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Govt, Moros extend peace gab

By Joyce Pangco Paares
THE Aquino administration and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front have extended formal peace talks in Kuala Lumpur as they try to hammer out a draft framework agreement with the issue of disarming the rebels the only thing that has to be resolved. Presidential peace adviser Teresita Deles said both panels are now on the homestretch of nalizing a peace agreement that will be presented to their principals after the meeting in Malaysia. The 32nd formal talks was supposed to conclude on Friday, but Deles said both parties will likely continue discussions until today. Deles said normalization, or the process of disarming and reintegrating MILF rebels, is being discussed, among others. A well-placed source in Kuala Lumpur said both sides are more or less done discussing power sharing and wealth sharNext page ing issues.

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Vol. I No. 15 12 Pages, 2 Section P18.00 SUNDAY, October 7, 2012

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The Sunday Edition of ManilaStandardTODAY

ITS WAR ON THE PEOPLENUJP

AQUINOS CYBERCRIME LAW:

NPA leader, 3 others captured

A SENIOR communist rebel leader who had received military training in Libya and had a $135,000 bounty for his arrest was captured by government troops, a military spokesman said Saturday. New Peoples Army regional chief Benjamin Mendoza and three other suspected insurgents were arrested in the early hours of Saturday outside their hideout in Quezon City, said Col. Generoso Bolina. Mendoza is a member of the central committee of the Communist Party of the Philippines and also heads a regional party group in Manila, Bolina said. One of the other suspects, Josephine Mendoza, is an executive committee member of the
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By Joyce Pangco Paares

HE National Union of Journalists of the Philippines on Saturday said that President Aquinos support to the online libel provision in the Cybercrime Prevention Act was a declaration of war against his own people even as a foreign watchdog group urged Malacanang to work on amending the controversial provisions of the law.

We now have a president who has openly declared war on his own people, the NUJP said in a statement. The NUJP quoted the late wUnited States President Thomas Jefferson who said that if a law is unjust, a man is not only right to disobey it; he is obligated to do so. The NUJP insisted that the newlyenacted law is unjust, a claim that

was supported by 11 petitions of several groups urging the Supreme Court to nullify the Cybercrime Act for being unconstitutional. The only response to it and a President who, as his factotums have repeatedly said, signed it with his full approval can only be resistance and deance, the group said.

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Autumn auction. Hidden Pleasures, one of Andres Barrioquintos newest works, will be auctioned off by Sothebys in Hong Kong today together with the paintings of other Asian artists.

Barrioquinto says Hidden Pleasures speaks of his growing interest in Japanese Shunga artworks: the extraordinarily large quantity of prints, illustrated books and paintings with erotic or explicitly sexual themes released in Japan.

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Heated debates seen with RH, Budget bills

By Maricel V. Cruz
THE passage of the P2.006-trillion national budget for 2013 and the continuation of tumultuous debates on the highly-divisive Reproductive Health bill will top the agenda of the House of Representatives when it resumes session on Monday. Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. sees smooth sailing for the approval of the proposed 2013 national budget on third and final reading since there it contains nothing controversial that could delay its scheduled passage this month. I dont see anything controversial. Anyway, everybody was given a chance to submit amendments, Belmonte said. Earlier, a small panel was formed with appropriations committee chairman and Cavite Rep. Joseph Emilio Abaya to handle the individual amendments being proposed by House members. The panel also included Minority Leader and Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez.
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LEIGH GUDA
Steals limelight in Cebu

BSP GOVERNOR AMANDO TETANGCO JR.

He turned the economy around

JOJO COLINA

Showcasing IT as best practice and best business advantage

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Subic hosts RNR-hungry US Marines

By Willie Capulong

Govt...
The source said both panels are hopeful that the agreement will be signed within the month, likely in the Philippines. Deles, however, said she does not want to preempt the ongoing talks. She said once the framework agreement is nalized, the government will make it public rst before signing it with the MILF. The agreement, Deles said, will be posted on government websites and the administration will also launch an information campaign to ensure that all stakeholders are aware of the pact. Earlier, government chief negotiator Marvic Leonen said a political entity that will replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao will require a new law to amend the ARMM Organic Act. The government and the MILF earlier signed a Decision Points on Principles (DPP) during their April meeting, which states that the future political entity will have a ministerial form of government with the power to enter into economic agreements. It will also be given the power to create its own sources of revenue and to have a just share in the revenues generated through the exploration, development or utilization of natural resources and shall also have the powers over the Shariah justice system. The powers that would be reserved for the national government, however, are as follows: defense and external security; foreign policy; common market and global trade; coinage and monetary policy; citizenship and naturalization; and postal service. The talks would be the most signicant progress in years of negotiations on ending a rebellion that has left more than 120,000 people dead and held back development inMindanao. Earlier on Tuesday, rebel negotiator Mohagher Iqbal said at the talks resumption that they are now on the home stretch and the smell of success is reinforced every day. Iqbal warned that if the negotiations are not concluded soon, opponents might endanger a nal deal. A breakaway rebel group has opposed the talks, and some Christian politicians, wary of losing land and power to minority Muslims, have been accused in the past of undermining the negotiations. If we cannot conclude it soon successfully, now that we are at the brink of the exercise, we will be in trouble, Iqbal said. The greatest source of risk comes from spoilers, leaders, and parties who believe that these negotiations threaten their power and interests.

SUBIC BAY FREEPORTThis

former US Naval Base facility, now a center for manufacturing and shipping, has been transformed into a liberty port overnight with the arrival Friday of more than 2,200 US Marine soldiers, who hanker for rest and recreation or entertainment.

The Freeport two main roads, Waterfront and Deweys Avenue teemed with civilian-clad GI Joes patronizing beer parlors and hotel lobbies since the USS Bonhomme Richards, an amphibious assault and helicopter carrier, hit the Alva dock Friday. Two destroyer escort ships, the USS George Washington and USS John Stennis also arrived to support the joint amphibious military exercises aimed at developing interoperability between Filipino and American troops. They immediately hit the beach, clad in shorts and sports shoes to explore the different business district inside the Freeport, an ofcial said. The soldiers are restricted within the secured area of the Subic Bay Freeport Economic Zone. The US soldiers will link up on Monday with 1,200 troops for the annual Phiblex war training sessions for 10 days from October 8 to 18 scheduled in Palawan and Zambales. The two provinces are considered highly strategic due to the territorial row involving the chain of islands in the West Philippine Sea. Taxis and van rental motor vehicles reported brisk business while the nine-hole Binictican Golf Course crawled with American players. Also seen near the Alava pier where the USS Olympus , a nuclear submarine that arrived last Thursday for rest and recreation, were several massage parlors attendants and GRO of entertainment places distribution iers. Expected to attend the kick-off program on Monday are top Philippine Defense and Armed Forces ofcials, together with US Naval Forces Asia-Pacic and US Ambassador Harry Tomas. SBMA chairman-administrator Roberto V. Garcia and key Freeport ofcials will welcome the national and foreign dignitaries. None of the local media based on the Freeport have been accredited by the Philippine Marines. The coverage was limited to Defense reporters and foreign media.

Scouts month. The shrine of Andres Bonifacio in Manila becomes a playground for a group of Boy Scouts during the commemmoration of the Scouting Month. DANNY PATA

Aquinos...
We call on all Filipino journalists and news organizations to stand up to this brazen attempt to wrest away our rights and liberties. We call on the Filipino people to stand up and defend our right to freedom of expression. Let us show this government that, whatever it may think, we ARE the boss, the NUJP said. In another development, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists said it was important to amend the Cybercrime Law since it could pose a double threat to Philippine media. CPJ Asia Program Coordinator Bob Dietz warned that the law allows the Justice Department to summarily shut down a website, or a politician to stie media with a libel threat. Better to get work before some thinskinned politico decides to silence a tweeting critic with the threat of a 12-year jail sentence, said Dietz in a blog post. Dietz added that he nds it bewildering that the government paired a law tragetting so-called cybercrimes like cybersex, child pornography, identity theft and spamming with the hoary and over-used concept of libel. Another US-based group, the international online rights group Access, described the Cybertcime Prevention Act as a loophole-ridden law, Access lamented the emerging new reality in the Philippines is

Reds tag military base as US camp

By Florante Solmerin
THE Communist Party of the Philippines on Saturday said a major military base in Mindanao has been converted into a permanent camp of a large number of American soldiers. At any given time, the US military has thousands of military personnel in the Philippines, most of which are permanently stationed in the Joint Special Operations Task Force (JSOTFPhilippines) headquarters inside Camp Navarro in Zamboanga City, it said in a statement. The CPP said the US has been using joint military exercises as an excuse to insert troops in the country such as the ongoing PHIBLEX military exercises which are currently being held in various parts of Luzon involving 2,600 US and 1,200 Armed Forces of the Philippines soldiers. The US military has been using these joint military exercises and so-called humanitarian assistance and disaster response operations in order to continuously deploy thousands of American soldiers in various parts of the country, it said. The US military has maintained its presence for the past several months in the provinces of Zambales, Palawan and Cavite. This year alone, US naval warships continue to visits country amid the tensions between claimant-countries over the Spratly Islands (South China Sea) located in the West Philippines Sea. The Philippines claims ownership of seven islets and two reefs in the Spratlys, which are being administered by a local government unit of Kalayaan Island Group town in Palawan under the leadership of Mayor Eugenio Bito-onon. The Pagasa Island, which is the center of political leadership of the KIG, has a population of only 500, aside from soldiers who were deployed in the area to maintain a dilapidated runway. The CPP denounced as an outright violation of Philippine national sovereignty the docking of another US nuclear attack submarine at the former US naval base in Subic, Zambales, the CPP said. The USS Olympia (SSN-717), described as a Los Angeles-class nuclear attack submarine, docked at Subic on Saturday. It is the fourth American naval vessel to have docked in Manila and Subic over the past two months. The USS North Carolina and USS Hawaii, both nuclear submarines, and the naval warship USS Milius and submarine tender USS Frank Cable have successively docked in Philippine ports since August. The increasingly frequent dockings of American naval warships in the Philippines mark the heightened US military presence and intervention in the Asia-Pacic region, said the CPP. In collaboration with the Aquino government, the US has been using the Philippines as one of its military outposts in launching interventionist operations, and for refuelling, resupply and the rest and recreation of its military personnel, the CPP said.

that sharing a link, clicking like on a Facebook, or retweeting could mean 12 years in jail. It added that the Act is so broad and loophole-ridden that a wide range of online activity could be considered libelous. Even if you dont write the material, just sharing it with someone online could land you in prison, it said. Other foreign-based groups who joined the protest include the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Asia-Pacic chapter of the International Federation of Journalists and the Human Rights Watch, which called the Act as unconstitutional In all, there are now 11 petition filed before the Supreme Court against specific provisions in the Cybercrime Prevention Act or RA 10175, following the filing of the petition by the Philippine Bar Association. The PBA agreed with critics that the law violates constitutional rights to due process, expression and free press. Earlier petitions were led by businessman Louis Biraogo, a group of journalists belonging to Alab Ng Mamamahayag, a group of bloggers and internet law experts led by Atty. Jose Jesus, another group of journalists, bloggers and lawyers led by UP law professor Harry Roque, a group of lawmakers, members of the academe and students led by Kabataan Party-list Rep. Raymond Palatino, militant groups led by Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, Ateneo Human Rights Center, journalists led by the NUJP and a group of bloggers led

by Anthony Ian Cruz. Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte, however, explained that the Aquino administration was not for the suppression of speech. President Aquino earlier said that what is libelous in print should also be libelous in the online format. I do not agree that the provision on online libel should be removed, Mr. Aquino said. Whatever the format is, if it is libelous, then there should be some form of redress available to the individuals whose rights have been impinged, he said. Mr. Aquino, though, expressed openness to lighten the penalty provision of the anti-cybercrime law. If the penalty is too much, then let us amend this law. If the procedures are too arbitrary, there is still no Implementing Rules and Regulations. We can work it out so there is no abuse on the powers that the state will be exercising, he said. Various stakeholders opposing the law have contended that the online libel provision is tantamount to double jeopardy, and with a higher penalty than the one imposed under the Revised Penal Code. The Department of Justice, meanwhile, has set a dialog with various stakeholders on the IRR on Oct. 9. The IRR will be crafted by the DoJ, the Information Communication Technology Ofce of the Department of Science and Technology, and the Department of Interior and Local Government.

NPA...
regional party group. It was not immediately clear how she is related to the rebel leader, Bolina said. He said Mendoza underwent commando, heavy weapons, bomb-making and sniper training in Libya in the early 1980s. Mendoza planned several successful raids and ambushes against soldiers and police, Bolina said. In one raid, freed nine detained rebels from a jail in Batangas province south of Manila, he said. Mendoza, 61, started as a student activist in the 1970s and rose through communist rebel ranks, heading the security unit for the central committee before becoming one of its members. The 43-year-old communist insurgency is one of Asias longest-running. The rebels armed force has been reduced from a peak of about 25,000 ghters in the mid1980s to about 4,000 due to battle losses, surrenders and internal conicts. Peace talks brokered by Norway have been stalled over disagreements between government and rebel negotiators seeking the release of about a dozen other senior party leaders currently held in detention. AP

Heated...
The amendments are already being considered by the special group, Belmonte said, adding that the House leadership hopes to pass the budget bill by Oct. 15. House budget hike Suarez earlier said the panel had already agreed to some amendments to the budget bill, or House Bill 6455. Topping the proposal was an increase in P5.8-billion appropriation for the Lower House which was based on 250 House members. But due to the expected increase in congressmen next year, Suarez said they proposed to increase the amount to P6.5 billion. Apart from the House budget, Suarez also proposed that the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, Dangerous Drug Board, Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, and the National Telecommunications Commission should get ample funding to enable these agencies perform effectively. He said the realignments would be sourced from the Priority Social and Economic Project Fund, a special allocation the opposition branded as President Aquinos pork barrel.

