Missed your copy of Manila Standard Today? Call or text our Circulation Hotline at 0917-8848655 or email: circ@mstandardtoday.

com
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
Next page
Next page
Aquino set
to sign EO
on mining
Child sex tourism, human
trafcking persist in PH
Dolphy still in critical condition
Luisita farmers
oppose Carpio,
Sereno as CJ
Justices records
open to public
Arab reporter
safe but faces
govt sanctions
Town mayor says Paje aware
of illegal activities in Zambales
By Rey E. Requejo
and Sara Susanne
D. Fabunan
THE Philippines has failed
to fully comply with the
minimum standards to elimi-
nate human trafcking and
continues to be a venue for
child sex tourism, keeping it
in Tier 2 of the United States
Global Trafcking in Persons
report, a situation that Justice
Secretary Leila de Lima de-
scribed as a glass half full.
Despite the Tier 2 rating,
the US recognized the coun-
trys progress in cracking
down on human trafcking,
said De Lima, who heads
the Inter-Agency Council
Against Trafcking.
The Tier 2 status of-
cially recognizes
a countrys
signicant
efforts to
adhere to
bench-
marks
prescribed by the US State
Department and [to] meet
the minimum standards, De
Lima said.
Tier 1 countries are fully
compliant with the minimum
standards of the Trafcking
Victims Protection Act. Tier
2 countries have
governments

