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at right tracks the path of super typhoon Pablo, which was set to make landfall in Davao Oriental and Surigao del Sur at dawn today, while the picture at bottom right shows workers removing the tarpaulin on a steel-framed billboard in Quezon City as a precaution against the storm. LINO SANTOS

Pablos path. The picture

Pablo to make landfall; batters 34 areas in south

By Jonathan Fernandez
TYPHOON Pablo was set to make landfall in Davao Oriental and Surigao del Sur at dawn today even as the storm, reportedly the strongest to hit the country this year, battered at least 34 areas in the Visayas and Mindanao on Monday. The weather bureau placed seven provinces in Mindanao under storm signal no. 3 as the storm neared, although it was not expected to hit Manila directly if it stayed on its path. Pablointernational name Bopha has sustained winds of 175 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 210 kilometers per hour. Its center was 550 kilometers southeast of Surigao del Surs Hinatuan town on Monday morning, and it was moving at 24 kilometers per hour. President Benigno Aquino III ordered all agencies tasked to respond to emergencies to submit an inventory of the areas to be affected by the storm and to react quickly. Presidential spokeswoman Abigail Valte said the government had earmarked P42.35 million in standby funds to help storm victims and readied relief for distribution. I cannot repeat this often enough: this typhoon is no joke. It will bring heavy downpour Mr. Aquino said. Next page

Standard TODAY
Manila
Vol. XXVI No. 247 16 Pages, 3 Sections P18.00 Tuesday, December 4, 2012

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RH bill derailed anew

House proceedings delayed due to filibustering by opponents
PH starts no Chinese passports stamping
By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan
THE government on Monday started implementing its new policy of not stamping Philippine visa on the Chinese e-passport, as well as on the old Chinese passport, even as Beijing stood rm on its decision to proceed with its new maritime laws on the West Philippine Sea beginning in 2013. Beijings new maritime laws, which came on the heels of the issuance of the new e-passport that was stamped with the map of the South China Sea (West Philippines) based on its nine-dash line, allow Chinese naval forces to board and search ships passing by what it claims as Chinese territorial waters. Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez said that the Immigration bureau has begun implementing the new policy, not only on the new microchip-generated booklet which contained a map of the highly-disputed West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) but also on the old Chinese passport so as to prevent confusion among consulate and immigration personnel. It was actually Vietnam thatwas the rst Southeast Asian country to impose the order, but it did not specify whether it was also doing the non-stamping on the old Chinese passport. The Bureau of Immigration is ordered to stamp entrance and exit on that same sheet of paper [provided by the consulate ofce in Beijing], Hernandez said in a press brieng. This new procedure will also include the old Chinese passports.
Next page

By Christine F. Herrera, Joyce Pangco Paares and Maricel V. Cruz

LAWMAKERS opposed to the reproductive health bill on Monday night delayed the process of amendments by at least four hours, delivering a lengthy speech on the West Philippine Sea dispute and making a belated appeal against a decision by the House to accept a substitute bill last week.
As of 9 p.m., the anti-RH lawmakers began introducing so-called killer amendments and even insisted on having another nominal voting. Palawan Rep. Dennis Socrates, who opposes the bill, appealed to the plenary to overturn its decision to approve a substitute bill last Monday. Next page

Arrested Abu suspects could just be fall guys

By Rey E. Requejo
SOME of the 21 suspected members of the Abu Sayaff who were arrested in connection with the abduction of six members of the group Jehovahs witnesses in Patikul, Sulu, in August 2002 could be fall guys, an ofcial said on Monday. Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Peter Ong said only eight of the 21 people linked by the military to the 2002 Patikul incident were identied by two of the victims as members of the Abu Sayyaf under Raddulan Sahiron. The suspects identied by alias Ina and Roderick were Jumlie Orie, Jul Ahmad Ahadi Julman, Arabi Muin Ladja, Sonny Boy Barahim, Abdulwahab Hamja, Mujibar Alih Aman, Julhasan Jaani, and Absar Mangkabang Asim. Ina, whose husband June was beheaded by their captors after their abduction, was among the group of Jehovahs Witnesses in Patikul on Aug. 20, 2002. Roderick was abducted by the bandits in a separate incident, but his group was merged with that of the Jehovahs Witnesses. The reinvestigation was called because some of the accused claiming to be innocent led a motion to quash or sought Next page bail, Ong said.

Peace deal questioned before SC

By Rey E. Requejo
New ofcers.
President Benigno Aquino III is embraced by Alyana Daine Solomon, daughter of newly sworn Brig. Gen. Carlos Solomon, after the oath-taking of promoted military ofcials in Malacaang (below right), while Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin watches at left.

A FIRST petition has been led before the Supreme Court questioning the constitutionality of the governments Bangsamoro framework agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. Lawyer Elly Pamatong, the nuisance candidate in 2004 presidential poll who scattered hundreds of steel spikes on the busy Edsa in 2004 to protest governments refusal to issue rally permits to his supporters,
Next page

NoKor urged to stop rocket launch

By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan
THE Department of Foreign Affairs asked North Korea on Monday to cancel its rocket launch this month, which will pass through Philippine air territory and violate a United Nations ban. We strongly urge North Korea not to proceed with its planned launch and abide by the UN security council resolutions, which call for the abandonment of its ballistic missile program, Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez said. He said North Korea was yet to provide the Philippines a notication on the rockets trajectory despite reports that some of the debris would fall into the Yellow Sea and in waters east of the Philippines. Were still waiting for the notication from the Koreans regarding this one. We will wait until we receive the notication, Hernandez told reporters. North Korea announced on Saturday it
Next page

Sin tax violates world trade pact

By Macon Ramos-Araneta
SENATOR Miriam Defensor Santiago on Monday said the sin tax provision requiring cigarette manufacturers to use local tobacco violates the General Agreement on Tariff and Trade. In a privilege speech, Santiago warned that the Philippines might be brought before the World Trade Organizations dispute settlement body over a provision in the law that would require manufacturers or sellers of tobacco products to buy at least 15 percent of their Virginia leaf requirements locally. I humbly recommend to the Senate panel that this local content requirement be reviewed, Santiago said. Article 3 of the GATT provides that signatories should not impose taxes, regulations and requirements that would afford protecNext page tion to domestic producers.

Suarez writes Minority Report

HOUSE of Representatives Minority Leader Rep. Danilo Suarez of the third district of Quezon today starts a weekly column for Manila Standard Todays opinion section. Minority Report will offer commentary reecting the House minoritys position on various issues in the country today. His column will appear every Tuesday.

Confrontation. A masked witness identies his alleged Abu Sayyaf kidnappers during a confrontation at the Justice Department in Manila on Monday. Government prosecutors ordered a reinvestigation of the 2002 kidnapping of six members of the Christian sect Jehovahs Witnesses, two of whom were beheaded, following claims of some of the arrested suspects that they were innocent. BULLLIT MARQUEZ, AP

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Visayas, Northern Mindanao and the Caraga region where Pablo was expected to trigger heavy rain and along with it the threats of oods, landslides and mudslides. Weather forecaster Samuel Duran said that, of the 34 areas threatened by the storm, Surigao del Sur, Surigao del Norte, Siargao Island, Dinagat Island, Agusan del Sur, Agusan del Norte and Davao Oriental had been placed under storm signal no. 3. He said those areas experienced winds of 101 to 185 kilometers per hour for at least 18 hours starting 11 a.m. Monday. Storm warning signal no. 2 was hoisted over Southern Leyte, Bohol, Camiguin Island, Misamis Oriental, Bukidnon, Davao del Norte and Compostela Valley. Winds of 61 to 100 kilometers per hour within 24 hours were felt in those areas. The weather bureau placed under storm warning signal number 1 Cuyo Island, Eastern Samar, Western Samar, Leyte, Biliran, Aklan, Capiz, Antique, Iloilo, Guimaras, Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, Cebu, Siquijor, Zamboanga provinces, Lanao provinces, Davao del Sur, North Cotabato and Maguindanao. Those areas experienced winds of 30 to 60 kilometers per hour for at least 36 hours with or without intermittent rain. With Joyce Pangco Paares, Macon Ramos-Araneta, Francisco Tuyay, Alena Mae S. Flores, Joel E. Zurbano, Florante S. Solmerin, Ronald O. Reyes and the AP

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Pablo...
Your government is ready, and we expect everyone to cooperate. Vice President Jejomar Binay appealed to residents in the areas in Pablos path to heed warnings and to leave landslide- and ood-prone areas. I appeal to our countrymen to heed local ofcials. Lets not allow what happened during typhoon Sendong to happen again, Binay said. As usual, you may expect help from us but let us pray that we avoid another disaster. Senator Loren Legarda appealed to local government units and to the public to be prepared. Let us heed the warning and the lessons of Ondoy, Pepeng

and Sendong, said Legarda, head of the Senate committee on climate change. Both the government and our people should have been prepared way before the typhoon entered the country. In other developments: Disaster ofcials ordered the mobilization of military and police forces in the critical areas in Mindanao. They said the storms path was exactly the same as that tracked by typhoon Sendong, which left 1,268 people dead and thousands of others dislocated National Grid Corporation of the Philippines, the company holding the franchise to operate and maintain the Philippines electricity transmission network, said it had made the necessary preparations to minimize the impact of typhoon Pablo

More than 1,600 passengers were stranded in the major ports on Monday after the Coast Guard prevented 19 vessels from sailing due to typhoon Pablo Residents in the coastal municipalities and landslide- and ood-prone areas in the socalled Caraga region were evacuated hours before Pablo was to make landfall Fishing boats and other vessels were ordered not to venture out into the eastern seaboards of the Visayas and Mindanao as Pablo set to make landfall in the area. Interior Secretary Mar Roxas ordered the activation of his departments disaster monitoring systems in several regions where heavy rain was expected. His ordere covered the Bicol region, Central Visays, Eastern

P5-m sugar shipment conscated

CUSTOMS Commissioner Ruffy Biazon last week supervised the seizure of seven 20foot containers carrying white Thailand sugar worth at least P5 million, which he said were consigned to two locators at the Mactan Economic Processing Zone in Lapu-Lapu City in Cebu. He said Muramoto Audio Visuals (Philippines) Inc. falsely declared the contents of seven of the containers as plastic parts for eyeglasses, while Mobilia Products Inc., an exporter of high-quality furniture, falsely declared the contents of the three other containers as marble and granite products. The seven containers were shipped to the Cebu International Port on Nov. 2 to avoid the requirement of having to present a permit from the Sugar Regulatory Administration. Biazon then traveled to Cebu to supervise their conscation on Nov. 29. He later ordered the ling of charges against the two companies and their brokers and the Customs ofcials and employees who might have abetted their smuggling attempt. The Customs ofcials were alerted on the seven containers by the results of the x-ray examinations conducted by Customs XRay Inspection Project team based at the Cebu International Port. In smugglers parlance, the sugar smuggling we detected and foiled in Cebu is a classic variation of the swing modus operandi, said Lourdes Mangaoang, head of the X-Ray Inspection Project team. The swing is the worst form of smuggling because those who are behind it conspire with one another to spirit the goods out of customs zones under the guise of tax-free importation.

Aquino to address municipal mayors

PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III will address the League of Municipalities of the Philippines during its general assembly at the Manila Hotel on Dec. 5, the group announced on Monday. The group said the presidential address would mark a signicant milestone for the new leadership led by LMP national president Mayor Donato Marcos and the Aquino Administration. The general assemblys theme this year is LMP: Layunin ang Matuwid na Pamahalaan at Pagkakaisa 2012 and Beyond. Its sub-theme is Nagkakaisang Luzon, One Visayas and United Mindanao. Marcos says the league is united in pushing for its Four-Point Banner Legislative Agenda, which includes the strengthening of the land administration management of the local government units with the creation of a Land Management Ofce. The second policy proposal is to include municipal waters in the computation of the Internal Revenue Allotment shares, and the third is to mobilize legislative action to increase the Internal Revenue Allotment share of municipalities 50 percent from 40 percent.

RH...
When House leaders questioned the lateness of his appeal, Socrates insisted that it be submitted to nominal voting with lawmakers given three minutes each to explain their vote. After two hours, the result of the nominal voting came with 99 rejecting Socrates appeal and 91 in favor. At 8:30 p.m., another anti-RH lawmaker, Cebu Rep. Pablo Garcia, questioned the rules further delaying the proceedings. The 210 members remained, however, and the quorum held. Earlier in the session, Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez spoke for more than an hour on the countrys territorial dispute with China, and was questioned by another anti-RH lawmakers, Cavite Rep. Jesus Crispin Remulla, frustrating the plans of pro-RH representatives, to push the bill toward approval. After a lunch meeting with President Benigno Aquino III, who urged the lawmakers to not to be ostriches and face the controversial reproductive health issue head-on, 210 lawmakers attended Mondays session, breaking the lack of quorum that has plagued the congressional sessions. After meeting with the President, half of the 47 House members who maintained a neutral position were convinced to vote yes, bringing the total supporters to 148, enough to defeat the 108 opposing the measure. Mr. Aquino told the lawmakers that if he were still a member of Congress, he would vote for the RH bill to remedy the problem of runaway population explosion, citing the case of a 16-year-old mother who already had two children with a husband who did not have a job. Authors of the RH bill, which has faced erce opposition from the Catholic Church and its allies, said the President made a difference in tilting the balance in favor of the bill. to tilt the critical balance in favor of the bill. They said an informal survey they made over the weekend showed the voting gures were 50-50 and that after the meeting with the President, some 20 of the 47 neutral lawmakers took a stand similar to the Presidents. Ifugao Rep. Teddy Brawner Baguilat, who supports the bill, said they were worried about the 47 undecided lawmakers who could swing the vote in favor of those who opposed the measure. House Deputy Speaker Lorenzo Tanada III said the Presidents meetings with the 90-strong Liberal Party contingent and an all-party caucus attended by 200 members won over the

PH...
It is a uniform implementation so as not to create confusion in our foreign services posts and BI ofces, he added. Hernandez said that the countrys consulate ofces in Chongqing, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Macau, Shanghai and Xiamen had been implementing the circular order since last week. We have sent circular order to all foreign hosts about new procedures on stamping Philippine visas on visa application forms of any Chinese national who would like to visit the country, Hernandez said. We were asked by the BI to give them time to implement the circular for all Chinese passports old and new. Foreign Affairs rst made the announcement on the new procedure a week ago, a few days after Vietnam and India said they would not be stamping their visas on the Chinese e-passport. The department, however, said that, instead, Philippine visas would be stamped on a separate form that the visiting Chinese nationals should attach to their passport. Hernandez said that would be done to avoid the Philippines being misconstrued as legitimizing Chinas nine-dashline map every time a Philippine visa was stamped on a Chinese e- Passport. Chinese Embassy spokesman Zhang Hua, when asked for his reaction, referred to the statement of Beijings Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei two days ago. Hong said that other countries should not read too much into the map. Zhang, meanwhile, explained that the new maritime policy which Beijing would implement next year was meant to safeguard Chinas sovereignty and national interests. He added that even with the new maritime policy, which allows Chinese naval forces to board, search and penalize foreign ships that illegally pass by the contested waters, freedom of navigation could still be enjoyed by all regions in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).

undecided members. Pangasinan Rep. Kimi Cojuangco, the most vocal in pushing for the approval of the bill, said she was pleased with the Presidents advice for members not to be ostriches. The President said we should not be ostriches that clam up and hide their necks behind their wings when confronted by problems. He said we should face them head-on because hiding out would only delay the resolution of the problems, Cojuangco told the Manila Standard. Even before Mondays roll call, however, Rodriguez delayed the proceedings by questioning the quorum, prompting lawmakers outside the session hall to rush to the plenary. Some 210 members responded to the roll call. Although President Aquino did not categorically ask congresspersons to vote for the RH bill or House Bill 4244, he was unequivocal in repeatedly saying that if he could cast a vote, he would vote personally for the measure, said Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, principal author of the bill. This Presidential endorsement was loud and clear, Lagman said. For the second time in three months, the President hosted a lunch meeting with the 283-member House to convey his thoughts on the RH bill. The President said the amendments by substitution to the original bill are sufcient to address the objections and reservations of critics, Lagman said. He also implied that a vote should be taken this week to give the Senate time to pass its own version of the bill, he added. The President also advised the members of the House that their non-action would perpetuate the misery of young mothers like the 16-year-old he met in the Baseco compound, who already has two children and a husband with no permanent job, Lagman said. The President also urged the legislators to vote now on the RH bill to resolve a divisive issue; legislate solutions; give children the chance to live dignied lives; and best serve, Lagman said. The session gallery was jampacked with the anti-RH activists wearing red shirts occupying the north gallery and pro-RH suporters wearing purple, in the south gallery. The House was poised to approve the RH bill on second reading last night, but anti-RH lawmakers did their best to delay the vote. After meeting with the President, Marikina Rep. Miro Quimbo said there will be no winners if the measure is postponed to the next Congress. We have to stop kicking the can down the street so to speak...Leaders

are elected not just to do easy things. The President said we must also embrace the harder tasks, Quimbo said. Anakbayan party-list Rep. Walden Bello said the President told them another postponement would divide the country again on the issue. Northern Samar Rep. Raul Daza, a member of the Liberal Party but a critic of the RH bill, said a vote can be expected this week. Liberal Party stalwart and Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas said the administration expects a close ght between pro- and anti- RH lawmakers. The President discussed with the congressmen his belief that genuine leaders cannot postpone a decision on what is a divisive issue. It should be resolved at the soonest possible time. Leadership comes not just with perks, but also with responsibilities, and among those responsibilities is that of making a choice, presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said. The President also pointed out that the House must act on the pending bill sooner rather than later. The issue has been divisive for too long; the time has come to put the matter to rest. He suggested that a week should be adequate time to consider amendments that genuinely improve the bill in contrast to killer amendments and that at the end of that period, it is incumbent on representatives to vote, Lacierda added. Antipolo Bishop Gabriel Reyes, meanwhile, urged Filipinos to demand transparency from legislators once they put the measure to a vote. Let us demand from our Congressmen, specially the leaders of Congress, that the voting be nominal, whenever a vote on a part on the whole of the substitute bill is taken, said Reyes, who heads the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines Episcopal Commission on Family and Life. Mr. Aquino rst held a caucus of the Liberal Party before the luncheon meeting with other lawmakers Monday. It was the second time for the President to discuss with House members the controversial measure after their meeting in August. A breakthrough was achieved last week after Congress succeeded in adopting a substitute version of the bill, which says the state will only promote access to relevant information and education on medically safe, legal, ethical, affordable, effective and quality reproductive health care services, methods, devices and supplies which do not prevent the implantation of a fertilized ovum as determined by the Food and Drug Administration. With Macon Ramos-Araneta is not a neutral country because of its claims over the disputed Sabah Island, which the Philippines is also claiming. Pamatong led the petitions as a taxpayer and also as president of Imppact. He was joined by Rev. Vicente Libradores Aquino and Rev. Mercidita Redoble. The peace panel was headed by newly appointed SC Associate Justice Marvic Leonen, who earlier vowed to inhibit in any petition in the high court questioning the framework deal that was signed on Oct. 15. It can be recalled that an earlier deal, the memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain, was declared unconstitutional

Arrested...
Then we noticed that two persons were being arrested for a single name in the wanted list. We noticed an injustice here. Its unusual for the [Justice Department] to move for reinvestigation, but we did it in the interest of justice. Obviously, a mistake was made. Ong cited the case of two people who were both being tagged as Kumander Black Tungkang, an Abu Sayyaf leader with a P3.3-million bounty on his head. Ina and Roderick, who both identified the eight alleged Abu Sayyaf members and recalled their supposed participation in their abduction, failed to point at the two people believed to be Kumander Black Tungkang when the 21 suspects were asked to line up in front of them. Based on the victims testimony, Aman allegedly took care of the Abu Sayyafs budget, stood guard to prevent the victims from escaping, and allegedly urged Inato pick any of his colleagues to marry. Aman denied the allegations, claiming that Ina was not even his type. by the SC in 2008. The new Muslim autonomous region (a new autonomous political entity) would replace the existing Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao comprised of Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Lanao and Maguindanao provinces. It covers a smaller area compared to what was identied in the failed MOA-AD during the Arroyo administration: the ve provinces of the ARMM, six Lanao del Norte municipalities, and villages in six municipalities in North Cotabato, Cotabato City, and Isabela City in Basilan. The breakthrough agreement came after 13 exploratory talks between the MILF and the Aquino administration.

Peace...
and his group called International Ministries for Perfect and Party Against Communism and Terrorism Inc. led the petition seeking to stop the implementation of the agreement and also seek an explanation from President Aquino. However, Pamatong admitted in his pleadings even before the two parties could come up with the annexes of the deal and make it nal. According to him, the government peace panel committed grave abuse of discretion, saying the constitution only provides for Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and the creation of a

Bangsamoro is nowhere cited. He claimed that the GPP, as a result, has usurped the power of Congress to enact, amend or repeal laws vested on it by the Constitution. Pamatong said this is similar to the Bangsamoro juridical entity that was intended to be formed during the Arroyo administration but was struck down by the high court. By replacing the ARMM with Bangsamoro, the GPP acted without or in excess of its jurisdiction or with grave abuse of discretion amounting to lack or excess of jurisdiction, petitioners claimed. The petition also assailed the description of the Bangsamoro gov-

ernment in the agreement as that of a ministerial form. The framework agreement stipulated the creation of a Bangsamoro government in ve provinces Basilan, Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi and the cities of Marawi, Cotabato and Isabela and six other municipalities of North Cotabato. These provinces and cities are all covered by the 1976 Tripoli Agreement. Both the MNLF [Moro National Liberation Front] and the MILF [Moro Islamic Liberation Front] are representing the same people and the same territory. Surely, the implementation of the Framework Agreement will nullify the 1976 Tripoli Agree-

ment and the 1996 Final Peace Agreement, Pamatong argued. Pamatong said the existence of the ARMM was by virtue of the 1976 Tripoli Agreement, an international treaty recognized by the Organization of Islamic Conference and the 1996 Final Peace Agreement. The dissolution of the ARMM will mean the dissolution of the two agreementsIndeed, in 1987, the Philippine government honored its commitment to an international agreement by including in the Constitution the creation of an ARMM, he stressed. Petitioner also questioned why the GPP-MILF exploratory talks were held in Malaysia. He said it

Sin ...
It also mandates that no signatory will establish or maintain any internal quantitative regulation relating to the mixture, processing or use of products in specied amounts or proportions which requires, directly or indirectly, that any specied amount or proportion of any product which is the subject of the regulation must be supplied from domestic sources. Santiago urged the Senate panel to

require Trade and Industry Secretary Gregory Domingo to explain whether her concerns are valid. Santiago said the Philippines had already appeared before the WTO dispute settlement bodyand lost a case on the discriminatory features of its import duties on distilled spirits. In that case, the trade body ruled that the Philippines was duty bound to observe its national treatment obligation, and therefore remove the discrminatory features of any local law.

NoKor...
would launch the rocket between December 10 and 22, its second attempt under leader Kim Jong Un, who took power following the death of his father Kim Jong Il on December 17 last year. The rst rocket launch misred and it earned for the country widespread international condemnation. It is widely believed that North Korea will launch the rocket to mark the rst death anniversary of Kim Jong Il. It is also seen as a new challenge to US President Barack

Obama and the new South Korean president, who will be elected this month. Hernandez said the Philippine Embassy in Beijing, which has jurisdiction over North Korea, and the embassy in Bangkok, were expecting to recieve notication from North Korea regarding the rocket launch. A spokesman for North Koreas Korean Committee for Space Technology said scientists have analyzed the mistakes made in the failed rocket launch last April and improved the precision of its rocket, according to the ofcials Korean Central News Agency. But analysts were skeptical about

claims of improvements on the new launch, which could also spark widespread condemnation, particularly the United States. In South Korea, the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs said it planned to reroute passenger ights over the Yellow Sea to avoid possible collisions with debris. It said the decision was made after learning that North Korea had informed China and Singapore of the ight path and other details of the launch, which was set in morning of December 10-22.

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TUESDAY

DECEMBER 4, 2012

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Panel widens coverage of defense pacts

By Maricel V. Cruz
A PANEL in the House of Representatives has endorsed to the plenary the proposed expansion of the coverage of the Legislative Oversight Committee on the Visiting Forces Agreement with the United States to include other defense pacts with other countries. The House committee on foreign affairs chaired by Albay Rep. Al Francis Bichara has approved House Joint Resolution No. 37 in substitution of the original resolution he and Rep. Rodolfo Biazon introduced. Even as the Bichara panel submitted its report to the Rules Committee which calendars plenary action, Akbayan party-list Rep. Walden Bello led HJR No. 36, referred to the Committee on National Defense, seeking the termination of the Visiting Forces Agreement. The committee-approved HJR 37 expanding the coverage of the Legislative Oversight Committee not only covers the VFA agreement between the Philippines and the US but also that with Australia. Likewise, HJR 37 tasked the Legislative Oversight Committee to oversee and monitor future defense and Status of Forces Agreements with other countries ratied by the Philippine Senate. The VFA is a framework to promote the common security interests of the Philippines and the United States and to strengthen the bilateral defense partnership under the 1951 RP-US Mutual Defense Treaty concurred with by the Senate on May 27, 1999.

Freeze order on Aman extended until June 10

By Rey Requejo

IN BRIEF
Pump prices down 60c
THE oil rms cut prices of premium and unleaded gasoline by 60 centavos per liter and regular gasoline by 35 cent. per liter together with kerosene by 40 cent. per liter effective 6 a.m. Tuesday. Petron Corp., Seaoil Philippines, Eastern Petroleum, Phoenix Petroleum, Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp. and Total Philippines made separate announcements of the rollback following two consecutive weeks of price increases. Petron will implement the following price rollbacks (VAT inclusive) effective 12:01 a.m. December 4: P0.60 per liter for Blaze 100, XCS and Xtra, P0.35 per liter for Pinoy Gasoline and Regular and P0.40 per liter for kerosene. This reects the movements in the international market, the rm said in its advisory. Energy director Zenaida Monsada told reporters the softening of world oil prices can be attributed to adequate supply in the US for gasoline in the past week. Alena Mae Flores

THE Court of Appeals has ex-

tended the 20-day freeze order it issued against assets of Aman Futures Group Phils. Inc. for six months until June 10, 2013.
edly duped 15,000 people in Visayas and Mindanao of some P12 billion. During the hearing, the banks submitted to the CA reports on the status of the bank accounts covered by the order. The documents that could tell how much was left in the accounts, however, were not made available to reporters who covered the proceeding. Pagadian City Mayor Samuel Coa complainant who became a respondent in the syndicated estafa chargesclaimed earlier that Amalilio was able to withdraw millions from the banks days before the freeze order was issued.