RH debates On the other hand, the House leadership remains hopeful that the RH bill will nally be voted upon in the coming session days. Gabriela Rep. Luz Ilagan, one of the RH advocates, they are keeping their ngers crossed that there will be quorum when debates on the controversial bill resume. We are hoping that oppositors will allow the period of amendments to go on, and that the leadership of the House will implement the rules on delaying tactics so that we can nally vote on it before the campaign period next year, Ilagan told the Manila Standard. But unless there is a push from Malacanang, House Assistant Majority Leader and Rep. Sherwin Tugna of the Citizens Battle against Corruption said, the bill would have a hard time getting approved during the last session days of the 15th Congress. House Majority Leader and Mandaluyong Rep. Neptali Gonzales II has admitted the ght over the RH billremains an uphill battle despite the presidential imprimatur and its inclusion among one of the additional priority bills of the Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council. He even said that the measure may die a natural death in the present 15th Congress because of the opposition of House leaders, like Deputy Speaker and Cebu Rep. Pablo Garcia.

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In your dreams, Tiangco says of 12-0 LP win

By Gigi Munoz-David
UNITED Nationalist Alliance secretary general and campaign manager, Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco belittled the prediction of Senator Franklin Drilon that the ruling Liberal Pary would win all 12 vacant Senate seats in next years election. Tiangco said the most recent voter preference surveys conducted by pollsters Pulse Asia and Social Weater Stations show that at least ve UNA senatorial candidates are favored by voters. They are Rep. Jose Victor Ejercito (4th), Rep. Juan Ponce Jack Enrile Jr. (5th), Sen. Gregorio Honasan (6th), exRep. Juan Miguel Zubiri (9th), and Vice President Jejomar Binays daughter Nancy (12th). That does not include common candidates Senators Francis Joseph Escudero and Loren Legarda, who are both included in the UNA and LP slates, Tiangco said. Denitely, my fearless forecast is that we will not zero, Tiangco said. We will try our best to get most of the [Senate] seats. Tiangco, the UNA campaign manager, made the remark after Drilon claimed in a television interview that the ruling party woudl be able to shut out the opposition in next years elections. The UNA campaign manager declined to predict how many seats the opposition would be able to get. I cannot say this early. My job is to make a good campaign so the people can see our candidates and choose to vote our senatorial lineup. Even their local bets in Metro Manila are seen to be easy winners, although UNA only elded eight of 17 mayoral candidates in the National Capital Region. He said former President Joseph Ejercito Estrada has a large margin over incumbent Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim. Speaking in behalf of his brother Navotas Mayor John Rey Tiangco, I will humbly say that his track records will speak for himself. He said surveys show that UNA mayoral candidates, namely Reps. Oca Malapitan (Caloocan), Rexlon Gatchalian (Valenzuela), Mayors Guia Gomez (San Juan), Aldrin San Pedro (Muntinlupa) and Mayor Junjun Binay (Makati), are almost certain winners. As what Manila Standard have said, UNA mayors will likely have a walk in the park during the elections, Tiangco said. But a lot of changes can still happen, so the challenge for UNA slate is to do better than what the surveys say.

Tiangco

Stalled FOI hearings nally set

By Maricel V. Cruz

Paje welcomes win of Tubbataha Reef Act

ENVIRONMENT and Natural Resources Secretary Ramon Paje on Saturday welcomed the recognition of Republic Act 10067, or the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park Act, as one of the worlds best environmental policies. The law, which made the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park a protected area, won silver at the 2012 Future Policy Awards of the World Future Council, a Germany-based charitable foundation consisting of 50 respected personalities from across the globe. The TRNP Act was one of those chosen out of 31 ocean and coastal policies from 22 countries and regions, and nominated by international organizations and academic experts. We thank the international community for recognizing the countrys policies that put a premium on sustainability for present and future generations, Paje said. The Philippines won the Silver Award, along with Namibia with its Marine Resources Act of 2000. The Gold Award went to Palau, for its Shark Haven Act of 2009 and its Protected Areas Network Act of 2003, while South Africa and the state of California, USA were also cited for their Integrated Coastal Management Act of 2008 and Ocean Protection Act of 2004, respectively. The TRNP Act will undoubtedly serve as a model policy for other coastal and marine protected areas facing the impacts of climate change, especially with the Philippines serving as the apex of the Coral Triangle which makes it both a hotbed and hotspot of marine biodiversity, said Paje. The TRNP Act is a comprehensive law which established the 97,000hectare marine reserve, lying southeast off the coast of Puerto Princesa City in Palawan, as a protected area under the National Integrated Protected Areas System Act. It also established the Strategic Environmental Plan for Palawan as an overall guide in managing the Tubbataha Reef. The plan will be prepared by the Tubbataha Management Ofce, in coordination with the local community and stakeholders. The Act also provided for the creation of the Tubbataha Protected Area Management Board and its designation as the sole policy-making and permitgranting body of the TRNP. The TPAMB comprises of representatives of national agencies, local governments, academe, the Philippine Navy, Philippine Coast Guard, and nongovernment organizations.

AMID criticism that he was trying to kill the Freedom of Information bill, Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone, chairman of the House Committee on Public Information, has nally set hearings on the measure beginning on Monday.
We are very hopeful that the FOI bill will be approved in the 15th Congress. We are trying our best, Evardone said, adding that his panel is scheduled to meet when Congress resumes session on Monday, October 8, November 6 and 20. Evardone announced the hearing dates even as Deputy Speaker and Quezon Rep. Erin Taada, one of the main authors of the bill, reiterated that political will on the part of Evardones committee is need to be able to approve the bill which guarantees public access to information held by the government. Taada said he sees no reason for the bill to face rough sailing in Congress when a total of 117 lawmakers had already signed a manifesto supporting the measure. He also played down fears of possible media abuse when the bill gets enacted because there are adequate safeguards in the proposed law to deter abusers. Let us not create demons in our own minds as we have full control of the nal language of the law, Tanada said. Ifugao Rep. Teddy Brawner Baguilat, also a major proponent of the FOI bill, earlier accused Evardone of holding the bill hostage in his committee when the latter had postponed and delayed committee deliberations over the past two years.

Decriminalize libel, lawmaker urges

BAYAN Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares slammed the leadership of the House of Representatives for its inaction on proposed measures to decriminalize libel and atttune the law to that of most free nations in the world. Other than House Bill 1009, the only other bill decriminalizing libel is HB 2979 led by the late Rep. Sonny Escudero. Considering that HB 1009 was led more than two years ago, it should be prioritized by the House leadership together with HB 2979 and the recently led bills amending the cybercrime law said Colmenares, vice chair of the House Committee on Electoral Reforms and Suffrage. Colmenares is the author of HB 1009 which was led on July 28, 2010 and proposes to delete libel from the Revised Penal Code together with its penalty of imprisonment and nes. Instead, Colmenares said, the remedy should be a civil case for damages under the Civil Code. Although a person who commits libel should still be held liable, no one should go to prison for the exercise of the constitutional right to freedom of expression or categorized as an ex-convict for such act. The remedy should be a civil case under Article 19 of the Civil Code, Colmenares said. At present, there are six measures on libel led at the Lower House, including the version to decriminalize libel of Aurora Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara. Angaras bill provided for the elimination of imprisonment for libel but maintained libel as a criminal offense in the Revised Penal Code punishable by nes. HB 4031 authored by Antipolo City Rep. Romeo Acop, on the other hand, swings to the other side and seeks to specically dene and penalize internet libel. This developed as Colmenares demanded the immediate passage of several proposals led to amend the newly implemented Republic Act 10175, or the Cybercrime Prevention Act. While HB 1009 will repeal libel laws, whether committed through the internet or any other medium, it should be complemented by the repeal of the other draconian provisions in the current cybercrime law Colmenares pointed out. Maricel V. Cruz

Baguilat said Evardones inaction has prevented Congress from contributing signicantly to the socalled anti-corruption drive of the government. Baguilat also said that the passage of the FOI bill would give concerned citizens access to vital information that they will need to make sure that government ofcials are held accountable. Yet despite the importance of the bill to the Tuwid na Daan mission, Everdone was not doing enough to push it through, Baguilat said.

Comelec disqualies two party-list groups

By Joel E. Zurbano
THE Commission on Elections will disqualify two party-list organizations, including Ang Galing Pinoy of Rep. Juan Miguel Arroyo, from joining next years May 13 polls, according to Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. It is certain that incumbent congressmen will be disqualied. The case of Ang Galing Pinoy has alreday been decided, said Brillantes, who declined to name the other organization. Brillantes earlier said Ang Galing Pinoy would likely be disqualied because they failed to present proof of their continuing compliance with the rules of the party-list system. A total of 289 groups submitted their manifestation of intent to join the elections. Among these 289 groups, 124 parties are still registered with the poll body. Only groups that obtained 2% of votes in two preceding elections are still accredited. Prominent names, including former and present government ofcials, have been nominated as representatives of their respective party list groups. Brillantes said his agency will be more strict in screening party list groups and their list of nominees to prevent questionable organizations and individuals from taking advantage of the party-list system altnough they do not represent the countrys marginalized and underprivileged. Both marginalized and underprivileged people are target beneciaries of the party-list system that Republic Act 7941 provides for. In the May 2010 elections, then Party list representatives Satur Ocampo of Bayan Muna and Liza Maza of Gabriela led a petition against Arroyo, saying the eldest son of then President Gloria Arroyo was not qualied to become a nominee for a party list group representing tricycle drivers and security guards. But the Comelec second division composed of Nicodemo Ferrer, Elias Yusoph, and Lucenito Tagle allowed Arroyo to be a nominee of Ang Galing Pinoy partylist after he was able to show that he had actively supported and advanced the projects and programs of the party while noting that he had been its member since November 2009. Brillantes noted the urgency of the screening criteria, noting that the 1987 Constitution provides that party-list representatives in the House can come not only from the labor, peasant, urban poor, indigenous cultural communities, women and youth sectors but from such other sectors as may be provided by law, except the religious sector.

World Animal Day. A volunteer veterinarian from the United Kingdom-based Animal Kingdom Foundation prepares to

spay Venus, a stray cat that has since been domesticated, during free veterinary services conducted in celebration of World Animal Day on Saturday. The foundation regularly conducts free spaying and neutering services to stray cats and dogs in cities around the country. AP/Bullit Marquez

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OCTOBER 7, 2012

JOJO COLINA:

Showcasing IT as best practice and best business advantage

By Christian Cardiente

FOR the Filipino-owned and operated Cloud

computing rm ArcusIT, its continuous relationship with its clients is hinged on its clients success; spelling the difference between a traditional IT provider and a Cloud provider.
not the right product for them. We know where we sit not so much on just selling the products. We are actually helping them, said Jojo. Riding the cloud While the country is still learning and many are still skeptical about cloud computing, Jojo believes that by 2015, cloud computing will be mainstream. The Philippines is known for outsourcing and were just doing the same thing. You can remove the name cloud and just call it IT infrastructure outsourcing its the same thing, said Jojo. According to Jojo, clients availing of their cloud services no longer have to worry for system refresh and administration, hardware maintenance, capacity planning or network capacity. We give it to them in a xed and predictable expense that will t their scal cycle. These are our expertiseAside from cost reduction, we give our clients exibility. With our technology update, they can now create applications and projects that

We are much closer to a client since our relationship with them never ends the success of our clients is our success. The more we make our clients successful, the more services we are able to provide to them, explained ArcusIT Managing Director & CTO Jojo Colina to Manila Standard. Jojo said his rms services are more embedded in the operations of its clients. We transcend just plain IT. We show the clients how to utilize what we have; for them to succeed, to be more productive, and to gain a business advantage. Not just showing IT for ITs sake, but showcasing IT as best practice and best business advantage, added Jojo. According to Jojo, their business model is geared towards offering their clients with exible packages, thinking through their actual needs so they are able to derive maximum advantage of our services. We are here to help our client. We can tell our clients that our product is

are cost effective, Jojo said. It would be wise for businesses to opt for virtual protected data server, instead of buying a single server, according to Jojo. They dont have to worry about their data being stolen or downtime due to hardware failure. Our entry package is something we call Piso Cloud, which only costs P1 per hour. Imagine, you get the service of a data center with data protection for that amount, he added. ArcusIT difference, depth of experience ArcusIT presents itself as the rst Philippine-based Cloud infrastructure service provider to deliver worldclass, enterprise-grade Cloudcomputing solutions designed to meet the unique requirements of Philippine businesses. Formed only in 2011, the ArcusIT organization brings together over fteen years of expertise in computing hardware, networking, and service delivery to provide a fast, exible, secure, resilient, and scalable cloud infrastructure that is simple for clients to use and manage. Jojo is a key mover in ArcusITs management team that has had deep global IT experience. Spending more than 20 years in the US, Jojo founded and operated a successful ISP & application server business; as well as building one of the largest data-collection facilities in the US, responsible for counting 80

percent of the worlds Internet trafc. I have been in the service provider business in the Internet space since 1994, and theres a lot of experience over the yearsWe know how to operate and maintain our hardware. We have our own maintenance inventory and we are able to keep our equipment up and running, said Jojo. ArcusIts business practice is based on many years of ne tuning, plus a lot of dedication on their part to provide reliable services. We have a rotating [weekend] schedule. In essence, everybody gives a part of his life. Thats the nature of operations, said Jojo, citing that he once left his family at a social function due to an ofce emergency. Our reward is seeing that we are able to provide our clients with reliable services. Its part of our commitment; we actually make that commitment, he said. Company values, management style We like to think of ArcusIT as a family. We foster the idea that everybody needs to work together to achieve a common goal. Its important that they know that were moving in the same direction. Sometimes we need to be exible in what were doing. We need to be more agile and work faster than others in the industry. We are able to produce our innovations faster, Jojo said.