By Rey E. Requejo
FARMERS of the Hacienda Luisita
marched to the Supreme Court Wednesday
to protest the nomination of two justices
and two administration ofcials to the po-
sition of chief justice, burning large pic-
tures of them outside the ofces of the high
court on Padre Faura Street in Manila.
They said the appointment of the wrong
chief justice would threaten the gains they
had made in agrarian reform, particularly
in the vast Hacienda Luisita sugar estate
owned by the family of President Benigno
Aquino III.
In particular, the farmers opposed the
THE Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed
public access to the records of assets, liabilities
and other personal data of judges and magistrates
in higher tribunals but imposed limits to prevent
misuse.
In a resolution approved by 14 justices, the Court
said requests for the personal records of judges must
be led with the of Clerk of Court and to the head of
the ofce for judiciary attached agencies.
The Court nds no cogent reason to deny public
access to the [records] of the justices and other mag-
istrates of the judiciary, says the ruling written by
Associate Justice Jose Mendoza.
By Joyce Pangco Paares
DAVAO CITYPresident Benigno
Aquino III said Wednesday the govern-
ment would likely ban Jordanian reporter
Baker Atyani from the Philippines once
he was nished with his documentary on
the Abu Sayyaf bandits.
He has to answer a lot of questions:
Why are you in touch with a terrorist
force in the country and why did you
purposely mislead the government
authorities who were trying to secure
you? the President said.
By Joyce Pangco Paares
and Macon R. Araneta
PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III
on Wednesday said a few issues
must be resolved before he signed
within the week an executive order
regulating the small-scale mining
of gold, silver, chromite and other
minerals in the countryside.
He said ofcials were still dis-
cussing contentious issues such as
By Alena Mae S. Flores
WHILE the publics attention
was on the impeachment trial
of Chief Justice Renato Co-
rona, the Land Transportation
Franchising and Regulatory
Board revived with indecent
haste 489 bus franchises and
awarded those to the compa-
nies belonging to the largest
bus operating family in Lu-
zon, a letter sent to the Trans-
port Department says.
The letter, signed by ve
large bus operators in North-
ern and Central Luzon, asks
Transport Secretary Mar Roxas
to investigate the alleged hasty
and illegal award of the
long-dead franchises of
the defunct Pantranco
North Express Inc.
to the companies owned by
the members of the Hernandez
family, the largest bus operator
in Luzon.
The 489 franchises are said
to cover the much-coveted
bus lines between Northern
and Central Luzon and Metro
Manila.
LTFRB chairman Jaime
Jacob on Wednesday said the
franchises were given out to
Victory Liner and four other
bus rms.
He said he opposed award-
ing the franchises because road
capacity should be considered
rst before approving the award
of any franchise, but he was out-
voted by board members Manuel
Iway and Samuel Julius Garcia.
A source from a company
COMEDY king Dolphy is in critical condition,
his son Eric Quizon said Wednesday and asked
the public to pray for him.
Dad is critical at the moment, Quizon said.
I hope you understand If I cant talk right now.
Will update you later. We need your prayers.
Dolphy, 83, born Rodolfo Quizon Sr., was
taken to the Makati Medical Center on June 9
due to pneumonia.
ABS-CBN correspondent Ginger Conejero
said Wednesday night that Dolphy had been
cured of pneumonia, but his doctors were wor-
ried about his weakened kidneys.
Quizon on Monday said his father was -
nally taken off his ventilator machine and was
Sta. Cruz Mayor Luis Marty
said the destruction of the environ-
ment continued Wednesday despite
a writ issued by the Supreme Court
against Environment Secretary
Ramon Paje, LNL Archipelago
Minerals Inc. president Lawrence
Lenio and general manager Philip
Floria, Philippine Ports Authority
general manager Juan Sta. Ana,
and Zambales Police provincial
director Superintendent Francisco
Santiago Jr.
I am aghast at the mining rms
brazenness in defying the Supreme
Court, the House committee on
ecology led by Laguna Rep. Da-
nilo Fernandez and Agham Rep.
Angelo Palmones, who demanded
a stop to the ongoing uncontrolled
destruction of our environment,
Marty told the Manila Standard.
Paje said Wednesday the min-
ing company had been warned.
We will follow procedures. If
warranted, we will revoke their li-
cense, Paje said of LAMI.
He said the departments re-
gional ofce had already issued a
notice of violation and asking the
Chinese mining company to cease
and desist from further construc-
tion and development until it had
rehabilitated the affected areas.
We also furnished Congressman
DAVAO CITYPresident Benigno Aquino
III on Wednesday vowed to crack the whip on
the government departments and agencies that
have been slow in implementing social and
infrastructure projects that comprise an P8.59-
billion stimulus package for the Autonomous
Region in Muslim Mindanao.
At the ARMM convention on local gover-
nance here, Mr. Aquino said he would meet
with the heads of the departments that had
yet to report on their accomplishments on the
stimulus package.
Depressed elephant. Mali gets her feet treated
at the Manila Zoo. (Story on Page 2) DANNY PATA
Open governance. President Benigno Aquino III
talks of transparency and accountability during a con-
vention of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Min-
danao in Davao City. With him are former Akbayan
party-list Rep. Risa Baraquel, Mindanao Development
Authority Chairwoman Luwalhati Antonino and
ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman.
Spot the difference. A small hill that protrudes to the sea from the
shores of Santa Cruz (see map) has lost its top and water laps no more
at its side (inset) as a mining rm continues to haul earth to get ore. A
steel monster (right) responsible for the destruction sits on the shore.
Mountain almost gone
TODAY
Standard
Manila
Vol. XXVI No. 107 14 Pages, 2 Sections
P18.00 THURSDAY, June 21, 2012
www.manilastandardtoday.com [email protected]
Hasty grant of 489 bus franchises hit
Next page
Next page
Next page Next page Next page
Next page
Next page
PNoy vows to crack
whip on slow execs
Mayor Marty: My presence did
not even matter.
Dolphy: Weak kidneys
By Christine F. Herrera
THE mayor of Sta. Cruz in Zambales on
Wednesday urged President Benigno Aqui-
no III to stop a mining company from level-
ing a mountain near his town and accused
administration ofcials of protecting and
coddling those destroying the environment.
News
ManilaStandardToday [email protected] JUNE 21, 2012 THURSDAY
A2
Foot problems, loneliness
depress Mali the elephant
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 CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
FOLLOWING an order from President
Benigno Aquino III to evaluate Mali
and move her to a sanctuary, a new
medical report on the condition of the
38-year-old solitary elephant at the
Manila Zoo has revealed she is suffering
from potentially fatal foot problems
and profound loneliness, an expert on
elephants said Wednesday.
The only way to ensure her
physical and psychological well-
being was to relocate her to an
elephant sanctuary, where she
could be cared for by experts,
Henry Richardson said.
Richardson published his
report from a visual medical
examination of Mali at the
expense of the group People
for the Ethical Treatment of
Animals Asia.
Richardson cited chronic
pressure sores open to
contamination as well as foot
ailments, including cracked
nails, overgrown cuticles and
cracked padsall three of
which could harbor bacteria and
become infected.
He said such foot problems
were the leading cause of death
in captive elephants, and that
his examination was the most
complete physical evaluation
that Mali had ever received,
but she still had not had a blood
workup.
All of my comments on
Malis health are based on
a visual inspection only,
Richardson said.
[A] complete health
evaluation requires hands-on
physical manipulation and
examination of all four feet,
as well as blood sampling for
inammatory processes and
infectious diseases.
The lack of a preventative
foot-care program is putting
Mali in jeopardy of severe foot
diseases with accompanying
pain and suffering.
Said PETA Asia campaigns
manager Rochelle Regodon:
Even zoos with twice the
nances and expertise of the
decrepit Manila Zoo have
proved unable to provide
adequately for elephants.
Even with the zoos best
intentions, its only a matter
of time before Malis lack of
medical care takes her life
unless shes transferred to a
sanctuary immediately.
DAVAO CITYPresident
Benigno Aquino III on
Wednesday said the
government would redeploy
its vessels to the Panatag or
Scarborough Shoal if Chinese
vessels were still in the area.
He said a military plane
will make an over-ight in the
area to monitor the presence of
Chinese vessels.
If there are vessels that are
not ours, we will redeploy. If
there is no presence that will
impinge on our sovereignty,
then we will not deploy
anymore, the President said.
If there are things that we
should be guarding, then we
will go back.
Mr. Aquino said the
overight, the rst since China
and the Philippines squared off
over the disputed island two
months ago, was scheduled
on June 19 but the plane was
not given clearance to take off
because of typhoon Butchoy.
The President ordered
the pullout of the vessels of
the Bureau of Fisheries and
Aquatic Resources and the
Coast Guard over the weekend
because of the bad weather in
the shoal.
China has said it will not
withdraw its maritime vessels
in the disputed area.
Joyce Pangco Paares
Govt ships
to return
to Panatag
Child...
that do not fully comply with
these standards, but are making
signicant efforts to bring them-
selves into compliance with those
standards.
The Philippines has been
in the Tier 2 group since 2011.
When the rst report came out in
2001, the Philippines was in the
same category but was put un-
der the Watch list in 2004, 2005,
2009 and 2010.
In the 2012 edition of the
Global Trafcking in Persons
report, the US State Department
says that human trafcking in
the country persists, with people
from the provinces being traf-
cked in urban areas for forced
labor and exploitation in the com-
mercial sex industry.
Filipino migrants workers
topped the list of victims of vio-
lence, threats, inhuman living con-
ditions, non-payment of salaries,
and withholding of travel and iden-
tity documents, the report says.
The US State Department re-
port also highlighted the continued
problem of tourists who come to
the country for sex with children.
Child sex tourism remained
a serious problem in the Philip-
pines, with sex tourists coming
from Northeast Asia, Australia,
New Zealand, Europe and North
America to engage in the com-
mercial sexual exploitation of
children, the report says.
Increasingly, Filipino chil-
dren are coerced to perform sex
acts for Internet broadcast to pay-
ing foreign viewers.
Child sex tourism aside, the
report also saw an increasing in-
cidence of children in conict-
stricken areas being used as sol-
diers by rebel groups.
The report also says a signi-
cant number of Filipino men and
women who migrate abroad for
work are subsequently subjected
to conditions of involuntary ser-
vitude or slavery worldwide.
Men, women, and children
are subjected to conditions of
forced labor in factories, at con-
struction sites, on shing vessels,
on agricultural plantations, and as
domestic workers in Asia and in-
creasingly throughout the Middle
East, the report says.
Filipino domestic workers
abroad also face rape, physical
violence, and sexual abuse while
skilled Filipino migrant workers
such as engineers and nurses are
also subjected to conditions of
forced labor overseas.
Dolphy...
now depending on an oxygen
tank to help him breathe.
Later on Wednesday, in a
live interview with ABS-CBN
television, Quizon told Korina
Sanchez that his father had
been diagnosed with chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease,
which was preventing the air
from owing into his lungs.
Quizon said the doctors had
told the family that the condition
is generally permanent and may be
progressive over time.
He said Dolphys illness could
lead to sepsis or the poisoning of
the blood.
There is a possibility, so
doctors are observing him,
Quizon said.
He was diagnosed ve years
ago of [pulmonary disease],
Quizon said.
Its a progressive disease.
Its like cancer but not as worse
as cancer. Hes growing weak.
Its like emphysema. Five years
ago he was told it was Stage 4.
Its very critical.
But Quizon said he was
condent his father would recover.
Arab...
That [the ban] would seem
to be the action that we would
eventually take... At the end of
the day, this guy has to address
issues as to why he has put so
many people in danger and the
countrys reputation in danger as
well.
Interior Secretary Jesse
Robredo said the government
had already established contact
with Atyani, the regional bureau
chief of the Al Arabiya news
channel based in Dubai, and that
he had conrmed he was safe
and taking responsibility for the
two Filipino crew he had brought
with him to Sulu.
From what we have heard,
he is doing a documentary of
the Mission Impossible type,
Robredo said.
We have already established
contact with him. They are
safe. They are not being
threatened. And he is taking
full responsibility for his team...
They are not asking for help.
Justice Secretary Leila de
Lima on Wednesday said the
circumstances leading to the loss
of communication with Atyani
must be investigated before
people should draw conclusions.
She said she was still to
identify any particular law
Atyani might have violated, since
merely failing to coordinate with
authorities was a matter of policy
and not a matter of law.
Lets try to establish what
happened, she said.
We havent seen anything
tending to show he is in
conspiracy or in cahoots with the
Abu Sayyaf terrorists.
Robredo said Atyani and the
two Filipinos with him were
somewhere in Patikul.
He criticized the Jordanian
for making ofcials believe he
was going to interview Sulu
Gov. Sakur Tan when he was
really doing a documentary on
the Abu Sayyaf. As a result, there
would be no search and rescue
operations for Atyani.
He is taking his sweet time
when he wants to resurface.
What is important to us is the two
Filipino crew he brought with
him, Robredo said.
We are recommending
that the Jordanian journalist
should be banned from entering
the Philippines. If you imperil
yourself and you create problems
for us, I think he should not be
allowed to return.
Justices...
The personal records of the
judges became a hot issue after
the removal by impeachment
of Supreme Court Chief Justice
Renato Corona for his failure to
disclose his dollar deposits in his
Statement of Assets, Liabilities
and Net Worth. He was the rst
chief justice to be removed by
impeachment.
The ruling set aside a 1989
resolution that makes it unlawful
for anybody, except the members
of the media, to obtain personal
records for unknown purposes.
Requests for the records may be
made on-line and the purpose
must be stated in specic terms.
Mendoza said the Court took
note of the possible misuse of
the records, but custodians
of public documents must not
concern themselves with the
motives, reasons and objects of
the persons seeking access to the
records.
While public ofcers
in the custody or control
of public records have the
discretion to regulate the
manner in which records may
be inspected, examined or
copied by interested persons,
such discretion does not
carry with it the authority to
prohibit access, inspection,
examination, or coyping of the
records, Mendoza said.
After all, public ofce is a
public trust. Public ofcers and
employees must, at all times, be
accountable to the people, serve
them with utmost responsibility,
integrity, loyalty and efciency,
act with patriotism and justice,
and lead modest lives, Mendoza
said. Rey E. Requejo
Luisita...
nomination of Acting Chief
Justice Antonio Carpio and
Associate Justice Maria Lourdes
Sereno, Solicitor General Francis
Jardeleza and Bureau of Internal
Revenue Commissioner Kim
Henares, who they believed
would be subservient to President
Aquino.
Earlier this year, the Supreme
Court ordered the distribution of
the 4,915.75-hectare sugar estate
to 6,296 farmworkers under the
agrarian reform program and
set the compensation for the
fair market value of the land in
November 1989, a decision the
Presidents family has opposed.
The protesting farmers said
they were afraid the ruling might
be reversed by a chief justice
handpicked by the President,
and that they would oppose the
nomination of the four aspirants
to the Judicial and Bar Council.
We are against the
appointment of a chief justice
who is politically connected
to Aquino. We are against an
Aquino Court or a high court
favoring Aquino and his family,
said Joseph Canlas, chairman of
the Alyansa ng mga Magbubukid
sa Gitnang Luzon.
Rodel Masa, chairman of
the Alyansa ng Manggagawang
Bukid sa Asyenda Luisita, said
the danger of the Supreme
Courts decision on Hacienda
Luisita being reversed was real
if the appointee was beholden to
President Aquino.
The farmers said they opposed
the nomination of Jardeleza
because he served as lawyer and
executive of San Miguel Corp.,
which is controlled by President
Aquinos uncle Eduardo
Cojuangco Jr.
Jardeleza being appointed
as chief justice would mean all
cases involving the Cojuangcos
and Aquinos would be decided in
their favor, Mesa said.
He said the cases involving
the coconut levy funds against
San Miguel would also be at risk
if the solicitor general became the
next chief justice.
The farmers also faulted
Henares for failing to show her
independence from the Palace in
her stint as revenue commissioner.
They also opposed Sereno
because she was the justice who
pushed for a higher compensation
for the Aquinos and Cojuangcos
in the Hacienda Luisita case.
Carpio had inhibited himself
from the case because the law
rm he co-founded, Villaraza
Cruz Marcelo & Angangco Law
Ofces, once represented Rizal
Commercial Banking Corp.,
which acquired parcels of land
inside the sugar estate.
The Judicial and Bar Council
now has 53 candidates for the
most-coveted post in the Supreme
Court with the addition of 12
nominees on Wednesday.
Hasty...
that received some of the fran-
chises said the franchises were
awarded to the old Pantranco
employees to settle their money
claims.
There is no such thing as a
Hernandez group only Victory
Liner, the source said.
There are relatives who
own other bus companies that
are independent and distinct
from Victory Liner.
The protesting bus operators
appeal was received by Roxas
ofce on June 19 on the occasion
of the LTFRBs 25th anniversary
celebration, where he was the
guest of honor. Addressing the
agencys ofcials and staff, Rox-
as said the LTFRB should grant
new franchises based on empiri-
cal data and real need. He warned
the agency against recklessly
granting franchises without basis
and without real public need.
The ve companies told
Roxas that the Transport De-
partment and the LTFRB itself
had consistently ruled over the
past 20 years that the lines of the
long-defunct Pantranco had ex-
pired, and that the award would
wreak havoc on the franchising
rules of the Public Service Law.
Never in the history of the
Public Service Law has there
been a wholesale grant of 489
units to one bus-owning fam-
ily, GV Florida Bus Lines, Da-
gupan Bus Lines, Saulog Tran-
sit, Partas, and Baliwag Transit
wrote Roxas.
Even the most corrupt
schemers under the previous ad-
ministration dared not resurrect
the dead franchises of Pantranco
because there was barely any le-
gal cover for reviving certicates
of public convenience which va-
lidity had expired 20 years ago.
In January, the complainants
said, the LTFRB even informed
some members of the House of
Representatives that the lines
had long expired.
But last month, the agency
awarded the 489 lines to the
supposedly retrenched workers
of Pantranco who then promptly
ceded the lines to ve bus com-
panies: Pangasinan Five Star,
Victory Liner, Bataan Transit,
First North Luzon Bus Co. and
Luzon Cisco Transport.
PNoy...
In this status report dated
May 31, several projects are ei-
ther not yet started or ongoing,
Mr. Aquino said.
I will meet with these depart-
ment heads immediately because
I want to make sure we are able
to fulll all our promises. They
better have a good explanation
because the second quarter of
2012 is already about to end.
Mr. Aquino said the depart-
ments with slow absorption rates
stood to lose their share of the
ARMM stimulus package.
We have an agreement in the
Cabinet of use it or lose it, the
President said.
If they are not able to use the
funds, I will have to transfer these to
agencies that are performing well.
Mr. Aquino said one of the
departments that had been per-
forming well as far as the ARMM
projects were concerned was the
Energy Department.
He said that departments P200-
million rural electrication pro-
gram through the National Electri-
cation Administration would be
nished by October 2012.
The good thing here is that
there is a due date already, Mr.
Aquino said.
Joyce Pangco Paares
Aquino...
the revenue sharing between the
local and national governments,
the amount of taxes to be levied,
and the need to impose stringent
measures under the Minahan ng
Bayan program.
Right now, the total taxes
will not reach 10 percent of the
total revenues of mining rms.
The basis to impose higher fees
and royalties is still being eshed
out, Mr. Aquino told reporters.
The Philippines is rich in
minerals including copper,
nickel, zinc, silver and gold.
But concerns have been raised
over minings harmful effects on
the environment and the crude
practices of small-scale miners.
Mining companies have
been waiting for months for
Malacaang to issue the executive
order because of its huge impact
on the industry. Some areas that
thrive on eco-tourism oppose
mining because of its perceived
ill-effects on the environment.
Mr. Aquino said the executive
order that he would sign not later
than Friday included a provision
banning mining operations in 78
eco-tourisms areas in the country,
including beaches and mountain
resorts.
Anticipating the release of
the executive order, Senator
Edgardo Angara, chairman of
the Senate committee on science
and technology, called on state
colleges and universities to help
promote responsible minin by
formulating an intensive public
information program.
Angara said experts from the
academe could help draft the
guidelines on responsible mining
that could lead to effective
provisions in local and national
mining regulations.
Mining presents a huge
potential for economic growth
and development, Angara said.
According to the Philippine
Institute for Development
Studies, the country stands to
gain more economic benet from
mining by focusing on value-
addition, particularly in terms
of downstream processing and
manufacturing activities.
Mayor...
Palmones a copy of the
notice. We will require another
investigation if that will help
resolve the issue, Paje said.
On Tuesday, the Supreme
Court issued the writ sought by
Palmones after he said Paje and
other Environment Department
ofcials had ignored their calls
to stop the mining company from
leveling a mountain to build a
port that would be used to ship
soil rich in chromite and nickel to
China.
When I tried to warn LAMI
[on Wednesday] about the
[Supreme Courts] writ, I was
simply told that [the Environment
Department would answer for it]
and they continued the leveling
of the mountains and the earth-
moving activities as if my
presence did not even matter,
Marty said.
We want the President to
investigate Paje, including the
ofcials under him because we
were not remiss in informing
them about the unabated cutting
down of centuries-old trees and
leveling of the mountains, despite
their not having a permit to do
so. he said.
We have done everything to
let the national government know
about the illegal activities here.
The lawmakers under the House
committee on ecology came
here but they did not budge. The
Supreme Court issued a writ and
they did not budge. Who are these
important people that LAMI is
bragging about?
Even the provincial and
regional environment and ports
ofcials pointed to higher-ups
when Marty said he confronted
them.
The mayor said LAMI
intended to put up a seaport in
Bolitoc to ship raw soil and rocks
to China from the mining site in
Giunabon, Sta. Cruz, some 25
