Manila Standard Today - June 20, 2012 Issue
Manila Standard Today - June 20, 2012 Issue
Manila Standard Today - June 20, 2012 Issue
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Aquino: More
jail space for
illegal loggers
Dam level drops;
red alert still up
New ood warning
system developed
PH may redeploy govt ships to Panatag
Loan sharks prey on needy ATM cardholders
Centuries-old trees cut, mineral-rich soil set for China
The Court issued its writ in
response to a petition led by
Agham Rep. Angelo Palmones,
who was acting on the com-
plaints of residents that the min-
ing company LNL Archipelago
Minerals Inc. was cutting down
centuries-old trees and leveling a
mountain to build a seaport that
will be used to ship soil rich in
By Joyce Pangco Paares
PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III has or-
dered the Bureau of Corrections to prepare
additional jail space for illegal loggers
who, he says, do not seem to take seriously
the administrations logging ban in national
and residual forests across the country.
Mr. Aquino said he wanted illegal log-
gers to be vacationing in jail during the 25th
anniversary of the Department of Environ-
ment and Natural Resources on Tuesday.
To ensure a higher conviction rate, we
are now tasking the Bureau of Corrections
to put up additional jail space for those va-
cationing illegal loggers who think that I
am not serious in our anti-illegal-logging
campaign, the President said.
He also tasked the Interior and Justice
Departments to submit monthly reports on
the arrests and successful convictions until
all illegal loggers were vacationing with
the Bureau of Corrections.
He cited the massive devastation caused
by illegal logging during the onslaught of
typhoon Sendong in December.
He issued Executive Order 23 last year
ordering a logging moratorium on national
and residual forests to protect and stop the
destruction of watersheds.
THE water level at the La Mesa Dam is declining, but
the red alert is still up in case another typhoon hits the
country and the dam lls up and threatens the villages
surrounding it, an ofcial said Tuesday.
If the downtrend continues, we will downgrade the
alert level to yellow and then green, ofcial-on-duty
Jun Nuez told the Manila Standard.
The yellow alert is agged once the water elevation
at the La Mesa Dam goes down beyond 79.60 meters,
and the green or safe alert is agged at 78 meters. The
water level at the dam was at 79.65 meters as of 4 p.m.
on Tuesday.
Nuez said ofcials were monitoring the water level
at the dam round clock, and that barring another typhoon,
the water elevation there would continue to stabilize.
But weather forecaster Chris Perez said tropical storm
By Sara Fabunan
THE Department of
Foreign Affairs said
Tuesday that it may
re-deploy government
vessels in the disputed
Scarborough Shoal
after the Chinese gov-
ernment said it will
continue to maintain its
presence in the area.
Foreign Affairs
spokesman Raul Her-
nandez said the gov-
ernment was mulling
over the possibility of
redeploying Philippine
Coast Guard and Bureau
of Fisheries and Aquatic
Resources vessels to the
shoal, but any decision
would depend on the
weather.
LOAN sharks are shaking
down for millions of pesos
cash-strapped wage earners
who hock their automated tell-
er machine cards to get quick
loans that lead them to a debt
trap, former Quezon City vice
mayor Charito Planas said on
Tuesday.
She says stories abound on the
poor people driven to hardship by
loan sharks who charge excessive
interest rates and hand over to
them whatever is left of their sala-
ries or income.
THE weather bureau said Tuesday it has developed a
system of warning the public of possible ooding as a
result of a typhoon or storm.
Nathaniel Servando, head of the Philippine Atmo-
spheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Ad-
ministration, said his agencys radars would back up
the system and feed information to the Metro Manila
Development Authority, the National Disaster Risk
Reduction Management Council, and Metro Manilas
17 component localities.
We have to detect and monitor the hazards of heavy
downpours and tell the public and ofcials to react ap-
propriately, he said.
Pagasa will take advantage of modern technology, such
as our Internet website, text and twitter, said Maria Cecilia
By Florencio P. Narito
LEGAZPI CITYQueen Soa of Spain will arrive in the
Philippines early next month and proceed to this city to
unveil the life-size statue of Jose Maria Pearanda, who
was Spanish Governor of Albay from 1834 to 1843, Albay
Gov. Joey Salceda said on Tuesday.
He said the queen will visit the projects nanced by
the Agencia Espaola del Cooperacion Internacional
para el Desarrollo and meet local ofcials to discuss cul-
tural and other issues on the countrys Spanish heritage.
Shoveling dirt.
President Aquino
leads ofcials
in ceremonial
planting at Mala-
canang grounds
to mark World
Environment
Day. At right is
Environment and
Natural Resources
Secretary Ramon
Paje.
SC stops Zambales
mountain leveling
US intel units hold office
in Camp CrameCCP
By Florante S. Solmerin
THE Communist Party of the Philip-
pines on Tuesday said operatives of the
Federal Bureau of Investigation and
other US-based intelligence agencies
had been maintaining an ofce inside
the Custodial Center in Camp Crame
and were being allowed to interrogate
political prisoners accused of having
ties with terrorist organizations.
The FBI maintains an ofce inside
the detention center itself and in a unit in
a nearby condominium, the group said
in a statement, citing as evidence the let-
ter sent by activist Alan Jazmines and his
co-detainees to the Karapatan Alliance
Spains Queen Soa
to unveil Albay statue
TODAY
Standard
Manila
Vol. XXVI No. 106 22 Pages, 3 Sections
P18.00 WEDNESDAY, June 20, 2012
www.manilastandardtoday.com [email protected]
Scenes of destruction. A barren landscape of stripped top soil as a result of wanton exploitation of natural resources in Santa Cruz, Zambales.
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By Christine F. Herrera
THE Supreme Court on Tuesday issued
a writ against Environment Secretary
Ramon Paje, a mining company and the
Philippine Ports Authority to stop them
from leveling a mountain in Zambales
even as the Cabinet secretary was party-
ing with President Benigno Aquino III to
mark his departments 25th anniversary.
chromite and other minerals to
China. The clearing operations
were being guarded by 200 men
armed with AK47 ries, reports
said.
In April, Palmones and La-
guna Rep. Danilo Fernandez,
chairman of the House commit-
tee on ecology, went to inspect
the destruction of the environ-
ment and mountains in Zam-
bales that traverse several towns
of Pangasinan.
They said they were escorted
by policemen armed only with
pistols when confronted by men
carrying heavy rearms.
Fernandez urged Paje to issue
Queen Soa: Re-visiting the past.
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News
ManilaStandardToday [email protected] JUNE 20, 2012 WEDNESDAY
A2
No condos, please. Cultural activist Carlos Celdran protests in front of the Rizal Monument on
Jose Rizals birthday on Tuesday to condemn the planned construction of a condominium near the park
because, he says, it will ruin the view of the monument. DANNY PATA
Council yet to act on proposal
Milagros Fernan-Cayosa, a
council member representing the
Integrated Bar of the Philippines,
said the proposal would be taken
up in succeeding meetings.
We are still deliberating on it.
We will go one step at a time. At
this point we will concentrate rst
on the panel interview, Cayosa
said, referring to a decision Mon-
day to allow media coverage of the
question-and-answer sessions with
the candidates for the post.
Another council member, Jose
Mejia, said the proposal was raised
Monday, but some members ex-
pressed concern that live coverage
might affect their voting.
The main concern was disrup-
tion in the proceedings. But we are
thinking of a system where the me-
dia outts will stay outside the ven-
ue and just hook up with the camer-
as of the Supreme Court. That will
address the concern of disruption,
Mejia said.
He said the executive committee
of the JBC would meet on Thurs-
day to draft the guidelines for the
live coverage of the public inter-
views, which could also be used for
their voting on the shortlist. He said
the guidelines would still be subject
to the councils approval.
As of Tuesday, the council had
41 names with the inclusion of the
By Rey E. Requejo
THE Judicial and Bar Council has yet
to vote on a proposal that would make
public its voting on the nal selection
of the nominees for chief justice of the
Supreme Court, the members of the body
said Tuesday.
latest nominee, the founding dean
of the De La Salle University law
school, Jose Manuel Diokno, son of
the late senator Jose W. Diokno.
The 52-year-old chairman of
the Free Legal Assistance Group,
the oldest and largest organization
of human rights advocates in the
country, was nominated by lawyer
Pablito Sanidad and Eric Vincent
Batalla. He immediately accepted
the nomination.
A magna cum laude graduate of
Northern Illinois University Col-
lege of Law with the degree Juris
Doctor of Laws, Diokno became
prominent after lawyering for Ray-
mond and Reynaldo Manalo in the
writ of Amparo case in the high
court in connection with the broth-
ers alleged abduction and torture at
the hands of the military.
He was the 11th to accept nomi-
nation for chief justice. The oth-
ers were Associate Justices Arturo
Brion and Roberto Abad, former
UP law dean Raul Pangalangan,
former Ateneo law dean Cesar Vil-
lanueva, elections commissioner
Rene Sarmiento, retired Judge
Manuel Siayngco Jr., former execu-
tive secretary Ronaldo Zamora and
lawyers Rodolfo Robles, Katrina
Legarda and Rafael Morales.
Thirty nominees have not yet ac-
cepted or rejected their nomination.
Topping the list are Acting Chief
Justice Antonio Carpio and the other
three other senior justices of the Su-
preme CourtAssociate Justices
Presbitero Velasco Jr., Teresita Leon-
ardo-de Castro, and Diosdado Per-
altawho were automatically nomi-
nated for the post under JBC rules.
Three other junior justices of the
high court received nominations for
the post: Associate Justices Jose Per-
ez, Roberto Abad, and Maria Lourdes
Sereno and Estela Perlas-Bernabe,
two of President Aquinos three ap-
pointees to the Supreme Court.
Among the prominent nominees
are former Makati City Rep. Te-
odoro Locsin Jr., Zamora and 2010
presidential candidate and Bar top-
notcher Gilberto Teodoro Jr.
Four Cabinet ofcials have been
nominated: Justice Secretary Leila
De Lima, Internal Revenue Com-
missioner Kim Jacinto-Henares,
Solicitor General Francis Jardeleza,
and former Energy secretary Ra-
phael Lotilla.
Senator Greogrio Honasan on
Tuesday said he respected the coun-
cils decision to allow live media
coverage of the public interviews
despite his initial reservations that
this would affect the selection pro-
cess.
At rst, I had reservations in
making the selection and voting
process public. But now that JBC
has decided on it, we just have to
support it, Honasan said.
A former member of the council,
Senator Francis Pangilinan, wel-
comed the council decision, saying
it would lead to greater transparen-
cy in selecting the next chief justice.
In the House, the congressmen
who voted to impeach Chief Justice
Renato Corona also welcomed the
move to make public the interviews
with his possible replacements.
With Macon Ramos-Araneta and
Maricel Cruz
Aquino...
He also ordered Executive Sec-
retary Paquito Ochoa Jr. to provide
the Environment Heroes Founda-
tion with P5 million from the Presi-
dents Social Fund.
The endowment fund is a form
of nancial assistance to families
left behind by employees of the En-
vironment Department who died in
the line duty.
Meanwhile, Ochoa said the
Aquino administrations executive
order on mining would pave the
way for the creation of a council
that will come up with the nal for-
mula for revenue sharing.
He said the council would be
composed of representatives from
the Cabinets economic and cli-
mate change clusters.
He said the nal draft of the ex-
ecutive order was submitted to Mr.
Aquino on Monday.
Joyce Pangco Paares
Dam...
Talim would enter the Phil-
ippine area of responsibility at 6
or 7 p.m. on Wednesday, and that
it would bring moderate to tor-
rential rain and add to what Bu-
tchoy had brought.
The Ofce of Civil Defense
said it had yet to warn the vil-
lages that would be affected by
any spillage at the La Mesa Dam
because it must rst be alerted by
weather ofcials.
The cities of Muntinlupa
and Paraaque said they
would not be affected by any
spillage from the dam unlike
Quezon City and the other ar-
eas surrounding the dam.
The National Water Resources
Board on Wednesday said the
water level in all the major water
reservoirs were still under within
the so-called rule curve.
All gated dams have ood
control mechanisms, said the
agencys George Estioco.
Every dam has a ood fore-
casting warning system that co-
ordinates with the local govern-
ment unit if water will be released
from a dam.
Estioco said the water level
was at 189.23 meters at the Angat
Dam, still a long way from the
spilling level of 202 meters.
Ipo dams elevation was now
at 99.95 meters compared to the
spilling level of 100.8 meters.
Estioco said excess water
from the dam was being released
slowly to avert ooding, though
the bulk of the water goes down-
stream to irrigation dams.
All the countrys major water
reservoirs are gated except for La
Mesa Dam. Othel V. Campos,
Ferdinand Fabella, Jonathan
Fernandez, Rio N. Araja and
Macon Ramos-Araneta
New...
Monteverde, project leader of the new rain warning sys-
tem.
She made the statement even as an official said the De-
partment of Science and Technology had been pilot testing
a system of providing more accurate weather forecasts and
flood alerts.
Professor Alfredo Mahar Lagmay of the University of
the Philippines National Institute of Geological Sciences
said Project NOAH, or the Nationwide Operational As-
sessment of Hazards, was the departments response to
President Aquinos order to the weather bureau to provide
more accurate, comprehensive, detailed and timely rain
forecasting and flood warning within six hours to prevent
casualties.
Project NOAH is still on testing for two months now,
Lagmay said, adding that 1,000 sensors600 rain gauges
and 400 water level sensorswould be installed nation-
wide.
He said Project NOAH was now a website providing
weather forecasts and flood warnings, and that it was now
at the beta stage and may be found at noah.dost.gov.ph.
Lagmay said the website was the result of research and
studies based on the lessons learned from past disasters.
Rio N. Araja and Gigi Muoz-David
Spains...
The unveiling of the statue of
the last Spanish governor of Al-
bay will be held at the Pearanda
Park in front of the Provincial
Capitol, Salceda said.
The Philippines was a Spanish
colony for almost 400 years. The
king of Spain governed the Phil-
ippines through his sole repre-
sentative, the governor-general.
It will be the rst time that the
Spanish queen will visit Albay.
From Legazpi, Queen Soa will
y to Zamboanga City.
The inscription on the Pe-
aranda statue reads: A distin-
guished military engineer, he
strengthened the provinces forts
and offshore defenses against pi-
rate raids, built roads and bridg-
es, helped construct the Provin-
cial Capitol and the Cathedral of
San Gregorio Magno, promoted
agriculture and industry, and
distinctly showed excellent gu-
bernatorial administration that
transformed the Province of Al-
bay into a modern and progres-
sive community.
PH...
Weather experts have reported
that a new storm will enter the
country tonight.
Hernandez said in a text mes-
sage that the Philippines and Chi-
na had only agreed to stay out of
the lagoon, the shoals main sh-
ing ground.
The pullout of ships including
shing vessels from inside the
lagoon has been agreed upon by
both the Philippines and China,
Hernandez said.
We will continue our discus-
sions with China on the matter of
ships outside of the lagoon.
In a separate statement, the
Chinese Embassy said it would
maintain its administration and
vigilance over the Huangyan Is-
land waters.
Huangyan Island is known
locally as Panatag, but Manila
refers to it as the Bajo de Ma-
sinloc.
Chinese Foreign Ministry
spokesman Hong Lei insisted that
China had not made any commit-
ments to withdraw its vessels as
opposed to what Foreign Affairs
Secretary Albert del Rosario an-
nounced on Saturday.
We wonder where the so-
called commitment the Philip-
pine side mentioned on Chinas
withdrawal of vessels came
from, Hong said in a statement.
We hope the Philippine side
can restrain their words and be-
haviors, and for more things con-
ducive to the development of the
bilateral relations.
Hong said the Chinese vessels
left the lagoon due to the rough
seas and not because Beijing
was giving up its claim over the
disputed island.
Loan...
The ATM cards have be-
come an integral device for
multi-million lending transac-
tions that literally put millions
of employees into a quagmire
of neck-high loans with inter-
est rates ranging from 5 per-
cent to 10 percent per month,
Planas said.
She says banks and other
lending institutions charge
minimum interest of 1 per-
cent a month or 12 percent
a year, but the loan sharks
charge double that or even
higher.
Planas, who was also for-
mer head of the Nayong Pili-
pino Park, cited the case of a
government employee who
borrowed P40,000 to pay the
tuition of her three children
entering college and paid
P20,000 in interest for 10
months.
She said a worker bor-
rowed P30,000 to pay his
hospitals bills and paid
P27,000 in interest in 18
months, Planas said.
Aling Pacita, a roadside
carinderia operator, borrowed
P5,000 from an Indian na-
tional and shelled out P100 a
day for 60 days. Her neighbor
borrowed P50,000 and had to
pay interest of 560 percent,
Planas said.
Planas says workers sur-
render their ATM cards to the
lender until their loans have
been paid, but many never get
them back because they con-
tinue borrowing.
Other than the excessive
loan interest rates, the loan
sharks do not pay taxes be-
cause they operate in the shad-
ows.
Its time to look into these
unethical dealings that put
millions of ordinary state and
private workers into a quick-
sand of debt, she said.
SC...
a cease-and-desist order against
the mining company, but the
secretary took no action. Pal-
mones went to the Supreme
Court to seek relief.
In its resolution, the Su-
preme Court en banc issued a
Writ of Kalikasan against Paje,
LNL Archipelago Minerals Inc.
president Lawrence Lenio, and
general manager Philip Flo-
ria, Philippine Ports Authority
general manager Juan Sta. Ana,
and Zambales police provincial
director Supt. Francisco San-
tiago Jr.
The writ was issued after Pal-
mones told the Supreme Court
that in April 2012, LAMI and
its agents, with heavy earth-
moving and hauling equipment
and armed with high-powered
rearms, started to cut moun-
tain trees and vegetation.
Worse, they started to flat-
ten a mountain in Barangay
Bolitoc, Sta. Cruz, Zambales,
which serves as natural pro-
tective barriers of the resi-
dents of Sta. Cruz, Zambales
and the residents of some
of the towns of Pangasinan,
which is adjacent, from ty-
phoons and floods, Palmones
told the Supreme Court in a
12-page petition.
Palmones attached 60 pages
of annexes containing photos of
the site before and after the lev-
eling of the mountain, with the
soil pushed towards the sea and
destroying the corals and natural
habitat of the sh. The Court also
received sworn statements from
complaining residents who said
they were never consulted about
the clearing operations and who
demanded that the natural re-
sources there be preserved.
The mining company, backed
with heavily armed men, told
residents the Department of the
Environment and the PPA had
authorized them to atten the
mountain.
Worse, Palmones said, San-
tiago of the Zambales police
provincial ofce covered up the
mining companys activities by
issuing a report falsely stating
there was no leveling of the
mountain. A copy of Santiagos
report was also attached to Pal-
mones petition.
Palmones said the permit to
construct issued by the PPA to
the mining company did not
authorize it to cut down trees,
much less atten a mountain,
for its port construction.
He said the environment
compliance certicate issued
by the Environment Depart-
ment was only a planning
tool and not a permit.
Palmones said he had in-
cluded Paje and other govern-
ment ofcials as respondents
because they failed to act on the
complaint despite undisputed
evidence presented to them and
with no less than Fernandez, as
chairman of the House commit-
tee on ecology, recommending
that the DENR issued a cease-
and-desist order.
As of June 4, or more than a
month after Palmones and Fer-
nandez raised the alarm, the
mining companys backhoes
were still attening the moun-
tain, the lawmaker told the Su-
preme Court.
Respondent LAMI is de-
stroying and continues to
destroy the environment by
cutting mountain trees and lev-
eling a mountain to the damage
and detriment of the residents
of Zambales and of the nearby
towns of Pangasinan, without
any of the concerned govern-
ment agencies and ofcials
stopping such illegal actions
and or worse, condoning the
same, Palmones told the court.
In an interview, Palmones
said the residents wanted the
remaining mountains found to
be rich in mineral resources to
be left unharmed.
He said the raw soil mined
from the mountains were be-
ing shipped to China for pro-
cessing because the LAMI did
not have the capacity to pro-
cess the ore.
LAMI needed the seaport
to cut on travel time and cost
as ships could bring in more
mountain soil and rocks for
export than these would be
shipped by land because trucks
can only carry limited tons of
raw soil and rocks, Palmones
told the Manila Standard.
The mountain trees and the
mountain being destroyed by
respondent LAMI serve as nat-
ural protective barriers of the
residents of Zambales and of the
residents of some nearby towns
of Pangasinan from typhoon and
oods, Palmones said.
Once these natural re-
sources are damaged, the resi-
dents of these two provinces
will be defenseless against
typhoons and floods and their
life, health and properties will
be at the constant risk of be-
ing lost.
Paje, who was seen partying
with the President in Malaca-
ang on Tuesday, has yet to
take action on the Supreme
Court writ.
US...
for the Advancement of Peo-
ples Rights, Commission on
Human Rights and Depart-
ment of Justice.
[The CPP] condemns the
Aquino regime and the Philip-
pine National Police for allow-
ing the US Federal Bureau of
Investigation and other intelli-
gence agencies of the United
States government to operate
in the Philippines and use the
PNPs Camp Crame as a base
for its intelligence operations
and facility for the rendition
of several foreign nationals.
Jazmines, who was arrested in
February 2011 in Bulacan, claims
he is a peace consultant of the
National Democratic Front of the
Philippines.
In the same letter, the de-
tainees likewise claimed that
three of the prisoners detained
at the Custodial Center were
Indonesian nationals who were
arrested in Malaysia and Indo-
nesia, and who were apparently
brought to the prison facility in
the country allegedly at the be-
hest of US government.
They [the Indonesians] have
been given false Filipino identi-
ties to legalize their incarcera-
tion. The US government has
similarly arrested and imprisoned
foreign nationals at the infamous
Guantanamo Bay prison facility
of the US military in Cuba, the
CPP said.
The intelligence operations
of the FBI within the sovereign
territory of the Philippines are
being undertaken underhand-
edly and without the Filipino
peoples full knowledge. The
absence of a formal treaty al-
lowing such operations makes
such spy operations and rendi-
tions illegal even from the point
of view of the laws of the reac-
tionary Philippine government.
JUNE 20, 2012 WEDNESDAY
A3 News
ManilaStandardToday [email protected]
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Bases agency faces P100-m suit
Aviation
head leads
appointees
House stalling on SALN
Integrity pledge. Public Works Secretary Rogelio L. Singson (center) and Bantay Lansangan
executive director and CostPhil Foundation president Vincent Lazatin exchange copies of the
Memorandum of Understanding for Integrity and Transparency of the Project Management Ofces
of the of Public Works department. Witnessing the partnership are (from left) Undersecretary Rafael
C. Yabut, Undersecretary Raul C. Asis (chairman of the DPWH Integrity Development Committee) and
Commission on Audit Supervising Auditor Avenilda B. Torres.
By Joyce Pangco Paares
PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III
has appointed retired Air Force
general William Hotchkiss III as
director general of the Civil Aviation
Authority of the Philippines, a
position he will hold for the next
10 days until he is re-appointed for
another full term of one year.
In his letter to Transportation chief
Manuel Roxas II dated June 13,
Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa
Jr. conrmed the appointment of
the 69-year old Hotchkiss as CAAP
board member and the approval of
his nomination as CAAP director
general.
Hotchkiss, who replaced retired
Air Force Col. Ramon Gutierrez,
will serve the latters unexpired
term until June 30.
Other appointees:
Victorino Manalo as executive
director of the National Archives
of the Philippines under the
National Commission for Culture
and the Arts.
Ernesto Aradanas as executive
vice president of the National
Defense College of the Philippines
for a term of six years.
Wigberto Clavecilla Jr,
commissioner of the Philippine
Sports Commission.
Governors Casimiro
Ynares III of Rizal and Miguel
Dominguez of Sarangani,
chairmen of the Regional Peace
and Order Council of Regions 4a
and 12, respectively.
The President also appointed
Rowena Cristina Guevara as
acting executive director of the
Philippine Council for Industry,
Energy and Emerging Technology
Research and Development under
the Department of Science and
Technology.
Guevara served as dean of the
College of Engineering of the
University of the Philippines.
By Maricel V. Cruz
THE House of Representatives
is under re for stalling efforts
to secure full disclosure of the
statements of assets, liabilities
and net worth (SALN) of all
285 lawmakers; instead, it has
opted to create a ve-man panel
that will review and comply
with procedures relating to the
SALN of members, ofcials,
employees and staff.
Siquijor Rep. Orlando Fua,
senior member of the political
opposition, lamented the
continuing attempt of the House
leadership to withhold from the
media the SALN copies
Why the need for a special
committee for that matter when
you have nothing to hide?,
Fua told the Manila Standard.
Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr.,
in his Speacial Order No. 05-12
dated June 18, 2012, designated
an opposition member, Bohol
Rep. Erico Aumentado, to head
the House Committee on Ethics,
as chairman with Isabela Rep.
Giorgidi Agabao, Batangas
Rep. Tomas Apacible, Nueva
Ecija Rep. Rodolfo Antonino
and Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus
Rodriguez, as members.
That is not a guarantee that
all of them will be willingly
to disclose their SALNs;
90 percent of them are not
disclosing, Fua said.
Fua said that requiring a joint
committee with the Senate to
handle SALN disclosures will
add nother red tape.
There is no need for another
legislative procedure that
merely sets up a road block
to prevent or delay the SALN
disclosure of all legisators,
Fua pointed out.
In his complaint, Manuel T. Ubarra
Jr., vice president of the CJHDevCo,
accused the BCDA board of directors of
maligning the reputation of CJHDevCo
when it caused the publication of a
libelous advertisement.