Jojo likened ArcusIT to a Silicon Valley start-up company where employees learn the different facets of the organization, noting that building the career growth and personal enhancement of its employees is just as important. Our people in ArcusIT are between 25-35 How do we retain them? We give them challenges that show them that they can learn with their stint with us, he added. Far from being a micro manager, Jojo emphasizes on performance instead. I get involved in the technology, the direction. I surround myself with people who are capable, who have the skill sets. I act more of a guide and a mentor. Im there to benchmark their accomplishments and make them more competitive. I dont go around and micro-manage everybody since Im more of a mentor and teacher. I look at the accomplishments. I dont really focus on the details that lead to that, he said. Less than a year after formation, the culmination of ArcusITs vision and efforts paid off early, when it was recognized as one of Asias best. ArcusIT bested hundreds of other entries from across the region when it was recognized as one of the most innovative IT companies in last years 2011 Red Herring 100 Asia Award.

Schools hop into iPad trend

WITH tablets becoming an established educational tool, a tech distributor has reported that two private schools De La Salle Santiago Zobel School (DLSZ) and Saint Paul University Surigao campus (SPU) have acquired iPad units for the use of their students. Power Mac Center (PMC), the countrys largest chain of Apple Resellers, said DLSZ received their order of 500 units of iPad 2 from the PMC education team led by education sales manager Luci Nuez. According to DLSZ President Br. Dennis Magbanua, Grade 4 and freshmen high school students will be the rst batches to experience the full integration of technology in the curriculum, as well as subsequent changes in the classroom learning experience. One immediate and visible change of iPad 2s use in the school will be the use of online textbooks in lieu of traditional textbooks. Also present to help in the iPad 2 distribution and set up at the DLSZ were the retail team from PMCs Podworx store in SM Southmall led by associate area manager for south Elgyn Bernas. Interestingly, DLSZs sister school De LaSalle Greenhills are using a different brand of tablet the Samsung Galaxy Tab. Meanwhile, last June 9, representatives from PMCs education, training and service center teams also ew to Surigao City to deliver 250 units of iPad 2 and to conduct teacher training for the use of the Apple tablet in SPU Surigao. SPU Surigao is the rst school in Mindanao to bring Apple technology to the classroom. SPU and DLSZ are the rst two schools to integrate technology through iPad 2 in their curriculum. We now live in the digital age where technology plays an important role in every aspect of our lives, especially in learning. To be able to compete in this information communications and technology-centric environment, we have to equip our schools with the capability to prepare students for the global digital economy, said PMC marketing director Joey Alvarez.

New social blogging app

NETCCENTRIC Pte Ltd, the parent company of Asia Pacics blog advertising community Nuffnang.com, recently launched its latest innovative global product NuffnangX, a social blogging application designed to enhance reading blogs via smartphones. Made available on the iOS, Android and web platforms, NuffnangX is an online application that allows users to discover new blogs, follow bloggers updates, and have two-way conversations with them on the go. The ever-changing landscape of technology is a challenge that the blogosphere faces. There is a trend towards short-form communication, and in this process, long-form blogging has been on the back foot until today with NuffnangX, said Cheo Ming Shen, a co-founder of NuffnangX and Netccentric. In this day and age of smart phones, it is time for blog readers to be able to read their favourite blogs on the go or even nd new blogs of their interest, The launch of this app is timely as this is exactly what NuffnangX is about to allow you to Find, Follow and Communicate with bloggers, Ming Shen said. With NuffnangX, users can easily nd and follow new blogs to read. There are thousands of blogs out there with interesting content, and whatever your interests, NuffnangX hand-picks blogs to suit your reading preferences. Think of NuffnangX as your personal blog shopper who selects the best blogs from around the world for you, Ming Shen said. NuffnangXs Patent Pending Technology summarises hundreds and thousands of words of each blog entry on a feed to a single line that is known as the elevator pitch so blog readers can decide quickly whether a blog is interesting to read. Gone are the days where readers have to scroll through pages of comments just to check if their favourite bloggers have responded to them. NuffnangX simplies the commenting process, making it seamless and easy to use, Shen said. NuffnangX also allows readers and bloggers to engage in two-way conversations that are visible to other users, as well as receive notications of new comments on the smartphone. With this new app, bloggers can now reach out to new readers and at the same time, keep in contact with existing ones.

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ManilaStandardTODAY

TECH

OCTOBER 7, 2012 SUNDAY

A5

Galaxy S IIIs specs

beat iPhone 5s
but does it matter to users?
And although the iPhone 5 still trails the Galaxy S III in the display specs race, the iPhone 5 overall remains thinner than the Galaxy S III, and its display color gamut is more than sufcient for most users. Such improvements on the iPhone 5 are consistent with Apples philosophy of selecting features designed to yield protable products that deliver a superior customer experience, rather than of providing technology for technologys sake. In-cell slimming In-cell technology eliminates the standalone touch panel layers used in most smartphones and instead integrates the touch sensors into the liquid crystal of the liquid crystal display (LCD) stack, sharing common electrodes and transistors. The technology can reduce display module thickness by about 0.5 millimeters on average, reducing total smartphone thickness. The iPhone 5 is 18 percent thinner than the 4S, at a total of 7.6 millimeters. While the display is thicker than for the Samsung Galaxy III, the iPhone 5 as a whole is 1 millimeter thinner than the Galaxy S III, which measures 8.6 millimeters in total. The Galaxy S IIIs greater girth is due to other factors separate from the display, most likely the thickness of the battery. Lighten up Beyond thinning the display, incells elimination of the separate touch overlay layer allows more light to emit

THE addition of in-cell

touch technology has improved the display of the iPhone 5, but it still lags the Galaxy S III smartphone from chief rival Samsung when it comes to screen thinness and color gamut, according to the research rm IHS iSuppli.
The iPhone 5s display is just 1.5 millimeters thick, a 0.6-millimeter reduction from 2.1 millimeters for the iPhone 4S, according to measurements from the IHS iSuppli Teardown Analysis Service. Meanwhile, the color gamut of the iPhone 5 has risen to 72 percent of the NTSC standard, compared to 50 percent for the 4S. Even so, this falls short of the Samsungs agship Galaxy S III, which sports a display with a thickness of just 1.1 millimeters and a color gamut with full 100 percent NTSC. As the rst product with in-cell touch, the iPhone 5 represents a major achievement, improving the image quality and reducing the thickness of the smartphone compared to previous models, said Vinita Jakhanwal, director for small and medium displays at IHS.

from the display without the intrusion of added refraction and glare of the additional touch layers. This helps the new display to enjoy a more vibrant and crisper image with improved color saturation than iPhone 4S. The iPhone 5s display still falls short of the NTSC color gamut mark achieved by the Galaxy III. However, from a users perspective, the lower color gamut measurement may not necessarily make the iPhone 5 display look worse than the Galaxy III. More accurate and realistic representation of image color and contrasts may be a result of better calibration, higher brightness and superior power efciency of the display. Some user reviews indicate that colors presented on the Galaxy S III actually can look oversaturated and unrealistic, Jakhanwal said. While it may be interesting to compare the display specications for the two

phones, the actual front-of-screen viewing experience could diverge for different users. Display power issues The Galaxy III employs an activematrix organic light emitting diode (AMOLED) display, in contrast to the low temperature polysilicon (LTPS) LCD) employed in the iPhone 5. As AMOLEDs dont use a

backlight unit, they potentially have better power efciency than LCDs. H owever, there are concerns about differential aging of organic materials, which affects OLED lifetime and power efciency. And although display power consumption is important, overall battery life of the device will still be dependent on many other factors.

10 reasons how (digital) music controls life

MANY studies have proven that music greatly affects peoples mood, behavior, and perception. Headset brand Skullcandy gives a rundown of different scenarios from academic performance, health benets, and down to shopping behavior where choice of music can alter, mold, or even control human beings. 1. Make you smarter. The Mozart effect proves that classical music activates the brain and affects cognition. Recent studies show though that any kind of music stimulates some regions of the brain responsible for memory, motor control, timing, and language. 2. Manage your pain. It reduces the sensation and distress for chronic and postoperative pain, even depression by at least 25 percent. Music is being used in hospitals to lessen medication during childbirth, even used as a complement to anaesthesia during surgery. 3. Speed up recovery for heart problems. Were taking here about your physical heart, but music does help with a broken heart too. A Harvard study has shown it helps speed up the recovery from cardiac procedures. 4. Increase your EQ. Turn the music up. Emotional Quotient is signicant to determine a persons social skills, and music, among all forms of art, is said to inuence EQ most. Music res up emotions, but it also teaches the art of balancing it. 5. Boost productivity. According to a report in the journal of Neuroscience of Behavior and Physiology, persons recognize visual images, letters, and numbers faster when listen to rock or classical music in the background. 6. Combat fatigue. Upbeat music is an easy pick-me-upper, so drop that chocolate, and just turn the iPod on. Music can stamp out fatigue caused by exercise and monotonous work. 7. Motivate impulse buyers. Unplanned purchases are mostly prevalent when shopping in the company of background music. So, good thing, or bad? 8. Beatinsomnia. Listen to relaxing music, like classical, 45 minutes before bedtime for much-needed restful sleep. This type of music improves sleep through muscle relaxation and distraction of thoughts. 9. Induce brain pleasure. The brain releases feel-good hormones that make us calm, happy, and responsive when loud music is playing. However, be extra cautious as this is not recommended for your eardrums. 10. Improve memory. Memories are processed faster when associated with music, which is why we still remember our sing-song lessons from kindergarten. Plus, it may help people suffering from Alzheimers remember more.

By Dino Ray V. Directo, III

AS a middle aged urban individual ghting the onset of hypertension and diabetes, having my daily dose of physical exertion is benecial to my well being. Since my daily routine requires me to bike or walk for at least an hour or so, having a bit of music to keep me company helps to keep boredom at bay. So for the past few years, I have tried and tested around-ear and in-ear headphones which are compatible with my trusty iPod. Recently, I got hold of Ultrafocus 8000 Noise Cancelling Headphones by Polk Audio. When I donned the headphone for my regular morning ritual, my surroundings became silent. At a switch of a button on the right earcup, the clear and crisp sound of Maroon 5s Moves like Jagger instantly crept into my ear drums. Technical basics The UltraFocus 8000 utilizes sophisticated circuitry that goes a little beyond the standard noise cancelation process. Noise cancelation headphones generally rely on the same acoustics. A sound wave, and a matching one 180 degrees out of phase, will interfere and negate each other. The overall effect is that the two waves silence each other. Although this technology is standard, microphones on the surface of the earcups pick up ambient sound and delicate circuitry in the headphones unit process it, and sends the out-of-phase version into the ear cups, where it cancels out the ambient sound that manages to leak through. Of course, it takes a little time for the signal to be processed, so the out-of-phase version is always a fraction of a second behind the ambient sound. Usually most of the sound is canceled out, but not all. This was the case with Polk Audio. Constant background noise, such as wind and conversational noise, virtually disappears. Because there was little variance between what was leaking through and the processed signal, the cancelation was effectively instantaneous. Irregular sounds, such as passing vehicles, laughter, were signicantly dulled to a murmur.

