enteng Kabisote lm franchise. It is a joint production by ve movie outts, Octoarts Films, M-zet Productions, Imus Productions, APT Entertainment and GMA Films. The entry that might challenge the fantasy action in terms of box ofce returns is Sisterakas, a comedy movie about sibling rivalry starring Kris Aquino, AiAi Delas Alas, and Vice Ganda. Another one for the fans of comedy is Sosy Problems. This movie is about a group of young women speaking broken tagalong mixed with English. It stars are Rhian Ramos, Heart Evangelista, Solenn Heussaff , and Bianca King. GMA Films produced the movie.

Dennis Trillo in the episode Pamana

Finally, Star Cinemas One More Try is a romantic drama lm starring Angelica Panganiban, Dingdong Dantes, Zanjoe Marudo and Angel Locsin. The only lm poised to reap acting awards, if the festival jurors would choose Angelica or Angel over Nora. So there, heres your list of Pinoy lms you can enjoy this Christmas, or you can head to an Imax theater and ignore these lms altogether.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

ManilaStandardTODAY

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2012 | D1

BUREAU OF PRODUCT STANDARDS

PHILIPPINE NATIONAL STANDARD PNS 1478:2010 ICS 97.140 6.4 Stability of chairs and stools shall be tested in accordance with PNS BS EN 1022. 7 Marking NOTE The shape is not defined in detail but will be available from national testing authorities. B.4 Smaller seat loading pad Rigid circular object 200 mm in diameter the face of which has a convex spherical curvature of 300 mm radius with a 12 mm front edge radius (see figure D.2). B.5 Back loading pad Rigid rectangular object 200 mm high and 250 mm wide the face of which is curved across the width of the pad with a convex cylindrical curvature of 450 mm radius and with a 12 mm radius on all front edges (see figure D.3). B.6 Local loading pad (i.e. for arm and leg loading test) Rigid cylindrical object 100 mm in diameter, with a flat face and a 12 mm radius on the front edge. NOTE All loading pads should be capable of pivoting in relation to the direction of the applied force. B.7 Foam for facing loading pad 25 mm thick layer of polyether foam with a hardness index when measured according to ISO 2439, method A, of 135/660 N and a density of 27 kg/m3 to 30 kg/m3. Alternatively a layer of this foam may be positioned between the loading pad and the test structure. B.8 Seat impacter (see figure D.4). B.8.1 Circular body Approximately 200 mm in diameter separated from the striking surface by helical compression springs and free to move relative to it on a line perpendicular to the plane of the central area of the striking surface. The body and associated parts minus the springs shall have a mass of 17 kg 0.1 kg and the whole apparatus, including mass, springs and striking surface, shall have a mass of 25 kg 0.1 kg. B.8.2 Springs Which shall be such that the combined spring system has a nominal spring rate of 0.69 kg/mm 0.1kg/mm and the total friction resistance of the moving parts is between 0.025 kg and 0.045 kg. The spring system shall be compressed to an initial load of 104 kg 0.5 kg (measured statically) and the amount of spring compression movement available from the initial compression point to the point where the springs become fully closed shall be not less than 60 mm. B.8.3 Striking surface Approximately flat leather pad containing fine dry sand. B.9 Impact hammer Cylindrical object having a mass 6.5 kg, supported from a pivot by a steel tube of 38 mm in diameter and with a wall thickness of 1.6 mm. The distance between the pivot and the center of gravity of the striker is 1 m the pendulum arm is pivoted by a low friction bearing. (See figure D.5). B.10 Chair loading position template, as described in annex E. Annex C 450 Test Procedures C.1 Seat static load test Place the testing specimen above glass platform. 200 Position the seat loading pad (B.3) to conform to the seat plane, firstly at the seat loading position determined by the chair loading position template (figures E.1 to E.3), and subsequently at 100 mm back from the front edge of the seat. Apply the appropriate downward force (see figure C.1) specified in table 1, 10 times. During each application, maintain the force for at least 10 s. With 5 cm cylinder, push downward. Assess defects according to annex D. When it is not clear which of several positions of the loading pad is likely to cause failure, for example when testing pedestal and cantilever chairs, subject each of the positions to 10 applications of the force specified above. In the case of stools, apply the load along the force and aft center line of the seat at the seat loading position for stools determined by the chair loading position template, if necessary using the smaller seat loading pad (B.4). If required, repeat the test on footrails or footrests at the appropriate test level.

Republic of the Philippines Department of Trade and Industry

Furniture Monobloc chairs and stools Specification Foreword This Philippine National Standard Specification for Monobloc chairs and stools was prepared by the Bureau of Product Standards Technical Committee on Furniture (BPS/TC 41). This standard cancels and replaces the one issued in 1998. The Committee deemed the necessity of deleting the plastic table in the standard since the monobloc furniture is made from one mould injected as one whole piece. This standard includes also the requirements for the stability of the furniture to ensure the safety of the consumers. 1 Scope