The accused are Arnel Paciano
Casanova, president and chief executive
ofcer of BCDA, Felicito T. Payumo,
Zorayda Amelia Alonzo, Teresita
Desierto, Ma. Aurora Geotina Garia,
Ferdinand S. Golez , Elmar Gomez and
Maximo L. Sangil.
But the BCDA said the legal suit was a
last-ditch move to evade the contractual
obligation of the developer.
It described the case as a smokescreen
to cover up the real issue, which is
CJDHDevcos non-payment of lease to
the government.
The BCDA maintains that its
published notices were based on ndings
of facts, orders and resolutions issued by
various government agencies.
Former solicitor general Francisco
Chavez, who served as counsel and
accompanied Ubarra in ling the
complaint, explained the decision to
charge the BCDA ofcials.
We draw the line for the oppression
inicted in CHJDevCo. We are seeking
redress for their acts which cause
dishonor and infamy to the ofcers of
CHJDevCo, Chavez said. Clearly,
the honor and reputation of CJHDevCo
and its ofcers have been deliberately,
wantonly and fraudulently tarnished by
BCDAs malicious advertisement, done
through its Board of Directors.
Earlier last week, a complaint for
perjury was led by CJHDevCo before
the Manila Prosecutors Ofce against
Casanova for misrepresenting facts
in connection with a pending estafa
complaint before prosecutors.
The libelous statement read in part:
The Government, through the Bases
Conversion and Development Authority,
wishes to inform unit owners of the
Manor Hotel, Suites Hotel, Log Homes,
Cottages and other properties in Camp
John Hay, Baguio City, that BCDA led
a criminal case for estafa (swindling)
against Robert John Sobrepena (sic) and
other ofcers of the CJHDEVCO for
the double sale of a log home in Camp
John Hay.
The rst sale of the log home bought
by a certain Wilson Sy was subsequently
rescinded by Sy and becamse the basis
of the perjury complaint led against
Casanova.
The libelous ad also said the property
was given by CJHDEVCO as payment-
in-kind to BCDA as part of the settlement
of its debt which now totals 2.9 billion
pesos. CJHDEVCO deliberately and
fraudulently withheld from BCDA
the fact that it had previously sold the
property to another party.
Ubarra said the BCDA caused
the publication of articles that was
calculated to induce in the minds of the
reading public a belief that CJHDevCo
and its ofcers engaged in fraudulent
business practices.
Last week, Ubarra also led a
complaint for perjury against the BCDA
president before the Ofce of the City
Prosecutor in Manila.
By Rey Requejo
THE legal battle has escalated between the
Camp John Hay Development Corp. and the
Bases Conversion Development Authority,
with the private developer ling a P100-million
libel suit against the board of directors of the
state agency.
Opinion Adelle Chua, Editor
ManilaStandardToday
[email protected] JUNE 20, 2012 WEDNESDAY
A4
IN the light of what we know from ofcial
documents, the Aquino administration
is seeking to divert development funds
originally earmarked for solar energy
projects to its own pet project, the
distribution of electric tricycles.
How this administration chooses to
use development loans is well within its
authority, but the governments lack of
candor and unanswered questions about
the e-trike program have cast doubt on
the wisdom of its choices.
First, the Palace denied there was a
diversion of funds, arguing semantically
that there could be no diversion because
the loan had yet to be approved. The
ofcial documents submitted by the
Energy Department and the Asian
Development Bank, however, belie those
claims, clearly stating that the Philippine
government sought a reallocation of
$500 million in funding for solar power
projects to e-trikes and energy-efcient
appliances.
The civil society groups that met with
the government recall how one Energy
ofcial justied the reallocation of funds
as a national priority. In fact, they said,
consultations had been necessitated
because they had complained to the
Washington D.C.-based Clean Technology
Fund last year that the funding for the
solar power projects had been diverted
without proper, transparent and credible
consultation.
In the light of these revelations, the
Palace denials seem disingenuous, to say
the least.
But there are other troubling questions.
The release of the tricycles through local
governments during an election year
should set off alarm bells that money is
being spent on what will indubitably be
a politicized program. Will a town mayor
bestow e-tricycles on those who would
support his political opponent? The answer
doesnt require much thought.
Finally, there are questions on the
viability of the program itself, and
whether adequate support services are
in place. These would include spare
parts and repair services and charging
stations, as well as environmentally
sound disposal facilities needed to
make the program a real success.
Unfortunately, a pilot test in
Mandaluyong City has not been
encouraging. In a year, about 30 percent
of the e-trikes distributed in that city had
broken down and are now conned to the
garagecontrary to the governments
rosy projections that the units would last
10 years.
Despite this less than auspicious start,
the administration proposes to spend
P21.5 billion on what looks clearly like
a problematic program. What is even
more tragic is that, in its rush to push its
pet project, the government, despite its
denials, is taking funds away from a viable
program for tapping a clean and renewable
energy source.
A questionable program
A toothless ban
THE joke among some
environmentalist groups yesterday
was that President Noynoy Aquinos
chances of reforesting his own
thinning scalp are a lot better than the
possibility that his government will
succeed in protecting the countrys
disappearing tree cover through a total
logging ban. For all the tough talk of
this administration
about stopping
the destruction of
whatever forests
we have left, after
all, there seems to
be no end to the
denudation.
Its not funny
how knee-jerk
government policy-
making, combined
with indifferent
law enforcement
and corrupt local practice, can
conspire to create problems that are
worse than anything that was wrong
in the beginning. And if the countrys
remaining forest cover is soon totally
depleted, we will ironically have the
Aquino administrations total ban on
logging to blame.
The sad fact of the matter is that
prices of lumber have fallen to all-
time lows these days, when a total
logging ban has been in place for
more than a year. Thats because there
is a glut in the supply of illegally-cut
lumber despiteor really because of
the nationwide ban.
In February 2011, President
Noynoy Aquino signed Executive
Order 23 imposing a total logging
ban in natural and residual forests,
something that made environmentalist
groups happy. By December of last
year, typhoon Sendong devastated the
cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan
in Northern Mindanao, in large part
because illegally-cut logs stored in
upland areas above the two cities
had cascaded down rivers together
with rampaging oodwaters, causing
untold gried and destruction to the
people living in the atlands below.
The logging ban didnt help people
in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan. No one
has yet been arrested or punished by
the Anti-Illegal Logging Task Force
created by Aquinos EO 23 for cutting
logs despite the ban in the forests
above the two cities.
Yesterday, during the 25
th
anniversary celebrations of the
Department of Environment and
Natural Resources, Aquino seems to
have remembered his illegal logging
ban. He admitted that illegal logging
continues unabated and that corrupt
government ofcials are involved in
the outing of the ban he imposed.
Aquino took the opportunity to
engage in some tough talk that he
probably hoped would strike fear in
the illegal loggers. Because they
have decided to directly challenge
us, I accept the challenge and order
the secretaries of the Departments
of Interior and Local Government,
Justice and Environment and Natural
Resources to meet and plan stricter
measures against illegal logging,
Aquino said.
Aquino said he was also ordering
the Bureau of Corrections to prepare
jail cells for convicted illegal loggers,
who may think I was joking when he
imposed the total logging ban. In the
remaining forest areas where illegal
loggers continue to ply their trade
unmolested, laughter reverberated in
between the crashing of trees felled
despite Aquinos nationwide ban.
* * *
What seems increasingly clear is
that a total logging ban only accelerates
the destruction of the remaining
forests because
all logging is now
against the law.
Because those
who defy the ban
fear no sanctions,
they also feel no
responsibility to
replant or even to
report the trees that
they cut down.
The Philippine
Wood Producers
Association, the
industry group
that grows and cuts trees for lumber
legally, has repeatedly made this
observation. Only legal and regulated
association members in 15 provinces,
PWPA said, have complied with the
logging ban and shut down operations
since it was imposed.
Despite [the] logging ban, illegal
logging activities are openly and
incessantly occurring in untenured
forest lands and even in the national
parks and protected areas, a recent
industry statement said. The DENR
has never been able to successfully
curb illegal logging. As the DENR
openly admits, it just does not have
the necessary nancial and physical
resources to combat syndicated illegal
logging. It has only conscated,
from time to time and here and
there, illegally cut timber as its
accomplishment.
The industry group said that a
logging ban or moratorium affects
most seriously and damagingly only
the legitimate players or stakeholders
like PWPA, which is also usually used
as the scapegoat for every ooding-
related calamity and tragedy that
visits the country. And yet, according
to the group, it is public knowledge
that despite the logging ban and
moratorium, illegal logging, charcoal-
making, and kaingin [slash-and-burn
farming] continue unstoppably all
over the untenured forest lands of the
country.
Now that the rainy season is upon
us once again, the tragedy that took
place in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan
could take place anywhere. And no
matter how many jail cells are built
for illegal loggers who defy Aquinos
total logging ban, the forests will
continue to be destroyed if not one
of them is arrested, charged and
convicted.
Tough talk has gotten this
administration nowhere in the
South China Sea. As illegal logging
continues unabated in mountainous
areas all over the country, those who
defy Aquinos toothless ban seem to
believe that, yes, somebody is really
telling a huge jokebut its only the
loggers who are laughing.
EDITORIAL
Strange bedfellows
SENATOR Aquilino Pimentel III
found a strange bedfellow in the newly
formed political aggrupation, United
Nationalist Alliance. Organized as a
political vehicle for Vice President
Jejomar Binays 2016 presidential
run, UNA collected a motley group of
senatorial candidates for next years
midterm elections.
Pimentel thought all along he was
in good company, with VP Binay,
his ninong former President Joseph
Estrada, Senate President Juan Ponce
Enrile, Senators Chiz Escudero, Loren
Legarda and Gringo Honasan. But he
found out to his dismay that UNA also
included former Senator Migz Zubiri,
his arch rival, for Mindanao votes.
Koko Pimentel is adamant. He
will not share the same stage nor hit
the campaign trail with someone he
accuses of robbing him of four years
in the his six-year term in the Senate.
Although Zubiri pulled a political
coup of sort by resigning last year
to give way to Koko, the latter feels
it was too little, too late. Koko also
claims Migz only gave up his Senate
seat when he got inside track that the
Commission on Elections was going
to rule against him anyway in favor of
Pimentel.
Pimentel is showing his
discomture with Zubiri in a manner
akin to the adage you lie down with
dogs, you get eas. But politics is
addition and in the process one will
nd strange bedfellows within the
party.
It seems though Pimentel has
painted himself into a corner. His
hard-line posturing against Zubiri has
merely elicited lukewarm comments
from Estrada and Enrile.
Its Kokos call, his decision to
make if he wants to stay, Erap and
Enrile said as if they were on the same
page. With that, expect Koko Pimentel
to cross over to the Liberal Party of
President Aquino. A lot of people
would be surprised if Koko eats crow
and decides to stay after making such
a big to do with Migz inclusion in the
UNA senatorial lineup.
Pimentel would be more than
welcome in the Liberal Party which
is having a hard time completing its
own 2013 senatorial slate. So far, the
names that have only come up were
that of Customs Commissioner Ruffy
Biazon and Justice Secretary Leila de
Lima who has also cast a covetous eye
on the vacant post of chief justice.
A Pimentel in the LP lineup is a
plus for both the party and Koko.
Considering the huge campaign
funds of the party in power and the
political machinery of the incumbent
congressmen and local government
ofcials, Koko Pimentel is really
better off with the LP
A win for Pimentel in 2013 against
Zubiri would also reafrm his 2007
victory over the Bukidnon bet.
Next years senatorial election
bears watching as it would give
a glimpse of the eld in the 2016
presidential polls, The front-runners
and possible topnotcher in the
senatorial race will no doubt start
entertaining presidential aspirations
Senator Escudero is thinking of
running as an independent in 2013, as
if to test the waters in the run-up to
2016.
Incidentally, both Escudero and
Pimentel are newly separated from
their spouses. Should they already
be looking for replacements in case
they would needing a First Lady?
President Noynoy Aquino though
has shown a bachelor can be voted
into Malacaang, even as the match-
making hasnt stopped.
The Senate, it seems, has become a
family affair. If Rep. JV Ejercito wins,
he will be joining half-brother Jinggoy
in the Senate as the latter did with his
mother, doctor Loi Ejercito several
years back . Ditto with Cagayan Rep.
Jack Enrile who would overlap with
his father, JPE, who still has two years
left in his term. If he wins, Aurora
Rep, Juan Edgardo Sonny Angara
will be keeping the family name in
the Senate when his father Senator
Edgardo Angara bows out. The
siblings Alan Peter and Pia Cayetano
are currently both in the Senate.
If Pimentel had been able to assume
his post earlier from Zubiri, he would
have been in the Senate with his father
Aquilino Pimentel, Jr.
With such a scenario, the bill
banning political dynasties would
have as much chance of passing
through the legislative mill as Beijing
giving up its claim to the entire South
China Sea.
ALEJANDRO
DEL ROSARIO
BACK CHANNEL
Aquinos logging
ban is a jokebut
only the loggers are
laughing.
JOJO
A. ROBLES
LOWDOWN
ROLANDO G. ESTABILLO Publisher
RAMONCHITO L. TOMELDAN Managing Editor
CHIN WONG/ RAY S. EANO Associate Editors
RALEIGH J. JALECO News Editor
JOEL P. PALACIOS City Editor
ROMEL J. MENDEZ Art Director
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TODAY
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JUNE 20, 2012 WEDNESDAY
A5 Opinion Adelle Chua, Editor
ManilaStandardToday
[email protected]
THE biggest circus is in town. This
is the submission of names to replace
former Supreme Court Chief Justice
Renato Corona, who was ousted after
his conviction in his impeachment
trial.
The Judicial and Bar Council
has made the whole thing worse by
extending the deadline to July 2.
As of last count, there are already
40 names submitted among them a
nurse and a judge who consults with
elves before deciding on cases.
Send in the clowns, indeed!
I dont know whether the JBC
realizes that with Corona out, there
is now a nagging question: Who will
convene the
JBC to submit
to the President
a short list
of nominees
from which he
would make his
appointment?
Read the
Cons t i t ut i on.
Nowhere is
an acting
chief justice
m e n t i o n e d .
Nowhere, too,
does it say that
a vice chairman
of the JBC
would take the
place of a chief justice.
Associate Justice Antonio Carpio
may have been named acting chief
justice. But that is a misnomer
since hes only an ofcer in charge.
To make matters worse, with the
inhibition of Carpio as chairman
of the JBC, the position taken by
retired Justice Regino Hermosisima
as acting chairman of the JBC is also
questionable.
I may be just a journalist who also
happens to be a lawyer, but I take
the Constitution seriously. I am at a
loss. The framers of the Constitution
obviously did not think of the legal
quagmire that would ensue when it is
the chief justice who is ousted.
***
Senator Ralph Recto has led a bill
to correct a glaring anomaly in the
case of Pagcor being both a regulator
of casinos and a casino operator at the
same time. Recto has also called for
the privatization of Pagcor gambling
casinos.
I agree. It is time we divorce the
job of Pagcor as a regulatorwith
the power to supervise and grant
franchises to casinosfrom its role
as operator of gambling casinos
nationwide.
Note that Pagcor Chairman and
CEO Cristino Naguiat, Jr. was
accused of bribery and corruption
for staying at $6,000-a-day suite in
Macau, in the wake of the controversy
between Wynn Resorts and Japanese
billionaire Kazuo Okada.
Naguiats stay at the posh suite
was later defended by Malacaang as
a standard practice among industry
operators.
Even media accepted that
palusot.
Strange, really, because even
though Naguiat went to Macau as
a casino operator, he was also a
regulator. Okada with his Universal
Entertainment Corp. is one of the
stakeholders of more than 100
hectares of Pagcors Entertainment
City being constructed at the
reclaimed area along Roxas
Boulevard. Other stakeholders
are Henry Sys SM Development,
Andrew Tans Megaworld in
alliance with Genting Highlands
of Malaysia, Ricky Razons
Bloombury of Australia and Azure
of Japan.
There is a
clear conict
of interest here.
Naguiat cannot
say he was given
the generous
accommodations
as an operator,
but not as
regulator. This
is the height of
hypocrisy!
Opposition to
the privatization
of Pagcors
g a m b l i n g
casinos is
because of more
than P3 billion in monthly income
that Pagcor is now generating. This
fund is also is shared by charitable
projects as well as the Presidents
social fund. Pagcors privatization
would thus deprive the President of
a bonanza that he could dispose of
however he wants.
But thats not the point. The point
is that the government has no business
in business. Moreover, Pagcors dual
role as operator on one hand and
regulator on the other is an anomaly
especially in the light of President
Aquinos much-vaunted straight and
narrow path.
***
The typhoon seasonand all it
bringsis again upon us.
But what is the Aquino
administration doing to keep the poor
out of harms way?
Right after Sendong devastated
the cities of Cagayan de Oro and
Iligan last year, there were reports
that the government did not pay
attention to geohazard maps that
had warned it about flooding in the
affected areas.
Apparently, nothing has changed.
Earlier this week, Butchoy came and
fortunately did not make landfall
even though it caused heavy rains
that resulted in ooding. Shall we
wait for worse situations before we
act?
My gulay, this administration does
not seem to know its priorities!
Privatize Pagcor
casinos
Pagcors dual
role as casino
operator and
regulator
is a glaring
anomaly.
Choosing the next chief justice
WHO will it be? What kind of person
will he or she be?
Under the Constitution, no person
shall be appointed member of the
Supreme Court unless he or she is a
natural-born citizen of the Philippines,
at least forty years of age, for fteen
years or more a judge of a lower court
or engaged in the practice of law in the
Philippines. Although every member of
the Judiciary must be a person of proven
competence, integrity, probity and
independence, no extra qualications
for SC justices are required.
Chief Justice Renato Corona was
removed from ofce in a controversial
proceeding that began when 188
congressmen, at the behest of
Malacaang, signed an impeachment
complaint containing eight Articles
of Impeachment without reading the
document, and ended when the Senate
convicted him on one charge, for
failing to declare all his bank deposits
in his Statements of Assets, Liabilities
and Net Worth on the basis of illegally
procured evidence.
Some had suggested that Coronas
original sin was the Supreme Court
decision awarding the Cojuangco
family-controlled Hacienda Luisita to
the farmers after PNoys mother, the
late President Cory Cojuangco Aquino,
had exempted it from agrarian reform.
The ofcial reason the President gave
for going after Corona, however,
was that he was Gloria Macapagal
Arroyos midnight appointee, and an
obstruction to his proposed reforms.
Now, Corona has been removed, and
Arroyo is in jail for having allegedly
sabotaged the 2007 senatorial
elections in which most of her senatorial
candidates lost and then-Rep. Noynoy
Aquino won his Senate seat.
Is it correct to say that Mr. Aquino is
now looking for a new chief justice who
will never be seen as being too close,
docile, or subservient to the President,
or will he not mind having someone who
will support everything he does or says?
Mr. Aquinos rst problem is that
every lawyer of at least 15 years
who had a hand in Coronas public
stoning is now hoping to land the job.
Especially those who had thrown the
biggest stones. These could include:
a) the justice secretary who called
Corona names and openly deed a
Supreme Court order restraining her
from blocking GMAs departure for
abroad, before the former president was
accused of any crime; b) the revenue
commissioner who did not mind
playing a female Javert to Coronas
Jean Valjean; c) the associate justice
who would like to pay the Cojuangcos
more money than the Hacienda Luisita
farmers can afford; d) the law professor
who wrote lengthy articles on the trial,
not to explain the law but to advance
his judicial prospects; e) the senior
associate justice who has been Coronas
rival all along.
There are some 30 known candidates
for the position. Whomever Aquino
chooses, he is bound to disappoint more
allies than he would please. He will
have to weigh his choice extra carefully,
but if he takes too long, he could begin
to look like he had gone into Iraq
and Libya and taken out Saddam and
Gaddha respectively without any clue
on how to get out.
Amid all this now comes a theory,
which could yet save the President. It is a
theory which says the President need not
appoint the next chief justice because the
Constitution neither requires nor allows
him to do so. Although president from
Cory Aquino through Gloria Arroyo
have been appointing the chief justice,
a citizens group led by professor Alan
Paguia now says a closer re-reading of
the 1987 Constitution shows it should
not be so.
Article VIII, Section 4, they point out,
provides: The Supreme Court shall be
composed of a Chief Justice and fourteen
Associate Justices. Article VIII, Sec. 9
says, The Members of the Supreme
Court and judges of lower courts shall
be appointed by the President from a list
of at least three nominees prepared by
the Judicial and Bar Council for every
vacancy. Nothing is said about the
President appointing the Chief Justice.
The group maintains that Chief
Justice is a class unto itself, separate
from Members, who are the
Associate Justices. The ofcial
presumption is that the term members
includes the Chief Justice, and no other
group has questioned it. But Paguias
group disputes it.
The group argues that since the Judicial
Department is one of the three co-equal
and coordinate branches of government,
the choice of its head cannot be made and
should not be made by the head of another
department. The power to choose its own
leader is organic to the Court, just as it is
organic to the two Houses of Congress,
whose members elect the Speaker and the
Senate President.
It is a provocative thesis. And it
needs to be tested. Indeed, an interested
party could test it by raising it before
the present Court, and the 14 justices
could rule on it to clarify the appointing
authority of the President. For the
reason earlier stated, the President
may have painted himself into a corner
where as the coin is tossed, heads he
wins, tails he loses.
[email protected]
All shapes and sizes
TWO t we n t y s o me t h i n g ma l e
foreigners conducted an experiment
to see how acceptingor notof
others Filipinos were. They made
big posters saying Free Hug! and
brought these to a mall in Marikina
City. Both walked around the mall
bearing the postersand one of them
dressed as a transgender. They wanted
to know how people would react.
They did not actually look that
foreign. The straight guy was
Indonesian and the one who had put on
a dress, a ribbon, and a lot of make-up
was Cambodian.
A third member of the all-male
group, a Sri Lankan, hovered in the
background taking a cell phone video
of peoples reactions.
The findings were mixed.
Both guys bearing the posters were
met with curious stares all over the
mall. Some people pretended not to
see them. Others acted as though they
had lost their minds.
An old man poked the stomach of
the transgender and stared at her
menacingly. A female store vendor
walked away from the duo, waving not
one but two middle fingers in the air.
But some did respond to the hug
request. The pair noticed that women
tended to hug the transgender first
before they did the straight manif
they even hugged the second one at all.
The pai r di d t he same at t he
busy quadrangle of a Quezon City
university. What they noticed was that
the students were generally kinder and
more receptive to the hugs request.
The experiment was by no means
a st ri ct l y sci ent i fi c one and t he
observations may or may not indicate
a trend among Filipinos in general.
It does pose interesting questions.
For instance, can we say that more
educated people are less prone to
discriminate? Are old people inclined
to be narrow-minded and intolerant?
Or are Filipinos acceptingthey
just dont like giving indiscriminate
hugs to strangers who ask for them?
Is discrimination an act of impulse
and i s i t mi t i gat ed by consci ous
acts? For example, we may initially
be shocked or curious at seeing a
transgender asking for a hugbut get
over it and hug away, anyway.
Last week we heard about an
incident at a bar inside a Makati hotel.
The manager turned away a group of
transgenders because the house rules
said men in womens clothes were not
allowed. Later, the manager said that
the group wasnt allowed in because
they were not on the guest list, and
that the bar allowed transgenders on a
case-to-case basis. Could it be that
the discrimination was one of class,
rather than of gender?
Whe n we move a wa y f r om
suspicious-looking men inside public
buses, for instance, or keep an eye on
them for fear that they may be robbers
just because they look the part, isnt
that discrimination, as well?
Sometimes the fears and the biases
come as a result of upbringing, culture,
or previous experiences. Sure, the
idea is to champion a world free of
discrimination. It seems to be the
politically-correct idea. But we must
also not hold it against those who
struggle with their own built-in biases.
Some people are born and raised to be
more tolerant than others are. Why not
show more charity to the intolerant?
The charity should end, however,
when t hey st ar t act i ng on t hese
impulses. For instance, that old man
did not have any right to poke the
transgender, as much as the vendor
was wrong to flash her middle fingers.
We draw the line when some people
speak cruel words, ridicule, humiliate
or lecture on those who act and believe
differently from them.
Bigotry deserves no charity.
***
Last Sunday was Fathers Day and
I was happy to receive greetings from
a number of friends paying tribute
to mothers who act as fathers at the
same time.
It is, after all, 2012. Men and
women do not anymore have distinct
and mutually exclusive roles within
the family. Indeed mens and womens
functions now overlapand I say
thats healthy. Wives and mothers now
earn money and make big decisions
while husbands and fathers cook, clean
and care for the children.
In todays dynamic world, lines are
blurred and parentsmale, female or
otherwiseare appreciated for what
they are at the core: people who
work hard to enable their children to
realize their potential and become self-
actualizing individuals and productive
members of the community.
[email protected]
EMIL
P. JURADO
TO THE POINT
Discovering South Cotabato
GETTING there meant the possibility
of scheduling an appointment with a
chiropractor afterwards. The roads
were so bad that the 4x4 we were riding
in shook and gyrated like Pia Moran in
the eighties. It wasnt a ride one would
recommend to someone with an acute
fear of heights, either. The single-lane
road was carved precipitously close to
the edge of the mountain and there were
no barriers to prevent a vehicle or a
person from falling off what might have
been the abyss.
All the aggravation, however, was
soon forgotten when we reached the
top of the mountain. The panoramic
view of the lake was spectacular and
breathtaking. And all sevenyes,
sevenwaterfalls were marvelous. I
know I am gushing here, but theres just
no way one can describe the wondrous
work of nature that is Lake Sebu in
South Cotabato other than to use clich
adjectives and multiple exclamation
points.