Redefining portable audio experience

polk audio UF 8000: well engineered and competitively priced

polk audio UF 8000: Polk Audio gives BOSE a run for their money

Better design and user friendly At rst glance, the Ultrafocus 8000 is visibly well engineered considering the rened nish and the carbon ber inlay which would be a hit among car enthusiasts and DJs, with similar styling to Dr. Dres Beats Headphones. In terms of portability, the lengthy and at oxygen-free cable that comes with the unit avoids entanglement before they occur. Multiple gold-plated connectors are supplied and the primary plug is right-angled for ease of use with a smartphone held either vertically or horizontally, as when were watching a movie. The plug is also quite slim, giving me no trouble with the small hole on my iPhone case, where other headphones have posed a challenge. On the other end, the cable quickly disconnects under the left earcup. Instead of tiny buttons on the cable like some models out in the market, Polk puts a collection of touch controls on the perimeter of the right earcup. At the twelve-oclockhigh position is the multifunction button: Press once to pause a compatible source such as the iPod/iPad/iPhone, another press to play again, two rapid taps to track-skip forward, three times to skip backward. Left and right controls adjust the volume down and up, and at the bottom is push-to-talk, which reduces our music or whatever to barely audible levels while letting in outside sounds, the amplier favoring human voice frequencies so we can communicate without incessantly taking the headphones off and putting them back on again. The Ultrafocus 8000 should be in the must-have list of frequent yers and travelers. I wore it on a three hour ight and felt no pain around my ears. A lot of thought obviously went into the design of the headbands, which was lightweight, slimmer and comfortable. Exclusively distributed in the Philippines by Powertrip Inc., the Polk Audio Ultrafocus 8000 retails for P14,950. CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

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A6

SUNDAY OCTOBER 7, 2012

Devotion
ARE WE THERE YET?
I GREW up in the Visayas where owning religious images is a big deal for many Catholic Filipino families, particularly among those with a certain social stature in local communities. In my hometown, being conscripted to become sponsor (hermano mayor) of the celebration of the feast of a saint is still deemed a source of honor. Theres a long waitlist for the honor of becoming sponsor of the towns patron saint, a distinction that would require millions of pesos in expenses. The prevailing belief is that its a way of thanksgiving for the various blessings received in ones lifetime. I have personally stood as sponsor for the annual celebration of at least two saintsa task that required saving up a rather large amount of money each time for the various religious activities, for souvenirs, and for feeding the devotees during the procession the day before and after the celebration of the mass during the feast day itself. How I ended up being conscripted is a long story that is best not discussed anymore, as doing so would probably translate into more acts of penance on the part of family members who were responsible for what has come to pass. My own mother has included being the sponsor of at least two more saints as part of her bucket list. She is sponsor of the celebration of the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in July next year and the antique image of The Lady (made of wood, not ivory) has taken up residence in our house since August this year. An aunt has turned the belief into some kind of an obsessionshe has stood as sponsor for at least eight saints already, and she wants to do more. Her own children indulge her because she is unshakeable in her faith that her devotion to the various saints is what keeps all of them safe and healthy. Theres a part of me that questions the practice; but I have learned to keep my peace. I try to rationalize by contextualizing the whole thing as an example of the application of self-fulfilling prophecywhat we believe in sincerely and wholeheartedly comes to pass. But it cannot be denied that faith is a powerful motivator. That faith and piety are potent elements that shape and define collective strength of a family or a community. I know quite a lot of friends from

EDITORIAL

BONG C. AUSTERO

Theres actually a middle ground.

other places in this country who faithfully observe a lot of religious practices during Christmas, Lent, and during the celebration of their various patron saints. A close friend owns an antique image of Saint Mary Magdalene in Cavite and they organize elaborate celebrations in honor of the saint at certain occasions. Last year I attended their annual caracol, where the image was one among many others that was made to dance around the whole townthe platform where the image was nailed securely to was rocked and swayed and turned around endlessly as the devotees did variations of all kinds of dance movements. The bank that I work for hosts the annual celebration of the feast of the Santo Nino in Metro Manila. For a few weeks in January each year, hundreds of images of the infant Jesus are displayed in various forms of nery. Ive always thought I have seen it all but theres always something new each yearan infant Jesus dressed as sherman, s o l d i e r , policeman, judge, lawyer, firefighter, teacher, even as television show host. To the unbelieving, it is a farce. To the pious, it is awe-inspiring. I empathize with the people of Cebu who felt that their devotion to the Santo Nino has been portrayed in a very negative light by a recent story published in the National Geographic. The author, Bryan Christy, tried to be objective about the whole thing and presented facts as he found them. It is pointless to try to rationalize and make people understand where each is coming from. Devotion doesnt make sense to the rational mind. Perhaps matters of faith are really not meant to be understood. Faith, after all, requires absolute trust. Christy did not deliberately establish a clear connection between ivory smuggling and the blind devotion to the infant Jesus, but he is rightfor as long as there is a demand for religious images made of ivory, the poaching of elephants will not stop. For as long as the Catholic hierarchy does not make a clear statement about how faith is not necessarily linked to the worth and quality and rarity of the materials that make up the images that are the focal points of religious fervor, devotees will continue to confuse devotion with idolatry, or worse, cultic fanaticism. Theres actually a middle ground. The Church can continue to harness the emotions and the communal spirit produced by devotion and piety but it must take steps to refocus all these into ways that also respect and honor Gods other creations.

Star-studded
THE Senate President, nearing the end of his long and storied political career, launched his autobiography entitled Juan Ponce Enrile: a Memoir last week. In attendance during the launch, held at The Peninsula Manila, were big names in Philippine politics and business. President Benigno Aquino III was there, of course, as were several members of his Cabinet. Not to be outdone were top personalities of previous administrations, many of whom are staging a comeback in the elections next yearas if they ever really left. It was a truly ecumenical event with guests smiling for the cameras alongside personalities they are usually known to criticize, even malign. Noteworthy too was the fact that Enriles book was published by the Lopezes, one of the families whose businesses were most affected by the declaration of martial law 40 years ago. Enrile is widely known as the chief implementor of martial law under former President Ferdinand Marcos. Only the presence of Senator Antonio Trillanes, who had recently engaged Enrile in a verbal tussle on the Senate floor before walking out on him, would have made the book launch a truly free-for-all event. Enriles son, himself seeking a Senate seat in May, said that his fathers book contained revelations that would separate myths from legends during controversial periods in the countrys history. A number of history books would have to be rewritten, he said. Indeed our history contains tales of political rivalry and hostility not out of disagreement on issues but due to personal conict. History also tells us that our leaders are quick to forget their most acrimonious exchanges in favor of political expediency. That these personalities were able to suffer each others presence during a book launch at a posh hotel tells us that they are keen on keeping up appearancesif they have not genuinely moved on. Already we are seeing how two coalitions who offer basically the same platform of government albeit with different personalities in their ticketshave started calling each other names as they vie for the peoples support. It then becomes easy to conclude it is only possible for these big names to engage in pleasantries for a few smiles in one evening because of their singular causepolitical survival. Beyond that, the ordinary Filipino who may never even set foot in a hotel ballroom in his lifetimehas to contend with disunity, discontinuity, and a lack of direction among his leaders.

The emperor wears armored clothes

EVERYMAN
By Joel Vega
WE know the story of the emperor who wears no clothes, and the ipside to this cautionary tale of folly is the Emperor who wears armored clothes. First, a brief context; anyone who even casually visits the Internet these days will see how the popular social media channels like Facebook and Twitter are bristling with intense condemnation of RA 10175, also known as the Cybercrime Law. I have seen via the Internet the backlash following the Mideo Cruz art exhibit last year, the recent (and still ongoing) RH debate, but the Cybercrime Law seems to take the cake when it comes to the intensity of the tweets and posts attacking this piece of legislation. The protests are fever-pitch; one can easily burst an arterial vein. The disinterested might say the livid responses are only limited t o the Internet, but to take a dismissive stance is to underestimate the clout of modern social media. If there is a channel that ideally suits the Filipino propensity to congregate and gabble about the latest happenings in our universe, social media offers ideal platform. Our collective love to commiserate, share, cajole, praise, solicit and connect- all these and other needs are answered on Facebook pages. The dynamics of a social media is similar to a gathering storm. It begins with the stirring of a leaf, the twitch of a single branch. Eventually the whole tree picks up the tremors, sends them upward to the sky where it connects with airborne molecules to collide with other violent atoms, reverberating in a lightning strike. Lesson 1: It only takes a single spark to trigger a storm. W e are saddled with leaders whose arrogance is rooted in elite systems built in decades ossied in political reactionism. I am not even sure about the accuracy of the word reactionism; but elite-centered political systems are predictable in the sense that anything that moves or speaks again their narrow interests are targeted as the enemy, thrown to the corner post as vagabonds and threatened with the full brunt of the law. Decades ago the Filipinos inclination to critique, judge and gossip around is relegated to the barbershop, the sari-sari store, basketball court and the next kanto or street corner where issues are dissected and commented on. Today we have bandwidth speed, complete with thumbnail photo attachments to illustrate our discontent or pass acidic judgment. The reach is not simply around the next bend, but to other continents. I read Filipino community posts originating from Manila, monitoring them here in the Netherlands, and receive responses to my inputs from as far as the Rocky Mountains of Canada. The spirit can vary from jolly to serious, but the links and responses are instant and often a click away. Lesson 2: The dynamics have changed. Everyone holds a bludgeoning stick. Back to our emperor with the newly-donned metal armor; to curtail the speech that is made possible by a so-called democratic space as the Internet is similar to curtailing the trail of a speeding sound. It is not only reckless to repress this open space, to do so is to stie a very human need, creating an implosion that could only lead to bigger and wayward, hostile responses. Our political leaders betray their insecurity by donning protective armor. The irony seems to be lost in them who used and benetted from the same dynamics of communication. Effective governance is not about growing layers of protective steel; rather it thrives on the opposite, in environments that nurture contrary minds and opinions, with the aim to bridge existing gaps. To set up defensive cover under a rain of words is actually to cower and invite the bullets that hit the very feet of vulnerability. Joel Vega lives in Nijmegen, the Netherlands where he works as publications editor for the European Association of Urology.

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FOREIGN

SUNDAY

OCTOBER 7, 2012

A7

Popes butler awaits verdict

VATICAN CITY
A verdict in the case of the popes butler accused of leaking papal documents may help close one of the most damaging scandals of Pope Benedict XVIs papacy. But even after Paolo Gabrieles fate is decided by a Vatican tribunal Saturday, a core question will remain: Did he really act alone in exposing one of the most secretive institutions in the world?

Obama gets good jobs report to end startling week

FAIRFAX, VirginiaPresident Barack Obama celebrated some unexpected but much-needed good economic news Friday as the unemployment rate dropped to its lowest level since he took ofce. Obama is vulnerable on the economy, which is growing at a snails pace, and Republican rival Mitt Romney has sought to exploit that vulnerability in the race for the White House. He said Friday that the president still hasnt done enough to help millions of people who are out of work, and argued that the rate is low in part because some people have quit looking for work. Still, the gures announced by the Labor Department114,000 new jobs last month to bring the unemployment rate to 7.8 percentgave Obama fresh evidence on the heels of a disappointing debate performance earlier this week to argue that his economic policies are working. Todays news should give us some encouragement, Obama told thousands gathered in the rain for an afternoon rally at Cleveland State University, in the battleground state of Ohio. It shouldnt be an excuse for the other side to try to talk down the economy just to try to score a few political points. The unemployment rate fell from 8.1 percent in August, matching its level in January 2009 when Obama became president. There is one more monthly unemployment report before the Nov. 6 election, so the numbers could leave a lasting impact on Americans who are already casting ballots in states that allow early voting. Because the American presidential race is decided in state-by-state votes rather than by popular vote, states that do not reliably vote either Republican or Democratic will likely decide the race. They include Ohio and Virginia, where Obama and Romney were campaigning. This is not what a real recovery looks like, the former Massachusetts governor and businessman said, an analysis echoed by other Republicans throughout the day. We created fewer jobs in September than in August, and fewer jobs in August than in July, and weve lost over 600,000 manufacturing jobs since President Obama took ofce, Romney added. AP
Annex A Republic of the Philippines

Gabriele faces up to four years in prison if hes convicted of aggravated theft, accused of stealing the popes private correspondence and passing it onto journalist Gianluigi Nuzzi, whose book revealed the intrigue, petty inghting and allegations of corruption and homosexual liaisons that plague the leadership of the Roman Catholic Church. It has been the gravest security breach of the papal entourage in recent memory. In his testimony this week, Gabriele insisted in the most absolute way that he had no accomplices. But in earlier statements to prosecutors, he named a half-dozen people who suggested he take action, among them Vatican cardinals and monsignors. He even identied one layman as the source of a segment of Nuzzis book His Holiness: Pope Benedict XVIs Secret Papers detailing some conicts of interest of some Vatican police ofcers. Gabriele distanced himself from such statements during the trial, saying he didnt recognize himself in the prosecutors reconstruction of his interrogation. That said, on the eve of Gabrieles verdict, Nuzzi tweeted that after Gabrieles fate is decided, Will the protagonists of the papers who emerged be fol-

In this photo taken on May, 23, Pope Benedict XVI, anked by his private secretary Georg Gaenswein, top left, and his butler Paolo Gabiele arrives at St. Peters square at the Vatican for a general audience. A verdict in the case of the popes butler accused of leaking papal documents may help close one of the most damaging scandals of Pope Benedict XVIs papacy. But even after Paolo Gabrieles fate is decided by a Vatican tribunal Saturday, Oct. 6, a core question will remain open: Did he really act alone in exposing the secrets of one of the most secretive institutions in the world? AP

lowed up on with courage? There is another suspect in the case: Claudio Sciarpelletti, a 48-year-old computer expert in the Vatican secretariat of state who is charged with aiding and abetting the crime. Police say they found an envelope in his desk that said Personal P. Gabriele on it, with documentation inside. Sciarpelletti has said Gabriele gave him the envelope, and later, that someone identified in court documents as W gave it to him to pass onto Gabriele. Sciarpellettis lawyer successfully got his case separated out at the start of Gabrieles trial. But attorney Gianluca Benedetti has said his client was innocent and that, regardless, there were no reserved documents in the envelope. Gabriele has a chance to deliver a nal statement to the court Saturday,

after prosecutor Nicola Picardi and defense attorney Cristiana Arru give their closing arguments. A verdict is expected later in the day by the three-judge panel. Gabriele told the court that he stood by his June 5 confession to prosecutors, and in his testimony, he detailed how he would photocopy papal correspondence in broad daylight, using the ofce photocopier in the presence of the popes two private secretaries. He pleaded innocent to the charge of aggravated theft but said he was guilty of having betrayed the trust of the Holy Father, whom I love as a son would. The motive wasnt discussed during the trial, but Gabriele told prosecutors that he thought that exposing the evil and corruption that he saw around him would help put the church back on the right track. Arru focused much of her questionRepublic of the Philippines

ing of defense witnesses on the search of Gabrieles home: Police said 82 moving boxes of papers were carted out of Gabrieles Vatican City apartment on May 23, though only about 1,000 pages were pertinent to the investigation. Police have said that contrary to Gabrieles initial claims, the documentation contained originals, not just photocopies of papal correspondence. The originals were distinguished by the seals, stamps and internal processing codes used in the Vatican, they said. Some bore the popes own handwriting, including with the word destroy written at the top in German, police told the court. Arru questioned why police didnt use gloves in the search, suggesting the evidence may have been contaminated. Police insisted gloves arent usually used in searches of documentation. AP