Toys galore. The 2012 Grand Festival of Lights is making its daily rounds every Saturday at Mall of Asia featuring toydesigned floats from various groups and companies such as Kids Universe, Toy Kingdom, Watsons, SM Department Store, the Science Discovery Center, Ace Hardware, SM Hypermarket, and SM Appliances. TEDDY PELAEZ

The CAs fourth division granted the motion of the Anti-Money Laundering Council, represented by the ofce of the solicitor general, for extension of the freeze order issued last Nov. 20. The order was supposed to expire on Dec. 10. Associate Justices Ramon Garcia, Amelita Tolentino and Danton Bueser unanimously approved the six-month extension of the freeze order. The AMLAC sought the extension to prevent Aman head Manuel Amalilio, who is hiding in Malaysia, from getting hold of amounts from the 25 bank accounts linked to the trading rm that alleg-

Malolos stops P350-m bid

MAYOR Christian Natividad shelved Mondays bidding for the construction of the new city hall amid complaints about the procedures. An ordinance passed on Oct. 5 cleared the 5-story building for a P350-million nancing by the Land Bank of the Philippines. At the regional trial court, Branch 22 Judge Grace Victoria-Ruiz found a case blocking the project moot and academic after Malolos City legal ofcer Carlo Jolette Fajardo, also the chairman of the citys Bids and Awards Committee, said during the proceedings that the mayor has ordered him and his members to repeat the bidding process. He said the instruction was given at the ag-raising rites Monday. But counsel Juvic Degala for the complainant City Government of Malolos Employess Association said the directive was an admission of the awed process, bolstering the case led against Natividad last Nov. 29, by CGMEA president Danilo Valenzuela, before the Ofce of the Ombudsman. Orlan L. Mauricio

Comelec whimsical, says Binhi party-list

The party-list Binhi--Partido Ng Mga Magsasaka Para Sa Mga Magsasaka has questioned before the Supreme Court the decision of the Commission on Elections last week to disqualify it from next years polls. In a petition led Monday, Binhi through lawyer Charita Agdon sought relief from the High Court against the whimsical, abusive cancellation of its accreditation and registration by the poll body for the reason that its members are afliated with a cooperative in Cabanatuan City. Binhi asked the SC to enjoin the poll body from implementing its resolution last Nov. 28 by covering the petitioner with the status quo ante order earlier issued on 79 other similarly situated partylist groups. Prior to its disqualication, Binhi partylist group had nominated Ryan Vincent L. Uy, Pacico Rico C. Fajardo Jr., Nelson E. Villanueva, Victoriano N. Perez, Jr. and Rodolfo P. Torreda Jr. Rey E. Requejo

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ManilaStandardToday Adelle Chua, Editor

Opinion
much for improving the bill as for protracting the process. In the meantime, a Catholic bishop has urged the faithful to reject those supporting the billdeemed antilife and thus immoralduring next years elections, claiming that the Catholic vote will separate the good politicians from the evil ones. But with the national budget out of the way, Congress has a little time on its hands to tackle a few long overdue legislative measures, one of which is the RH measure. During Mondays lunch, Mr. Aquino carefully refrained from imposing his preference on the lawmakers, clearly not wanting to completely alienate the Church. After all, he had just come from meeting the new cardinal, Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle. Still, he said that if he were still in Congress, he would support it. But he is no longer in Congress; he is now in Malacaang where he has the unique ability to rally lawmakers to decide a particular way if he wants to. We have seen this kind of leadership prior to the ling of the impeachment complaint against a former chief justice of the Supreme Court. Even then, Mr. Aquinos directive to put the RH bill to a vote soon was good enough. His

mst.lettertotheeditor@gmail.com

EDITORIAL
PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III invited lawmakers to lunch on Monday with a specic agenda in mind: to urge them to put the controversial reproductive health bill, nally, to a vote. Mr. Aquino has championed the issue even as the depth of his commitment to the bill seems to have wavered over the past two years. During his presidential campaign, he said he believed that couples should be empowered by giving them options on how to plan their families. When he assumed ofce, he remained supportive of the measure, even though he tried

A time to vote
to distance himself from RH by coining a new phrasethe responsible parenthood bill. Two-and-a-half years into this administration, however, and too many debates on this divisive issue, the bill has yet to be voted upon by the members of Congress. At the House of Representatives, a substitute bill has been introduced to supposedly acknowledge the objections raised by those against it. Eventually, the pro-RH congressmen realized their colleagues were neither ready nor willing to compromise. At the Senate, amendments have been introduced, not as wavering has led us not to expect much. Now it is the turn of our lawmakers to show us they are not mindless puppets. The nation is waiting to see them take a stand and votewithout fear of President or bishop or hell soonest. They must remember that they are in ofce because they were given a mandate to decide on behalf of their constituents. The least they can do is reject any attempts to delay voting any further, and vote using their own critical thinking faculties that bet their ofce and inuence.

Losing their way

LOWDOWN
IF PABLO ravages the Philippines, will GDP growth ease the pain? What, after all, does the arrival of yet another potentially devastating typhoon have to do with the economic growth that the Aquino administration keeps crowing about? Well, if it is true that this government is pushing for inclusive growth meaning, growth that is actually felt by its poorest citizensit should stop crowing about improved macroeconomic statistics and start mitigating the impact of calamities. From Budget Secretary Florencio Abad Jr., I hear that the government intends to spend much more on public infrastructure, particularly on oodcontrol projects to help shore up the Philippines economic growth prospects in the medium-term. We have been ramping up our public works to further strengthen our economic base, with ood-control projects right at the heart of the action, Abad said. This is good to hear. But Abad seems to have missed the entire point of ood control. Early in its term, after all, this administration was not so keen on spending any money on anything, let alone for such inclusive projects as those intended for ood control. In a July 2010 announcement, the Department of Public Works and Highways said it had canceled P1.9 billion worth of projects funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency for the urgent rehabilitation of ood-control facilities. The administration seemed to have learned nothing from the devastation caused merely a year earlier, in 2009, by tropical storm Ondoy, which caused P11 billion in damage. The new administration also canceled a multibillion-peso dredging project in Manila Bay, which was supposed to deepen that important body of water precisely to prevent Ondoy-like ooding, thereby earning the everlasting ire of the Belgian government and the European Chambers of Commerce and Industry. Only a year after canceling the Jicafunded ood-control projects, typhoon Pedring hit, causing even more damage than Ondoy, at an estimated P12 billion nationwide. And as if that were not enough, this year, a calamity that didnt even have a name and blamed on the habagat winds brought more devastation and suffering to millions of Filipinos. The Aquino administration swung, belatedly, into action to ght the oods. But now it seems to have lost its way once again, after hearing news of economic growth supposedly fueled by governments discovery of the need to spend for ood-control infrastructure.
JOJO A. ROBLES

Aquino and his men cant be bothered about inclusive growth right now.

Abad said the 7.1-percent growth in the economys gross domestic product was fueled by government spending, led by DPWHs oodcontrol expenditures. And Abad said DPWH recently released a P1.03billion fund for ood-control projects in Metro Manila and surrounding areas, part of a P5-billion budget approved by the National Economic and Development Authority under the Aquino administrations Flood Management Master Plan. Of course, the Aquino administration should not be blamed if its ood-control projects arent completed in time to mitigate the damage that typhoons would still cause until they are completed. It will take years to get all these projects on stream, never mind if Abad insists that the piddling amounts spent by government so far have already grown the national economy. Put simply, the aim of ood-control projects is certainly not to grow the national economy, as Abad seems to be saying. The point of spending money to cushion the impact of oods or even (in some areas) to prevent them from happening altogether, is to save the lives and property of Filipinos especially the poor who cannot really be expected to jump for joy now that the government has reported some GDP growth. In the meantime, the Aquino administration must take the blame for twiddling its thumbs on ood control, taking more than two years to start throwing money at the problem. Those two years are now gone forever, like the lives and property lost when Ondoy, Pedring and the habagat winds hit. Apart from wasting two years trying to gure out what to do, the administration is now also in danger of losing its focus on infrastructure spending. Economic growth, after all, is not the main point of government spending. Making the lives of Filipinosthe poor ones, especially better is. But the Aquino administration needed to grab the credit for the unexpected GDP growth, so that people would not dwell on the fact that private industry and the remittances of overseas workers should rightly be credited for it. Abad and the rest of the administration had to say that their tireless efforts brought growth about thereby exposing what they didnt do in the past two years. As for inclusive economic growth, well, it seems that President Noynoy Aquino and his men cant be bothered about that right now. Theyre still too busy patting themselves on the back for doing such a good job on the number, after all. And if Pablo leaves yet another humongous swath of misery and destruction in its wake, the people will just have to suffer and wait some more. If it took Aquino two years to focus on ood control, it will probably take the rest of his term for him to do something really inclusive about it.

Bully boy
THE Chinese recently decided to turn up the heat in the ongoing confrontation over the West Philippine Sea. But theyre doing it in their usual low-key, deliberate way. Theyve served notice that by New Year, they will start to board foreign vessels found in the disputed waters. Note that these actions will be carried out by only the police forces maintained by the provincial government of Hainan. This way, Beijing is keeping options open by keeping its distance for now, as a consummate diplomat would. Compare this with how Obamas bully boy President Aquino has rushed into the fray, dragging the rest of us along with him. At the recent Asean summit, he unexpectedly took to the oor in a very public dispute with his fellow head of state from Cambodia. This gaffe was doubly unfortunate among notoriously face-conscious Asians. Aquino later claimed that ve other Asian countries had agreed with his stand, but to date nobody has told us who they were. Another product perhaps of his imagination? Even the Bonifacio Day celebrations last week did not escape the Presidents unfortunate tendency to shoot off his mouth about whatever is bugging him at the moment, regardless of where or when. In addition to his usual gratuitous digs at his predecessor, he practically

BYPASS

GARY OLIVAR

issued a call to arms to his countrymen against the Chinese, invoking everyone from Bonifacio to his own father. These are brave words all right when youre speaking from the safety of Manila. But pray tell us, Mr. President: Exactly what is it that you think you should do, you can do, and you will do if ever the Chinese do board one of our naval or shing boats? Now that youve painted yourself into a corner with all your saber-rattling rhetoric, what options will you have that will BOTH save face and save Filipino lives? *** This is a dangerous time to be bearding the Chinese dragon. In response to the American pivot to Asia in foreign policy, the Chinese have reportedly deployed a missile brigade that can hit targets all over Southeast Asia. They may also deploy a military garrison in the South China Sea as a forward base for naval and air operations in these waters. And they are still committed over the long term to building a blue water navy and becoming a true maritime power. The United Stateswhich unlike us can back up its words with actionis behaving a lot more circumspectly than us, after Obama made it clear at the same Asean summit that he would not get dragged into a turf dispute between us and his countrys biggest creditor. As for the United Nations, those guys are notorious for stepping inif at all only after the ghting has begun. And dont forget that China is one of the favored ve who enjoy veto power in

the Security Council. How did things come to such a sorry pass? After all, it wasnt too long ago to be exact, during the term of Aquinos predecessorthat we had a healthy and productive relationship with China. Trade and investment ties were humming, and at least two landmarks of bilateral economic cooperation were put on the books: the huge Chinese investment in our power grid; and the agreement among the oil companies of China, Vietnam, and the Philippines to conduct very preliminary joint seismic explorations for oil, in the very same waters over which Aquino is now ready to bring us to war. At this late a date, the President still needs to be reminded of some lessons that he might have learned earlier had he not decided that his predecessors administration would be useful to him only as a scapegoat for his own shortcomings: Initial screw-ups, like the way the Luneta hostage massacre was mishandled back in 2010, have a nasty way of coming back to bite you. Backroom diplomacy is best left to the experts, not to ex-mutineers in the Senate. Use confrontational rhetoric sparingly. Try not to let it paint you into a corner with no options available. Walk and talk softly even if you think you carry a big stick. And by no means should you threaten a bully when that big stick doesnt really belong to you after all. gbolivar1952@gmail.com

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ManilaStandardToday Adelle Chua, Editor

Opinion
MINORITY REPORT
Calling the DA AGRICULTURE Secretary Proceso J. Alcala has of late been optimistically chanting the mantra that domestic food security would at last be achieved under the current administrations Food Staples Sufciency Program. The program targets 100 percent rice self-sufciencyor zero importsby 2013. A number of experts and critics, however, have contested Secretary Alcalas misplaced optimism. A study published by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies regarding the rice self-sufciency target declared by the DA concluded that the target is unlikely to be achieved, whether in 2013 or even over the course of the decade (to 2020). Asian Development Bank rural development and regional sustainability expert Lourdes Adriano has made a similar conclusion. She says nothing on the ground indicates that the country is anywhere near attaining self-sufciency. She adds: It is not possible to attain rice selfsufciency next year, not even in the medium term. Not in your or my lifetime. The 2013 rice self-sufficiency program is mere propaganda material. Consider Professor Leonor Briones observation regarding the Department of Agricultures budget:
REP. DANILO SUAREZ

TUESDAY DECEMBER 4, 2012

A5

The climate in Doha

EAGLE EYES
THE city of Doha is the capital of Qatar, which is located along the coast of the Persian Gulf. Its geological conditions make it a country rich in natural gas, a discovery that has made it one of the richest countries in the world. Temperatures in Doha range from a low of about 13 to 22 degrees in January, and a high of approximately 29 to 42 degrees in July. It is one of the hottest and driest place in the earth. But this week the climate in Doha is even hotter with 195 country delegations converging here for the 18th Conference of the Parties (COP 18, to most) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC, for short). COP 18 began on the 26th of November 2012, and is set to end on the 7th of December 2012. Discussions on long-term cooperative action, the nearing conclusion of the Kyoto Protocols rst commitment period and the establishment of a new legal instrument under the UNFCCC, among others, is taking place in Doha. This set of climate change negotiations is a historical one, with discussions on nine key negotiation fronts taking place within the same time frame. C l i m a t e change is one of greatest if not the greatestchallenges of our time. Typhoons enter our country approximately 20 times every year, and we are consistently at the top 5 in the list of countries that will be most affected by the effects of the changing climate. As I write this column, a typhoon with maximum sustained winds of 120.7 kilometers per hour, with a gustiness that could reach up to 200 kilometers per hour, is entering the Philippine Area of Responsibility. This typhoon is projected to be worse than typhoon Sendong, which hit the country at around the same time last year. As it was last year, my hometown Cagayan de Oro could be hit again. As my colleague Therese Guiao, who helped write this column, has observed: Calamities such as this are shocking in their effect and level of destruction on their own, but equally insidious are the effects of the changing climate that become more apparent over time. This is why, on the basis of scientic ndings, it was internationally agreed that the rise in global temperatures should be limited to a maximum of 2 degrees Celsius. Limiting the rise in temperature to that level gives everyone a chance to avoid the worst possible effects of climate change. But how can this be achieved? The UNFCCC is the main instrument for the promotion of international responses to climate change. It is a framework convention that was built on principles that have become pillars of the international climate change regime, like historical
DEAN TONY LA VIA

Propaganda material
The DA had an actual budget allocation of P44.81 billion in 2011, but the agency was able to use only 73 percent of this. The department left P12.2 billion un-utilized budget for the year. How does the agency intend to spend a bigger budget of P63 billion in 2013? Is it a mere coincidence that there is a P63 billion increased in the DAs budget during an election year? Just asking. If you go to the supermarket and make a comparison of prices between the imported and locally produced cooking oil, you might be surprised to find that the imported ones are cheaper than the local brands. This defies common economic logic. How can this be? One conclusion we can speculate on is that these foreign brands are being smuggled or under-declared in a brazen manner. Whatever the case, this sorry state of affairs is slowly killing our coconut industry (and the millions of coconut farmers and their families) and will eventually leave us no other option but to import this basic commodity, just like how we are now importing galunggong. Conditional cash transfer A few days during the Senate deliberations on the 2013 budget, it was discovered that the budget submitted by the DSWD for the Conditional Cash Transfer program contained surprising increases of about 82 percent for banking fees, 32 percent in salaries and 20 percent for overhead expenses. Together with these increases is the alarmingly drastic 92-percent cut to the 2013 CCT budget for the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao. It is quite ludicrous to request increases for administrative concerns like banking fees and salaries while the budget for the actual program for one of the poorest regions in the country is decreased to such a level tantamount to closing it altogether. One of the issues I raised during our regular Wednesday press brieng at the House of Representatives was our concern over reports that the CCT is being utilized to prep administration bets for the 2013 midterm elections. In Lucena City, local administration candidates were reportedly invited to attend the distribution of the CCT allowances to strike pogi points with the beneciaries. Worse, it was being pitched that should LP candidates lose, the dole would be immediately discontinued. A rude President In the international stage, it was reported recently by a major broadsheet that a Chinese national daily called President Benigno Aquino III rude for pushing for the internationalization of the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) dispute and rejecting the contrary position of known China allies in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) at the blocs recent summit in Phnom Penh. I concur with our Presidents rudeness on this matter and stand squarely behind the unyielding position he demonstrated as President of our sovereign state. When it comes to our sovereignty, we should all have one voice and we should all support our leader.

We are looking at an increase in temperature of 4 degrees Celsius, which will have devastating consequences.

responsibility and common but differentiated responsibilities. These principles take into account the fact that majority of the massive amounts of greenhouse gas emissions generated throughout the centuries, which eventually put us on the track towards climate change, happened as the worlds most developed countries now were on their respective paths to development. To achieve the 2 degree-Celsius limit, or stabilization level, there has to be a signicant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. The problem is that these emissions are generally associated with progress in order to develop, economies need to use materials and processes that inevitably emit greenhouse gases. Moving beyond those materials and processes requires additional resources (nancial and otherwise) that may be difcult for developing countries to procure. What makes it even more difcult for developing countries is they are the ones that will be suffering the most devastating effects of climate change. The Philippines is a perfect example of this. Under the U N F C C C , d e v e l o p e d c o u n t r i e s acknowledge that because of their historical r e s p o n s i b i l i t y, they must take the lead in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and in helping developing countries adapt to climate change. They also acknowledge that the priority of developing countries is their development. In 2005, the Kyoto Protocol came into effect. The Kyoto Protocol is an agreement that was reached under the framework of the UNFCCC, where most of the developed countries pledged to reduce their emission levels to an average of 5.2 percent below 1990 level. This reduction was supposed to begin in 2008, and will end on the 31st of December 2012. The Kyoto Protocol is of vital importance in the climate change regime. Since the UNFCCC simply provides a framework upon which international climate change action must be based, the Kyoto Protocol is the only instrument that actually and legally binds developed countries to their commitments. Unfortunately, in contradiction to the objectives of the UNFCCC and Kyoto Protocol, greenhouse gas emissions have actually gone up, instead of down. If things continue this way, we are looking at an increase in temperature of 4 degrees Celsius, which will have devastating consequences. One of the most important outcomes of these Doha discussions is thus an extension of the Protocolone with more ambitious emissions targets that must be met by 2020. As the rst week ends, there is still much ground to cover, and more work to do, in the ve remaining days of negotiations. Facebook Page: Dean Tony La Vina Twitter: tonylavs

HIV/AIDS infections: Still alarming

ARE WE THERE YET?
THE whole world commemorated World AIDS Day over the weekend. Elsewhere in the world, the day was marked by special activities in celebration of the triumph of the human spirit against a virus that has claimed tens of millions of lives, mostly people in their productive age. In other countries, the occasion was in commemoration of the strides their governments and their various communities have achieved in the effort to halt the HIV/AIDS pandemic. We marked World AIDS Day in the Philippines under completely different circumstances. We marked the occasion with heads bowed in shame. We marked the day in remembrance of the great opportunities we have lost due to our collective failure to sustain the early successes we have made in HIV/AIDS prevention. We celebrated World AIDS Day in anger over the continuing neglect of our leaders and in frustration at the prevailing apathy of most of the critical segments of the general population. We can sugarcoat and justify all we want but there is just no denying the stark naked truth: We have failed dismally in preventing HIV/AIDS infections in the country. We are one of the very few countries in the world where HIV infections continue to rise; most countries have already gotten the spread of the virus under control. What is tragic is that we used to be the envy of everyone else in this area. While our neighbors were experiencing algebraic growth in their infection rates, ours was moving at turtle pace.

BONG C. AUSTERO

The bad news is that the trend will most likely continue for a few more years as prevention programs usually take some time before they begin to show results; assuming of course that there are prevention programs being done in a sustained manner. I have reservations. Unless government gets it act together, I fear things will get worse before they get any better. Department of Health Secretary Enrique Ona has nally deigned to issue a pronouncement on the HIV/ AIDS situation over the weekend mainly because the United Nations had already called the Philippine governments attention on the rising incidence of HIV infections in the country. Sadly, Ona merely expressed regret that government does not have adequate resources for HIV/AIDS prevention programs. He conveniently forgot that government does not have the resources for HIV/AIDS programs mainly because he himself as secretary has refused to acknowledge the gravity of the problem. Ona is a large part of the problem, but he is not the only reason why we have failed as a country and as a community to stop HIV/AIDS infections. The use of condoms remains among the most effective ways to prevent infections. Unfortunately, there are still a lot of myths around the use of condoms. It doesnt help that the Catholic Church continues to insist on the fallacy that condoms dont work in preventing HIV infections - a claim that is not supported by empirical data, of course. And then there are prevailing negative attitudes towards condom use ranging from the belief that condoms reduce physical pleasure to the stigma attached to those who buy and use them. HIV/AIDS prevention programs in the country have also been

dogged by structural problems. For quite sometime, non-government organizations as well as community organizations acted like they had proprietary interest over certain HIV/ AIDS prevention programs. There were allegations of corruption directed at certain organizations. The absence of strategic leadership from the DOH and the whole conuence of events eventually killed many NGOs. But the biggest stumbling block to HIV/AIDS prevention is the continuing belief among the general public that it is something that happens to other people. Media projection of the infection patterns has tended to label HIV/AIDS as mainly a disease among men who have sex with men. It seems we havent really learned from the experiences of other countries or even from our earlier successes in the eighties and nineties (when infection rates in the country were slow) because we continue to create stigma among members of vulnerable communities. Isolating certain communities from the social mainstream is not going to empower them into confronting their own sexual behaviors. Stigma only forces individuals to go underground and hide their sexual behaviors, which is easier done today because of the advent of social networks. And lets face it. Advances in medical treatment of HIV/AIDS have also contributed to the reduction of fears about HIV infection. Someone with HIV/AIDS can now live productively for a long time with proper medication. Having HIV/AIDS may not be a death sentence anymore but the social and economic costs of the rising incidence of infections should continue to alarm us. We should put more effort into HIV/AIDS prevention programs not just because it is the right thing to do but also because not doing so will cost as much in the long term.

Pacic nations alarmed by tuna overshing

By Jim Gomez
PACIFIC island nations and environmentalists raised an alarm over destructive shing methods and overshing that they say are threatening bigeye tunathe sh popular among sushi lovers worldwide. Palau sheries ofcial Nanette Malsol, who leads a bloc of Pacic island nations, said at the start of a weeklong tuna sheries conference in Manila that large countries should cut back on shing, curb the use of destructive shing methods and respect shing bans to allow tuna stocks to be replenished in the Pacic, which produces more than 60 percent of the worlds tuna catch. The annual meeting of the Western and Central Pacic Fisheries Commission, which regulates commercial shing in the vast expanse of waters from Indonesia to Hawaii, is to approve steps aimed at protecting the bigeye and other threatened tuna species, along with giant whale sharks. More than 600 delegates from about 40 Asian and Western countries, along with environmental activists, are attending. Malsol said she expects heated debate. Proponents of the multibilliondollar shing industry have squared off with conservationists in the past over the best ways to protect the bigeye and other species without considerably setting back the lucrative business. Bigeye and yellown tuna, which can grow to 8-9 feet (2.4-2.7 meters) long and weigh more than 450 pounds (200 kilograms), are not in immediate danger of being wiped out, but have been hit hard by overshing. The sh are used mostly for steaks, and in the case of bigeye, sushi. The sheries business in the western and central Pacic region, estimated to be worth about $5 billion annually, has drawn increasing numbers of industrial shing eets, which have caused tuna stocks to fall since the 1960s. This week its up to the big shing nations to show the world what they are going to do to cut overshing of bigeye tuna, Malsol said. Many eets are using so-called sh aggregation devicesvarious types of oats which are used to lure vast numbers of tuna. When schools of tuna have massed under the devices, shing vessels alerted by sensors approach and scoop up their catch with giant nets. Between 47,000 and 105,000 sh aggregation devices, made from bamboo, palm fronds, plastic or old nets, have been deployed worldwide to attract a wide variety of marine life. The method is used to catch nearly half of the worlds tuna and has contributed to the overshing of bigeye tuna across the Pacic Ocean, according to the U.S.-based Pew Environment Group. Aside from tuna, sea turtles, sharks and juvenile sh have often been caught and killed. The deployment of tens of thousands of drifting sh aggregating devices in the worlds oceans with little to no oversight is extremely worrisome, said Amanda Nickson of the Pew Environment Group. The shing industry is not currently required to account for its use of FADs. It is being allowed to gamble with the health of the ocean, and it is time for governments to require full accountability and management of this proliferating and risky shing gear, Nickson said. Conservation efforts, however, have been tough to implement and have sparked disagreements. Greepeace activists said they will submit evidence to the sheries commission detailing violations of regional tuna shing rules by Southeast Asian countries including allowing shing vessels to operate on the high seas without permits and required observers onboard. A decision by the sheries commission to exempt the Philippines from purse seine shingan industrial technique in which a net is used to surround and capture schools of sh in a large swath of the Pacic has sparked complaints from other nations. The exemption was given to discourage Philippine eets from shing in territorial waters off the countrys eastern coast, which are known spawning grounds for tuna that later spread out to the Pacic. Philippine Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala asked the shing commission to extend the exemption, which he said started last October and would end in February next year. AP

Mr. Jurados column will resume next week.

TO THE POINT

EMIL P. JURADO

A6

TUESDAY DECEMBER 4, 2012

ManilaStandardToday

News
By Rio N. Araja

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Christmas truck ban starts Dec. 7

THE Metro Manila Council, the policymaking body of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, announced on Monday a modied truck to ease congestion in major thoroughfares during the holidays.
The MMCs special trafc committee, headed by Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista, said the truck ban will be enforced from Dec. 7 to Jan. 6 from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., except Sundays and holidays, and will cover trucks weighing 4,5000 and above. Trucks carrying perishable goods such as agricultural products are exempted from the new truck ban as provided under MMDA Resolution No. 0705, Series of 2007, or the truck ban ordinance. The truck ban will cover the length of Epifanio delos Santos Avenue from Magallanes in Makati City to Balintawak in Quezon City. The truck ban will help ease trafc during the holiday rush, MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino told reporters. The council also authorized Tolentino to issue circulars and coordinate with the Bureau of Customs, Philippine Ports Authority, other government agencies, and concerned local government units for a more efcient and effective implementation of the resolution. But various trucking companies, in a two-hour meeting with MMDA ofcials on Monday, opposed the modied truck ban, claiming the scheme will have a signicant impact in the forwarding industry and the countrys economy. Rodolfo de Ocampo, chairman of the Confederation of Truckers Association of the Philippines, said the truck ban was not the only solution to decongest Metro Manila during the Christmas rush. Delivery of goods from one another will be greatly affected. Manufacturers are affected. Prices will go up if the demand increases as the supply is reduced, he told reporters.