As I wrote in this space last Monday,
my college friends and I traveled to
the province over the weekend for a
reunion and to pay tribute to our college
mentor. Part of the itinerary was to visit
a few of the many tourist attractions
of the province. We tried a sampling:
The seven falls of Lake Sebu, a oating
restaurant and resort around the lake, two
monasteries in Polomolok, the DOLE
Philippines pineapple plantations,
the Sarangani Highlands garden and
restaurant, and because we were told
the goods here were much better than
the overrated stalls in Baguio City
ukay ukay (hand-me-down) markets!
Its a shame that not too many people
know about Lake Sebu and the other
attractions of South Cotabato. Those
who do are probably scared to venture
because of negative media projection
about Mindanao and its various
provinces. The recent kidnapping of
an international journalist has worsened
the perception about Mindanao. There
is also this stereotyping of Muslims as
bandits. The reality is that it is generally
peaceful in most parts of Mindanao
and Muslims are actually friendly and
amiable.
As I was saying, we took a torturous
ride up the top of a mountain to reach
the rst of Lake Sebus seven waterfalls.
I am not sure how much of the original
topography has been altered but this was
one massive wall of rampaging water.
Although the area has been developed
to provide amenities to visitors, much of
the landscape has remained. There were
still butteries in the area and much of
the forest cover was intact. Of course
the facilities could still be improved and
I hope the provincial government can
allocate resources to bring them to global
standards for eco-tourism sites. Fixing
the roads is also a good place to start.
Most of the young people who
trek by foot to the waterfalls do so
to experience what is dubbed as the
countrys highest and longest zipline.
Were talking here about a zipline that
traverses a wide chasm between two
mountains. Its so high up that houses
below look like matchboxes. I honestly
wanted to give it a try but no one in our
group wanted to risk life and limb for
two minutes of exhilaration.
We had lunch at a resort where we
overdosed on tilapia harvested from the
lake. The restaurant only had tilapia in
its menuthere was tilapia tempura,
tilapia steak, chopsuey tilapia, etc.
We originally intended to pass by one
of the many stores by the roadside that
displayed local products (mainly Tiboli
weaves and handicrafts) for souvenirs
and pasalubong. But at the entrance to
another resort, we saw a trio of Tiboli
women stringing beads. Our group
bought all the necklaces, bracelets, and
rosaries that the women had already
completed mainly because they were
selling these at ridiculously cheap
prices (an intricate necklace was going
for P20).
While I do have reservations about
the wisdom of sustaining ukay-ukay as a
viable business enterprise or as a tourist
attraction, I must note that there seems
to be some truth to the claim that the
second-hand goods being sold in South
Cotabato are of much better quality than
those sold elsewhere.
Much of the attractions of South
Cotabato are natural wonders. I
fervently hope that the province and its
people will be able to protect nature not
only because there is money in tourism
but because as we have witnessed in
neighboring places such as Sarangani,
Iligan and Cagayan de Oro, nature does
ght back in horrible ways.
It was our rst time to travel
together as a big group and although
we did meet some problems when the
low-cost carrier unilaterally canceled
the second leg of the groups return
ight, resulting in a longer detour and
additional expenses, not to mention
untold inconvenience, we did have
fun discovering the wonders of South
Cotabato.
BONG C.
AUSTERO
ARE WE THERE YET?
ADELLE
CHUA
CHASING HAPPY
FRANCISCO S.
TATAD
FIRST THINGS FIRST
News
ManilaStandardToday
[email protected] JUNE 19, 2012 WEDNESDAY
A6
Airport projects up for bid
IN BRIEF
Pinoys mark Rizals birth
anniversary with offerings
Customs computer system
breaks down, goes manual
7 agency ofces still crippled
due to dispute with supplier
Retired air force general Sal-
vador Peaor, NAIA Assistant
General Manager for Security
and Emergency Services, said
the bids will be opened in July
and prospective bidders are ex-
pected to meet the 2012 dead-
line for nine separate projects.
Peaor said the MIAA will
pay for the P2.5-billion program
from the P5 billion it collected
over ve years from the pro-
ceeds of the P700 terminal fee.
The security paraphernalia
will be installed at the Ninoy
Aquino International Airport
Terminal 1, the Centennial Ter-
minal 2, the NAIA 3 and the
Manila Domestic Airport.
We need the latest machines
and apparatus to keep the four
NAIA terminals safe from harm
and terrorist threat, Peaor
said, adding that airport au-
thorities have a long wish list
of equipment that are needed to
stay abreast of the latest devel-
opments in airport security.
Peaor said the wish list
includes close-circuit televi-
sion systems, x-ray machines
that could detect drugs, x-ray
machines for detecting rearms
and explosives, hand-held body-
scanners, radio communications
system and vehicles.
Last May, MIAA head Jose
Angel Honrado admitted there
was no working CCTV equip-
ment at the carousel area where
a scufe between columnist Ra-
mon Tulfo and actor Raymart
Santiago took place.
Still, Honrado insisted the
carousel area where the ght
took place is in an area of the
NAIA that is accessible only to
passengers and airport person-
nel.
Peaor said the projects in-
clude the strengthening of the
entries and exit to the airport
ramps with the installations of
bollards, which are stout, low
steel posts that can be retracted
to allow or prevent the passage
of vehicles.
Peaor said a command
center is also being planned so
that security personnel would
also be to monitor all move-
ments within the airport.
Meanwhile, the government
has tapped Korean consultants
to help iron out differences with
the Japanese contractor Tak-
enaka Corp. over uncompleted
work at NAIA Terminal 3.
Flowers for Rizal. Students wait in line at the Luneta in Manila to offer red and white
roses at the grave of national hero Jose Rizal, whose 151st birth anniversary was celebrated
yesterday. DANNY PATA
By Eric Apolonio
THE Manila International Airport
Authority has opened the public bidding
for the acquisition of some P2.5 billion
worth of equipment taht will upgrade
security facilities in the four airport
terminals in Metro Manila.
By Macon Ramos-Araneta
MANILA Mayor Alfredo Lim on Tuesday
led Filipinos from all over the country in
marking the 151st birth anniversary of the
national hero Jose Rizal.
National Parks Development Committee
executive director Juliet Villegas said the
public oral offering is a popular part of the
celebration because no one is allowed to step
up the Rizal Monument at the Luneta in Ma-
nila, except on the heros birthday.
Young students offered red and white ros-
es at the Rizal Monument followed by mem-
bers of the Knights of Rizal and the Grand
Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the
Philippines.
Ofcials included Lim, Villegas, National
Historical Commission of the Philippines
head Ludovico Badoy and Rizals descen-
dants, including former Tourism Secretary
Gemma Cruz-Araneta.
We started granting the public the oppor-
tunity to approach the Rizal Monument last
year, during the 150th birthday of our nation-
al hero. Each one of the attendees was given
the chance to offer owers for our national
hero, a rare chance which only diplomats and
high ranking ofcials enjoy, Villegas said.
This time around, everybody was given a
chance to give their respects and salutations
and acknowledge the importance of Rizals
historical imprint in our lives, she added.
The other activities on Rizal Day includ-
ed a photo contest for students and out-of-
school youth, an environmental awareness
seminar at the Kanlungan ng Sining, an envi-
ronmental awareness concert at the Open Air
Auditorium and a screening of a short lm
about the life of Rizal.
The Makabayan watch, a limited edition
product of UniSilver Time, was also launched
in the same venue. The watch features an im-
age of Rizal with text saying Rizal@150.
Meanwhile, Lim also awarded Manilas
top taxpayers at the Bulwagang Antonio Vil-
legas in the Manila City Hall.
They are Manile Electric Company,
International Containers Terminal Servic-
es Inc., Unilever Philippines Inc., Asian
Terminals Inc., Philippine American In-
surance Co., Philippine Ports Authority,
Marina Square Properties Inc., Philippine
Long Distance Telephone Co. Inc., and SM
Prime Holdings, Inc.
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
Manila
Standard
TODAY
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
ROMBLON ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE, INC.
(ROMELCO)
Romblon, Romblon
INVITATION TO BID
The Romblon Electric Cooperative, Inc. (ROMELCO) thru its Pre-qualifcation Bids and Awards
Committee (PBAC) invites pre-qualifed suppliers/contractors of ROMELCO to submit bid for the
supply of Line Hardwares, other materials for the Construction of Distribution Lines for the various
Sitios in the ROMELCOS Franchise Area. The said project will be funded from the proceeds of
Subsidy Releases for Sitio Electrifcation from the National Electrifcation Administration (NEA).
Interested suppliers are requested to secure the bid documents from ROMELCO Offce which is
available on June 21, 2012 to June 28, 2012 during offce hours upon payment of non-refundable fee
of Two Thousand Pesos (P2,000.00). Bidders shall apply to bid on the following schedule:
Schedule I - Supply of Line Hardwares and Other Materials
Schedule II - Wood Poles/Steel Poles
Schedule III- Supply of Distribution Transformers with various capacity
Submission and Opening of bids will be on July 06, 2012 at the ROMELCO Main Offce, Brgy. Capaclan,
Romblon, Romblon at 10:00 am. All bids should be addressed to:
MR. PEDRO L. MORANTE
Chairman, ROMELCO PBAC
Capaclan, Romblon,
Tel. No. (042) 729-0149
ROMELCO reserves the right to reject any and/or all bids for valid and justifed reasons, waive any
defect thereon and award to the bidder whose proposal is most advantageous to the cooperative.
ROMELCO likewise assumes no obligation for whatever losses that may be incurred by the bidders
in the preparation of the bids, nor does it guarantee that the award shall be made.
(Sgd.) PEDRO L. MORANTE Approved by:(Sgd.) ENGR. RENE M. FAJILAGUTAN
PBAC Chairman General Manager
MST-June 20, 2012)
REPUBLIKA NG PILIPINAS
LUNGSOD NG MAKATI
Bids & Awards Committee
J.P. Rizal St. corner F. Zobel St., Makati City
Tel no. 870-1000 Fax no. 899-8988
www.makati.qov.ph
INVITATION TO BID
The City Government of Makati, through its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) invites suppliers / manufacturers / distributors / contractors to bid for
the hereunder projects:
NO. NAME OF PROJECT AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION LOCATION
APPROVED
BUDGET
1 HIVAg/ Ab Combo Reagent test kits and other laboratory supplies for the use Ospital ng Makati YSDD P6,267,042.00
2 Automated Hematology Analyzer for the use of Makati Health Department MHD P4,400,000.00
3 Wireless Tablet for the use of various schools of Dep-Ed Makati DEP-ED P3,550,000.00
4 Brand New Vehicles for the use of Makati Health Department MHD P2,199,810.00
Prospective Bidders should have experience in undertaking a similar project with an amount of at least 50% of the proposed project for bidding. The
Eligibility Check / Screening as well as the Preliminary Examinations of Bids shall use non-discretionary pass / fail criteria. Post-Qualifcation of the
Lowest Calculated Bid shall be conducted.
All particulars relative to Eligibility Statement and Screening, Bid Security, Performance Security, Pre-Bidding Conference(s), Evaluation of Bids, Post-
Qualifcation and Award of Contract shall be governed by the pertinent provisions of R.A. 9184 and its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR).
The complete schedule of activities is listed, as follows:
ACTIVITIES SCHEDULE
1. Pre-Bidding Conference at BAC Conference Room, 9th Floor June 28, 2012 (02:00 P.M.)
2. Opening of Bids at BAC Conference Room, 9th Floor July 12, 2012 (02:00 P.M.)
Bidding Documents will be available only to Prospective Bidders upon payment of a non-refundable amount of ________________________________
(fee for Bid Documents)
to the City Government of Makati Cashier
(Procuring Entity)
The City Government of Makati assumes no responsibility whatsoever to compensate or indemnify bidders for any Expenses incurred in the preparation
(Procuring Entity)
of the bid.
The City of Makati reserves the right to disqualify any or all proposal, to waive any defects or informalities therein and to accept such proposal as may
be considered most advantageous to the Government.
Approved by:
(Sgd.) MS. MARJORIE A. DE VEYRA
Chairperson
(MST-June 20, 2012)
Republic of the Philippines
CITY SOCIAL WELFARE & DEVELOPMENT OFFICE
SilunganCenter, Session Rd. Ext., Baguio City
TEL. 444-6467/442-7893/442-3842
The City Social Welfare and Development Offce (CSWDO)- Baguio is
looking for Juliana B. Mella, mother of MICHEL JULLIANNE GRACE B.
MELLA, born on February 5, 2003 at Baguio General Hospital and Medical
Center, Baguio City. That sometime in June 2003, Juliana left leaving the
care and custody of her child to Mrs. Julie Narvaez Quan with a reason that
she will go home to Legaspi, Albay and will be back after a week. However,
to date, Juliana never appeared to get her child. The girl is now 9 years and
3 months old and is presently under the custody of Mrs. Quan at 5 Bengao
Road, Bakakeng Central, Baguio City. Failure of the mother to appear will
imply disinterest on her part to claim her daughter and will compel the
CSWDO-Baguio City to initiate abandonment proceedings to legally free the
child for eventual adoption.
Anybody who can give some information about Juliana B. Mella is
requested to report to the City Social Welfare and Development Offce at
Upper Session Road, Baguio City or contact telephone nos. (074) 442-38-
42 or 442-78-93. Please look for Ms. Cynthia B. Langagan, Social Worker
in charge.
(MST-June 20, 2012)
Republic of the Philippines
Department of Agriculture
PHILIPPINE CENTER FOR POSTHARVEST DEVELOPMENT
AND MECHANIZATION (PHilMech)
(Formerly BUREAU OF POSTHARVEST RESEARCH AND EXTENSION)
CLSU, Science City of Muoz, Nueva Ecija 3120 Philippines
INVITATION TO BID
Supply and Delivery of Various Fabrication Equipment for AMDDC
1. ThePhilippineCenter for Postharvest Development andMechanization
through its Capital Outlay 2012 intends to apply the sum of PhP
8,000,000.00 beingtheApprovedBudget for theContract (ABC) as indicated
herein to payments under the contract for the Supply and Delivery of
Various Fabrication Equipment. Bids received in excess of theABCshall
be automatically rejected at Bid opening.
2. The Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization
now invites Bids fromeligible bidders for the following items:
ITEMS ABC
Supply and Delivery of Various Fabrication Equipment for AMDDC
LOT I FABRICATION SHOP EQUIPMENT 5,840,000.00
LOT II LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS 1,380,000.00
LOT III IT EQUIPMENT 80,000.00
LOT IV ELECTRICAL 500,000.00
LOT V FABRICATION SHOP FIXTURES 100,000.00
LOT VI MACHINE SHOP TOOLS/ PROTECTIVE GEARS 100,000.00
TOTAL 8,000,000.00
Delivery of the GOODS is required by September 25, 2012 or within
Sixty (60) calendar days from receipt of the Notice to Proceed. The
description of an eligible Bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents.
3. Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures
using non-discretionary pass/fail criteria as specifed in the Implementing
Rules and Regulations Part A (IRR-A) of Republic Act 9184 (R.A. 9184),
otherwise known as the Government Procurement Reform Act, and is
restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, organizations with at least
sixty percent (60%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens
of the Philippines, and to citizens or organizations of a country the laws or
regulations of which grant similar rights or privileges to Filipino citizens,
pursuant to Republic Act 5183 (R.A. 5183) and subject to Commonwealth
Act 138 (C.A. 138). Only Bids fromBidders who pass the eligibility check will
be opened. The process for the eligibility check is described in the Bidding
Documents. The bidder with the Lowest Calculated Bid (LCB) shall advance
to the post-qualifcation stage in order to fnally determine responsiveness of
the bid to technical and fnancial requirements of the project. The contract
shall then be awarded to the Lowest Calculated and Responsive Bidder
(LCRB) whowasdeterminedassuchduringthepost-qualifcationprocedure.
4. Interested Bidders may obtain further information from the Philippine
Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization and
inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below from 8:00
amto 5:00 pm.
5. Acomplete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested
Bidders fromthe address below and upon payment of a nonrefundable
fee in the amount of Php 5,000.00. The method of payment will be
in cash. The Bidding Documents shall be received personally by
the prospective Bidder or his authorized representative. Only those
who have purchased the Bidding Documents shall be allowed to
participate in the pre-bid conference and raise or submit written
queries or clarifcation.
6. The Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and
Mechanization will hold a Pre-Bid Conference open to all interested
parties on July 2, 2012, 10:00am at PHilMech Liaison Offce, 3
rd
Floor, ATI Bldg. Elliptical Road Diliman Quezon City.
7. Bids andeligibility requirements must bedeliveredtotheaddress belowonor
before July 16, 2012. All Bids must be accompanied by a Bid security in the
formand amount stated in the Bid Data Sheet or an equivalent amount in a
freely convertible currency
.
Late Bids shall not be accepted.
8. Bid opening shall be on July 16, 2012, 10:00am PHilMech Liaison
Offce, 3
rd
Floor, ATI Bldg. Elliptical Road Diliman Quezon City.
Bids will be opened in the presence of the Bidders representatives
who choose to attend at the address below.
9. The PhilippineCenter for Postharvest Development andMechanization
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.
PHILIPPINE CENTER FOR POSTHARVEST DEVELOPMENT AND
MECHANIZATION
(Formerly BUREAU OF POSTHARVEST RESEARCH AND EXTENSION)
Main Offce :CLSU Cmpd., Science City of Muoz, Nueva Ecija
Tel. No. (044) 4560287 / 4560213 FAX No. (044) 4560110
Liaison Offce : 3F ATI Bldg., Elliptical Road, Diliman, Quezon City
Tel. No. 9274019 / 9274029 FAX No. 9268159
(sgd)ARNEL RAMIR M. APAGA
BAC Chairman
(MST-June 20 & 27, 2012)
CHANGE OF
BUSINESS NAME
THIS IS TO INFORM THE PUBLIC
THAT: ASIATIC DEVELOPMENT
CORPORATION WITH COMPANY
REGISTRATION NO. 41642 CHANGED
ITS BUSINESS NAME INTO AXEIA
DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION AS
APPROVED BY THE SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
DATED JANUARY 4, 2012
(MST-June 20, 2012)
By Joel E. Zurbano
ONLY days after the Bureau of Customs
required the computerized processing of
documents through its Electronic to Mo-
bile (E2M) automation system, a Customs
ofcial admitted it has failed to take off
because the system being used is not ap-
propriate for the agencys needs.
The system is imperfect because it was
a band-aid solution. It was not a holistic
program, said Ma. Lourdes Mangaoang,
chief of the Customs X-ray Inspection
Project.
The E2M system, according to Man-
gaoang, was an ambitious project, covering
several automation programs, to upgrade
Customs ability to process the entry and
release of shipments through electronic
means.
It was supposed to enhance, hasten and
speed up trade transactions at the countrys
different ports of entry, but users have been
complaining that instead of facilitating
trade, the E2M has caused delays in the re-
lease of their shipments and importations,
she said.
Instead of hastening trade, it has slowed
down because the system bogs down. We
cannot release. As in zero. This has hap-
pened not a few times, Mangaoang said.
The delays have caused people to deri-
sively interpreted E2M to mean electron-
ic-to-manual system instead.
One particular problem, Mangaoang
said, is the automated operations at the Ni-
noy Aquino International Airport which is
utilizing terminals that were designed for
sea ports.
The automated system at the NAIA
was not apt for the Customs requirements
there. If you look at Japan, they have dif-
ferent system for different ports, Man-
gaoang explained.
She said the Management Information
System Technology Group led by Deputy
Commissioner Ma. Caridad Manarang has
acknowledged that there is a need to up-
grade and x the entire modernization sys-
tem.
The system, meant to make processes
faster and more efcient, is also aimed at
curbing corruption by minimizing face-to-
face transactions with Customs personnel,
according to BoCs Web site.
The system forms part of the National
Single Window, which in turn makes up
the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
Single Window.
The Single Window system is an elec-
tronic trade facility that enables importers
and exporters to process trade documents
online. It also enables them to secure per-
mits from multiple state agencies in one
integrated process.
Asean member-nations have pledged to
launch their own National Single Windows
this year and integrate them by 2015.
SEVEN branches of the Land Transporta-
tion Ofce in Metro Manila still could not
process drivers licenses on Wednesday,
according to the agencys director for the
National Capital Region Teolo Guadiz.
Guadiz said normal operations at
LTO branches in Para aque City, East
Avenue and Novaliches in Quezon City,
Mandaluyong City, Espana Boulevard in
Manila, San Juan City and Valenzuela City
have not yet been restored.
Guadiz blamed the agencys contractor
Amalgamated Philippines Inc. for the in-
terruption, reiterating it changed the design
and color of drivers licenses without the
approval of Chairperson Virginia Torres.
AMPI claimed they wrote Torres on
June 5, but she claimed she only saw the
letter on June 11.
The government has been wanting to
replace the contractor and started the bid-
ding process in December 2010, but it was
stopped by an injunction issued by Branch 96
of Quezon City. The same court issued anoth-
er writ of preliminary injunction last June 1,
stopping efforts to bid out the LTOs IT Infra-
structure project, which includes the database
for drivers licenses. Rio N. Araja
2 Malaysians slapped
with narcotics charges
THE Philippine Drug Enforcement
Agency has led drug charges against
two Malaysians who were caught at the
Ninoy Aquino International Airport in
possession of more than six kilograms
of methamphetamine hydrochloride, or
shabu.
PDEA chief Jose Gutierrez said that the
two Malaysians, Tamil Selvi Veloo, female,
37, and Chandar Nadarajan, male, 31, were
charged before the Pasay City Prosecutors
Ofce for importation and transportation of
6.065 kilograms of shabu in 16 16 transpar-
ent plastic sachets.
Lawmen arrested Veloo and Nadara-
jan after an examiner from the Bureau
of Customs discovered plastic sachets of
shabu in their luggage.
Jonathan Fernandez
Las Pias mayor promotes
city skills training center
LAS Pinas City Mayor Vergel Aguilar
has local students to take up technical-
vocational courses to land jobs that are in
great demand abroad.
Aguilar said the citys Manpower and
Training Center is offering free training
in various courses. The training center
has been awarded by the Technical Edu-
cation and Skills Development Author-
ity as one of the most outstanding skills
training centers in the country.
Ferdinand Fabella
Makati ban on plastics
excludes bottles, sachets
MAKATI City has exempted plastic bottle
containers and sachets from the plastics
ban ordinance it will fully implement in
January next year.
Through an Executive Order, Maka-
ti City Mayor Jejomar Binay Jr. an-
nounced that plastic bottled products
that contain drinking water, iced tea,
cooking oil, peanut butter and similar
items are now exempted from the plas-
tic ban.
Also included in the exemption are
plastic sachet products like shampoo
and conditioner, soap, detergent, noo-
dles; cosmetics; and cigarette case, ac-
cording to Binay.
The sale, use or distribution of Sty-
rofoam (polystyrene) and other materi-
als with non-biodegradable components
that are being used as containers for food,
drinks, dining utensils and beverages will
be prohibited. Ferdinand Fabella
JUNE 20, 2012 WEDNESDAY
A7 Sports Riera U. Mallari, Editor
ManilaStandardToday
[email protected]
With over a month to go before the
biggest sporting event in the world
formally comes off the wraps, Lopezs
expectations does not solely depend on
just one, but on all nine athletes.
Whereas before, Lopez, as former
president of the Amateur Boxing
Association of the Philippines, would
favor a Filipino pug as the best bet
of the country for an Olympic medal,
now, things have drastically changed.
Iba na po ang sitwasyon ngayon.
Ang feeling ko po, lahat yan ay medal
contenders, said the PH ofcial,
who was a special guest in Tuesdays
Philippine Sportswriters Association
Forum at Shakeys UN Avenue. Anyone
can deliver the good when need be.
By anyone he meant any among
boxer Mark Anthony Barriga, shooter
Brian Rosario, Fil-Japanese judoka
Tomohiko Hoshina, Fil-Am BMX
rider Daniel Caluag, lady weightlifter
Hidylyn Diaz, the swimming duo of
Off-track betting soon in Makati
Lopez confident of PH bets
A LEAN nine-man team so far comprises the
Philippine delegation to the London Olympics,
whom Chef de Mission Manny Lopez referred to
as possible medal contenders.
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
IN BRIEF
Chinese boxer wins title
CHINA, an emerging power in amateur
boxing, has begun to ex its muscles in
pro boxing with the rst World Boxing
Council light yweight silver title won by
diminutive Xiong Zhao Zhong, who scored
a 12-round unanimous decision to win
the title in a clash with Mexicos Osvaldo
Razon in Kunming, China.
The WBC described the victory by the
29-year-old, 411 Zhong as a historic
occasion. This is a huge step forward in
the development of boxing in China.
With the win, Zhong improved his
record to 19-4-1 with 11 knockouts.
The newly crowned WBC silver
champion had earlier won the World
Boxing Association Asia Council
Continental title with a 12-round split
decision over the Philippines Rodel Tejares
on June 27. Ronnie Nathanielsz
MAYOR Junjun Binay has
given the go-signal for off-
track betting stations to open in
Makati City.
Manila Jockey Club will
be the rst to deploy there in
August, according to Philippine
Racing Commission executive
director Jesus Cantos.
Permits for OTBs to operate
are given by local government
units. So even if horseracing is a
legitimate activity under the law,
it is left to the discretion of city
mayors whether or not to allow
OTBs on their turf.
For decades, the only OTB
allowed to operate in Makati
was the one inside Santa Ana
Park along AP Reyes Avenue,
built way back in 1937 on the
fringes of Makati and Manila.