kilometers away.
They are not only leveling
the mountains in Bolitoc. They
already felled trees and hauled
raw soil and rocks in the Guinabon
mountains, Marty said.
The Bolitoc forest is by the
sea. You can hardly see any forest
by the sea anymore.
Marty said local ofcials
were bypassed and the affected
communities were not consulted
when the multi-billion-peso
mining project began.
We do not get a single
centavo from the multibillion-
peso mining project because
LAMI said it remits directly to
the national government, Marty
said.
We want the President
to intervene and order an
investigation because the
communities in Sta.
Cruz are angered by the
continued destruction,
Marty also complained about
LAMIs heavily armed men that
dismantled the Bantay-Dagat
outpost in the middle of the
waters and whose watchers were
guarding against poachers.
Our Bantay-Dagat personnel
were unarmed and they were
unceremoniously shooed away
from the outpost, which is now
unmanned and a silent witness
to the destruction, the mayor
said.
Soon, Marty said, the Bantay-
Dagat outpost would be buried
by mountain soil as LAMI was
continuing to reclaim the sea
without regard for marine life
such as corals and sh.
With Othel V. Campos
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
Opinion Adelle Chua, Editor
ManilaStandardToday
[email protected] JUNE 21, 2012 THURSDAY
A4
IN HIS speech during the graduation
rites at the University of Perpetual Help-
Dr. Jose Tamayo Medical University
in Cavite last month, Health Secretary
Enrique Ona, while trumpeting the
Aquino administrations daang
matuwid and various health programs,
said that the Philippines was on track
with all but one of the Millennium
Development Goals.
The MDGs are a set of eight time-
bound and specic targets aimed at
signicantly reducing poverty in all
nations of the world by 2015. One
hundred and eighty-nine countries
signed an agreement in September 2000
expressing their commitment to work
toward this end.
Ona admitted that the exception was
the reduction of maternal mortality. We
believe that mothers dying unnecessarily
during the act of giving life is truly
unacceptable, he said.
The maternal mortality rate shows the
number of maternal deaths per 100,000
live births. According to the Family
Health Survey, the rate was 162 between
2000 and 2005. It increased to 221
between 2006 and 2010. The worsened
ratio is a far cry from the government
target of 54 by 2015, the reckoning date
of the MDGs.
Reproductive health advocates say
that the deaths of mostly poor women
are due to too close and too frequent
pregnancies, coupled with lack of
services. Ona adds that women who
are at an increased risk for maternal death
are those with mistimed and unplanned
pregnancies.
In his speech, the health secretary
added that one of the strategies to
be employed by the government was
responsible parenthood. A national bill
will enableindeed, even require
local government units to undertake
responsible parenthood programs in
their spheres of inuence.
As it is, anti-reproductive health local
incumbents ban the presentation of family
planning options to their constitutents,
specically poor women who might
wish to space their pregnancies but do
not know any better.
Ona was careful not to mention
reproductive health, even as there is
no difference at all between RH and
responsible parenthood. He did go as far
as calling on Congress to pass the bill
as soon as possible.
But perhaps Ona should have called
on his boss instead, President Benigno
Aquino III, who has yet to deliver on his
promise to enable Filipinos to exercise
their free will in determining the size of
their families.
Mr. Aquino has time and again proven
that he is the real engineer of whatever
takes place in Congress, and that one
word from him could send lawmakers
scrambling to sign anythingeven if it
is a document they have not even read.
But they have readand debated over
the reproductive health bill too many
times, and for too many years. There is
no reason the leaders of Congress should
delay voting on the measure any further.
Advocates emphasize that the
enactment of the RH bill will not solve all
maternal health problems in the country,
but it will help resolve the lack of access
and education among the poor. We agree.
President Aquino and Congress have no
more reason for their inertia.
Death and delay
Raising the dead
at the LTFRB
THE Aquino administration has
awesome powers. But no one would
have imagined that these include
bringing the dead back to life.
Over at the Department of
Transportation and Communications,
theyre still talking about how 489
franchises that expired in 1993 were
revived and given to several companies
belonging to
a family that
operates the
largest eets of
buses in Luzon.
In a complaint
lodged with
the ofce of
Transport at i on
Secretary Mar
Roxas, ve other
bus companies
alleged that
the long-dead
franchises of
the defunct
Pantranco North
Express Inc. were quietly given to rms
owned by the Hernandez family by the
Land Transportation Franchising and
Regulatory Board.
In almost 20 years since the
franchises were declared dead, no
LTFRB administration has found the
legal grounds to resuscitate the Pantranco
franchises, which cover lucrative routes
from Metro Manila to Central and
Northern Luzon. The complainants said
that previous heads of the agencies have
consistently ruled that the Pantranco
franchises are dead and cannot be
awarded to any other operator.
As late as last January, the
complainants said, LTFRB even
informed some members of the House
of Representatives who made inquiries
on the Pantranco franchises that the
lines had long expired and cannot be
revived. The stated policy of President
Noynoy Aquino and Roxas also holds
that franchises for public utility routes
should not be granted unless there is a
proven public need for them, such as in
new missionary routes where there
is no competition.
And then, last month, the agency
awarded the 489 franchises supposedly
to the retrenched workers of Pantranco,
who then promptly handed them over
to ve bus companies: Pangasinan
Five Star, Victory Liner, Bataan
Transit, First North Luzon Bus Co. and
Luzon Cisco Transport. The ve rms
are owned by various members of the
Hernandez family, which dominates
bus operations in Luzon.
Never in the history of the Public
Service Law, which grants franchises
and certicates of public conveyance
to private individuals, has there been
a wholesale grant of 489 units to one
bus-owning family, according to the
rival rms that are protesting the
awarding of the Pantranco lines. The
dead franchises have come back to life
and some people must have made a
killing.
* * *
The complainantsGV Florida
Bus Lines, Dagupan Bus Lines, Saulog
Transit, Partas and Baliwag Transitsaid
in their letter to Roxas that the indecent
haste to award the Pantranco franchises
to the largest bus-owning family in
Luzon undermines the anti-corruption
efforts of the Aquino administration.
The letter listed several reasons why
the award was illegal. These include the
expiry of the validity of the Pantranco
CPCs in 1993; a DOTC memorandum to
LTFRB dated July 23, 1996 and LTFRB
memorandum Circular 2010-034 stating
that the Pantranco lines had expired and
can neither be sold
nor transferred;
the illegality of the
public auction of
the dead franchises,
which are two
certicates of sheriff
sale dated 16 years
apart; LTFRBs
own rulings, after
each sheriff sale,
responded with
that the lines
had expired; the
earlier opposition
of awardees
Pangasinan Five
Star, Victory Liner and Bataan Transit
to the resurrection of the dead lines,
the violation of established LTFRB
rulings that prevent multiple selling of
franchises; and nally, the LTFRBs
January 5, 2012 ruling restating that the
lines had expired, reiterating what it and
DOTC had been saying for the past 20
years.
The latest two LTFRB rulings on
the matter stated unequivocally that
the Pantranco CPCs are non-existent
and outside the commerce of men.
The rst ruling was issued on July 30,
2008, after a certain Runo Lim Co
claimed to have bought the rights to
the franchises from Domingo Uy and
applied for approval of the sheriffs
sale of all Pantranco CPCs.
The second ruling was issued
when the Pantranco Retrenched
Employees Association and the
Pantranco Employees Association
led a letter-request for acceptance
of their application for approval of
the certicates of sheriffs sale and
extension of validity with omnibus
dropping and substitution of units.
The LTFRB denied it in an order last
Jan. 5, where it held that given that the
CPCs of Pantranco have long expired,
and therefore beyond the commerce of
men, there was actually no more CPCs
to speak of when the sheriffs sale was
conducted on November 28, 2008.
The complainants said they were
not notied of the hearing that the
LTFRB conducted to revive the
Pantranco franchises. They were
not given a chance to comment on
applicants evidence and were given
only up to last May 31 to le position
papers even if the decision was issued
earlier, on May 21.
What happened at LTFRB? Perhaps
some ofcials at the agency have
decided on their own that they should
deploy more buses on the daang
matuwid, using long-dead franchises
sold for a song to big business.
EDITORIAL
Beware of Chinese doublespeak
CHINAS failure to remove its vessels
from Panatag Shoal is clear evidence of
Chinese shadow play in the resolution
of the dispute. Remember that about a
month ago, Chinese authorities declared
a shing ban in the area for a period
of two and a half months. Philippine
authorities, in an effort to calm the
standoff, followed suit and declared a
similar ban. But contrary to the ban, no
less than 20 Chinese shing boats remain
in the lagoon of the shoal, an area that is
approximately as big as Quezon City.
This number is in addition to no less
than three Chinese government vessels
in the area. This is clear doublespeak.
Despite Chinas doublespeak,
President Aquino still ordered our
two remaining government vessels in
the area to leave. The pretext was the
onslaught of a powerful typhoon. But
diplomatic pundits do not buy this. They
say that the real reason is that our policy
makers probably miscalculated that
China, like us, would want to reduce
the tension the area. They hoped that
Chinese authorities would reciprocate
the order for our vessels to leave. This
did not happen.
At least, it is now clear that China
does not intend, or wish, to scale down
its action. It is also now clear that China
will not settle for anything less than our
relinquishment of our claim to the shoal.
This is their desired end-result when
they espouse a diplomatic solution to
the standoff.
The question in our mind is why is
China taking this position only now?
And why the brazenness of its acts?
Observers posit that Chinas
actuations are a precursor of further
trouble to come. The real battle ground
is Recto Bank where we are about to
drill for oil. Our responses to Chinese
provocation in the shoal will in turn
determine their future actuations in
Recto Bank. On the basis of their
current track record in the shoal, we
should expect the Chinese to send its
entire Armada to Recto should we
persist in our effort to drill for oil in
the area. Already, China has announced
that it would conduct military exercises
aimed at defending their perceived
right to explore for mineral deposits in
the West Philippine Sea. This is a clear
message that China will use its recently
acquired military might to defend its
interest in these troubled waters.
It is imperative for Philippine
policymakers now to acknowledge this
state of affairs. Yes, diplomacy is the
preferred mode of international dispute
settlement. But this is only when the
parties to the dispute observe good
faith in their negotiations to arrive at
a mutually acceptable solution to the
dispute. It cannot be the solution when
the Chinese view is that diplomacy
should only result in our recognition of
their claim to the area.
I have consistently argued hence that
the only recourse for the country is to
resort to the binding and mandatory
dispute settlement procedure of the
UNCLOS. The question was asked
recently in a forum sponsored by the
Ortigas library on why the Philippines
has not brought the matter earlier to this
dispute settlement body.
Professor Randy David had
a notable observation. President
Gloria Arroyo, according to him,
courted Chinese support precisely
by sitting on our options in asserting
our national territory. This appears
plausible given that instead of
asserting our sovereignty, PGMA
and her cohorts at the DFA and other
line agenciesmany of whom have
recycled themselves as being pro-P
Noy todayallowed the Chinese
to engage, among others, in the
exploration of our natural resources
through the Joint Maritime Seismic
and Exploration Agreement of the
West Philippines Seas and the grant
of mining grants in Diwalwal and
North Davao to the company behind
the botched National Broadband
Network, ZTE Corporation. This is,
many believe, in return for the many
fraudulent Chinese funded projects
entered into by the Arroyo regime,
including the Northrail contract and
the NBN-ZTE deal. In short, it was
territory in exchange for pay-offs, or
tongpats.
It is hoped that President Aquino
will hence assert Philippine sovereignty
in territories that are in fact ours. The
starting point is a clear and unequivocal
declaration from a body such as the
International Tribunal on the Law of
the Sea on which country is entitled to
explore and exploit the natural resources
in Panatag and in the Kalayaan group of
islands.
JOJO
A. ROBLES
LOWDOWN
More buses
will go on the
daang matuwid
using long-dead
franchises sold for a
song.
ATTY. HARRY
ROQUE JR.
VIEW FROM MALCOLM
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
Published Monday to Saturday by Kamahalan Publishing Corporation
at 3rd Floor Universal Re Building, 106 Paseo de Roxas corner Perea
Street, Legaspi Village, Makati City. Telephone numbers 659-4830 to
32 (connecting all departments), 659-4827 (Editorial), 659-4803, 659-
4802 (Advertising), 527-5016 (Sales and Distribution/Subscription) and
527-2057 (Credit and Collection). Fax numbers: 659-4804 (Advertising)
and 527-6406 (Subscription). P.O. Box 2933, Manila Central Post Ofce,
Manila. Website: www.manilastandardtoday.com E-mail: mst@
manilastandardtoday.com
MEMBER
Philippine Press Institute
The National Association
of Philippine Newspapers PPI
ONLINE
can be accessed at:
www.manilastandardtoday.com
MST
Manila
Standard
TODAY
CLIMACO E. CALIWARA Controller
ANITA F. GREFAL Treasury Manager
EDITH D. ANGELES Advertising Manager
EDGAR M. VALMORIDA Circulation Manager
ROGELIO C. SALAZAR President & CEO
JUNE 21, 2012 THURSDAY
A5 Opinion Adelle Chua, Editor
ManilaStandardToday
[email protected]
THE search for the replacement of
ousted Chief Justice Renato Corona is
fast becoming a comedy.
I am not at all amused, though.
There are clowns among those
nominated for the exalted position of
primus inter pares among the 14
other justices of the high court.
As of latest count, there are 41
nomineesincluding a nurse and a
judge who consults with elves before
making a decision.
A few have opted to decline their
nomination. They have some sense
and delicadeza left. Among them are
former presidential candidate Gilbert
Teodoro, and former Energy Secretary
Popo Lotilla who said that the next
chief justice should come from the
ranks of the senior associate justices.
The question is
whether President
Noynoy Aquino
will recognize, even
abide by, tradition.
A leader like Aquino
may instead choose
somebody he can
control.
Indeed, his
decision will be the
tipping point of his
presidency.
* * *
Here we go again. Since the
typhoon season is ofcially upon us,
the President has threatened to send
illegal loggers to jail amid ndings
that they caused the ooding in the
cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan
last December. He threatened to ll
the jails with illegal loggers.
Talk is easy. Actually doing
what you talk about is another thing
altogether.
Besides, if Mr. Aquino is really bent
to eliminate logging, he may have to
jail not only the loggers, but also local
ofcials from councilors to governors
and congressmen.
How do you think illegally-cut logs
are able to pass through checkpoints
manned by the Department of
Environment and Natural Resources
and the Department of the Interior and
Local Government?
Check the sawmills in each town
or municipality. See for yourself that
even if they are supposedly owned by
a Filipino-Chinese, theres somebody
powerful behind them. Others are
even registered under the name of
local ofcials.
I have flown almost all over
Mindanao when I was vice president
of Misamis Lumber Corp., a logging
and veneer and plywood factory
operator, in the late 50s and 60s. I
know for a fact that the denudation
of forests is not entirely caused by
logging. It is caused by slash-and-
burn kaingineros, who are actually
nomad tribes going from one place
to another, and people who burn
wood for coal to sell.
Yes, there are also illegal loggers
who prey on unguarded forests.
Would you believe that theres only
one forest ranger assigned to guard
5,000 to 10,000 hectares of forests?
Santa Banana, how in the world can
the President stop illegal logging with
the dearth of forest rangers? Because
of the measly take-home pay of forest
rangers, bribery and corruption is
rampant.
Total ban on logging can only hurt
the dutiful members of the Wood
Processors Association, who observe
reforestation methods since its their
livelihood at stake. With a total log
ban, the country may have to import
lumber and plywood for housing
needs. Note that when the government
banned the cutting of rattan when the
supply dwindled, the country had to
import rattan from Indonesia.
Yes, Mr. President, not all loggers
are rapacious and illegal. There are
also those who have invested billions
in them to survive.
Threatening to jail the loggers is
not the answer. How can Malacaang
go against kaingineros and coal
gatherers with the dearth of forest
rangers?
Addressing the
problem needs a
good plan and the
cooperation of
all stakeholders.
O t h e r w i s e ,
Malacaang would
just be throwing
the baby with the
bathwater just
because the water
is dirty.
* * *
There is a plan by Malacaang to
make retiring Senator Panlo Lacson
become some kind of an anti-crime
czar, with a cabinet rank, next year.
Earlier, there were reports that Lacson
may become the secretary of the
Department of the Interior and Local
Government, a post now held by
Secretary Jesse Robredo.
But this could just be the right
thing to do. Lacson, a former chief
of the Philippine National Police
and head of the Anti-Organized
Crime Task Force, will be right for
the job. After all, nothing happened
when it was Executive Secretary
Paquito Ochoa holding the anti-
crime position.
Some people may frown on the
methods of Lacson in ghting crime,
but its a fact that he stopped100
percent!kidnappings in Chinatown.
Santa Banana, there is no substitute
for that.
* * *
Will Senator Aquilino Koko
Pimentel III remain with the
United Nationalist Coalition for
the senatorial elections next year?
His father, former Senator Nene
Pimentel, has joined the fray and it
only exacerbated the problem. The
leaders of UNA, Vice President
Jejomar Binay and former President
Joseph Estrada, have included
former Rep. Migz Zubiriwhom
Koko accuses of robbing him of four
years in the Senatein the line-up
as well.
Koko has lately become so
unreasonableso young and so
proud. By joining the administration
party, he has become a political
opportunist.
The folly of
a total log ban
K-to-12: Yay or nay?
THE rst batch of students under the
new K-to-12 education scheme trooped
to school this year, with feedback di-
vided on the merits of an additional two
years for basic education.
The rationale for implementing
K-to-12, according to government, is
to bring our country in line with world
standards in education, where the norm
is six years for high school compared to
the four we used to require.
The average age of our high school
graduates was 16 to 17. So some parents
welcome the move for a longer high
school period, saying that 18-year-olds
would be more prepared for the rigors
of college.
The naysayers groan under the addi-
tional burden of two years of school fees
and expenses. Large families would feel
the heaviest impact.
Not only should household nances
be considered but also the readiness of
government to support this new scheme
with infrastructure and personnel. Most
reports and statistical data show that
both are inadequate at the moment to
handle the increased load.
Varying sources claim the shortage of
classrooms to be from more than 18,000
to over 97,000. There is also an alarming
lack of sanitary facilities such as water
and bathrooms, equipment such as seats,
and instructional materials including
books. There is also a shortage of quali-
ed teachers. The pupil-to-teacher ratio in
high school is 35 to 1, compared to Viet-
nams 18 and Indonesias 12.
Consider also that kindergarten
teachers have been hired at a measly
contractual rate of P3,000 per month.
Apart from this being unfair, the caveat
is that you get what you pay for.
Are we willing to take the risk that the
teachers instructing our children are not
necessarily the most qualied, just the
ones most willing to work for low pay?
The additional nancial burden on
families should not be disregarded. In a
September 2011 article by Celia Reyes
and Aubrey Taguba, researchers of the
Philippine Institute for Development
Studies, the poverty rate in 2009 was
cited as being 26.5 percent.
In other words, one-quarter of our peo-
ple are, by various economic and develop-
mental indicators, considered poor.
In addition to the other causes of
poverty, development is delayed or
forestalled by various man-made and
natural crises such as typhoons, which
wreak havoc with devastating effect
year after year, with some estimates
putting the cost at P30 billion.
This ties in with the statement of the
PIDS researchers that poverty is very
much an agricultural phenomenon,
with farmers constantly struggling
against bad weather, pests, and the neg-
ative impact of global warming.
Many of them who are not blessed
with good harvests, and those from
other sectors below the poverty line,
will be hard-pressed for the survival ba-
sics, and will let go of expenses such as
schooling. Though public school is free,
parents and guardians must still provide
for their students daily needs food,
transportation, and incidental expenses.
Is it a wonder that the dropout rate
among youth 12 to 15 years old is
around 40 percent?
Millions of people will grow up to
be illiterate or only semi-literate; what
will be their chances of nding decent
jobs? They also pose a possible burden
to the state in terms of the latter having
to provide funding for social programs
that provide livelihood training, greater
fund allocation for cash transfer and
other assistance, and the like.
A couple years back, I taught college
English to freshman and sophomore stu-
dents in a private university in Makati. I
thought I was to teach basic writing skills;
instead, I was issued a grammar textbook.
I was appalled at how many of my stu-
dents, aged 16 to 18, lacked knowledge of
the fundamentals of grammar.
One day, one of my students asked
me, Can I learn English in two
months?
I told him, You have been studying
English since preschool. If you have not
learned to speak it uently by now, then
the system has failed you.
I quit that same day. I hadnt realized
what I was up against.
Neither can all private schools guar-
antee a good education. My daughter at-
tends a nun-run private school in Makati.
Through the years, shes had some Eng-
lish teachers whose grammar and pro-
nunciation arent of the highest quality;
there are times when the students speak
better than the teachers. The same goes
for science and mathematics.
We need to be sure that students are
not going to school hungry; hunger dulls
concentration. Other countries provide
free school lunches, something we do
not even dream of when some classes
are held under the trees.
We need school buildings and equip-
ment to be upgraded.
We need more and better-qualied
teachers who are paid good wages that
uphold their dignity and compensate
them fairly for their heroic work of
molding the countrys future citizens.
More than quantity education, we
need quality education.
***
Email: [email protected], Blog: http://
jennyo.net, Facebook: Gogirl Caf, Twit-
ter: @jennyortuoste, Instagram: @jenny-
december, Radio: DWIZ 882kHzAM 730-
9pm Saturday
EVERYMAN
By Robert Harland