Worse HIV situation. Once hailed as the rst Asia-Pacic country with a comprehemsive paw on Human immunodeciency virus, Sen. Pia Cayetano, shown with Health Undersecretary Eric Tayag, lamented that there are now nine news cases of HIV in the country every day. The health forum was held at the Senate in Pasay City. LINO SANTOS

By Ferdinand Fabella

THE Food and Drugs Administration has identied 20 more cosmetic products that were recently found to have high levels of mercury. In its latest advisory, the FDA warned the public against using these 20 brands of skin whitening creams, many of which have found its way to the local Chinese drug stores, cosmetics shops, health supplements stalls and other retail outlets. Dr. Kenneth Hartigan-Go, FDA acting director, said these beauty products contain highly toxic mercury above the allowable limit of 1 part per million (ppm), which is

Govt bans 20 more toxic cosmetics No more alien cards for Pinoys
in direct violation of Republic Act No. 9711, the FDA Act of 2009, and Republic Act No. 7394, the Consumer Act of the Philippines. Among the 20 newly-banned whitening creams that tested with excessive levels of mercury are Ailke Perfect Salvation Rosy Whitening A and B Cream, Maidaifu Herbal Moisturizing Cream Wrinkles Harmonie Cream, Bai Li Tou Hong Cream, Feique Golden Aloe Whitening (Anti-Scar, Anti-Freckle) Cream and Miss Beauty Magic Cream. The Ailke Perfect Salvation Rosy Whitening A and B Cream, for instance, has 63,516 ppm of mercury, while Maidaifu Herbal Moisturizing Cream Wrinkles Harmonie Cream has 47,891 ppm. Consumers who are directly exposed to cosmetic products containing more than 1 ppm run the risk of possible toxicity, Go said. These include skin burns, rashes, discoloration and scarring, Go said, adding that the absorption of high level of mercury in short period of time may lead to severe gastroenteritis, burning mouth pain, salivation, abdominal pain, vomiting, colitis, nephrosis, anuria, or uremia. The FDA urged local government units and enforcement agencies to apprehend vendors or outlets found selling the highly toxic cosmetic products to prevent further exposure of consumers and to protect the environment.

By Vito Barcelo
THE Bureau of Immigration will no longer issue alien certicates of registration identity cards to Filipinos with multiple citizenships because the authorities have discovered that the cards are being used to conceal Philippine citizenship. State policy dictates that we should not condone deceit or misrepresentation on vital citizenship information, said Immigration Commissioner Ricardo David after the bureaus alien registration chief Ronaldo Ledesma noted that his ofce has been receiving ACR I-Card applications from Filipinos who have dual citizenships. Ledesma said the applicants are usually Filipinos who are either married to alien spouses or children of foreigners and those who involuntarily acquired dual

IN BRIEF
LTO contract awarded
AN Indian company has won the P8.2billion information technology contract of the Land Transportation Ofce, covering driving licenses and vehicle registration including record management. Surya Prakash Madrecha, chairman of the Digitxt Asia Corp.-Trimax IT Infrastructure and Services Ltd., said their joint venture will make it easier for authorities to recover stolen vehicles, trace smuggled vehicles, prevent double registration and monitor unregistered vehicles once the new system is in place. Rio N. Araja

Coal plant gets permit

By Alena Mae S. Flores
REDONDO Peninsula Energy Inc., developer of the 600 megawatt coal-red power plant at the Subic Freeport Zone, announced on Monday that it has been granted an environmental compliance certicate for its coal project due for completion by 2016, an ofcial said. The issuance of the amended ECC is a major milestone towards the completion of the project that we hope will ease the burden of Filipino consumers who need stable, reliable, environmentally-responsible and costefcient power in their homes and businesses, RP Energy president Aaron Domingo said in a statement. This ECC amendment is recognition of our strict adherence to the DENR-Environmental Management Bureaus guidelines and our commitment to complying with the law, Domingo said. RP Energy is a joint venture between Manila Electic Co.s wholly-owned subsidiary Meralco PowerGen Corp., Therma Power Inc., a subsidiary of Aboitiz Power Corp. and Taiwan Cogeneration Corp.s subsidiary Taiwan Cogeneration International Corp. Meralco PowerGen is the majority shareholder of the joint venture. The coal project was previously granted an ECC for the rst 300 MW but with the formation of the RP Energy venture, the shareholders decided to expand the project and needed the amendment to include the additional 300 MW. More importantly, getting the ECC amendment further strengthens our commitment to strictly adhere to the permiting process and onwards to ensuring that the projects construction and eventual operation is environmentally-compliant and stateof-the-art, Domingo said. Domingo said RP Energy is nalizing negotiations with the selected engineering, procurement and construction contractor for the Subic project. We are also completing discussions with the banks. RP Energy is nalizing the amended and restated Lease and Development Agreement with the SBMA and we are hopeful to get conclusion by middle of the month, Domingo said. Oscar Reyes, Meralco president, for his part, said they expect the project to be completed in 2016 in time for the power need of Luzon for additional power especially now with the continuing growth in the countrys economy.

or multiple citizenships. Among these countries, he said, are Algeria, Botswana, Chile, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, India, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Norway, China, Indonesia, Japan, Myanmar, Singapore, South Africa and Sweden . So if you are a Filipino with dual citizenship residing in any of these countries, you can hide your Philippine citizenship by exhibiting your ACR I-Card as proof of foreign citizenship and disclaimer of Philippine citizenship, Ledesma explained. David said that the bureau will henceforth reject all applications for ACR I-Card led by Philippine citizens with two or more citizenships and all ACR ICard applicants are now required to declare their dual or multiple citizenships under oath.

Enrile: Poor Pinoys dont feel growth

CAGAYAN Rep. Juan Jack C. Ponce Enrile Jr. warned that the record economic growth this third quarter and stable global food prices have not touched the lives of millions of poor Filipinos with the price of basic food becoming unaffordable to most of them. Urgent policy review and corrective measures should be implemented at once if the majority of our people are to taste the fruit of our record economic growth for this year and the prevailing stability in the price of basic food like rice and cereal as reported by the World Bank, Enrile said. The 7.1 percent growth in our domestic production to include agricultural products may look good on paper but, unless measures are taken to ensure that slum-dwellers in the cities and farm workers in the provinces can afford to give their families three meals a day, this means nothing to them, he added. Enrile, one of the leading senatorial candidates of the United Nationalist Alliance who has made food sovereignty on top of his political agenda if elected in the Senate, also noted that high unemployment rate and malnutrition especially among children made more glaring the disconnect between the countrys economic growth and the low standard of living of most Filipinos. As it is, a huge portion of available income for the average Filipino household these days is spent in food and as the World Bank also warned, global food prices, though stable, may stay on the high side from previous years, he said.

Marikina tax amnesty

MARIKINA Mayor Del De Guzman announced a 100 percent relief on interests and penalties to delinquent real property taxpayers in the city. The amnesty period is until March 31 and De Guzman urged the residents to settle their taxes on time to avoid public auction. Aside from this, delinquent taxpayers who have settled their delinquent tax obligations can now avail of the 50 percent reduction for tax year 2013. The reduction is based on Ordinance 88, Series of 2010. Gigi Munoz David

Nonoy Acosta, 45
FORMER Manila Standard Today editor Ceferino Nonoy M. Acosta III died in the morning of Sunday (Dec. 2) of a heart attack. He was 45 years old and would have turned 46 on Dec. 19. He was the only son of BusinessMirror executive publisher and editor-in-chief Rosauro G. Acosta and Carmelita del Mundo Acosta. He is survived by his wife Mabel Guia Acosta and daughters Xeres Jasmine and Celina Jordan, aunts and uncles, cousins, nephews and nieces, grandnephews and grandnieces. He has served in various capacities in several newspapers including BusinessMirror, Business Matters, the defunct Philippine Chronicle, Daily Globe and Malaya. His body lies at Chapel B of La Funeraria Paz on Araneta Avenue in Quezon City and will be buried on Dec. 8 at the Himlayang Pilipino Memorial Park in Tandang Sora, Quezon City after a 9 a.m. Mass.

Bill eyes TV sub-titles

By Maricel V. Cruz
TELEVISION networks may soon be required to place sub-titles to their programs for the benet of person with hearing disability. Under House Bill 6688, Buhay party-list Reps. Irwin Tieng and Mariano Michael Velarde said the sub-titles will help in the development of reading and literacy skills of viewers not only those with hearing disabilities. Closed caption are text descriptions of the speech, music and sound effects of a television program. Although closed captioning provides a critical link to news, entertainment and information for individuals with hearing disabilities, Tieng said. Those which are not covered by the bill are public service announcements that are shorter than 10 minutes, programs shown in the early morning hours from one to six oclock in the morning and programs that are primarily textual in nature. Tieng said sub-titles will not only help those with hearing disabilities but those in public places where sound is inaudible or impractical. The bill imposes a ne of not less than P50,000 but not more than P100,000 or imprisonment of not less than six months but not more than one year, or both, at the discretion of the court. In case the offender is a corporation, partnership or association, or any other juridical person, the president, manager, administrator, or person-in-charge of the management of the business shall be held liable. In addition, the license or permit to operate its business shall be cancelled. The bill mandates the National Telecommunications Commission and the Movie and Television Review and Classication Board, in consultation with other concerned agencies and entities, to promulgate the necessary rules and regulations for the effective implementation of this Act.

Blood letting. A soldier of the National Capital Region Joint Forces

donates blood in Camp Aguinaldo in commemoration of the Armed Forces of the Philippines 77th anniversary. LINO SANTOS

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

ManilaStandardToday Riera U. Mallari, Editor

Sports

TUESDAY

DECEMBER 4, 2012

A7

IN BRIEF
FORMER two-division world champion Gerry Penalosa is condent that his protg, southpaw Michael Farenas is ready to shock undefeated Cuban Yuriorkis Gamboa, when they clash for the World Boxing Association super featherweight interim title in the Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez IV undercard at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Dec. 9 (Manila time). In an overseas telephone conversation with the Manila Standard on the eve of their departure for Las Vegas, Penalosa said Farenas has trained really well, hes in very good condition and is quietly condent of stunning the fancied Gamboa. Penalosa said Farenas, nicknamed Hammer Fist with a record of 34-3-4 with 26 knockouts, has had some tough sparring with Pacquiaos former sparring partners world-rated Russian Ruslan Providknov, a junior welterweight with an impressive record of 22-1 with 15 knockouts, and Speedy Gonzales. Ronnie Nathanielsz

Fareas to shock Gamboa

Haciendas de Naga grabs lead

ally gave Haciendas de Naga the needed boost as it took the early lead in the Fil-A ight of the 63rd Fil-Am Invitational Golf Tournament at the Camp John Hay golf course.
Park Jong Won scored 32 points and led the Naga team to a pacesetting 119 at the start of competitions in the second week of the countrys biggest and oldest amateur golf tournament. With the pair of 31 of Bong Sison and Junie Fontanilla and the 25 of Poch Hernandez, the Naga squad has a threepoint lead over Rural Bankers II. Park played for the CJH team last week as the team took its third straight title at the expense of Manila Southwoods, which had Sison and Hernandez in the line up. Fontanilla and Nagas

BAGUIO CITYA former opponent-turned

fth man, Freddie Mendoza saw action in the Am Championship Seniors, who lost to Nueva Ecija Seniors. Marc Lopez had a two-over 71 for 34 points and led the Bankers to second spot. Joel Yamyamin had 29, Eduardo Wee scored a 27 while Victoriano Gonzales had a 26 to count for the team. Team Surigao is another three shots down with 113 from the 31 of Roy Abalos, a 29 from Ramon Capistrano and a 28 and 25 from Ed Lopez and Carlo Packing, respectively. One handed player Paolo Olives of Subic Gas had a one over 70 or 35 points

to lead the team to 110 and fourth spot in tie with co-host Baguio Country Club. Kent Cuaderno had a 24, while former Police Regional OfceCordillera chief Villamor Bumanglag Chez Roque had a 23 and Peter Murphy chipped in a 21 as Benlife Golf Team I made 91 at the shorter Baguio Country Club link to lead in Am A. That is six shots better than Team Surigao I which had 29 from Bing Alcantara, Surigao del Norte governor Ace Barbers. Ben Hortado and Cesar Lacuna added 18 and 14 for the Mindanao team.

Hobe Bihon bags title

HOBE Bihon lost for the rst time at the start of the nal round on Saturday, but bounced back with a winner-take-all victory against Skyforce Team on Sunday to clinch the championship of the second DELeague Open Invitational Basketball Cup sa Marikina Sports Park. Armed with a twice-to-beat advantage in the nals after sweeping the semis, Hobe Bihon scored a masterful 100-89 win over Skyforce Team on Sunday to retaliate from a 91-97 setback it suffered in Game 1 of the nals. In the rubber match, Hobe Bihon was led by Jeff Viernes, who netted 22 points. Christian Jefferson, who was named Most Valuable Player of the second season of the tournament supported by Markina Mayor Del de Guzman, added 21 points and seven rebounds. Former pro player Jeff Sanders, meanwhile, was voted Best Player of the Finals after scoring 20 points in the rst game and displayed game-long brilliance and leadership for Hobe Bihon in the second encounter. For topping the tournament also sponsored by PCA-Marivalley, OLOPS College, Jekasa Sportswear, Hobe Bihon, Mckies Video, Simply Delicious and LUYONG Panciteria, Hobe Bihon went home with the elegant trophy and the P150,000 top prize.

SUPER rookie Calvin Abueva again dominated the week despite being a marked man, leading Alaska into two straight wins and earning for himself the Accel-Philippine Basketball Association Press Corps Player of the Week honors for the period Nov. 26 to Dec. 2. It was the second such citation in the Philippine Cup for Abueva, who also earned the scribes unanimous nod during the Oct. 22 to 28 period, when he averaged 17.5 points and 10.5 rebounds. The No. 2 pick overall in the Rookie Draft was even more impressive this time around with averages of 20.5 points, 15.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocked shot in Alaskas victories over Meralco and GlobalPort.

Abueva is PBA best player

Golf champs. Members of I-Constech Construction and Gen. Services Corp., led by (second

from left) Louie Ballesteros, Jojo Enrile, Jonas Magcalayo and Ricky Solas, show their trophy and medals as they pose with Architectural Centre Club, Inc. Golf Club chairman Ric de la Rosa Jr. (left) and ACCI Centre Club president Jun Sevilla Jr. after bagging the overall team championship in the fourth ACCI.s Corporate Cup golf tournament at Sta. Elena Golf Club recently.

7-up, 7-down
OWEN JAMES

UP arrests 16-game slide

UNIVERSITY of the Philippines ended a streak of 16 consecutive losses with a 25-18, 25-15, 18-25, 25-27, 15-6 victory over University of the East Sunday in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 75 womens volleyball competitions at the Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan. It was the rst win by the Lady Maroons, who have seven rookies on their revamped roster this season, since hammering out a 25-21, 25-14, 22-25, 25-18 decision also against the Lady Warriors on Feb. 5, 2011. A losing run was also put on an end in mens play. Angelo Torres and Homer Lauresta combined for 34 hits as UE ended a two-year 24-game losing skid with a 13-25, 25-22, 18-25, 25-21, 15-10 squeaker over UP. Later, Judy Caballejo delivered the telling blows for University of Santo Tomas to outlast defending two-time champion La Salle, 25-22, 25-13, 12-25, 21-25, 15-9, in another chapter of their epic rivalry. The win by the Tigresses capped the opening weekend, which featured all matches nishing in grueling ve sets.
Republic of the Philippines

FANTASY FANATIC
NO, fellow fantasy fanatics, the title of this weeks article doesnt refer to crossword puzzle clues. The allusion to a soft drink brand (and its directional opposite) is because this writer thought its high time we turned the spotlight on some NBA players, who are either boon or bane to their fantasy managers entering the sixth week of this season, based on their Yahoo rankings entering this week. I also have a bit of ulterior motive for the 7-down side: it allows me to rant about the players who are absolutely killing my rotisserie teams (all of them in deep leagues) with their lackluster play. Their weaknesses may be mitigated by favorable match-ups in the head-to-head format, but it doesnt mean I dont want to toss them to the waiver wire in favor of a red-hot hoopster, which in 20-team leagues is few and far between. Players on this list are playing well above their Yahoo O-Ranks (O for overall, an estimate of their value heading into the NBA 2012-2013 season) and busting their ADPs (average draft positions) a month and a half into the 82-game season: Damian Lillard, Trailblazers (Yahoo O-Rank: 96; season rank: 33) The rookie out of Weber State continues to coast along for Portland, averaging 18.8 points, 6.2 assists, 3.3 rebounds, 1.4 steals, 0.2 blocks and 3.4 turnovers per game with, 43 percent field goal shooting, 84 percent free throw shooting, and 2.5 threes made in 37.3 minutes per game. If the Rookie of the Year vote were today, the Blazers starting point guard would win hands down, as No. 1 pick Anthony Davis of the Hornets has struggled with an ankle injury over the last month. Im citing Lillard here because many fantasy managers seem to have overlooked the No. 6 pick in the NBA draft. He was available as late as the sixth round in most drafts, but is easily returning second- to thirdround value (he is No. 18 in Basketball Monsters per-game rankings for the season, just behind Deron Williams). OJ Mayo, Mavericks (O-Rank: 102; season rank: 27) Mayo has been unleashed in Dallas, and the former Memphis Grizzly is averaging 20.2 points (2.9 threes made), 3.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game to help the Mavs to an 8-9 record even without franchise star Dirk Nowitzski. Although hes currently dealing with pain in both ankles, Mayo should resume his role as the teams top gunner even with Dirks return. Andrei Kirilenko, Timberwolves (118, 29) AK47 helped hold the fort in Minnesota in All-Star Kevin Loves absence, and despite recent problems with his back Kirilenko has averaged 13 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.8 blocks per game, good for first-round value in Basketball Monsters estimate. The Russian has helped bring some respectability to the Wolves, who are 7-8 so far this season. Metta World Peace, Lakers (186, 43) The former Ron Artest has denitely gained from the offensive system of new Los Angeles coach Mike DAntoni, returning fourth-round value for his owners with 13.2 points with 2.4 threes, 5.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.6 steals. Although the seven seconds or less system that DAntoni has ported from his days

7-up

in Phoenix and New York isnt quite working out in La La Land, its been manna for players like MWP and Antawn Jamisonand consequently for their fantasy owners. Chandler Parsons, Rockets (182, 22) With his competition at small forward, Carlos Delfino, sidelined with a groin injury, CP2 seized the opportunity and is returning second-round value with 15.9 points with 2.4 threes, 6.7 rebounds. 3.5 assists, and 1.1 steals for Houston. Parsons already showed glimpses of his potential last season but somehow still wound up on waivers in most standard leagues to begin this season. Jason Richardson, 76ers (114, 21) The sharp-shooting veteran has allowed the Sixers to survive the absence of center Andrew Bynum with lines of 12.7 points with 2.5 threes, 4.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.7 steals, and nice shooting percentages (42% FG plus 80% FT). J-Rich has held off younger guns Dorell Wright and Nick Young for the starting wing position, and has overcome recent ills with his ankles to keep firing for Philadelphia. Anderson Varejao, Cavaliers (73, 6) Perhaps the biggest surprise of this season, Sideshow Bob is vacuuming rebounds at an alarming rate 15.3 per game to be exact, including six offensive boards per game, to go with 15.1 points, 3.3 assists, 1.4 steals and 53% FG shooting for the 4-13 Cavs, who are missing point guard star Kyrie Irving and could miss rookie hotshot Dion Waiters for the next few weeks. That the Brazilian big man is averaging more rebounds than points should not have come as a surprise to owners who may have shied away from him on draft day owing to his injury history. Honorable mentions: Tim Duncan, Spurs (58, 3); Gerald Henderson, Bobcats (189, 28), Jamal Crawford, Clippers (138, 34); Jason Kidd, Knicks (120, 15); Chris Bosh (45, 9). Players on this listnaturally excluding all those injured studs like Bynum, Amare Stoudemire, Eric Gordon and the lothave been a letdown so far for their managers, who in their impatience may have traded them away or dropped them to the waiver wire. If you own any of them, you could try conning your fellow managers in trades for better-playing NBAers simply on the strength of their name recall. If you dont own them and still believe in their potential, lob as many buy-low offers as you can muster and hope a manager or two bites. Because their talent is undeniable, there is a chance the guys here turn it around sooner than lateror this could be one of the seasons where they will have the word bust stitched onto their jerseys, to the detriment of their fantasy managers. For brevitys sake (and honestly for lack of space), I am only noting their Yahoo O-Rank and present season rank through Sundays games. Like most managers who drafted them, I too am guilty in believing the preseason hype on them, but of course other factors can inuence their drop in the rankings. The wise fantasy manager will know how to learn from these errant players and move on. Now back to your crossword puzzles. Josh Smith, Hawks (8, 90), Ersan Ilyasova, Bucks (52, 262), Paul George, Pacers (35, 74), Brandon Knight, Pistons (94, 168), DeMarcus Cousins, Kings (22, 115), Ty Lawson, Nuggets (13, 196), Paul Millsap, Jazz (18, 79), Dishonorable mentions: LaMarcus Aldridge, Blazers (9, 57), Gerald Green, Pacers (258, 263); Pau Gasol, Lakers (21, 89), Joe Johnson, Nets (41, 126), Gerald Wallace (48, 132).

In NOTICE ad published on Nov. 5 & 12, 2012 re: VERSAILLES C O M M E R C I A L SUBDIVISION PHASE I the address should have been read as: Tindig na Mangga, Almanza Dos, Las Pias City and not as published.

ERRATUM

n otiCE
Notice is hereby given that PETRO DE ORO CORPORATION with office address at Zone 5, Kauswagan Highway, Cagayan De Oro City, is applying for registration with the Board of Investments (BOI) as New Industry Participant with New Investments for the construction of oil depot in Cagayan De Oro under the Oil Industry Deregulation Law (RA 8479).. Any person with valid objection/s on the abovementioned project may file his/her objection in writing, under oath, with the BOI within three (3) days from the date of this publication. (Sgd.) EVARISTE M. CAGATAN Director Infrastructure and Service Industries Department
Industry & Investments Building, 385 Sen. Gil J. Puyat Avenue, Makati City, Philippines Trunkline: 897-6682, (IPG) 896-9212, (MSG) 896-5167, (PAG) 895-3983 (ISG) 890-3056, (FASD) 890-9325 Website: http//www.boi.gov.ph P.O. Box 1872 Makati City

ERRoRS & oMiSSionS

In Classified Ads section must be brought to our attention the very day the advertisement is published. We will not be responsible for any incorrect ads not reported to us immediately.

(MST-Dec. 4, 2012)

Republic of the Philippines

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS AND HIGHWAYS

Region IV-B, MIMAROPA

OFFICE OF THE DISTRICT ENGINEER

Mindoro Oriental District Engineering Office Masipit, Calapan City 5200, Oriental Mindoro Tel. No (043) 288-2365

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS AND HIGHWAYS BATAAN SECOND DISTRICT ENGINEERING OFFICE
BALANGA CITY, BATAAN, REGION III Tel.Fax No.: (047) 791 -3089 - (047) 791 -3044 E-Mail Add:dpwh_bataan2nd@yahoo.com

DPWH INFRA-07 Standard Advertisement Revised IRR

invitation to Bid
The DPWH - Bataan 2nd District Engineering Office, through its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), invites contractors to apply to bid for the following contract(s): Contract I.D. : Name of Contract : Brief Description Approved Budget for The Contract (ABC): Contract Duration: 12CBO108 1. Rehab./Reconst./Upgrading of Jet. LayacBalanga-Mariveles Port Road (Mariveles-Zigzag Section) Mariveles. Bataan K0158+-398-K0160+120 Rehab./Reconst./Upgrading of Road P 48,999,999.63 50.c.d.

invitation to Bid
The Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) Of the DPWH, Mindoro Oriental District Engineering Office, through the Government of the Philippines 2012, invites contractors to bid for the following projects: 1.) Contract ID Contract Name : 12ED0093 : Replacement / Rehabilitation / Strengthening of Babangonan Bridge, CSR Junction Minas K0036+370 Contract Location : Victoria, Oriental Mindoro Scope of Work : Replacement / Reconstruction of 12 L.m. Bridge and Construction of Slope Protection Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC): Php 13,719,982.28 Contract Duration : 180 calendar days

Procurement will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures in accordance with R.A. 9184 and its Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations. To bid for this contract, a contractor must submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) and must meet the following major criteria: (a) prior registration with DPWH, (b) Filipino citizen or 75% Filipino-owned partnership, corporation, cooperative, or joint venture with PCAB License applicable to the type and cost of this contract, (c) completion of a similar contract costing at least 50% of ABC within a period of 10 years, and (d) Net Financial Capacity at least equal to ABC, or credit line commitment for at least 10% of ABC. The BAC will use non-discretionary pass/fail criteria in the eligibility check and preliminary examination of bids. Unregistered contractors, however, shall submit their applications for registration to the DPWH-POCW Central Office before the deadline for the receipt 9f LOr. The DPWH POCW Central Office will only process contractors applications for registration, with complete requirements, and issue the Contractors Certificate of Registration (CRC). Registration Forms may be downloaded at the DPWH website www.dpwh.gov.ph. Th e significant times and deadlines of procurement activities are shown below:
BAC Activities 1. Receipt from prospective bidders of Letter of Intent(LOI) 2. Issuance of Bid Documents 3. Pre-bid Conference 4. Receipt, Dropping & Opening of Bids Schedule Nov. 28-Dec. 18, 2012 until 9:00 a.m. Nov. 28-Dec. 18,2012 until 9:00 a.m. December 05, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. December 18, 2012 at 10:00 a.m.