At 60, Putin faces economic challenges

MOSCOWAs he hits his 60th es slump, leading to widespread birthday, Vladimir Putin seems to hardship. Some observers see new rebe in the prime of life: He hangglides with Siberian cranes, shows pressive Kremlin laws as not merely a response to mass off judo moves and exudes winter rallies in Moscow supreme self-condence against Putins rule, but at Russias helm. But a pre-emptive move scratch the surface against a potentially and a picture emergmuch wider protest es of a surprisingly over economic worvulnerable leader ries. Utilities fees whose fate hinges and other municipal on the vagaries of payments already oil prices and popuhave risen in the sumlar docility in the face mer, and analysts predict of strong-arm tactics. Putin that public discontent will The legacy of Putins 13year rule is an economy that de- grow in the fall. Analysts warn that the governpends entirely on an oil-and-gas bonanza and a rigid political sys- ment would quickly run out of tem that has stied dissent, turned cash to pay wages and pensions if the parliament into a rubber stamp Russias energy revenues dry up. and reduced courts to obedient Even with the current relatively high oil prices, the Kremlin has tools for the government. Are the Russians getting tired been struggling to raise funds for of their macho leader, who cel- a planned pension reform. Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskebrates his birthday Sunday? Not yet, experts say, but many ov told The Associated Press that of Putins supporters are back- the economy is Putins main coning him out of apathy and fear cern. He described Russia as a of change rather than genuine social state and said that reducenthusiasm. Such support may ing pensions wouldnt be acceptfade away quickly if energy pric- able for the country. AP
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OFFICE OF THE DISTRICT ENGINEER

Negros Oriental 3rd District Engineering Office Siaton, Negros Oriental

Invitation to Bid for:

1. Contract ID No. Contract Name: 12OH0130 Proposed Construction/Rehab. of Flood Control along New Panaderos St., and Lamayan St., Sta. Ana, Manila. Contract Location: Manila City Scope of Work: Const. /Rehab. of Flood Control (524.00L.M.) Source of fund and year: GAA 2013 Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC): (Ph P 7,748,108.65) Contract Duration: 147 cal. days Cost of Bid Documents: Ph P 10,000.00 12OH0133 Proposed Assets Preservation of National Roads Generated from Pavement Management System/Highway Development and Management-4 (HDM-4), Preventive Maintenance of (Intermittent Section), Zamora St., Pandacan, Manila Contract Location: Manila City Scope of Work: road works (405.00L.M.) Source of fund and year: GAA 2013 Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC): (Ph P 5,936,232.10) Contract Duration: 24 cal. days Cost of Bid Documents: Ph P 5,000.00 The South Manila Engineering District, through the [above indicated source of funding and year] intends to apply the sum of [PhP31, 763,379.45], being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for [the above indicated name/no. of contract]. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening. The South Manila Engineering District, now invites bids for [various construction projects indicated above].Completion of the Works is required [147 calendar days]. Bidders should have completed, within ten (10) years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the Project. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II. Instructions to Bidders. Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using nondiscretionary pass/fail criterion 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. 4. Interested Bidders may obtain further information from South Manila Engineering District, and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below from [8:0012:00 A.M. and 1:00-5:00 P.M.]. A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested Bidders from the address below and upon payment of a nonrefundable fee for the Bidding Documents in the amount of [indicated above]. It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic 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. 6. The South Manila Engineering District, will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on [OCT. 12, 2012- 10:00 A.M.] at [SMED-BAC OFFICE, PORT AREA, MANILA], which shall be open to all interested parties who have purchased the Bidding Documents. Bids must be delivered to the address below on or before [OCT. 25, 2012- 12:00 NOON] at [SMED-BAC OFFICE, PORT AREA, MANILA]. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18. Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders representatives who choose to attend at the address below. Late bids shall not be accepted. 8. 9. Bids will be opened on OCTOBER 25, 2012 at 02:00 P.M. The South Manila Engineering District, 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 or bidders.

INvITATION TO BId
The Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) of the DPWH, Negros Oriental 3rd District Engineering Office, Siaton, Negros Oriental, through FY 2012 R.A. 10155 invites contractors to bid for the aforementioned project(s): 1. Contract ID: 12HL0026 Contract Name: Re-gravelling of Roads Contract Location: 1) Sta. Catalina-Pamplona-Tanjay City Road km 62.047 km 64.062; km 64.103 km 66.705 (Int. sec.) 2) Bayawan Mabinay Road (Intermittent sections) km 121.569 km 124.149 (intermittent sections); km 124.352 km 130.578 (intermittent sections); km 130.623 km 130.675 (intermittent sections); km 130.724 km 136.275 (intermittent sections); km 136.548 km 139.086 (intermittent sections) Scope of Works: Re-gravelling Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC): Php5,211,000.00 Contract Duration: Thirty-one (31) calendar days 2. Contract ID: 12HL0027 Contract Name: Concreting of Roads Contract Location: District 1, Dauin, Negros Oriental Scope of Works: Concrete paving Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC): Php454,649.46 Contract Duration: Seventy (70) calendar days Contract ID: Contract Name: Contract Location: 12HL0016 (Rebid 1) CLUSTER A: Repair and Maintenance of Flood Control Structures 1) Canaway River Control, Downstream, Abutment A side, Siaton, Neg. Or 2) Bonawon River, km 69.190, DSR, Upstream side Approach A, Brgy. Bonawon, Siaton, Negros Oriental Scope of Works: Repair/Maintenance Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC): Php3,620,000.00 Contract Duration: Seventy-five (75) calendar days

2. Contract ID No. Contract Name:

1.

3.

2.

3.

The BAC will conduct the procurement process in accordance with the Revised IRR of R.A. 9184. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at the opening of bid. To bid for this contract, a contractor must submit a Letter of Intent (LOI), purchased bid documents and must meet the following major criteria: (a) prior registration with DPWH, (b) Filipino citizen or 75% Filipino-owned partnership, corporation, cooperative, or joint venture, (c) with PCAB license applicable to the type and cost of this contract, (d) completion of a similar contract costing at least 50% of ABC within a period of 10 years, and (e) Net Financial Contracting Capacity at least equal to ABC, or credit line commitment at least equal to 10% of ABC. The BAC will use non-discretionary pass/fail criteria in the eligibility check and preliminary examination of bids. Unregistered contractors, however, shall submit their applications for registration to the DPWH Central Procurement Office (CPO) before the deadline for the receipt of LOI. The DPWH Central Procurement Office (CPO) will only process contractors applications for registration with complete requirements and issue the Contractors Certificate of Registration (CRC). Registration Forms may be downloaded at the DPWH website www.dpwh.gov.ph. The significant times and deadlines of procurement activities are shown below: 1. Issuance of Bidding Documents 2. Pre-Bid Conference 3. Deadline of Receipt of LOI from Prospective Bidders 4. Receipt of Bids 5. Opening of Bids October 1, 2012 to October 23, 2012 until 9:30 AM. 2:00 PM, October 11, 2012 Until 2:00 P.M. on October 18, 2012 Deadline: 10:00 AM., October 23, 2012 10:30 AM., October 23, 2012

5.

Department of Finance BUREAU OF CUSTOM S PORT OF MANILA

Customs District II-A South Harbor, Manila

IMPORTANT NOTICE
This is to inform all stakeholders that beginning October 2012 until December 2012, the Port of Manila will render extended working hours from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Monday to Friday, for processing of Import/Export shipments which may cause port congestion. Likewise, a POM skeletal workforce will be available to conduct regular Customs business from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. for the following Saturdays: a). October 13,20 & 27, 2012; b). November 10,17 & 24, 2012; and c). December 1,8,22 & 29, 2012 (Sgd.) ATTY. ROGEL C. GATCHALIAN District Collector
(MST-Oct. 7 & 8, 2012)

7.

The BAC will issue hard copies of Bidding Documents (BDs) at Negros Oriental 3rd District Engineering Office, Siaton, Negros Oriental upon payment of a non-refundable fee of Php5,000.00 for Contract Nos. 1 & 3, and Php1,000.00 for Contract No.2. Prospective bidders may also download the BDs from the DPWH website, if available. Prospective bidders that will download the BDs from the DPWH website shall pay the said fees on or before the submission of their bids Documents. The Pre-Bid Conference shall be open only to interested parties who have purchased the BDs. Bids must accompanied by a bid security, in the amount and acceptable form, as stated in Section 27.2 of the Revised IRR. Prospective bidders shall submit their duly accomplished forms as specified in the BDs in two (2) separate sealed bid envelopes to the BAC Chairman. The first envelope shall contain the technical component of the bid, which shall include a copy of the CRC. The second envelope shall contain the financial component of the bid. Contract will be awarded to the Lowest calculated Responsive Bid as determined in the bid evaluation and post-qualification. The DPWH, Negros Oriental 3rd District Engineering Office reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bid, to annul the bidding process anytime before Contract award, without incurring any liability to the affected bidder/s. Approved by: (Sgd.) VIRGINIA C. CATIpAY BAC Chairman Noted by: (Sgd.) ARAmIs E. TORREfRANCA District Engineer
(MST-Oct. 7, 2012)

10. For Further information, please refer to: Engr. RUPERTO H. PINGOL Head, BAC Secretariat South Manila Engineering District 1018 -8TH Street corner Bonifacio Drive, Port Area, Manila Tel. no. 23044020 rupertopingol@yahoo.com fax no. 25279727 (Sgd.) GuILLERmO D. sALAsAC Officer in Charge Office of the Assistant District Engineer BAC Chairperson NOTED: (Sgd.) mIkuNuG D. mACuD District Engineer
(MST-Oct. 7, 2012)

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Sunday
Manila StandardTODAY

Business

A8

SUNDAY OCTOBER 7, 2012

By Anna Leah G. Estrada

BSP Governor Amando Tetangco Jr.

TO always be a blessing to
others is his principle in life, and true to his guiding principle, Amando Tetangco Jr., the governor of the Bangko Sentral, has been a blessing not only to his family but to the whole country as well.
Just how the Philippine economy climbed out of the deep hole it was in during the 1970s and 1980s is a story in itself that is worth telling. One of the men responsible for the economys climb is Tetangco, along with other ofcials of Bangko Sentral, who over the past decade stabilized ination and induced policies to spur economic growth. As a central banker, I am privileged to have been part of the process of transformation of our institution from being deeply in debt and unable to meet its obligation without a debt restructuring program to a central bank that is now a net creditor with record high gross international reserves, Tetangco says. The Philippines, which had a debt crisis in the early 1980s, now has gross international reserves exceeding $80 billion, enough to support a year of imports, which is much greater than the international benchmark of just three months. The amount also exceeded the countrys foreign debt of just $62.5 billion as of June. Unknown to many, a signicant part of the reserves are invested in the US treasuries, making the Philippines a lender of billions of dollars to the US. Even President Aquino, who replaced all Arroyo appointees when he assumed ofce in 2010, saw the wisdom in naming