IN the summer of 1940 the fate of Brit-
ain hung in the balance as the German
air force, the Luftwaffe, began its attacks
against Britains Royal Air Force (RAF).
The German aim was to win com-
plete control of the air over the south
of England in order that Hitler and his
grizzly gang could invade the country.
They knew this was essential if an inva-
sion was to be successful.
Over the next four months, in what
became known as the Battle of Britain,
the Luftwaffe tried to defeat the RAF not
only by provoking air combat with its
pilots, but also by destroying the British
air elds, radar stations and the factories
which made the British aircraft.
Hitler ordered that all factories sup-
plying the RAF should be destroyed,
particularly the units building Spitres,
the famous British single-seat aircraft
that did so much to help win the war.
If the RAF had no new aircraft, German
victory would be assured. Throughout this
time, Lord Beaverbrook, the Minister of
Aircraft Production, worked tirelessly to
make sure the factories produced enough
machines to respond to the German attacks.
Those employed in these factories also
worked tirelessly and uncomplainingly.
People such as my mother, Ellen Harland,
who worked at the Supermarine Spitre
factory in Southampton, on the south
coast of England, were unsung heroes of
the Battle of Britain, who in their own way
helped to stop the Nazi occupation.
Women played a vital part in Britains
success in World War II. Class barriers
were lowered. Even Queen Elizabeth
II, then Princess Elizabeth, worked as a
driver and mechanic. Interestingly, she
is the last surviving head of state who
served in uniform during WWII
As men left their factory jobs to go
and ght, women stepped in to produce
the heavy machinery needed for the war
and at home to keep the country running.
Women quickly picked up and excelled at
historically male-dominated trades such
as welding, riveting and engine repair.
Women were essential for the produc-
tion and supply of goods to troops ghting
abroad. Their efforts during wartime refut-
ed the misconception that women are inca-
pable of manual and technical laboring.
My mother joined the Supermarine
Spitre factory in Southampton at the age
of 20. Her job was to inspect the wings as
each new aircraft was assembled.
The planes elliptical wing had a
thin cross-section, allowing a higher
top speed than several contemporary
ghters. Speed was seen as essential to
carry out the mission of home defense
against enemy bombers.
The rst raid on the Supermarine fac-
tory came on 23 August 1940. It missed,
but over the next month, more raids
were mounted until, on 26 September
1940, the factory was wrecked.
Many aircraft production workers were
killed or injured. Fortunately, my mother
survived; though she did see friends and
colleagues perish in the raids.
Although Spitre production was
stopped for a short time, by moving the
work to a number of smaller units, it
wasnt long before this iconic aircraft was
once again rolling off the production line.
All-in-all, some 20,351 Spitres of
all versions had been produced when
production ceased in 1948.
My mother has many fond memories
of the Spitre so imagine her surprise
when she read recently that 20 of these
classic aircraft had been discovered in
Burma (Myanmar) having been buried
during the war to prevent the Japanese
getting their hands on them.
Its quite possible my mother, with
her gauges in hand, inspected the wings
of these aircraft.
The planes were shipped in 1945
from England to Burma: waxed,
wrapped in greased paper and tarred to
protect against the elements.
My mother is now a sprightly 91. Shes
in good heath, lives alone and is indepen-
dent. She says she cant wait to see the new
spitres take to the air for the rst time.
The memories will come ooding back
she says, but it will be a wonderful sight.
During the Battle of Britain, the
young pilots in their Spitres, who dai-
ly risked their lives, were the glamor
boys. But there were many thousands
of other patriotic Britons, such as my
mother, who played an important role
in keeping Britain safe.
Mr. Harland is the British Embassy
Warden for Negros Occidental. He is
based in Bacolod City.
A buried treasure in Burma
EMIL
P. JURADO
TO THE POINT
President Aquino
may just as well jail
local government
ofcials along with
the loggers.
By Hope Yen
WASHINGTON For the rst time, the
inux of Asians moving to the U.S. has
surpassed that of Hispanics, reecting a
slowdown in illegal immigration while
American employers increase their
demand for high-skilled workers.
An expansive study by the Pew
Research Center details what it describes
as the rise of Asian-Americans, a
highly diverse and fast-growing group
making up roughly 5 percent of the US
population. Mostly foreign-born and
naturalized citizens, their numbers have
been boosted by increases in visas granted
to specialized workers and to wealthy
investors as the US economy becomes
driven less by manufacturing and more
by technology.
Too often the policy debates on
immigration xate on just one part
illegal immigration, said Karthick
Ramakrishnan, a political science
professor at the University of California-
Riverside and a fellow at the Woodrow
Wilson International Center for Scholars.
US immigration is more diverse and
broader than that, with policy that needs
to focus also on high-skilled workers.
With net migration from Mexico now
at zero, the role of Asian-Americans has
become more important, he said.
About 430,000 Asians, or 36 percent
of all new immigrants, arrived in the US
in 2010, according to the latest census
data. That is compared to about 370,000,
or 31 percent, who were Hispanic.
The Pew analysis, released Tuesday,
said the tipping point for Asian immigrants
likely occurred during 2009 as illegal
immigrants crossing the border from
Mexico sharply declined due to increased
immigration enforcement and a dwindling
supply of low-wage work in the weak US
economy. Many Mexicans already in the
US have also been heading back to their
country, putting recent net migration at a
standstill.
As recently as 2007, about 390,000
of new immigrants to the US were
Asian, compared to 540,000 who were
Hispanic.
The shift to increased
Asian immigration, particularly of
people from India, China and South
Korea, coincides with changes in US
immigration policy dating to the 1990s
that began to favor wealthy and educated
workers. The policy, still in place but
subject to caps that have created waiting
lists, fast tracks visas for foreigners
willing to invest at least half a million
dollars in US businesses or for workers
in high-tech and other specialized elds
who have at least a bachelors degree.
International students studying at U.S.
colleges and universities also are now
most likely to come from Asian countries,
roughly six in 10, and some of them are
able to live and work in the U.S. after
graduation. Asian students, both foreign
born and US born, earned 45 percent of
all engineering Ph.D.s in 2010, as well
as 38 percent of doctorates in math and
computer sciences and 33 percent of
doctorates in the physical sciences.
Several bills pending in Congress
that are backed by US businesses seek
to address some of the visa backlogs,
through measures such as eliminating
per-country limits on employment-based
visas or encouraging investment in the
sluggish US real estate market. They
have stalled amid broader public debate
over immigration reform that has focused
largely on lower-skilled, undocumented
workers.
In recent years, more than 60 percent
of Asian immigrants ages 25 to 64 have
graduated from college, double the share
for new arrivals from other continents.
As a whole, the share of higher-skilled
immigrants in the US holding at least a
bachelors degree now outpaces those
lacking a high-school diploma, 30 percent
to 28 percent.
Like immigrants throughout
American history, the new arrivals from
Asia are strivers, said Paul Taylor,
executive vice president of the Pew
Research Center and co-author of the
report. Whats distinctive about them
is their educational credentials. These
arent the tired, poor, huddled masses of
Emma Lazaruss famous inscription on
the Statue of Liberty. They are the highly
skilled workforce of the 21st century.
The ndings are part of Pews broad
portrait of Asian-Americans, immigrants
or US-born children of immigrants
who come mostly from China, the
Philippines, India, Vietnam, Korea and
Japan. Now tied with Hispanics as the
fastest-growing US group, the nations
15.1 million Asian-Americans are
slowly becoming visible as founders
of startups in Silicon Valley, owners
of ethnic eateries, grocery stores and
other small businesses in cities across
the U.S., as well as candidates for
political ofce and a key bloc of voters
in states such as California, Nevada and
Virginia, according to experts.
Projected to make up one in 10
residents by midcentury, Asian-
Americans as a whole tend to be
more satised than the general public
with their lives and the direction of
the country. They lean Democratic,
prefer a big government that provides
more services and place more value on
marriage, parenthood, hard work and
career success.
The Pew study also revealed wide
variations among Asian subgroups in
poverty, employment and education,
which sometimes belied their typecast
as a model minority. For instance:
Poverty: As a whole, Asian-
Americans had a poverty rate in 2010
of 11.9 percent, lower than the 12.8
percent for the general US population.
By country of origin, however, Koreans,
Vietnamese and Chinese were more
likely than the average American to
live in poverty, at rates of 14 percent
or more.
Education: The share of Asian-
Americans who hold at least a bachelors
degree surpasses the national average,
49 percent to 28 percent. Vietnamese,
however, fell below the national average
at 26 percent. People from India were
most likely to have a college degree, at
70 percent.
Unemployment: Asian-Americans
ages 25 and older were somewhat less
likely to be unemployed than the national
average for the rst quarter of 2012
6 percent compared to 7.4 percent
for all US workers. But in long-term
unemployment, Asian-Americans fared
much worse, with median duration of
unemployment at 28 weeks, second only
to African-Americans at 31 weeks. The
national average was 22 weeks.
Illegal immigration: While
immigrants from Asia often obtain visas
and arrive legally, many also sneak across
the U.S. border or become undocumented
residents after overstaying their visas. Up
to 15 percent of Asian immigrants in the
US are here illegally, compared to 45
percent of Hispanic immigrants. AP
Asian immigrants surpass Hispanics in US
JENNY
ORTUOSTE
POP GOES THE WORLD
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
(MST-June 21, 2012)
LUNGSOD NG MAKATI
Bids and Awards Committee
J.P. Rizal St. corner F. Zobel St., Makati City
Tel. No. 870-1000 Fax No. 899-8988
www.makati.gov.ph
INVITATION TO BID
REPUBLIKA NG PILIPINAS
We are inviting interested accreditred / eligibile bidders to bid for the Proposed Projects as follows:
1. Proposed Streetlighting of Various Streets, located at Various Barangays of (District I & II), Makati City
P70,205,661.00
Interested parties may proceed to the Bids & Awards Conference Room, 9th Floor, New Makati City Hall Building
located at J.P. Rizal Street corner F. Zobel Street, Brgy. Poblacion, Makati City for details of the above projects.
Bid Documents will be available 1 (one) day after posting / publication of the above projects:

ACTIVITIES SCHEDULE
1. Pre-Bidding Conference at BAC Conference Room, 9th Floor June 28, 2012 (2:00 P.M.)
2. Opening of Bids at BAC Conference Room, 9th Floor July 12, 2012 (2:00 P.M.)
3. Bid Evaluation July 12 - 19, 2012
4. Post Qualifcation July 19, 2012
5. Notice of Award July 26, 2012
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.) MARJORIE A. DE VEYRA
Chairperson
THURSDAY
A6
JUNE 21, 2012
Classifeds
ManilaStandardToday [email protected]
Province of Pangasinan
Bids and Awards Committee (BAC)
2
nd
Floor Malong Building, Capitol Compound
Lingayen, Pangasinan
Tel. No. (075) 542-6918
[email protected], E-mail address: [email protected]

INVITATION to BID
The Province of Pangasinan, through its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), invites suppliers/manufacturers/
distributors/contractors to bid for the project/s described hereunder:
Project No. 1
Name of Project : Delivery of Various Drugs and Medicines (refer to bid documents)
Location : GSO, Lingayen, Pangasinan (for use of various hospitals within the province)
Source of Fund : Drugs & Medicines Inventory (PR# 2012-06-4696)
Approved Budget
for the Contract : P 12,467,875.43
Project No. 2
Name of Project : Delivery of 480 M.T. Asphalt Pre-Mix and 20 Drums Emulsifed Asphalt
(refer to bid documents)
Location : PGO, Lingayen, Pangasinan (for use in the Asphalting/Blocktopping
along Tebag-Butao Road, Sta. Barbara, Pangasina)
Source of Fund : Asphalting of Roads (PR# 2012-06-4781)
Approved Budget
for the Contract : P 2,928,000.00
Project No. 3
Name of Project : Delivery of Various Materials (refer to bid documents)
Location : PGO, Lingayen, Pangasinan (for use in the Repair/Repainting of NRSCC
Facilities Male & Female CR &Pavilion at NRSCC Compound, Lingayen,
Pangasinan)
Source of Fund : School Board (PR# 2012-04-3484)
Approved Budget
for the Contract : P 2,559,973.09
Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, organizations with at least sixty (60%) of the interest
belongs to citizens of the Philippines, and to citizen/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.

The bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using a non-discretionary pass/
fail criterion as specifed in the revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act 9184
otherwise known as the Government Procurement Reform Act.
All particulars relative to the Eligibility Statement and Screening, Bid Security, Performance Security, pre-
Bidding Conference/s, Evaluating 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 (as amended).
The complete schedule of activities is listed, as follows:
BAC Activities Schedule
1. Pre-Procurement Conference June 11, 2012; 10:00 am for project no. 1
2. Issuance of Bid Documents June 21, 2012 July 11, 2012
3. Pre-Bid Conference June 29, 2012; 10:00 am
4. Opening of Bids July 11, 2012; 10:00 am
5. Bid Evaluation July 12, 2012
The bidders shall drop their duly accomplished eligibility requirements, technical and fnancial proposals
in two separate sealed envelopes at the abovementioned address. All bids must be accompanied by a bid
security in any of the acceptable forms. Late Bids shall not be accepted.
Bid Documents can be availed at the BAC Offce, 2/F Malong Building, Capitol Compound, Lingayen, Panga-
sinan upon payment to the Provincial Treasurers Offce the amount of P1,000.00 Accreditation Fee for new
bidders, and a non-refundable amount of P1,000.00/bidder/project for every P1,000,000.00 for Project
no. 1; P3,000.00/bidder/project for project 2 & 3 to the Provincial Treasurers Offce. Prospective bidders
shall submit their Bid Documents to the BAC Offce at the same address.

The Province of Pangasinan assumes no responsibility whatsoever to compensate or indemnify bidders for
any expenses incurred in the preparation for their bids. Moreover, the Province of Pangasinan reserves the
right to reject any or all bid proposals, or declare a failure of bidding, or not award the contract, and makes
no assurance that contract shall be entered into as a result of this invitation without thereby incurring any
liability in accordance with RA 9184 and its Implementing Rules and Regulations.
Approved by:
(Sgd.) HILARIA J. CLAVERIA
Provincial Budget Offcer
BAC Vice-Chairman
(MST-JUNE 21, 2012)
Republic of the Philippines
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS AND HIGHWAYS
Offce of the Regional Director
Region II-Cagayan Valley Region
Tuguegarao City
INVITATION TO BID
The Department of Public Works and Highways through its Bids and
Awards Committee (BAC), invites prospective suppliers/bidders to apply for
the following contract/s:
Contact ID No. : 12BOGS005
Contract Name : Furnishing of Guardrails along Aritao-Quirino
Road
Contract Location : Nueva Vizcaya
Approved Budget for
the Contract : Php 2,771,108.12
Contract Time : 20 Calendar Days
Contact ID No. : 12BOGS006
Contract Name : Furnishing of Guardrails along Cordon-Diffun
Maddela-Aurora Boundary Road
Contract Location : Nagtipunan, Quirino
Approved Budget for
the Contract : Php 3,033,941.61
Procurement will be conducted through open competitive bidding
procedures in accordance with R.A. 9184 and its Revised Implementing
Rules and Regulations.
To bid for this contract, a bidder must meet the following criteria: (a) prior
registration with DPWH, (b) Filipino citizen/sole proprietorship, corporations/
partnership/cooperatives/organizations with at least sixty percent (60%)
interest or outstanding capital stock belongs to the citizens of the Philippines,
(c) completed similar contract whose total value must be at least 50% of the
ABC within a period of 3 years, and (d) Net Financial Contracting Capacity
at least equal to ABC, or credit line commitment for at least 10% of ABC.
The BAC will use non-discretionary pass/fail criteria in the eligibility check
and preliminary examination of bids. Award shall be made on per item.
The BAC, DPWH, Regional Offce No. 02 will only process suppliers
application for registration with complete requirements, and issued the
Suppliers Registration Certifcate (SRC). Registration forms may be secured
from the Secretariat, BAC, DPWH Regional Offce No. 02.
The signifcant times and deadlines of procurement activities are shown
below:
Submission and Receipt of Bids June 27, 2012 10:00 A.M.
Opening of Bids June 27, 2012 10:30 A.M.
The BAC will issue hard copies of Bidding Documents (BDs) at BAC-
Secretariat, DPWH, Regional Offce No. 02, Carig, Tuguegarao City, upon
payment of a non-refundable fee of Five thousand (P5,000.00) Pesos.
Bids must be accompanied by a bid security, in the amount and acceptable
form, as stated in Section 27.2 of the Revised IRR.
Prospective bidders shall submit their duly accomplished forms as
specifed in the BDs in two (2) separate bid envelopes to the BAC Chairman.
The frst envelope shall contain the technical component of the bid, which
shall include the eligibility requirements. The second envelope shall contain
the fnancial component of the bid. Contract will be awarded to the Lowest
Calculated Responsive Bid as determined in the bid evaluation and the
post-qualifcation.
The Department of Public Works and Highways reserves the right to accept
or reject any or all bid to annul the bidding process anytime before Contract
award, without incurring any liability to the affected bidders.
(Sgd.) EDILBERTO B. BATTUNG
Chief, MQCH Division
BAC Chairman

(MST-JUNE 21, 2012)
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS AND HIGHWAY
OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY
MANILA
I nvi t at i on t o Bi d
Road Upgr adi ng ( Gr avel t o Concr et e) of Bal bal an
Pi nukpuk Road, Abut A of Baay Br i dge
+ ( -18502) t o Abut A of Baay Br i dge + 0 Kal i nga
1. The Department of Public Works and Highways, through the General Appropriations
Act FY-2012 intends to apply the sum of One Hundred Seventy Six Million
Eight Hundred Forty Eight Thousand Six Hundred Forty Nine and Thirty Six
Centavos (Php 176,848,649.36) being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC)
to payments under the contract for Project ID No. 12Z00059, Road Upgrading
(gravel to concrete) of Balbalan-Pinukpuk Road, Abut A of Baay Bridge +(-18502)
to Abut A of Baay Bridge +0, Kalinga. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be
automatically rejected at bid opening.
2. The Department of Public Works and Highways now invites bids for the contract
for Project ID No. 12Z00059, Road upgrading (Gravel to Concrete) of Balbalan
Pinukpuk Road, Abut A of Baay Bridge +(-18502) to Abut A of Baay Bridge +0,
Kalinga. Completion of the Works is required within Three Hundred Sixty (360)
Calendar Days. Bidders should have completed, within ten (10) years from the date
of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the Project. The description
of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Document particularly, in Section
II, Instruction to Bidders.
Bidders should have completed, within ten (10) years from the date of submission
and receipt of bids, a single contract similar to the Project, equivalent to at least
ffty percent (50%) of the ABC.
3. Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using
non-discretionary pass/fail criterion as specifed in the Implementing Rules and
Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act 9184 (RA 9184), otherwise known as the
Government Procurement Reform Act.
Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or
organizations with at least seventy fve percent (75%) interest or outstanding
capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines.
4. Contractors/applicants who are interested in the DPWH civil works are required to
register prior to the set scheduled of submission of bid while those already registered
shall keep their records current and updated. Contractors eligibility to bid on the
project will be determined using the DPWH Contract profle Eligibility Process (CPEP)
and subject to further post-qualifcation. Information on registration can be obtained
at DPWH website www.dpwh.gov.ph or Central Procurement Offce (CPO), 5
th
Floor,
DPWH Bldg., Bonifacio Drive, Manila from 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.
5. A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested Bidders
from the address below and upon payment of a nonrefundable fee for the Bidding
Documents in the amount of Forty Thousand Pesos (P 40,000.00).
It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine
Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the website of the
Procuring Entity, provided that bidders shall pay the fee for the Bidding Documents
not later that the submission of their bids.
6. The Department of Public Works and Highways will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on
June 26, 2012, 9:00 a.m. at Central Procurement Offce, 5
th
Floor Department of
Public works and Highways Building, Bonifacio Drive, Port Area, Manila, which shall
be open only to all interested parties who have purchased the Bidding Documents.
7. Interested bidders may obtain further information from Department of Public Works
and Highways- Central Procurement Offce and CAR, Engineers Hill, Baguio City
and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below from 8:00 A.M.
to 5:00 P.M
8. Bids must be delivered on or before Jul y 10, 2012, 10:00 a.m. at Central
Procurement Offce, 5
th
Floor Department of Public works and Highways Building,
Bonifacio Drive, Port Area, Manila. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security
in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18.1.
Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders representatives who choose
to attend at the above. Late bids shall not be accepted.
9. The Department of Public Works and Highways reserves the right to accept or reject
any bid, to annul the bidding process, and to reject all bids at any prior to contract
award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder and bidders.
10. For further information, please refer to:

EDILBERTO P. CARABBACAN
Engineers Hill, Baguio City
(074) 444-3149
[email protected]
(Sgd.) JAIME A. PACANAN, Ph.D., CESO I
Undersecretary for Support Services
Chairman, BAC for Civil Works Central Offce
(MST-JUNE 21, 2012)

Republic of the Philippines
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS AND
HIGHWAYS
OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY
Manila
INVITATION TO BID
POST ONDOY & PEPENG SHORT-TERM INFRASTRUCTURE
REHABILITATION PROJECT (POPSTIRP)
FLOOD CONTROL COMPONENT

1. The Government of the Philippines (GOP) has received a loan (Loan No. PH-P246) from the Japan
International Cooperation Agency, toward the cost of Post Ondoy and Pepeng Short Term Infrastructure
Rehabilitation Project, Flood Control Component and it intends to apply part of the proceeds of this loan for
payments under the contract for:
Contract Package/ Con-
tract ID
Project Description/Location
Approved Budget
f or t he Cont r act
(ABC)
Contract
Duration
Contract Package 59
ID No. 12Z00058
Restorati on of Damaged
Revetment Wall and Slope
Protection in Baguio City
and Bangao, Benguet under
Additional Sub-Project for
Post Ondoy and Pepeng
Short-Term Infrastructure
Rehabilitation Project (POP-
STIRP), Flood Control Com-
ponent, CAR
PhP 36,925,030.42 150
calendar
days
2. The Department of Public Works and Highways now invites bids for the rehabilitation/restoration of the
above project. The Bidder must have completed, within ten (10) years from the submission of bids,
a single contract that is similar to this Project, equivalent to at least ffty percent (50%) of the ABC.
The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II.
Instruction to Bidders.
3. Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using non-discretionary
pass/fail criterion as specifed in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act 9184
(RA 9184), otherwise known as the Government Procurement Reform Act.
Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least
seventy fve percent (75%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines.
4. Contractors/applicants who are interested in the DPWH civil works are required to register prior to the set
schedule of submission of bid while those already registered shall keep their records current and updated.
Contractors eligibility to bid on the project will be determined using the DPWH Contractor Profle Eligibility
Process(CPEP) andsubject tofurther post-qualifcation. Informationonregistrationcanbeobtainedat DPWH
website www.dpwh.gov.ph or Central Procurement Offce (CPO), 5
th
Floor, DPWHBldg., Bonifacio Drive,
Port Area, Manila from8:00 A.M. to 5:P.M.
5. Interested bidders may obtain further information from Major Flood Control and Drainage Project, Cluster
II Project Management Offce (MFCDP II-PMO) and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address
given below from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
6. A complete set of bidding documents may be purchased by interested bidders at CPO upon
submission of Letter of Intent (LOI) together with CRC, Contractors Information and additional
document which the contractors/applicants may deem necessary in the eligibility processing and
upon payment of a nonrefundable fee for the Bidding Documents in the amount of TWENTY
THOUSAND PESOS(Php20,000.00).
7. Bidding Documents may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Govern-
ment Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the website of the Procuring Entity, provided that
bidders shall pay the fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the set deadline for the submission
of bids.
8. The Department of Public Works & Highways will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on July 3, 2012, 9:00 A.M.
at Central Procurement Offce, 5
th
Floor Department of Public Works and Highways Building, Bonifacio
Drive, Port Area Manila, which shall be open to all interested parties who have purchased the bidding
documents.
9. Bids must be delivered on or before July 17, 2012 at exactly 10:00A.M. at the Central Procurement Offce,
5
th
Floor Department of PublicWorksandHighwaysBuilding, BonifacioDrive, Port AreaManila. All bidsmust
be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in Bid Documents
Clause 18.1.
Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders representatives who choose to attend at the address
above. Late bids shall not be accepted.
10. For further information, please refer to:
ROGELIO O. ANG, CEO VI
OIC-Project Director
MFCDP II PMO
DPWH NCR Compound
2
nd
Street Delpan, Port Area Manila
Tel. No. (02) 304-36-43
Fax No. (02) 304-38-29
e-mail add: [email protected]
11. The Department of Public Works & Highways 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.
(Sgd.) JAIMEA. PACANAN, Ph.D., CESOI
Undersecretary for Support Services and
BAC Chairman for Civil Works
(MST-JUNE 21, 2012)
Republic of the Philippines
Professional Regulation Commission
Manila
PRESS RELEASE
June 14, 2012
ANNOUNCEMENT
The Professional Regulation Commission, in compliance with Section I, Article II of Executive Order
No. 496, Series of 1991, which reads: The Commission shall, upon receipt of the resolution from the ac-
credited professional organization, immediately publish the same in a newspaper of general circulation for
the purpose of inviting anyone who may have derogatory information against any of the nominees which
may render him unft for the position to inform the said Commission within a period of ten (10) days from
such publication xxx, hereby publishes the names of the nominees as follows:
1. For appointment as Members of the Professional Regulatory Board of Accountancy, as
nominated by the Philippine Institute of Certifed Public Accountants (PICPA):
a. CESAR A. MANSIBANG c. MICHAEL A. MACHICA
b. FROILAN G. AMPIL
2. For appointment as Members of the Professional Regulatory Board of Dentistry, as nominated
by the Philippine Dental Association (PDA):
a. ELIZABETH C. CARRASCO b. ARIEL D. GO
3. For appointment as Chairman/Members of the Professional Regulatory Board of Environmental
Planning, as nominated by the Philippine Institute of Environmental Planners (PIEP):

a. AUGUSTO M. CONCIO c. MELITON B. JUANICO
b. CORAZON B. CRUZ d. CONCHITA ESTRELLA M. RAGRAGI
4. For appointment as Chairman/Members of the Professional Regulatory Board of Pharmacy,
as nominated by the Integrated Philippine Pharmaceutical Association (PPhA):
a. MS. MARILYN Y. TIU h. LORNA LOPEZ MACARIOLA
b. DR. JULIET A. UY i. MS. BELMA E. CRUZ
c. MS. MA. ROSARIO B. BARANGAN j. ATTY. FROILAN A. BAGABALDO
d. MS. CATHERINE CLARE M. RIVERA k. DR. MILDRED B. OLIVEROS
e. MS. MA. LOURDES S. GARGANERA l. DR. PRISCILLA M. TORRES
f. MS. ADELINA C. ROYO m. DR. DONALD A. VELASCO
g. MS. HAZAL FAYE RICAFORTE- n. ANTHONY ALDRIN C. SANTIAGO
DOCUYANAN o. SHELLDON I. JAGDON