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 (LOl), purchase bid documents and must meet the following major criteria: (a) prior registration with DPWH, (b) Filipino citizen or 75% Filipino-owned partnership, corporation, cooperative, or joint venture, (c) with PCAB license applicable to the type and cost of this contract, (d) completion of a similar contract costing at least 50% of ABC within a period of 10 years, and (e) Net Financial Contracting Capacity at least equal to ABC, or credit line commitment at least equal to 10% of ABC. The BAC will use non-discretionary pass/fail criteria in the eligibility check and preliminary examination of bids. Unregistered contractors, however, shall submit their applications for registration to the DPWH-POCW Central Office before the deadline for the receipt of LO!. The DPWH-POCW Central Office will only process contractors applications for registration with complete requirements and issue the contractors Certificate of Registration (CRC). Registration Forms may be downloaded at the DPWH website www.dpwh.gov.ph. The significant times and deadlines of procurement activities are shown below: 1. Issuance of Bidding Documents 2. Pre-Bid Conference 3. Receipt of Bids 4. Opening of Bids December 04, 2012 to December 26, 2012 December 11, 2012 December 26, 2012 up to 10:00 A.M. December 26, 2012 @ 2:00 P.M

7-down

The BAC will issue hard copies or Bidding Docull1ents (BDs) at BAC Office, DPWH, Mindoro Oriental District Engineering Office, upon payment of a nonrefundable fee of Twenty Five Thousand Pesos ( P 25,000.00 ). Prospective bidders may also download the BDs from the DPWH website, if available. Prospective bidders that will download the BDs from the DPWH website shall pay the said fees on or before the submission of their bid Documents. The PreBid Conference shall be open only to interested parties who have purchased the BDs. Bids must be accompanied by a bid security, in the amount and acceptable form, as stated in Section 27.2 of the Revised IRR. Prospective bidders shall submit their duly accomplished forms as 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, Mindoro Oriental District Engineering Office reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, to annul the bidding process at any time prior to contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder/s. Approved by: (Sgd.) ALEXANDER D. MALITAO BAC VI Chairman
(MST-Dec. 4, 2012)

The BAC will issue hard copies of Bidding Documents (BDs) at Bataan 2nd District Engineering Office, Cashier Office upon payment of a non-refundable fee of P20,000.00 (Item 1) for Bidding Documents. Prospective bidders may also download the BDs, if available, from the DPWH web site. Prospective bidders that will download the BDs from the website shall pay the said fees on or before the submission of their bids Documents. Bids must accompanied by a bid security, in the amount and acceptable form, as stated in Section 27.2 of the Revised IRR. Prospective bidders shall submit their duly accomplished forms as specified in the BDs in two (2) separate sealed bid envelopes to the BAC Chairman. The first envelope shall contain the technical component of the bid, which shall include the eligibility requirements. The second envelope shall contain the financial component of the bid. Contract will be awarded to the Lowest Calculated Responsive Bid as determined in the bid evaluation and the post-qualification. The Bataan 2nd District Engineering Office reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bid and to annul process anytime before Contract award, without incurring any liability to the affected bidders. Approved: (Sgd.) ROMEO P. CARTEL BAC Chairman NOTED: (Sgd.) MEDEL F. CHUA OIC-District Engineer
(MST-Dec. 4, 2012)

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

BORNEA WINS, BANCHO FALLS

YEREVAN, ArmeniaTwo neophytes in the PLDT-ABAP national team had their baptism of re in the AIBA World Youth Championships here. Jade Bornea, out of General Santos City, routed Latvias Dimitris Zaharovs, 19-6, while Mandaluyongs Jonas Bacho was not as fortunate, losing by 10-12 to grizzled veteran, Nursultan Bizanbayev.

Sports
Riera U. Mallari, Editor

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

A8

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

LOTTO RESULTS

TUESDAY

DECEMBER 4, 2012

4 teams in a wild race for playoffs

By Jeric Lopez
AS the 2013 Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup quarternal round approaches, teams in the middle of the standings nd themselves in a wild scramble to get the best playoff position. Barangay Ginebra, Meralco, Alaska and Petron Blaze, teams in the middle of the pack, are all safely in the next phase, but they still need to win their nal assignments this week to put themselves in better spots. Right now, the Gin Kings, Bolts and Aces are all tied at Nos. 4 to 6 in the standings with identical 7-6 cards. The Boosters are not far behind and are just a game behind at 6-7 (No. 7). All those four teams will have one more game each in this nal week of the elimination round, including a critical meeting between Alaska and Petron Blaze tomorrow. What all those teams want is to nish at either fourth, fth or sixth and avoid the seventh seed. The seventh and eighth-ranked teams will have a twice-to-beat disadvantage against the top two squads, while teams from third to sixth place will play in a bestof-three series. Should the Aces, Ginebra and Meralco prevail, they will nish in the top six, while Petron Blaze will be at No. 7. In that scenario, seedings will be determined via the quotient system. There will only be playoff games for ties at Nos. 2 and 8. There is also a possibility of a four-way tie from No. 4 to 7 as all four squads can nish at 7-7. In that case, Ginebra will get the worst of the bargain. Barangay Ginebra has an inferior quotient against those three squads and can fall to No. 7 if it loses against Talk N Text in its last assignment on Sunday. Ginebra needs to win and repeat against the Texters if it wants to avoid any complications.

Coach belittles Azkals

By Peter Atencio
Decoy. Rain or Shines Ryan Arana (left) attacks the basket and plays decoy by passing the ball to a teammate when confronted by the double-teaming defense of San Mig Coffees Ra Reavis and Aldrech Ramos in a Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup game won by the Mixers, 93-92, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Sunday night.

AS TEAM ofcials of the Philippine Azkals scramble to determine the availability of players based abroad, the Singapore Lions are putting behind the two losses they experienced against the Philippine squad in international friendlies early this year.
Singapores Serbian coach Radojko Avramovic said he is looking forward to their match against the Azkals in the rst leg of their ASEAN Football Federation Suzuki Cup seminal this Saturday at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Vito Cruz, Manila. Avramovic stated in an article which appeared in Singapores Todayonline, that preparing his men to face the Philippines will be an easier task than against Laos. The White Lions, according to Avramovich, are now familiar with the style of the players of coach Hans Michael Weiss. I am comfortable in the fact that we have played them twice recently. We know what to expect. Their style of play suits us more, as compared to playing against Laos. At least, they are more direct and more physical in their approach, which is something that we can cope with, said Avramovich. The White Lions are coming off a 4-3 win over Laos in their nal Group B match last Saturday in Kuala Lumpur. Avramovics biggest concern now is to get his players back on their feet again after Saturdays physical encounter with Laos. On the other hand, Azkals management is burning the phone lines and seeking releases for overseasbased players to play in the two-leg seminal against Singapore. Several key players could miss the semis. These include full-back Dennis Cagara, striker Angel Guirado, midelder Jerry Lucena, midelder Paul Mulders, defender Ray Jonsson and goalkeeper Roland Muller. The ve booters have commitments with European and Asian clubs. We planned for the rst three matches. We now have to start again to negotiate with the clubs. Theres a possibility that all of them will not be available, said Azkals coach Mike Weiss. Lucena was the rst to go after the Azkals 2-0 win over Myanmar in the nal group match. But, he hinted that he could be back for the second leg of the seminal in Singapore on Dec. 12. In their home game at the Rizal memorial pitch, the Azkals are expected to have the psychological edge following their 2-0 victory at the Jurong West Stadium in September and a 1-0 win in Cebu last month. This is the seminal. It will be a different ballgame this time, said Avramovich.

Abaniel wins her 2nd world boxing title

By Ronnie Nathanielsz
FILIPINA Gretchen Chen Chen Abaniel stopped Thailands Modthanoi Sithsaithiong in the fourth round to win the Womens International Boxing Association minimum weight title in an entertaining ght card at the Makati Cinema Square on Sunday. Abaniel won her rst world title with a 10-round unanimous decision over Thailands Nongbua Lookpraiaree on March 25, 2009, but lost the crown in her second title defense to another Than, Samson Tor Buamas. She also fought for the International Boxing Federation female world title and lost by a fourth-round technical knockout to the classy Mexican Katia Gutierrez in Sinaloa on Dec. 10, 2011, before dropping a 10-round decision to Thailands Teeraporn Pannimit last April 25. Abaniel then came back to win a six-round bout against Christine Latube, who fought six ghters making their pro debut, according to boxrec. com before capturing the WIBA title for the second time to improve her record to 12-4 with 3 knockouts. Modthanaoi dropped to 5-2 with 3 knockouts. TV announcer and journalist Ted Lerner reported that Abaniel controlled the pace of the ght throughout, stalking her smaller opponent around the ring before landing a series of crushing right hands that had the Thai stunned. After a urry of shots, Modthanaoi turned her back and was clearly in trouble, forcing referee Sammy Bernabe to call a halt at 1:36 of the fourth round. Im so happy right now. I trained really hard for this ght because I know I cant afford to lose again. I want to thank my manager Sir Jonathan (Thorp) of Team Insider for believing in me and for giving me this chance, and everyone who helped me and believed in me on my way back to being a champion, Abaniel said.

Ardina, Agojo ride high on Australian golfest stints

THE recent two-leg Australian swing by Dottie Ardina and Jayvie Agojo has toughened up the ICTSI-The Country Club spearheads as they gear up for more battles abroad next year in pursuit of golng glory. While stressing the need to improve more on distance and short game, ICTSI-TCC coach Bong Lopez said Ardina and Agojo played well Down Under and showed they can be at par with stronger, taller rivals even under adverse playing condition. They did well in Australia. In fact, a number of Aussie players couldnt believe that there are good Filipino players around. Some even asked about our training program since Dottie and Jayvie bested all members of the Australian national team in the two tournaments, said Lopez. He added: This is what our players get when we test them against some of the worlds best. They know where they stand and Dottie and Jayvie are now unfazed when faced with the kind of opposition. Ardina, winner of at least three titles this year, including the Taiwan Amateur and Penang Open, set a new record seven-under 65 at the Dunes Links in Rye, Victoria, vaulting to a share of the lead in the second round before ending up third in Dunes Medal Golf Championship ruled by Su Hyun Oh. Agojo, the reigning Santi Cup champion, fought back with an even par 72 in the nal round to nish fth. The week before in the Elvie Whitesides Golf Championship in Hobart, Tasmania won by Aussie No. 1 and world No. 4 Minjee Lee, Ardina placed fourth despite a closing three-under card while Agojo settled for sixth.

Ardina

Marquez brands Pacman a myth

NCRAA enters 20th season on Wednesday

A THREE-GAME bill will usher in the upbeat of the coming season. opening-day hostilities of the 20th NaThis season promises to be an exciting tional Capital Region Athletic Associa- one. And it wont be just the PMMS Marition (NCRAA) mens basketball tourna- ners and the Olivarez College Sea Lions ment this Wednesday the Olivarez College which are favored this year in basketball, as gymnasium in Sucat, Paraaque. almost all teams are capable, said Hagos. The defending champion Philippine The volleyball matches commence next Merchant Marine School Monday with a ve-game bill Mariners will start their titleat the Olivarez College Sports Games Wednesday retention campaign in a 10 (Olivarez College gymnasium) Complex. 10 a.m. Olivarez College a.m. clash with the host squad Rep. Edwin Olivarez vs PMMS Olivarez College Sea Lions. (rst district, Paranaque) 11:30 a.m. DLSU-Dasma Then, the La Salle-Daswill be the guest of honor vs EAC-Cavite 1 p.m. RTU vs PATTS marias Patriots will parade in the opening ceremonies, new coach Macky Torres as which will start with the pathey clash with the Emilio Aguinaldo Col- rade of athletes at 8 a.m. lege-Cavite Vanguards at 11:30 a.m. The Mariners, coached by Aldrin MoranThe Rizal Technological University Blue te, will be led by ve mainstays, who led the Thunder, mentored by Beaujing Acot, meet team to their rst-ever crown last season folthe PATTS Sea Horses at 1 p.m. lowing a 76-69 beating of the Sea Lions in A total of seven schools are seeing action Game 3 of their best-of-three nals. this season, including the Philippine School We are blessed because we are entering of Business Administration, which drew an our 20th season, said NCRAA president opening-day bye. in the tournament backed Gerry Sergio of La Salle-Dasma. Thats two by Mikasa and Molten as the ofcial balls. decades of collegiate sports competitiveness. Athletic director Cesar Hagos of this Thanks to everyones support, were hopefully years host Olivarez College said they are looking forward to 20 years more.

JUAN Manuel Marquez continues to claim that he won all his three previous ghts against Manny Pacquiao, explaining that the Fighter of the Decade had to get the decision because he is a mythical gure. In an interview with Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times, Marquez said Pacquiao gets the judges decisions because of the stuff he does outside the ring. Hes popular, a guy with great skills, who sells a lot of tickets and is good for the sport. Hes like a mythical gure, who has to get a decision. Although showing no emotional reaction to Marquezs consistent claims that he was robbed by the judges, Pacquiao seems peeved and wants to please trainer Freddie Roach by knocking him out. And in the words of Roach and strength and conditioning coach Alex Ariza, he wants to shut his (Marquezs) mouth. Marquez told the LA Times hes back again for their fourth showdown at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas because he can beat the Filipino ring icon. For me, the biggest thing is just by looking back on the last three ghts, I know I can compete with him and beat him. Ive prepared myself better than I ever have and believe Ill win, Marquez said. Ronnie Nathanielsz

Proponents of the 20th season of the NCRAA are shown during simple launching rites at the Rizal Technological University on Monday. They are (standing, from left) Narciso Hagos of host Olivarez College; Nomar Isla, EACCavite representative; Benjamin Hernandez of PATTS; Pipo Onrubia of PMMS; (seated, from left) Tisha Abundo of PSBA, Gerry Sergio, NCRAA President from La SalleDasmarinas; Ofelia Santos of EAC-Cavite and Nori La Rosa of RTU. ZIGFREID PROSPERO

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Business
Manila Standard TODAY
Ray S. Eano, Editor business@mst.ph Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor extrastory2000@gmail.com Coordinating Council. The MICC said from a range of options for computing the government share, it narrowed down the options to a percentage of gross margin or to a percentage of gross revenue, where the income tax paid is deducted after computing the government share. The MICC, a joint committee headed by Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima and Environment Secretary Ramon Paje, aims to design a scheme that will adopt a single scal regime from the present two and a simple formula in determining the sharing arrangement that eliminates issues on valuation of output and costs of production. It said among the options studied are the current systems of MPSA (excise tax), FTAA (percentage of net mining revenue) as well as the petroleum scal regime for oil and gas exploration. The government earlier issued Executive Order No. 79, which proposed an increase in excise tax rates from the current 2 percent to a range of 5 percent to 7 percent, plus a 5-percent royalty. The MICC said under the two options being studied, the government would use international benchmarks for metals prices available on the London Metals Exchange as well as for internationally accepted cost for mineral ore production. The new scheme will strive to strike a balance between raising government revenue and keeping a scal regime that is competitive with other developing countries. The arrangement will include a PEZA[Philippine Economic Zone Authority]-type arrangement which processes and facilitates all mining industry requirements through a one-stop shop in new areas designated as mining zones, the council said.

TUESDAY DECEMBER 4, 2012

B1

Simple mining tax endorsed

By Julito G. Rada

tasked to draft a bill for the mining sector is now proposing to impose taxes according to gross margin or gross revenue of mining companies.
The proposal also involves synchronizing the mineral production sharing agreement and nancial or technical assistance agreement, according to the Mining Industry

A GOVERNMENT-LED council

It said the Philippines also wanted to use a scheme which supports its entry into the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, the internationally-accepted practice that makes the payment and collection of all mining-related fees and taxes more transparent. Under both options, the governments share will be earmarked for the national government and local government units. The indigenous peoples groups will continue to receive royalties if the mining area is located in an ancestral land or domain.

IN BRIEF
Exchange traded fund
FIRST Metro Investments Corp., the investment banking unit of Metrobank Group, is forming an exchange traded fund with an initial capitalization of P250 million. FMIC said in a disclosure to the stock exchange its board approved the formation of an ETF, subject to regulatory approvals. First Metro Asset Management Inc. will be the fund manager of the ETF. BDO Unibank Inc. and Bank of the Philippine Islands earlier expressed interest to roll out ETFs before the end of the year. ETFs are exchange-listed products that mirror indexes, commodities, bonds and currencies and allow investors to buy and sell them like stocks. It allows investors to diversify their portfolio by buying a single product that represents a wide range of securities underlying an index. The Securities and Exchange Commission issued the rules on ETFs in October. The approved rules provide that companies planning to offer ETFs should have a minimum capitalization of P250 million. The SEC also requires ETFs to register the shares under the Securities Regulation Code and have them listed and traded in a registered exchange. Jenniffer B. Austria

MetroPac buys 51% of Santos hospital

By Jenniffer B. Austria
METRO Pacic Investments Corp. is acquiring a 51-percent equity in De Los Santos Medical Center, a tertiary teaching and hospital institution in Quezon City. Metro Pacic said in a disclosure to the stock exchange it signed an agreement with all shareholders of De Los Santos General Hospital Inc. that will enable it to join the hospitals P250-million capitalraising exercise. Metro Pacic hospitals group president Augusto Palisoc said in a text message the company would infuse P193 million into the hospital to obtain the 51-percent stake while other shareholders would invest the balance of P57 million. STI Education System Holdings Inc., which benecially owns 20 percent of the hospital, will be diluted to 5 percent after completion of the deal. De Los Santos is a 150bed hospital located along E. Rodriguez Sr. Boulevard in Quezon City. It was founded in 1973 by the late Dr. Jose De Los Santos Sr., considered the father of Philippine orthopedics. De Los Santos also owns De Los SantosSTI Megaclinic Inc., a 2,000-square meter ambulatory and diagnostic center in SM Megamall. Metro Pacics investment will facilitate the redevelopment of De Los Santos, including the renovation and expansion of the hospital facilities to increase and improve patient rooms, doctors clinics and parking slots, the upgrade of operating rooms, and the purchase of new medical equipment.

Ayala hotel rebranded

PROPERTY giant Ayala Land Inc. aims to build 665 hotel rooms under its rebranded hotel brand Seda by the end of 2013. Ayala renamed its Kukun hotel brand as Seda. Ayala Land Hotels and Resorts president Al Legaspi said Seda is an urban lifestyle hotel brand envisioned to offer the traveler the advantages of location, excellent service and great value. The rst hotel, Seda Bonifacio Global City, has 179 rooms and is located near Bonifacio High Street and Serendra. It is within easy access of restaurants, retail shops and the emerging business district. The second Seda hotel in Cagayan de Oro is also slated for opening before the end of the year. The 150-room hotel is situated within Centrio, a mixed-use development of Ayala Land. Meanwhile, Seda in Davao City will open in the rst quarter of 2013 while Seda in Nuvali, Alabang is slated for opening by the last quarter of 2013. Legaspi said Seda was conceptualized to capture opportunities presented by the booming tourism industry. There is such tremendous opportunity in the countrys ourishing foreign and domestic tourist industries. Our Seda hotel line is well positioned to capture more than its fair market share across various regions with our superior product and strategic location within Ayala Lands mixed-use developments, Legaspi said. Jenniffer B. Austria

Bank of the Year. The Banker, a magazine published by the Financial Times of London, conferred the 2012 Bank of the

Year Award for the Philippines on Security Bank Corp. The award is an annual event that promotes industry-wide excellence in the global banking community by recognizing the top nancial institutions in the world. Receiving the award for Security Bank is president and chief executive Alberto Villarosa. With him (from left) are Jane Cooper, Asia editor and Global Transaction Services editor of The Banker; and Michael Buerk, British broadcast journalist and host of The Banker Awards.

PH must consistently grow 5%banker

THE economy should grow by at least 5 percent to attract more investments, the top executive of Bank of the Philippine Islands said Monday. We should grow between 5 and 6 percent. Everything above 6 percent is a bonus, BPI president and chief executive Aurelio Montinola III said. The Management Association of the Philippines name Montinola the MAP Management Man of the Year. Montinola expressed condence the economy would nish the year with a growth of at least 6 percent, after expanding 7.1 percent in the third quarter and 6.5 percent in the rst nine months. I think that theres a very good chance that well be able to do 6 [percent] plus this year, he said, adding growth next year might also reach 6 percent. Montinola said the outlook for the economy remained positive as ination was under control and there was no reason to increase interest rates. Meanwhile, executives of the Philippine American Life and General Insurance Company and American International Assurance Group said the Philippines was expected to sustain the strong growth to become the sixth fastest-growing economy in the world until 2050. Our 7.1-percent jump in GDP in third quarter has made the Philippines the second fastest-growing economy in Asia, trailing only China, Philam Life rst vice president and equity fund manager Junie Banaag said. Banaag said the recent upgrade of the countrys credit rating and the prospects of attaining an investment grade in the near future would bring in fresh funds and more investments in the country. The Philippines continues to be one of the worlds fastest-growing economies. The countrys strong economic fundamentals, coupled with the governments effective management of scal and monetary positions, will likely to fuel the growth of the Philippine market further come 2013, AIA executive vice president and regional managing director Gordon Watson said. Julito G. Rada, Anna Leah Estrada

Alcala not keen on proposal to export corn

By Othel V. Campos
THE Agriculture Department is not keen on the proposal of corn traders to export excess local output this year. Its true that there is a shortage in world corn supply and prices are better than previous years. Just the same, we also need corn. There is no doubt that the departments priority are our own farmers and consumers, Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala told reporters Monday. He said the National Food Authority Council had not decided on the request of the Philippine Maize Federation to export corn. Im not saying that Ive turned down their proposal. We are just waiting for the proper timing [to export], Alcala said. The department said global corn supply would remain low until the rst semester of 2013 and that local corn traders might still nd attractive markets for excess produce. The corn association in August sought government approval to export as much as 400,000 metric tons of yellow corn following a surge in the world market price due to the drought in the United States. The group said Taiwan and South Korea expressed interest to buy from the Philippines because of their huge yellow corn requirement. The government, however, said farmers could not ship out their produce until the NFA Council
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Monday, December 3, 2012
Indonesia Thailand UAE Euro Korea China India Malaysia New Zealand Taiwan Rupiah Baht Dirham Euro Won Yuan Rupee Ringgit Dollar Dollar 0.000104 0.032584 0.272264 1.300300 0.000924 0.160599 0.174356 0.329056 0.819605 0.034400 0.0043 1.3323 11.1326 53.1680 0.0378 6.5667 0.7536 13.4548 33.5128 1.4066
Source: PDS Bridge

certied a corn surplus. The NFA said it formed a technical working group to study the export request. The government forecast corn production in 2012 might reach 7.42 million MT, up 6.45 percent from last years output of 6.97 million MT. Corn outlook in the rst quarter of 2013 may increase by 0.4 percent to 2.03 million MT from 2.02 million MT year-onyear due to a projected increase in harvest areas.

P3.4-b Mindoro wind project gets BoI perks

By Alena Mae S. Flores
THE Board of Investments has registered the P3.425billion Bulalacao wind project of PhilCarbon Inc. in Oriental Mindoro, entitling the company with scal incentives under the Renewable Energy Act of 2008. PhilCarbon president Ruth YuOwen said the company would now conduct pre-development of the 33.4-megawatt wind project. The BoI has approved our application for registration as new renewable energy developer of windpower energy resources to avail of incentives such as duty-free importation of capital equipment as we prepare for the construction of our wind power projects, Yu-Owen said. She said funding for the project would come from a mixture of debt and private equity. PhilCarbon plans to start construction of the Bulalacao wind project by September 2014 and complete it by January 2016. The Bulalacao wind project is located at the southern tip of Oriental Mindoro, which is also ideal for tourism development. Oriental Mindoro is about 140 kilometers south of Manila. PhilCarbon applied for a wind energy service contract with the Energy Department to develop the project in Bulalacao. PhilCarbon said it selected the site based on a study made by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, which described the area as one with strong and constant wind with an average speed of 8.2 m/s.

E ATE PSE COMPOSITE INDEX F OREIGNUnitXCHANGE RPeso Currency US Dollar

Closing December 3, 2012
United States Japan UK Hong Kong Switzerland Canada Singapore Australia Bahrain Saudi Arabia Brunei Dollar Yen Pound Dollar Franc Dollar Dollar Dollar Dinar Rial Dollar 1.000000 0.012129 1.602200 0.129036 1.078981 1.007049 0.819403 1.042318 2.652872 0.266667 0.816060 40.8890 0.4959 65.5124 5.2762 44.1185 41.1772 33.5046 42.6193 108.4733 10.9037 33.3679 5200 4460 3720 2980 2240 1500 1200

P584-P695 LPG/11-kg tank

P47.15-P53.07 Unleaded Gasoline

OIL PRICES
TODAY

PESO-DOLLAR RATE
Closing December 3, 2012
40 42 44 46 48

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

P40.880
CLOSE

32.25

5,672.700

HIGH P40.850 LOW P40.905 AVERAGE P40.874 VOLUME 632.802M

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

B2 TUESDAY

Business Stocks extend rally MST BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW th for 6 straight day
DECEMBER 4, 2012 ManilaStandardToday
52 Weeks

business@mst.ph extrastory2000@gmail.com

High

Low

THE market rose to a new record Monday, extending gains for the sixth straight day on improving regional economic outlook.
The Philippine Stock Exchange index added 32.25 points, or 0.6 percent, to a new high of 5,672.70. Gainers edged losers, 79 to 75, with 41 issues unchanged. Stocks also climbed ahead of data that is forecast to show ination eased to a ve-month low in November from 3.1 percent in October. Megaworld Corp., the second-biggest builder, advanced 4.4 percent to P2.62, while sister company Empire East Land Holdings Inc. jumped 6.2 percent to P1.03. STI Education Systems Holdings Inc., which operates schools, rose 5.6 percent to P1.13. Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc., which has interests in banking, power and transportation, climbed 3.4 percent to P51. SM Prime Holdings Inc., operator of the countrys largest retail chain, added 3.9 percent to P16.16. The rest of Asian stock markets rose Monday after surveys showed a recovery in Chinas manufacturing. HSBCs Purchasing Managers Index rose to 50.5 in November on a 100-point scale on which numbers above 50 indicate activity is expanding. It was the rst expansion in 13 months. The reading in October was 49.5. That comes on top of the release Saturday of a state-sanctioned survey, the China Federation of Logistics & Purchasings monthly Purchasing Managers Index, which showed an improvement to 50.6 from 50.2 in October. The Chinese numbers are rare good news for the world econ-

omy, which has slowed as Europes chronic debt crisis worsened and the American economy stagnated. This conrms that Chinese economy continues to recover gradually, said Hongbin Qu, chief economist for China research at HSBC. Japans Nikkei 225 index rose 0.7 percent to 9,508.26 at midday, its rst time above 9,500 in seven months. Stocks in Tokyo got an added boost from the yens recent weakness against the dollar and the euro. South Koreas Kospi gained 0.3 percent to 1,938.93. Benchmarks in Singapore, Taiwan and Indonesia rose. Hong Kongs Hang Seng was up 0.1 percent at 22,043.52. Investors continued to abandon mainland Chinese stocks. The Shanghai Composite Index fell 0.3 percent to 1,974.62. The smaller Shenzhen Composite Index lost 0.6 percent to 748.40. With AP, Bloomberg

70.50 77.45 595.00 23.90 20.70 3.26 650.00 39.20 102.50 3.06 77.80 500.00 45.50 155.20 1100.00 140.00 2.06 35.50 13.58 1.70 1.62 2.96 144.00 2.75 9.74 6.41 7.77 3.80 19.40 79.30 27.00 0.02 13.10 2.35 120.00 8.40

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

2.12 42.00 2.30 7.41 4.83 2.80 1.00 12.50 51.50 17.50 0.0110 7.80 0.61 80.00 1.04