While the racing operations
of Santa Ana Park were moved
to their new facility in Naic,
Cavite, a few years back, their
OTB at the old site was still
allowed to operate.
After representations made
to Makati Mayor Junjun Binay,
and through the intercession of
Makati rst district councilor
Ferdie Eusebio, himself an
avid racing acionado, the
permission was given for
other OTBs to open in that
city.
This is a fantastic
development. Not only will it
extend racings reach to untapped
markets, it will also open up
direct and indirect livelihood
and business opportunities for
OTB operators, restaurants, their
suppliers of food, drink, and
what-not, in a multiplier effect
that is sure to have a positive
effect on the citys economic
activities.
* * *
Philracom plans to overhaul
its Juvenile Stakes Series after
a dearth of entries forced the
cancellation of the rst leg,
which was supposed to have
been held at San Lazaro Leisure
Park last weekend.
Commissioner Cantos said
that because of local breeding
rules, foals are born most often
during the rst few months of
the year; and June being when
the rst leg of the juvenile
series is usually held, some of
the young horses are rushed in
their training and sometimes
may be run when they are not
fully ready to bear the intense
physical demands of racing.
Philracom will correct this
next season, said Commissioner
Cantos. He said that they will
study strategies such as moving
the rst leg of the series a month
or two later, perhaps to July or
August, and reducing the race
distance.
* * *
In the June 9 Philippine
Charity Sweepstakes Ofce
Special Maiden Race, Batangas
Fighter showed his mettle by
winning wire-to-wire over a
band of other talented 3YO.
In the 1,200-meter race held at
Santa Ana Park, the entry owned
by Divina Dy showed class by
grabbing the lead right out of the
gate.
Blank Check paced behind in
second, Power Factor in third,
with the others were strung out
behind them like cars behind a
train.
Batangas Fighter won by
four lengths over Power Factor,
posting a total time of 1:14 with
splits of 24-23-26.
Statuesque placed third, Esprit
de Corps fourth, then Blank
Check and Classy Jeune (who
also came in last during the trial
race).
* * *
Email: [email protected], Blog:
http://jennyo.net, Facebook: Gogirl
Racing, Twitter: @gogirlracing,
Instagram: @jennydecember
NGAP Globe circuit resumes
THE National Golf Association of the
Philippines Globe Business Amateur Circuit
resumes next week with the staging
of the Philippine Seniors Amateur Golf
Championship with a mid-amateur division
spicing up action in the event set June 27 to
29 at the Camp Aguinaldo Golf Club in QC.
The organizing NGAP has added the mid-
am event to provide players in the 30-54
age-bracket a tournament where they could
further hone their talent and skills.
Registration is ongoing at NGAP ofce
(632) 517-9778, (632) 557-7849 or fax (632)
706-5926 or email ngapgolf@rocketmail.
com. For details, visit www.ngaponline.net.
Listup can also be made at Camp Aguinaldo
GC at (632) 9132750, (632) 9116001 loc. 8777
or fax (632) 9118142. Fees are pegged at
P3,000 (locals) and $75 (foreign entries) for 54
holes and P2,000 or $50 for 36 holes, including
of one free practice round.
Deadline for registration is on June 22
at 5 p.m.
PHILIPPINE National Shoot-
ing Association president Mikee
Romero yesterday announced
that the Philippines has been
awarded the right to host the
2013 Southeast Asian Shooting
Association Championships.
Aside from the Philippines,
other countries who vied for
next years hosting of the event
that draws 15 countries were
Myanmar and Thailand.
Romero said it was at the close
of the 2012 SEASA Champi-
onships in Kuala Lumpur last
June 10 that the Philippines was
named the next host. He said the
PNSA is looking at May 27 to
June 6 as the date for the interna-
tional shootfest.
Its about time the Philippines
hosts another major international
shooting event. It will also coin-
cide with the holding of the Philip-
pine Open shootfest, said Rome-
ro during yesterdays Philippine
Sportswriters Association Forum
at Shakeys along UN Avenue.
Also present during the fo-
rum sponsored by Smart Sports,
Shakeys and Pagcor, were the
medalists in the recent SEASA
event, including Jason Valdez,
Frances Nicole Medina, Inna
Therese Gutierrez, Celdon Arel-
lano, Eric Ang, Miguel Laperal,
Joelle Panganiban and Ylvana Dy.
They won a gold, courtesy
of Ang, a veteran trap shooter,
two silvers and three bronzes.
Gay Corral, PNSA vice
president, worked hard for the
countrys bid to host the SEASA
Championships, and said the
other member countries were
also delighted to have it staged
in Manila.
Since the SEASA Champi-
onships was rst staged in 1967,
the Philippines has hosted it only
twice, in 1979 and 1998. And it
will be the rst major interna-
tional shootfest for us since we
hosted the Manila SEA Games
in 2005, said Corral.
Clavecilla gets PSC post
WIGBERTO Clavecilla was appointed by
President Benigno Aquino III on June
13 for the post left by former Philippine
Sports Commissioner Joaquin Loyzaga.
Commissioner Clavecilla graduated
with a BSBA degree from the University
of the Philippines. He is a member of the
Alpha Sigma Fraternity.
A veteran of local and international golf
tournaments, Commissioner Clavecilla was
among the recipients of the incentives for
coaches and received a total of P50,000 for
training golfers Jamill Jose, Ruby Chico, Mary
Jane Estueste and Yvette de Leon based on
R.A. 9064 or The National Athletes, Coaches
and Trainers Benets Act of 2001.
Search on for top handgun shooters
THE search is on for out-
standing handgun shooters,
who can represent the country
in the international meets.
Philippine Practical Shoot-
ing Association president and
Sultan Kudarat Gov. Suharto
Mangudadatu said this yester-
day as organizers get ready to
unveil the three-day Armscor
Visayas Championship this Fri-
day in Davao City.
The qualifiers are ongoing.
We have lot coming up for Lu-
zon, Visayas and Mindanao, said
Mangudadatu during the launch-
ing ceremony held yesterday at the
Cravings restaurant in Shangrila
Mall in Edsa, Mandaluyong.
With four qualiers already
concluded, three more are
coming up after the Cebu leg
this weekend.
This includes the Demetrio
BoloTuason Cup in Armscor,
Marikina on July 13, the Goma
Cup on Aug. 24 in Ormoc City
and the PNoy Cup on Oct. 24.
Mangudadatu said they hope
to gain around 67 qualiers for
the open, standard, production,
revolver and classic categories
for the International Practi-
cal Shooting Confederation in
Florida from Sept. 13 to 16.
A delegate of 120 is also
going to the 2013 Australasia
Handgun Championship in Ro-
torua, New Zealand from Feb.
26 to March 1. Peter Atencio
PH to host
Asian shoot
tilt in 2013
JENNY
ORTUOSTE
THE HOARSE WHISPERER
Jasmine Alkhaldi and Jessie Lacuna,
and the pair of Maristella Torres and
Rene Herrera of athletics.
Were targeting a medal nish for our
so-called Lucky 9. Were preparing them
technically, physically, and mentally,
added Lopez in the same session presented
by Smart, the Philippine Amusement and
Gaming Corporation and Shakeys. The
participants have been rewarded already
by earning a berth in the Olympics, since
participation (in the Olympics) has become
very stringent these days.
The country last won an Olympic
medal in 1996 courtesy of boxer
Mansueto Onyok Velasco, who
clinched a silver in the 48 kg. light-
yweight category.
Two more possible entries for the
country are being eyed in the eld of
archery (with the ongoing qualier
in Ogden City, Utah) and boxing
(through a possible wild card slot to be
given to Asian Boxing Championship
silver medalist Charly Suarez).
At the most, Lopez expects the PH
delegation to be completed by July 9.
Technically, we have nine
Olympians as of today with the
inclusion of Hidylyn Diaz a few days
ago. No later than July 9, we will know
the exact composition of the entire
Philippine delegation, said Lopez.
The entities backing the Filipino
athletes are Petron, International
Container Terminal Services Inc.,
Bank of Philippine Islands, Mizuno,
Samsonite and Procter and Gamble.
Champs of Future last leg slated
YOUNG potential champions gear
up for the nal test of their racing
skills and competitive caliber as
they try to further push their title
bids in the championship round
of the 2012 Castrol Champions of
the Future Series this Sunday at
the Carmona Racetrack.
Four of the pioneer protgs of
the program last year will dispute
the expert title, while seven of
those who joined the clinics this
year gun for the novice crown of
this event powered by Castrol,
Tuason Racing School, BMW,
Automobile Association Philip-
pines, AUTSRacing, Standard
Insurance, PIKA, OMP, Industria
Racing, Carmona Racetrack,
Lifeline, The Philippine Star, Has
Travel.com, K-Zone, 99.5RT and
Timezone.
And though all of them are
familiar with the track, much of
the chances rely on luck and how
much they have improved as far
as skills, strategy and the will to
win are concerned.
The expert title is expected to
be an intense showdown between
Fil-Aussie Flynn Jackes and AT
Tuason, a third generation karter,
who aims to carry on the legacy
of his father JP and his iconic
legendary grandfather Arthur.
Jackes leads the title race with
54 points, but Tuason is just
close behind with 52.
Any of the said expert karters
could win the overall crown,
including Xedrei Daquigan and
Wils Casequin, who hold 38 and
34 points, respectively, with a
sweep of the Pre-Final and Final
races worth 30 points.
Mark Francis Tanlu, who is
already doing a great job in the
National Karting Series, shoots
for the novice crown against eight-
year-old Jelly Ann Knapp and
seven-year-old Bobby Redpath.
Philippine Chief of Mission to the London Olympics Manny Lopez (sixth from left) and shooting president Mikee Romero (fth from
left) pose with the members of the Philippine team that took part in the recent Southeast Asian Shooting Association. With them are
(from left) Jayson Valdez, Frances Medina, Inna Gutierrez, Celdon Arellano, Gay Corral, PNSA vice president, Eric Ang, Miguel Laperal,
Joelle Panganiban and Ylvana Dy.
Pacquiao...
From A8
Pacquiao earned
an additional $6
million through major
endorsements by such
global entities as Nike,
Hewlett-Packard, Monster
Energy and Hennessy.
Mayweather also fought
twice in the last 12 months.
He knocked out Victor
Ortiz in bizarre fashion last
September and then won
a comfortable, unanimous
12-round decision over
Miguel Cotto, whom
Pacquiao dropped twice en
route to a 12th-round TKO
three years earlier.
Mayweather Jr. earned
$85 million for the two
ghts, which catapulted
him to the top spot. He
maximizes his earnings by
acting as his own promoter
through his Mayweather
Promotions and rakes in
all the income from pay-
per-view, tickets and
sponsorships, while he
pays his opponents purse
and other costs which gives
him earnings of about 50
percent more than Pacquiao
The Cotto ght alone
generated $94 million in
pay-per-view receipts.
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
Manila
Standard
TODAY
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
PORTDISTRICTOFFICEOF MANILA/NORTHERNLUZON
PDOManila Building, Muelle de San Francisco
South Harbor, Port Area, Manila
Tel. Nos. 525-5264 to 67, Telefax No. 301-9043
INVITATION TO BID
BIDDING FOR THE SUPPLY AND DELIVERY OF
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY RESOURCES
1. The PPA-PDO Manila/Northern Luzon, through its Corporate Operating Budget for CY 2012 intends to
apply the amount indicated below, being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under
the Contract for the Supply and Delivery of Information Technology Resources broken down, as follows:
Lot No. Item/Description Qty. Unit
Approved Budget
for the Contract*
1 OEM Branded Desktop Computers 85 units P 2,975,000.00
2
Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) for
Computers
85 units 297,500.00
3 DOT MATRIX PRINTER 136 Column 9 pin 1 unit 28,700.00
4 Scanner, Flatbed w/ Auto-doc Feeder 5 units 170,000.00
5 Laser Printer w/ wireless LAN 5 units 32,500.00
6 Printer, Inkjet A3 5 units 60,600.00
7 Printer, Epson L100, Bottomless Ink 12 units 92,400.00
* Inclusive of 12% VAT
Bidders may bid on any or all of the lots enumerated above. Bids received higher than the ABC shall be
automatically rejected at bid opening.
2. The PPA-PDO Manila/Northern Luzon now invites bids for the supply and delivery of the abovementioned
items. Delivery is required thirty (30) calendar days from the issuance of the Notice to Proceed. Prospective
Bidders should have completed, within the last fve (5) years from the date of submission and receipt of
bids, a contract that is similar to the Project. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding
Documents, particularly, in Section III, Instructions to bidders.
3. Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using a non-discretionary pass/fail
criterion as specifed in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) 9184, known as the
Government Procurement ReformAct, and is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships,
or organizations with at least sixty percent (60%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the
Philippines, and to citizens or organizations of a country the laws or regulations of which grant similar rights or
privileges to Filipino citizens, pursuant to RA5183 and subject to Commonwealth Act 138.
4. Interested bidders may obtain further information and inspect the Bidding Documents from 8:00 A. M. to
4:00 P.M. as well as, purchase said Bidding Documents at the address given below on June 20, 2012 until
July 12, 2012 upon presentation of a Letter of Intent (LOI) and payment of a nonrefundable fee for the
Bidding Documents in the amount of Five Thousand Six Hundred Pesos (P5,600.00), VAT inclusive.
Secretariat, Bids and Awards Committee
Procurement of Goods and Related Services
2
nd
Floor, PDO Manila/NL Building, 22 Muelle de San Francisco.
South Harbor, Port Area, Manila
It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic
Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the website of the Philippine Ports Authority, provided that Bidders
shall pay the nonrefundable fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids.
Payment for the bid documents shall be in Cash or Managers Check.
5. The PPA-PDO Manila/Northern Luzon will hold a Pre-bid Conference on June 29, 2012 at 9:00 A.M. at PDO
Manila/Northern Luzon Conference Room, 3
rd
Floor, PDO Manila Building, 22 Muelle de San Francisco, South
Harbor, Port Area, Manila, which shall be open only to all interested parties who have purchased the Bidding
Documents.
6. Bids must be delivered to and received by the Secretariat of the Bids and Awards Committee at the PDO
Manila/Northern Luzon Conference Room, 3
rd
Floor, PDO Manila Building, 22 Muelle de San Francisco,
South Harbor, Port Area, Manila not later than 9:00 A.M. on July 12, 2012. All bids must be accompanied
by a Bid Security in any of the following acceptable forms and amounts in Philippine Currency:
Form of Bid Security Amount of Bid Security (Equal to
Percentage of the ABC)
a) Cash, cashiers/managers check, bank
draft/guarantee confrmed by a Universal or
Commercial Bank.
Two percent (2%)
b) Irrevocable letter of credit issued by a
Universal or Commercial Bank;
c) Surety Bond callable upon demand issued
by a surety or insurance company duly certifed
by the Insurance Commission as authorized to
issue such security.
Five percent (5%)
d) Any combination of the foregoing Proportionate to share of form with respect to
total amount of security
7. Bid opening shall be on July 12, 2012 at 9:00 A.M. at PDO Manila/Northern Luzon Conference Room,
3
rd
Floor, PDO Manila Building, 22 Muelle de San Francisco, South Harbor, Port Area, Manila. Bids will be
opened in the presence of the Bidders offcial representative/s who choose to attend at the above address.
Late bids shall not be accepted.
8. The PPA-PDO Manila/Northern Luzon 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.
9. For further information, please refer to:
Mr. Gallardo G. Guerrero
Secretariat, Bids and Awards Committee
2
nd
Floor, PDO Manila Bldg. 22 Muelle de San Francisco
South Harbor, Port Area, Manila
Tel. No. (02) 525-5264 local 416
Facsimile No. 301-9043
(Sgd.) VERTUDES M. ARIAS
Chairperson
Bids and Awards Committee (MST-June 20, 2012)
Thunder try to rebound
Sports
Manila Standard TODAY
WEDNESDAY
A8
Suba back on track
CARMONAVJ Suba of Tough
Gear-FERN C Racing staged a
big comeback in the nal race
to rule the fourth leg of the 2012
Philippine National Karting
Series recently at the Carmona
Racetrack.
Determination and his seasoned
skills steered him to big wins in
both the ROK Overall and ROK
Senior classes, as he also foiled
the bid of teammate Estefano
Rivera for a third consecutive
twin-kill in this event sanctioned
by the Automobile Association
Philippines and sponsored by
Motorstar and Aeromed.
It could have ended into
another heart-breaker for Suba
as engine problems forced him
out of the qualifying round and
more disappointingly in the
last lap of the Pre-Finals after
leading most of the way.
But surrender wasnt an option
and fortunately, adjustments on his
engine setup held him through to
wrest the lead from Rivera on the
ninth lap and keep his post all the
way to the nish line without a glitch.
He wrapped up the 20-lap race in 14
minutes and 59.384 seconds, 2.402
seconds ahead of Rivera.
Milo Rivera made it a 1-2-3
nish for Tough Gear-FERN C
Racing, while CJ Tsui of Industria
and Kim Lagman checked in fourth
and fth, respectively.
Suba copped the ROK Senior
crown over Milo Rivera and third
placer Tsui.
Lagman settled for fourth place,
while lady karter Sacha Feliciano
of Marcelo Racing, landed fth
as she likewise claimed the ROK
Clubman title over Jaz Monzones.
Despite ending as a runner-up,
Estefano Rivera kept his hold on
the solo leadership in the ROK
overall and stayed on course in his
bid to become the second karter in
history to win both the Karter of
the Year and Junior Karter of the
Year in a single season as he went
on to capture the ROK Junior title
over runner-up Daniel Miranda
of Cebuana Lhuillier-Marcelo
Racing, third placer Jaz Monzones
of Natmo Asia-GP1 Racing and
fourth placer Matthew Chan of
Tough Gear-FERN C Racing.
For more info, call the Carmona
Racetrack, c/o Rose Feria at 845-
0745, 889-3389, 845-3287 and
845-4142, or visit the Web site
www.asiankarting.com
LOTTO RESULTS
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2 EZ2 0000
P0.0M+
P0.0M+
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
Cardinals want to
get back in Final 4
Pacquiao leaps to no. 2 in Best-Paid list
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
FIGHTER of the Decade Manny
Pacquiao, who is busy helping his
constituents in the flood-stricken
province of Sarangani, has jumped from
No. 24 to No.2 in Forbes Magazines
list of the 100 Best Paid Athletes in the
world.
But Floyd Mayweather Jr., who shares
Ring Magazines No. 2 pound-for-pound
ranking with Pacquiao, with no ghter
named at the top, has the distinction of
being the top dog in terms of earnings.
Golng great Tiger Woods, who topped
the list since 2001, fell to No. 3, while
NBAs Most Valuable Player Lebron
James of the championship-seeking Miami
Heat, is at No. 4. Tennis superstar Roger
Federer is fth.
Pacquiaos earnings of $62 million
catapulted him into second place with
his last two ghts against Juan Manuel
Marquez and Timothy Bradley in the last
12 months.
Both title ghts, which ended in
controversy, netted Pacquiao an estimated
$56 million, including the television
rights fees he earned from Solar Sports,
which has the TV rights to his ghts in the
Philippines.
There were many, who questioned
Pacquiaos split-decision victory over
Marquez in their third fight, while
there was worldwide condemnation of
the judges decision awarding Bradley
a split-decision win last June 9 over
Pacquiao.
Pacquiaos fights are telecast over
GMA 7 and to Filipino communities
abroad, except the United States and
Europe, over ABS-CBNs The Filipino
Channel.
By Peter Atencio
THE Mapua Cardinals are raring to get back into
the Final Four of the National Collegiate Athletic
Association mens basketball tournament after missing
it last season.
Cardinals coach Chito Victolero said the team has already
adjusted to the new players and will be ready for whatever
will come its way when the 88th season gets under way this
Saturday.
Physically, mentally and spiritually, we are ready for the
season. We have ve new guys, but the core of the team is
still there, said Victolero.
The Cardinals will be banking on veterans Jonathan Banal,
Michael Parala and Jumel Chien to provide leadership roles,
following the departure of graduates Allan Mangahas and
Jason Pascual.
With 68 Fil-Jordanian Yousef Taha out, it will be a
challenge for the Cardinals to protect and man the post. Taha
had to leave the country during the off-season because visa
problems.
In place of players who have left the Cardinals,
Victolero is banking on 66 Jessie Saitanan, a prized
recruit from Colegio de Sta. Monica, to ll up the void in
the shaded lane.
Rizal Technological University standout and transferee
Mark Brana will also try to make his presence felt, along
with Mapua junior cager Andrew Estrella and former
Perpetual Help star Joseph Oriobu.
The pre-season competitions provided the Cardinals a
good learning experience. Victolero said that training stints
in Cebu also got the team in shape.
All that didnt wreck the
Thunders hopes of winning the
series.
The Thunder trail the Miami Heat
2-1 after a 91-85 loss on Sunday in
which they blew a 10-point lead in
the third quarter. Kevin Durant went
to the bench in foul trouble and Scott
Brooks compounded the problem
by yanking Russell Westbrook
shortly after, both All-Stars watching
when the game got away from the
Thunder.
Oklahoma City was in
worse trouble in the last round,
dropping the rst two games
against the San Antonio Spurs.
So they know they can climb out
of the hole theyre in this time.
This is another great opportunity
MIAMIA questionable substitution
by the coach, more foul trouble for the
superstar, and bad free throw shooting
by just about everybody ruined Okla-
homa Citys chances in Game 3 of the
NBA Finals.
JUNE 20, 2012
[email protected] [email protected] Riera U. Mallari, Editor
Sulaiman
criticizes
Garcia
WORLD Boxing Council president
Don Jose Sulaiman blasted trainer
and former world champion Robert
Garcias comments on the hugely
controversial split-decision win
by Timothy Bradley over Manny
Pacquiao last June 9.
It was a great ght, a very
exciting ght and its good because
controversy will make you either
watch the ght again, it sells a lot,
its good for promotion, good for
the ghters, good for everybody,
Garcia told the Manila Standard
on Sunday.
But Sulaiman, who has always
admired and supported Pacquiao,
asked Garcia: How could you
condone injustice and tarnish the
credibility of boxing for money?
Pacquiao won his first WBC
world title when he scored an
eighth- round knockout of Thai hero
Chatchai Sasakul on Dec. 3, 1998 to
capture the flyweight crown.
In taking strong issue with
Garcia, who is the trainer of
World Boxing Organization super
bantamweight champion Nonito
Donaire, the WBC president
said: Manny Pacquiao deserved
justice. You cannot treat a hero
and boxing immortal like him by
accepting an injustice for money
and a false attraction.
Sulaiman joined many others,
including Top Rank promoter Bob
Arum, who stated there would be
no rematch as previously suggest-
ed on Nov. 10, because the ght
was not even close to warrant one.
Arum also began to explore the
possibility of a fourth ght be-
tween Pacquiao and Juan Manuel
Marquez. Ronnie Nathanielsz
NBA TODAY
GAME 4 OF FINALS
MIAMI HEAT VS
OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER
9 a.m. in Miami, Florida
TNT eyes
2
nd
win
in a row
By Jeric Lopez
WILL Talk N Text nally get
back to its winning routine?
That question will be
answered today as the Tropang
Te xt e r s
shoot for
their rst
wi nni ng
s t r e a k
w h e n
they play Barako Bull in the
2012 Philippine Basketball
Association Governors Cup at
7:30 p.m. today at the Smart-
Araneta Coliseum.
Talk N Text is still in the
thick of things when it comes
to the race for the top six
teams, with only four slots left.
Meanwhile, the unpredictable
Meralco Bolts (2-4) will face a
team of its own kind in the Air 21
Express (1-4) at 5 p.m., with the
loser most probably bowing out of
the tournament to join Alaska.
Since the Bolts and the
Express both have four defeats
apiece, one more setback will
make it very difcult for either
one to advance as ve wins is
usually the magic number to
move forward in a nine-game
elimination round.
Just last Saturday, the
Tropang Texters were able
to list an important win that
allowed them to remain in
contention for the playoffs
after they eliminated the Aces,
90-82.
to show what becoming a champion
is all about. You know, its not
something that ever has come easy,
said guard Derek Fisher, who has
won ve of them.
Every team that has won a
championship has earned the right
to be champions. And so were
faced with another opportunity
again tomorrow night to come
together as a team and be condent
in who we are and gure out a way
to come out here and win a game.
You know, things turn a great deal
in these series with one game, and
we have the opportunity to turn it
tomorrow.
Game 3 turned quickly,
mostly because of the Thunders
own mistakes.
Durant picked up his fourth foul
with 5:41 left and the Thunder
leading by six. Westbrook was
taken out 40 seconds later for
Fisher, who converted a four-
point play before it all fell apart
for Oklahoma City.
The Thunder twice fouled
shooters behind the arc, made only
6 of 11 free throws in the quarter,
and when the game was getting
away from his team, Brooks kept
Westbrook parked on the bench for
the remainder of the period.
Westbrook appeared angry
when taken out, slamming his
hand against a chair. He said
he was upset with himself, and
Brooks said there was no issue
between them Monday.
Thats over with. Were moving
on to Game 4,Brooks said.
When Kevin got the fourth
foul, that kind of changes the
dynamic of that game because
Kevin, I think he had 23 points at
that time, things were going very
well. So there was a lot of times
that we had other things that we
had to gure out. But I thought that
stretch where we fouled the two
3-point shooters really was a big
part of their comeback, and then
we missed ve free throws in that
stretch, and as you know, were the
best free throw shooting team in
the league. AP
Good for bronze. Members of the
Philippine basketball team display the national
flag after beating Mongolia for the bronze
medal in the 3-on-3 competition of the third
Asian Beach Games in Haiyang, China.