TERESITA R. MANZALA
Chairperson
(MST-JUNE 21, 2012)
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
Manila
Standard
TODAY
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
Republic of the Philippines
Department of Public Works and Highways
BILIRAN DISTRICT ENGINEERING OFFICE
Naval, Biliran Province
Tel. No. 500-9099 Fax No. 500-9097
INVITATION TO BID
June 14, 2012
Date
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Biliran District Engineering Offce,
Naval, Biliran, through its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), to apply to bid for the following
contracts:
1. Contract ID : 12IA00048
Contract Name : Strengthening of Anas Bridge
Contract Location : Brgy. Atipolo, Naval, Biliran Province
Brief Description : Application of Carbon Fiber
Approved Budget for
the Contract (ABC) : P6,803,310.82
Contract Duration : 140 calendar days
Cost of Bidding Documents : P10,000.00
The bidder must own or
lease the equipment : 1-Generator; 2 KVA 1 Blower 1-Disc Sander
2. Contract ID : 12IA00049
Contract Name : Strengthening of Busali Bridge
Contract Location : Brgy. Busali, Biliran, Biliran Province
Brief Description : Application of Carbon Fiber &
Repair slope/bank protection
Approved Budget for
the Contract (ABC) : P4,672,903.94
Contract Duration : 120 calendar days
Cost of Bidding Documents : P5,000.00
The bidder must own or
lease the equipment : 1-Generator; 2 KVA 1-Blower 1-Disc Sander
1-bagger Concrete Mixer
3. Contract ID : 12IA00050
Contract Name : Construction/Rehabilitation of Multi-Purpose Building
(Senior Citizen Center)
Contract Location : Cabucgayan, Biliran Province
Brief Description : Const./Rehab. of building
Approved Budget for
the Contract (ABC) : P499,962.12
Contract Duration : 60 calendar days
Cost of Bidding Documents : P1,000.00
The bidder must own or
lease the equipment : 1-Bagger Concrete Mixer
4. Contract ID : 12lA00051
Contract Name : Construction/Rehabilitation of Multi-Purpose Building
(Senior Citizen Center)
Contract Location : Caibiran. Biliran Province
Brief Description : Const./Rehab. of building
Approve Budget for
the Contract (ABC) : P499,862.12
Contract Duration : 60 calendar days
Cost of Bidding Documents : P1,000.00
The bidder must own or
lease the equipment : 1-Bagger Concrete Mixer
5. Contract ID : 12IA00052
Contract Name : Construction/Rehabilitation of Multi-Purpose Building
(Senior Citizen Center)
Contract Location : Culaba, Biliran Province
Brief Description : Const./Rehab.of Building
Contract Duration : 60 calendar days
Cost of Bidding Documents : P1,000.00
The bidder must own or
lease the equipment : 1-Bagger Concrete Mixer
6. Contract ID : 12IA00053
Contract Name : Construction/Rehabilitation of Multi-Purpose Building
(Senior Citizen Center)
Contract Location : Almeria, Biliran Province
Brief Description : Const/Rehab. of building
Approved Budget for
the Contract (ABC) : P499,962.12
Contract Duration : 60 calendar days
Cost of Bidding of Documents : P1,000.00
The bidder must own or
lease the equipment : 1-Bagger Concrete Mixer
7. Contract ID : 12IA00054
Contract Name : Construction/Rehabilitation of Multi-Purpose Building
(Senior Citizen Center)
Contract Location : Maripipi, Biliran Province
Brief Description : Const/Rehab. of building
Approved Budget for
the Contract (ABC) : P499,963.45
Contract Duration : 60 calendar days
Cost Bidding Documents : P1,000.00
The bidder must own or
lease the equipment : 1-Bagger Concrete Mixer
Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures with R.A. 9184 and its
Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations. To bid for this contacts, a contractor must submit
a Letter of Intent (LOI) and must meet the following major criteria: a) prior registration with DPWH,
b) Filipino citizen or 75% Filipino-owned partnership, corporation, cooperative or joint venture with
PCAB license applicable to the type and cost of this contact, c) completion of similar contract
costing at least 50% of ABC within a period of 10 years, (d) Net Financial Contracting Capacity
at least equal to ABC or credit commitment for at least 10% of ABC, (e) Updated DPWH CRC
and PCAB License, and (f) Letter of Authority for the representative/Liaison Offcer (as refected
in the CRC) to submit LOI and Bids, duly notarized with 2 valid IDS. The PCAB will use non-
discretionary pass/fail criteria in the Eligibility Check and Preliminary Examination of Bids. The
BAC will only accept/process LOIs signed by the person authorized in the Contractors
License issued by PCAB and with complete requirements stated above. Letters of Intent
(LOIs) sent thru mail or fax will not be accepted.
Unregistered contractors, however, shall submit their applications for registration to the DPWH-
POCW Central Offce before the deadline for the receipt of LOI. The DPWH-POCW Central Offce
will only process contractors application for registration with complete requirements, and issue the
Contractors Registration Certifcate (CRC).
The signifcant themes and deadlines of procurement activities are show below:
1. Receipt of LOIs from Prospective June 25, 2012
2. Issuance of Bidding Documents June 15, 2012 to July 05, 2012
3. Pre-BId Conference June 25, 2012
4. Receipt of Bids July 05, 2012 @ 10:00am
5. Opening of Bids July 05, 2012 @ 2:00pm
Prospective bidders shall submit their duly accomplished forms as specifed in the Bidding
Documents (BDs) in two (2) separate sealed bid envelopes to the BAC Chairman. The frst
envelope shall contain the technical component of the bid, including the eligibility requirements.
The second envelope shall contain the fnancial component of the bid. Contract will be awarded
to the Lowest Calculated Responsive Bid as determined in the bid evaluation & post qualifcation.
Prospective bidders may download the Registration from the DPWH website: www.dpwh.gov.ph.
The BAC will issue hard copies of Bidding Documents at the BAC Secretariat, DPWH , Biliran
District Engineering Offce, Naval, Biliran, upon payment of a non-refundable fee as stated above.
Prospective bidders that will download the Bidding Documents shall pay the same amount upon
submission of their Bids. Bids must accompanied by a bid security in any acceptable form in the
amount stated in Section 27.2 of the Revised IRR.
Prospective bidders may also download the BDs, if available, from the DPWH website. The BAC
will also issue bard copies of the BDs at the same address to eligible Bidders upon payment of a
non-refundable fee as stated above. Bidders that will download the BDs from the DPWH website
shall pay the said fees on or before the submission of their bid.
The DPWH, Biliran District Engineering Offce, reserves the right to accept or reject any or all Bid
and to annul without incurring any liability to the affected Bidder/s.
Approved by:
(Sgd.) BONIFACIO G. SANTANA
OIC-Asst. District Engineer
BAC Chairman
Noted:
(Sgd.) VIRGINIA C. SARABUSING
District Engineer
(MST-JUNE 21 2012)
IN BRIEF
Career guide may ease
job-skills mismatch
Electronic payment
for SSS loans
JUNE 21, 2012 THURSDAY
A7 News
ManilaStandardToday [email protected]
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 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 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
Opposition fears misuse
of P45-b cash transfers
Justices
ouster
pressed
Additional
funds for
childhood
care sought
Govt incentives for recycling sought
Heres why some cops cant shoot straight
THE Social Security System has begun moving
toward the electronic disbursement of salary
loans and short-term benets from its current
system of releasing them through checks.
SSS president Emilio de Quiros Jr. said that
check-less transactions through ATMs will
do away with delays on check-clearing and
address the problems of stolen or lost checks.
Lost checks take up to as much as six months
to have a replacement, De Quiros said.
The state-run institution teamed up with
Citibank Philippines for the electronic
release of salary loans and benets through
a special cash card for members last June 5.
SSS will start issuing the prepaid cards to
members within the second half of 2012.
There will be no additional cost for the
use of the card, which is valid for three
years. Rio Araja
The Conditional Cash
Transfers program may turn out
to be a giant slush fund which
politicians can use to buy voters
in next years elections,
Minority Leader and Quezon
Rep. Danilo Suarez told
reporters.
Suarez also slammed the
governments plan to increase
the budget for CCT by at least
P45 billion for 2013. This years
P39.5-billion allocation for
the program was a signicant
increase from last years P21.3-
billion budget. CCT was
supposed to cover 2.3 million
indigent- families.
This is disgraceful, Suarez
said.
The program provides a
monthly cash subsidy to poor
families on the condition parents
send their children to school and
bring them to health centers for
check-ups.
Budget Secretary Florencio
Abad earlier said the
administration planned to
increase the programs allocation
to accommodate half a million
more families.
For second time in 2011,
Suarez said, the Aquino
administration again bloated the
budget with questionable items
like the three-fold increase in
conditional cash transfers, from
P10 billion at the end of the
Arroyo term to nearly P30 billion
for next year.
The numbers bears us out.
Despite the huge size of CCT,
self-rated poverty and hunger
have both worsened under the
Aquino administration, Suarez
pointed out. Unemployment is
up, together with many essential
commodity prices. Most recently,
consumer sentiment signicantly
declined in the second quarter of
this year.
For his part, Siquijor Rep.
Orlando Fua, a senior opposition
member, also raised suspicion
that the CCT program would be
used to win over votes in the
2013 polls.
Thats possible (that the
increase in the CCT budget
will be used for 2013 mid-term
polls), Fua said.
Suarez said that the Aquino
administrations proposed two-
trillion budget for 2013 would be
a Palaces rubber-stamp budget.
Can we allow again the
administration to railroad
its budget through Congress
without close scrutiny? Should
we continue to give them carte
blanche over the way they spend
the taxpayers money? Suarez
asked.
By Maricel V. Cruz
THE oppositionists in the House
of Represenatives on Wednesday
demanded the suspension of the
Aquino governments dole program
if its sole purpose is for political
exercise in preparation for 2013
elections.
By Florante Solmerin
IMAGINE a policeman in a gunbattle
suddenly realizing that he has ran out
of bullets. Or a cop who couldnt even
shoot straight at a eeing criminal.
Sadly, these are not just a product of
ones imagination. Its an almost ev-
eryday reality confronting the police
as they go about their task of weeding
out the bad elements from our society.
Jethro Dionisio, a six-time world
champion in pistol shooting and a coach-
trainer at the Jethro Shooting Range, said
local policemen lack target prociency.
This view is shared by Nerio Dionisio,
president of the Association of Firearms
and Ammunitions Dealers (AFAD). Nerio
said the main reason why the police cant
shoot straight is because they do not have
enough bullets needed for training.
What I see is that they really lack
training, said Nerio during a forum
on Wednesday at the Club Filipino in
Greenhills in San Juan City.
Nerio also observed that because of
lack of training, there were times
that some police ofcers could not
even withdraw their guns when at-
tacked by criminals.
Ninerbyos at nasaktan dahil
hindi maiputok ang baril niya,
he said.
Jethro, who attended the
same forum in San Juan,
couldnt agree more.
Actually, they really lack the
availability of ammunition for their
training. I think what the (police) acad-
emy can
give them is
very limited, he
said.
Jethro estimates that
only 20 of 50 policemen
have had basic and excel-
lent marksmanship training.
I think the best solution
to improve their target pro-
ciency is more funds to be given
to the PNP especially in their train-
ing periods, Jethro said.
State trying to protect
its interest, says BCDA
THE chairman of the House
Committee on Justice is wary
of the apparent lack of interest
demonstrated by Speaker Feli-
ciano Belmonte Jr. on the pla-
giarism case of Supreme Court
Associate Justice Mariano del
Castillo.
Iloilo Rep. Niel Tupas Jr., the
panel chairman, said he was
dismayed over the decision of
Belmonte not to transmit to the
Senate his committees recom-
mendation to oust Castillo.
Castillo was accused of pla-
giarism and of betraying pub-
lic trust.
As far as the committee
on justice is concerned, the
del Castillo impeachment is
on because we found prob-
able cause. I havent dis-
cussed it with the House
leadership and I intend to
discuss it right after the
SoNA (State of the Nation
Address), Tupas said.
Del Castillo protested his
innocence, saying his unat-
tributed use of a previous de-
cision to dismiss the case of
comfort women was an hon-
est mistake.
To me, the sooner (we
dispose of the complaint)
the better, it is not just for us
to say that we will not any-
more impeach; it is for the
plenary to decide, Tupas
pointed out.
Last February 21, the panel
voted 38 to 10, nding prob-
able cause to impeach Del Cas-
tillo.
The plenary was given 60
session days whether to af-
firm or reject the recommen-
dation by the House com-
mittee on justice through 95
votes.
But since then, the justice
panels recommendation had
been gathering dust as the
House leadership decided to
prioritize the impeachment
trial of Corona.
Tupas said it was their con-
stitutional duty to dispose of
the del Castillo impeachment
complaint. Maricel Cruz
THE Bases Conversion and Devel-
opment Authority viewed the l-
ing of the libel complaint by Camp
John Hay Development Corpora-
tion against the BCDA board of di-
rectors as an act of harassment that
was intended to derail the BCDAs
efforts in holding CJHDevco ac-
countable for its acts and omissions,
the agency said in a press statement.
Reacting to a P100-million libel
complaint led by CJHDevCo, the
bases agency denounced the com-
plaint as malicious and baseless,
not to mention a mere smokescreen
to cover up the real issue that is,
CJHDevcos failure and refusal to
pay rentals to the government for
their use of Camp John Hay.
The rentals, which amounted to P3
billion, were supposed to be turned
over to the national government and
the local government of Baguio City
for use in development programs and
projects that will benet the Filipino
people, the BCDA ofcials said.
The BCDA maintained that there
was no malice or falsehood in the
notice it published in April 2012. It
said it only acted in the performance
of its duty to protect the public in-
terest in Camp John Hay.
THE recycling of plastic and other solid
waste should be given attention and sup-
port as it is a sustainable way of keep-
ing trash out of the waste stream, and is
a more productive option to an outright
ban on plastics.
Speaking at the 1st Innovation Fair of
SPIK (Samahan sa Pilipinas ng Industri-
yang Kimika) on Monday, Crispian Lao,
one of the private sector representatives
in the National Solid Waste Management
Commission, said recycling should be
supported and practiced by the commu-
nity, yet there seems to be little public
awareness of this or government efforts
to encourage it.
He said proper solid waste segrega-
tion, recovery and recycling are man-
dated under RA 9003 or the Ecological
Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.
Yet 10 years after it was passed, the
mechanisms and incentives of the pro-
gram have yet to be properly enforced,
hence the objectives of the Act have re-
mained unrealized, he added.
Recycling of solid wastes, whether
plastic or paper, is climate smart because
when you take them out of the waste
stream they can still be turned into new
products, pointed out Lao, who said the
future is in recycling.
Why leave plastic in the waste stream
when there are so many applications for
plastic? he asked.
The commonly known applications
for plastic trash are consumer items such
basins, buckets, tables and chairs. But
plastic can also be converted into fuel,
or when mixed with cement can be made
into hollow blocks. Asphalt mixed with
plastic is said to make road pavements
stronger. There are so many possibili-
ties, said Lao, the former president of
the Philippine Plastic Industry Associa-
tion (PPIA).
By Macon Araneta

A LAWMAKER on
Wednesday vowed to push
for an increase in the budget
for early childhood care and
development from P500
million to P1 billion.
Senator Teosto TG Guingona
emphasized the need for additional
appropriation to the program
because the funds are inadequate.
The government should
invest in our youth to harness
their skills and creativity, said
Guingona.
ECCD refers to the full
range of health, nutrition, early
education and social services
programs provided to young
children up to four-years-old
to maximize their potential for
growth and development.
Guingona earlier requested
Senator Edgardo Angara to co-
author of the measure that would
strengthen the foundations of early
learning system in the country.
Since the government is now
pushing for vital reforms in the
country, he said, it was only
tting to strengthen the ECCD
as learning pathways are formed
in the early years of a child.
Congress last year approved
the Early Years Act but
Malacanang vetoed the bill.
Instead, the ECCD Council
was created. A total of P500
million was allocated for the
program annually for ve
years, although the senators
said that the amount wouldnt
be enough to fund the needs of
the target recipients.
Angara then led SBN 3206
or the Early Years Act, which
is co-authored by a number
of senators to solidify the
foundations of learning and
achieve learning outcomes and
child development milestones.
Angara said EYA will help
more than 10 million Filipino
children up to four-years old.
He revealed that only three
million of 12 million Filipino
children today are enroled in
day-care centers.
He noted that quality early
childhood education has been
shown to improve the scholastic
abilities and school readiness
of young children, thereby
preventing school dropouts.
The measure also seeks to
provide community training to
arm parents with information,
skills and support systems
needed as the primary
caregivers of their children.
THE Department of Labor and Employ-
ment is encouraging students to surf its ca-
reer guidance system for them to have an
idea of courses that are in-demand, whether
collegiate or technical-vocational programs.
This will hopefully lead them to a produc-
tive income-earning opportunities after gradu-
ation, said Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz.
The career guidance will ease the problem
of jobs and skills mismatch, Baldoz said.
Its about time that our high school students
also soak up on latest labor market information.
Instead of taking popular courses, those less con-
sidered courses may prove to be the best paying
and the most productive ones, she said. They
may even venture into part-time careers and
entrepreneurship opportunities that are usu-
ally overlooked.
The career guides cites creative jobs
such as web content writers, virtual as-
sistants, game designers, and application
developers that students can consider as
productive careers in life.
Students may opt to take Comput-
er Science and technology-related
courses for them to become applica-
tion developers and game designers.
These careers involve writing speci-
cations required in applications and
using programming computer languages
and development tools to design, build,
test, implement, and support games
and applications. Vito Barcelo
Green advocates. Hundreds of environmental activists marched along Kalaw street in Manila toward the US Embassy to join the call for a
global day of action which coincides with the conference on sustainable development in Brazil. DANNY PATA
Jethro
Dionisio
News
ManilaStandardToday
[email protected] JUNE 21, 2012
THURSDAY
A8
Mar blames LTO execs