Monobloc chairs and stools shall be marked with the following information: 7.1 Name and address of manufacturer, distributor or importer; 7.2 Registered tradename or brandname; 7.3 Capacity in kg; 7.4 Usage indoor or outdoor; 7.5 Additional marking on proper handling and usage; and 7.6 The words Made in the Philippines or Country of origin if imported. Table 1 Requirements Test 1. Seat static load 2. Back static load Balancing load 3. Arm sideways static load Wing sideways static load 4. Arm downwards static load 5. Seat fatigue test } } can be 6. Back fatigue test } combined Balancing load } 7. Leg forward static load Balancing seat load 8. Leg sideways static load Balancing seat load 9. Diagonal base load 10. Seat impact test 11. Back impact test 12. Arm impact test 13. Drop test - Stackable or special drop height, mm 10 times at 10 designed chairs and stools with legs or pedestals longer than 200 mm - Non-stacking chairs with drop height, mm 10 times at 10 castors or swivelling glides with legs or pedestals longer than 200 mm - Chairs and stools with drop height, mm 10 times at 10 legs or pedestals shorter than 200 mm Annex A General test requirements A.1 Preliminary preparation See annex D for preliminary noting of existing defects. If a standardized atmosphere is to be used for conditioning, it shall have a temperature of 23 C 2 C and a relative humidity of 50 % 5 % according to ISO 554. A.2 Application of forces The forces in strength test shall be applied sufficiently slowly to ensure that negligible dynamic load is applied. The forces in durability test shall be applied sufficiently slowly to ensure that kinetic heating does not occur. It is recommended that the test are carried out at a maximum rate of six cycles per minute. A.3 Loading The severity of loading is specified in table 1. A.4 Test conditions The tests may be applied by any suitable device because results are dependent only upon correctly applied loads and not upon the apparatus, except in the case of impact tests where the apparatus described in B.8 and B.9 shall be used. The seat loading apparatus should be such as not to restrain the chair from tilting over nor hinder horizontal movement of the chair when the back load is applied. For tolerances, unless otherwise stated all forces shall have an accuracy of 5 %, all masses an accuracy of 0.5 % and all dimensions an accuracy of 0.5 mm. A.5 Sequence of testing All applicable tests shall be carried out on the same chair or stool in the order listed in table 1. Annex B Test environment and apparatus B.1 Floor surface Horizontal, flat. For the drop test (C.13) use a rubber mat 2 mm thick with hardness of 97 IRHD according to PNS ISO 48 on a concrete floor or other matting materials with the same hardness. B.2 Stops To prevent the article from sliding but not tilting, no higher than 12 mm except in cases where the design of the item necessitates the use of higher stops, in which case the lowest that will prevent the item from moving shall be used. B.3 Seat loading pad Naturalistically shaped rigid indent (see figure D.1) with a hard, smooth surface. Loading force, N 10 times force, N force, N 10 times force, N force, N 10 times force, N 10 times Cycles seat load 950 N cycles back load 330 N seat load 950 N force, N 10 times force, N 10 times force, N 10 times drop height, mm 10 times height, mm angle, degrees 10 times Minimum requirement 1 300 560 1 300 400 300 800 50 000 50 000

1.1 This standard specifies the requirements for plastic furniture for monobloc chairs and stools. 1.2 This standard also describes the test methods for determining the strength, durability and stability of monobloc chairs and stools. 1.3 Assessment of ageing and degradation is not included.

1.4 The tests are designed to be applied to an article of furniture that is fully assembled and ready for use. 1.5 Forces and dimensions in the tests are applicable to chairs and stools intended for adult persons. 1.6 The tests consist of the application, to various parts of the item, of loads or forces simulating normal functional use, as well as misuse that might reasonably be expected to occur. 1.7 In case of designs not catered for in the test procedures, the test shall be carried out as far as possible as described, and deviations from the test procedure recorded in the test report. 1.8 Tests carried out on monobloc chairs and stools are intended to demonstrate the ability of the item to give satisfactory service in its intended environment. It should be understood that such tests do not ensure that structural failure will not eventually occur as a result of habitual misuse or after an excessively long period of service, or more than occasional use by persons weighing more than 100 kg. 2 References

500 1 000 390 1 000 375 180 210 38

The titles of the standards publications referred to in this standard are listed on the inside back cover. 3 Definitions

For the purpose of this standard the following definitions apply: 3.1 durability test - test simulating the repeated movement of components occuring during long-term use and assessing the strength of the article under such conditions. (See annex C5 and C6) 3.2 fatigue loading - the often-repeated, but also steadily and gradually applied subjection of the article to the reiterated application of that level of loading which is likely to occur most frequently 3.3 impact test - test to assess the strength of the article under the rapid rates of loading that occasionally occur 3.4 monobloc furniture - furniture made from one mould injected as one whole piece of furniture 3.5 stability - ability to withstand forces that tend to cause the article to overturn 3.6 static test - test consisting of heavy loads being applied a few times to ensure that the furniture has sufficient strength to perform its function under the highest levels of loading that might reasonably be expected to occur 4 Requirements

100

4.1 Construction Monobloc chairs and stools shall be of rigid construction. When tested in accordance with the relevant test methods, no part of any unit shall develop any fracture or any deformation that will affect the functionality or appearance (or both) of the unit. Stackable units shall remain functional after the relevant test have been completed. The design shall minimize damage by abrasion between the units as a result of stacking. 4.2 Finish All furniture shall be solidly constructed and shall have a neat appearance. Surfaces shall have a smooth, even and uniform finish. There shall be no cracks and chips, that may affect the appearance or serviceability of the furniture. Acceptable and well-proven moulding techniques shall be applied in order to eliminate possible defects and stresses. There shall be no sharp edges. 4.3 Strength, durability and stability of chairs and stools Monobloc chairs and stools shall be designed and constructed such that each article tested shall conform to the requirements for each test specified in annex A and shall not show any deformation that will affect the serviceability of the chairs and stools and shall meet the test requirements in table 1. 5 Sampling

a) Chair

b) Stool

Figure C.1 Seat static load test C.2 Back static load test Position the center of the back loading pad (B.5) either at the back loading position as specified by the chair loading position template (see figure E.3) or at 100 mm below the top of the back, whichever is lower. Prevent the chair from moving rearwards by placing stops behind the rear feet or castors. Apply the test load of the appropriate magnitude specified in table 1, perpendicular to the back when under load. Conduct the test by the application of the load 10 times, with the balancing seat load specified in table 1 applied at the seat loading position (see annex E). During each application, maintain the load for at least 10 s. The back static force shall be at least 410 N. If the chair tends to overbalance at this force, the force applied to the seat shall be increased until this tendency ceases. NOTE 1 If it is not possible to apply the back load at the back loading position due to the construction of the chair, e.g. if the back is constructed of cross-members positioned above and/or below the back loading position, a suitable panel may be used to spread the load over the back cross-members so long as this surface does not overlap the side upright members.

Monobloc chairs and stools shall be sampled in accordance with PNS ISO 2859-1 and shall be representative of the production model. 6 Test method

6.1 General test requirements General test requirements shall be in accordance with annex A. 6.2 Test environment and apparatus Test environment and apparatus shall be in accordance with annex B. 6.3 Strength and durability of monobloc chairs and stools shall be tested in accordance with annexes C and E. All applicable tests shall be carried out on the chairs and stools in the order listed in table 1.