VJ Suba claimed the checkered ag for the win that got him back
on the title trail in the fourth leg of the 2012 National Karting Super
Series at the Carmona Racetrack. He likewise steered FERN-C Racing
to another 1-2-3 nish, together with runner-up Estefano Rivera
(inset left) and third placer Milo Rivera (inset, center).
Games Today
(Smart Araneta Coliseum)
5:15 p.m. Meralco
vs. Air21
7:30 p.m. Talk N Text
vs. Barako Bull
1. Floyd Mayweather ($85m)
2. Manny Pacquiao ($62m)
3. Tiger Woods ($59.4m)
4. Lebron James ($53m)
5. Roger Federer (($52.7m)
6. Kobe Bryant ($52.3m)
7. Phil Mickelson ($47.8m)
8. David Beckham ($46m)
9. Cristiano Ronaldo ($42.5m)
10. Peyton Manning ($42.4m)
List of highest-paid athletes
Turn to A7
Business
Manila Standard TODAY
JUNE 20, 2012 WEDNESDAY
B1
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
Ray S. Eano, Editor [email protected]
Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor [email protected]
IN BRIEF
Shell bares $1-b investments
Subic plant critical to avert brownout
PH posts $138-m balance of payments surplus
Foreign firms to invest
$200m in LED factory
Closing June 19, 2012
PESO-DOLLAR RATE
PSE COMPOSITE INDEX
5,081.61
31.20
OIL
PRICES
TODAY
P780-P895.00
LPG/11-kg tank
P54.55-P61.02
Unleaded Gasoline
P46.10-P49.90
Diesel
P52.34-P57.85
Kerosene
P38.50-P39.20
Auto LPG
FOREI GN EXCHANGE RATE
Currency Unit US Dollar Peso
United States Dollar 1.000000 42.1610
Japan Yen 0.012641 0.5330
UK Pound 1.566660 66.0494
Hong Kong Dollar 0.128874 5.4335
Switzerland Franc 1.047011 44.1430
Canada Dollar 0.976276 41.1608
Singapore Dollar 0.787650 33.2081
Australia Dollar 1.008369 42.5138
Bahrain Dinar 2.65661 111.8388
Saudi Arabia Rial 0.266645 11.2420
Brunei Dollar 0.784560 33.0778
Indonesia Rupiah 0.000107 0.0045
Thailand Baht 0.031797 1.3406
UAE Dirham 0.257200 11.4789
Euro Euro 1.257200 53.048
Korea Won 0.000864 0.0364
China Yuan 0.169216 6.6322
India Rupee 0.017870 0.7534
Malaysia Ringgit 0.316857 13.3590
NewZealand Dollar 0.791515 33.3711
Taiwan Dollar 0.033450 1.4103
Source: PDS Bridge
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
40
42
44
46
48
P42.290
CLOSE
Closing June 19, 2012
5200
4460
3720
2980
2240
1500
1200
VOLUME 921.820M
HIGH P42.250 LOW P42.380 AVERAGE P42.311
By Alena Mae S. Flores
PILIPINAS Shell Petroleum Corp., a
unit of the Royal Dutch Shell Group, is
committed to infusing over $1 billion
worth of new investments into the
Philippines.
Shell country chairman Ed
Chua said the investments
include a renery upgrade
estimated at between $100
million and $150 million, which
will move Shell a step closer to
expanding the facilitys capacity
in the Philippines.
Shell owns the countrys
second-largest renery with a
daily capacity of 110,000 liters
in Tabangao, Batangas.
The Philippines has always
been a major market for Shell.
We are considered a core market.
With the developments in good
governance, level playing eld,
we are putting in more money.
This is a vote of condence to
this administration, Chua said.
He said Shell was
simultaneously pursuing a
$1-billion investment in a
proposed liqueed natural gas
facility also in Batangas. The
company is also looking at
opportunities in the upstream oil
and gas industry.
Shell has condence in the
leadership of government right
now thats why the investments
has been coming in. These
investments we were looking
at before but we were holding
back, said Chua, noting the
improved business environment
in the Philippines.
He said Shells investment in
different projects over the next
three years will be one of the
highest ever.
Chua said Shell would upgrade
its renery so that we can
produce products that will have
more stringent specications
specially on sulfur, much lower
sulfur.
Shell at the same time will
embark on a retail network
expansion this year that will cost
around P2 billion to P3 billion.
Chua said the companys
bottom line suffered last year
due to the close of the petroleum
pipeline that delivers fuel to the
Pandacan depot from Batangas.
In 2011, we were hit by the
pipeline problems. So 2011 was
lower than 2010. Over the last
year, Shell was able to look for
more cost-effective options.
We are hoping [that prots will
improve this year], he said.
Chua said Shell plans to bid
for gas and exploration contracts
under the so-called Philippine
Energy Contracting Round 4
scheduled at the end of July.
We continually look for SCs
[service contracts] where we may
be able to add value, he said.
A number of oil and gas
companies, he said, had
approached Shell for a possible
farm-in agreement.
Henry Sy Hall. Members of the Sy family graced the blessing of the Henry Sy Sr. Centennial Hall, an eco-friendly multi-purpose
building donated by SM chairman and founder Henry Sy Sr. At the blessing ceremonies are Education Secretary Armin Luistro
(second from left); Paulino Tan, member of the board of trustees of SM Foundation (third from left); Bro. Narciso Erguiza Jr., DLSU
president and chancellor (sixth from left); Elizabeth Sy, president of SM Hotels (eighth from left); Teresita Sy-Coson, vice chairman
of SM Investments Corp. (seventh from right); Felicidad Sy, wife of Henry Sy Sr. (sixth from right); Papal Nuncio Archbishop
Giuseppe Pinto (fth from right); Hans Sy, president of SM Prime Holdings (fourth from right), Herbert Sy, director of the SM Food
Retail Group (third from right) and members of the clergy and De La Salle University ofcials.
By Julito G. Rada
SHANG Properties Inc., the
local unit of the Kuok Group,
plans to borrow P6.4 billion
from banks to nance existing
real estate projects, a top
executive said Tuesday.
Shang Properties chief
nance ofcer and treasurer
Vicente Formoso said at the
sidelines of the companys
annual stockholders meeting
in Mandaluyong City the loans
would help nance projects such
as the mixed-use One Shangri-
La Place in Ortigas Center and
Shang Salcedo Place in Makati.
Discussions are still ongoing
among company ofcials about
this, Formoso said, adding that
it was possible the company
would borrow from a single
bank.
Construction of the One
Shangri-La Place, the companys
biggest development so far,
started in October 2009 and has
now reached the 10
th
level.
The mixed-use project
features a six-level shopping
mall connected to the existing
Shangri-La Plaza via two giant
bridgeways. It has two towers
with 1,304 residential units, of
which 60 percent have already
been sold, generating sales
revenue of P6.6 billion.
Shang Salcedo Place is a
64-story residential building
with gross oor area of 60,900
square meters and 778 units.
Excavation works began in
February this year.
Shang Properties purchased a
3,045-sq. m. property in Salcedo
Village at the corner of Sen. Gil
Puyat, Tordesillas and HV de
la Costa Streets. Sales for the
project started in May 2012.
We expect to start turning
over units of Shang Salcedo in
2015, Formoso said, adding
the company was eyeing sales
of P6 billion from the project.
As long as the market is
good, we will continue to pursue
residential projects and invest in
property market, Formoso said.
He said aside from One
Shangri-La Place and Shang
Salcedo, Shang Properties was
also constructing the Shangri-
La Hotel at the Fort in Taguig.
The hotel project, where Shang
Properties has a 40-percent
equity, is being built in partnership
with Shangri-La Asia Ltd., its
Hong Kong listed afliate and
Alphaland Development Inc.
THE Energy Department warned
Tuesday that a delay in the construction
of the 600-megawatt coal plant at the
Subic Bay Freeport may imperil Luzons
power supply within the next three to
ve years.
Energy Secretary Jose Rene Almendras
told reporters he had discussed the need
for additional capacities in the Luzon grid
with Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority
administrator Roberto Garcia.
The SBMA had raised the issue of
coal emissions as one of its reasons why
it opposed the plants construction, but
Almendras said the issue had already
been addressed by existing coal plants
such as the 660-MW Masinloc coal plant
owned by AES Corp.
The question of whether it will
be polluting or not has already been
answered. Masinloc is one of the cleanest
coal plants in the world, he said.
The Subic coal plant will use two
single high-efciency 300-MW units
for a total net generating capacity of
600 MW. The project is estimated to
cost $1.28 billion.
We told him [Garcia] we really need
a new power plant for such a time and
we will be needing a lot of more of those
reserves. I met with them to explain how
important it is to build another power plant.
We really cannot afford not to have a new
power plant by 2015, Almendras said.
Almendras said Luzons power
consumption continued to grow but there
was no available power plant that could
take the place of the 600-MW coal plant
of Redondo Peninsula Energy Inc., if the
project was delayed.
He said at the rate power consumption
was growing in Luzon, and if we expect
the economy to grow at the pace were
growing, we will need at least another
600 MW power plant in 2015, another
one in 2016 and another in 2017.
Meralco PowerGen Corp., a subsidary of
electricity distributor Manila Electric Co., is
the controlling shareholder of RP Energy.
Meralco PowerGen holds 50 percent
plus two shares in RP Energy while
Aboitiz-controlled Therma Power Inc.
and Taiwan Cogeneration International
Corp.-Philippine branch hold the
remaining shares in equal proportion.
RP Energy ofcials target the
completion of the coal project by 2015.
Almendras said the Aquino
administration wanted to make sure power
would be available in the next ve years.
Almendras said SBMA was also in
talks with RP Energy on the issue of
fees that they will be collecting from
the power project. The proponents
said theyre willing to increase also. So
hopefully they will come to an agreement
on that, he said.
Meralco PowerGen executive vice
president and general manager Aaron
Domingo said early this week they had
no intention to move out of SBMA.
Alena Mae S. Flores
Kuok unit
eyes P6.4-b
bank loan
for projects
By Lailany P. Gomez
THE Philippines posted a balance
of payments surplus of $138 million
in May on the back of foreign
exchange inows and investment
income of the Bangko Sentral.
The surplus was a reversal of
the $79-million decit recorded
in April but lower by more than
a third from a surplus of $217
million posted in May last year.
The BoP surplus in the rst ve
months hit $1.302 billion.
Bangko Sentral Governor
Amando Tetangco Jr. attributed
the lower surplus to outows
from the national governments
debt servicing and the central
banks obligations abroad.
The Bangko Sentral has
lowered the BoP surplus target
to $2.6 billion this year from an
earlier projection of $2.8 billion.
The gure was sharply lower
than the $10.18-billion surplus
booked in 2011.
A BoP surplus means foreign
exchange inows exceed
outows.
Money sent home by Filipinos
working abroad grew 5.3 percent
to reach $1.7 billion in April
compared with $1.6 billion last
year. Remittances in the rst
four months of the year rose
5.4 percent to $6.5 billion, with
cash transfers from land- and
sea-based workers increasing
14.6 percent and 2.8 percent,
respectively.
External trade, however,
remains a drag to overall
economic growth. Exports, which
account for about two-fths of
the countrys gross domestic
products, shrank 23.8 percent
year-on-year in April amid a drop
in external demand for electronics
and semiconductors.
Transactions in foreign
portfolio investments also
yielded lower net inows of $106
million in May, down 68 percent
from $333 million a month ago
as a result of bearish investor
sentiments on risky assets.
The Bangko Sentral trimmed
the gross international reserve
forecast this year to a range of
$77.5 billion to $78 billion from
an earlier estimate of $79 billion
amid the economic uncertainties
in Europe and the US.
Chemrez pays dividends
THE board of listed Chemrez Technologies
Inc., the countrys top biodiesel, resins
and oleochemicals producer, approved the
declaration of cash dividends worth about
P158.6 million.
The Chemrez board declared a regular cash
dividend of P0.06 per share and a special cash
dividend of another P0.06 a share during the
annual stockholders meeting of the company.
The P0.12 cash dividend is equivalent to 51
percent of the companys net income of P311
million last year, up from 39 percent of the net
income in 2011.
ChemrezTech said it had been consistently
paying cash dividends since 2001.
Stockholders of record of ChemrezTech
as of July 18, 2012 are entitled to the cash
dividends with the ex-date on July 13, 2012.
The dividend will be paid on August 13,
2012.
While the business environment has
become more challenging due to stiffer
competition and higher costs, we continue to
reward loyal shareholders with a share of the
companys earnings, ChemrezTech said in a
statement.
ChemrezTechs revenues reached P5.1
billion in 2011 with 53 percent of sales coming
from oleochemicals (including biodiesel),
41 percent from resins, and 6 percent from
powder coating. Alena Mae S. Flores
Calata seeks partners
CALATA Corp. is in talks with several
Argentinean companies for a possible
partnership in large-scale corn production
and processing in the Philippines.
The company is into preliminary talks
with several Argentinian companies engaged
in large-scale corn production and supply
of high-tech mechanized corn production
equipment for a possible joint venture with
the company for large-scale corn production
and processing here in the country, Jose
Marie Fabella, corporate secretary and
information ofcer, said in a disclosure to the
stock exchange Tuesday.
He said the planned large-scale corn
production aimed to complement the
previously-signed supply agreement with
National Agribusiness Corp. by creating
high-quality and sustainable source of corn
inputs.
Argentina is one of the leading countries
in successfully utilizing modern technology
and advanced farming practices in corn
production. Julito G. Rada
By Bernadette Lunas
THE Japan Environmental
Technology Development Co.
Ltd. has teamed up with Tagaytay
Mountain Peak Corp. to establish a
$200-million plant in Laguna that
will manufacture light emitting
diodes.
Jented is an environmental
company in Japan while Tagaytay
Mountain Peak is a Philippine-
focused housing developer led by
Korean investors.
Rod Cabrera, country
representative of Jented, said in
a statement the two companies
planned to establish one of
the largest LED factories in
the world with a production
capacity of 1 million LED
products each year.
[Our lighting system] is much
lighter than the other brands, has
longer lifespan than the average
LED lighting system in the market
and is user-friendly, meaning it
doesnt require an electrician for
installation, said Cabrera.
The LEDs are more expensive
compared to traditional lighting
systems, but are said to be more
efcient. They radiate less
heat and have longer life of
up to 50,000 hours compared
to the 2,000 hours and 15,000
hours max of incandescent and
uorescent lights, respectively.
Were glad that we can offer
the best production lighting
technology as made in the
Philippines and powered by
Japan, Cabrera said.
TRADI NG SUMMARY
SHARES VALUE
FINANCIAL 11,196,093 797,819,128.65
INDUSTRIAL 91,886,948 1,057,760,231.87
HOLDING FIRMS 58,854,875 982,667,531.93
PROPERTY 216,350,079 534,937,345.46
SERVICES 275,098,929 818,167,193.85
MINING & OIL 1,227,839,323 244,042,413.91
GRAND TOTAL 1,881,226,247 4,435,393,845.67
FINANCIAL 1,265.73 (DOWN) 4.86
INDUSTRIAL 7,713.71 (UP) 30.91
HOLDING FIRMS 4,376.92 (UP) 33.22
PROPERTY 1,900.72 (UP) 6.84
SERVICES 1,638.91 (UP) 18.33
MINING & OIL 24,232.02 (DOWN) 141.90
PSEI 5,081.61 (UP) 31.20
All Shares Index 3,364.26 (UP) 7.55
Gainers: 79; Losers: 73; Unchanged: 47; Total: 199
Kim-my (Dora)s no kyeme answer
Business
ManilaStandardToday
[email protected] [email protected]
JUNE 20, 2012 WEDNESDAY
B2
52 Weeks Previous % Net Foreign
High Low STOCKS Close High Low Close Change Volume Trade/Buying
MST BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW
TUESDAY, JUNE 19, 2012
M
S
T
FINANCIAL
70.00 46.00 Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. 62.95 63.60 62.95 63.05 0.16 3,689,900 15,079,862.50
76.80 50.00 Bank of PI 70.00 70.45 69.75 70.00 0.00 1,438,800 15,305,136.50
512.00 370.00 China Bank 554.00 500.00 480.00 491.00 (11.37) 66,310 (434,520.00)
23.90 12.50 COL Financial 23.35 23.30 23.15 23.30 (0.21) 570,800
Eastwest Bank 18.92 19.00 18.94 18.88 (0.21) 254,800 681,468.00
80.00 40.00 First Metro Inv. 68.00 68.10 68.10 68.10 0.15 10
3.26 1.91 I-Remit Inc. 2.36 2.50 2.36 2.50 5.93 133,000
775.00 475.20 Manulife Fin. Corp. 455.00 450.00 450.00 450.00 (1.10) 100
29.00 3.00 Maybank ATR KE 38.15 38.15 37.35 37.35 (2.10) 48,000
93.50 60.00 Metrobank 89.85 90.00 89.00 89.85 0.00 2,959,350 94,963,576.00
3.06 1.30 Natl Reinsurance Corp. 2.03 2.05 2.03 2.05 0.99 221,000
16.85 41.00 Phil. National Bank 70.60 71.00 69.80 70.00 (0.85) 428,900 660,800.00
85.00 57.70 Phil. Savings Bank 82.00 82.00 82.00 82.00 0.00 530
539.00 204.80 PSE Inc. 349.80 350.00 349.00 350.00 0.06 5,450 1,711,300.00
44.40 25.45 RCBC `A 43.00 43.30 43.00 43.10 0.23 641,300.00 11,869,080.00
151.50 77.00 Security Bank 139.50 139.50 137.60 137.80 (1.22) 517,410 (18,524,856.00)
140.00 58.00 Union Bank 101.00 101.00 99.50 99.50 (1.49) 144,570 (3,652,963.00)
2.06 1.43 Vantage Equities 1.78 1.80 1.80 1.80 1.12 75,000
INDUSTRIAL
35.50 26.50 Aboitiz Power Corp. 32.75 33.25 32.20 33.10 1.07 3,765,400 (41,346,665.00)
13.58 7.32 Agrinurture Inc. 8.99 8.95 8.80 8.80 (2.11) 56,000
23.50 11.98 Alaska Milk Corp. 19.00 18.00 18.00 18.00 (5.26) 100
1.86 0.97 Alliance Tuna Intl Inc. 1.40 1.40 1.38 1.39 (0.71) 121,000 (43,400.00)
54.90 26.00 Alphaland Corp. 28.65 28.70 28.40 28.40 (0.87) 800
1.65 1.08 Alsons Cons. 1.29 1.30 1.29 1.30 0.78 211,000 64,500.00
Asiabest Group 22.85 23.25 20.80 20.95 (8.32) 123,100
102.80 3.02 Bloomberry 8.33 8.50 8.33 8.40 0.84 3,897,600 (26,219,987.00)
2.88 2.24 Calapan Venture 2.60 2.85 2.65 2.80 7.69 2,221,000 (2,728,670.00)
3.07 2.30 Chemrez Technologies Inc. 2.55 2.62 2.55 2.62 2.75 101,000
8.33 7.41 Cirtek Holdings (Chips) 9.45 9.64 8.95 9.64 2.01 552,600 (63.00)
7.06 4.83 Energy Devt. Corp. (EDC) 6.06 6.11 6.04 6.05 (0.17) 18,595,000 (22,956,072.00)
6.28 2.80 EEI 6.21 6.23 6.18 6.22 0.16 296,200
3.80 1.00 Euro-Med Lab. 1.94 1.81 1.81 1.81 (6.70) 6,000
25.00 5.80 Federal Chemicals 10.50 10.40 10.38 10.40 (0.95) 4,100
15.58 12.50 First Gen Corp. 16.78 17.06 16.50 16.90 0.72 8,433,400 38,360,888.00
67.20 51.50 First Holdings A 71.40 74.40 71.40 73.30 2.66 2,837,900 9,411,403.00
31.50 22.50 Ginebra San Miguel Inc. 21.00 21.00 21.00 21.00 0.00 1,000
0.10 0.0095 Greenergy 0.0130 0.0140 0.0130 0.0140 7.69 12,500,000
13.50 7.80 Holcim Philippines Inc. 11.30 11.30 11.30 11.30 0.00 100
9.00 4.71 Integ. Micro-Electronics 4.00 4.05 4.00 4.00 0.00 27,000
2.35 0.95 Ionics Inc 0.750 0.770 0.750 0.750 0.00 205,000
120.00 80.00 Jollibee Foods Corp. 105.00 106.00 103.80 103.80 (1.14) 266,600 (2,440,998.00)
91.25 25.00 Liberty Flour 52.50 52.00 52.00 52.00 (0.95) 600
8.40 1.04 LMG Chemicals 1.49 1.53 1.44 1.50 0.67 532,000 (10,640.00)
1.55 0.99 Mabuhay Vinyl Corp. 1.50 1.45 1.45 1.45 (3.33) 23,000
3.19 1.08 Manchester Intl. B 1.65 1.88 1.82 1.82 10.30 10,000 (9,400.00)
24.70 17.94 Manila Water Co. Inc. 23.95 24.30 23.80 24.30 1.46 2,139,600 (9,251,535.00)
15.30 8.12 Megawide 17.48 17.48 17.00 17.48 0.00 1,920,400
295.00 215.00 Mla. Elect. Co `A 240.00 241.00 235.60 235.00 (2.08) 290,640 10,920,318.00
3.00 1.96 Pepsi-Cola Products Phil. 2.72 2.77 2.72 2.77 1.84 831,000 2,296,560.00
17.40 9.70 Petron Corporation 10.18 10.32 10.08 10.20 0.20 5,378,900 2,097,936.00
14.00 10.30 Phinma Corporation 10.26 10.28 10.26 10.26 0.00 12,000
15.24 9.01 Phoenix Petroleum Phils. 8.20 8.20 8.07 8.19 (0.12) 96,400
9.50 5.25 Republic Cement `A 8.42 8.45 7.50 7.75 (7.96) 171,900 (191,700.00)
2.55 1.01 RFM Corporation 2.92 2.94 2.91 2.92 0.00 3,755,000 (325,810.00)
3.49 2.01 Roxas Holdings 2.54 2.54 2.52 2.52 (0.79) 7,000
33.00 27.70 San Miguel Brewery Inc. 29.00 29.00 28.80 29.00 0.00 6,400
132.60 105.70 San Miguel Corp `A 114.30 115.40 113.90 115.40 0.96 251,420 17,923,905.00
1.90 1.25 Seacem 1.77 1.78 1.78 1.78 0.56 2,500,000
2.50 1.85 Splash Corporation 1.84 1.86 1.80 1.84 0.00 547,000
0.250 0.112 Swift Foods, Inc. 0.129 0.129 0.125 0.129 0.00 2,310,000 (38,700.00)
5.46 2.92 Tanduay Holdings 4.20 4.55 4.23 4.41 5.00 12,702,000 9,563,220.00
3.62 1.99 TKC Steel Corp. 2.18 2.18 2.06 2.18 0.00 141,000
1.41 0.90 Trans-Asia Oil 1.22 1.22 1.21 1.22 0.00 62,000
68.00 36.20 Universal Robina 61.00 62.00 60.95 62.00 1.64 1,034,910 (23,467,905.50)
Victorias Milling 1.52 1.54 1.48 1.52 0.00 2,241,000 (820,670.00)
1.12 0.285 Vitarich Corp. 0.700 0.700 0.680 0.690 (1.43) 286,000
18.00 2.55 Vivant Corp. 11.98 12.60 11.40 11.72 (2.17) 126,200
1.22 0.68 Vulcan Indl. 0.90 0.96 0.90 0.95 5.56 118,000
HOLDING FIRMS
1.18 0.65 Abacus Cons. `A 0.70 0.68 0.68 0.68 (2.86) 250,000
59.90 35.50 Aboitiz Equity 47.75 48.20 47.00 48.00 0.52 2,673,800 (11,130,400.00)
0.019 0.014 Alcorn Gold Res. 0.0150 0.0150 0.0150 0.0150 0.00 4,200,000
13.48 8.00 Alliance Global Inc. 11.60 11.78 11.50 11.70 0.86 25,802,000 (130,828,950.00)
2.97 1.67 Anglo Holdings A 2.00 2.00 1.97 2.00 0.00 208,000
4.60 3.00 Anscor `A 4.60 4.65 4.55 4.65 1.09 309,000 1,392,750.00
6.98 0.260 Asia Amalgamated A 5.25 5.45 5.15 5.40 2.86 387,800 24,300.00
3.15 1.49 ATN Holdings A 1.87 1.87 1.80 1.87 0.00 13,000
437.00 272.00 Ayala Corp `A 455.80 466.00 455.80 462.80 1.54 355,250 62,365,956.00
59.45 30.50 DMCI Holdings 55.00 54.95 54.35 54.95 (0.09) 1,854,830 11,078,536.00
4.19 1.03 F&J Prince A 2.60 2.50 2.50 2.50 (3.85) 50,000