The man who turned the economy around

Tetangco for a second six-year term. Tetangco was rst appointed governor of the Bangko Sentral in July 2005. Recently, Gobal Finance cited Tetangco Jr. as one of the ve best central bank heads in the world, actually for the fourth time since 2006. International credit rating agencies also mentioned the good performance of the Bangko Sentral in handling ination and the balance of payments in justifying their upgrade of the countrys credit rating. Before joining the Central Bank of the Philippines in 1974, Tetangco worked at the Management Services Division of accounting rm SGV & Co. He nished his elementary and high school education at Don Bosco Academy in Pampanga and took up AB Economics at the Ateneo de Manila University where he graduated cum laude. He also studied Graduate courses in Business Administration in the same university. As a Central Bank scholar, Tetangco took up his MA in Public Policy and Administration with concentration in Development Economics at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, USA. Tetangco rose from the ranks of the BSP hierarchy, occupying various positions for over three decades. He started as a statistician at the Department of Economic Research. It was a job application letter I sent in 1974 to then Governor Licaros that started my journey as a central banker, Tetangco recalls in an interview. Tetangco says being an economist was a childhood dream. Having studied Economics, I believed I could contribute to the role of the Central Bank consistent with national efforts to make our economy grow on a balanced and sustained manner and, in the process, make peoples lives better, he says. The Philippine economy today is very different from what it was when Tetangco joined the Central Bank in the mid-1970s. At that time, the economy was less open to the rest of the world with governments import substitution strategy and capital account restrictions. Trade policy was quite tight and t r a d e barriers w e r e high in order t o shield local industries from foreign competition in the domestic market, Tetangco says. He says ination was also a source of concern, because the domestic economy was insulated from international competition that could keep local price levels in check. Meanwhile, upside cost pressures were building up due to the rapidly increasing global prices of petroleum products following the oil embargo by the OPEC in 1973. With domestic prices rising faster than those in the countrys trading partners during that time, the countrys competitiveness started to erode, especially since the peso was essentially xed against the US dollar. Exports were not growing enough and the country had to resort to foreign borrowing to meet its requirements for foreign currency which resulted to the doubling of the countrys external debt and the deterioration in the countrys balance of payments position, Tetangco says. The economy today He notes that today, the Philippine economy has become more open, with the broadly protectionist underpinnings of previous policies giving way to a more market-oriented and less heavy-handed approach to managing the countrys resources. The gradual removal of restrictions on foreign direct investment has paved the way for the inow of investments in the private sector as well as in infrastructure, which aided the countrys modernization, he says. In addition, the crisis experienced by the country in the 1980s provided the country with an opportunity to internalize important economic lessons as scal and monetary authorities implemented various reforms towards a stronger and more stable nancial system as well as more sustainable economic growth, he says. The past crises have also brought to light the importance of policy coordination in promoting macroeconomic stability. The close coordination of monetary, regulatory, and scal policies was critical to the restoration of the countrys stability, which in turn, paved the way for business condence to improve and for economic recovery to take root, Tetangco says. Certainly, there have been noticeable improvements in the economy in general. Our external payments position is healthy resulted by remittances and sustained receipts from tourism and the business process outsourcing sectors, which could not have been possible without improvements in infrastructure, governance, and even human capital. But we need to double our efforts in alleviating poverty, Tetangco adds. Given these developments in the country, he says that ve or 10 years from now, strong macroeconomic fundamentals and a favorable demographic transition will support a signicant rise in the countrys activity over the medium term. The working population will contribute positively to growth potentials when they are nourished properly, healthy, and appropriately educated, he says. Despite his success as an economist and as a central banker, Tetangco believes that no one has a monopoly of good ideas thus, reecting his democratic style of management but he says that once a decision is made, he expects all parties to unite behind it and ensure its successful implementation. I encourage people to articulate their thoughts, to discuss their opinions. I also demand complete staff work to ensure that we benet from a 360-degree assessment. Then I make the decision, he says. During weekdays, his typical ofce day is a mix of meetings within the bank such as interagency consultations, handling phone calls, answering media questions, wading through many documents to read and memos to sign, delivering speeches, and attending business or cultural functions after ofce hours. Despite his busy schedule at work, he sees to it that he has time to do workouts at the gym before leaving home. He had a heart bypass in February 2010. Outside the Bangko Sentral, Tetangco describes himself as a regular kind of guy who has friends and a growing family. I have a wife I have been happily married to for 27 years now with whom I have two daughters and a son. My son is married and he and his wife have made me and my wife grandparents, he says. During weekends, he and his family hear mass together. They go to the mall and watch movies. Sometimes he and his friends play golf, do target shooting, and watch Ateneos basketball games. His biggest accomplishments Tetangco accomplished a lot of things for the economy, but he also treasures his family as one of his greatest achievements. On a personal level, I nd great satisfaction in seeing the members of the Elma PlanaSay Tetangco family happy, healthy, actively engaged in pursuing their personal goals, but remaining very close and supportive of each other, he says. As head of the Bangko Sentral, he says that he is proud that the BSP continues to successfully implement its Constitutional mandate to craft and implement monetary and banking policies that keep our economy stable and able to promote inclusive growth. Tetangco says being selected as one of the rated A central banker in four of the seven years he served as governor of the Bangko Sentral is one of his biggest accomplishments in life but he thinks the credit properly belongs to all BSPers and to the Philippines. With these accomplishments, he cites his family as his source of strength and inspiration. My wife and children who love and support me, in sickness and in health and even when work sometimes get in the way of family affairs, my father who was an honest and hardworking public servant, my mother, an inspiring woman who by her words and deeds quietly instilled the values of honesty, integrity and responsibility in our family of nine siblings, and my brothers and sisters who have always been very supportive of my work as a public servant, he says. Given his success, a lot of people would surely want to be just like him. Tetangcos advice is to keep their integrity intact and develop a strong sense of purpose. They should always have the discipline, the focus, the tenacity, and the passion to be the best they can be, even when no one is watching, he says.

2 young ladies spruce up the food truck

TWO girls who traveled across the world on a quest for discovery and learning found that it takes more than education to make a unique business concept such as food truck work in the Philippines. Michealle Renee Yu Lee and Natassha Chan, both 24 years old, came back from their overseas sojourn last year and buckled down to work on a concept so unique people rst thought it was a mobile showroom. They established Guactruck, short for Guacamole truck, which is now praised for its design and stylish food packaging and won the attention and the taste of the crowd at the Bonifacio Global City business district. If you really want something, you will do anything to get it. The reason why we did not fail is we would not take no for an answer. We wanted to make this work, in spite of all the challenges, Lee says in an interview. Chan agrees, saying despite the repeated rejections they got in their six-month attempt to get approval for their unique business concept, they went ahead. With the ve No that we got, we would have backed out. But we decided to go on, because that was our goal, she says. Guactruck serves good-quality Filipino food presented in a Mexican way, according to Chan. We chose the Mexican style because it is colorful and easy to cook, says Lee. Lee claries that their primary goal is not money, but to learn and make a difference in the food industry. Guactruck has been featured in international magazines for its unique design, putting the Philippines on the map of food lovers, she says. The two girls studied in the same high school, but their friendship began when they transferred to the International School. We were transfer students and we had no other friends. As we had the same background, we bonded, says Lee. After high school, they went separate ways in college, with Lee going to the US and Chan to England. Lee took up Business Administration at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles while Chan studied History, Philosophy and Social Studies at the University College London. Lee later moved to New York where she studied Design Management at Parsons the New School for Design. At this time, Chan entered into an internship program in London. The two later moved to China, still separately, with Lee moving to Shanghai to study Mandarin at the Fudan University and Chan to Beijing to study the same language at the Tsinghua University. We came from Chinese background, and yet we know little Chinese. So we studied Mandarin, says Lee. She eventually worked as a writer for an English lifestyle magazine in Shanghai, because she found the job challenging. I am not fond of writing. I got the job because I wanted to push myself to write. My idea is that if I fear something, I have to do it while I am young. Since I dont like writing, thats the job I got for two months, she says. When Lee visited Chan in Beijing, she decided to try her luck there. I returned to Shanghai, packed my things and boarded a train back to Beijing, she says. Their student visas, however, were about to expire at that time. But before our visas expired, we traveled to Mongolia, says Lee. By January 2011, when Chan was about to nish her language course, they talked about what to do once they returned to the Philippines. Initially, we tried to apply for jobs in Beijing, but we realized that it is not the best to discover that Guactruck is from the Philippines, she says. Thats the kind of impact we wanted to leave. Chan says aside from that, we wanted to experience the process of starting a business here and how to deal with different people. We were protected by our families. But we wanted to be on our own. We did not hire any consultant. We did all the work, going to the Securities and Exchange Commission, and talking with the people of the Fort Bonifacio Development Corp. We wanted to know what it was like talking to them, says Lee. Lee admits that they did not know anything on how to start the business when they came back in February 2011. we were allowed, she says. We were very persistent. We would not take no for an answer. In the end they said lets try it out, says Chan. They also applied for business permits from the SEC, City Hall, and Trade Department. I was not even allowed to enter the SEC because I was wearing shorts, says Chan. They later got approval for a partnership called EASS Food Services Co., which bear the sounds of their rst names. Before they got a permit from BFDC, the two girls tried selling food at the Mercato Centrale night market also in Taguig City on weekends. We were waiting for so long, so we said we had to start somewhere. We had to start and adapt depending on the situation, says Chan. They learned a lot from their Mercato exposure. Every time people say they like our food, we are amazed because we are not cooks. But we believe in serving our food with good quality, says Lee. They remember that on the rst day they brought guacktruck to Mercato, people would not approach them. People did not think we were selling food. They thought we were just a showroom, says Lee. We also dressed up, and we suddenly appeared at Mercato. That time, we did not have a logo or menu board, narrates Chan. So we learned from other peoples suggestions. We had our menu board and our logo on the truck as well as yers. We also went outside the truck, because on the rst day we just stayed inside the truck as we were shy of people, she adds. The two were able to serve 20 people on their first day at Mercato. Of the 20, half of them are my relatives, says Chan. They later moved to the Bonifacio Global City, where they were eventually allowed to sell food at open parking lots near the ofce buildings along 31st Street from Monday to Friday. Guactruck marked its 100th day of operation in early October, serving over 100 meals each day. Obviously we were not able to get our investment yet, but every day we make sure we have an operational prot, says Chan. In February 2011, a girl from Big Chill came and asked if Lee and Chan were open to a possible partnership. In August this year, a meeting took place with the owners of Big Chill and some kind of prot sharing agreement was signed. On Oct. 1, Big Chill took over the operations of Guactruck, with supervision and guidance from Lee and Chan. Their advice to other aspiring entrepreneurs is to try to do different things while they are young. Part of the reason that we accomplished this is that that we are still young, says Lee. If you really wanted something, you would do everything to accomplish it, she says. Lee and Chan now plan to study again for their Masters degrees abroad. RTD

time to work there, Chan says. Lee explains: New things are okay, but after that, they become uninteresting. We left Beijing, because we were not happy anymore, she says. Before they left Beijing, the two girls worked on their business concept at their apartment. Lee thought about food truck, a concept she picked up from the US. There are many food trucks in the US, which is a normal thing there. But we wanted a different type of food truck, with nice design and image, which would make it better than cheap street food, says Lee. They conceptualized the food truck prototype in Beijing. We wanted to provide a full experience of eating in a food truck, with a clean and nice ambiance. We also wanted to bring something new to the Philippines, says Chan. Lee says their goal is to build a beautifully designed food truck. We wanted to put the Philippines on the map in terms of design. Thats why people are amazed

We just followed what entered our mind, she says. Chan says only now do they realize that as business owners, they have to know every aspect of the business. You cant become a manager all of a sudden. How can you manage, if you dont know anything. The two girls did most of the manual work, including sweeping the oor of the food truck, cooking and selling the food. We followed a certain recipe and adjusted the taste based on the preference and suggestion of our customers, says Chan. Although they would not cite a specic amount, the two girls invested about P2 million in their venture, beginning with customizing a truck. Initially, the BGDC said no to our request. We talked to many people, from the janitor and receptionist to the manager to their director, says Lee. It took us six months to convince them and only when we ambushed the head of BFDC and talked to him that

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

to rn o B
Words by Randy Caluag Images by Randy Caluag, Francis Uy and Jay Tiongson
Erwin Tagle is one of the nest MMA ghters in the country

Sunday
ManilaStandardTODAY

ARTS & LIFE

SUNDAY OCTOBER 7, 2012

B1

T H IG F
TV coverage of the Pacic Extreme Championship when the management immediately offered him a title ght against newly crowned yweight king Ale Cali at PXC 34. It was an offer he could not pass of. Im itching to go back in there and show what I am made of, says Erwin, a hardline follower of the legendary Bruce Lee, who subscribes to jee kune do mantra: absorb what is useful, discard what is not, add what is uniquely your own. Erwin, hits the gym every morning and afternoon daily with training partners Adrian Hillana and Eugene Toquero, who are also competing at PXC 34 in November, and Froilan Sarrenas, who will defend his URCC middleweight crown next month. Meanwhile, I also have another battle on my ownand that is the urge to get into the mat and get hurt if necessaryeven if I have to disrupt the training regimen of Erwin for a few hours. Just two days after our initial interview, Erwin met me at the home gym of Submission Sport Philippines where he sits as one of the officers, together with lawyer Leo Magtibay Jr. At 4 p.m., I joined the rst batch of students in muay thai doing stretching and basic moves. Then it was time for Erwin and the elite gang to take the center mat for high level grappling training. I joined the stretching exercises and was subsequently given a crash course on locking and pinning techniques. I was already tired at this time.

THERE is no stopping the growing popularity of Mixed Martials Arts (MMA) and even experts believe that its just a matter of time before it equals, if not surpasses, boxing in terms of following.
Boxing or any martial art for that matter is no longer a poor mans sport. Its actually the exact opposite nowadays. One big reason is because martial arts training, like Brazilian Jujitsu or Muay Thai, is getting more expensive. Practitioners range from kids from exclusive schools to young corporate executives. Most of them become full time professional players. In fact, I, an ageing writer and corporate executive, wanted to try it myself. The inherent warrior in me wants me to sweat it out or even get hurt, if necessary. So I called on Erwin Tagle, one of the nest Filipino martial artists who contributed heavily to the growth of MMA in the country. I asked Erwin for a short interview and few minutes of sparring session to which he readily obliged. Erwin is not just an MMA ghter in the cage. As a graduate of business management from an exclusive school, hes actually a businessman and an up and coming TV personality. Erwin however warns aspiring MMA ghters. Its very easy to learn MMA but it takes a lifetime to master it. If you really want to excel in the sport, you need more than just dedication. Its a way of life. His last ofcial competition four years ago was supposed to be an eliminator for an international ght. He won but never got his prize money and never heard anything again from the organizer. Previous to that, his two ghts against a top yweight contender of the Universal Reality Combat Championship ended up in a draw because the rules then were not yet in aligned to that of the international ght bodies like the Ultimate Fighting Championship. For all those experiences, Erwin was already contented to being commentator for the

Bruce Lee follower

Not your typical ghter

The author spars and struggles with Erwin

My own battle

My last visit to the gym was more than a year ago but thankfully, my bodyout of shape and spent mostly on sedentary lifestylewas still up to the task. My goal was to know how it feels for an ordinary mortal be out there locking horns with professionally trained MMA ghter like Erwin. The time for us to test my grappling abilityif theres any at allcame and Erwin gave me two one-minute chances to submit him as we start on half-mount position with me on top. As expected, I failed and Erwin reversed me on both occasions. Then, it was his to turn to be on top and with me on my back to defend his submission attempt. He also has two one-one minute tries. The rst one, I managed to provide a semblance of resistance but ultimately, with both skills and great stamina working for him, Erwin got me through a Kimura (elbow lock). Before his second turn, I suddenly felt numb. I think this is what Erwin calls lactic buildup on my muscles. I could no longer move, I was breathing heavily. Nevertheless, I started on the position. I was defending on instinct, but before I nally get hurt, I tapped out, already unaware of what technique did Erwin use. As Erwin would always stress, Stamina and skills should go together. When youre already gas out, everything turns to slow motion. Technique would be useless if you have less stamina. Again, its all about conditioning. I was gone in 15 seconds. And to think Erwin probably used only five percent of his efforts. Come to think of it, guys like Erwin are ghting out there for an average of 15 to 25 minutesswinging, kicking and grappling while getting hit themselves. To me, these guys are super human.