D2 | WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2012

NOTE 2 If the chair is fitted with a tilting mechanism, this shall be adjusted so that the back of the chair is tilted at 15 5 back from the vertical. On the first and the tenth application of the back static load, measure the relative deflection of the back and calculate d/h, as illustrated in figure C.2, h being the distance from the seat surface to the top of the back and d being the deflection of the top of the back. When this test is applied to a stool without a backrest, or with a very low back, apply the backward force horizontally to the front edge of the seat. Regardless of the shape of the seat for stools with rectangular underframes, apply the force perpendicular to each of two adjacent sides in turn, half the number of applications of the force being applied to each side. For stools with triangular underframes, apply the force along each of any two median lines in turn. NOTE Since one position of the seat loading pad in the seat static load test is the same as that specified for the back static load test, it is normally convenient to perform these two tests together as a combined seat and back static load test. In this case, the seat load shall be applied first and then maintained while the back load is applied. When this test is applied to a stool without a backrest, or with a very low back, apply the backward force horizontally to the front edge of the seat. Test tools with four legs on which the seat surface is not symmetrical both with the seat major dimensions sideways, and with the major dimensions fore and aft for half the number of applications of the force in each of the two directions. Test stools with three legs along two of the principle axes of the three feet. NOTE Because the number of cycles and the seal load are common to both of the seat and back fatigue tests it is normally convenient to perform these two tests together as a combined seat and back fatigue test. In this case, the seat load should be applied first and then maintained while the back load is applied.

ManilaStandardTODAY

a) Chair

b) Stool

Figure C.9 Seat impact test C.11 Back impact test Carry out the test with the impact hammer (B.9). Place the chair or stool with its front feet prevented by stops or clamps from moving forward. Strike the outside of the chairback top at its center, or, when there is no back, the center of the seat rear edge horizontally with the impact hammer falling from a height or angle as specified in table 1. Repeat the procedure 10 times. If a stool has no easily determined rear edge, apply the test in the direction most likely to cause the stool to tip over.

a) Chair

b) Stool

Figure C.6 Back fatigue test C.7 Leg forward static load test Restrain the4 front feet of the chair or stool from movement while applying a horizontal force centrally to the rear of the chair at seat level in a forward direction, by means of the local loading pad (B.6). For stools with only three legs, one foot on the fore and aft center line and one other foot should be restrained. The maximum force shall be the appropriate force specified in table 1. Apply the appropriate seat load specified in table 1 at the seat loading position specified by the chair loading position template (see figure E.3). If the chair or stool tends to overbalance, reduce the load to a magnitude that just prevents forward overbalancing, and record the actual force use. (see figure C.7a). Apply the forward leg load 10 times, and during each application, maintain the load for at least 10 s.

If the chair has wings, rearrange the position of the chair and repeat the test with the striker hitting the outside top of one wing at right angles to the surface and in the position most likely to cause failure. Restrain the legs of the opposite side.

a) Chair

b) Stool

Figure C.2 Back static load test C.3 Arm and wing sideways static load test Apply a pair of outward forces of the appropriate magnitude specified in table 1 between the arms of the chair at the point along the arms most likely to cause failure (see figure C.3). Apply the forces 10 times, using the local loading pad (B.6). During each application, maintain the load for at least 10 s. If the chair has wings, i.e. two side pieces at the top of an armchair against which the head may be rested, repeat the test on both wings with the appropriate force specified in table 1.

a) Chair

b) Stool

Figure C.10 Back impact test C.12 Arm impact test Carry out the test in the same manner as the back impact test (C.10) except that the impact should be applied in an inward direction to the outside face of one arm at the position most likely to cause a failure. (see figure C.11). a) Leg forward b) Leg sideways

Figure C.3 Arm and wing sideways static load test C.4 Arm downwards static load test Apply a vertical force of the appropriate magnitude specified in table 1, 10 times at the point along the arms most likely to cause failure. (see figure C.4). Apply the load through the smaller seat loading pad (B.4) and during each application maintain the load for at least 10 s. If the chair overbalances, apply a balancing load large enough to prevent the chair from overbalancing when the full force is applied, on the side of the seat opposite to that on which the full force is applied. NOTE The arm sideways static load test can be combined with the arm downwards static load test by combining the horizontal and vertical loads into a diagonal load, this being the resultant of the two loads.

Figure C7 Leg static load test C.8 Leg sideways static load test Carry out this test in the same manner as the leg forward static loading test except restrain a pair of front and rear feet from movement while applying a horizontal force centrally to the side of the article at seat level, in a sideways direction towards the restraining feet. Apply the appropriate vertical seat load specified in table 1 at a suitable position across the seat but not more than 150 mm from the unloaded edge of the seat. Apply the horizontal force 10 times, and during each application maintain the load for at least 10 s. The maximum force shall be that as specified in table 1. (See figure C.7b). If the article tends to overbalance with the vertical seat load and its farthest position from the unloaded edge, reduce the horizontal seat loading force to a magnitude that just prevents sideways overbalancing, and record the actual force used. NOTE Leg tests are applicable to chairs and stools with legs or pedestals. There are no rearward leg loading tests because proof of durability when subjected to them will have been demonstrated in the back static loading test (C.2). Similarly, the leg tests need not be applied to stools because proof of the performance of the stool when subjected to them will have been demonstrated in the back static loading test (C.2).

Figure C.11 Arm impact test C.13 Drop test Support the chair so that, at impact on one foot, the line joining that foot to the foot diagonally opposite is inclined at 10 to the horizontal, while the line joining the remaining feet is horizontal. In the case of three-legged stools, support the stool so that the line joining two feet shall be horizontal and the line from the third foot, i.e. the one receiving impact, to the mid-point of the line is inclined at 10 to the horizontal. (See figure C.12). Lift up the article to the appropriate height specified in table 1 for the type of leg or pedestal fitted to the article. Drop the article 10 times onto a front leg, and 10 times onto a rear leg or in the case of three-legged articles, onto two legs in turn, onto the standard floor (B.1). NOTE 1 This test may be carried out by lifting the article by three cords that are adjusted in length with the article standing in the correct orientation on a plane inclined at 10 to the horizontal. NOTE 2 Stacking chairs and stools are more likely to be dropped than other types of seating. Chairs should be subjected to drop tests at whichever height is appropriate.

Figure C.4 Arm downwards static load test C.5 Seat fatigue test Apply the force of 950 N by means of the seat loading pad (B.3) with the center of the loading pad positioned at the seat loading position determined as in annex E. Apply the force for the appropriate number of times specified in table 1 at a rate not exceeding 40 cycles per minute. Measure the lowest position of the pad during the first and the last cycle of the test. Record the difference of the two values obtained as the deflection of the seat during the test. If required, repeat the test on footrails or footrest.