5.25 3.30 Filinvest Dev. Corp. 3.96 3.97 3.92 3.93 (0.76) 1,676,000
0.98 0.10 Forum Pacic 0.215 0.215 0.213 0.213 (0.93) 110,000
GT Capital 496.20 497.00 490.00 492.20 (0.81) 11,470 810,704.00
5.22 2.90 House of Inv. 4.38 4.38 4.30 4.37 (0.23) 227,000 (262,800.00)
34.80 19.00 JG Summit Holdings 33.15 33.40 33.05 33.40 0.75 2,605,200 26,941,435.00
6.95 4.00 Lopez Holdings Corp. 5.85 5.97 5.83 5.88 0.51 4,585,500 (4,432,162.00)
1.54 0.61 Lodestar Invt. Holdg.Corp. 1.07 1.10 1.05 1.08 0.93 401,000
3.82 1.500 Marcventures Hldgs., Inc. 2.46 2.54 2.35 2.45 (0.41) 2,122,000 (3,073,190.00)
4.45 2.56 Metro Pacic Inv. Corp. 4.08 4.16 4.06 4.10 0.49 6,192,000 (7,065,900.00)
6.24 2.10 Minerales Industrias Corp. 4.83 4.87 4.78 4.87 0.83 60,000
0.0770 0.054 Pacica `A 0.0450 0.0480 0.0480 0.0480 6.67 2,000,000
0.82 0.44 Prime Orion 0.430 0.430 0.430 0.430 0.00 200,000
2.40 0.91 Seafront `A 1.64 1.64 1.62 1.64 0.00 4,000
0.490 0.285 Sinophil Corp. 0.315 0.325 0.320 0.320 1.59 670,000
699.00 450.00 SM Investments Inc. 696.50 703.00 697.00 702.00 0.79 172,570 8,205,435.00
1.78 1.00 Solid Group Inc. 1.34 1.39 1.33 1.36 1.49 444,000 (270,000.00)
0.420 0.099 Unioil Res. & Hldgs 0.2250 0.2100 0.2100 0.2100 (6.67) 10,000
0.620 0.056 Wellex Industries 0.3450 0.3600 0.3450 0.3600 4.35 830,000 (35,500.00)
1.370 0.178 Zeus Holdings 0.520 0.520 0.500 0.510 (1.92) 423,000
P R O P E R T Y
39.00 11.00 Anchor Land Holdings Inc. 42.00 42.00 40.00 40.00 (4.76) 1,200
2.82 1.70 A. Brown Co., Inc. 2.70 2.70 2.70 2.70 0.00 1,000
0.75 0.31 Araneta Prop `A 0.630 0.650 0.650 0.650 3.17 11,000
22.40 13.36 Ayala Land `B 21.80 22.00 21.50 22.00 0.92 5,222,000 38,900,995.00
6.12 3.08 Belle Corp. `A 4.66 4.74 4.64 4.74 1.72 1,345,000 (3,929,580.00)
9.00 2.26 Cebu Holdings 5.63 5.85 5.50 5.53 (1.78) 232,300
5.66 0.26 Century Property 1.43 1.45 1.40 1.41 (1.40) 1,188,000
2.85 1.20 City & Land Dev. 2.65 2.55 2.40 2.40 (9.43) 115,000
0.127 0.060 Crown Equities Inc. 0.078 0.076 0.076 0.076 (2.56) 1,200,000
1.16 0.67 Cyber Bay Corp. 0.78 0.78 0.78 0.78 0.00 423,000
0.90 0.54 Empire East Land 0.710 0.710 0.690 0.710 0.00 691,000
0.310 0.10 Ever Gotesco 0.175 0.155 0.155 0.155 (11.43) 30,000
3.06 1.76 Global-Estate 1.70 1.78 1.69 1.78 4.71 2,112,000 (1,272,530.00)
1.35 0.98 Filinvest Land,Inc. 1.23 1.24 1.21 1.24 0.81 6,896,000 1,748,400.00
3.80 1.21 Highlands Prime 1.71 1.73 1.73 1.73 1.17 10,000
2.14 0.65 Interport `A 1.11 1.11 1.05 1.11 0.00 194,000
2.48 1.51 Megaworld Corp. 1.98 2.04 1.98 2.02 2.02 58,453,000 (20,878,790.00)
0.80 0.215 MRC Allied Ind. 0.1870 0.1880 0.1830 0.1850 (1.07) 350,000
0.990 0.072 Phil. Estates Corp. 0.6900 0.6900 0.6700 0.6700 (2.90) 1,362,000
38.10 12.50 Phil. Tob. Flue Cur & Redry 15.00 15.02 15.02 15.02 0.13 66,900
4.77 1.80 Polar Property Holdings 4.00 4.14 3.99 4.03 0.75 262,000 (80,300.00)
18.86 10.00 Robinsons Land `B 16.78 16.86 16.70 16.80 0.12 3,251,500 19,570,686.00
Rockwell 3.10 3.10 3.05 3.09 (0.32) 136,000 (121,050.00)
2.70 1.74 Shang Properties Inc. 2.46 2.55 2.55 2.55 3.66 50,000
9.47 6.50 SM Development `A 6.14 6.28 6.08 6.10 (0.65) 1,728,700 (212,753.00)
18.20 10.90 SM Prime Holdings 13.14 13.14 12.80 12.94 (1.52) 6,516,900 5,134,410.00
1.14 0.64 Sta. Lucia Land Inc. 0.68 0.68 0.66 0.66 (2.94) 602,000
4.30 2.60 Vista Land & Lifescapes 4.060 4.070 4.010 4.070 0.25 3,795,000 10,278,200.00
S E R V I C E S
2GO Group 1.80 1.80 1.80 1.80 0.00 4,000
14.76 1.60 Acesite Hotel 14.66 15.08 14.00 14.56 (0.68) 505,500 4,242.00
0.80 0.45 APC Group, Inc. 0.680 0.630 0.630 0.630 (7.35) 130,000
9.30 7.30 Asian Terminals Inc. 8.99 8.60 8.60 8.60 (4.34) 20,000 172,000.00
0.5300 0.0660 Boulevard Holdings 0.1400 0.1430 0.1390 0.1410 0.71 7,100,000
Calata Corp. 12.30 13.12 10.20 10.78 (12.36) 25,515,000 2,621,664.00
98.15 62.50 Cebu Air Inc. (5J) 63.00 64.85 63.20 64.85 2.94 404,870 (16,389,928.00)
9.70 5.40 DFNN Inc. 6.86 6.90 6.20 6.25 (8.89) 253,000
5.90 1.45 Easy Call Common 3.26 3.26 3.26 3.26 0.00 1,000
1750.00 765.00 FEUI 975.00 975.00 975.00 975.00 0.00 200
1270.00 825.00 Globe Telecom 1040.00 1070.00 1020.00 1070.00 2.88 48,695 (5,864,975.00)
10.34 6.18 GMA Network Inc. 10.14 10.16 10.06 10.14 0.00 599,100
69.00 43.40 I.C.T.S.I. 72.50 75.00 72.40 74.80 3.17 1,840,970 2,764,037.50
0.98 0.34 Information Capital Tech. 0.440 0.440 0.440 0.440 0.00 190,000
6.00 4.00 IPeople Inc. `A 5.40 5.55 5.55 5.55 2.78 10,000
4.29 2.20 IP Converge 4.29 3.80 3.25 3.26 (24.01) 5,420,000
34.50 0.123 IP E-Game Ventures Inc. 0.044 0.044 0.041 0.042 (4.55) 210,200,000 24,800.00
3.87 1.16 IPVG Corp. 1.05 1.05 1.05 1.05 0.00 10,000
0.0760 0.040 Island Info 0.0520 0.0530 0.0500 0.0530 1.92 240,000
3.79 1.58 JTH Davies Holdings Inc. 2.84 2.90 2.53 2.80 (1.41) 990,000
11.68 5.90 Leisure & Resorts 6.45 6.60 6.46 6.50 0.78 196,100
3.96 2.70 Macroasia Corp. 2.80 2.85 2.85 2.85 1.79 100,000
3.00 1.00 Manila Jockey 2.13 2.13 2.08 2.13 0.00 998,000
9.60 6.50 Metro Pacic Tollways 7.00 7.30 7.30 7.30 4.29 500
21.00 17.20 Pacic Online Sys. Corp. 21.00 21.20 20.10 21.00 0.00 23,000 10,500.00
8.58 4.50 PAL Holdings Inc. 7.18 7.22 7.19 7.19 0.14 9,700
3.32 1.05 Paxys Inc. 2.90 2.90 2.84 2.85 (1.72) 279,000 343,200.00
60.00 17.02 Phil. Seven Corp. 42.00 42.00 42.00 42.00 0.00 146,300 5,250,000.00
17.18 14.50 Philweb.Com Inc. 14.70 14.70 14.10 14.40 (2.04) 113,600 (826,530.00)
2886.00 2096.00 PLDT Common 2376.00 2396.00 2370.00 2390.00 0.59 53,730 5,339,040.00
0.48 0.23 PremiereHorizon 0.320 0.320 0.315 0.315 (1.56) 150,000
23.75 10.68 Puregold 25.70 25.70 25.40 25.45 (0.97) 322,100 (5,370,490.00)
Touch Solutions 3.80 3.57 3.54 3.54 (6.84) 27,000
3.30 2.40 Transpacic Broadcast 2.53 2.70 2.68 2.70 6.72 6,000
MINING & OIL
0.0083 0.0036 Abra Mining 0.0040 0.0039 0.0039 0.0039 (2.50) 135,000,000
6.20 3.01 Apex `A 4.65 4.67 4.65 4.67 0.43 4,000
6.22 3.00 Apex `B 4.75 4.75 4.75 4.75 0.00 1,000
25.20 14.50 Atlas Cons. `A 17.16 17.40 17.14 17.40 1.40 986,400 (672,494.00)
31.00 20.00 Atok-Big Wedge `A 29.95 29.80 29.80 29.80 (0.50) 200
0.380 0.148 Basic Energy Corp. 0.250 0.242 0.240 0.240 (4.00) 200,000
30.35 15.00 Benguet Corp `A 22.00 22.00 22.00 22.00 0.00 7,000
34.00 14.50 Benguet Corp `B 22.00 22.05 22.05 22.05 0.23 2,000
2.51 1.62 Century Peak Metals Hldgs 1.41 1.40 1.39 1.39 (1.42) 130,000
50.85 4.35 Dizon 30.50 32.45 30.50 31.00 1.64 112,500
1.21 0.50 Geograce Res. Phil. Inc. 0.68 0.69 0.65 0.69 1.47 1,536,000
1.82 0.5900 Lepanto `A 1.400 1.400 1.370 1.370 (2.14) 24,115,000
2.070 0.6700 Lepanto `B 1.470 1.470 1.430 1.430 (2.72) 24,647,000 (2,931,940.00)
0.085 0.035 Manila Mining `A 0.0670 0.0660 0.0650 0.0660 (1.49) 8,710,000
0.087 0.035 Manila Mining `B 0.0650 0.0650 0.0650 0.0650 0.00 6,600,000 32,500.00
34.80 15.04 Nickelasia 31.60 31.90 30.75 31.85 0.79 222,700 2,998,320.00
12.76 2.08 Nihao Mineral Resources 8.55 8.65 8.36 8.58 0.35 362,900
1.100 0.008 Omico 0.7300 0.7200 0.7100 0.7200 (1.37) 42,000
8.40 2.12 Oriental Peninsula Res. 5.090 5.200 5.050 5.110 0.39 710,600 (154,500.00)
0.032 0.012 Oriental Pet. `A 0.0180 0.0180 0.0180 0.0180 0.00 23,400,000
0.033 0.013 Oriental Pet. `B 0.0210 0.0190 0.0190 0.0190 (9.52) 90,800,000
7.14 5.10 Petroenergy Res. Corp. 5.95 6.15 6.00 6.00 0.84 5,000
28.95 17.08 Philex `A 23.70 23.85 23.50 23.80 0.42 1,160,800 (2,055,840.00)
14.18 3.00 PhilexPetroleum 39.00 39.60 38.50 39.60 1.54 1,120,800 2,493,095.00
0.058 0.013 Philodrill Corp. `A 0.049 0.049 0.047 0.049 0.00 904,400,000 (13,273,900.00)
252.00 161.10 Semirara Corp. 216.00 216.50 214.00 216.40 0.19 97,970 4,181,920.00
0.029 0.013 United Paragon 0.0190 0.0180 0.0170 0.0180 (5.26) 3,300,000
PREFERRED
47.90 27.30 ABS-CBN Holdings Corp. 33.00 34.00 32.00 32.00 (3.03) 436,300 (1,870,750.00)
570.00 520.00 Ayala Corp. Pref `A 544.00 544.00 540.00 544.00 0.00 5,900
60.00 30.00 Benguet Corp. Con. Pref 51.15 52.00 52.00 52.00 1.66 340
First Gen G 102.50 102.50 102.50 102.50 0.00 50,610
11.02 6.00 GMA Holdings Inc. 9.92 10.00 9.90 10.00 0.81 1,435,100 (13,079,096.00)
116.70 106.20 PCOR-Preferred 110.00 110.00 110.00 110.00 0.00 200
80.00 74.50 SMC Preferred 1 75.60 75.60 75.60 75.60 0.00 1,000
1050.00 990.00 SMPFC Preferred 1022.00 1020.00 1016.00 1016.00 (0.59) 3,110
6.00 0.87 Swift Pref 1.10 1.12 1.04 1.04 (5.45) 113,000
WARRANTS & BONDS
IRC Properties W 0.10 0.10 0.10 0.10 0.00 20,000,000
1.35 0.62 Megaworld Corp. Warrants 1.02 1.02 1.02 1.02 0.00 100,000
1.38 0.67 Megaworld Corp. Warrants2 1.10 1.10 1.10 1.10 0.00 100,000,000 110,000,000.00
GERRY GERONIMO
THE TRUST GURU
Round one goes to Congress
NOPE, were not referring to stage actress-turned-
box ofce star Eugene Domingo (whose portrayal of
Kimmy/Dora has turned these two into iconic characters
in local lmdom) but Bureau of Internal Revenue chief
Kim Henares whose I have an advantage quip over
the other potential candidates for the Chief Justice post
recently vacated by Renato Corona raised eyebrows
not to mention the
hacklesof some
people including
a number of those
touted as front
runners.
While Kims no
kyeme answer
was appreciated
by some who say
the country needs
a no-nonsense,
no BS top
magistrate, Happy
Hour sources claim that one particular candidate was
not so impressed, allegedly dismissing the BIR chiefs
claim as sheer nonsenseand reportedly sneering
that the biggest advantage of Henares is her being a
member of P-Noys Triple K circlein particular the
Kabarilan chapter.
To date, 40 people are being recommended so you can
expect some more names and people to be added including
the legit and unusual like nurses, dismissed judges, over-
aged lawyers and the like. The interesting mix of characters
should turn the live coverage of the oral interviewswhich
forms part of the JBC selection processinto a teleserye
top rater, with comedy, drama and who knows, even
possibly action thrown in for good measure.
The buzz among SC insiders, however, is that
President Noynoy should appoint someone old enough
to have had ample experience in legal practice, respected
as an academe, has been exposed to international
arbitrationbut young enough to push through with
long-term reforms needed to restore the peoples faith
in the Judiciary.
The waiting game
With the much anticipated but very delayed mining
policy still to be signed by Malacaang, legislators
are weighing in, calling for the issuance of a highly
progressive mining policy that would enhance
environmental protection while ensuring economic
growth and more employment opportunities.
Cebu Congressman Eduardo Gullas said mining
communities should benet to the greatest extent
from the mining activities in their areasissuing the
statement shortly after Environment Secretary Mon
Paje said he expected the president to sign the new
mining policy in the next few days. In Mindanao
alone, the untapped mineral wealth is estimated at $1
trillionso you can just imagine the mining industrys
vast potential to contribute to the countrys coffers by
way of new investments and tax contributions.
Happy Hour regulars happily imbibing their favorite
spirit noted, however, that much earlier, Mines and
Geosciences Bureau chief Leo Jasareno may have
inadvertently revealed the true state of affairs when he
said at a recent mining forum that if for instance the
policy still does not come out by September (that long?),
it will be too late for investments to come inmaking it
really difcult for government to hit its target of $2.27
billion worth of investments this year.
Gullas also cited the mining sectors top taxpayer,
namely Philex Mining Corp. which he said paid over
P1.8 billion in taxes (although Happy Hour sources said
the number is more like P2.3 billion for both national
and local taxes)making it the ninth largest among all
corporate taxpayers in the Philippines. Actually, not many
know that the largest mining company in the country
also spends a lot for SDMP or Social Development
Management Program required by law from all mining
operators, wherein projects are undertaken for the
welfare of residents in host communities and nearby
areas. Insiders say Philex has set aside P39 million for
its SDMP with more than P9 million already spent in the
rst quarter alone.
In any event, the waiting game is making industry
watchers, the pros and the antis very antsy. Malacaangs
continued delay in signing the new mining policy means
more lost opportunity for new investmentsthe amount
of which are not exactly chump change.
HH gulp news: Sex for votes
Over in Mexico, the ruling partys trailing female
candidate in the presidential race is urging women voters
to use their feminine wiles to compel their husbands to go
out and vote on July 1. National Action Party candidate
Josena Vazquez Mota tweeted women followers to
withhold the cuchi cuchi (respectable translation is
hanky-panky but an urban dictionary has a less polite
entry) for a month if their men dont go out and vote.
Vazquez Mota is currently third in the race (dominated
by the Bobby Kennedy-esque Enrique Pen Nieto
whose actress wife is denitely a looker), hobbled by
the growing death toll in the Calderon governments war
against the drug cartels and the lack of jobs in many
sectors.
S
I
N
S
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EVERY summer since 2007, Acer organizes a sports adventure activity for select members of the press to deter-
mine their survival skills when engaged in multiple grueling mental and physical challenges. These players from
the media are brought to a secret, amazing destinations that are revealed only on the day of the contest itself.
Bonifacio, showing off its
carefully handcrafted state-
of-the-art products, modern-
day designs, and innovative
technology. The 700-square
meter display room now
belongs to the Groups roster
of 400 showrooms in over 100
countries worldwide.
Led by its chairman Silvestre
Segar r a, who was joined by
Casa Europa Inc.s president Jay
Ong, a toast was offered together
with Spanish ambassador to
the Philippines Jor ge Domecq
and his spouse, Rosa Runo de
Domecq celebrating the opening
of this agship showroom.
Porcelanosa Grupos other
partners in the PhilippinesVG
Mar tinez, Kevin Belmonte,
Rally Mar tinez, Menardo
Jimenez, Joseph Tan and
Joel Jimenezalso joined the
celebratory toast.
Banking on its 35-year industry
experience and its recognition by
Price Waterhouse Coopers and
the Financial Times, Porcelanosa
Grupo has also been granted
a Royal Warrant by HRH The
Prince of Wales, in recognition
of the brands quality products
and services. Their current brand
ambassadors are no less than
celebrities George Clooney,
Nicole Kidman and Isabel
Preysler.
From Italy and Napa Valley
Future Trade Internationals
(FTI) chief executive, James
Du Vivier, led the celebration of
the partnership of two premiere
wine brandsRobert Mondavi
and Marchesi de Frescobaldi
resulting in the divinely
pleasurable, Luce. Needless to
say, ne wine goes perfectly
with delectable cuisine, so
Chef Robbie Cimino of EDSA
Shangri-las Paparazzi, whipped
up a menu t for royalty.
Earlier, during cocktails, guests
were mesmerized by the superior
taste of Danzante Pinot Grigio
and Woodbridge 2009 White
Zinfandel. At dinnertime, the
special menu further highlighted
the magical taste of the selection
of superb wines served to guests
Robert Mondavi, Woodbridge
2010 Sauvignon Blanc,
Woodbridge Moscato DOro,
Frescobaldi Pomino Bianco, and,
of course, Luce.
As FTI marketing director
for wines Er ic Kahn rightfully
declared, the event was in
celebration of two leading wine
familiesRobert Mondavi of
Napa Valley and Marchesi de
Frescobaldi of Italythe best of
two worlds coming together!
From Japan
MUJIs Spring Summer
2012 Collection was recently
unveiled, redening its
minimalist approach to fashion,
with neutral tones as main colors,
as styled by lover-of-anything-
Japanese Cecile Van Str aten.
Celebrating functionality and
simplicity, the brand offers
a wide range of products
from garments to home and
bed fabrics and accessories,
maximizing the benets of linen,
silk and organic cotton, perfect
for our tropical climate.
On hand to welcome guests
were Katsutoshi Suzuki,
Business Development unit
manager of MUJIs Overseas
Operations Division and Stores
Specialists, Inc.s Cather ine
Huang. They made the event
even more exciting by rafing off
two round-trip tickets to Japan
via Delta Airlines.
More than just a fashion label,
MUJI promotes sensible lifestyle
choices, and these are available at
its showrooms in Bonifacio High
Street, Rockwell Power Plant Mall,
Greenbelt 3, and SM Mall of Asia.
----------O----------
YOUR WEEKEND CHUCKLE:
Imagineliving with three
wives in one compound and never
leaving the house for ve years!
Osama Bin Laden must have called
the US Navy Seals himself!!!
----------O----------
For feedback, Im at
[email protected]
Hairstylist Fumio
Ohnishi and
interiordesigner
Takatoshi
Kimachi
Miriam
Quiambao with
Ito Curata
Albert and Liezl Martinez with
daughter Alyssa
Business development unit
manager of MUJIs Overseas
Operations Division Katsutoshi
Suzuki, MUJI Philippines
merchandising manager
Antoinette Jara, Visual
merchandising assistant Chito
Campos and MUJI Philippines
area manager Bjorn Asuncion
Pops Fernandez, Anton San Digo,
Laurie Westfall and VG Martinez
Teddy and Louie Locsin with Jay Ong
and Ginggay Joven-dela Merced
From left:
Kevin
Belmonte,
Jimmy Ong,
Ambassador
Jorge Domecq,
Robert
Coyiuto,
Richard Tiu
and Maurice
Laude
Marketing director of Porcelanosa Jose Pascual Pesudo, Venis manager
Ximo Monzonis, Rally Martinez, chairman of Porcelanosa Grupo Silvestre
Segarra, Casa Europa Inc. president Jay Ong, Rafael Castellanos, Noken
general manager Pablo Mana
Chef Robbie Cimino of
Paparazzi, EDSA
Shangri-la Hotel
Lawrie Martin, Brian Lane, Bill Hopson
and James Du Vivier
Future Trade Internationals Eric Kahn, Noel
Sebastian, Kat San Diego, Yogi Ringler and
Masterminds-Asias Sunny Ku
This years edition dubbed as The Amazing
Eco-Adventure Island Race, the annual Acer
contest was held in beautiful Samal Island in
Davao City.
Samal Island has put Davao on internation-
al tourist map thanks to its white-sand beaches
and crystal clear azure waters. Samal Island
boasts of a rich marine life including beautiful
coral reef formations that it is considered as
one of the treasured and favorite diving spots
in the Philippines. World-class resorts, peopled
by the most welcoming and hospitable staff,
can be found here as well.
Off to Davao
The lifestyle and tech media were own
to Davao, one Thursday morning. Upon land-
ing, we were immediately whisked off to a
jetty where a ferry was waiting to take us to
the Pearl Farm Beach Resort, where festivities
were formally opened.
We were divided into ve groups of 10
membersRed, Blue, Yellow, Green and
White. We were told there were eight chal-
lenges plus extra tasks to be accomplished in
eight different locations on Samal Island, all
in one day.
This writer, together with Owen Bautista-
Alcar az, Edsel Lorete, Mick Tan, Doi Ibaro-
la, Er ic Tipan, Raffy Pedrajita, Senecca
Mendones, Ricky Bor agay, and Arvin Ligon
made up the Red Team.
Let the games begin
We woke up at the crack of dawn, all pumped
up to beat the competition.
The competition began at past 6 a.m.
The rst challenge was called the Suez Ca-
nal. The teams had to make a pingpong ball roll
over small PVC pipes, sliced lengthwise, until it
reaches a hole on the beach. Each member, hold-
ing a 10- to 12-inch PVC pipe, had to make sure
that the pingpong ball will not fall to the ground
as it crosses the bridge. Otherwise, the team
had to start over. Our team dropped the pingpong
ball about four times before we could nish the
task and go on to the extra activity, the Full
Bottle. Here, the difculty involved emptying a
bottle full of small pebbles and relling the same
bottle with its original contents.
At the Maxima Aqua Fun, a few minutes drive
from the Pearl Farm, the task was to slide for our
lives on the resorts 40-meter slide. We had to
accomplish three other things here as well: Swim
towards a oating rescue vest with small plastic
bags containing clues attached to it (these clues
were used for another challenge), create our team
ag using scrap materials, and write a description
of the ag on the latest Acer offering, the Aspire
5 Ultrabook.
Next stop was the Hagimit Falls, popular for
its natural swimming pools and amazing rock
formations. Here, the teams had to overcome the
Impossible Bamboo challenge. As the name
implies, each team was given the almost impos-
sible task of lling a bamboo, with numerous tiny
holes, with water from the falls.
We wasted so much time
here trying to plug the holes
with our ngers, cheeks and
any available part of our bod-
ies while a teammate poured
cup after cup of water into the
bamboo.
We succeeded eventually
while other teams gave up.
More points for us.
The 4th challenge Blind Pail
was at Peaplata Elementary
School. The task here was to carry
a pail half-lled with water to a
certain point in the schools open
grounds. But heres the catch, half the team
had to be blind folded. They were the ones
tasked with carrying the pail, while the rest
of the team (those NOT blindfolded) called
out instructions).
Thankfully, we survived that challenge
with more time to spare.
We went on to the Monfot Bat Cave,
home to the worlds largest colony of
Geoffroys Rousette Fruit Bats (Rousettus
Amplexicaudatus) as cited by the Guin-
ness Book of World Records. Here, teams
were divided into two groups. One group
had to solve the word puzzle using the
clues inside the plastic bags taken from the
Maxima Aqua Fun challenge. The rest of
the team set out by boat to the Sanipaan
Vanishing Island to solve a number series
riddle. Our team solved both mind games,
allowing us to check off the 5th and 6th
challenges in our list of accomplishments.