IN BRIEF
Encourage bus company
mergers, Tolentino urges
GMA bail bid backed, Abalos pushes his own
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
Manila
Standard
TODAY
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING/CONSULTATION

Pursuant to Sections 401/402 of the Tariff and Customs Code of the Philippines
(PD 1464), as amended, the Tariff Commission will conduct public hearing/
consultation on 05 July 2012 at 9:00 A.M. regarding the petitions on the tariff
modifcation of certain products and review of Executive Order No. 61 (series of
2011) rates of duty on plastic resins. Venue of the hearing/consultation is at the
Tariff Commission Conference Room, 5
th
Floor Philippine Heart Center Building, East
Avenue, Quezon City.
The product coverage is indicated below:
AHTN Code Description
Tariff Modifcation
0206.30.00; 0206.41.00;
0206.49.00; 0209.00.00
Edible swine offal, fresh, chilled or frozen; frozen
livers of swine; pig fat and poultry fat, fresh, chilled,
frozen, salted, in brine, dried or smoked
0701.90.00 Fresh or chilled potatoes
2835.31.00; 3206.11.10 Sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP); titanium dioxide
pigments
3901.90 Other polymers of ethylene, in primary forms
3926.90.90B Plastic buckles, adjuster, hook and cord stopper
47.07 Recovered (waste and scrap) paper or paperboard
8504.23.29A Liquid dielectric transformers having a power handling
capacity exceeding 20,000 kVA but not exceeding
30,000 kVA
8512.30.90A Obstacle detection device of a kind suitable for use in
motor vehicle
87.03; 87.11 E-tricycle
Review of E.O. 61 rates of duty on polymers in primary forms
39.01; 39.02; 39.03;
39.04
Polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene and
polyvinyl chloride
Interested parties will be given the opportunity to be heard and to present
evidence in support of their positions. For particulars, please inquire at the Research,
Investigation and International Trade Analysis Services (RIITAS) at telephone nos.
928-8419 or 433-5896.
Issued this 20
th
day of June 2012, Quezon City, Metro Manila.
(SGD.) EDGARDO R. MARALIT
Commissioner
Offcer-in-Charge
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
TARIFF COMMISSION
(MST-June 21, 2012)
Notice is hereby given that FIRM BUILDERS REALTY
DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION with offce address at No.
8 Dela Paz Compound, 21st Lacson Street, Bacolod City is
applying for registration with the BOARD OF INVESTMENTS
(BOI) as a new developer of low-cost mass housing project
(Amber Hills Subdivision) with a capacity of 197 low-cost mass
housing units on a non-pioneer status with project site at Lumbo,
Valencia City, Bukidnon.
Any person with valid objections on the above-mentioned project
may fle his/her objection in writing, under oath, with the BOI
within three (3) days from the date of this publication.
(SGD.) EVARISTE M. CAGATAN
Director
Infrastructure and Services Industries Department
Industry & Investments Building 385 Sen. Gil J. Puyat Avenue, Makati City, Philippines
Trunkline: 897-6682, (IPG) 896-9212, (MSG) 896-5167, (PAG) 895-3983
(ISG) 890-3056, (ADMIN) 890-9325
Website: http//www.boi.gov.ph P.O. Box 1872 Makati
(MST-June 21, 2012)
NOTI CE
ERRORS
&
OMI SSI ONS
I n Cl assi f i ed
A d s s e c t i o n
must be brought
to our attention
the very day the
advert i sement
i s publ i shed.
We will not be
responsible for
any incorrect ads
not reported to
us immediately.
By Macon Ramos-Araneta
THE government contractor that was
commissioned to build the guide-
way for the countrys rst all-Filipino
monorail has already starting work on
the P21.6-million automated guideway
transit system that will be tested before
the end of the year.
The contractor, Miescor Builders
Inc., started diggings for the elevated
test tracks a week before the ceremo-
nial awarding rites at Manila Traders
Hotel on Tuesday. The monorail is a
project of the Department of Science
and Techonology.
Engineer Jonathan Puerto of the
DOSTs Metals Industry Research and
Development Center said the test track
is being built at an empty lot in the
University of the Philippines campus
in Diliman, Quezon City.
We expect to nish the construc-
tion within four or ve months, or by
October or November, then we can
have the actual tests using the coach-
es, said Puerto, stressing that the tests
are necessary to netune the systems
mechanisms and operation, including
speed, stability, brake distance and
power, among others.
Science and Technology Secretary
Mario Montejo said the AGTS is the
rst of several high-impact technology
solutions that is being developed by
the department for the public transpor-
tation sector.
Montejo said many countries are al-
ready reaping benets from their own
AGTS technologies, including the
United States, Japan, Singapore and
Canada. If these countries can do it,
so can the Philippines, the secretary
said.
Montejo said the guideway of the
monorail will stand at an elevation
of 6.1 meters supported by high-
quality concrete material, while the
train body will be composed of two
coaches, each capable of carrying 30
people.
The coaches will roll on rubber
tires instead of metal wheels to mini-
mize track noise, and will have bogies
to ensure comfort and stability.
Aside from being locally devel-
oped, Montejo said the monorail is
envisioned to be non-polluting, reli-
able and safe because it cannot be de-
railed or cause road accidents, aside
from helping reduce trafc conges-
tion.
Puerto said the 465-meter demon-
stration track will be at the largely va-
cant UP lot between the Commission
on Higher Education building on C.P.
Garcia Avenue and the College of Fine
Arts on Emilio Jacinto Street.
After the pilot tests at UP, Puerto
said the DOST will conduct other
feasibility studies before the DOST
alternative mass transport system goes
public.
We will also delve on the econo-
mies especially the cost efciency of
running the system, engineered by
the DOST, Puerto said, adding that
the monorail will be much cheaper
than light rail transits due to its com-
ponents.
Work on all-Filipino monorail starts in UP
THE Metro Manila Development Authority
on Wednesday urged the Land Transporta-
tion Franchising and Regulatory Board to
take the lead in encouraging the mergers of
bus companies operating in Metro Manila.
The LTFRB can grant incentives to com-
panies who opt to merge or consolidate, such
as granting them preferential and exclusive
certicates of public convenience (CPCs),
said MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino
who urged LTFRB Chairman Jaime Jacob to
initiate and encourage mergers and consoli-
dation among bus companies.
Tolentino said only the LTFRB has the
power to issue, amend, revise, suspend or
cancel CPCs or permits authorizing the op-
eration of public land transportation services
provided by motorized vehicles.
He suggested that Jacob issue merger
guidelines based on of the buses franchise,
income, history of trafc violations, viabil-
ity and passenger ridership.
Tolentino said the merging of passenger
bus companies would be an effective strat-
egy to improve the quality of public trans-
portation in Metro Manila.
The major contributor to Metro Manilas
trafc congestion is the perceived inefcient
operation of public utility buses, he said.
It has been observed that public utility
buses operations are marred with low aver-
age occupancy levels that often result in long
queues at bus stops, chaotic behavior of bus
drivers brought about by erce competition
for passengers, a high accident rate, high
pollution levels and proliferation of illegal
activities including colorum and out-of-line
operations. We have complaints from com-
muters all the time about this, he added.
Rio N. Araja
Roxas said the LTO directors complied with
a memorandum believed to have come from the
agencys drivers license card contractor Amalgam-
ated Motors Philippines Inc. regarding the planned
implementation of system and license card up-
grade.
Roxas said the LTO leadership is now trying to
nd out why the agencys regional directors ac-
cepted and followed an advisory that came from a
contractor and not the LTO main ofce.
AMPI has apologized to the public for the in-
convenience and blamed the breakdown to a tech-
nical glitches in upgrading their servers and with
their Internet service provider.
AMPI also claimed that LTO was well aware of
their system upgrade and their proposed changes
in the design of drivers licenses which apparently
aggravated the breakdown of printing machines.
In Metro Manila, there are still licensing centers
with AMPI printing machines that are not func-
tioning. In San Juan, the AMPI printing machines
are already working but print licenses slower than
usual.
Roxas said AMPI printing machines in the East-
ern Visayas region, Cordillera Autonomous Region
and the Caraga region are still not working.
DOTC ofcials are also questioning why AMPI
is planning to use hard paper in its proposed new
By Florante S. Solmerin and Rio N. Araja
TRANSPORTATION and Communications Secretary Mar Roxas
blamed the regional directors of the Land Transportation Ofce
for the drivers license debacle which bogged down the operations
of the LTO for almost a week resulting in millions of pesos in lost
revenue.
license cards instead of the plastic that is being
used now.
LTO officials noted that AMPI wants to shift
to cheaper hard paper that still needs to be lami-
nated despite the increased budget for the sup-
ply, production and delivery of plastic license
cards.
The ofcials said AMPI was given a budget
of P544 million last year and this amount was in-
creased to P600 million for this year. AMPI was
allocated P508 million in 2010.
AMPI, however, said the new licenses would
bear no cost to the public or the government and
the new design would also include a proprietary
bi-metal foil used in money and security docu-
ments, a security ber, and an embedded hologram
that shows a ghost image of the cardholder.
Roxas had earlier said AMPI has been LTOs
supplier of drivers license cards since 1984 when
it bagging the contract by public bidding, but it
has repeatedly entering into contract extensions of
three to four years each.
The last supplemental agreement that extend-
ed the supply contract of AMPI was signed on
Sept. 22, 2000. The agreement expired in June
2006.
By Maricel V. Cruz
and Ferdinand Fabella
THE House minority bloc on Wednesday
pressed their request that bail be granted to
former president and Pampanga Rep. Glo-
ria Macapagal-Arroyo who has been un-
der hospital arrest on charges of electoral
sabotage in connection with the May 2007
senatorial polls.
At the same time, the bail hearing of former
Elections Commissioner Benjamin Abalos al-
most sounded like a regular trial on the merits
as former North Cotabato elections supervisor
Yogi Martirizar asserted in court that Abalos
forced her to sign spurious election documents
during the 2007 national election.
But Minority Leader and Quezon Rep. Da-
nilo Suarez said he doubted the credibility of
the testimony of Norie Unas, who claims he
overheard the former President ordering for-
mer Maguindano governor Andal Ampatuan
to rig the 2007 senatorial polls in favor of the
administrations senatorial candidates.
We hope that the public will also note
the weakness of the electoral sabotage case
led against Congresswoman Arroyo, which
is being used as a pretext to keep her behind
bars, Suarez said.
Defense lawyers had earlier debunked
Unas testimony as mere hearsay. Unas ear-
lier told the court he accompanied Ampatuan
to Malacaang and overheard Arroyo order-
ing Ampatuan to ensure a 12-0 victory for
the administrations senatorial candidates.
His testimony is uncorroborated hearsay,
he has been linked to the Maguindanao mas-
sacre, and thus he has every incentive to tes-
tify whatever his government handlers want
him to say, the minority leader added.
Martirizar, for her part, told the Pasay
City Regional Trial Court Branch 112 that
Abalos sent his henchmen in Sultan Kudarat
to have her sign fake Provincial Certicate
of Canvas (PCOCs) to replace the genuine
PCOCs she was about to bring to Manila for
the national canvassing.
Martirizar, who was presented by Comelec
and Department of Justice (DoJ) prosecutors to
counter Abalos petition for bail, recalled that
the incident took place on May 23, 2007.
Abalos simply laughed off Martirizars
allegations.
All that was hearsay. I didnt even know
her personally and in fact, if I could remem-
ber, I only talked to her once, he said.
During Martirizars two-hour testimony,
Abalos and his lead counsel Artemio Tuque-
ro tried hard to convince Judge Jesus Mupas
to stop the witness testimony for being ir-
relevant in the bail petition hearings.
Your honor, this testimony is irrelevant
to the matter at hand, which is my bail peti-
tion. Bail hearings should be summary in na-
ture. What were doing here is a full-blown
trial, Abalos said in trying hard to cut short
the witness testimony and prod the judge to
x his bail.
Abalos repeatedly engaged the presiding
judge and members of the prosecution panel
in a heated argument as he constantly pound-
ed Martirizars questioning with objections.
Allowed by the judge to argue on his bail
petition, Abalos said the witness could not
even qualify as a state witness, which the
Comelec and DoJ prosecutors are asking the
court to do, because she is the most guilty
of the offense charged against them.
Artists depiction of the monorail being developed by the Science Department.
Orate kin seeks venue
transfer to Makati court
RELATIVES of the slain Noel Orate Sr.,
a boyfriend of former congresswoman
Nanette Daza for 12 years, has aked the
court to transfer the trial venue of the
killing from Quezon City to Makati City.
Eduardo Bringas, representing
Orates children Noel Orate Jr. and No-
elleen Orate-Esposo, informed Quezon
City Regional Trial Court Branch 218
Judge Luis Zenon Maceren about their
formal request to Supreme Court admin-
istrator Jose Midas Marquez to allow
the transfer of the homicide case led
against Dazas son-in-law and Bulacan
provincial board member Romeo Allan
Robes to a Makati court.
The Orates said Daza comes from an
inuential family of politicians. Daza
is the sister of incumbent Quezon City
Rep. Winston Castelo, who is the hus-
band of District 2 Councilor Precious
Hipolito Castelo.
Robes is the husband of District 4
Councilor Jessica Castelo Daza and
even the chief of staff of his uncle, Rep.
Arturo Robes of the lone district of San
Jose del Monte, Bulacan. Rio N. Araja
Agency hit for error
in credentials of Balais
THE Trade Union Congress of the
Philippines on Wednesday assailed the
Department of Labor and Employment for
interfering with internal union matters and
privileges of the labor group by nominating
a non-TUCP member as a worker adviser
in the 2012 International Labor Conference
in Geneva, according to former Senator
and TUCP president Ernesto Herrera.
But the DOLE maintained that the
designation of Balais as the TUCP secre-
tary general in the initial credentials was
an honest oversight which the govern-
ment immediately corrected in its nal
and ofcial submission of credentials.
The DOLE wrote the ILO Legal
Adviser asking that the title of Balais
be corrected as President, Philippine
Transport and General Workers Organi-
zation and not as General Secretary of
the TUCP. Vito Barcelo
Court lifts suspension
of Tulfo television show
THE Court of Appeals on Wednesday
restrained the Movie and Television Review
and Classication Board from carrying out
its three-month suspension of the program of
the Tulfo brothers on TV 5.
The CAs Sixth Division granted
initial relief in the petition of TV5 and
issued a temporary restraining order on
MTRCBs suspension of T3 Kapatid
Sagot Kita.
Associate Justices Rosmari Caran-
dang, Ricardo Rosario and Danton Bues-
er signed the TRO, which takes effect for
60 days upon posting of bond amounting
to P100,000. MTRCB is given 15 days
to answer the petition and explain why
the TRO should be lifted. Rey Requejo
Arroyo wants helicopter
case reinvestigated
FORMER First Gentleman Jose Miguel
Mike Arroyo on Wednesday urged
the Sandiganbayan to remand to the
Ombudsman for reinvestigation the
corruption led against him involving the
allegedly irregular purchase of helicopter
by the Philippine National Police.
Arroyo, through his lawyer Edna
Batacan, said the anti-graft agency led
the complaint prematurely despite his
right to le a motion for reconsideration,
question the decision and seek the deci-
sions reversal.
Arroyo, together with erstwhile Phil-
ippine National Police chief Jesus Ver-
soza, was charged with graft suits for
alleged involvement in the anomalous
purchase of two overpriced and second-
hand helicopters in 2009. Rio N. Araja
JUNE 21, 2012 THURSDAY
A9 Sports Riera U. Mallari, Editor
ManilaStandardToday
[email protected]
NCAA policy board chair-
man Fr. Tamerlane Lana of host
Letran said the 68 Adeogun
will just sit out four games of the
Red Lions, instead of six.
Fr. Lana discussed the reduction
of sanctions given to Adeogun and
also their decision to allow four
other foreign players to see ac-
tion this season following an early
morning meeting of the board.
Board members also ques-
tioned the residency of four new
players, who are in the Mapua
Cardinals roster.
The new season means new
expectations and new challeng-
es. This ushers many changes,
new policies and rules for the
betterment of the league, said
Lana during a press conference
held at the Gateway in Cubao.
The games will be carried live on
Channel 13 after the NCAAforged
Two-header
tourney winners
All set for NCAA wars
By Peter Atencio
THE policy board of the National Col-
legiate Athletic Association has reduced
the sanction imposed on Nigerian player
Olaide Adeogun in the coming 88th
season, which res off with the mens
basketball tournament this Saturday at
the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
IN BRIEF
PH chessers bag 57 medals
A VICTORIOUS Philippine delegation
brought home 57 medals from the 13
th