For stools with backrests and those with shaped seats so that the front and rear of the stool are obvious, the leg tests should be applied as for chairs. Where such a stool has only three legs, one foot on the fore and aft center line of the stool and one other foot should be provided with stops in the sideways loading test. Chairs without legs or pedestals should be subjected to the diagonal base load test (see C.9). C.9 Diagonal base load test The diagonal base load test shall be applied to chairs or stools without pedestals or legs. Chairs with pedestals or legs shall be subjected to the leg static load test (See C.7 a) and b). Apply simultaneously two opposing forces of the magnitudes specified in table 1 to one pair of diagonally opposite corners of the article. Apply these forces as near as possible to the lowest point, in an inward direction 10 times and during each application maintain the load for at least 10 s. (See figure C.8).

Figure C.12 Drop test Figure C.5 Seat fatigue test C.6 Back fatigue test Position the center of the back loading pad (B.5) either at the back loading position determined as in annex E, or at 100 mm below the top of the back, whichever is the lower. Prevent the chair from moving rearwards by placing stops behind the rear feet or castors. Conduct the test by the repeated application or a force of 330 N or if the chair over balances, of such lesser force as to prevent rearwards overbalancing. Carry out the test at a rate not exceeding 40 cycles per minute for the appropriate number of applications specified in table 1. During each cycle apply a force of 950 N to the seat (see figure C.6). Annex D Figure C.8 Diagonal base load test - Directions of forces C.10 Seat Impact test Place a piece of foam (B.7) on the seat. Allow the seat impacter (See B.8 and figure D.4) to fall freely from the appropriate height specified in table 1 onto the seat loading position as specified by the chair loading position template (see annex E and figure C.9). Repeat this test 10 times. Repeat at any other position considered likely to cause failure. Assessment of results D.1 Immediately before commencement of testing, inspect each chair or stool thoroughly. Note any defects in the members, joints or attachments so that they are not attributed to the effect of the tests when the test have been completed. Carry out a dimensional check of the article in any case where it can be expected to suffer deformation as a result of testing. D.2 Immediately after completion of the tests, reinspect the chair or stool thoroughly. Note any apparent defects and determine any changes that have taken place since the initial inspection including:

ManilaStandardTODAY
a) the fracture or cracking of any member, component or joint, including seat suspensions, castors, and structural shells; b) the loosening shown to be permanent by hand pressure applied to suitable members, or points intended to be rigid. c) the loosening of the underframe or base inserts moulded into a structural shell relative to the shell surface, shown to be permanent by means of hand pressure applied to the underframe or base. d) the free movement in the back, arms, legs or other components of the article greater than that noted in the initial inspection; e) the deformation of any part of the article or any cracks which will adversely affect its appearance; f) the impairment of the operation of any mechanical part (including any significant change in the seat height during any phase of the seat height adjustment tests); and

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2012 | D3

g) clearly audible noise developed during testing. D.3 Pass and fail criteria are to be established in requirement specifications.

NOTE Pendulum head is drawn turned 90o from working postion. Figure D.5 Details of pendulum impact hammer Annex E Determination of seat and back loading positions E.1 Introduction This method determines the seat and back loading positions that are specified in this standard as distances measured from the seat and back intersection point. The determination of alternative loading points measured from the front edge of the seat or the top of the back is carried out in the normal manner. E.2 Apparatus A chair loading position template (see figures E.1 and E.2) consisting of two-shaped members fastened together by a pivot at one end. The contours of the shaped surfaces are so devised as to sink into the upholstery for a representative distance and at moderate loads. For this purpose the seat loading arm shall have a total mass of 20 kg, applied through the seat loading point. a) Plan b) Side elevation The apparatus is marked as shown in figure E.1 so that the template can be positioned easily with the two members at 90 to each other. Loading points A and B correspond to those points on a chair being 175 mm forward of the seat and back intersection point on the seat and 300 mm upward from the seat and back intersection on the back. Loading point C corresponds to the point on a stool as 175 mm from one edge. NOTE In some cases it may not be possible to determine the loading points by means of the template. In such cases, the report should include information as to the choice of loading points. E.3 Method E.3.1 Chair Position the template with each load applied at the seat loading point on the centerline of the chair as far towards the rear as possible. Adjust its position by pushing the backloading portion into the back, so levering the seat portion forwards until the shape of the template correlates to that of the chair (see figure E.3). Mark the required loading positions from the template. E.3.2 Stool Figure D.2 Details of the smaller seat loading pad Set up the apparatus at 90 with the aid of the mark as shown in figure E.1. Place on the stool as shown in figure E.3. Mark the required loading position from the template.

Figure E.3 Position of chair loading position template on chairs and stools References The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies. PNS 540:1997/ISO 554:1976 - International Standard Standard atmospheres for conditioning and/or testing Specification ISO 2439:2008 - International Standard - Polymeric materials, cellular flexible - Determination of hardness (indentation technique) PNS 2859:2004 (ISO published 1999) Philippine National Standard Sampling procedure for inspection by attributes Part 1: Sampling plans indexed by acceptable quality level (AQL) for lot-by-lot inspection PNS ISO 48:2007 (ISO published 1994) Rubber, vulcanized thermoplastic Determination of hardness (hardness between 10 IRHD and 100 IRHD) PNS BS EN 1022:2009 Domestic furniture Seating Determination of stability Abbreviations: PNS ISO - Philippine National Standard - International Organization for Standardization

Figure D.1 Details of the naturalistically shaped standard seat loading pad

BS EN - British Standard

BUREAU OF PRODUCT STANDARDS Department of Trade and Industry Technical Committee 41 Furniture

Chairman 1 Raul R. Leviste Ward Trading Members Government Agencies: 3. Flerida G. Arias Procurement Service/DBM

Vice-Chairman 2. Enrique Diaz URATEX

Manufacturers: 7 Jacqueline T. Tang Rodenstock Manufacturing Corp.