Lets get it on

Erwin t

ries to

make a

full mo

unt

Members of Submission Sport Philippines

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Erwin arrives at the gym from his business appointments

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Sunday
ManilaStandardTODAY ManilaStandardTODAY Standard StandardTODAY

ARTS & LIFE ARTS & LIFE

B2

SUNDAY

OCTOBER 7, 2012

NOT all advocacies have to be big. Some can literally start from a seed and grow over the years.
Buhayin ang Kalikasan, the agship environmental advocacy of San Miguel Brewery Inc., is one such effort. Employees of the countrys top brewer from the companys head ofce to its breweries and sales ofces nationwide have been dedicating the month of August in the past three years to planting trees, with the project getting more and more ambitious each year. It all started when SMB was cited by strategic partner Kirin Holdings Co. as being the best managed among its afliates in 2010. With this distinction came a cash incentive of P1 million, which SMB, in turn, decided to use as start-up funding for what is now its key CSR program. When we received the money from Kirin, we knew that we wanted it to be used for a larger purpose, says SMB president Roberto Huang. And so, instead of using it to benet just our own organization, we decided to use it for what we see as one of the most important causes of the day: the protection and preservation of nature and the environment. ve-year program that aims to preserve and protect the environment chiey through ensuring the viability of our water supply; helping rehabilitate selected forest covers and mangrove areas; and propagating planting materials, says Human Resources and Business Affairs Communications head Enrico Reyes. At the same time we see it as a way of promoting volunteerism and eco-awareness among our employees. The companys rst salvo was the launch of the Trees Brew Life Project in 2010, which successfully planted 450 seedlings in six areas nationwide through the efforts of 300 volunteer-employees who devoted one Saturday in August for the initiative. The following year, all Saturdays of August were declared tree-planting days for SMB. This year, the company extended the projects reach to include regions outside its supply centers. Huang proudly announced that through the years, the Trees Brew Life project has grown in terms of the quantity of seedlings planted and the number of participating employees and project partners nationwide. SMB formally commenced its tree planting season for 2012 in Bgy. Nabuklod in Floridablanca, Pampanga, where around 480 employees and over 500 volunteers from surrounding local communities joined hands to successfully plant 2,500 fruit bearing treesincluding coconut, cashew, jackfruit, and guyabanoover a one-hectare

brew life
SMB president Roberto Huang and SMB ofcials turn over the seedlings to Floridablanca ancestral domain president Ricardo Guiao.

When trees

Three-pronged initiative
Thus, Buhayin ang Kalikasan was born. The program is a threepronged initiative that includes the Go Green campaign, which aims to plant 500,000 trees in over ve years; Go Blue, which includes its coastal clean-up and dredging projects; and Go Brown which consists of recycling and waste-management efforts. Buhayin ang Kalikasan is a

Huang (4th from right) with SMB logistics team led by Rene T. Ceniza (3rd from left).

SMB employee-volunteers hike up the mountains of Barangay Nabuklod, Floridablanca for the tree planting activity.

mountain range that covers the Huang further emphasized provinces of Pampanga, Zam- that more than just helping the bales, and Tarlac. environment the Trees Brew Life Project also has many Biggest challenge practical benets for volunAs with other tree-planting teers and the community. We see great value in eninitiatives, the biggest challenge faced by well-meaning gaging our employees to parcompanies is how to ensure ticipate in our CSR projects, that the seeds planted will re- he says. Apart from the feelally grow into trees. With SMB ing of fulllment achieved by having provided the seedlings helping others, there is also a and necessary tools needed to great sense of pride felt within take care of them, the commu- the organization knowing that nity of Barangay Nabuklod, it is not just us, but also future in turn, has taken on the task generations, who will benet of ensuring that the trees will from what we have started today. Dinna Chan Vasquez grow and ourish.

Indian group wins Project Inspire; PH team is Peoples Choice awardee

THE Singapore Committee for UN Women (UN Women Singapore) and MasterCard Worldwide rawarded a $25,000 Womens Empowerment grant to Womens Private Personal Market Place from Rajasthan, India at the Project Inspire: 5 Minutes to Change the World 2012 Grand Finals. Rustam Sengupta, who represented his team for Womens Private Personal Market Place, was among the nine nalists who pitched their project ideas to a live judging panel comprising some of the worlds top global development and social entrepreneurial experts, social advocates and business leaders. The winning project aims to empower women in rural Rajasthan to become entrepreneurs by selling feminine hygiene products to other rural women via a mobile phone application. The application also acts as a platform to provide essential health and sanitary education to these largely illiterate women, as well as offer them a private interface to access feminine hygiene products. This project is a collaboration between Rajasthan-based Boond, and Decode Global, a Canadian incubator of mobile apps for social change. It was born after both chief executives (Rustam Sengupta and Angelique Mannella respectively) met in Singapore while enrolled at the MBA Program at the INSEAD Asia Campus. The scalable and sustainable microbusiness model leverages the high penetration of mobile phones in India (225 million female mobile phone subscribers in India). In a surprise development at the Grand Finals, MasterCard put forward a $10,000 Special Recognition Award, which the judging panel presented to LIFELivelihood Initiative for Empowerment from Sri Lanka. Their project aims to help a group of war-affected women returnees, largely widows, in Northern Sri Lanka enhance their entrepreneurship capacities through microbusiness training and access to credit facilities in order to help them expand their livelihoods. The project includes training on goat farming, home gardening, business development, marketing and nancial management. Additionally, Project Stitch of the Philippines led by Soleil Manzano, Marian Santos, and Jose Maningat, was named the winner of the rst-ever Project Inspire Peoples Choice Award, receiving the largest share of online votes from the public. Project Stitch aims to support the livelihood of displaced women in the poor communities of Manila through sewing co-operatives. The Grand Finals, held at the INSEAD Asia Campus in Singapore, was broadcast live on Aug. 31, to a worldwide audience via the Project Inspire Web site at ww.5minutestochangetheworld.org. A joint initiative by UN Women Singapore and MasterCard, Project Inspirenow in its second yearwas conceived in 2011 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of International Womens Day and the 25th anniversary of MasterCard in Asia/Pacic, Middle East and Africa. The nine nalistsfrom India (three), Uganda, Cambodia, Nepal, Indonesia, Philippines and Sri Lanka were selected out of more than 350 teams worldwide who submitted their life-changing ideas to empower women and girls across Asia/Pacic, Middle East and Africa. The submissions were in the form of ve minute pitch videos (or written proposals) for a chance to win the US$25,000 grant. The panel of international judges reported that the high caliber of this years submissions made for intense deliberation during the judging process, and truly reected the passion behind all nine projects. This years judges included: Paolo Benigno Bam A. Aquino IV, president, MicroVentures Foundation, cofounder, The Hapinoy Program, Project Inspire 2011 Grand Prize Winner; Vicky Bindra, president, Asia/Pacic, Middle East and Africa, MasterCard Worldwide; Patricia Devereux, Group head, Global

Project Inspire 2012 Peoples Choice Award winner Soleil Manzano, representing Project Stitch from the Philippines

(From left) Trina Liang-Lin, president, UN Women Singapore, and co-creator of Project Inspire; Angelique Mannella, chief executive, Decode Global; Rustam Sengupta, chief executive, Boond; Nicole Darabian, Analyst, Decode Global; Georgette Tan, Group Head, Communications, Asia/Pacic, Middle East & Africa, MasterCard Worldwide.

Judge and former winner Bam Aquino

Philanthropy, MasterCard Worldwide; Dr. Ming Tan, director, COMO Foundation; Patrick Turner, Afliate Professor of Entrepreneurship, INSEAD (Judging Panel Lead); Till Vestring, Managing Partner, Bain and Company SE Asia; and Janet Wong, Country Representative, UN Women Timor Leste. UN Women Singapore believes being agents for women, strengthens not just our families, but bonds our communities and ensures peace and economic security for countries, said Trina Liang-Lin, president, UN Women Singapore, and co-creator of Project Inspire. Project Inspire is now a recognized global brand bringing together womens empowerment and entrepreneurship, youth leadership and sustainable social change though the powerful lens of social media and technology.

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email: tech@mst.ph

MARLON C. MAGTIRA, Section Editor CHRISTIAN CARDIENTE, Asst. Editor

Sunday
ManilaStandardTODAY

TECH

SUNDAY OCTOBER 7, 2012

B3

Time for enterprise social networking is now

THE time has come to think
seriously about enterprise social networking and consider its role within wider enterprise collaboration strategy, according to global technology business analyst rm Ovum.
In its latest assessment of the enterprise social networking market released in October, Ovum said the enterprise social networking market is starting to mature and is moving from the introduction phase into the growth phase. Strategic acquisitions have already been made by start-ups and establish vendors alike, according to Ovum. Richard Edwards, Ovum analyst and author of the report said, Ovums current assessment indicates that Jive and Yammer are the two vendors that organizations are most eager to compare and contrast, but other vendors are generating signicant business and revenues from their offerings. Industry gures suggest IBM Connections brought in $105.4 million during 2011, and from this we believe the current value of the enterprise social networking market to be in excess of $500 million, Edwards said. Enterprise social networking, from a market perspective, is well and truly in the adopter phase, with around 10 percent of organisations in established IT markets deploying solutions or subscribing to services. Mobile devices are increasingly being used to access the networks and this is extending the use case for such solutions to a broad audience. As the business case for investment in enterprise social networking solutions has yet to be proven to business sceptics, some vendors are encouraging independent user adoption in the hope it will prove business value. Ovum believes that the business potential offered by enterprise social networking will only be unlocked when necessity dictates a business change, Edwards noted. Meanwhile, the enterprise collaborations technology landscape is awash with social software from a variety of different sources. Vendors offering pure-play enterprise social networking solutions are competing against established enterprise collaboration providers. On the other hand, vendors offering business automation social platforms are trying to gain traction in a market that is also assessing the merits of emerging offerings from companies specializing in enterprise applications. Merger and acquisition activity has increased markedly in the past few months, and this has led to new entrants appearing on the enterprise collaboration landscape. So, with a market potential of at least $10 billion, the enterprise social networking market is the new battleground for all enterprise collaboration vendors, Edwards said. IBM recently released the results of its X-Force 2012 Mid-Year Trend and Risk Report, which showed a sharp increase in browser-related exploits, renewed concerns around social media password security, and continued disparity in mobile devices and corporate bring your own device (BYOD) programs. Data for the bi-annual X-Force report comes from IBMs security operations centers which monitor more than 15 billion security events a day on behalf of more than 4,000 clients in more than 130 countries. Organizations here and around the world are faced with a constantly evolving threat landscape, with emerging technologies making it increasingly difcult to manage and secure condential data, said Victor Silvino, country manager for software group at IBM Philippines. A security breach whether from an outsider attacker or an insider can impact brand reputation, shareholder value, and expose condential information. IBMs team of security threat analysts track and monitor security events and attack activity to better help our clients stay ahead of these emerging threats, he said. Since the last X-Force Trend and Risk Report, IBMs X-Force has seen an increase in malware and malicious Web activities: A continuing trend for attackers is to target individuals by directing them to a trusted URL or site which has been injected with malicious code. The growth of SQL injection, a technique used by attackers to access a database through a website. As the user base of the Mac operating system continues to grow worldwide, it is increasingly becoming a target of threats and exploits. While there are reports of exotic mobile malware, most smartphone users are still most at risk of premium SMS (short message service, or texting) scams. These scams work by sending SMS messages to premium phone numbers in a variety of different countries automatically from installed applications. One game-changing transformation is the pervasiveness of BYOD programs. Many companies are still in their infancy in adapting policies for allowing employees to connect their personal laptops or smartphones to the company network. To make BYOD work within a company, a thorough and clear policy should be in place before the rst employee-owned device is added to the companys infrastructure, IBM said. The connection between websites, cloudbased services, and webmail provides a seamless experience from device to device, but users should be cautious about how these accounts are connected, the IBM report said.