The 7th challenge was at Brgy. Guillon
where each team faced three chores: rap-
pelling down the Bito Depression, solving
another guessing game, and peeling off the
skin of a coconut and opening it without
using a bolo knife or any other modern cut-
ting/chopping tools. The boys had to use
primitive tools like stones, sticks, and yes,
their teeth to accomplish the task.
The nal leg of the Acer media chal-
lenge was at Kalinawan Resort. To get
there, the teams had to ditch their vans at
a nearby resort and hire a small boat to
paddle their way to Kalinawan. Here, the
teams were faced with accomplishing a
two-line traverse task, a kayak relay, and
snorkeling for colorful eggs. The bonus
challenge was rock climbing wherein only
two members from each team can do.
The tasks on the last leg of the race
gave our team its greatest lead. According
to Acers scoresheet, the Red team nished
rst in all three tasks. But the deciding fac-
tor was when our teammate Arvin nished
the rock climbing bonus task. He was the
only one who made it to the top. Needless
to say, Arvin propelled our team to cham-
pion status.
Arvin Ligon
increased lead
of the Red
Team by being
the only one
to take on the
rock climbing
bonus
challenge
C
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T
A
Y
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CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
ANSWER TOMORROW
56-Across
66 Trumpet sound
67 __ canto: singing style
68 Leno and Letterman,
e.g.
69 Artist Grant Wood,
by birth
70 Bermuda hrs.
Down
1 Provide for, as a
dependent
2 Teen haunts
3 According to plan
4 Ponce de __
5 R&D site
6 A whole lot
7 Dies __: Latin hymn
8 Short and sweet
9 Mural on wet plaster
10 Comedian Lovitz
11 From one end to the
other
12 Took out
13 Ditches where creeks
once were
21 A patch may cover
one
22 Co. designation
26 Rise up dramatically
ANSWER
TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE
Across
1 __ Tom and Prncipe
4 Cap on spending, say
9 Norwegian Sea arm
14 Footed vase
15 Habituate
16 Friend of Fido
17 Agt.s cut
18 Grouchy Muppet
19 The other side
LOS ANGELES
TIMES
CROSSWORD
20 The smile on an email
happy face
23 Director Reiner
24 Jazz singer Anita
25 Vatican City is one
27 Split end in a uniform
32 Air-conditioned
33 Tuts cousin?
34 Andrea __: ill-fated
vessel
36 88 or 98 automaker
37 Barrier-breaking noise
40 Pygmalion playwright
43 Reeves of Speed
44 Palindromic Altar
47 Bridge holding such as
ace-queen
50 Surprises
52 More decrepit
54 Wuss
55 Topsys playmate in
Uncle Toms Cabin
56 Exalted group leader,
facetiously
61 __ cotta
63 Household cleanser
64 Alternate identity letters
65 Encouraging cry, such
as the one formed by
the ends of 20-, 37-, and
28 Courtroom oath
29 Otto __ Bismarck
30 The Phantom of the
Opera
31 Puts through a food
press
35 Blind as __
37 Babe Ruths
sultanate?
38 Im __ roll!
39 Wilders __ Town
40 Final race leg
41 Bums rush
42 Supergiant in
Scorpius
44 Woodcutter who
stole from thieves
45 New versions of old
lms
46 Paving material
48 Perfectos, e.g.
49 Sufx with prot
51 Pair
53 Jewish holy man
57 __ contendere: court
plea
58 Shootout shout
59 Lawyers aide
60 Plow pullers
62 Inactive mil. status
home work relationships
JUNE 20, 2012 WEDNESDAY
C3
WEDNESDAY
C2
sha.re/
JUNE 20, 2012
[email protected]
CSR files
Gianna Maniego, Editor
Dinna Chan Vasquez, Assistant Editor
ManilaStandardToday
WITH more than 300 wedding suppliers participating,
from fashion designers and other wedding apparel, pho-
tographers, videographers, floral stylists, caterers, cake
and pastry shops, hotel and garden venues, make-up
artists, jewelers, car rentals, honeymoon destinations,
souvenirs and keepsakes, including wedding planners
and coordinators, up to entertainment, special effects,
as well as other specialty shops and accessories, the
Philippine Wedding Summit is the most complete, not-
to-be-missed midyear wedding event of the year, now
on its 7th year.
Presented by Themes & Motifs, the countrys premier
organizer of the biggest and most prestigious wedding
fairs, the Philippine Wedding Summit (PWS2012), will
be on June 23 24 at the World Trade Center Metro
Manila. Offering only the finest, latest, and best ideas
for soon-to-weds, those interested may pre-register
online for free admission through www.themesnmotifs.
com (The Wedding Ideas Portal Philippines) or get free
tickets from Themes & Motifs Makati Shangri-la.
To be l aunched duri ng t he event i s Themes &
Mot i fs very own weddi ng magazi ne, Bri des Ma-
nila, as well as their new wedding portal. Brides
Manila, envisioned to be the most comprehensive
high style wedding ideas magazine in the country,
will be distributed for free to all soon-to-weds
visiting PWS2012 and will also contain the
events exhibitors directory.
For more details about The Philippine Wed-
ding Summit Year 7, pls. visit www.themesn-
motifs.com (The Wedding Ideas Portal Phil-
ippines), email [email protected],
or call (632) 371.9783/ (632) 413.7892/
0917.5220707.
The must-visit wedding event of the year
The se Happy
Andrada
gown (inset)
and the Susie
Bonaobra
gown (right)
are featured
in Themes &
Motifs Bride
Magazine to
be launched
at the Philip-
pine Wed-
ding Summit
on June
23-24 at the
World Trade
Center Metro
Manila.
By Ed Biado
IF youre asking that question,
this article might be of help. At
its Worldwide Developers Con-
ference, Apple introduced iOS
6, the new operating system for
your Apple mobile device. Apple
is, yet again, giving us things
that we think we dont need. Its
just like the iPad all over again.
Remember how almost every-
one thought that it was such an
unnecessary gadget? Now, all
those people have one. Or two.
B u t
back to the
new OS. The
company said
that iOS 6 has
more than 200
new features
and enhance-
ments, includ-
ing a hyper-powered Siri, a new and
drastically improved Maps and Shared
Photo Steams. But do we really need all
those tweaks? Probably not, but here are
a few that would most likely be useful:
Apple found a way to address one com-
mon problem: having to reject a call. It
used to be a simple task: just tap Decline.
Now, with iOS 6, users have the option to
ignore a call and instantly reply with any
of the built-in messages like Ill call you
later or a custom one. You can also in-
struct your phone to remind you at a later
time that youre missing a call so that you
can call the caller back. Theres also the
Do Not Disturb option that lets you block
off all calls except the ones from specic
numbers you allow. And Im betting that
this set of functions will be one of iOS 6s
most popular new features.
Then, theres browsing. The new
operating systems Safari will have the
ability to save entire pages, as opposed
to just links, to your Reading List. This
is a great feature because youll be able
to view web pages even when ofine as
long as youve saved them.
Facebook is also getting an upgrade. Its
fully integrated into iOS 6, which means us-
ers can share photos on Facebook right from
Camera of Photos, check in from Maps,
publish game scores from Game Center and
view events on Calendar. And the integra-
tion doesnt stop there. If a Facebook friend
updates their contact info, their entry in your
Contacts will automatically sync.
So are these things (or any of the other
190+ new features) are getting you ex-
cited, then you and iOS 6 will be a great
match. But you do have to wait till fall to
get the update. And oh yeah, your device
must be an iPhone 3GS or newer, a 4th-
gen iPod touch, an iPad 2 or the new iPad.
Older devices are sadly not compatible.
Should I
upgrade
to iOS 6?
JUST over six months after the
record breaking 4th Hong Kong
International Wine & Spirits Fair,
VinExpo Asia-Pacic, held also at
the same Hong Kong Convention
and Exhibition Centre recently
from May 29 to 31, made history
anew. VinExpo exceeded the previ-
ous fair by attracting a new apex of
1,050 exhibitors from 28 countries
(rst time to bridge 4-digit in num-
ber of exhibitors), toppling the last
Hong Kong International Wine &
Spirits Fairs previous peak of 930
exhibitors. The previous VinExpo
Hong Kong in 2010 attracted 882
exhibitors, so this year grew by
a staggering 19 percent, neces-
sitating extra 2,000 square meters
space to take up a massive 10,500
square meters size. Being a trade
event, the support of exhibitors is
the lifeline of the fair. Based on
on-line registration records, the
VinExpo Asia-Pacific this year
was expected to receive 14,000+
visitors from 33 countries. I have to
say from personal observation too,
I saw more Filipino wine importers
this year than in any previous Vin-
Expo Asia-Pacic or Hong Kong
International Wine & Spirits Fair.
VinExpo is an annual trade event,
with odd years held at Bordeaux
France, and even years, known as
VinExpo Asia-Pacic held in Asia.
Hong Kong was the rst chosen
venue in 1998, then in 2000 and
2002, the venue shifted to Tokyo
Japan, but returned to Hong Kong
in 2006, and has stayed in Hong
Kong bi-annually since then.
Biggest growth region
According to VinExpo statis-
tics, the Asia-Pacic region is
home to $142.5 billion worth of
wine and spirits. Wine contrib-
utes $18.6 billion or 13 percent,
while the region remains by far
the worlds biggest consum-
ers of spirits. Hong Kong and
China in general are the largest
catalysts of this regional surge,
with Hong Kong being the win-
dow to the Mainland. Since the
unprecedented removal of wine
tax in Hong Kong circa February
2008, Hong Kong wine imports
have been unstoppable, growing
exponentially, and reaching over
HK$10 billion ($1.6 billion).
This is a chart defying 245 per-
cent increase since end of 2007
where total imports reached
HK$2.9 billion ($ 0.5 billion).
Of course the glaring numbers
also include a good portion
(around 30 percent) re-exported.
With majority going to Mainland
China through the backdoor, as
Mainland China wine tax is be-
tween 45-50 percent of CIF price.
And other Hong Kong re-exports
coming here to Southeast Asia
where tax varies between the
more reasonable Singapore and
Philippine wine tax system, and
the insanely high 300 percent+
wine tax system in Thailand and
Indonesia.
Diver sity of exhibitor s
The breadth and depth of par-
ticipating wine exhibitors this year
was overwhelming. The French
still dominated the eld with a very
central location for their pavilion
Hong Kong remains top wine attraction in region
FOR being young stewards of
the environment and contribut-
ing to the rehabilitation of the
Marikina Watershed, elemen-
tary school students of Sitio
San Joseph, Brgy. San Jose,
Antipolo received school sup-
plies from wireless leader Smart
Communications, Inc. (Smart).
Project: ECO KIDS of the
Kalingap Marikina Watershed
Project aims to deepen childrens
understanding of environmental
issues and teach them to sustain
and nurture their environment.
This is particularly important
as they live within the area of
the Marikina Watershed. The
Marikina Watershed is a catch-
ment basin that holds and slows
down the waters owing from the
mountains down to Pasig River
and Laguna Lake. It is also a
potential source of potable water
for Metro Manila.
The Marikina Watershed has
been declared a protected area
under Proclamation No. 296 by
President Benigno Aquino III.
The Sitio San Joseph chil-
dren were encouraged to ac-
tively participate in the com-
Antipolos eco kids proudly carry their bags lled with school supplies
Eco-kids
receive
school
supplies
CITIBANK empowers clients to choose when and where they want
to take a call
A pioneer in 24x7 banking, Citibank takes one step further with
its Call Me Back service that allows bank clients to leave a mes-
sage when they prefer to be reached for any assistance or inquiry.
With the Call Me Back service, bank clients no longer need
to wait or go through the hotline, and the CitiPhone Ofcers who
make the calls already know what the clients need. As more and
more of our clients use Call Me Back, we continue to up the ante
in banking convenience and deliver on our unique value proposi-
tions, Agrawal said.
To use Call Me Back, go to www.citibank.com.ph and log in to
your Citibank Online account. Click on the Call Me icon that can
be found in the Help Center to request for a call back at a preferred
time. Leave a contact number, provide your convenient time and
write a note on what the inquiry is about. Submit the request and
expect the call from Citibank just the way you want it.
So call me maybe?
(Citibank says)
Call Me Back is an innovative feature from Citibank that
allows bank clients to leave a message when they prefer to be
reached for any assistance or inquiry
And for most mothers, the natu-
ral way is the best way to ensure
their family's welfare. Nowadays,
there are a lot of plant-based rem-
edies in aid of traditional medicine
practices. For many, these ways are
becoming more practical alterna-
tives to chemical preparations.
Mothers are now aware that these
healthcare products dont have
harmful side effects.
Pascual Lab Inc.s ASCOF La-
gundi, an herbal cough and asthma
remedy brand, recently boosted
its credibility among mothers by
recruiting columnist and economist
Winnie Monsod and TV and radio
personality Winnie Cor der o to
join the bandwagon, along with
original endorsers Lucy Tor res-
Gomez. These women have had
rst hand experience on nurturing
mothers and have shared how natu-
ral products are more potent than
the ones chemically manufactured.
Cordero says women are natu-
rally equipped for motherhood.
We have a womb to shelter,
protect and ensure the growth of
our baby. When they come out, we
have bosoms to feed them natu-
rally, and we are given the natural
instinct to protect and nurture our
loved ones, she says. Being a
mother is already Natures gift.
Monsod sees being a natural
mother in a different way.
A natural mother, for me, is a
mother who uses natural means. It
is someone who minimizes the use
of articial and synthetic things.
The closer you are to nature, the
better, but Im not saying that you
have to be close to nature the whole
time there are many poisons
in nature, you just have to know
whats good for you, she says.
According to Gomez, being a
natural mother is all about following
your instincts. When I rst became
a mother, I thought Why cant moth-
erhood just come with a manual,
but then I realized that it was also a
good thing that it didnt come with a
manual. Its [motherhood] is a beau-
tiful learning curve; you just have to
use your instincts as you come along.
I guess being a natural mother is all
about doing what is right that comes
from the heart, she says.
All three women agree that par-
ents should invest time with their
children no matter how hectic and
crazy their schedules are. Growing
up with fond memories of their par-
ents will enable children to develop
into well-rounded individuals and
prepare them to be future parents
themselves.
Naturally,
know best
mothers
By Arian Vina L. Sarmiento
AT THE heart of every family is a caring mother who is willing to give
everything the family needs and wants. When my brother and I were
kids, my mother would inspect us after every bath to check for injuries of
any kind, whether it was a scratch or a bump in the head, and she would
immediately panic whenever she found any. The same thing goes when-
ever we had u or fever. She would usually give us various medicines
and lots of tender loving care and we'd soon be alright.
MISSING your fami l y members
abroad is now a thing of the past since
there is no country far enough when
youre connected to Bayan Telecom-
munications.
Aside from its local communica-
tion offerings, Bayan Telecommuni-
cations continues to bridge between
the families here and their loved
ones abroad with bayan Family Ties
through unlimited calls. It also brings
the Filipinos new ways of keeping
the family empowered and connected
through their DSL internet service and
its latest addition, the Kamusta.ph
"This year at Bayan, we want to
take on a bolder mission. We want
to go beyond merely providing com-
munication tools for overseas Filipi-
nos and their loved ones all over the
world. It is now our obligation, to
keep families connected no matter
where they are. That is why we are
bannering our Bayan Family Ties. We
want to spare every Filipino family
from the daily drama of not being con-
nected with their loved ones. Tigilan
na ang drama," said Neil S. Macalino,
Head of Bayan International. "We will
continue to offer Filipino families,
here and abroad, new and cost-effec-
tive ways of staying connected 24/7.
Kamust a. ph, a downl oadabl e
voice product which is available on
the app store, allows overseas Fili-
pinos to call to their relatives in the
Philippines using their iPhone and
iPads, anytime, anywhere. Depend-
ing on the subscription, one can get
a Bayan Virtual Number which any-
one with a Bayan phone could call
directly to enjoy Bayan's unlimited
calling available either one or two
way, for those long conversations.
But if you're into shorter conversa-
tions, overseas Filipinos can also
opt to purchase credits which can be
used for calls of per minute basis to
over 200 countries.
Offered in various countries, one
could also avail of Bayan's Interna-
tional Voice Calling which allows
any overseas Filipino to talk to their
loved ones here in the Philippines,
non-stop, through Bayan' s stable
wired landline connection without
being shocked by hidden charges.
Bayan gives subscribers the value
for their money while providing
them a plan that fits their needs.
Families without any landline sub-
scription can avail of their regular
plan, while those who have existing
Bayan subscriptions simply have to
sign up for the halfway plan to enjoy
unlimited calls abroad.
Aside from voice calls, over-
seas Filipinos can also provide
their family here with Bayan's
reliable, high-speed and afford-
able DSL plans of 1Mbps or
2Mbps even if they are not
at home. With this innovative
service, family members can
finally enjoy uninterrupted face-
to-face communication via web
chat and surf all they want with
this enticing DSL subscription
that's just right for every fam-
ily's pocket.
Connecting with your fami-
lies all over the world has been
easy. Tigilan na ang drama
and enjoy the limitless communica-
tion capabilities all over the world
brought to you by Bayan telecom-
munications.
To subscibe or know more about
this serive, e-mail BAYAN at ft_in-
quirybayan.com.ph or call 449 8888.
Reconnect with families abroad
munity composting project,
collecting biodegradable waste
and organic materials, which
will be used for the tree plant-
ing activities during the rainy
season. Composting is part of
the efforts to provide sustain-
able livelihood to the residents
of the Marikina Watershed.
Tree pl ant i ng, communi t y-
based nursery establishment
and crop cultivation are also
part of their livelihood pro-
gram.
This is a remarkable model.
It delivers a one-two punch: It
inspires the children to pursue
their education and excel in their
academics and also teaches them
the importance of livelihood
and environmental care, said
Smarts Senior Manager for
Community Partnerships Darwin
Flores who led the distribution of
school supplies to the watershed
eco kids.
The bags given to the chil-
dren contained notebooks, pa-
per, ballpens, crayons and other
school supplies.
Smart is one of the leading
movers behind the Marikina
Watershed Initiative (MWI),
a proj ect of t he Phi l i ppi ne
Di sast er Recovery Founda-
tion (PDRF) to help address
deforestation that aggravated
the flooding of Metro Manila
during typhoon Ondoy. These
effort s are part of Smart s
corporate social responsibility
programs for environmental
prot ect i on and for di sast er
mitigation, preparedness and
response.
of which every conceivable wine
region was represented. The Bor-
deaux section remained the most
popular, followed by Champagne
and Burgundy. Big names like Baron
Philippe de Rothschild, Champagne
Louis Roederer, Hugel & Fils of
Alsace, and Burgundy powerhouse
Maison Louis Jadot were all present.
The French after all leads both Hong
Kong and Mainland China in market
share by country of wine import
origin. Spain had the second largest
group with the Spanish pavilion
much bigger than any of the previ-
ous VinExpo Asia-Pacic. On the
New World side, the Americas were
quite large too, with North America
led by California and a big pavilion
for Washington State, and South
America bannered by Chile, Argen-
tina and a surprising 15 exhibitors
from Uruguay. Huge names from
the Americas include E&J Gallo,
Chateau Ste. Michelle, Montes,
Concha y Toro, Cono Sur and Cat-
ena Zapata. And from Asia, China
was represented by Dynasty Wines,
Yantai Changyu and the highly rated
Grace Vineyard. China is already
at present a top 10 wine producing
country, buoyed by large local con-
sumption. The Australian section
was also much more prominent this
year than 2010, following also its
boycott of VinExpo Asia-Pacific
in 2008 (due to perceived shabby
treatment in VineExpo Bordeaux
in 2007). But all was well again, as
the Australian and the New Zealand
wineries enjoyed great trafc and it
was quite nice to see Australia back
in full force in VinExpo Asia-Pacic.
On the spirits side, it was a bit quiet
as most of the ones participating
were boutique distillers with super
premium limited bottle released
products meant for the Chinese
markets of Mainland China, Taiwan
and Hong Kong. While tax has been
zero on wine in Hong Kong since
February 2008, spirits are still taxed
100 percent at present.
Next wine event in November
Hong Kong is still sizzling
when it comes to wine as con-
rmed by all the right indicators,
from undeniable import numbers,
number of recent VinExpo ex-
hibitors, omnipresent wine con-
sumption visible in on-premise
accounts all over the country, and
general wine talk heard and seen
in all forms of media. And come
November 8 to 10 this year, all
regional forces of the wine uni-
verse will again reconvene at the
Hong Kong Convention and Ex-
hibition Centre in Wanchai when
the 5th Hong Kong International
Wine & Spirits Fair takes its turn
at further promoting wines in
the region. Hong Kong is indeed
the undisputed hub for wine in
the region, and only Shanghai or
Beijing may be able to dislodge
Hong Kong in the future and
that may not be that far in the ho-
rizon knowing how quickly China
is evolving. My only problem
with Hong Kong, specically in
the Wanchai Convention Centre is
the taxi queue during these wine
events. Not only is the queue of
waiting passengers long, which is
understandable, but many of these
insolent Hong Kong taxi drivers
actually bypass the taxi queue
and pick up passengers right
next to the queue for ridiculous
contracted rates. This is noth-
ing we Filipinos have not heard
of locally, but in Hong Kong?
And charges are from HK$150-
HK$200 for a regular metered
fare of HK$20-HK$25. This is
downright criminal!
For comments, inquiries, wine
event coverage, wine consultancy
and other wine related concerns,
please e-mail me at protegeinc@
yahoo.com. I am a proud member
of the Federation Internationale
des Journalists et Ecrivains du
Vin et des Spiritueux or FIJEV
since 2010. You can also follow
me on twitter at www.twitter.com/
sherwinlao.
The VinExpo Asia-Pacic Hong Kong 2012
Winnie
Monsod
Winnie
Cordero
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CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
ANSWER TOMORROW
56-Across
66 Trumpet sound
67 __ canto: singing style
68 Leno and Letterman,
e.g.
69 Artist Grant Wood,
by birth
70 Bermuda hrs.
Down
1 Provide for, as a
dependent
2 Teen haunts
3 According to plan
4 Ponce de __
5 R&D site
6 A whole lot
7 Dies __: Latin hymn
8 Short and sweet
9 Mural on wet plaster
10 Comedian Lovitz
11 From one end to the
other
12 Took out
13 Ditches where creeks
once were
21 A patch may cover
one
22 Co. designation
26 Rise up dramatically
ANSWER
TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE
Across
1 __ Tom and Prncipe
4 Cap on spending, say
9 Norwegian Sea arm
14 Footed vase
15 Habituate
16 Friend of Fido
17 Agt.s cut
18 Grouchy Muppet
19 The other side
LOS ANGELES
TIMES
CROSSWORD
20 The smile on an email
happy face
23 Director Reiner
24 Jazz singer Anita
25 Vatican City is one
27 Split end in a uniform
32 Air-conditioned
33 Tuts cousin?
34 Andrea __: ill-fated
vessel
36 88 or 98 automaker
37 Barrier-breaking noise
40 Pygmalion playwright
43 Reeves of Speed
44 Palindromic Altar
47 Bridge holding such as
ace-queen
50 Surprises
52 More decrepit
54 Wuss
55 Topsys playmate in
Uncle Toms Cabin
56 Exalted group leader,
facetiously
61 __ cotta
63 Household cleanser
64 Alternate identity letters
65 Encouraging cry, such
as the one formed by
the ends of 20-, 37-, and
28 Courtroom oath
29 Otto __ Bismarck
30 The Phantom of the
Opera
31 Puts through a food
press
35 Blind as __
37 Babe Ruths
sultanate?
38 Im __ roll!
39 Wilders __ Town
40 Final race leg
41 Bums rush
42 Supergiant in
Scorpius
44 Woodcutter who
stole from thieves
45 New versions of old
lms
46 Paving material
48 Perfectos, e.g.
49 Sufx with prot
51 Pair
53 Jewish holy man
57 __ contendere: court
plea
58 Shootout shout
59 Lawyers aide
60 Plow pullers
62 Inactive mil. status
home work relationships
JUNE 20, 2012 WEDNESDAY
C3
WEDNESDAY
C2
sha.re/
JUNE 20, 2012
[email protected]
CSR files
Gianna Maniego, Editor
Dinna Chan Vasquez, Assistant Editor
ManilaStandardToday
WITH more than 300 wedding suppliers participating,
from fashion designers and other wedding apparel, pho-
tographers, videographers, floral stylists, caterers, cake
and pastry shops, hotel and garden venues, make-up
artists, jewelers, car rentals, honeymoon destinations,
souvenirs and keepsakes, including wedding planners
and coordinators, up to entertainment, special effects,
as well as other specialty shops and accessories, the
Philippine Wedding Summit is the most complete, not-
to-be-missed midyear wedding event of the year, now
on its 7th year.
Presented by Themes & Motifs, the countrys premier
organizer of the biggest and most prestigious wedding
fairs, the Philippine Wedding Summit (PWS2012), will
be on June 23 24 at the World Trade Center Metro
Manila. Offering only the finest, latest, and best ideas
for soon-to-weds, those interested may pre-register
online for free admission through www.themesnmotifs.
com (The Wedding Ideas Portal Philippines) or get free
tickets from Themes & Motifs Makati Shangri-la.
To be l aunched duri ng t he event i s Themes &
Mot i fs very own weddi ng magazi ne, Bri des Ma-
nila, as well as their new wedding portal. Brides
Manila, envisioned to be the most comprehensive
high style wedding ideas magazine in the country,
will be distributed for free to all soon-to-weds
visiting PWS2012 and will also contain the
events exhibitors directory.
For more details about The Philippine Wed-
ding Summit Year 7, pls. visit www.themesn-
motifs.com (The Wedding Ideas Portal Phil-
ippines), email [email protected],
or call (632) 371.9783/ (632) 413.7892/
0917.5220707.