4. Rowe Requejo 8. Rodrigo Navarro Product Development and Design NAVs Center of the Phils./DTI Testing Institution:
Figure D.3 Details of back loading pad

5. Romualdo Nuguit Technical Education and Skills Center of the Phils./DTI 6. Rosalie B. Raymundo Department of Education Project Manager
Figure E.1 Chair loading position template

9. Victor R. Revilleza Forest Product Research and Development Institute/DOST Invitee: 10. Teresita C. Belgica Allied Moulding

11 Ledilla G. Papa Bureau of Product Standards

your partner in product quality and safety

BUREAU OF PRODUCT STANDARDS 3F Trade and Industry Building 361 Sen. Gil J. Puyat Avenue, Makati City 1200, Metro Manila, Philippines T/ (632) 751.3125 / 751.3123 / 751.4731 E-mail : bps@dti.gov.ph www.dti.gov.ph
(MST-Dec. 19 & 26, 2012)

Figure D.4 Details of seat impacter

Figure E.2 Loading surface curves for chair seat and back loading template assembly

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

D4

WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 19, 2012

ManilaStandardToday

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Page Compositor: Diana Keyser Punzalan

Republic of the Philippines

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS AND HIGHWAYS

Masbate 2nd District Engineering Office Dimasalang, Masbate

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS AND HIGHWAYS

Masbate 2nd District Engineering Office Dimasalang, Masbate

ERRORS & OMISSIONS

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

N OTICE
Notice is hereby given that FIRM BUILDERS REALTY DEVELOPMENT CORP., with office address at 88 Scout Ganda St., Diliman, Quezon City, is applying for registration with the Board of Investments (BOI) as a New Developer of Low Cost Mass Housing Project (Grand Villa Sta. Ines) with a capacity of 900 low-cost mass housing units on a non-pioneer status with project site located at Brgy. Mansilingan, Bacolod City. Any person with valid objection/s on the abovementioned project may file his/her objection in writing, under oath, with the BOI within three (3) days from the date of this publication. (Sgd.) EVARISTE M. CAGATAN Director Infrastructure and Service Industries Department
Industry & Investments Building, 385 Sen. Gil J. Puyat Avenue, Makati City, Philippines Trunkline: 897-6682, (IPG) 896-9212, (MSG) 896-5167, (PAG) 895-3983 (ISG) 890-3056, (FASD) 890-9325 Website: http//www.boi.gov.ph P.O. Box 1872 Makati City

INVITATION TO BID
1. The Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) of the DPWH Masbate 2nd District Engineering Office, Dimasalang, Masbate, through SARO-BMB-A T000005389 intends to apply the sum of P979,622.61 being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the Contract Name: Construction of One (1) Multi-Purpose Building ( Farmers Training Center) located at Brgy. Panan-awan, Cawayan,Masbate Contract ID: 12FJ0031. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening. The DPWH, Masbate 2nd District Engineering Office, Dimasalang, Masbate now invites bid for the following Scope of Work to be procured with Contract ID as mentioned above viz: Pay Item No. (1) 803 803(3) 403 404 405 502 1003 1004 1010 1014 1032 1002 Spcl 3 Spcl 1 1100 Spcl 2 Description (2) Structure Excavation (Common Soil) Foundation Fill Metal Structure (Roof Framing) Reinforcing Steel Bar ,Grade 40 Structural Concrete Masonry Works(CHB 150mm&100mm Carpentry and Joinery Works (Ceiling) Hardware Doors and Windows Metal Sheets Painting Plumbing Works Septic Vault Project Billboard/Blackboard Electrical Works Safety & Health Unit (3) cu.m. cu.m. kgs kgs cu.m. sq.m. sq.m lot sq.m sq.m sq.m. lot lot lot lot lot Quantity (4) 20.81 13.05 1,545.03 1,252.16 21.15 160.80 109.60 1.00 15.20 115.00 429.59 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.

INVITATION TO BID
The Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) of the DPWH Masbate 2nd District Engineering Office, Dimasalang, Masbate, through SARO-BMB-A T000005520 intends to apply the sum of P979,622.61 being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the Contract Name: Construction of One (1) Multi-Purpose Building located at Brgy. Katipunan, Placer,Masbate Contract ID: 12FJ0032. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening. The DPWH, Masbate 2nd District Engineering Office, Dimasalang, Masbate now invites bid for the following Scope of Work to be procured with Contract ID as mentioned above viz: Pay Item No. (1) 803 803(3) 403 404 405 502 1003 1004 1010 1014 1032 1002 Spcl 3 Spcl 1 1100 Spcl 2 Description (2) Structure Excavation (Common Soil) Foundation Fill Metal Structure (Roof Framing) Reinforcing Steel Bar ,Grade 40 Structural Concrete Masonry Works(CHB 150mm&100mm Carpentry and Joinery Works (Ceiling) Hardware Doors and Windows Metal Sheets Painting Plumbing Works Septic Vault Project Billboard/Blackboard Electrical Works Safety & Health Unit (3) cu.m. cu.m. kgs kgs cu.m. sq.m. sq.m lot sq.m sq.m sq.m. lot lot lot lot lot Quantity (4) 20.81 13.05 1,545.03 1,252.16 21.15 160.80 109.60 1.00 15.20 115.00 429.59 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00

2.

2.

(MST-Dec. 19, 2012)

Completion of the works is required 60 Calendar Days expected contract duration. Bidders should have completed within ten (10) years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the project. The description of non eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, Particularly, Section II Instruction to Bidders. 3. Bidding will be conducted through open competitive procedures using non discretionary pass/ fail criterion as specified in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the Republic Act 9184 (RA 9184), otherwise known as the Government Procurement Reform Act. Bidding is restricted to Filipino Citizens/ sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least seventy five percent (75%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines.

Completion of the works is required 60 Calendar Days expected contract duration. Bidders should have completed within ten (10) years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the project. The description of non eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, Particularly, Section II Instruction to Bidders. 3. Bidding will be conducted through open competitive procedures using non discretionary pass/ fail criterion as specified in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the Republic Act 9184 (RA 9184), otherwise known as the Government Procurement Reform Act. Bidding is restricted to Filipino Citizens/ sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least seventy five percent (75%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines. Interested bidders may obtain further information from DPWH, Masbate 2nd District Engineering Office, Dimasalang, Masbate and inspect the Bidding Documents at the Address given below. To bid this contract, a complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased from December 14-20, 2012 and bidder must submit a letter of intent (LOI) at 3:00 PM of December 20, 2012, at the BAC Secretariat at 8:00AM 12:00NN to 1:00PM 5:00PM by interested Bidders from the DPWH, Masbate 2nd District Engineering Office, Dimasalang, Masbate and upon payment of non-refundable fee for the Bidding Documents in the amount of Php 1,000.00. It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGeps) and the website of the Procuring Entity, provided that bidder shall pay the fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids. The Procuring Entity intends to open the Pre Bid Conference to all interested Bidders. The DPWH, Masbate 2nd District Engineering Office, Dimasalang, Masbate will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on December 18, 2012 at 2:00 P.M. at the Office of the BAC Secretariat which shall be open only to all intended parties who have purchased The Bidding Documents. Bids must be delivered to the DPWH, Masbate 2nd District Engineering Office, Dimasalang, Masbate on or before December 27, 2012 at 2:00 P.M. at the Office of the BAC Secretariat. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable form and the amount stated in the ITB clause 18. Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders representative who choose to attend at DPWH, Masbate 2nd District Engineering Office, Dimasalang, Masbate, Late bids shall not be accepted. 8. 9. The Sealing and Marking of Bids must be in accordance with the Procurement Infrastructure Projects Fourth Edition December 2010 page 26. The DPWH, Masbate 2nd District Engineering Office, Dimasalang, Masbate reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, to annul the bidding process, and to reject all bids at any time prior to contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