Rising attacks focus on browsers, social networks

65 million ultra-slim PCs by 2015

ULTRA-SLIM PC shipments will grow from 3.4 million in 2011 to 65.0 million by 2015a quarter of mobile PC shipmentsaccording to DisplaySearchs Quarterly Mobile PC Shipment and Forecast Report. The report said the mobile PC landscape is transforming from a performancedriven to a convenience-driven market, where easy access to content and usage are the new preferred characteristics. This fundamental change in preference is most noticeable in the slowing demand for notebook PCs and the increasing demand for tablet PCs. Tablet PC shipments are expected to exceed notebook PC shipment by 2016. Notebook PC players are responding by adopting the features of tablets that consumers have appreciated the most. Tablet PCs have offered consumers what they have been requesting from the notebook market for years, instant-on activation, long battery life, and sleeker designs, said Richard Shim, Senior Analyst with NPD DisplaySearch. These attributes are the basis for enabling greater and easier accessibility to content and services. Ultra-slim PCs are the notebook markets response to tablets and aim to balance performance and convenience. Ultra-slim PC adoption has been modest to date due to premium pricing and a lack of differentiation from standard notebooks. Prices have gradually decreased and adoption is expected to ramp up in 2013 as new processors aid in the achievement of more convenience-oriented computing. In addition, maturing ultra-slim PC panel production processes will lower material costs and premium prices. A combination of improvements in thinner glass manufacturing and handling, as well as assembly of panels, will improve yields and lower the cost of panels, one of the most expensive components in an ultraslim PC. NPD DisplaySearch will update the report to cover quarterly shipment tracking and forecasting for ultra-slim PCs, in addition to standard notebook PCs, mini-note PCs, and tablet PCs. Ultra-Slim PCs are dened as follows: notebooks with screen sizes greater than14 and must have a z-height (i.e. thickness) of less than21mm, and notebooks with screen sizes less than14 must have a z-height of less than18mm. Included in the category are notebook PCs tting Intels Ultrabook denition, Apple MacBook Air and MacBook Pro with Retina display among others.

X-PLAY Online Inc, a subsidiary of IP e-Games, has partnered with 2K Sports to launch the critically acclaimed NBA 2K13 in the Phillipines. Top gaming website IGN recently called NBA 2K13 possibly the greatest sports game of all-time. This year, 2K Sports transcends sports video games by joining forces with multi-platinum recording artist JAY Z, who serves as the Executive Producer of NBA 2K13. The music icon personally curated the games 24-song soundtrack, and lent his artistic vision to its interactive menus, pregame introductions, and more. NBA 2K13 also introduces the Control Stick, which gives players more control by mapping all dribbling and shooting to the right analog stick, as well as the long-awaited matchup between the 1992 Dream Team and 2012 U.S. Mens National Team. Improved gameplay features include: [1] The Control Stick. For the rst time ever, all dribble moves have been mapped to the right analog stick, as well as shooting, passing, and post moves. String together devastating crossovers and clutch shots for maximum control and effectiveness; [2] Dynamic Shot Generator. Shots are now dynamically created on the y, with allnew collision physics created in real-time; [3] Signature Skills. Each player has unique abilities

NBA 2K13 video game launched in PH

that can alter the course of a game. Players are modeled to impact the game in their own unique way, from Derrick Rose as a Floor General to Kevin Durant being The Closer. Learn to use each players unique ability and change the game on your terms; and [4] Revamped Passing System. Improved fast break passing gives players more control. Fire a bounce pass to a cutting teammate or go Lob City in transition. Were very excited to launch such a prestigious game here in the Philippines and were thrilled to be working with 2K Sports, said Miguel Bauza, vice president of marketing for X-Play. We will be going around the country to engage the millions of NBA 2K Filipino fans out there with awesome tournaments and rafe prizes. NBA 2K13 is a great addition to the X-Play packaged goods portfolio, said Heidi Garayblas, chief operating ofcer for X-Play. We are very proud to work with 2K Sports on this project, and we are looking forward to bringing more blockbuster games to the Philippines. NBA 2K13 is available in the Philippines for PlayStation 3 at P2,595 (Suggested Retail Price), Xbox 360 at P2,495, PlayStationPortable system at P1,895, and Windows PC at P1,995.

Ericsson offers huge sum in Android app contest

SWEDISH network equipment maker Ericsson is holding this year the Ericsson Application Awards (EAA) in an attempt to give global developers the opportunity to gain a foothold in the app industry while also earning recognition and making contacts within the telecom industry. This year there will be two categories: one for students and one for small and medium-sized enterprises with fewer than 100 employees. The theme for this years competition is Apps for City Life, in support of Ericssons vision for a Networked Society in which through a combination of mobility, broadband, the cloud, applications and services anything and everything is connected. Teams need to develop an application based on the Android platform that addresses the theme. Last years winner in the company category was a mobile health-care app developed in Kenya. First prize in the student category, meanwhile, was awarded to a painting and chatting app developed in China. Finally, a medico-social platform that provides access to medical information developed in Egypt won the Technology for Good prize. In all, 143 teams from more than 50 countries took part and a total of 242 ideas, videos and apps were submitted twice as many as in the previous year. This year, several prizes will be awarded in each category: * First place: EUR 25,000 (about P1.3 million) * Second place: EUR 10,000 (about P537,000) * Third place: EUR 5,000 (about P268,000) * Fourth and fth place: certicates The contest site can be accessed http://www.ericssonapplicationawards.com. CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK at

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Sunday
Manila StandardTODAY StandardTODAY

Sports

B4

SUNDAY OCTOBER 7, 2012

Oh Leigh!
Guda steals limelight in Cebu
By Reuel Vidal Photos courtesy of Leigh Guda and Luz McClinton

Leigh Guda is mesmerizing as she performs her routine. Shes the total performer on stage as she dances, sways her lithe athletic body, performs splits and exes her muscles while maintaining her femininity.

sports. After heartbreaking losses by local athletesnotably the Smart-Gilas team in basketballFilipino athletes won the day in a competition where they are not handicapped by the height advantage of their competitors.
Filipino bodybuilders Mike Baello and Luzviminda McClinton blew away the eld to rule the Mr. and Ms. Phil-Asia 2012 International Bodybuilding Championships held at the Mariners Court in Pier One, Cebu City. The contest attracted participants from seven countries in Asia. The night rightfully belonged to the two but Leigh Guda, who swept the Ms. Bikini Model and Ms. Fitness titles, stole the limelight with her combination of movie star good looks, sexy body and a mesmerizing routine. Bodybuilding competitions for women usually involve heavily muscled females, which turn off the general public. Most people, especially Filipinos, just arent ready for the sight of women, no matter how beautiful and attractive, who pack more muscles than ordinary men. But competitions for Miss Bikini and Ms. Fitness Model welcome female participants who are closer to the idealized female form of ramp models and beauty queens. Among the most popular competitors to hit the local tness circuit is the slim and statuesque Guda who looks more like an FHM model than a female bodybuilder. Gudas mesmerizing good looks and slim gure was enough to propel her to victory in the Cebu competition. Phil-Asia was the most exciting competiton I ever joined. I felt the pressure to win but at the same time I was very eager to score the victory. It was not like my past competitions where I didnt prepare hard. This time I went all out to win the contest. The preparation involved a rigid diet and having the right costumes, said Guda who has been in serious competition for little more than a year. Guda is mesmerizing when she performs her routine on stage. She usually starts off covered and strips off her attire little by little to hypnotic music. She doesnt just reveal her sexy body, she tantalizes the audience while doing so. Shes the total performer on stage as she dances, sways, performs splits and can even pose like a bodybuilder exing her muscles while maintaining her femininity. Ive been dancing since I was three years old. Ive been exposed to television and big events since my teens. I was inspired to lift weights by my father. As a kid I used to watch and imitate him lifting weights, jogging every morning, doing chin-ups and other exercises including karate. At a young age I was inspired by what he was doing because of his body that was so t and healthy, said Guda. The 33-year-old Bicolana is from Matnog, Sorsogon. Published news reports erroneously said she was Fil-Indonesian. This is not the case she said because she is pure Pinay, born and raised in the Philippines. She may have been working out for many years but she started competing since only about a year ago. Early last year I saw an ad for the contest Mr. and Miss Philippines (PFBB). I was intrigued and joined competition. That was my rst contest. Since then invitations kept on coming and Ive been competing regularly since then, said Guda who is a dance artist and gym trainer at the Maximus Den Fitness Center in Project 4, Quezon City. Meanwhile in the regular bodybuilding categoryjudged on their body mass, denition, proportion, symmetry and stage presence Baello bested a bevy of equallycompetent contestants to romp off with the mens overall crown. McClinton ruled the distaff side. Baello won the Mr. Physique medium class category and grabbed the mens overall crown. McClinton, the Ms. Figure winner, and famous for her stint in ABS-CBNs Pinoy Big Brother

ITS not all disappointing news in the Asia-level competition in

Luzviminda McClinton, blew away the field to win the overall title in womens category of the Mr. and Ms. Phil-Asia 2012 International Bodybuilding Championships held at the Mariners Court in Pier One, Cebu City.

as Mama Luz-The Mom of Steel, was crowned overall champion in the womens category. Josephine Teria had the best muscled body among women to top the Ms. Physique. In the masters class, Nelson Totanes was victorious while Sandy Bontuyan was the best in the short class. Filipino bodybuilders scored a clean sweep with John Galedo, Samuel Solon and Clifford Cruz occupying the second to fourth spots in the Mr. Physique medium class. Taki Sihal of Japan took the fth place. In the womens category, Janine Haywood of New Zealand placed second to McClinton. Imelda Sukma of Indonesia nished third followed by Lynette Burgess of New Zealand and Jocelyn Lanosa of the Philippines. In the Mr. Physique tall class,

Mehdi Hajiali Lavijani of Iran took home rst place followed by Denise Rusell Valencia. Cebuano muscleman Spencer Lee, a dentist by profession, wound up third followed by Jun Danganan and Gordon Paulino. Lavijani enjoyed a double celebration of sorts as he also topped the novice category. Clifford Cruz placed second, while Winston Sibaen, Denise Russel Valencia and Ramil Penaor completed the top ve nishers. Reymond Jacobo of the Philippines ruled the Mr. Athletic contest. Irans Lavijani placed second followed by Jawn Fajardo, Edu Abellar and Andrew Murray of New Zealand. The international competition held in Cebu was organized by Workout Fitness Center managed by Dennis and Sheila Delgado.

The two-day tilt was sanctioned by Unied Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation of the Philippines headed by Engineer Jun Tanyag. Also present and observing intently were Jim Pitt, the president of NABBA International in New Zealand, and Harald Hoyler, the president of NAC International in Germany. Bodybuilding competitions are still all about sweating ultramuscular men and women grunting, exing their biceps and straining to show off their musculature. Its a valid sport with a hardcore following. But sexier contestants in the Ms. Bikini Model and Ms. Fitness, like Leigh Guda, who are closer to the ideal of a beautiful woman may be the what nally gives the sport public acceptance and widespread popularity.

Bautista, Tabora face toughest test

FORMER Asian Games gold medalist RJ Bautista and Krizziah Tabora have faced many daunting challenges before. But they believe that the coming campaign in the 2012 Bowling World Cup International nals in Wroclaw, Poland from Nov. 24 to Dec. 2, will be the toughest test of their bowling careers. The Bowling World Cup is the most prestigious tenpin bowling event in the world with hundreds of nations sending the best bowlers in the world, including world champions. This is the biggest test in my bowling career, said Bautista, a former 2002 Busan Asian Games gold winner. The presence of the best professional bowlers from around the world and the nest amateur players will make the World Cup even more competitive than the previous ones. Bautista, 34, is a pioneer member of Team Prima along with 2006 World Cup champion Biboy Rivera and Ezzie Gan. The Philippine Airlines ight attendant said he will do everything it takes to win the World Cup and join the elite list of Filipino World Cup winners including four-time champion Paeng Nepomuceno, Bong Coo, Lita de la Rosa and CJ Suarez. I dont want to promise anything, but Im looking forward to the competition with a positive attitude, said Bautista. We still have plenty of time to prepare and were going to train hard. I would like to thank my wife, my family, coaches, the Philippine Bowling Congress and PAL President Ramon Ang and fellow Prima teammates and Chairman Alex Lim for supporting me. Bautista beat Chester King in the national qualifying stage for the World Cup last week at the SM Bowling Center, North Edsa with a score of 2-0 (280-195, 222-195). The competition among the best bowlers in the country is so erce that this is only Bautistas second World Cup stint. He also qualied in 1999 where after placing eighth in 1999. On the other hand, Tabora, 21, said she is very excited to compete even as she vowed to train hard for the tough event. National champions from more than 100 countries participate in the international nals, so we really need to train harder than before to gain better result, said the national player and Miriam College student Tabora who upset veteran Liza Del Rosario in the nals, 2-1 (210-205, 162-184, 246-181). Nepomuceno is already a legend in the sport and is actually listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for three Bowling World Cup records. He was the youngest to win the title at 19 years of age; he has the most Bowling World Cup titles with four; and he won the titles in three different decades. Nepomuceno did not join the local eliminations for the Philippine slot to the championship because he was abroad attending an advanced coaching course. Certainly the pair of Bautista and Tabora have giant footsteps to follow in the sport. But if they want to at least approximate past successes they at least want to start with one Bowling World Cup title which theyd like to earn in Wroclaw, Poland.

RJ Bautista and Krizziah Tabora, here holding up their trophies after winning the right to represent the country, want to follow in the footsteps of Filipino World Cup champions Paeng Nepomuceno, Bong Coo, Lita de la Rosa and CJ Suarez when they compete in the coming Bowling World Cup to be held in Poland.

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