More open source Mac apps

MY to-do list today is pretty straightforward: write this weeks column. The rest of the month looks a little more complicated, given the usual holiday season tasks: make lists, check them twice, buy Christmas gifts, attend parties, write my resolutions for the New Year, stuff face. To keep track of all this, I use a free and open-source application called Nitro Ofce, which conveniently runs on both my Linux home PC and my Macbook Air (available free from the Ubuntu Software Center and the Mac App Store). Windows users can use Nitro, too, as a Web-based (Google Chrome) application. Elegant and simple to use, Nitro stands out among hundreds of to-do list applications. Underneath the simplicity are some pretty powerful features, including smart lists, which let you organize your tasks based on when you want to complete them; notes, which enable you to annotate your tasks; tags, which make your tasks easy to search; a logbook to keep track of completed tasks; and multiple ways to sort your tasks. Best of all, Nitro will give you the option of synchronizing your todo list using Dropbox or Ubuntu One, making it available on any machine you are using. The program supports several languages aside from EnglishSpanish, Italian, French, German, Polish, Russian, andArrrh, Pirate. Despite the similarity in name, Nitro isnt related to NitroShare, another nifty utility I wrote about in September. That program, which lets you easily send and receive les and data over a wireless network, was written by Nathan Osman. The task manager Nitro, on the other hand, was written by Caffeinated Code, a team of two students, Jono Cooper and George Czabania, who live in Rotorua, New Zealand. Both programs exemplify the open-source, crossplatform utility that has been important to me since I became a Linux and a Mac user six years ago. Open source programs that I use on both platforms include LibreOfce, for word processing and spreadsheet applications; Gimp for image editing; Inkscape for creating and editing vector-based graphics; Scribus for desktop publishing; VLC for multimedia playback; Firefox for Web browsing; Thunderbird for e-mail; Adium (Mac) and Pidgin (Linux) for instant messaging; Audacity for sound editing; TrueCrypt for le encryption; Handbreake for DVD ripping and le conversion; and Mobile

CHIN WONG

3.20 3.19 27.45 18.10 280.60 12.20 3.65 16.00 14.94 4.42 6.50 34.60 129.20 3000.00 2.62 2.44 0.196 2.88 1.41 69.20 5.50 0.77 18.00 1.22 1.18 59.90 0.019 13.70 2.60 5.02 6.98 2.98 4.16 485.20 64.80 5.20 556.00 5.22 36.20 6.21 1.54 0.91 3.82 4.65 6.24 0.0770 2.20 0.82 2.40 0.490 760.00 2.71 1.57 0.420 0.620 0.980 48.00 3.34 0.83 24.15 5.62 9.00 2.85 2.91 1.50 0.092 1.11 0.94 3.80 0.310 2.74 1.44 2.14 2.34 0.36 0.990 0.67 19.94 7.71 2.85 8.95 18.20 4.55 4.66 42.00 18.98 0.78 28.80 102.80 0.5300 24.00 82.50 10.60 9.70 1750.00 1270.00 11.00 77.00 0.98 6.80 4.70 34.50 3.87 0.0760 10.30 2.65 3.96 4.08 22.95 8.58 3.39 10.00 71.00 17.88 2886.00 30.15 3.30 0.79 0.0083 6.20 20.80 0.345 34.00 2.23 61.80 1.21 1.81 2.070 0.085 0.840 36.50 12.84 1.100 8.40 0.032 0.033 7.05 28.25 48.00 0.062 257.80 0.029 50.00 580.00 103.50 109.80 11.02 116.70 1050.00 1.31 2.60

1.32 1.08 18.10 8.12 215.00 7.50 1.96 9.70 8.05 1.01 2.90 26.50 110.20 800.00 1.25 1.73 0.112 1.99 0.90 37.00 1.05 0.320 2.55 0.77 0.65 35.50 0.014 8.00 1.80 3.00 0.260 1.49 2.30 272.00 30.50 3.30 455.40 2.94 19.00 4.00 0.61 0.300 1.800 2.56 3.40 0.045 1.20 0.44 1.01 0.285 450.00 1.08 1.14 0.101 0.082 0.380 18.00 1.70 0.42 13.36 3.08 2.26 1.35 1.20 1.05 0.060 0.67 0.54 2.90 0.10 1.63 0.98 0.65 1.51 0.150 0.089 0.41 10.00 2.51 1.81 6.00 10.94 1.80 2.60

DIGITAL LIFE

Media Converter for converting video and audio from any format to any format. There are also a number of free programs that run only on the Mac, including: Blue Griffon, an open-source WYSIWYG HTML editor. Burn, a simple application that allows you to burn les to a disc. ClamXav, a free virus scanner based on the ClamAV open-source antivirus engine that runs in Linux. Cyberduck, an oddly named but very useful FTP client. In fact, it is often referred to as the best free FTP tool for the Mac. Disk Inventory X, which lets you see the contents of your hard drive and also allows you to see what les are taking up the most space. DiskWave, a utility similar to Disk Inventory X that helps you determine which les and folders consume most of your disk space. IpodDisk, when helps you copy music from an iPod onto your Mac using the native le manager, Finder. Max, an application for creating high-quality audio les in various formats, from compact discs or les. Seashore, a simpler image editor based on Gimp that runs natively on the Macs Cocoa programming environment. Skim, which enables you to read and annotate PDF documents. Tomahawk, an open-source media player that cuts out some of the unnecessary features that weigh down Apples iTunes. Unarchiver, which allows you to extract les from many of the popular compression formats. In these days of insipid and lightweight iPad apps, its gratifying to know that really useful and freeapplications still abound for the Mac. Column archives and blog at: http://www.chinwong.com

Unicapital eyes more PSE listings

INVESTMENT house Unicapital Securities Inc. has urged small companies in the Philippines to list in the stock market to take advantage of cheaper funds. We have been going around the country and we have conrmed our suspicion that smaller companies are not really aware that they, too, can list in the [Phjilippine Stock Exchange]. I think this is partly because the other investment houses do not talk to them, Unicapital president and chief executive Leonardo Arguelles said in a statement. Arguelles said his company aimed to contribute to the development of the countrys capital market by perking up the interest of mid-size enterprises to list in the PSE. Some smaller companies have made their debut in the stock market, mainly due to Unicapitals initiative and commitment to the largely untapped segment. Among the mid-size companies that recently listed with the PSE through Unicapital Inc. were Calapan Ventures Inc., Cirtek Holdings Philippines Corp. and East West Bank. Arguelles said some investment houses do not prioritize small and mid-size companies because of paperwork and smaller yields. Our objective is to be the leading independent nancial services provider catering to the emerging growth sector which is the middle market. We are addressing that emerging market, which is not recognized by the big investment houses, he said. Jaime Martirez, executive committee chairman of the Unicapital Group and managing director and treasurer of Unicapital Inc., said the government in countries such as the United States, Hong Kong, and Singapore encourages small companies to use the stock market for growth strategy. That is what Unicapital is doing in the Philippines, he said. Unicapital has been the most active in convincing smaller companies to conduct initial public offerings in the last 18 months, arranging ve of nine IPOs this year. Othel V. Campos

24.80 1.05 0.45 12.20 4.45 0.1010 5.20 60.80 8.20 5.44 800.00 831.00 6.18 43.40 0.36 4.30 1.75 0.036 1.00 0.042 5.90 1.03 2.70 1.21 13.80 5.35 1.05 5.00 18.00 12.10 2096.00 10.68 2.42 0.34

0.0038 3.01 14.50 0.170 21.20 1.05

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

SHARES 32,511,374 224,634,332 436,396,939 443,098,839 309,647,915 919,191,896 2,365,493,369

VALUE 2,451,113,121.66 2,700,760,578.15 1,919,595,840.03 1,995,597,857.43 1,461,178,384.46 214,577,741.99 10,742,859,708.7135

FINANCIAL 1,513.93 (UP) 25.63 INDUSTRIAL 8,847.16 (UP) 43.85 HOLDING FIRMS 4,985.81 (UP) 29.59 PROPERTY 2,181.04 (UP) 27.67 SERVICES 1,716.61 (DOWN) 17.97 MINING & OIL 17,880.15 (DOWN) 162.98 PSEI 5,672.70 (UP) 32.25 All Shares Index 3,661.12 (UP) 21.70 Gainers: 79; Losers: 75; Unchanged:41; Total: 195

6.96 0.50 1.0600 1.0900 0.042 0.570 15.04 2.91 0.008 2.99 0.014 0.014 5.10 18.40 3.00 0.017 161.10 0.015 23.05 535.00 100.00 101.50 6.00 108.90

ABS-CBN Holdings Corp. Ayala Corp. Pref `A First Gen G First Phil. Hldgs.-Pref. GMA Holdings Inc. PCOR-Preferred SMC Preferred A SMC Preferred C 1000.00 SMPFC Preferred 0.62 1.30

M S T
MON DAY, DECEMBER 3, 2012
Previous

STOCKS

Close

High

Low

Close Change Volume

71.05 95.00 55.25 20.00 27.95 2.75 486.00 21.30 99.00 1.71 88.35 394.40 55.50 165.00 995.00 111.90 2.27 36.15 6.81 2.17 1.31 18.00 4.80 65.00 3.08 16.88 6.99 9.20 1.80 23.00 91.75 17.98 0.0230 13.16 0.620 106.00 10.10 1.87 13.08 5.95 5.99 32.45 16.340 271.60 8.29 5.52 10.48 9.01 4.10 4.80 34.00 108.90 241.00 1.50 1.75 0.155 1.89 1.12 77.95 1.26 1.15 8.20 1.66 (0.56) 6.74 (0.09) (0.74) 3.90 (1.08) 0.21 (0.23) (0.80) 0.59 (0.17) 1.39 0.18 0.67 0.00 0.00 1.79 1.97 (2.58) (0.46) 0.77 (5.26) 17.65 30.00 0.00 10.47 (0.99) (1.60) 0.00 0.00 (0.27) 2.74 (4.17) (2.37) (3.13) 1.44 3.06 (2.09) 0.15 8.58 1.87 (0.92) 1.49 3.66 1.10 2.79 (1.13) 0.00 (0.49) 0.42 0.00 (0.09) (0.82) (6.83) 0.00 0.00 2.16 0.00 1.23 0.80 4.55 1.23 (0.60)

Trade/Buying
96,474,576.50 38,145,865.00 241,442.50 38,843,945.00

NetForeign(Peso)

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

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

ABS-CBN Acesite Hotel APC Group, Inc. Berjaya Phils. Inc. Bloomberry Boulevard Holdings Calata Corp. Cebu Air Inc. (5J) Centro Esc. Univ. DFNN Inc. FEUI Globe Telecom GMA Network Inc. I.C.T.S.I. Information Capital Tech. IPeople Inc. `A IP Converge IP E-Game Ventures Inc. IPVG Corp. Island Info Leisure & Resorts Lorenzo Shipping Macroasia Corp. Manila Jockey Pacic Online Sys. Corp. PAL Holdings Inc. Paxys Inc. Phil. Racing Club Phil. Seven Corp. Philweb.Com Inc. PLDT Common Puregold STI Holdings Transpacic Broadcast Waterfront Phils. Yehey

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

Megaworld Corp. Warrants Makati Fin. Corp.

FINANCIAL 71.40 70.10 95.00 88.20 55.40 55.25 20.20 20.00 28.00 26.90 2.75 2.69 490.00 486.00 21.35 21.30 99.50 98.55 1.71 1.69 89.70 87.00 394.80 390.00 55.75 55.50 165.30 163.90 1000.00 995.00 113.30 111.60 2.27 2.23 INDUSTRIAL 35.45 36.15 35.45 6.99 6.90 6.81 2.18 2.21 2.15 1.30 1.35 1.31 19.00 19.00 17.90 4.08 4.80 4.80 50.00 65.00 65.00 3.08 3.09 3.03 15.28 17.00 15.20 7.06 7.16 6.99 9.35 9.38 9.00 1.80 1.80 1.80 23.00 23.35 23.00 92.00 93.50 91.75 17.50 17.98 17.98 0.0240 0.0240 0.0230 13.48 13.16 13.14 0.640 0.620 0.620 104.50 106.00 103.90 9.80 10.50 9.60 1.91 1.91 1.85 13.06 13.26 13.00 5.48 6.00 5.70 5.88 5.99 5.70 32.75 32.70 32.20 16.100 16.340 16.000 262.00 272.00 262.00 8.20 8.29 8.20 5.37 5.57 5.30 10.60 10.70 10.48 9.01 9.10 9.01 4.12 4.12 4.10 4.78 4.80 4.80 34.00 34.10 34.00 109.00 109.20 108.60 243.00 243.60 241.00 1.61 1.59 1.21 1.75 1.75 1.75 0.155 0.156 0.155 1.85 1.90 1.85 1.12 1.12 1.10 77.00 79.50 77.00 1.25 1.27 1.25 1.10 1.15 1.08 8.10 8.20 8.20 1.67 1.72 1.65 HOLDING FIRMS 0.68 0.68 0.66 49.30 51.00 49.20 0.1400 0.1420 0.1400 16.30 16.30 15.78 2.06 2.03 2.02 5.10 5.15 5.00 4.19 4.42 4.08 1.06 1.06 1.00 1.19 1.17 1.05 481.20 500.00 481.00 54.80 54.95 53.70 4.60 4.61 4.60 596.00 604.00 597.00 6.20 6.19 6.00 35.90 36.25 35.25 6.25 6.38 6.26 1.01 1.03 0.99 0.400 0.400 0.400 1.84 1.84 1.80 4.36 4.50 4.40 6.35 6.63 6.35 0.0460 0.0460 0.0450 1.200 1.200 1.090 0.550 0.560 0.560 1.78 1.78 1.78 0.310 0.305 0.305 877.00 868.00 840.00 1.88 1.90 1.88 1.09 1.08 1.08 0.2550 0.2550 0.2550 0.3000 0.3100 0.2950 0.340 0.335 0.335 PROPERTY 17.00 17.00 16.50 3.08 3.10 3.06 0.690 0.710 0.700 24.00 23.95 23.70 5.09 5.12 5.07 4.45 4.45 4.31 1.38 1.41 1.38 2.29 2.33 2.26 1.09 1.09 1.09 0.061 0.067 0.065 0.81 0.81 0.79 0.970 1.040 0.970 2.90 2.92 2.90 0.340 0.360 0.345 1.83 1.85 1.82 1.51 1.56 1.51 1.11 1.16 1.12 2.51 2.64 2.50 0.1580 0.1610 0.1590 0.7400 0.7700 0.7500 0.455 0.445 0.445 19.00 19.20 18.98 2.92 2.93 2.88 2.90 2.95 2.90 5.79 5.85 5.75 15.56 16.22 15.56 3.64 3.61 3.61 5.000 5.080 5.000 SERVICES 31.25 31.60 31.30 1.26 1.32 1.22 0.630 0.630 0.620 28.00 28.00 28.00 13.46 14.08 13.50 0.1580 0.1580 0.1540 6.20 6.28 6.00 63.00 63.15 62.80 11.00 11.50 10.84 5.30 5.16 5.15 1080.00 1080.00 1080.00 1125.00 1126.00 1118.00 8.60 8.63 8.56 71.00 71.00 70.90 0.395 0.400 0.380 9.70 9.70 8.90 2.69 2.63 2.44 0.025 0.026 0.024 0.68 0.70 0.60 0.0480 0.0460 0.0460 8.68 8.60 8.50 1.68 1.67 1.67 2.65 2.71 2.71 2.73 2.70 2.70 13.96 13.88 13.88 5.00 5.05 4.99 3.14 3.29 3.12 9.50 9.31 9.31 81.00 82.00 81.00 13.90 13.90 13.10 2586.00 2590.00 2528.00 32.20 33.50 32.20 1.07 1.16 1.07 2.10 2.08 2.06 0.430 0.440 0.415 1.260 1.260 1.220 MINING & OIL 0.0058 0.0058 0.0057 4.55 4.55 4.52 17.32 17.40 17.34 0.270 0.275 0.270 19.00 19.00 19.00 0.94 0.94 0.92 1.10 1.12 1.06 16.30 16.40 16.02 0.51 0.51 0.48 0.890 0.900 0.860 1.000 1.040 0.950 0.0600 0.0600 0.0580 0.0600 0.0600 0.0590 15.96 15.96 15.78 5.00 5.20 4.78 0.5800 0.5800 0.5800 3.090 3.150 3.080 0.0190 0.0190 0.0180 0.0200 0.0200 0.0200 5.82 5.93 5.93 13.00 13.08 12.52 27.00 27.25 26.10 0.039 0.040 0.038 220.00 224.60 219.60 0.0180 0.0180 0.0180 PREFERRED 30.45 31.40 30.45 522.00 522.00 522.00 105.00 105.00 105.00 101.60 101.70 101.60 8.58 8.70 8.60 108.50 108.50 105.50 74.95 75.00 74.95 75.50 75.50 75.50 1008.00 1009.00 1008.00 WARRANTS & BONDS 1.47 1.60 1.53 SME 3.00 3.00 3.00 71.45 89.00 55.30 20.15 26.90 2.78 485.00 21.35 99.80 1.70 88.50 389.00 55.40 163.90 995.00 111.90 2.23

8,251,800 2,300,380 126,790 6,500 4,994,800 64,000 90 600 6,696,880 360,340 988,040 18,170 1,251,750.00 393,370 1,160 54,350 461,000 5,661,300 48,700 1,019,000 135,000 19,200 1,000 1,050 110,000 54,700 34,590,200 341,700 19,000 2,505,400 617,700 100 143,400,000 50,000 5,000 413,610 2,369,900 136,000 413,700 111,400 117,700 2,557,900 41,000 2,429,250 2,500 2,623,900 4,083,800 62,800 142,000 57,000 46,100 327,360 16,810 1,314,000 20,000 640,000 34,000 5,540,000 2,372,130 1,149,000 2,183,000 6,100 2,390,000

(7,035,773.00)

12,309,476.00 2,360,684.00 667,465.00 11,133,928.00 (1,226,900.00) 91,743,545.00 (17,600.00)

(256,096.00) 257,800.00

44,064,752.00 (740,626.00)

16,120,320.00 1,621,517.50 729,100.00 (657,800.00) 6,852,556.00 73,512.00

(66,200.00) (8,667,795.00) (187,719,056.00) (6,590,269.00) (20,765,984.00) 9,100.00 510,800.00

(4,095,635.00) (1,775,788.00)

(201,600.00) 21,299,177.50 (62,500.00) 218,000.00 (84,500.00)

0.68 51.00 0.1410 15.90 2.02 5.15 4.30 1.06 1.17 496.00 54.75 4.61 598.00 6.19 35.90 6.38 0.99 0.400 1.80 4.45 6.40 0.0460 1.200 0.560 1.78 0.305 868.00 1.89 1.08 0.2550 0.3100 0.335

0.00 3.45 0.71 (2.45) (1.94) 0.98 2.63 0.00 (1.68) 3.08 (0.09) 0.22 0.34 (0.16) 0.00 2.08 (1.98) 0.00 (2.17) 2.06 0.79 0.00 0.00 1.82 0.00 (1.61) (1.03) 0.53 (0.92) 0.00 3.33 (1.47) 0.00 0.65 1.45 (0.62) 0.59 (2.02) 2.17 (1.31) 0.00 9.84 (2.47) 6.19 0.34 2.94 1.09 3.31 3.60 4.38 0.63 1.35 (2.20) 0.32 (1.37) 0.00 0.17 3.86 (0.82) 1.40

1,883,000 2,313,500 356,260,000 26,403,100 45,000 133,800 58,000 2,000 26,000 844,840 2,041,600 485,000 289,250 63,900 4,902,500 4,456,500 1,665,000 1,390,000 1,011,000 24,971,000 1,544,400 3,300,000 99,000 100,000 21,000 50,000 210,450 565,000 29,000 30,000 370,000 640,000 4,000 215,000 64,000 17,951,700 2,319,600 73,000 1,858,000 203,000 32,000 300,000 4,272,000 142,305,000 122,000 3,840,000 1,133,000 23,198,000 456,000 171,817,000 190,000 3,866,000 100,000 3,018,400 319,000 66,000 798,800 46,135,700 30,000 11,502,900

22,627,380.00 (197,450.00) (235,784,556.00)

36,783,334.00 3,801,433.00 (958,880.00) 20,968,470.00 185,460.00 (89,386,315.00) 3,071,800.00 237,610.00 (556,000.00) 6,280,020.00 6,999.00 40,500.00

(44,098,125.00) (282,000.00)

3,000.00 66,500.00

17.00 3.10 0.700 23.85 5.12 4.36 1.41 2.26 1.09 0.067 0.79 1.030 2.91 0.350 1.85 1.56 1.15 2.62 0.1590 0.7500 0.445 19.06 2.88 2.90 5.80 16.16 3.61 5.070

(42,733,380.00) 4,106,175.00 (219,950.00) (1,248,700.00) (23,000.00) (34,880.00) 128,010.00 (280,000.00) 4,003,090.00 160,194,580.00

35,561,946.00 2,222,739.00 242,575,834.00 21,044,403.00 (10,160.00)

31.50 0.80 1.28 1.59 0.620 (1.59) 28.00 0.00 13.86 2.97 0.1560 (1.27) 6.00 (3.23) 63.00 0.00 11.50 4.55 5.15 (2.83) 1080.00 1120.00 (0.44) 8.62 0.23 71.00 0.00 0.380 (3.80) 9.50 (2.06) 2.63 (2.23) 0.025 0.00 0.61 (10.29) 0.0460 (4.17) 8.54 (1.61) 1.67 (0.60) 2.71 2.26 2.70 (1.10) 13.88 (0.57) 5.05 1.00 3.24 3.18 9.31 (2.00) 81.50 0.62 13.28 (4.46) 2530.00 (2.17) 33.30 3.42 1.13 5.61 2.06 (1.90) 0.425 (1.16) 1.220 (3.17) 0.0058 4.52 17.34 0.270 19.00 0.92 1.07 16.22 0.50 0.880 0.980 0.0600 0.0590 15.78 4.90 0.5800 3.110 0.0190 0.0200 5.93 12.60 27.25 0.038 222.00 0.0180 0.00 (0.66) 0.12 0.00 0.00 (2.13) (2.73) (0.49) (1.96) (1.12) (2.00) 0.00 (1.67) (1.13) (2.00) 0.00 0.65 0.00 0.00 1.89 (3.08) 0.93 (2.56) 0.91 0.00

240,100 65,000 1,235,000 300 3,716,500 16,720,000 871,500 539,730 9,400 49,400 0.00 75,955 217,800 1,091,220 160,000 9,400 47,000 90,000,000 10,063,000 200,000 532,100 1,000 13,000 310,000 2,500 130,600 5,609,000 100 51,690 7,830,200 179,025 3,781,800 143,202,000 12,000 320,000 5,000 64,000,000 67,000 632,800 460,000 4,000 67,000 7,707,000 20,900 3,807,000 35,435,000 9,638,000 237,920,000 27,310,000 339,200 367,800 164,000 982,000 44,800,000 3,700,000 14,500 2,039,600 61,700 455,700,000 357,270 23,000,000

(18,720.00) (770.00) 2,917,962.00 10 (20,521,960.00)

4,779,578.00 51,750.00 (1,802,500.00) (1,157,370.00) 179,700.00

135,000.00 302,960.00

3,403,530.00 (58,104,738.00) (123,035,900.00) 29,859,910.00 (41,652,660.00) (4,400.00)

6,103,846.00 (76,000.00) (295,950.00) 98,000.00

58,130.00

23,600.00 122,450.00 (25,520.00) (1,343,400.00)

2,000.00 (85,985.00) (7,796,304.00) (2,615.00) 108,400.00 (22,314,874.00) (25,967,875.00) 193,230.00 7,290,605.00 (12,918,750.00) 590

31.30 2.79 522.00 0.00 105.00 0.00 101.60 0.00 8.70 1.40 105.50 (2.76) 75.00 0.07 75.50 0.00 1008.00 1.58 7.48

1,180,500 90 190 23,220 1,448,600 2,820 703,550 20,470 0.00 3,607,000 12,000

1,408,120.00

3.00

0.00

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

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

ManilaStandardToday

Classifieds
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS AND HIGHWAYS

TUESDAY

DECEMBER 4, 2012

B3

Republic of the Philippines Department of Public Works and Highways Caraga, Region XIII OFFICE OF THE DISTRICT ENGINEER Agusan del Norte Engineering District Butuan City
DPWH INFRA -07- Standard Advertisement-Revised IRR

LUNGSOD NG MAKATI Bids and Awards Committee

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

REPUBLIKA NG PILIPINAS

ILOCOS SUR 1ST DISTRICT ENGINEERING OFFICE BANTAY, ILOCOS SUR

INVITATION TO BID FOR FLOOD CONTROL AT BANTAOAY, SAN VICENTE, ILOCOS SUR 1ST DISTRICT
1. The Department of Public Works and Highways, Ilocos Sur First District Engineering Office, Bantay, Ilocos Sur, through FY 2012, RA 10155 with SARO-A-12-00885, intends to apply the sum of TWENTY FOUR MILLION TWO HUNDRED FORTY NINE THOUSAND NINE HUNDRED NINETY SIX PESOS & 56/100 (Php24,249,996.56) being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for Contract No. 12AC0083 FLOOD CONTROL AT BANTAOAY, SAN VICENTE, ILOCOS SUR 1ST DISTRICT. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening. The Department of Public Works and Highways, Ilocos Sur First District Engineering Office, Bantay, Ilocos Sur now invites bids for clearing & grubbing; 1,286.77 cu. m. embankment; furnishing of 4,440 l. m. of reinforced concrete sheet piles; driving of 3,885 l m. of reinforced concrete sheet piles; 36,888 kgs. of reinforcing steel; 431.07 cu. m. concrete class A; 555 l. m. pile cut-off; access road; mobilization & demobilization and construction safety & health. Completion of the Works is required within one hundred eighty days (180) calendar days. Bidders should have completed, within ten (10) years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the Project. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II, Instructions to Bidders. Bidding shall be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using non-discretionary pass/fail criterion as specified in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act 9184 (RA 9184), otherwise known as the Government Procurement Reform Act. Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizen / 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 DPWH, Ilocos Sur 1st District Engineering Office and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below from 8 am to 5 pm starting November 28, 2012 to December 17, 2012. A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested Bidders from the address below and upon payment of non refundable fee for the Bidding Documents in the amount of Php25,000.00. It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the website of the Procuring Entity, provided that bidders shall pay the fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids. 6. 7. The DPWH, Ilocos Sur 1st District Engineering Office will hold a pre-bid Conference on December 5, 2012 at the Office of the BAC Chairman. Bids must be delivered to the address below on or before December 17, 2012 at 10:00 in the morning at the Office of the BAC Chairman. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18. Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders representatives who choose to attend at the address below. Late bids shall not be accepted. 8. The Department of Public Works and Highways, Ilocos Sur First District Engineering Office, Bantay, Ilocos Sur reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, to annul the bidding process, and to reject all bids at any time prior to contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders. For further information, please refer to: SUSANA M. PARDO BAC Secretariat Department of Public Works and Highways Ilocos Sur First District Engineering Office Bantay, Ilocos Sur (077) 722-3024 Fax No. (077) 722-8054 (Sgd.) RAYNALDO R. ABLOG, MAPA BAC Chairman
(MST-DEC. 4, 2012)

INVITATION TO BID
The City Government of Makati, through its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), invites suppliers/ manufacturers/distributors/contractors to apply for eligibility and to bid for the hereunder projects: NO. 1 2 3 NAME OF PROJECT AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION Various supplies and materials for K to 12 Program Day Care Interactive Educational Teaching Equipment Package for the use of Day Care Center Pre-School Learning Development Equipment for Office of the Mayor Educational Manipulatives for the use of Pre-Schoolers/ Day Care Schools LOCATION UMAK OM OM OM APPROVED BUDGET P26,875,000.00 P16,910,000.00 P15,124,000.00 P15,048,000.00

INVITATION TO BID
The DPWH DISTRICT ENGINEERING OFFICE, J. Rosales Avenue,Butuan City, Agusan del Norte, through its Bids and Awards Committee ( BAC ), invites contractors to apply to bid for the following contract(s): Contract ID: Project Name: Contract Location: Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC): Contract Duration: Contract ID: Project Name: Contract Location: Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) Contract duration: 12NA0045 (cluster) Concreting of Sta. Ana Road, Nasipit and Concreting of del Pilar Road, Cabadbaran Agusan del Norte Php P7,869,000.00 40 calendar days 12NA0046 Concreting of Mandauy Road Santiago, Agusan del Norte P6,755,000.00 38 Calendar days

Prospective Bidders should have experience in undertaking a similar project with an amount of at least 50% of the proposed project for bidding. The Eligibility Check/Screening as well as the Preliminary Examinations of Bids shall use non-discretionary pass/fail criteria. Post-Qualification of the Lowest Calculated Bid shall be conducted. All particulars relative to Eligibility Statement and Screening, Bid Security, Performance Security, Pre-Bidding Conference(s), Evaluation of Bids, Post-Qualification and Award of Contract shall be governed by the pertinent provisions of R.A. 9184 and its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR). The complete schedule of activities is listed, as follows: ACTIVITIES 1. Pre-Bidding Conference at BAC Conference Room, 9th Floor 2. Opening of Bids at BAC Conference Room, 9th Floor SCHEDULE December 07, 2012 (10:00 A.M.) December 20, 2012 (10:00 A.M.)