For fast ad results, please call 527-83-51 to 55 l o c a l s 2 2 7-228 Manila Office

For fast ad results, please call 6594830 or 6594903
LUNGSOD NG MAKATI Bids and Awards Committee
J.P. Rizal St. corner F. Zobel St., Makati City Tel. No. 870-1000 Fax No. 899-8988 www.makati.gov.ph
REPUBLIKA NG PILIPINAS

4. 4. Interested bidders may obtain further information from DPWH, Masbate 2nd District Engineering Office, Dimasalang, Masbate and inspect the Bidding Documents at the Address given below. 5. 5. To bid this contract, a complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased from December 14-20, 2012 and bidder must submit a letter of intent (LOI) at 3:00 PM of December 20, 2012, at the BAC Secretariat at 8:00AM 12:00NN to 1:00PM 5:00PM by interested Bidders from the DPWH, Masbate 2nd District Engineering Office, Dimasalang, Masbate and upon payment of non-refundable fee for the Bidding Documents in the amount of Php 1,000.00. It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGeps) and the website of the Procuring Entity, provided that bidder shall pay the fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids. 6. 6. The Procuring Entity intends to open the Pre Bid Conference to all interested Bidders. The DPWH, Masbate 2nd District Engineering Office, Dimasalang, Masbate will hold a PreBid Conference on December 18, 2012 at 2:00 P.M. at the Office of the BAC Secretariat which shall be open only to all intended parties who have purchased The Bidding Documents. 7. Bids must be delivered to the DPWH, Masbate 2nd District Engineering Office, Dimasalang, Masbate on or before December 27, 2012 at 2:00 P.M. at the Office of the BAC Secretariat. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable form and the amount stated in the ITB clause 18. Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders representative who choose to attend at DPWH, Masbate 2nd District Engineering Office, Dimasalang, Masbate, Late bids shall not be accepted. 8. 9. The Sealing and Marking of Bids must be in accordance with the Procurement Infrastructure Projects Fourth Edition December 2010 page 26. The DPWH, Masbate 2nd District Engineering Office, Dimasalang, Masbate 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.

7.

INVITATION TO BID
The City Government of Makati, through its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), invites registered suppliers/ manufacturers/distributors/contractors to bid for the hereunder projects: NO. 1 NAME OF PROJECT AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION E-Learning Solution Package for the use of Dep-Ed Makati LOCATION DEP-ED APPROVED BUDGET P16,716,000.00

For further information, please refer to: For further information, please refer to: BELINDA R. BANDAGOZA DPWH, Masbate 2nd District Engineering Office Dimasalang, Masbate Email Address: sheoseodpwh@yahoo.com Approved: (Sgd) BELINDA R. BANDAGOZA Procurement Engineer BAC Chairman Noted by: (Sgd) EDGAR M. CURATIVO District Engineer
(MST-Dec. 19, 2012)

Prospective Bidders should have experience in undertaking a similar project with an amount of at least 50% of the proposed project for bidding. The Eligibility Check/Screening as well as the Preliminary Examinations of Bids shall use non-discretionary pass/fail criteria. Post-Qualification of the Lowest Calculated Bid shall be conducted. All particulars relative to Eligibility Statement and Screening, Bid Security, Performance Security, Pre-Bidding Conference(s), Evaluation of Bids, Post-Qualification and Award of Contract shall be governed by the pertinent provisions of R.A. 9184 and its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR). The complete schedule of activities is listed, as follows: ACTIVITIES 1. Pre-Bidding Conference at BAC Conference Room, 9th Floor 2. Opening of Bids at BAC Conference Room, 9th Floor SCHEDULE December 14, 2012 (10:00 A.M.) December 28, 2012 (10:00 A.M.)

BELINDA R. BANDAGOZA DPWH, Masbate 2nd District Engineering Office Dimasalang, Masbate Email Address: sheoseodpwh@yahoo.com Approved: (Sgd) BELINDA R. BANDAGOZA Procurement Engineer BAC Chairman Noted by: (Sgd) EDGAR M. CURATIVO District Engineer
(MST-Dec. 19, 2012)

Bidding Documents will be available only to Prospective Bidders upon payment of a non-refundable amount of ______________________to the City Government of Makati Cashier. (fee for Bid Documents) (Procuring Entity) The City Government of Makati assumes no responsibility whatsoever to compensate or indemnify bidders for (Procuring Entity) any expenses incurred in the preparation of the bid. The City of Makati reserves the right to disqualify any or all proposal, to waive any defects or informalities therein and to accept such proposal as may be considered most advantageous to the Government. Approved by: (Sgd.) Atty. ELENO M. MENDOZA, JR. Chairperson
(MST-Dec. 19, 2012)

REPUBLIKA NG PILIPINAS

Republic of the Philippines

Republic of the Philippines

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS AND HIGHWAYS

Masbate 2nd District Engineering Office Dimasalang, Masbate

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS AND HIGHWAYS

Leyte 2nd District Engineering Office Brgy. Barugohay Central, Carigara, Leyte Tel/Fax No. (053) 331-2808 Email Address: bacsecretariat_2ndled@yahoo.com

LUNGSOD NG MAKATI Bids and Awards Committee

J.P. Rizal St. corner F. Zobel St., Makati City Tel. No. 870-1000 Fax No. 899-8988 www.makati.gov.ph

Region VIII OFFICE OF THE DISTRICT ENGINEER

INVITATION TO BID
The City Government of Makati, through its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), invites suppliers/manufacturers/ distributors/contractors to apply for eligibility and to bid for the hereunder projects: NO. NAME OF PROJECT AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION 1 Development, Installation and Implementation of the Technology Enhancement for Selected Local Government Information System (LGIS) for the use of Accounting Department 2 Brand New Vehicles for Official use of the City Government 3 Brand New 26-Seater Bus for official use of the City Government 4 Brand New Vehicles (Gasoline-Manual Transmission) for official use of the City Government LOCATION OM OM OM OM APPROVED BUDGET P235,000,000.00 P30,730,880.00 P14,895,872.00 P9,703,540.00