The must-visit wedding event of the year
The se Happy
Andrada
gown (inset)
and the Susie
Bonaobra
gown (right)
are featured
in Themes &
Motifs Bride
Magazine to
be launched
at the Philip-
pine Wed-
ding Summit
on June
23-24 at the
World Trade
Center Metro
Manila.
By Ed Biado
IF youre asking that question,
this article might be of help. At
its Worldwide Developers Con-
ference, Apple introduced iOS
6, the new operating system for
your Apple mobile device. Apple
is, yet again, giving us things
that we think we dont need. Its
just like the iPad all over again.
Remember how almost every-
one thought that it was such an
unnecessary gadget? Now, all
those people have one. Or two.
B u t
back to the
new OS. The
company said
that iOS 6 has
more than 200
new features
and enhance-
ments, includ-
ing a hyper-powered Siri, a new and
drastically improved Maps and Shared
Photo Steams. But do we really need all
those tweaks? Probably not, but here are
a few that would most likely be useful:
Apple found a way to address one com-
mon problem: having to reject a call. It
used to be a simple task: just tap Decline.
Now, with iOS 6, users have the option to
ignore a call and instantly reply with any
of the built-in messages like Ill call you
later or a custom one. You can also in-
struct your phone to remind you at a later
time that youre missing a call so that you
can call the caller back. Theres also the
Do Not Disturb option that lets you block
off all calls except the ones from specic
numbers you allow. And Im betting that
this set of functions will be one of iOS 6s
most popular new features.
Then, theres browsing. The new
operating systems Safari will have the
ability to save entire pages, as opposed
to just links, to your Reading List. This
is a great feature because youll be able
to view web pages even when ofine as
long as youve saved them.
Facebook is also getting an upgrade. Its
fully integrated into iOS 6, which means us-
ers can share photos on Facebook right from
Camera of Photos, check in from Maps,
publish game scores from Game Center and
view events on Calendar. And the integra-
tion doesnt stop there. If a Facebook friend
updates their contact info, their entry in your
Contacts will automatically sync.
So are these things (or any of the other
190+ new features) are getting you ex-
cited, then you and iOS 6 will be a great
match. But you do have to wait till fall to
get the update. And oh yeah, your device
must be an iPhone 3GS or newer, a 4th-
gen iPod touch, an iPad 2 or the new iPad.
Older devices are sadly not compatible.
Should I
upgrade
to iOS 6?
JUST over six months after the
record breaking 4th Hong Kong
International Wine & Spirits Fair,
VinExpo Asia-Pacic, held also at
the same Hong Kong Convention
and Exhibition Centre recently
from May 29 to 31, made history
anew. VinExpo exceeded the previ-
ous fair by attracting a new apex of
1,050 exhibitors from 28 countries
(rst time to bridge 4-digit in num-
ber of exhibitors), toppling the last
Hong Kong International Wine &
Spirits Fairs previous peak of 930
exhibitors. The previous VinExpo
Hong Kong in 2010 attracted 882
exhibitors, so this year grew by
a staggering 19 percent, neces-
sitating extra 2,000 square meters
space to take up a massive 10,500
square meters size. Being a trade
event, the support of exhibitors is
the lifeline of the fair. Based on
on-line registration records, the
VinExpo Asia-Pacific this year
was expected to receive 14,000+
visitors from 33 countries. I have to
say from personal observation too,
I saw more Filipino wine importers
this year than in any previous Vin-
Expo Asia-Pacic or Hong Kong
International Wine & Spirits Fair.
VinExpo is an annual trade event,
with odd years held at Bordeaux
France, and even years, known as
VinExpo Asia-Pacic held in Asia.
Hong Kong was the rst chosen
venue in 1998, then in 2000 and
2002, the venue shifted to Tokyo
Japan, but returned to Hong Kong
in 2006, and has stayed in Hong
Kong bi-annually since then.
Biggest growth region
According to VinExpo statis-
tics, the Asia-Pacic region is
home to $142.5 billion worth of
wine and spirits. Wine contrib-
utes $18.6 billion or 13 percent,
while the region remains by far
the worlds biggest consum-
ers of spirits. Hong Kong and
China in general are the largest
catalysts of this regional surge,
with Hong Kong being the win-
dow to the Mainland. Since the
unprecedented removal of wine
tax in Hong Kong circa February
2008, Hong Kong wine imports
have been unstoppable, growing
exponentially, and reaching over
HK$10 billion ($1.6 billion).
This is a chart defying 245 per-
cent increase since end of 2007
where total imports reached
HK$2.9 billion ($ 0.5 billion).
Of course the glaring numbers
also include a good portion
(around 30 percent) re-exported.
With majority going to Mainland
China through the backdoor, as
Mainland China wine tax is be-
tween 45-50 percent of CIF price.
And other Hong Kong re-exports
coming here to Southeast Asia
where tax varies between the
more reasonable Singapore and
Philippine wine tax system, and
the insanely high 300 percent+
wine tax system in Thailand and
Indonesia.
Diver sity of exhibitor s
The breadth and depth of par-
ticipating wine exhibitors this year
was overwhelming. The French
still dominated the eld with a very
central location for their pavilion
Hong Kong remains top wine attraction in region
FOR being young stewards of
the environment and contribut-
ing to the rehabilitation of the
Marikina Watershed, elemen-
tary school students of Sitio
San Joseph, Brgy. San Jose,
Antipolo received school sup-
plies from wireless leader Smart
Communications, Inc. (Smart).
Project: ECO KIDS of the
Kalingap Marikina Watershed
Project aims to deepen childrens
understanding of environmental
issues and teach them to sustain
and nurture their environment.
This is particularly important
as they live within the area of
the Marikina Watershed. The
Marikina Watershed is a catch-
ment basin that holds and slows
down the waters owing from the
mountains down to Pasig River
and Laguna Lake. It is also a
potential source of potable water
for Metro Manila.
The Marikina Watershed has
been declared a protected area
under Proclamation No. 296 by
President Benigno Aquino III.
The Sitio San Joseph chil-
dren were encouraged to ac-
tively participate in the com-
Antipolos eco kids proudly carry their bags lled with school supplies
Eco-kids
receive
school
supplies
CITIBANK empowers clients to choose when and where they want
to take a call
A pioneer in 24x7 banking, Citibank takes one step further with
its Call Me Back service that allows bank clients to leave a mes-
sage when they prefer to be reached for any assistance or inquiry.
With the Call Me Back service, bank clients no longer need
to wait or go through the hotline, and the CitiPhone Ofcers who
make the calls already know what the clients need. As more and
more of our clients use Call Me Back, we continue to up the ante
in banking convenience and deliver on our unique value proposi-
tions, Agrawal said.
To use Call Me Back, go to www.citibank.com.ph and log in to
your Citibank Online account. Click on the Call Me icon that can
be found in the Help Center to request for a call back at a preferred
time. Leave a contact number, provide your convenient time and
write a note on what the inquiry is about. Submit the request and
expect the call from Citibank just the way you want it.
So call me maybe?
(Citibank says)
Call Me Back is an innovative feature from Citibank that
allows bank clients to leave a message when they prefer to be
reached for any assistance or inquiry
And for most mothers, the natu-
ral way is the best way to ensure
their family's welfare. Nowadays,
there are a lot of plant-based rem-
edies in aid of traditional medicine
practices. For many, these ways are
becoming more practical alterna-
tives to chemical preparations.
Mothers are now aware that these
healthcare products dont have
harmful side effects.
Pascual Lab Inc.s ASCOF La-
gundi, an herbal cough and asthma
remedy brand, recently boosted
its credibility among mothers by
recruiting columnist and economist
Winnie Monsod and TV and radio
personality Winnie Cor der o to
join the bandwagon, along with
original endorsers Lucy Tor res-
Gomez. These women have had
rst hand experience on nurturing
mothers and have shared how natu-
ral products are more potent than
the ones chemically manufactured.
Cordero says women are natu-
rally equipped for motherhood.
We have a womb to shelter,
protect and ensure the growth of
our baby. When they come out, we
have bosoms to feed them natu-
rally, and we are given the natural
instinct to protect and nurture our
loved ones, she says. Being a
mother is already Natures gift.
Monsod sees being a natural
mother in a different way.
A natural mother, for me, is a
mother who uses natural means. It
is someone who minimizes the use
of articial and synthetic things.
The closer you are to nature, the
better, but Im not saying that you
have to be close to nature the whole
time there are many poisons
in nature, you just have to know
whats good for you, she says.
According to Gomez, being a
natural mother is all about following
your instincts. When I rst became
a mother, I thought Why cant moth-
erhood just come with a manual,
but then I realized that it was also a
good thing that it didnt come with a
manual. Its [motherhood] is a beau-
tiful learning curve; you just have to
use your instincts as you come along.
I guess being a natural mother is all
about doing what is right that comes
from the heart, she says.
All three women agree that par-
ents should invest time with their
children no matter how hectic and
crazy their schedules are. Growing
up with fond memories of their par-
ents will enable children to develop
into well-rounded individuals and
prepare them to be future parents
themselves.
Naturally,
know best
mothers
By Arian Vina L. Sarmiento
AT THE heart of every family is a caring mother who is willing to give
everything the family needs and wants. When my brother and I were
kids, my mother would inspect us after every bath to check for injuries of
any kind, whether it was a scratch or a bump in the head, and she would
immediately panic whenever she found any. The same thing goes when-
ever we had u or fever. She would usually give us various medicines
and lots of tender loving care and we'd soon be alright.
MISSING your fami l y members
abroad is now a thing of the past since
there is no country far enough when
youre connected to Bayan Telecom-
munications.
Aside from its local communica-
tion offerings, Bayan Telecommuni-
cations continues to bridge between
the families here and their loved
ones abroad with bayan Family Ties
through unlimited calls. It also brings
the Filipinos new ways of keeping
the family empowered and connected
through their DSL internet service and
its latest addition, the Kamusta.ph
"This year at Bayan, we want to
take on a bolder mission. We want
to go beyond merely providing com-
munication tools for overseas Filipi-
nos and their loved ones all over the
world. It is now our obligation, to
keep families connected no matter
where they are. That is why we are
bannering our Bayan Family Ties. We
want to spare every Filipino family
from the daily drama of not being con-
nected with their loved ones. Tigilan
na ang drama," said Neil S. Macalino,
Head of Bayan International. "We will
continue to offer Filipino families,
here and abroad, new and cost-effec-
tive ways of staying connected 24/7.
Kamust a. ph, a downl oadabl e
voice product which is available on
the app store, allows overseas Fili-
pinos to call to their relatives in the
Philippines using their iPhone and
iPads, anytime, anywhere. Depend-
ing on the subscription, one can get
a Bayan Virtual Number which any-
one with a Bayan phone could call
directly to enjoy Bayan's unlimited
calling available either one or two
way, for those long conversations.
But if you're into shorter conversa-
tions, overseas Filipinos can also
opt to purchase credits which can be
used for calls of per minute basis to
over 200 countries.
Offered in various countries, one
could also avail of Bayan's Interna-
tional Voice Calling which allows
any overseas Filipino to talk to their
loved ones here in the Philippines,
non-stop, through Bayan' s stable
wired landline connection without
being shocked by hidden charges.
Bayan gives subscribers the value
for their money while providing
them a plan that fits their needs.
Families without any landline sub-
scription can avail of their regular
plan, while those who have existing
Bayan subscriptions simply have to
sign up for the halfway plan to enjoy
unlimited calls abroad.
Aside from voice calls, over-
seas Filipinos can also provide
their family here with Bayan's
reliable, high-speed and afford-
able DSL plans of 1Mbps or
2Mbps even if they are not
at home. With this innovative
service, family members can
finally enjoy uninterrupted face-
to-face communication via web
chat and surf all they want with
this enticing DSL subscription
that's just right for every fam-
ily's pocket.
Connecting with your fami-
lies all over the world has been
easy. Tigilan na ang drama
and enjoy the limitless communica-
tion capabilities all over the world
brought to you by Bayan telecom-
munications.
To subscibe or know more about
this serive, e-mail BAYAN at ft_in-
quirybayan.com.ph or call 449 8888.
Reconnect with families abroad
munity composting project,
collecting biodegradable waste
and organic materials, which
will be used for the tree plant-
ing activities during the rainy
season. Composting is part of
the efforts to provide sustain-
able livelihood to the residents
of the Marikina Watershed.
Tree pl ant i ng, communi t y-
based nursery establishment
and crop cultivation are also
part of their livelihood pro-
gram.
This is a remarkable model.
It delivers a one-two punch: It
inspires the children to pursue
their education and excel in their
academics and also teaches them
the importance of livelihood
and environmental care, said
Smarts Senior Manager for
Community Partnerships Darwin
Flores who led the distribution of
school supplies to the watershed
eco kids.
The bags given to the chil-
dren contained notebooks, pa-
per, ballpens, crayons and other
school supplies.
Smart is one of the leading
movers behind the Marikina
Watershed Initiative (MWI),
a proj ect of t he Phi l i ppi ne
Di sast er Recovery Founda-
tion (PDRF) to help address
deforestation that aggravated
the flooding of Metro Manila
during typhoon Ondoy. These
effort s are part of Smart s
corporate social responsibility
programs for environmental
prot ect i on and for di sast er
mitigation, preparedness and
response.
of which every conceivable wine
region was represented. The Bor-
deaux section remained the most
popular, followed by Champagne
and Burgundy. Big names like Baron
Philippe de Rothschild, Champagne
Louis Roederer, Hugel & Fils of
Alsace, and Burgundy powerhouse
Maison Louis Jadot were all present.
The French after all leads both Hong
Kong and Mainland China in market
share by country of wine import
origin. Spain had the second largest
group with the Spanish pavilion
much bigger than any of the previ-
ous VinExpo Asia-Pacic. On the
New World side, the Americas were
quite large too, with North America
led by California and a big pavilion
for Washington State, and South
America bannered by Chile, Argen-
tina and a surprising 15 exhibitors
from Uruguay. Huge names from
the Americas include E&J Gallo,
Chateau Ste. Michelle, Montes,
Concha y Toro, Cono Sur and Cat-
ena Zapata. And from Asia, China
was represented by Dynasty Wines,
Yantai Changyu and the highly rated
Grace Vineyard. China is already
at present a top 10 wine producing
country, buoyed by large local con-
sumption. The Australian section
was also much more prominent this
year than 2010, following also its
boycott of VinExpo Asia-Pacific
in 2008 (due to perceived shabby
treatment in VineExpo Bordeaux
in 2007). But all was well again, as
the Australian and the New Zealand
wineries enjoyed great trafc and it
was quite nice to see Australia back
in full force in VinExpo Asia-Pacic.
On the spirits side, it was a bit quiet
as most of the ones participating
were boutique distillers with super
premium limited bottle released
products meant for the Chinese
markets of Mainland China, Taiwan
and Hong Kong. While tax has been
zero on wine in Hong Kong since
February 2008, spirits are still taxed
100 percent at present.
Next wine event in November
Hong Kong is still sizzling
when it comes to wine as con-
rmed by all the right indicators,
from undeniable import numbers,
number of recent VinExpo ex-
hibitors, omnipresent wine con-
sumption visible in on-premise
accounts all over the country, and
general wine talk heard and seen
in all forms of media. And come
November 8 to 10 this year, all
regional forces of the wine uni-
verse will again reconvene at the
Hong Kong Convention and Ex-
hibition Centre in Wanchai when
the 5th Hong Kong International
Wine & Spirits Fair takes its turn
at further promoting wines in
the region. Hong Kong is indeed
the undisputed hub for wine in
the region, and only Shanghai or
Beijing may be able to dislodge
Hong Kong in the future and
that may not be that far in the ho-
rizon knowing how quickly China
is evolving. My only problem
with Hong Kong, specically in
the Wanchai Convention Centre is
the taxi queue during these wine
events. Not only is the queue of
waiting passengers long, which is
understandable, but many of these
insolent Hong Kong taxi drivers
actually bypass the taxi queue
and pick up passengers right
next to the queue for ridiculous
contracted rates. This is noth-
ing we Filipinos have not heard
of locally, but in Hong Kong?
And charges are from HK$150-
HK$200 for a regular metered
fare of HK$20-HK$25. This is
downright criminal!
For comments, inquiries, wine
event coverage, wine consultancy
and other wine related concerns,
please e-mail me at protegeinc@
yahoo.com. I am a proud member
of the Federation Internationale
des Journalists et Ecrivains du
Vin et des Spiritueux or FIJEV
since 2010. You can also follow
me on twitter at www.twitter.com/
sherwinlao.
The VinExpo Asia-Pacic Hong Kong 2012
Winnie
Monsod
Winnie
Cordero
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
JOSEPH
PETER GONZALES
SHTICKS
ISAH V.
RED
SIMPLY RED
JUNE 20, 2012 WEDNESDAY
C4
Isah V. Red, Editor [email protected]
showbitz
Manila Standard TODAY
The GMA Artist
Center is now the
hub of alluring ladies,
some of them breaking
into ranking high in a
magazines poll for the
sexiest of 2012.
Bela Padilla, Ellen Adarna, Jack-
ie Rice, Lovi Poe, Solenn Heussaff,
Gwen Zamora, Chariz Solomon, and
Princess Snell are among those in the
top spot of the magazine.
FHM Philippines 100 Sexiest Wom-
en 2012 Poll began in April, and votes
for these young, attractive and talented
ladies have steadily increased, prompt-
ing observers to make early conclusions
that one of them will be this years top
choice.
Bela is an obvious standout. Tall, in-
telligent, and pretty. Apart from acting,
she is keeping herself busy writing for
the Youth section of a national broad-
sheet and posing for various magazine
pictorials.
Her glossy FHM cover was created
a stir, yet what really stood out was
her irresistible appeal. Small wonder
the issue died a natural death, while
her ranking continues to go up.
Ellen is becoming extra visible after
her stint on Survivors Celebrity Doubles
Showdown. Shes in Alice Bungisngis
and Her Wonder Walis and in the upcom-
ing GMA Films release Conyo Problem.
Jackie, the Ultimate Female Survi-
vor in StarStruck 3, is a regular xture
in Bubble Gang, making her one of
the pretty faces who can really crack a
joke . She is in GMAs afternoon prime
drama Kasalanan Bang Ibigin Ka?
Lovi is one of the hottest stars these
days. She starred in Legacy and will be
seen again in Pinagpala sa Babaeng
Lahat.
She has three Regal lms and one
Viva movie lined-up.
Solenn is portraying Angela new
character in the movie version of Boy
Pick-up. It is no surprise that she eased
into FHMs top 10 sexiest.
Gwen, fresh from her stint in the In-
donesian horror movie The Witness, is
showing everyone that shes more than
just a pretty face. She can act, drama
or comedy.
Chariz Solomon is not just a come-
dian. Shes sexy and now a dark horse
in the running.
Princess Snell may have gotten
her share of controversies, but being
linked to Pacman and having signi-
cant exposure in My Beloved proved
enough for her to make it as a strong
candidate.
Other Kapuso babes in the running
are Rhian Ramos, LJ Reyes, Sarah
Lahbati, Stef Presscott, Sheena Hal-
ili, Ryza Cenon, Maxene Magalona,
among others.
With FHM closing its voting period
on June 5, we wait who among them
clinched the top spot.
Ito Curata and Nono
Palmos in Hollywood
On May 9 in Los Angeles was the
red carpet premier of the internation-
ally acclaimed lm The Road. The
movies lead stars Rhian Ramos, Al-
den Richards, Derrick Monasterio
and Marvin Agustin were ew to the
US to show their pride and support for
the event.
Rhian Ramos, one of the lms stars
was anything but excited. One of the
Philippines top fashion designers Ito
Curata made Rhians gown for the
premier. Curata made sure that Rhian
will be noticed by the casting agents
that will be present in the said event
which is Rhians ultimate dream, while
GMA Artist Center Vice President Ida
Henares accompanied the stars in
a Nono Palmos creation. She stood
out at the Arc Light theatre not letting
the stars outshine her classic, elegant
beauty with Palmos internationally re-
nowned design.
I was informed that casting agents
from international companies will be
attending, so Im hoping that I get no-
ticed somehow. Or that they will come
to see that Filipino actors can also act
and that they can be part of their mov-
ies. Perhaps, thats the ultimate dream,
that at least one of us, gets noticed
and gets cast in a Hollywood movie.
It will really be a big deal as Holly-
wood is considered the mecca of ac-
tors around the world, said Rhian in
an interview.
Manny Pacquiao was one of the
big name celebrities who showed up
at the premiere of GMA Films horror
movie. Pacquiao said, Its a good ex-
perience to be here and Im supporting
my friend Rhian and I love it.
While in the US, Rhian will also
be doing shows for GMA Pinoy TV.
A primetime drama series with Aljur
Abrenica and Kris Bernal with
Maryo J. delos Reyes directing is in
the ofng.
Kris says, Take care
of your heart
Aware that heart disease is the
leading cause of death in the country,
Kris reveals one of the many ways on
how she keeps her heart healthy.
I eat foods which have lots of
Omega-3.
Clinical studies say that Omega-3,
which is naturally-found in tuna, con-
tributes to having a healthy heart as it
lowers cholesterol and blood pressure.
It also reduces risks of heart attack and
other cardio-vascular diseases.
One product that I love is San Ma-
rino Corned Tuna. Every 180-gram can
of San Marino Corned Tuna has 1,125
mg of Omega-3.
Another reason why I love San
Marino Corned Tuna is because it has
less oil than the usual tuna akes in oil
products and has lots of tuna. Kris
said in a statement. And San Marino
Corned Tuna has absolutely no preser-
vatives.
I am denitely recommending San
Marino Corned Tuna to my family and
friends. I want them to have healthy
hearts too, she added.
To combat the increasing incidenc-
es of deaths from heart disease, Kris
airs her plea for Filipinos to take care
of their heart.
The number of deaths from heart
diseases is very alarming kaya please
alagaan natin ang ating mga puso.
Studies have shown that heart dis-
ease has been the leading cause of death
in the country for the last 10 years.
The National Statistical Coordina-
tion Board (NSCB) say almost 300
Filipinos die of heart disease every day
based on a 2009 study. This number of
deaths from heart ailments represents
a high 21 percent of the total annual
registered deaths in the country.
What makes it heartbreaking is the
fact that the prevalence rate is on the
rise, says the NSCB.
The NSCB says that from 77,060
deaths from heart disease in 2005, the
number rose to 100,908 in 2009, or an
increase of 31 percent in a span of just
four years.
Excited to be
back on the
soap front
RICHARD Gutierrez admits his ex-
citement now that hes back on prime
time via Makapiling Kang Muli.
After doing the second installment
of Captain Barbell, I got busy with
Survivor Philippines and special docu-
mentaries for GMAs News and Public
Affairs department. I also missed ap-
pearing in a regular soap where Im
just a regular guy, not a super hero. Im
sure viewers will love the story. Its
romance, drama, comedy and action
rolled into one. I thank GMA for giv-
ing me this project, he says.
Its his rst collaboration with Car-
la Abellana.
But in case you dont know, we
shouldve teamed-up a
long time ago, only it
didnt materialize. Im
glad that nally, we were
given a chance to be
paired on screen and in
a grand vehicle like Makapiling Kang
Muli. Its simply worth the wait.
Richard has only good words for his
new leading lady.
As an actress, Carla is serious and
focuseda real PRO. In our rst tap-
ing day, we did a kissing scene right
away and no complain could be heard
from her. Off cam, shes smart, sensible
and sweet. Im denitely having a great
time working with her, he adds.
Instantly noticeable is the shows
lush backdrop.
Apart from the interesting sto-
ryline, its one of our strong come-ons.
The green landscape is simply refresh-
ing to the eyes. Production value-wise,
Makapiling Kang Muli will surely raise
the bar in local soaps.
Adding spice to the
program is the inclu-
sion of Mark Anthony
Fernandez who will
serve as his great rival
in life and love.
Many say that his bankability as a
male lead will be put to test once again
in his new prime time offering.
I know the importance of ratings.
But personally, I dont let it affect my
performance. As long as you know you
gave your best, you have nothing to
worry about. It will transcend on screen
and viewers will not only see but feel it
as well, ends Richard.
Kapusos new matinee idol
Clearly, Alden Richards is being
groomed by the Kapuso as its next big
important male star. After assigning
him a meaty part in My Beloved, he
and Louise delos Reyes are now head-
lining their maiden prime time vehicle
One True Love.
Of course Im
happy and proud
that GMA is push-
ing my love team
with Louise. We
started in the af-
ternoon block with
Alakdana but now,
we made a big leap
with One True Love.
The feeling is inexpli-
cable, Alden avers.
There is really pres-
sure to deliver in the ratings
game but Im also excited
with whats going to happen,
if the public will accept my
love team with Louise on
prime time. Anyway, I have
faith in the project. Apart
from the story, we are given
strong support by some of our
veteran acting stalwarts like
Jean Garcia, Raymond Bag-
atsing and Agot Isidro. We are
also being carefully guided by Direk
Andoy Ranay so it adds up to our
condence!
With this development, his
rivalry with Aljur Abrenica is
once again rekindled.
I would like to reiterate that
Aljur and I are friends. Hes one
of those who inspired me to
work out and improve
my physique. Im
not a threat to
him. Hes al-
ready there.
Im just
starting to
carve my
niche so
this rival-
ry angle
bet ween
us is im-
material,
states Al-
den.
Kapusos sexiest babes
Solenn Heussaff
Ellen Adarna Jackie Rice
Bela Padilla
Lovi Poe
Princess Snell
Alden Richards