2.

Bidding Documents will be available only to Prospective Bidders upon payment of a non-refundable amount of ______________________to the City Government of Makati Cashier. (fee for Bid Documents) (Procuring Entity) The City Government of Makati assumes no responsibility whatsoever to compensate or indemnify (Procuring Entity) bidders for any Expenses Incurred in the preparation of the bid. The City of Makati reserves the right to disqualify any or all proposal, to waive any defects or informalities therein and to accept such proposal as may be considered most advantageous to the Government. Approved by:
(MST-Dec. 4, 2012)

Procurement will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures in accordance with R.A. 9184 and its Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations To bid for this contract, a contractor must submit a Letter of Intent ( LOI ) and must meet the following major criteria: (a) prior registration with DPWH, (b) Filipino citizen or 75% Filipinoowned partnership, corporation, cooperative, or joint venture with PCAB license applicable to the type and cost of this contract, (c) completion of a similar contract costing at least 50% of ABC within a period of 10 years, and (d) Net Financial Contracting Capacity at least equal to ABC, or credit line commitment for at least 10% of ABC. The BAC will use non-discretionary pass/fail criteria in the eligibility check and preliminary examination of bids. Unregistered contractors, however, shall submit their application for registration to the DPWH-POCW Central office before the deadline for the receipt of LOI. The DPWH POCWCentral Office will only process contractors applications for registration, with complete requirements, and issue the Contractors Certificate of Registration (CRC). Registration Forms may be downloaded at the DPWH website www.dpwh.gov.ph. The significant times and deadlines of procurement activities are shown below: 1. Receipt of LOI from Prospective Bidders 2. Issuance of Bid Documents 3. Pre-Bid Conference 4. Receipts of Bids 5. Opening of Bids December 11, 2012 10:00 a.m. November 27, 2012 to Dec. 17, 2012 December 6, 2012 at 10:00 A...M.. December 17, 2012 at 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. December 17, 2012 10:15 a.m.

(Sgd.) ATTY. ELENO M. MENDOZA, JR. Chairperson

3.

Republic of the Philippines Department of Public Works & Highways

OFFICE OF THE DISTRICT ENGINEER

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

INVITATION TO BID
The Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) of the Department of Public Works and Highways, Cebu 6th District Engineering Office, through its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), invites contractors to bid for the aforementioned projects: Item No. 1 a. Contract ID b. Contract Name c. d. e. f. Item No. 2 a. b. c. d. e. f. Item No. 3 a. b. c. d. e. f. Item No. 4 a. b. c. d. e. f. Item No. 5 a. b. Contract ID Contract Name 12HN0076 Construction of School Building (Classroom) at Babag Elementary School, Babag,Lapu Lapu City Contract Location : Lapu Lapu City, Cebu Scope of Work : Construction of 1 Storey, 1 Classroom School Building Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) : Php485, 000.00 Contract Duration : 30 Calendar Days : : 12HN0075 Cluster XII Construction of Flood Control Structures at A) Ibabao-Estancia, Mandaue City B) Sapangdaku, Alangalang, Mandaue City Contract Location : Mandaue City, Cebu Scope of Work : A) RCPC and Manhole Installation including Sidewalk, Curb and Gutter B) Construction of Concrete Catch Basin Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) : Php2, 300, 000.00 Contract Duration : 48 Calendar Days Contract ID Contract Name : : Contract ID Contract Name : : 12HN0074 Construction of Multi-purpose Building at Pusok, Lapu Lapu City Contract ID Contract Name Contract Location Scope of Work : : : : 12HN0073 Construction of Multi-purpose Building at Caohagan, Lapu Lapu City Lapu Lapu City, Cebu Const. of Mini Gym including Stage, Comfort Room & Water Tank 12HN0072 Construction of Drainage Facilities along Mactan Circumferential Road, Cordova Section, including Curb & Gutter with Sidewalk (K0025+770 K00126+125) Contract Location : Cordova, Cebu Scope of Work : RCPC and Manholes installation including Sidewalk, Curb & Gutter Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) : Php6, 122, 500.00 Contract Duration : 150 Calendar Days : :

5.

The BAC will issue hard copies of Bidding Documents (BDs) at DPWH DISTRICT ENGINEERING OFFICE, Butuan City, Agusan del Norte, upon payment of a non-refundable fee of (P 10,000.00). Prospective bidders may also download the BDs, if available, from the DPWH web site. Prospective bidders that will download the BDs from the DPWH website shall pay the said fees on or before the submission of their bids Documents. The Pre-bid Conference shall be open only to interested parties who have purchased the BDs. Bids must accompanied by a bid security, in the amount and acceptable form, as stated in Section 27.2 of the IRR. Prospective bidders shall submit their duly accomplishment forms as specified in the BDs in two (2) separate sealed bid envelopes to the BAC Chairman. The first envelop shall contain the technical component of the bid, which shall include the eligibility requirements. The second envelope shall contain the financial component of the bid. Contract will be awarded to the Lowest Calculated Responsive Bid as determined in the Bid evaluation and the post-qualification. The DPWH DISTRICT ENGINEERING OFFICE, J. Rosales Avenue, Agusan del Norte, reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bid and to annul the bidding process anytime before Contract Award, without incurring any liability to the affected bidders. Approved by: (Sgd.) CLARO S. COMILING Chief MQC Section BAC Chairman
(MST-DEC. 4, 2012)

Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) : Php4, 850, 000.00 Contract Duration : 75 Calendar Days

9.

Contract Location : Lapu Lapu City, Cebu Scope of Work : Const. of a Sports Complex Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) : Php12, 740, 000.00 Contract Duration : 150 Calendar Days

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS AND HIGHWAYS

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKSAND HIGHWAYS

ILOCOS SUR 1ST DISTRICT ENGINEERING OFFICE BANTAY, ILOCOS SUR

INVITATION TO BID FOR REPAIR / REHABILITATION AND IMPROVEMENT OF LATERAL CANAL ALONG MANILA NORTH ROAD, KM. 417+150 KM. 418+810
1. The Department of Public Works and Highways, Ilocos Sur First District Engineering Office, Bantay, Ilocos Sur, through FCDS FY 2012, intends to apply the sum of SIX MILLION PESOS & 00/100 (Php6,000,000.00) being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for Contract No. 12AC0084 REPAIR / REHABILITATION AND IMPROVEMENT OF LATERAL CANAL ALONG MANILA NORTH ROAD, KM. 417+150 KM. 418+100. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening. The Department of Public Works and Highways, Ilocos Sur First District Engineering Office, Bantay, Ilocos Sur now invites bids for 2,308.95 cu. m. structure excavation; 18,837.09 kgs. of reinforcing steel; 229.02 cu. m. structural concrete; 39 l. m. R.C. pipe culverts; 551.25 cu. m. stone masonry and 1,029 mandays construction safety & health. Completion of the Works is required within one hundred fifty days (150) calendar days. Bidders should have completed, within ten (10) years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the Project. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II, Instructions to Bidders. Bidding shall be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using non-discretionary pass/fail criterion as specified in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act 9184 (RA 9184), otherwise known as the Government Procurement Reform Act. Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizen / 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 DPWH, Ilocos Sur 1st District Engineering Office and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below from 8 am to 5 pm starting November 28, 2012 to December 17, 2012. A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested Bidders from the address below and upon payment of non refundable fee for the Bidding Documents in the amount of Php10,000.00. It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the website of the Procuring Entity, provided that bidders shall pay the fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids. 6. 7. The DPWH, Ilocos Sur 1st District Engineering Office will hold a pre-bid Conference on December 5, 2012 at the Office of the BAC Chairman. Bids must be delivered to the address below on or before December 17, 2012 at 10:00 in the morning at the Office of the BAC Chairman. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18. Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders representatives who choose to attend at the address below. Late bids shall not be accepted. 8. The Department of Public Works and Highways, Ilocos Sur First District Engineering Office, Bantay, Ilocos Sur reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, to annul the bidding process, and to reject all bids at any time prior to contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders. For further information, please refer to: SUSANA M. PARDO BAC Secretariat Department of Public Works and Highways Ilocos Sur First District Engineering Office Bantay, Ilocos Sur (077) 722-3024 Fax No. (077) 722-8054 (Sgd.) RAYNALDO R. ABLOG, MAPA BAC Chairman
(MST-DEC. 4, 2012)

ILOCOS SUR 1ST DISTRICT ENGINEERING OFFICE BANTAY, ILOCOS SUR

INVITATION TO BID FOR REHABILITATION/IMPROVEMENT OF MANILA NORTH ROAD, STO. DOMINGO, ILOCOS SUR, KO412+000-KO416+000 W/ EXCEPTIONS
1. The Department of Public Works and Highways, Ilocos Sur First District Engineering Office, Bantay, Ilocos Sur, through FY 2012 RA 10155 with SARO-A-12-00885, intends to apply the sum of THRITY FOUR MILLION SIX HUNDRED FIFTY THOUSAND PESOS ONLY (Php34,650,000.00) being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for Contract No. 12AC0088 REHABILITATION/IMPROVEMENT OF MANILA NORTH ROAD, STO. DOMINGO, ILOCOS SUR, KO412+000-KO416+000 W/ EXCEPTIONS. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening. The Department of Public Works and Highways, Ilocos Sur First District Engineering Office, Bantay, Ilocos Sur now invites bids for the Roadway Excavation of 5,147.18 cu.m.; Embankment of 1,207.68 cu.m.; Sub-grade Preparation of 13,534.00 sq.m.; Aggregate Sub-base Course of 1,353.40 sq.m.; Aggregate Surface Course of 1,760.65 cu.m.; P.C.C.P. (Widening =28mm thck.) of 13,534.00 sq.m.; Stone Masonry of 2,637.35 cu.m.; Traffic Control and Management; Mobilization & Demobilization and Construction Safety & Health. Completion of the Works is required within Ninety Nine (99) calendar days. Bidders should have completed, within ten (10) years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the Project. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II, Instructions to Bidders. Bidding shall be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using non-discretionary pass/fail criterion as specified in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act 9184 (RA 9184), otherwise known as the Government Procurement Reform Act. Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizen / 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 DPWH, Ilocos Sur 1st District Engineering Office and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below from 8 am to 5 pm starting November 29, 2012 to December 18, 2012. A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested Bidders from the address below and upon payment of non refundable fee for the Bidding Documents in the amount of Php25,000.00. It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the website of the Procuring Entity, provided that bidders shall pay the fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids. 6. The DPWH, Ilocos Sur 1 District Engineering Office will hold a pre-bid Conference on December 6, 2012 at 10:00 in the morning at the Office of the BAC Chairman, which shall be open to all interested parties.
st

c. d. e. f. Item No. 6 a. b. c. d. e. f. Item No. 7 a. b.

Contract ID Contract Name Contract Location Scope of Work Contract Duration Contract ID Contract Name

: : : : : : :

12HN0077 Construction of School Building (Classroom) at Cubacub Elementary School, Cubacub Mandaue City Mandaue City, Cebu Const. of 1 Storey, 1 Classroom Schoo Building 30 Calendar Days

Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) : Php485, 000.00

12HN0078 Cluster XIII A) Repair/Rehabilitation of DPWH, Cebu 6th District Engineering Office (Phase II) Building, A. C. Cortes Ave., Mandaue City B) Repair/Maintenance of DENR 7 Information Center Building, Mandaue City Mandaue City, Cebu A) Partitioning/renovation of existing building, const. of toilets B) Repair of DENR Information Center Building 50 Calendar Days

c. d.

Contract Location Scope of Work

: :

2.

e. f. Item No. 8 a. b.

Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) : Php1, 700, 000.00 Contract Duration :

2.

Contract ID Contract Name Contract Location Scope of Work

: : : :

12HN0079 Cluster XIV- Repair/ Maintenance of A) Philippine Postal Office Building, Region VII, Mandaue City B) Bureau of Immigration Building, P. Burgos Street, Mandaue City Mandaue City, Cebu A) Concreting of Flooring including Backfilling, Repair of Roofing B) Repair of Bureau of Immigration Building 42 Calendar Days 12HN0080 Cluster XV Repair/Maintenance of A) Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Post Harvest Research and Extension Office, Natl. Highway, Mandaue City B) Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Post Harvest Bodega and Guard House, Natl. Highway, Mandaue City Mandaue City, Cebu A) Repair of Budget and Finance Office B) Repair of Guardhouse and extension of Bodega 40 Calendar Days

c. d.

3.

e. f. Item No. 9 a. b.

Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) : Php1, 400, 000.00 Contract Duration Contract ID Contract Name : : :

3.

c. d. e. f.

Contract Location Scope of Work

: :

Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) : Php1, 500, 000.00 Contract Duration :

Procurement will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures in accordance with R.A. 9184 and its Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations. To bid for this contract, a contractor must submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) and must meet the following major criteria: (a) prior registration with DPWH, (b) Filipino citizen or 75% Filipino-owned partnership, corporation, cooperative, or joint venture with PCAB license applicable to the type and cost of this contract, (c) completion of a similar contract costing at least 50% of ABC within a period of 10 years, and (d) Net Financial Contracting Capacity at least equal to ABC, or credit line commitment for at least 10% of ABC. The BAC will use non-discretionary pass/fail criteria in the eligibility check and preliminary examination of bids. Unregistered contractors, however, shall submit their applications for registration to the DPWH-POCW Central Office before the deadline for the receipt of LOI. The DPWH-POCW Central Office will only process contractors applications for registration, with complete requirements, and issue the Contractors Registration Certificate (CRC). Registration Forms may be downloaded at the DPWH website www.dpwh.gov.ph The significant times and deadlines of procurement activities are shown below: 1. Issuance of Bidding Documents 2. Pre-bid Conference 3. Receipt of LOIs from Prospective Bidders 4. Receipt of Bids 5. Opening of Bids : : : : : December 4, 2012 to December 19, 2012 December 12, 2012 at 1:00pm December 17, 2012 at 12:00pm December 19, 2012 at 9:00am 12:00pm December 19, 2012 at 2:00pm

5.

5.

7.

Bids must be delivered to the address below on or before December 18, 2012 at 10:00 in the morning at the Office of the BAC Chairman. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18. Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders representatives who choose to attend at the address below. Late bids shall not be accepted.

Prospective bidders shall submit their duly accompanied forms as specified in the BDs in two (2) separate sealed bid envelopes to the BAC Chairman. The first envelope shall contain the technical component of the bid, which shall include the eligibility requirements. The second envelope shall contain the financial component of the bid. Contract will be awarded to the Lowest Calculated Responsive Bid as determined in the evaluation and the post qualification. LOI Form and Bidding Document Fees are shown below: ABC of Project Php500, 000.00 and below Php500, 000.01 - Php1,000, 000.00 Php1,000,000.01-Php5,000,000.00 Php5,000,000.01-Php10,000,000.00 Php10,000,000.01-Php50,000,000.00 Php50,000,000.01-Php500,000,000.00 Bidding Document Fee Php500.00 Php1,000.00 Php5,000.00 Php10,000.00 Php25,000.00 Php50,000.00

8.

9.

The Department of Public Works and Highways, Ilocos Sur First District Engineering Office, Bantay, Ilocos Sur reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, to annul the bidding process, and to reject all bids at any time prior to contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders. For further information, please refer to: SUSANA M. PARDO BAC Secretariat Department of Public Works and Highways Ilocos Sur First District Engineering Office Bantay, Ilocos Sur (077) 722-3024 Fax No. (077) 722-8054 (Sgd.) RAYNALDO R. ABLOG, MAPA BAC Chairman

9.

The Department of Public Works and Highways Cebu 6th District Engineering Office reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bid and to annul the bidding process anytime before Contract award, without incurring any liability the affected bidders. Approved by: (Sgd.) MYRNA A. DELA SERNA BAC Chairman NOTED: (Sgd.) SUZETTE C. NWANAKA OIC, District Engineer
(MST-Dec. 4 & 10, 2012)

(MST-DEC. 4, 2012)

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

WORLD
B4

Manila Standard TODAY

TUESDAY DECEMBER 4, 2012

China overtaking US as top trading nation

SEOULShin Cheol-soo no longer sees his future in the United States. The South Korean businessman supplied components to American automakers for a decade. But this year, he uprooted his family from Detroit and moved home to focus on selling to the new economic superpower: China. In just ve years, China has surpassed the United States as a trading partner for much of the world, including US allies such as South Korea and Australia, according to an Associated Press analysis of trade data. As recently as 2006, the US was the larger trading partner for 127 countries, versus just 70 for China. By last year, the two had clearly traded places: 124 countries for China, 76 for the US. In the most abrupt global shift of its kind since World War II, the trend is changing the way people live and do business from Africa to Arizona, as farmers plant more soybeans to sell to China and students sign up to learn Mandarin. The ndings show how fast China has ascended to challenge Americas century-old status as the globes dominant trader, a change that is gradually translating into political inuence. They highlight how pervasive Chinas impact has been, spreading from neighboring Asia to Africa and now emerging in Latin America, the traditional US backyard. AP

Bersani wins slot for Italys PM polls

ROMEPier Luigi Bersani, the head of Italys main centerleft Democratic Party, won a runoff primary Sunday to become the main center-left candidate for Italys 2013 general elections a vote that polls indicate could well be won by the Democratic Party given the utter disarray of the opposing center-right. Preliminary results gave Bersani 60.8 percent of the vote compared to Florence Mayor Matteo Renzis 39.1 percent, with two-thirds of the votes counted. Even before the results were released, Renzi conceded the victory to Bersani in a Twitter message, writing: It was the right thing to try, it was beautiful to do it together. Thank you all from the heart. The primary had been closely watched since the Democratic Party has a signicant lead in the polls over former Premier Silvio Berlusconis center-right People of Freedom party, which has been in chaos following the media moguls 2011 downfall, a series of corruption scandals within party ranks and Berlusconis indecision over whether to run for a fourth term. The 2013 general election expected in March or April will decide if Italy continues on the same path to nancial health charted by Premier Mario Monti, appointed last year to save Italy from a Greek-style debt crisis. The former European commissioner was named to head a technical government after international markets lost condence in then-premier Berlusconis ability to reign in Italys public debt and push through structural reforms. Monti has ruled out running for ofce but has said he would be willing to stay on in some capacity if he could be of service. Some commentators have oated the idea of Monti taking over the largely ceremonial role as Italian president, while others say his talents would be put to better use as treasury minister. Nearly all polls had projected Bersani would beat Renzi, who campaigned on an Obama-style Lets change Italy now mantra that attracted many disgruntled Italians back to politics. Renzi used his youth hes 37to bolster his call for Italys entire political class to be scrapped. AP

Egypts judges join strike

CAIROEgypts highest court joined a judicial rebellion against President Mohammed Morsi on Sunday by declaring an openended strike on the day it was supposed to rule on the legitimacy of two key assemblies controlled by allies of the Islamist leader.
The strike by the Supreme Constitutional Court and opposition plans to march on the presidential palace on Tuesday take the countrys latest political crisis to a level not seen in the nearly two years of turmoil since Hosni Mubaraks ouster in a popular uprising. Judges from the countrys highest appeals court and its sister lower court were already on an indenite strike, joining colleagues from other tribunals who suspended work last week to protest what they saw as Morsis assault on the judiciary. The last time Egypt had an all-out strike by the judiciary was in 1919, when judges joined an uprising against British colonial rule. The standoff began when Morsi issued decrees on Nov. 22 giving him near-absolute powers that granted himself and the Islamist-dominated assembly drafting the new constitution immunity from the courts. The constitutional panel then raced in a marathon session last week to vote on the charters 236 clauses without the participation of liberal and Christian members. The fast-track hearing pre-empted a decision from the Supreme Constitutional Court that was widely expected to dissolve the constituent assembly. The judges on Sunday postponed their ruling on that case just before they went on strike. Without a functioning justice system, Egypt will be plunged even deeper into turmoil. It has already seen a dramatic surge in crime after the uprising, while state authority is being challenged in many aspects of life and the courts are burdened by a massive backlog of cases. The country cannot function for long like this, something has to give, said Negad Borai, a private law

Supporters of Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi chant slogans as riot police, left, stand guard in front of the entrance of Egypts top court, in Cairo, Egypt, on Dec. 2. Egypts top court announced on Sunday the suspension of its work indenitely to protest psychological and physical pressures, saying its judges could not enter its Nile-side building because of the Islamist presidents supporters gathered outside. AP

rm director and a rights activist. We are in a country without courts of law and a president with all the powers in his hands. This is a clear-cut dictatorial climate, he said. Mohamed Abdel-Aziz, a rights lawyer, said the strike by the judges will impact everything from divorce and theft to nancial disputes that, in some cases, could involve foreign investors. Ordinary citizens affected by the strike will become curious about the details of the current political crisis and could possibly make a choice to join the protests, he said. The Judges Club, a union with 9,500 members, said late Sunday that judges would not, as customary, oversee the national referendum Morsi called for Dec. 15 on the draft constitution hammered out and hurriedly voted on last week. The absence of their oversight would raise more questions about the validity of the vote. If the draft is passed in the referendum, parliamentary elections are to follow two months later and they too may not have judicial supervision. AP

New climate deal

IN BRIEF 9 confirmed dead in Japans tunnel collapse

TOKYOConcrete ceiling slabs fell onto moving vehicles deep inside a long Japanese highway tunnel, and authorities conrmed nine deaths before suspending rescue work Monday while the roof was being reinforced to prevent more collapses. Two vehicles caught re in the accident Sunday morning, and heavy smoke initially hindered rescue efforts. The location of the accident about 1.7 kilometers (a mile) inside the 4.7-kilometer (3-mile) long Sasago Tunnel was also making the work difcult. The nine dead were traveling in The burnt wreckage of a minivan, which was crushed and caught re three vehicles in the tunnel about in Sundays accident, is moved on a transporter out of the Sasago 80 kilometers (50 miles) west of Tunnel on the Chuo Expressway in Koshu, Yamanashi Prefecture, Tokyo on a highway that links the central Japan, on Dec. 3. Concrete ceiling panels fell onto moving capital to central Japan. The tunnel vehicles deep inside the tunnel, and authorities conrmed nine opened in 1977 and is one of many deaths before suspending rescue work Monday while the roof was being reinforced to prevent more collapses. AP in the mountainous country. The search was suspended operator does work to support the Jun Goto, an ofcial at the Fire and Monday morning while the highway remaining slabs in the ceiling, said Disaster Management Agency. Its

DOHAHighlighting a rift between the rich countries and emerging economies like China, New Zealands climate minister staunchly defended his governments decision to drop out of the emissions pact for developed nations, saying its an outdated and insufcient response to global warming. Other key issues at the conference, now starting its second week, include how to help emerging nations switch to climate-friendly energy sources and charting the course for a new treaty that would replace the Kyoto Protocol, which covers only developed countries. New Zealand announced before the UNs climate talks started here last week that it would not take part in the second phase of the Kyoto treaty. That angered climate activists and stunned small neighboring island nations, who fear they could be submerged by rising sea levels spurred by global warming. Climate Minister Tim Groser told The Associated Press on Sunday that New Zealand is ahead of the curve by shifting its attention from the 1997 Kyoto deal to a new global climate pact that would also include developing nations. The US never ratied Kyoto, which expires this year, partly because it did not impose limits on China and other emerging economies. AP

expected to resume by afternoon. Goto said its not clear if there are other survivors. Police and the highway operator Central Japan Expressway Co. were investigating why the concrete slabs collapsed. An inspection of the tunnels roof in September found nothing amiss, according to Satoshi Noguchi, a company ofcial. An estimated 270 concrete slabs, each weighing 1.4 metric tons (1.54 short tons), suspended from the arched roof of the tunnel fell over a stretch of about 110 meters (120 yards), Noguchi said. The operator was exploring the possibility that bolts holding a metal piece suspending the panels above the road had become aged, he said. The panels, measuring about 5 meters (16 feet) by 1.2 meters (4 feet), and 8 centimeters (3 inches) thick, were installed when the tunnel was constructed in 1977. AP

Palestinian president returns triumphantly from UN

RAMALLAH, West BankThe Palestinian president returned triumphantly to the West Bank on Sunday, receiving a boisterous welcome from thousands of cheering supporters at a rally celebrating his peoples new acceptance to the United Nations. An Israeli decision to cut off a cash transfer to the nancially troubled Palestinian Authority, following an earlier decision to build thousands of new homes in Jewish settlements, failed to put a damper on the celebrations. But Palestinian ofcials acknowledged they were undecided on what to do with their newfound status, and were waiting for upcoming Israeli elections and new ideas from President Barack Obama before deciding how to proceed. Outside the headquarters of President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah, some 5,000 people thronged a square, hoisted Palestinian ags and cheered their leaders return from New York. Large posters of the Palestinian leader, whose popularity had plummeted in recent months, adorned nearby buildings. We now have a state, Abbas said to wild applause. The world has said loudly, Yes to the state of Palestine. The United Nations General Assembly last week overwhelmingly endorsed an

Protester sentenced

SINGAPORESingapore sentenced a Chinese immigrant bus driver to six weeks in prison Monday for his involvement in the city-states rst labor strike in 26 years. Pushing for the jail term as a deterrent, the prosecution argued in court that although Bao Feng Shan, 38, was not an instigator of the strike, he was far from a mere passive participant. The prosecution said a lenient approach may encourage others to think that they can commit similar offences and conveniently express remorse to escape custodial sentence. A total of 171 Chinese bus drivers went on strike last Monday in protest at being paid nearly a quarter less than Malaysian bus drivers who work for the same transport company. More than half continued to protest on Tuesday but the strike was over by Wednesday. It disrupted about 5 percent of the city-states bus services. Walking off the job in protest is almost unheard of in Singapore, which requires essential service workers such as bus drivers to give 14 days notice of a strike. The last strike was in 1986 by shipyard workers. Bo was one of ve bus drivers charged for involvement in the strike. The other four are scheduled to appear in court on Thursday and are currently being held at the central police station. AP