INVITATION TO BID
1. The Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) of the DPWH Masbate 2nd District Engineering Office, Dimasalang, Masbate, through SARO-BMB-A T000005907 intends to apply the sum of P685,818.46 being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the Contract Name: Contract Package for the Construction of Multi-Purpose Pavement located at Brgy. Suba and Brgy. Poblacion, Dimasalang, Masbate Brgy. Maihao, Cawayan, Masbate, Brgy. Taboc and Brgy. Mahayag, Placer, Masbate Contract ID: 12FJ0033. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening. The DPWH, Masbate 2nd District Engineering Office, Dimasalang, Masbate now invites bid for the following Scope of Work to be procured with Contract ID as mentioned above viz: Construction of Multi-Purpose Pavement (63.20 ln.m.) Suba, Dimasalang, Masbate

INVITATION TO BID
December 12, 2012
1. a. b. Contract ID Number: Name of Project:/Location : 12ID0188 Construction and Rehabilitation of Barangay Road, Brgy. Esteban,Brgy. Pawa,Brgy. Dumalag, Brgy. Balante and Brgy. Alegria, Burauen,Leyte Scope of Work : Road Resurfacing Approved Budget for the Contract Php5,877,745.96 (ABC ) : Contract Duration: 180 Calendar Days Cost of Bid Documents : Php 10,000.00

2.

Prospective Bidders should have experience in undertaking a similar project with an amount of at least 50% of the proposed project for bidding. The Eligibility Check/Screening as well as the Preliminary Examinations of Bids shall use non-discretionary pass/fail criteria. Post-Qualification of the Lowest Calculated Bid shall be conducted. All particulars relative to Eligibility Statement and Screening, Bid Security, Performance Security, Pre-Bidding Conference(s), Evaluation of Bids, Post-Qualification and Award of Contract shall be governed by the pertinent provisions of R.A. 9184 and its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR). The complete schedule of activities is listed, as follows: ACTIVITIES 1. Pre-Bidding Conference at BAC Conference Room, 9th Floor 2. Opening of Bids at BAC Conference Room, 9th Floor SCHEDULE December 28, 2012 (10:00 A.M.) January 10, 2013 (2:00 P.M.)

Pay Item No. (1) 201 311 Spcl 1

Description (2) Aggregate Base Course PCCP Billboard

Unit (3) cu.m. cu.m. cu.m.

Quantity (4) 22.12 94.80 1.00

c. d. e. f.

Construction of Multi-Purpose Pavement (63.20 ln.m.) Poblacion, Dimasalang, Masbate

Pay Item Description No. (2) (1) 201 Aggregate Base Course 311 PCCP Spcl 1 Billboard Construction of Multi-Purpose Pavement (76.30 ln.m.) Maihao, Cawayan, Masbate Pay Item No. (1) 201 311 Spcl 1 PCCP Billboard Description (2) Aggregate Base Course

Unit (3) cu.m. cu.m. cu.m.

Quantity (4) 22.12 94.80 1.00

1. The DPWH 2nd Leyte Engineering District,Brgy. Barugohay Central,Carigara,Leyte through BMB-A-12-T000003963 intends to apply the sum above stated being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for the abovementioned contracts. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening. 2. The DPWH 2 Leyte Engineering District,Brgy. Barugohay Central,Carigara,Leyte now invites bids for the abovementioned description of works. Completion of the Works is required for the above stated contract duration. Bidders should have completed at least one (1) contract that is similar to this project/s, equivalent to at least fifty percent ( 50 % ) of the ABC. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents,particularly, in Section II. Instruction to Bidders.
nd

Bidding Documents will be available only to Prospective Bidders upon payment of a non-refundable amount of ______________________ to the City Government of Makati Cashier. (fee for Bid Documents) (Procuring Entity) The City Government of Makati assumes no responsibility whatsoever to compensate or indemnify bidders (Procuring Entity) for any expenses incurred in the preparation of the bid. The City of Makati reserves the right to disqualify any or all proposal, to waive any defects or informalities therein and to accept such proposal as may be considered most advantageous to the Government. Approved by: (Sgd.) ATTY. ELENO M. MENDOZA, JR. Chairperson

Unit (3) cu.m. cu.m. cu.m.

Quantity (4) 26.71 114.45 1.00

3. Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using non-discretionary pass/fail criterion in the Eligibility Check and Preliminary Examination of Bids as specified in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act 9184 ( RA 9184),otherwise known as the Government Procurement Reform Act. Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/ sole proprietorships, organizations or joint venture with at least seventy five percent ( 75 % ) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines. 4. Contractors/applicants who are interested in the DPWH civil works are required to register prior to the set scheduled of submission of bid while those already registered shall keep their records current and updated. Contractors eligibility to bid on the project will be determined using the DPWH Contract Eligibility Process (CPEP) and subject to further post-qualification. Information on registration can be obtained at DPWH website www.dpwh.gov.ph. Interested bidders may obtain further information from DPWH,2nd LED, Carigara,Leyte and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below from 8:00 A.M. -5:00 P.M. 5. A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested Bidders from the address below and upon payment of a non-refundable fee for the Bidding Documents in the amount stated above. Bidders can make payments for the purchase of the Bidding Documents at any DPWH District Offices. It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the website of the Procuring Entity, provided that bidders shall pay the fee for the Bidding Documents not later that the submission of their bids. The significant date and time of procurement activities are shown below: PROCUREMENT ACTIVITY D A T E/T I M E December 14 to January 3, 2013 1. Issuance of Bidding Documents

(MST-Dec. 19, 2012)

Construction of Multi-Purpose Pavement (82.50 ln.m.) Taboc, Placer, Masbate

UTILITY ASSURANCE CORPORATION

SYNOPSIS OF THE ANNUAL STATEMENT AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2011 ASSETS Bonds Stocks Real Estate Security Fund Cash on Hand and in Banks Premiums Receivable Premiums Due from Ceding Cos. Premiums Reserve withheld by Ceding Cos. Reinsurance Recoverable on Losses Accrued Investment income EDP Equipment TOTAL ASSETS LIABILITIES Losses and Claims Payable Reserve for Unearned Premiums Catastrophe Loss Reserve Premium Due to Reinsurers Premium Reserve W/held for Reinsurers Commission Payable Accrued Expenses Taxes Payable Other Liabilities TOTAL LIABILITIES STOCKHOLDERS EQUITY Capital Stock Paid-Up Fluctuation Reserve - Stocks Retained Earnings TOTAL STOCKHOLDERS EQUITY TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS EQUITY -P125,000,000.00 2,131,359.92 14,374,191.24 141,505,551.16 321,222,426.64 -P72,824,569.33 25,532,026.50 2,661,560.49 60,290,500.66 2,226,395.64 110,029.21 343,212.04 8,625,305.00 7,103,278.61 179,716,877.48 -P123,619,332.47 3,841,440.50 6,886,579.84 16,330.00 90,750,873.96 15,794,445.17 11,321,999.09 2,205,064.81 63,835,027.56 8,971.18 2,942,364.06 321,222,428.64

Pay Item No. (1) 201 311 Spcl 1 PCCP Billboard

Description (2) Aggregate Base Course

Unit (3) cu.m. cu.m. cu.m.

Quantity (4) 29.00 124.28 1.00

Construction of Multi-Purpose Pavement (161.55 ln.m.) Mahayag, Placer, Masbate

Pay Item No. (1) 201 311 Spcl 1 PCCP Billboard

Description (2) Aggregate Base Course

Unit (3) cu.m. cu.m. cu.m.

Quantity (4) 56.54 242.33 1.00

Completion of the works is required 17 Calendar Days including curing period of PCCP expected contract duration. Bidders should have completed within ten (10) years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the project. The description of non eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, Particularly, Section II Instruction to Bidders. 3. Bidding will be conducted through open competitive procedures using non discretionary pass/fail criterion as specified in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the Republic Act 9184 (RA 9184), otherwise known as the Government Procurement Reform Act. Bidding is restricted to Filipino Citizens/ sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least seventy five percent (75%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines. Interested bidders may obtain further information from DPWH, Masbate 2nd District Engineering Office, Dimasalang, Masbate and inspect the Bidding Documents at the Address given below. To bid this contract, a complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased from December 14-20, 2012 and bidder must submit a letter of intent (LOI) at 3:00 PM of December 20, 2012, at the BAC Secretariat at 8:00AM 12:00NN to 1:00PM 5:00PM by interested Bidders from the DPWH, Masbate 2nd District Engineering Office, Dimasalang, Masbate and upon payment of non-refundable fee for the Bidding Documents in the amount of Php 1,000.00. It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGeps) and the website of the Procuring Entity, provided that bidder shall pay the fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids. The Procuring Entity intends to open the Pre Bid Conference to all interested Bidders. The DPWH, Masbate 2nd District Engineering Office, Dimasalang, Masbate will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on December 18, 2012 at 2:00 P.M. at the Office of the BAC Secretariat which shall be open only to all intended parties who have purchased The Bidding Documents. Bids must be delivered to the DPWH, Masbate 2nd District Engineering Office, Dimasalang, Masbate on or before December 27, 2012 at 2:00 P.M. at the Office of the BAC Secretariat. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable form and the amount stated in the ITB clause 18. Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders representative who choose to attend at DPWH, Masbate 2nd District Engineering Office, Dimasalang, Masbate, Late bids shall not be accepted. 8. 9. The Sealing and Marking of Bids must be in accordance with the Procurement Infrastructure Projects Fourth Edition December 2010 page 26. The DPWH, Masbate 2nd District Engineering Office, Dimasalang, Masbate 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.

2. Pre-bid Conference December 21, 2012 @ 10:00 A.M. 3. Deadline for Receipt of LOIs and January 3, 2013 @ 9:00 A.M. Receipt/Submission of Bids 4. Opening of Bids January 3, 2013 @ 3:30 P.M. 6. The DPWH 2nd Leyte Engineering District,Brgy. Barugohay Central,Carigara,Leyte will hold a Prebid at the BAC Office, DPWH 2nd LED, Brgy. Barugohay,Carigara,Leyte. which shall be open only to all interested parties who have purchased the Bidding Documents. 7. Bids must be delivered at BAC Office,DPWH 2nd LED, Brgy. Barugohay Central,Carigara,Leyte All bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18, or a Bid Securing Declaration in lieu of a bid security as an additional form pursuant to GPPB Resolution No. 03-2012. Bids will opened in the presence of the bidders representatives who choose to attend at the address below. Late bids shall not be accepted. 8. To bid for this contract, a contractor must submit the following: 1) DPWH Standard Form of Letter of Intent (LOI ) on or before the deadline for submission of bids (per Department Memorandum dated November 15, 2012 with Subject: Deferment in the Implementation of Section C.3 of D.O. No. 64 Series of 2012); 2) Net Financial Contracting Capacity (NFCC) at least equal to ABC or Credit Line Comitment at least equal to 10% of ABC. Bidders shall likewise submit their bids personally or through their duly Authorized Liaison Officers only as specified in the Contractors Information (CI of the Contractor Registration Certificate (CRC). 9. The DPWH 2nd LED,Brgy. Barugohay Central, Carigara,Leyte 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 or obligation to the affected bidder or bidders. For further information,please refer to: FRANCISCO E. ROBIN, JR. Chief, Maintenance Section (BAC Chairman) Attention: Head, BAC Secretariat DPWH 2nd LED, Brgy. Barugohay Central, Carigara,Leyte Fax No: (053)331-2808 Telephone: (053)331-1107 Email Address:bacsecretariat_2ndled@yahoo.com (Sgd.) FRANCISCO E. ROBIN, JR Chief, Maintenance Section (Chairman, BAC) NOTED: (Sgd.) MA. MARGARITA C. JUNIA. District Engineer
(MST-Dec. 19, 2012)

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4. 5.

6.

7.

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For further information, please refer to: BELINDA R. BANDAGOZA DPWH, Masbate 2nd District Engineering Office Dimasalang, Masbate Email Address: sheoseodpwh@yahoo.com Approved: (Sgd) BELINDA R. BANDAGOZA Procurement Engineer BAC Chairman Noted by: (Sgd) EDGAR M. CURATIVO District Engineer
(MST-Dec. 19, 2012)

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*Required minimum capital waived in view of its merger plan with another insurance company based on Department Order No. 15-2012 dated June 1, 2012. This synopsis prepared from 2011 Annual Statement, and approved by the Insurance Commissioner is published pursuant to Section 225 of the Insurance Code of 1978, as amended.
(MST-Dec. 19, 2012)