Letterman, Hoffman receive cultural award

WASHINGTONDavid Lettermans stupid human tricks and Top 10 lists vaulted into the ranks of cultural acclaim Sunday night as the late-night comedian received this years Kennedy Center Honors with rock band Led Zeppelin, an actor, a ballerina and a bluesman. Stars from New York, Hollywood and the music world joined President Barack Obama at the White House on Sunday night to salute the honorees, whose ranks also include actor Dustin Hoffman, Chicago bluesman Buddy Guy and ballerina Natalia Makarova. The honors are the nations highest award for those who inuenced American culture through the arts. The recipients were later saluted by fellow performers at the Kennedy Center Opera House in a show to be broadcast Dec. 26 on CBS. Obama drew laughs from his guests when he described the honorees as some extraordinary people who have no business being on the same stage together. Noting that Guy made his rst guitar strings using the wire from a window screen, he quipped, That worked until his parents started wondering how all the mosquitoes were getting in. The president thanked the members of Led Zeppelin for behaving themselves at the White House given their history of hotel rooms trashed and mayhem all around. Obama noted Lettermans humble beginnings as an Indianapolis weatherman who once reported the city was being pelted by hail the size of canned hams. Its one of the highlights of his career, he said. All kidding aside, Obama described all of the honorees as artists who inspired us to see things in a new way, to hear things differently, to discover something within us or to appreciate how much beauty there is in the world. AP

independent Palestinian state in the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, territories Israel captured in the 1967 war. AP

TV host lits magicians head on fire

SANTO DOMINGOAn American magician was recuperating Sunday in the Dominican Republic after a local television show host lit his head on re with a ammable cologne. Chico, California-native Wayne Houchin said he is receiving treatment for burns that doctors are cautiously optimistic will not result in scars. A Sunday statement on his Facebook page says he is resting, healing & working through the legal process in the Caribbean nation, where he had been performing with a group of fellow magicians. During a Nov. 26 appearance on the Dominican Republics Closer To The Stars TV program, guest host Franklin Barazarte abruptly doused the US magicians head with Agua de Florida, a ammable cologne commonly used in Santeria rituals. A video of the incident shows the magicians head bursting into ames as Barazarte runs his hands over Houchins hair. It is unclear why the TV host doused his head in the liquid and what ignited it. The program has not commented on the incident. The video also shows Houchin, Barazarte and others struggling to extinguish the ames for several seconds. The incident was not broadcast on Dominican television but a video of it has appeared on the Internet. AP

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redenes corporate social responsibility

By Cat Maniego Clothes for Smiles sounds deceptively simple. Buy a product, and part of the proceeds will go to charity. But Uniqlo, Novak Djokovic and Unicef have created an initiative that doesnt just focus on the act of giving but allows for people to become more involved in how their contributions are being allocated and distributed. Uniqlo came up with the decision to launch Clothes for Smiles, a program aimed at bringing smiles to kids all over the world, nurturing their dreams and giving them the tools to build a better and brighter future, after Novak Djokovics appointment as Uniqlos Global Brand Ambassador, announced in Paris on May 23, 2012. Such a partnership enabled discussions between both parties about their mutual desire to improve peoples lives and contribute to society. According to Katsumi Kubota, Uniqlos chief operating ofcer in the Philippines, Unicef became involved because Novak Djokovic had already been doing projects with them, having been appointed Serbias Ambassador for children from late August 2011. This is further strengthened by Uniqlos belief that Unicef is an advocate for measures to give children the best start in life, because proper care at the youngest age forms the strongest foundation for a persons future. Novak Djokovic champions the project. As the current world number one in his sport, Djokovic is no stranger to facing adversity on and off the court. Kubota believes that this project is about giving children a brighter future full of smiles, and that Djokovic represents a dream come true. He was born in a time of war between his home country of Serbia and many other nations, but he never gave up on his dreams to become the No.1 tennis player in the world. He can give courage to children, says Kubota. Djokovic says, I feel honored, and indeed very excited, to have collaborated with Uniqlo in developing Clothes for Smiles, a totally new program that aims at giving children of all

UNIQLO
ages a chance for a better future. I hope many people from all around the world will help to support this initiative and in doing so will bring smiles to children everywhere. The project consists of two parts which will amount to $5 million each. One program will focus on providing support for Unicef initiative programs for improving childrens health and education, with special focus on programs in Bangladesh, China, Serbia and the Philippines. The other program is still unknown as the project idea will be contributed by Uniqlos customers to allow the clothing vehicles audience to have input in how they can help Uniqlo help others. Why such a new approach? Kubota says that two heads are better than one. The more thoughts being shared, the more ideas arise. And more than that, involving our customers in developing ideas for the use of funds in this project, will them feel that they are part of the change that we wish to happen. Ideas can be submitted onto the website until December 31, 2012. The nal project will be selected by a panel of judges that include Nobel Peace Prize recipient Muhammad Yunus, architect Tadao Ando, Novak Djokovic and Fast Retailing chairman, president and chief executive ofcer Tadashi Yanai. Clothes for Smiles aims to establish its $10-million fund for its projects from the sale of HEATTECH and Ultra Light Down items from the 2012 fall and winter Uniqlo collections. Kubota emphasizes that Clothing for Smiles and HEATTECH/Ultra Light Down go hand in hand. Heattech and Ultra Light Down are changing the world through the power of clothing. As we desire to change the future of the kids we will touch with this campaign, we thought of these two items. Also, both these products have overcome the boundary globally, being widely accepted by everyone. Thats how we want to do this campaign, says Kubota. More information about the Clothing for Smiles initiative can be found on Uniqlos website at www.uniqlo.com/smiles.

COMBINING innovation and fashion has been the industry standard for years, but Uniqlo, working closely with the United Nations Childrens Fund (Unicef) and one of its ambassadors, Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic, is about to redene the concept of corporate social responsibility with its latest undertaking.

tailing c and Fast Re vak Djokovi chief executive o nis player N Serbian ten rman, president and chai Co. Ltd. ai Tadashi Yan

Uniqlos Philippin chief operating es Katsu mi Kubo ofcer in the ta

Timeless Christmas traditions at The Peninsula Manila

IN METRO Manila, nothing can be more traditional (and comparatively timeless seeing that is has been going on for 29 seasons) than the annual Christmas Concert at the Pen The Peninsula Manilas annual gorgeous festive musical gift to the community. Twinkling festive lights have steadily lit up Metro Manila in spectacular style in recent days though the Christmas carols have been airing in shopping malls for several weeks earlier. But for many, the joyous holiday season does not ofcially get started until the Christmas Concert at The Pen,an eagerly awaited event that for almost three decades has been as much a xture of the Manila Christmas scene as Santa Claus himself. The 2012 edition of Christmas Concert at the Pen which takes place from 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm on December 8 is certain to maintain its rich Yuletide promise of previous years with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO) the countrys premier orchestra taking center stage once again under the distinguished baton of Maestro Ruggero Barbieri to render much-loved Christmas carols and music assured to provide the perfect prelude for the holiday season. Now based in his native Italy as both a musical director and orchestral teacher, Maestro Barbieri will be ying in to Manila specically for this event which he has led in his inimitable style for the past several years. Along with the acclaimed PPO, the cast of Christmas Concert at the Pen 2012 includes Arthur Espiritu, one of

Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra

the nest tenors in the Philippine music scene, the multi-awarded University of Santo Tomas Singers, the cherubic Mandaluyong Childrens Choir, supreme soprano Karina Balajadia and principal clarinet player of the PPO, Professor Ariel Sta. Ana. Sometime in early 1979, The Peninsula Manilas former Social and Public Relations director Mila Valenzuela received a phone call from P.L. Lim, president of The Peninsula Manila, saying that Conchita Sunico, chairman of the Manila Metropolitan Theater, was requesting permission for the Mets resident orchestra, the Manila Symphony Orchestra (MSO) Asias oldest symphony orchestra having been formed in 1926to perform in the hotel. They were having an open air concert in Makati but it had started to rain. Could they

move over to The Lobby? The swift decision of then general manager Felix Bieger was in the afrmative. With that rst impromptu concert in The Lobby, which was received enthusiastically by hotel patrons, Bieger recognized that it was tailor-made for The Lobby with its perfect acoustics. Unfortunately, before Bieger could implement his plan, he was moved back to The Peninsula Hong Kong in late 1979. The project was shelved as Biegers successor stayed for only a little more than a year. But when Mr. Fernando Buffa, an Italian, took over as general manager in 1982 he announced in due course that he had decided to hold a formal concert at the The Lobby. He instructed then Public Relations manager Rosary Ysmael to engage a full symphony orchestra with

not less than 60 members. It was a tough assignment as those she approached turned the offer down saying it was unthinkable to do a formal concert in such a casual setting as The Lobby. Not one to easily give up, she got the nod of the very same MSO whom Bieger had allowed to perform in The Lobby four years back. The MSO had 72 members. The marching order of Mr. Buffa was If you dont have 500 people in The Lobby for the concert, I will hang you by the chandelier! And so it came to pass that the rst formally planned concert was held on June 4, 1983. It was a free concert conducted by Professor Sergio Esmilla, one of the countrys renowned conductors. Not 500 came. Instead a staggering 1,500 bodies sat, stood, occupied the third oor gallery, the

second oor upper lobby, The Lobby and the even staircases. A coup! Christmas Concert at the Pen would not be possible without the generous help of other principal sponsors who come together every year to bestow Christmas cheer. They are Stores Specialists Inc. (SSI), Philippine Tatler and Citibank, with the cooperation of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Concertgoers will be called upon to share a minimum consumable cover charge of P750 (exclusive of taxes) with 25 percent of the proceeds beneting Father Als Childrens Foundation, Inc., the funding arm of the Sisters of Mary in the Philippines who run Boystown and Girlstown, a non-stock, non-prot, non-paying, live-in secondary institution caring for 12,000 high school boys and girls from all over the Philippines.

FRESH AND FEARLESS

Clothing brand Bayo, together with Kotex, introduces its newest collection designed by SoFA student Sylvia Park

HOLIDAY-READY HOME
Make sure your home is ready for the merriest and messiest season of all

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IDE INS

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Tippi blue from Sylvia Parks collection for love, Bayo

FRESH and fearless

By Bernadette Lunas

Sylvia dress

M CAF was transformed into a setting of a modern fairy tale as feminine hygiene products brand Kotex teamed up with clothing brand Bayo and the School of Fashion and the Arts to launch the newest collection for the "love, Bayo" that exudes freshness and fearlessness all over.
In its partnership with SoFA and Bayo, Kotex gave seven of the school's best students the opportunity to create a collection for "love, Bayo" which specically targets the younger market. Eighteen-year old Korean national and fashion design student, Sylvia Park emerged as the winner, whose oral and lace collection displayed the perfect representation of the competition's theme "modern fairytale". "When the students were briefed, we said the collection should be inspired by whimsical designs. The theme was modern fairy tale and they came out with different collections," shares Kotex pads brand manager Ritz Tan. According to Park, her design was inspired by the bestselling novel Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery. The story of the literary classic recounts the adventures of the active and extremely imaginative Anne Shirley, a young orphan sent to two old unmarried siblings and her adventures at the Green Gables. "Like the kind of woman Kotex represent, the story's protagonist Anne is an active, self-assured and uncompromising young woman always on the go," Tan adds. Kotex continues to value its commitment of empowering modern Filipina and her today's increasingly active, savvy, and fashionable lifestyle by developing a pad that rises to every occasion, the Kotex Proactive Guards Technology. This incredible technology creates the rst ever sanitary pad that comes with intelligent guards that gently rise as soon as they come in contact with uid, therefore gives every woman an opportunity to live and move as she pleases. Park and the other SoFA students' designs were judged by SoFA owner, bag designer, and columnist Amina AranazAlunan, Heima Store creative director Rossy Yabut, Bayo founders Lynn Agustin and Yvette Lejano, and stylist Jenni Epperson. Park's winning collection was unveiled before the lifestyle press in a fashion show held last Nov. 13, and the clothes, which will represent the "love, Bayo" fashionista as well as the empowered Kotex woman, are now available in all Bayo outlets nationwide as part of its Holiday collection this year.

Communicating in 160 characters

By Ed Biado
IT was December 3, 1992 exactly 20 years ago yesterdaywhen Vodafone executive Richard Jarvis received the greeting, Merry Christmas, on his phone from Sema Group engineer Neil Papworth. This was the first ever transmission of text message, or Short Messaging Service, as we know it. Back then, no one except those involved in developing the technology knew it existed and that it would eventually become the most pervasive mode of mobile communication. But it did and, love it or hate it, its impact on society and culture cannot be ignored. Communicating in 160 characters has become a way of life. (Fun fact: The 140-character per-tweet limit of Twitter was set up in such a way to be compatible with SMS. The remaining 20 characters are used to accommodate non-message content like URLs.) One of textings most visible effects is in language. The way we use words has significantly evolved (or devolved, depending on which angle youre looking at it) with textspeak, a shorthand combination of letters, numbers and symbols to substitute for long words and phrases. This is suggested to be a factor in the deterioration of language skills (grammar, spelling, etc.) among the text generation. Students and young adults have been observed to incorporate abbreviations, text slang, acronyms and emoticons into other writings, in which brevity isnt required, such as emails, handwritten notes and correspondences, more formal ones like essays, and even daily speech. Texting has also proven to be influential in politics. A notable example is the smart mob that toppled former Philippine president Joseph Estrada in 2001. The peaceful assembly was said to be organized and coordinated through text. More recently, reports say that texting played a huge part in the 2009 Iranian election protests. Today, we can tweet and post status messages to Facebook by texting, as well as vote for our favorite reality show contestants and send donations to the Red Cross. And this has undoubtedly made us all more connected; and our lives more convenient than ever before. In the Philippines, SMS was introduced in 1995 on a promotional basis and, again in 1998 as a permanent mobile service. Soon thereafter, the country became the text capital of the world because of the systems wide acceptance and use among Filipinos, who text 1.4 billion times a day.

MAKE sure your home is good and ready for the surge of visitors when they come a-calling during the holidays and ensure an easy clean up after every big or little gathering. Pay attention to the different parts of your house as you face the merriest (and the messiest) season of all: 1.Kitchen. Frequent food preparations could breed colonies of bacteria in your kitchen. Make sure all plates and utensils are properly washed, and dont forget to clean the kitchen counter, the sink and table tops either. Use an express protective cleaner like Stanhome Multisurface, which cleans and degreases all washable kitchen surfaces while leaving a protective outer layer that prevents dirt from clinging. Then, make sure to get rid of viruses, bacteria and fungi to avoid diseases invading your holiday meals. Use Stanhome Germ-Trol Disinfectant Cleaner to effectively wipe out 99.999 percent of germs and bacteria and prevent build up of microorganisms for longer-lasting protection.

Marc Nelson and Rovilson Fernandez

WWF opens The Panda Shop

WORLD Wide Fund for Nature Philippines (WWF-Philippines) invites you to have the environment in mind and spread the love for the planet by sporting and patronizing items from The Panda Shop, the conservation organizations merchandising line. When you get these eco-friendly items, youre helping support WWF-Philippines programs on environmental sustainability, biodiversity conservation, and climate change adaptation in 13 project sites across the country. Get round neck and collared Tshirts with WWFs iconic Panda logo, or go for statement shirts that express your concern for our seas and forests. The aluminum Panda water tumbler is perfect for your outdoor-savvy and sporty colleagues. You can get your mom a reusable Panda canvas bag or a giant Panda umbrella that gives shade from the sun or a refuge from rains. You can also make your dad smile by giving him the cool Panda mug! The Kids Love Panda! T-shirts are available too for the cute younglings. Get WWFs For A Living Planet Planner, which showcases iconic, stunning images of the Philippines wide range of biodiversity and images from WWFPhilippines project sites. The planner also comes with stickers bearing green living tips to help you adopt a more sustainable lifestyle. Other eco-friendly gift options from The Panda Shop are WWFs notebook made from recycled paper, WWF lanyard, WWF Christmas cards, and gift certicates. View and download WWFPhilippines The Panda Shop Merchandise Catalogue, on this page: http://wwf.org.ph/wwf3/ downloads/wwfshop_catalogue_ christmas_2012.pdf

Smart expands All-In suite of plans

SMART Communications Inc. (Smart) has beefed up its "All-In" suite of postpaid plans by offering fully-customizable mobile subscription plans that allow users the freedom to design their own plan by selecting only the services they need, and just charging them against the xed monthly service fee (MSF). Unlike other providers that charge for services on top of MSF, Smart All-In users need not exceed their monthly budget to get the services they need, as long as these chosen services t within their MSF. Among the new services that Smart subscribers can now mix and match under an All-In plan is the "Unli Call & Text," which provides 30 days of unlimited calls and texts to other Smart or Talk N Text numbers, for only P600. Another new service is especially for avid users of the BlackBerry Messenger (BBM). BBM Only now comes with 20 minutes of calls to other Smart or Talk N Text numbers, for only P99 for 30 days. Another bucket, called the "All-net Text," has been upgraded to provide 3,500 texts to any network, for only P350, while the "Unli Trinet Text" now provides a months worth of unli texts to Smart, Talk N Text and Sun numbers for only P350. For a better experience, unlimited services can be enrolled to auto-renewal, providing subscribers the convenience of not having to register on a monthly basis. Available in Plans 500, 800, 1200, 1800, and 2500, all All-In Plans also come with a free handset.

The 'pawfect' presents for furry friends

PET parents can pamper their pets with quality products and help spay or neuter a dog or cat at the same time. Bow & Wow, the Philippines premier all-natural products store for dogs and cats, has an ongoing promotional campaign dubbed Pawfect Present which lets shoppers accumulate paw stamps equivalent to great pet product finds. Ongoing until January 31, 2013, the campaign lets pet parents accumulate pawprint stamps corresponding to premium gifts for their beloved pooches and felines. Every P500 single receipt purchase at Bow & Wow entitles the pet parent to a pawprint stamp that will be handed by the store cashier. Each completed paw card that has been surrendered to Bow & Wow serves as donation to the CARA Welfare Philippines fund for spaying & neutering dogs or cats. Upon reaching certain purchase levels, Bow & Wow paw card holders can redeem exclusive feeding set (P20,000) that offers certain benefits over traditional pet bowls. Redemption period is within 90 days from the issuance of the Bow & Wow paw card. Gift items cannot be exchanged for other items. CARA Welfare Philippines is a non-profit, nongovernment organization that has long been at the forefront of instilling public awareness on animal welfare and protection. Spaying and neutering are safe routine procedures that help reduce pets risk for certain diseases, and can save lives of homeless animals by stopping accidental/unwanted litters. Bow & Wow can be found at Level 5 of ShangriLa Plaza Mall, Mandaluyong City, and at the lower ground floor of Greenbelt 5, Makati City. For more information, visit the Bow & Wow Website at www. bowandwow.com.ph. Or drop Bow & Wow management a line through the email addressmarketing@ bowandwow.com.ph, or call up (632) 501-3680.

These are among the interesting premium free gifts for customers from the Pawfect Presents promo.

Bow & Wow gift items that include soft hooded towel (P5,000); luxury pet mat (P10,000); Clicker Training Box (P15,000); and an elevated pet

2.Living room. The living room is the hub of happy conversations and cherished exchanges during this merry season. Make sure guests feel relaxed and right at home by keeping the space fresh-smelling. Try Stanhomes Stan-wick Home Deodorizers to create sweet-smelling holidays. Choose from Green Tea, Delicious Fruits, Menthol, and Pine scents. 3.Bathroom. A dirty toilet bowl is a breeding ground for diseases. Make sure the bathrooms throne is guest and family-friendly for Christmas. Stanhome Active WC Toilet Bowl Cleaner has been proven to effectively disinfect toilet bowls 100 times better than other brands. 4.Garden. Holding an outdoor Christmas party? Unused garden seats, shelved barbecue grills, and old plastic tables and chairs accumulate tough dirt and stubborn stains while in storage. Use Stanhome Try-It Super Concentrated Cleaner which is made from an amazingly strong formula that removes unbelievably tough stains, like mud, grease, and oil from resistant surfaces like concrete, plastic, iron, and even coarse fabric. For more information about home care, visit the Stanhome World Philippines Facebook fan page, e-mail feedback@stanhomeworldph.com or contact 091-STANHOME (0917-8264663).

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Classifieds
Republic of the Philippines

TUESDAY DECEMBER 4, 2012

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Republic of the Philippines

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS AND HIGHWAYS

ILOILO 4TH DISTRICT ENGINEERING OFFICE STA. BARBARA, ILOILO Tel. Nos. 523-4557 523-9340

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS AND HIGHWAYS

OFFICE OF THE DISTRICT ENGINEER
Batanes District Engineering Office Basco, Batanes

Republic of the Philippines Department of Public Works and Highways

Region IX

OFFICE OF THE DISTRICT ENGINEER

Zamboanga Del Norte, 1st Engineering District Sta. Isabel, Dipolog City

INVITATION TO BID
I. CONTRACT ID PROJECT NAME/LOCATION : 12GI0025 : REHABILITATION / RECONSTRUCTION / REPLACEMENT / RETROFITTING OF EXISTING PERMANENT BRIDGES ALONG NATIONAL ROADS LANAG BRIDGE 2 ALONG NEW LUCENA STA. BARBARA ROAD, STA. BARBARA ROAD : Replacement/Construction of 16.80 l.m. Concrete Bridge and Approaches : P 7,675,379.06 : 150 CD : P 10,000.00

Re-invitation To Enter Into Negotiated Procurement

The Department of Public Works and Highways, Batanes District Engineering Office through its Bids and Awards Committee, invites RR Ricafort Construction and Supplies with office address at Poblacion 1 Gerona, Tarlac III and Redmole Construction/ECS Construction & Traffic Supply Enterprises Incorporation and Three W Builders whose eligibility documents are on file with the DPWH, Batanes District Engineering Office or the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Contractors Registry and other contractors not previously deemed eligible may also apply for eligibility to submit Offers and enter into negotiated procurement with the DPWH, Batanes District Engineering Office for the following project: a) Contract ID b) Contract Name : 12BA0010 : INSTALLATION/ APPLICATION/ CONSTRUCTION OF ROAD SAFETY DEVICES ALONG BASCO-MAHATAOIVANA-UYUGAN-IMNAJBU ROAD BATAN ISLAND AND MAYAN-MAUYEN PORT ROAD ITBAYAT ISLAND Contract Location : Batan & Itbayat Islands, Batanes Scope of Work : Installation of hazard markers, warning signs and pavement markings along Batan and itbayat Islands national road. Approved Budget : Php 9,896,451.73 for the Contract Delivery Period : 180 CD Time and Place of : December 03, 2012 to December 26, 2012 at BAC Secretariat Issuance of Bidding DPWH-Administrative Building, Motorpool Compound Documents (free of charge) Receipt of Offers : Deadline: 12:00 Noon on December 26, 2012 Evaluation of offers: 2:00 P.M. on December 26, 2012

BID BULLETIN NO. 31

Series of 2012
ATTENTION : TO ALL PROSPECTIVE CONTRACTORS / BIDDERS SUBJECT : POSTPONEMENT OF THE DROPPING AND OPENING OF BIDS : DECEMBER 3, 2012

SCOPE OF WORK ABC DURATION COST OF BID DOCUMENTS

DATE

The Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) of the Iloilo 4th District Engineering Office, Department of Public Works and Highways, Sta. Barbara, Iloilo, through the FY 2013 DPWH Infra Program intends to apply the sum stated above being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the above-mentioned contract. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening. The Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) of Iloilo 4th District Engineering Office, Department of Public Works and Highways, Sta. Barbara, Iloilo now invites for the above-mentioned description of work. Completion of the Works is required for the above-mentioned contract. Bidders should have completed, within ten (10) years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the Project. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II, Instruction to Bidders. Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using nondiscretionary pass/fail criterion as specified in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act 9184 (RA 9184), otherwise known as the Government Procurement Reform Act. Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorship, partnerships or organizations with at least seventy five percent (75%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines. Interested bidders may obtain further information from the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) of Iloilo 4th District Engineering Office, Department of Public Works and Highways, Sta. Barbara, Iloilo and inspect Bidding Documents at the address given below from 8:00 A.M. 5:00 P.M. Letters of Intent(LOIs) and/or applications for eligibility and latest Class A documents are to be accepted by the BAC together with the bids and other relevant documents on or before the deadline for submission of bids. 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 indicated above. Issuance of Bidding Documents will be on December 4 December 26, 2012. It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the website of the Procuring Entity, provided that bidders shall pay the fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids. The Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) of Iloilo 4th District Engineering Office, Department of Public Works and Highways, Sta. Barbara, Iloilo will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on December 14, 2012, 10:00 A.M. at Iloilo 4th District Engineering Office, Department of Public Works and Highways, Sta. Barbara, Iloilo, which shall be open to all interested parties. Bids must be delivered to the address below on or before December 26, 2012, 9:00 A.M at Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) of the Iloilo 4th District Engineering Office, Department of Public Works and Highways, Sta. Barbara, Iloilo. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18. Bid opening shall be on December 26, 2012 @ 2:00 P.M at BAC-TWG Office, Iloilo 4th District Engineering Office, Department of Public Works and Highways, Sta. Barbara, Iloilo. 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. To bid for the contract, a Contractor must purchase Bidding Documents and meet the following major criteria: a) prior registration with the DPWH, BAC-CPO, Manila; b) with PCAB license applicable to the type and cost of the contract; c) completion of a similar contract costing at least 50% of the ABC within a period of 10 years, and d) Net Financial Contracting Capacity at least equal to ABC, or Credit Line Commitment at least equal to 10% of the ABC. Bidders shall submit their bids through their Authorized Liaison Officer only as specified in the Contractors Information (CI). The Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) of Iloilo 4th District Engineering Office, Department of Public Works and Highways, Sta. Barbara, Iloilo reserves the right to accept or deny any bid, to annul bidding process, and to reject all bids at any time prior to contract award without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders. For further information, refer to: LEONILA M. CHUA Head, BAC TWG Iloilo 4th DEO, DPWH Sta. Barbara, Iloilo Tel No.: 033-5234557 TERESITA S. SERVA Head, BAC-Secretariat Iloilo 4th DEO, DPWH Sta. Barbara, Iloilo Tel No.: 033-5234557 (Sgd.) PERLA S. LAGUARDIA BAC Chairman NOTED : (Sgd.) ARNEL A. REBETA OIC Asst. District Engineer/Caretaker
(MST-Dec. 4 & 11, 2012)

c) d) e) f) g)

THIS BID BULLETIN IS ISSUED TO INFORM THE PARTICIPATING CONTRACTORS/BIDDERS FOR THE POSTPONEMENT OF THE DROPPING AND OPENING OF BIDS FOR THE FOLLOWING PROJECTS TO AN INDEFINITE DATE AWAITING FOR THE APPROVAL OF THE PLANS AND PROGRAM OF WORKS FROM THE REGIONAL OFFICE, VIZ : 1. Contract ID 12JB0022 - Rehab./Reconst./Upgrading of Damaged Paved National Rd (Intermittent Sect.) ( Cluster ) 1) Km. 1867 +011 Km. 1868 + 050 2) Km. 1869+000 Km. 1869 + 250 3) Km. 1870 + 000 Km. 1870 + 750 2. Contract ID 12JB0023 - Road Improvement Jct. Turno by Pass Road Linabo Peak (3,003 steps) Dipolog City 3. Contract ID 12JB0024 - Road Improvement Jct. Brgy. Cogon Highway to Sungkilaw Falls Dipolog City For guidance and information of all concerned. (Sgd.) FEDERICO M. MOBO, JR. OIC-Asst. District Engineer BAC- Chairperson
(MST-Dec. 4, 2012)

h) i)

A successful offer shall be selected on the basis of such best and final offer/s which should meet the DPWH, BED minimum technical requirements and should not exceed the ABC. The DPWH, Batanes District Engineering Office reserves the right to accept or reject any offer/s to annul the negotiated procurement process at any time prior to contract award without thereby incurring any liability to the affected offerer/s. (Sgd.) ROMMEL E. FABI Asst. District Engineer BAC Vice-Chairman Noted by: (Sgd.) ALEXANDER D. NOLA, CESE District Engineer
(MST-Dec. 4, 2012)

LANAO DEL NORTE 1st DISTRICT ENGINEERING OFFICE

Republic of the Philippines Department of Public Works and Highways

Republic of the Philippines

Department of Public Works and Highways Region X

Lanao del Norte 2nd Engineering District Seminary Drive. Pala-o, Iligan City Tel.: (063)221-5703 Fax Nos.: (063)223-0217, 221-4648 E-mail address: dpwh.lned2@yahoo.com

Area Equipment Section Compound 0054 Seminary Drive, Del Carmen, Iligan City

OFFICE OF THE DISTRICT ENGINEER

INVITATION TO BID
The Lanao del Norte 1st District Engineering Office, through its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), invites contractors to apply for eligibility and, if found eligible, to bid for the following contract: 1. Contract ID: Contract Name: Contract Location: 12KG0076 Cluster I- Construction of School Buildings in the Municipalities of Linamon, Kauswagan, Bacolod, Maigo and PoonaPiagapo, Lanao del Norte 1-CL Napo PS, Linamon, 1-CL Tugar ES and 2-CL Marcela T. Mabanta Memo NHS, Kauswagan, 1-CL Felisa Santos Sr. PS, Bacolod, 2-CL Maigo NHS , 1-CL Panggao PS and 1-CL Labuay PS, Maigo and 2-CL Sultan Dumaub PS, Poona Piagapo Construction Project Php 5,066,000.00 12KG0077 Cluster II- Construction of School Buildings in the Municipalities of Kolambugan, Tubod and Tangkal, Lanao del Norte 1-CL San Roque PS Kolambugan, 2-CL Lanao del Norte Provincial Science and Technolgy HS, 1-CL Barakanas PS, 1-CL Dalama ES and 1-CL Palao ES, Tubod, 1-CL Somiorang PS, 1- CL Beruar IPS, Tangcal, Lanao del Norte Construction Project Php 5,179,000.00 12KG0078 Cluster III- Construction of School Buildings in the Municipalities of Balo-I, Pantar, Matungao, Tagoloan and Pantao-Ragat, Lanao del Norte 2-CL Maliwanag PS, Balo-I, 2-CL Pantar NHS, 1-CL Bubong PS, 1-CL Pantar West PS, 1-CL Punod ES and 1-LC Calibano PS, Pantar, 1-CL Bubong Radapan PS Matungao, 1-CL Malimbato PS1-CL Payawan ES and 1-CL Tumple PS, Tagoloan, 1-CL Pantao Marug PS, 1-CL Munai CES, 2-CL Puals PS, Pantao-Ragat, Lanao del Norte Construction Project Php 8,951,000.00 12KG0079 Cluster IV- Construction of School Buildings in the Municipalities of Kapatagan, Lala, Sapad, Salvador and Sultan Naga Dimaporo, Lanao del Norte 1-CL Bel-is PS, 2-CL Kalinaw Kalilinatd Integrated Peace School (Annex Kapatagan NHS), 1-CL Anacorita Tongco Rubillar MPS and 1-CL La Libertad ES, Kapatagan, 1-CL DAru Bucana ES, 1-CL Panadtaran PS, 1-CL Sario Roda ES (Sta. Cruz Upper) and 6-CL & 2CL Lala NHS, Lala, 1-CL Mabugnao PS, 1-CL Miguel Esmade MES, 2-CL Dansalan Annex PS and 3-CL Pili PS, Sapad, 1-CL Pansor PS and 1-CL Madaya ES, Salvador, 1-CL Andres Bersales Sr. Mem HS (Pandanan NHS), SND, Lanao del Norte Construction Project Php 11,575,000.00

INVITATION TO BID
The (DPWH-Lanao del Norte 2nd Engineering District, Seminary Drive, Pala-o, Iligan City , through its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), invites contractors to apply to bid for the following contracts: 1. Contract ID: Contract Name: 12KF0046 Road upgrading (Gravel to Paved) Based on Gravel Road Strategies, Traffic Benchmark for Upgrading to Paved Road Standard (HDM-4 Analysis), Intermittent Sections Sta. Felomina-BonbononDigkilaan-Rogongon Road (K1559-K1561+000;K1564+000K1565+800;K1568+000-1570+000 and K1575+100-K1577+170), Iligan City Contract Location: Iligan City Brief Description: SPL-I-Bunkhouse/Field Office 1.00 unit SPL-2-Mobilization/Demobilization 1.00 lumpsum SPL-3-Construction Safety & Health 1.00 lumpsum KM1559+000-KM1560+420 200-Aggregate Subbase Course, t=100mm (Correction) 168.78 cu.m. 200-a-Aggregate Subbase Course, t=0.28m (Shouldering) 105.84 cu.m. 311(1)-Portland Cement Concrete Pavement, t=280mm 1,266.30 sq.m. KM1560+420-KM1561+6400 200-Aggregate Subbase Course, t=100mm (Correction) 157.47 cu.m. 200-a-Aggregate Subbase Course, t=0.28m (Shouldering) 98.28 cu.m. 311(1)-Portland Cement Concrete Pavement, t=280mm 1,175.85 sq.m. KM1561+640-KM1562+960 200-Aggregate Subbase Course, t=100mm (Correction) 149.64 cu.m. 200-a-Aggregate Subbase Course, t=0.28m (Shouldering) 93.24 cu.m. 311(1)-Portland Cement Concrete Pavement, t=280mm 1,115.55 sq.m. KM1578+100-KM1579+500 200-Aggregate Subbase Course, t=100mm (Correction) 200.10 cu.m. 200-a-Aggregate Subbase Course, t=0.28m (Shouldering) 126.00 cu.m. 311(1)-Portland Cement Concrete Pavement, t=280mm 1,507.50 sq.m. Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC): Php 12,504,980.01 Contract Duration: 121 calendar days 12KF0047 Installation of Concrete Guardrails along Misamis Oriental-Ma. Cristina Boundary Road, Iligan City KM. 1521+000-KM.1522+000 with exceptions Contract Location: Iligan City Brief Description: SPL-I-Mobilization/Demobilization 1.00 l.s. SPL-II-Construction Safety & Health 1.00 l.s. SPL-III-Bunkhouse/Field Office 1.00 unit 103(1)-Structure Excavation 3.20 cu.m. 401-R.C. Railings 72.00 l.m. Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC): Php 689,932.48 Contract Duration: 37 calendar days 12KF0048 Installation of Concrete Guardrails along Iligan-Bukidnon Road Iligan City KM. 1525+000-KM.1526+000 with exceptions (Liyang Section), Iligan City Contract Location: Iligan City Brief Description: SPL-I-Mobilization/Demobilization 1.00 l.s. SPL-II-Construction Safety & Health 1.00 l.s. SPL-III-Bunkhouse/Field Office 1.00 unit 103(1)-Structure Excavation 1.92 cu.m. 401-R.C. Railings 45.00 l.m. Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC): Php 443,635.90 Contract Duration: 37 calendar days 12KF0049 Installation of Riprap Guardrails along Linamon-Zamboanga Boundary Road KM.1579+000-KM.1580+000 with exceptions, Tabigue, Kolambugan, Lanao del Norte Contract Location: Tabigue, Kolambugan, Lanao del Norte Brief Description: SPL-I-Mobilization/Demobilization 1.00 l.s. SPL-II-Construction Safety & Health 1.00 l.s. 103(1)-Structure Excavation 17.00 cu.m. 505(5)-Grouted Riprap, Class A 30.20 cu.m. Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC): Php 149,850.32 Contract Duration: 37 calendar days

Brief Description : Appropriation: 2. Contract ID: Contract Name: Contract Location:

Period of Posting:

Republic of the Philippines

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS AND HIGHWAYS Office of the District Engineer

LA UNION FIRST ENGINEERING DISTRICT Lingsat, San Fernando City

Brief Description: Appropriation: 3. Contract ID: Contract Name: Contract Location:

November 29, 2012

INVITATION TO BID for

Rehabilitation/Improvement of Drainage Structure along Manila North Road (Clustered) 1. KO269+170 to KO270+000 with exception, L=102.00m, 2. KO272+350 to KO273+650 with exception, L=97.00m, 3. KO273+650 to KO275+000 with exception, L=170.00m The Department of Public Works and Highways, La Union First Engineering District, through the intends to apply the sum of Six Million Pesos (P6,000,000.00) being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for the Rehabilitation/Improvement of Drainage Structure along Manila North Road (Clustered) 1.KO269+170 to KO270+000 with exception, L=102.00m 2. KO272+350 to KO273+650 with exception, L=97.00m 3. KO273+650 to KO275+000 with exception, L=170.00m. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening. The Department of Public Works and Highways La Union First Engineering District now invites bids for the Rehabilitation/Improvement of Drainage Structure along Manila North Road (Clustered) 1.KO269+170 to KO270+000 with exception, L=102.00m 2. KO272+350 to KO273+650 with exception, L=97.00m 3. KO273+650 to KO275+000 with exception, L=170.00m.. Completion of the Works is one hundred (100) 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 as specified in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (lRR) 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 Department of Public Works and Highways La Union First Engineering District and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below from 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested Bidders from the address below and upon payment of a nonrefundable fee for the Bidding Documents in the amount of Ten Thousand Pesos (P10,000.00). It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the website of the Procuring Entity, provided that bidders shall pay the fee for the Bidding Documents not later that the submission of their bids. In the case of National Government Agencies, the General Appropriations Act and/or continuing appropriations; in the case of GOCCs, GFls, and SUCs, the Corporate Budget for the contract approved by the governing Boards; in the case of LGUs, the Budget for the contract approved by the respective Sanggunian. (Section 5(a), RA 9184) A brief description of the scope of Works should be provided, including quantities, location of project, and other information necessary to enable potential bidders to decide whether or not to respond to the invitation. The Department of Public Works and Highways La Union First Engineering District will hold a Pre-Bid Conference at 10:00 AM on December 11, 2012. Bids must be delivered to the address below on or before 12:00 Noon, December 27, 2012 at the DPWH La Union First Engineering District, Lingsat, City of San Fernando, La Union. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18. Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders representatives who choose to attend at the address below. Late bids shall not be accepted. The Department of Public Works and Highways La Union First Engineering District reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bid to annul the bidding process, and to reject all bids at any time prior to contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders. For further information, please refer to: Approved by: (Sgd.) ISABELO V. LOPEZ, JR. BAC Chairman DPWH La Union First Engineering District Lingsat, City of San Fernando, La Union Fax. No./ Tel. No. 072-700-2938 Noted: (Sgd.) ELPIDIO C. PARAGAS District Engineer
(MST-Dec. 4, 2012)

2. Contract ID: Contract Name:

Brief Description: Appropriation: 4. Contract ID: Contract Name: Contract Location:

3. Contract ID: Contract Name:

Brief Description : Appropriation:

Procurement will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures in accordance with R.A. 9184 and its Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations. To bid for this contract, a contractor must submit a letter of Intent (LOI), purchase bid documents and must meet the following major criteria:(a) prior registration with the 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/ cash deposit certificate for at least 10% of ABC. The BAC will use non-discretionary pass/ fail criteria in the eligibility check and preliminary examination of bids. Unregistered contractors, however, shall submit their applications for registration to the DPWHPOCW Central Office before the deadline for the receipt of LOI. The DPWH-POCWCentral Office will only process contractors applications for registration with complete requirements and issue the Contractors Certificate of Registration (CRC). Registration Forms may be downloaded at the DPWH website www.dpwh.gov.ph The significant times and deadlines of procurement activities are shown below: 1. Issuance of Bidding Documents 2. Pre-bid Conference From: November 29 December 26 , 2012 December 6 , 2012 at 10:00 A.M.

4. Contract ID: Contract Name:

Procurement will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures in accordance with R.A. 9184 and its Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations. To bid for the contract, a contractor must submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) and must meet the following major criteria: (a) prior registration with DPWH, (b) Filipino citizen or 75% Filipinoowned partnership, corporation, cooperative, or joint venture with PCAB License applicable to the type and cost of this contract, (c) completion of similar contract costing at least 50% of ABC within a period of 10 years, and (d) Net Financial Contracting Capacity at least equal to ABC, or credit line commitment for at least 10% of ABC. The BAC will use non-discretionary pass/fail criteria in the eligibility check and preliminary examination of bids. Unregistered contractors, however, shall submit their applications for registration to the DPWH-POCW Central Office before the Deadline for the receipt of LOI. The DPWH POCW-Central Office will only process contractors applications for registration, with complete requirements, and issue the Contractors Certificate of Registration (CRC). Registration Forms may be downloaded at the DPWH website www.dpwh.gov.ph. The significant times and deadlines of procurement activities are shown below: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Receipt of LOIs from Prospective Bidders Issuance of Bidding Documents Pre-Bid Conference Receipt of Bids Opening of Bids Deadline: 5:00 P.M./December 6, 2012 November 30, 2012 to December 18, 2012 2:00 P.M. /December 7, 2012 Deadline: 9:00 A.M./December 18, 2012 2:00 P.M. /December 18, 2012

3. Deadline of Receipt of LOI from December 18, 2012 at 12:00 HN Prospective Bidder 4. Receipt of Bids 5. Opening of Bids December 26, 2012 at 10:00 A.M. December 26, 2012 at 10:30 A.M.

The BAC will issue hard copies of Bidding Documents (BDs) at Lanao del Norte 1st District Engineering Office, Area Equipment Services Compd., Seminary Drive, del Carmen, Iligan City, upon payment of non-refundable fees of Php 4,000.00 for project nos. 1 & 2 and Php 8,000.00 for project no. 3 and 4 for the Bid Documents. Prospective bidders may also download the BDs forms from the DPWH website shall pay the said fees on or before the submission of their bid documents. Bids must be accompanied by a bid security, in the amount and acceptable form, as stated in Section 27.2 of the Revised IRR. Prospective Bidders shall submit their duly accomplished forms as 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 Lanao del Norte 1st District Engineering Office reserves the right to accept or reject any bid and to annul the bidding process anytime before Contract award, without incurring any liability to the affected bidders. (Sgd.) AMENODIN M. PASAGI Engineer III BAC Chairman
(MST-DEC. 4, 2012)

The BAC will issue hard copies of Bidding Documents (BDs) at (DPWH-Lanao del Norte 2nd Engineering District Office, Seminary Drive, Pala-o, Iligan City), upon payment of a non-refundable fees of P10,000.00 for project No.1 and P1,000.00 for project Nos. 2,3 & 4 for Bid Documents. Prospective bidders may also download the BDs, if available, from the DPWH website. Prospective bidders that will download the BDs from the DPWH website shall pay the said fees on or before the submission of their bids. Bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any acceptable form in the amount stated in Section 27.2 of the Revised IRR. Prospective bidders shall submit their duly accompanied forms as specified in the BDs in two (2) separate sealed bid envelopes to the BAC Chairman. The first envelope shall contain the technical component of the bid, which will include the eligibility requirements. The second envelope shall contain the financial component of the bid. Contract will be awarded to the Lowest Calculated Responsive Bid as determined in the bid evaluation and the post-qualification. The (DPWH-Lanao del Norte 2nd Engineering District, Seminary Drive, Pala-o, Iligan City) reserves the right to accept or reject any all bid and to annul the bidding process anytime before Contract award, without incurring any liability to the affected bidders. Approved: (Sgd.) MOCAMADALI P. PUNDOGAR Administrative Officer V BAC Chairman
(MST-Dec. 4, 2012)

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Manila Standard TODAY

C4
TUESDAY DECEMBER 4, 2012 Isah V. Red, Editor standard.showbiz@gmail.com

showbitz
rector tried the horror genre with Patayin Mo Sa Sindak Si Barbara and Spirit Warriors 1 and 2, which were later on followed by box-ofce giant projects Feng Shui, Sukob, Tenement 2, Bulong and The Healing this year. Lily and Roselle Monteverde broke Regal tradition of Shake, Rattle, and Roll by tapping Chito to direct all three episodes of in the new installment of the franchise. Chito has gathered seasoned and top notch actors for his Shake movie. Pamana is headlined by three original Shake cast members: Herbert Bautista, Arlene Muhlach and Janice de Belen. It is the story of a family who inherits their uncles comics collection whose characters will later haunt them. Vhong Navarro and Lovi Poe, meanwhile, star in the Unwanted episode, where they play victims of a tragedy that strikes a mall! The third and last episode, Lost Command, on the other hand, is a tale of evil soldiers featuring Dennis Trillo, Paulo Avelino, Martin Escudero, Rommel Padilla and more. From a simple military operation, terror strikes the Special Unit 21 when they discover the power of the so-called berdugo of the former Vigilante Squad, the Alsa Puwersa. Each of the members of Special Unit 21 turn into a zombie except for its leader, Martin Barrientos, who engages the evil soldiers in one grueling battle for supremacy.

KC CONCEPCION
2013 Calendar girl
UNIMAGINABLE. Unthinkable. Impossible.

SIMPLY RED
Those are some of the words describing KC Concepcions decision to pose for a popular drink brands 2013 calendar. But, why not? KC is pretty, intelligent, and as they say in showbiz parlance, a member of the industrys royalty being the daughter of megastar Sharon Cuneta and perennial matinee idol Gabby Concepcion. And in this day and age, posing in swimwear or sexy outt is not longer frowned upon, more so looked down by conservative manangs of the CWL group of the Catholic church. Yes, Tanduay Distillers has chosen KC Concepcion as its calendar girl for the year 2013. The release of the calendar is a most awaited event for Tanduay patrons every year and it has always selected only the best personalities.

ISAH V. RED

Ogie Alcasid

Being the best rhum in the country, it is only tting that Tanduay also choose the best girl to be the face of the brand. KC is an actor, singer, dancer, model and songwriter and a most sought after brand endorser. She recently hosted the reality TV competition The X Factor. She expressed pride in being picked, saying, I feel honored to be chosen to endorse Tanduay. I like the idea that Tanduay is an old trusted brand with a lot of history behind it. You know that with a reputation like that, Tanduay will never let you down. Tanduay Distillers, Inc. originated in 1854 and now boasts 158 years of existence. The brand was recently honored with four Gold Medals from the prestigious Monde Selection. This brings the brands honor hoard to a total of 160 medals. Aside from the internationally acclaimed Tanduay 5 Years, which reects brands rich and lively heritage, there are also new products from Tanduay like Tanduay Light, a new version of Tanduay Rum but of a lighter mix; Mardi Gras, the rst double-avored vodka schnapps in the Philippines which comes in Choco Mint and Mango Orange avors; and Tanduay Cocktails in Mojito, Margarita, Blue Mai Tai and Strawberry Daiquiri avors.

MMFF, different genres topbilled by the countrys biggest stars. The eight entries to this years MMFF appeal to moviegoers of all ages and interests. Name the genre and the Metro Manila lmfest has it. The Nora Aunor starrer, Thy Womb, is heavy drama shot in Tawi Tawi. Directed by Brillante Mendoza, Thy Womb won honors in Venice, including the critics best actress award for Nora. Costars are Bembol Roco, Lovi Poe, Nurjay Sahali, and Mercedes Cabral. Horror is ever present and this year there are two: Chito Ronos Shake, Rattle & Roll XIV, with, as ever, a galaxy of stars. Think of Herbert Bautista, Lovi Poe, Dennis Trillo, Vhong Navarro, Paulo Avelino, and Janice de Belen. The Other horror entry is The Strangers, directed by Lawrence Fajardo and topbilled by Enrique Gil, Enchong Dee, JM de Guzman, Julia Montes, and Cherry Pie Picache. Three comedy pictures are in the running, allstar-studded. Bong Revilla, Vic Sotto, and Judy Ann Santos star in Si Agimat, Si Enteng, at Ako, directed by Tony Y. Reyes. It also has fantasy-action avor. Sisteraka is topbilled by Kris Aquino, Vice Ganda, AiAi de las Alas, Daniel Padilla, and Kathryn Bernardo, with Wenn V. Deramas directing. Sosy Problems directed by Andoy Ranay, has a young cast led by Aljur Abrenica and Solenn Heussaff. Romance drama One More Try stars Angel Locsin, Angelica Panganiban, Zanjoe Marudo, and Dingdong Dantes. Directed by Ruel S. Bayani. Last but not least is the epic historical drama El Presidente, the life and times of President Ernilio Aguinaldo. ER Ejercito plays the title role, with Nora Aunor in a guest appearance as Aguinaldos second wife. Directed by Mark Meily. The 38th MMFF opens Dec. 15 and ends Jan. 8 in Metro Manila and the rest of the country. The target gross this year is P700 million, big but very possible considering the wide appeal of the light entries. Aside from the eight entries, MMFF offers ve New Wave pictures and short lms and Cinephone participated by students, who may well be the lmmakers of tomorrow.

Whats on TV
Elections 2013
Thursdays, 10 to 10:30 p.m.
IN-DEPTH news on the elections in the Philippines on Solar News Channels Solar News, a late-night program solely committed on delivering the weeks top election news. Mai Rodriguez hosts the late night program with Ina Andolong, Camille Elemia and Joyce Ilas. The show wishes to educate the Filipinos on the elections. The weekly also be features political parties, personalities, leaders, and NGOs who play important roles in the election. This Solar News Channel program is a dynamic and informative show with a blend of analysis and commentary by the hosts and guests.. Elections 2013 on Solar News Channel every Thursdays at 10 p.m. *** The Philippines only live and daily all-sports news program featuring local and international sports news, special features, and highlights from the NBA, PBA, Golf, Football, Baseball, Boxing, College sports, and live interviews with sports personalities here and around the

Master of Horror Films Chito Roo whips up another terrifying masterpieces as he megs Regal Entertainment Inc.s biggest and most expensive Metro Manila lmfest entry, Shake, Rattle & Roll Fourteen: The Invasion. The 14th installment in local lmdoms highly successful horror franchise boasts three episodes, each is big enough to be a full-length feature. Chito rst made his mark in the industry with movies like Private Show and Itanong Mo Sa Buwan. Many other movies followed. And then, the multi-awarded di-

Roo directs Shake, Rattle & Roll 14: The Invasion

Twenty ve years int the business, Ogie Alcasid has established himself as one of the most successful songwriters of the Philippine music industry. In marking this milestone, Universal Records is releasing his most ambitious project, the 18 track album The Songwriter And The Hitmakers. The album gathers all the biggest singing and recording artists in the country to breathe life to Ogies songs, including both, his biggest hits and new songs. Gary Valenciano, Regine Velasquez, Martin Nievera, Piolo Pascual, Christian Bautista, Sarah Geronimo, Arnel Pineda, Noel Cabangon, Richard Poon, Jed Madela, Kuh Ledesma, Rachelle Ann Go, Kyla, JayR and Jaya are part of the album. I feel so honored to have been given a project as big as this, says Ogie. I am in awe of all the talents involved here. Tayong Dalawa, a heartwarming duet of Ogie and his lovely wife and Asias Songbird Regine Velasquez is also included in the album. The album afrms the important role that Ogie is playing in the music industry, as the President of OPM. Gathering all these friends in one project gives me pure joy, and I would like to thank all of them for being a part of this milestone project, adds Ogie. I hope everyone will enjoy this 25th anniversary offering.

Ogie Alcasids new album

world is on Solar News. Solar Sports desk is hosted by veteran sports broadcaster Jinno Runo. It airs Monday to Friday 10:30 -11 p.m. and is also available online on www.solarsportsdesk.ph *** Hosted by TV host and celebrity mom Angel Jacob, MedTalk aims to provide information and helpful ways on how the general public should watch over their health. On the show, panelists of esteemed medical doctors will tackle medical or health-related issues, giving useful insights and preventive actions for its viewers. These medical experts will analyze raw health care material and convey health-related information that is easy to understand. Each episode features one case study, as well as two-minute medical segments like Health Capsules, that covers medical facts, breakthroughs, procedures, and trivia and another segment, called Second Opinion, enlightens viewers about health-related issues heard on the news and all other media sources. MedTalk airs every Tuesday, 10 p.m. on Solar News Channel. *** Solar News Channel airs on Sky Ch. 16, Global Destiny Ch. 28, Cignal Ch. 21, Cablelink Ch. 12, and on free television SBN Ch. 21.

Medtalk

Solarsportsdesk debuts

Animax carnival comes to Manila

ANIME fans are in for a treat as Animax, Asias rst channel specializing in anim for everyone, is set to bring on Animax Carnival on Dec. 9 at Robinsons Place Manilas Midtown Atrium in Ermita, After great success in Kuala Lumpur and Taipei, Animax Carnival 2012 will come to its third stop in Manila. Animax is the destination for top anim programs in the Philippines and across Asia. We believe Animax Carnival is an extension of the colorful and fun Animax entertainment experience beyond TV. Fun and engaging, the event will offer something for everyone, said Ricky Ow, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Networks, Asia, Sony Pictures Television. A highlight of Animax Carnival 2012 will be the live nals of Animaxs search for its next Ani-Mate TV presenter. Selected from the dozens of local AniMate hopefuls, seven nalists will take to the runway to win over a panel of ve judges including current Animax Ani-Mate TV presenter and regional celebrity cosplayer, Alodia Gosiengao. The winner will take home P25,000 cash, be Animaxs representative at events, as well as earn the chance to co-host with Ani-Mate Alodia on Animax. Another must-see segment is Animaxs exciting cosplay contest that will bring together colorful local cosplayers donning the costumes of their favorite anim, manga or videogame characters and perform in-character to compete for cash and prizes. As a surprise, Ani-Mate Alodia will also reveal her latest cosplay costume at the event, from one of Animaxs hottest shows at currently. Attendees can also get to experience being an anim voice actor at Animax Carnival. A special dubbing booth offers Filipino fans the chance to be the voice behind their characters from popular Animax anim programs including Beelzebub, Naruto, Bleach, K-On!, Fairy Tail, and Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan.

The biggest and most awaited cinema event in the Philippines is the annual Metro Manila Film Festival, now on its 38th year. As always, variety is the spice of

Variety is the spice of MMFF

Janice de Belen with SRR XIV director Chito Roo

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