Asean Age-Group Chess Championships
in Hue, Vietnam.
Grandmaster Jayson Gonzales,
executive director of the National Chess
Federation of the Philippines, said the
Philippines won 12 golds, 36 silver and
9 bronze medals in three events, namely
standard, rapid and blitz competitions.
We broke the previous record of 23
medals last year, with only eight gold
medals in three events in Indonesia, said
GM Gonzales.
Vietnam got a total of 121 medals, with
73 gold, 31 silver and 17 bronze. Overall,
the Philippines was second, followed by
Indonesia (12 gold, 7 silver and 9 bronze).
Nine countries participated in the
chessfest, namely Vietnam, Philippines,
Indonesia, Singapore, Mongolia, India,
Malaysia, Iran and China.
Winning gold medals for the country
were Joel Pimentel, who became an
International Master and was rewarded
a GM norm; FM Paolo Bersamina; FM
Austin Jacob Literatus; Stephen Rome
Pangilinan; FM Mari Joseph Turqueza;
WNM Jan Jodilyn Fronda and Mark
James Marcellana.
WINNERS of the
World Wide Si-
multaneous Pairs.
THE Philip-
pine Tournament
Bridge Association
took part in the
Worldwide Simultaneous Pairs, with the Philippine
Edition held on Saturday June 2 at the Manila Club,
Corinthian Plaza Building, Paseo de Roxas. It was
a special one-session event with the same boards
played all over the world, and eventually scored
against the global eld of 5,328 pairs playing at 265
clubs in 36 countries.
After playing 9 rounds of 3 boards each in a Full
Howell movement, the nal results are:
1. Carmen Tuason-Romy Virola 58.80
2. Nene Quimson- Gerry Alquiros 58.80
3. Suena Manalang-Phil Manalang 57.41
4. Ann De Guzman-K.T. Yang 53.24
Winners of the IMP Pairs.
The IMP Pairs held under the auspices of the
PTBA was held on June 9 at the Manila Club.
1. Chuchay Tuason-Romy Virola 241 IMPs
2. Phil Manalang-Suena Manalang 154 IMPs
3. Sylvia Alejandro-Tootsie Quiogue 99 IMPs
4. Ann de Guzman-Justo Manlongat 68 IMPs
* * *
PLAYING CARDS ONLINE AT BRIDGEBASE.COM
I have repeatedly written what a joy and invalu-
able experience it is to play for free on Bridge Base
Cobra-Urge Ride Rules reset
THE rst leg of the Cobra-Urge Ride
Rules! Tour has been reset to June 23 at
the same venue SM City Masinag, due to
Typhoon Butchoy.
The highly anticipated BMX and
Mountain bike stunt contest that will be
attended by 300 stunt riders nationwide
will be the biggest so far.
BMX and MTB stunt riders will have the
time of their life as they will be given an
opportunity to show their sports capability
of dominating the Bike Sports scene. The
Filipino masses will also have the chance to
watch the best stunt riders of the land.
Second leg is on July 7 at SM South-
mall in Las Pinas while the grand nals
leg will be on July 29 at SM Mall of Asia.
Registration of participants is set from
8 to 10 a.m., open to 14 years old and
above. Actual contest starts 1 p.m.
To learn more about the Cobra-Urge
Ride Rules! Tour, check out Urge Ride
Rules! Facebook fanpage.
LONGTIME tennis patron,
sportsman-businessman Jean
Henri Lhuillier is among
the primary backers of the
Philippine Tennis Academy,
which was organized in August
last year to identify and train
young tennis hopefuls in the
countryside, with the primary
objective of producing a Top
100 junior International Tennis
Federation player.
I have been supporting
Philippine tennis for a long time
under the PJ Lhuillier group. We
have sponsored mens professional
events, we run around 18 junior
tournaments every year, and we
also support our national teams in
the Southeast Asian Games, Asian
Games, and the Davis Cup, said
Lhuillier, who plays a mean game
of tennis himself.
He has also been involved
with helping develop local tennis
coaches and this time, with the
PTA, Lhuillier is looking at a
more focused and effective way
of discovering and training new
talent at the grassroots level.
We believe that it is just a
matter of time. We will be able to
develop an outstanding Filipino
tennis player from the many
young players we continue to
discover in the countryside,
more so if we are able to get them
tennis scholarships in American
colleges, said Lhuillier.
a three-year partnership with AKTV.
School ofcials later signed a
partnership deal with United Pro-
motions Inc. Chief Operating Of-
cer Michael Noah over the use
of the Big Dome as one of the
leagues ofcial venues.
The games will start with the San
Sebastian Stags taking on the Letran
Knights at 5 p.m. The Jose Rizal
University Heavy Bombers battle
the Mapua Cardinals at 7 p.m.
Adeogun was earlier barred
from watching NCAA games for
two years for his involvement in
a brawl during a womens vol-
leyball game last Dec. 2, 2011.
The penalty was lifted when the
school made an appeal on his be-
half, and his name was ofcially
included in the San Beda Red Li-
ons roster.
Adeogun and eight other team-
mates involved in the ght six
months ago will be absent when
San Beda meets the Arellano
University Chiefs on Sunday at
the Arena in San Juan.
Red Lions coach Ronnie Mag-
sanoc said the team will just have
to make do with the six rookie
players who can play. They are
Francis Abarcar, Jun Bonsubre, Art
de la Cruz, John Ludovice, Dave
Moralde and Ritchie Villacruz.
Its going to be a difcult sea-
son, and doubly challenging,
said Magsanoc as he debuts as
coach of the defending champi-
ons in the coming season.
On the other hand, Nigerian
player Adefemi Babayemi was
given the nod by the policy board
to play for the Perpetual Help
Altas, along with 62 Nigerian
Nicholas Nosa Omorogbe, who
was earlier mistaken for a taller
brother who stands 65.
SYLVIA LOPEZ
ALEJANDRO
Online. I feature a very interesting article written
up in the New York Times on Playing Cards On-
line at Bridgebase.com
Every Wednesday morning at 11 Eastern time,
two experts play for an hour at bridgebase.com
with juniors from around the world. These sessions
are arranged by Valerie Westheimer of New York
City and Paula Mittleman of Boynton Beach, Fla.
North
A1092
J104
J6
KJ54
West East
-- KJ4
A975 KQ86
Q1043 985
109632 AQ8
South
Q87653
32
AK72
7
West North East South
__ Pass 1NT 2
Pass 3 Pass Pass
Pass
I played this week against Nic LEcuyer of Mon-
treal, who was fresh from winning the Canadian
National Team Championship.
He partnered juniors from Bulgaria, Hongkong,
India and two from the Netherlands, mine came
from Egypt, Hongkong, Israel, Italy and Turkey.
The diagramed deal contained some instructive
points.
I (North) passed as declarer; LEcuyer (East
opened one notrump; and my partner, John Lai
from Hongkong (South), overcalled two spades,
showing spades and a minor.
After West, a player named Matijn from the
Nertherlands, passed, I was in a quandary. My im-
mediate reaction was to bid four spades, after all,
partner had come in vulnerable when I was passed
hand, and it was international match point scoring.
But I decided to give him a little leeway.
Some pairs use two notrump as a game-try in
spades. Then, three of a minor is pass-or-correct
(partner passes with length in the bid suit or moves
higher with length in the other minor).
However, I settled for three spades, which was
passed out.
West led his third-highest diamond. When dum-
mys jack took the trick, South played on trumps
and lost one spade, two hearts and one club, to
score plus 140.
If West had been psychic and found a heart lead,
the 3-0 trump break would have made life tougher.
South could have succeeded, but it would have
taken good card reading.
There was a post-mortem discussion about
Wests pass over two spades. The consensus was
that he should have made a negative double. It
wasnt guaranteed to work, especially if East
passed and the contract proved unbeatable, but it
was likely East-West had a t in one of the other
three suits.
If East is in four hearts, South would surely be-
gin the defense with three rounds of diamonds,
North rufng the third. To get home now, declarer
must take two club nesses, playing North for the
king and jack.
Comments to: [email protected]
Lhuillier
backs net
academy
SEAOIL Kart Wreckers Raymond Cu-
dala, Gabriel Cabrera, Dylan Aram-
bulo and Draeco Abalajon revved up
the cheering crowd with their ght-
ing spirit inside the track at the recent
fourth leg of the 2012 Petron Karting
Super Series held at the Carmona Race
Track.
Backed by Seaoil, FERN-C Racing,
Kart Plaza, Radiant Systems, Buenda
Color Paint Center, K Designs and Point
Zero Project, the young karting stars sur-
vived grueling races in their respective
classes with dramatic air.
Arambulo, Cabrera and Abalajon all
struggled with engine problems and
near-fatal crashes throughout the race
yet were still able to initiate a series of
heated showdowns, dicing with their ri-
vals which showcased their skills.
The three Wreckers walked away
with hard-earned runner-up nishes in
the Cadet Expert, Mini-ROK and Cadet
Novice divisions, respectively, despite
several unfortunate incidents and going
up against contenders who mechanical-
ly-wise, were better equipped.
After a series of mishaps in the rst
three legs, Cudala on the other hand, -
nally struck gold in the Formula SL Nov-
ice by bagging his rst championship in
the series after sweeping the qualifying
heat, pre-nal and nal events.
All four karters in effect, are still able
to hold the top 3 spots in the overall
standings of their respective classes.
Apart from the boys participation in
next months race leg, Cabrera and Cu-
dala will compete for the rst time in an
international venue. Both boys are front-
runners for the Philippine contingent
slated to race in the opening leg of the
Asian Karting Open Championships at
the Kartodromo de Coloane in Macau at
the end of June.
Kart Wreckers capture crucial victories
QC tops Gatorade Cup
THE very rst Gatorade Football Cup
was held on June 10, in cooperation with
the Atletico Diliman Football Club, at the
University of the Philippines-Diliman
Track Oval, with Quezon City Science
High School winning the 16-under games.
Almost 600 young football players
from different teams participated, such
as Raya School FC, Corinthians FC/Keys
Grade School, Bulldogs/Bulacan FC,
Mezza DJ FC, Quezon City Science High
School, Pembo Makati FC, UERM Girls
Team and Atletico Diliman FC.
Corinthians FC was the champion of
the 4-under category, while Raya FC won
the 6-under trophy, with Jose Tibig as
most valuable player. Keys Grade School
and Corinthian FC topped the 8-under
and 10-under categories, respectively.
In the 12-under category, Pembo
Makati was the best team, even as Mezza
DJ FC topped the 14-under. ADFC
bagged the win in the Girls Open, with
Rochelle Mae Dela Cruz as MVP.
The tournament was backed by
Gatorade/Pepsi-Cola Products Phils.,
San Miguel PureFoods Corp. ,
Magnolia Ice Cream Fun Sticks, Hypens
Pharmaceutical, F.F. Cruz and Co., Inc.,
Manila Water, Cathay Drug, Councilor
Onyx Crisologo, Councilor Boy Calalay,
Councilor Alex Herrera, CHYROM
Tourist Bus, KOTS Sportswear, Cherifer,
Sportsmanila.net and SCOOP Manila.
Seaoil Kart Wreckers (from left) Raymond Cudala, Dylan Arambulo, Gabriel Cabrera display their trophies. They are joined by Draeco Abalajon.
Big boost. Toby's Sports, the countrys biggest sports retail store, led the
recent Sports for LIFE (Leukimic Indigent Fund Endowment) meet at the
Quezon Memorial Circle. Yearly, Tobys Sports donates prizes and sports
equipment to the LIFE sports activity, one of the various programs of LIFE,
a foundation led by volunteers and staff of the Dr. Fe del Mundo Medical
Center dedicated to helping children suffering from leukemia. This year,
Toby's Sports topped off its participation in the sports event with a
P20,000 donation from the Toby's Youth Sport Foundation. Photo shows
Jose Claudio, TYSF trustee and treasurer, resenting a replica of the check
to Maria Katrina Milo-Yatco, business co-chair, trustee, and chairwoman
of Sports for LIFE. With them are Maria Elizabeth Claudio (right), one of
the trustees of TYSF, and LIFE support staff.
Meantime, Nevada State Ath-
letic Commission executive di-
rector Keith Kizer informed the
Manila Standard that the judges
in the ght want to come in (in-
dividually) and review the bout,
and I want to watch it with them.
Grabbing fth place again
this year, or surpassing their
performance in the 74th
season is a goal, which Al-
tamirano feels is doable for
the Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs now have
three pre-season crowns
Judges...
From A8
A judge re-watching a ght is al-
ways helpful (whether there is
controversy or not).
Pacquiao and his wife Jinkee are
scheduled to leave for Los Ange-
les on Saturday to join their four
children on their vacation which
was cut short when the congress-
man returned to help the victims of
the recent oods that hit Sarangani
province, which the ring icon rep-
resents in Congress.
NU...
From A8
since 2003 after winning
the 17th Fr. Martin Summer
Cup at the expense of the
Mapua Cardinals.
They hold a lot of prom-
ise as the 75th season
draws near with the team
now playing more matured
games this year.
I still believe na kahit
nanalo kami, were still a
work in progress. I told the
boys to use this victory as
motivation to get better, to
improve ourselves, and not
relax, and be complacent,
said Altamirano.
He will be counting on
the same players who were
also with the team last year,
with Bobby Ray Parks again
expected to provide a lot of
points, along with Dennis
Villamor and Kyle Neypes.
He could hardly stand, certainly
couldnt run. Good thing all he
needed to do was shoot.
A limping, grimacing James
shook off the pain of left leg
cramps to hit a tiebreaking
3-pointer with 2:51 remaining
and the Miami Heat held off the
Oklahoma City Thunder for a
104-98 victory Tuesday night
and a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals
that no team has ever blown.
He was hurting, teammate
Dwyane Wade said. But thats
what its about this time of the
year. It would hurt more if we
lose the ballgame, so it feels a
little better if you can win it.
Imagine how good it will feel
if the Heat get one more victory.
Better get well fast, LeBron.
Youre one win from the biggest
party of your life.
Game 5 is Thursday night and
James will have a chance to nish
a nine-year chase that started in
Cleveland before he famously
or infamouslyleft for South
Florida before last season.
Of course its there to think
about, said James, making it
clear he plans to play. Ill be
ready for Game 5.
With James watching the
nal moments, Mario Chalmers
nished off a stellar 25-point
effort that matched Wade. James
had 26 points, 12 assists and nine
rebounds, missing a shot at a
triple-double only because he was
on the bench at the end after the
thigh cramps emerged following
a fall near the Thunder basket.
The Heat needed all James could
give and more to hold off Russell
Westbrook. He scored 43 points
for the Thunder, who wasted an
early 17-point lead but were never
out of the game because of their
sensational point guard. Kevin
Durant had 28 points but James
Harden threw in another clunker,
nishing with eight points on 2-of-
10 shooting. Westbrook and Durant
were the only Thunder players to
score in the last 16:46.
Shots were falling, said
Westbrook, who was 20 of 32. It
really doesnt mean nothing. We
didnt come out with the win.
James stumbled to the court
on a drive midway through the
fourth quarter, staying on the
offensive end of the oor as the
Heat regained possession on
a blocked shot, and he made a
short jumper that made it 92-
90. After Westbrook missed a
jumper, the Heat called timeout
as James gingerly went to the
court. Unable to walk off, he
was carried to the sideline. AP
NBA FINALS
SKYCable hosts HD viewing of Pacquiao bout
HUNDREDS of sports fanatics were
treated to ringside boxing when
SKYcable HD featured the Manny
Pacquiao-Timothy Bradley ght live and
in HD at select venues last June 10 at the
Alabang Country Club, Manila Polo Club
and Avida, Sucat.
The last two venues were added so that
more viewers can experience rst and the
benets of watching the ght live and in
full high denition.
Although our very own Pambansang Ka-
mao lost the title to Bradley, patriotic sports
fans in attendance witnessed just how Man-
ny Pacquiao fought for national pride and
showed how to accept defeat with dignity.
Aside from the Pacquiao-Bradley ght,
subscribers can denitely look forward
to experiencing more, equally exciting,
sporting events in full high denition in
the comforts of their own home such as
the London Olympics, Eurocup, and the
PGA Tour, among others.
SKYcable HD subscribers denitely get
their moneys worth by having the best seats
in any action-lled sporting event with its
life-like picture and cinematic sound. SKY-
cable HD believes that with its subscribers
getting more detail, they get more action.
SKYcable HD is a value-added service
offered by SKYcable and can be topped-
up to postpaid packages like SKYcable
Platinum, SKYcable Gold, SKYcable
Silver, SKYcable 499, and SKYcable
280. Upgrade your subscription to HD
now for as low as P399 only.
For more information, visit www.
mysky.com.ph or call SKYcables
customer service hotline at 02-3810000
(Metro Manila, CAMANAVA and Rizal),
046-4844701 (Cavite), 02-5208560
(San Pedro, Laguna) and 044-6935877
(Bulacan), 032-3452278 (Cebu) and 082-
3055456 (Davao).
Manila Standard TODAY
Sports
Riera U. Mallari, Editor
MIAMIThe pain was so great,
LeBron James said, that his body
practically shut down on him.
LOTTO RESULTS
6/55 000000000000
6/45 000000000000
4 DIGITS 00000000
3 DIGITS 000000
2 EZ2 0000
P0.0M+
P0.0M+
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
JUNE 21, 2012 THURSDAY
A10
Phelps,
Lochte
renew
rivalry
OMAHA, Neb.Michael
Phelps and Ryan Lochte renew
their rivalry at next weeks
U.S. Olympic trials, where
both swimmers could face
each other in six events.
Theyll open the eight-day
meet in Omaha, Neb., on Mon-
day in the 400-meter individual
medley, a grueling event that
Phelps had said he wasnt going
to swim anymore after the 2008
Olympics, where he won a re-
cord eight gold medals. He holds
the world record in the event.
Their other events against
each other will be the 100 and
200 freestyle, 200 backstroke,
200 IM and 100 buttery. Phelps
is entered in the 200 buttery as
one of his seven events.
Lochte is entered in a total of 11
events, including the 50 free, 100
breaststroke, 200 y and 400 free,
but is unlikely to swim all of them.
Swimmers can scratch out of an
event up until the end of nals the
day before their scheduled event.
Phelps other world records
are in the 100 and 200 butter-
y. He holds the American re-
cord in the 200 free.
Lochtes lone world record is
in the 200 IM from last years
world championships, the rst
world mark set since high-tech
bodysuits were banned.
On the womens side, 17-year-
old Missy Franklin and Olympic
veteran Natalie Coughlin are
each entered in ve events. Dara
Torres is only entered in the 50
free in an attempt to make her
sixth Olympic team at 45. AP
NU Bulldogs
now a force
in basketball
By Peter Atencio
IT took the National Univer-
sity Bulldogs nine years before
they could win another pre-
season title against the La Salle
Green Archers. The last time
they accomplished the feat was
when they prepared for the
University Athletic Associa-
tion of the Philippines basket-
ball season back in 2003.
They did it rst in the ninth
Fr. Martin Summer Cup basket-
ball tournament, and then again
in another pre-season tourney
where they came up with a 64-
54 triumph over the Green Ar-
chers last June 12.
Back in 2003, then NU coach
Rico Perez did not want to give
his team any false hopes that
they would able to make it to the
Final Four in the 66th University
Athletic Association of the Phil-
ippines because the Bulldogs
had a small lineup.
At present, sophomore coach
Eric Altamirano feels condent
that with their good fortune in
the summer that just went by,
and with the Bulldogs playing
with an intact roster, they can go
beyond fth place in the coming
75th UAAP season.
But Altamirano has a feeling
of foreboding, just like Perez
back then. He feels that the
other teams will be wary of the
Bulldogs when the collegiate
season nally arrives on July 14.
The Bulldogs ended up still
nishing last with one win and
13 losses back then after the
conclusion of the 66th season.
Fate is not expected to be that
cruel to NU this time around.
Turn to A7
Judges decision cant be reversed, says WBO exec
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
WORLD Boxing Organization president
Francisco Paco Valcarcel has made it clear
that the bitterly criticized decision of the judg-
es giving Timothy Bradley a split decision win
over Fighter of the Decade Manny Pacquiao
in their WBO welterweight title ght at the
MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on
June 9, cant be revoked by the organization.
Even if I saw Pacquiao win, the deci-
sion of the judges is legal and their deci-
sion cannot be revoked by us, Valcarcel
told the Manila Standar d.
Valcarcel emphasized that judges Duane
Ford and CJ Ross, who had Bradley win-
ning by a score of 115-113, have always
been good and honest judges, even as
he pointed out that Ford had Pacquiao a
115-112 winner in his rematch with Juan
Manuel Marquez in 2008, which was con-
sidered by many as controversial, too.
He noted that Ford was a judge when Pac-
quiao won by a 12th-round technical knockout
over Miguel Cotto in 2009 and had Pacquiao
ahead, 108-99. Ford was also a judge when
Pacquiao won by a 12th-round unanimous de-
cision (120-108) over Shane Mosley last year.
Valcarcel said Cynthia Ross was a judge
when Pacquiao won by a ninth-round
TKO over David Diaz in 2008, when she
had the Filipino ahead, 80-72, at the time
of the stoppage and had Pacquiao leading,
10-7, when he won by a second-round
TKO over Ricky Hatton in 2009.
Please note they have always been good
and honest judges and that lacking evidence
of fraud and corruption, I cannot accuse
them of any wrongdoing, Valcarcel said.
The WBO president also mentioned
that the Muhammad Ali Act empowers
the commission with total jurisdiction
over the boutthat includes the appoint-
ment of ofcials. Turn to A7
104
98
Miami leads, 3-1
By Jeric Lopez
MERALCO showed that theres still a lot of
power supply left in its tank, eliminating Air21
with a one-sided 106-77 demolition in the 2012
Philippine Basketball Association Governors
Cup at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum last night.
Mario West scattered a team-high 34
points, along with seven rebounds to show
the way for Meralco.
This victory allowed Meralco to keep its semi-
final hopes alive as it moved up to 3-4 at seventh.
However, it still has to win its final two assignments
to have a shot at landing a spot in the top six.
We started out on defense. Those defensive
stops created the easy points for us, said Mer-
alco coach Ryan Gregorio. Theres still a lot of
tasks ahead for us to make it to the next level. It
would take incredible perseverance from us.
Scoring lay-up after lay-up in the rst half,
the Bolts mammoth lead reached 35 points,
64-29, with 1:04 left before halftime.
Mac Cardona added 15 points and Asi Taulava
continued to show no signs of aging with another
double-double of 11 points and 16 rebounds.
West already had 26 markers just in the
rst half alone.
The Bolts were never in harms way. As for
the Express, their conference campaign may very
well be done. Provided some crazy things happen
in the standings when all the games are played,
Air21, which fell to 1-5 near the bottom, is al-
ready out of the equation with its ve defeats.
Meralco crushes Air21 to stay in the hunt
THIRTEEN-YEAR-OLD AJ Lim
came up with another big win in the
ongoing 2012 International Tennis
Federation Oneject Junior Champion-
ships in Bandung, Indonesia.
Lim, a qualifying-round entry, took three
sets to get past Jatinder Singh of India, 4-6,
6-0, 6-0, in the rst round of the main draw.
The Letran College standout will next
play Wen Chu Liang of Taipei, who ad-
vanced to the next round following a 6-1,
6-2, win over Chanatip Rinla of Thailand.
Meanwhile, Fil-American Treat
Huey moved up in the world rankings
from 39 to 37 after he made it to the
mens doubles nals of the 2012 Gerry
Weber Open Tennis Championships in
Halle, Germany with American part-
ner Scott Lipsky. Peter Atencio
Lim prevails
Coach E Basketball continues
its commitment to developing
kids willing to take their game to
higher level. Young players can
start joining Coach Es classes in
four selected venues starting June
23 -- Club 650 in Libis, Quezon
City, The Zone in Makati, San
Beda Alabang and Ateneo de
Manila in Loyola, Quezon City. For
details, call Coach-E Basketball
School at tel. nos. 6684347
and 6311195 or mobile no.
09088846947. You can also e-mail
Coach E at [email protected].
To know more about Coach-E
Basketball School, visit Web site
at www.coach-e.com or follow
it on Facebook (www.facebook.
com/coachebasketballschool)
and Twitter (www.twitter.com/
coachebball).
Heat zero in on title
[email protected] [email protected]
Miamis LeBron James (right)
pulls teammate Dwyane Wade
after the latter scored a crucial
basket during the Heats Game
4 tussle with Oklahoma City
Thunder in the NBA Finals.
Miami won, 104-98, to grab a
3-1 lead in the series. AP
Business
Manila Standard TODAY
JUNE 21, 2012 THURSDAY
B1
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
IN BRIEF
PSE COMPOSITE INDEX
Closing June 20, 2012
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 42.3110
Japan Yen 0.012668 0.5360
UK Pound 1.572700 66.5425
Hong Kong Dollar 0.128889 5.4534
Switzerland Franc 1.056412 44.6978
Canada Dollar 0.982415 41.5670
Singapore Dollar 0.789702 33.4131
Australia Dollar 1.017708 43.0602
Bahrain Dinar 2.652661 112.2367
Saudi Arabia Rial 0.266660 11.2827
Brunei Dollar 0.786596 33.2817
Indonesia Rupiah 0.000106 0.0045
Thailand Baht 0.031827 1.3466
UAE Dirham 0.272264 11.5198
Euro Euro 1.268600 53.6757
Korea Won 0.000868 0.0367
China Yuan 0.157369 6.6584
India Rupee 0.017912 0.7579
Malaysia Ringgit 0.316957 13.4108
NewZealand Dollar 0.796115 33.6844
Taiwan Dollar 0.033478 1.4165
Source: PDS Bridge
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas
Wednesday, June 21, 2012
PESO-DOLLAR RATE
40
42
44
46
48
P42.130
CLOSE
Closing JUNE 20, 2012
5,146.46
64.85
5200
4460
3720
2980
2240
1500
1200
VOLUME 1004.750M
HIGH P42.060 LOW P42.220 AVERAGE P42.137
Govt pushes bidding
for Mindanao barges
Ray S. Eano, Editor [email protected]
Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor [email protected]
Travel agents buck
plan to trim ights
New law
to attract
more BPO
investors
Sale of Sucat, Malaya power plants off
Asias millionaires outnumber North Americas, says survey
By Lailany P. Gomez
LOCAL travel agents are
opposing the governments plan
to reduce ights in and out of
the Ninoy Aquino International
Airport as a way to decongest
the countrys main gateway.
Philippine Travel Agencies
Association president Aileen
Clemente said the government
should be more cautious and
pragmatic in making plans for
the nations development and
improvement of its airports.
Clemente said announcing
a reduction of ights could
create a ripple of negative
effects that would hurt not just
the tourism related industries
but the travelers as well.
Tour packages will become
more expensive because it adds
cost for longer stays in hotels
while travelers wait longer
for their ights. It may solve
congestion in runways, but may
just create congestion in airports
as the passengers needlessly
wait a longer time at the airports
to connect to their international
ights, Clemente said.
Transportation Secretary
Manuel Roxas II has asked
airlines to reduce their ights
during peak hours to ease
congestion at NAIA and preserve
the safety of passengers.
The PTAA said announcements
such as this would frustrate the
efforts of the private sector in
promoting Philippine tourism.
The language being used
alone is creating a negative effect
especially now that we want
passenger trafc to reach 10
million by 2016, Clemente said.
Clemente said the government
had not conducted enough
consultation with the private
sector when it announced the
plan. She also expressed doubt
on the plans effectiveness.
She said there should be a clear
roadmap to solve the congestion in
the countrys international airports.
There has to be convergence
between the Department of Tour-
ism and Department of Transpor-
tation and Communication for
these primary and secondary air-
ports. You cannot stop the growth
of travelers serviced by NAIA
because of the economic develop-
ments in the central business dis-
tricts, she said.
Hyundai-RCBC deal. Hyundai Asia Resources Inc. signed an agreement with Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. to
provide financing deals for the purchase of the five-door subcompact hatchback Hyundai EON as well as put
the new vehicle on display at RCBC and RCBC Savings Bank branches nationwide in July. Shown are (from left)
Hari senior assistant vice president for sales and marketing Cecil Caesar Capacete, chairman Edward Go, and
president and chief executive of Hari Fe Perez Agudo; RCBC Savings Bank chairman Helen Dee; RCBC president
and chief executive Lorenzo Tan; RCBC Savings Bank president Romel Latinazo and senior vice president Lizette
Racela. SONNY ESPIRITU
By Alena Mae S. Flores
POWER Sector Assets and Liabilities
Management Corp. will push through
with the rebidding of four power barges in
August, ahead of the September target, on
the condition that they will be moved to
Mindanao.
PSALM president Emmanuel
Ledesma told reporters bidders
can raise issues during the pre-
bid conference, including their
concern on the transfer of the
barges to Mindanao.
The bidders concerns will be
communicated by the bidders
during the bid process. Part of
the bid process is the submission
of bidders comments on the
transaction documents. Well
evaluate the bidders comments
accordingly, Ledesma said.
PSALM has issued its
invitation to bid for the four
power barges owned by National
Power Corp.
The barges are to be auctioned
in three packages, with the rst
consisting of the 32-megawatt
PB 101 and 32-MW PB 102, both
moored in Barangay Obrero,
Iloilo City.
The second package involves
the 32-MW PB 104 in Estancia,
Iloilo while the third is found in
the Holcim Compound, Ilang in
Davao City.
PSALM said the bidders should
submit their letters of interest not
later than July 3. PSALM will
hold a pre-bid conference on
July 5 while schedule of the bid
submission is on Aug. 15.
Energy Secretary Jose Rene
Almendras earlier said most of
the bidders were not pleased
with the transfer of the barges to
Mindanao as a condition to the
sale.
Apparently, some of the
bidders are afraid to go to
Mindanao. They rather not get
involved in Mindanao..., the
energy ofcial said.
Almendras said the government
still wants the barges moved to
Mindanao because of the power
shortfall in the region.
PSALM declared the bidding
for four power barges early in
May a failure after only one
of the seven qualied bidders
submitted an offer for the assets.
Only ACTA Power, a joint
venture between Ayala Corp.s
AC Energy Holdings and
Phinmas Trans-Asia Oil and
Energy Development Corp.,
submitted the required bidding
documents prior to the expiration
of the deadline.
PSALM did not disclose the
names of the six prequalied
bidders. Aboitiz Power Corp.,
First Gen Corp. and San Miguel
Corp. earlier expressed interest
to bid for the assets.
Sources said the interested
bidders of the power barges
expressed concern that Mindanao
consumers would not support an
increase in generation charges,
given the experience with Therma
Marine Inc. s barges.
Therma Marine, a unit of
Aboitiz Power Corp., owns two
power barges in Mindanao.
The winning bidder is also
required to shoulder the cost of
transfer of the barges and repair
of the mooring sites on top of
operational costs.
HONG KONGAsias
millionaires outnumbered North
Americas for the rst time last
year even as the worlds wealthy
saw their fortunes decline amid
turbulent nancial markets, a
new survey says.
The Asia-Pacic region was
home to 3.37 million high net-
worth individuals, who are
dened as having at least $1
million to invest, according to
the report by Capgemini and
Royal Bank of Canada released
Monday.
Their numbers were up 1.6
percent from the year before,
although their combined wealth
shrank 1.1 percent to $10.7
trillion.
North Americans still held
the biggest share of world
wealth at $11.4 trillion,
even though it was down 2.3
percent. But the continents
wealthy population fell to
second place as their numbers
dipped 1.1 percent to 3.35
million.
Europe, which was overtaken
by Asia in 2009, came third with
3.17 millionaires worth $10.1
trillion.
Overall, the combined wealth
of the worlds 11 million rich
declined 1.7 percent in 2011
to $42 trillion. The contraction
came as nancial markets grew
more volatile over widespread
concerns about the European
sovereign debt crisis.
Markets were also unsettled
by a downgrade of the US
sovereign credit rating and
unrest in Arab countries that kept
oil prices high. In Asia, rising
ination, shrinking exports and
natural disasters such as Japans
devastating tsunami added to
market turbulence. AP
THE government has indenitely
postponed the privatization of the
decommissioned 850-MW Sucat and
630-MW Malaya thermal plants to
maximize their value in preparation for
the development of the countrys natural
gas industry, an ofcial said Wednesday.
Energy Secretary Jose Rene Almendras
told reporters the government was
nalizing the bidding terms for the 100-
kilometer Batangas-Manila gas pipeline
and would offer the two power plants for
conversion into natural gas.
Almendras said bidders would likely
treat Sucat and Malaya as real estate
properties. But if you sell it with a
guaranty that the pipeline will be there,
then thats a real power investment, he
said.
The Sucat power plant is idle while
Malaya is being used as a must-run
unit when other power plants are not in
operation.
Almendras said some prospective
investors had expressed interest to
rehabilitate the Sucat thermal plant once
the gas pipeline was put in place.
The government hopes to nalize the
terms of reference for the $150-million
Batangas-Manila gas pipeline within the
year.
We are hoping as soon as we nalize
the plans for the pipeline, the value of
Sucat improves. People will see it as
investment into a natural gas facility,
Almendras said.
[Sucat] can run on natural gas,
because it is a thermal plant, he said.
He said the government would not
operate the Sucat or Malaya plants
because of the law that prohibits the state
from going into power generation and
competing with the private sector.
The Energy Department said the
development or expansion of the
downstream natural gas market
relies on infrastructure, including
gas transmission and distribution
pipeline, liquefied natural gas
terminals and refilling stations.
Alena Mae S. Flores
By Julito G. Rada
THE Business Processing
Association of the Philippines
expects more investments in the
business process outsourcing
industry, once President
Benigno Aquino III signs the
Data Privacy Act into law.
The proposed law requires
government and private entities
to protect the integrity, security
and condentiality of personal
records.
The act will increase
condence among international
investors and companies that
outsource business processes
to the Philippines... because
it brings the Philippines to
international standards of
privacy protection, BPAP
president and chief executive
Benedict Hernandez said in a
statement.
The House of Representatives
and the Senate had ratied
the bicameral conference
committee report which
reconciled House Bill No.
4115 and Senate Bill No. 2965.
The bill was submitted for the
Presidents signature.
The proposed law, which
is based on standards set by
the European Parliament
and is aligned with the Asia-
Pacic Economic Cooperation
Information Privacy Framework,
seeks to protect the integrity and
condentiality of personal data.
Media groups, however,
had opposed provisions in the
bill that threatened to penalize
journalists for breaches of
condentiality. Senator
Edgardo Angara, a proponent
of the bill, later withdrew the
controversial provision.
Section 5 of the approved
Data Privacy Act provides
further protection to the media
by stating that no provision in
the law can be interpreted as
to have amended or appealed
Republic Act No. 53, which
exempts publishers, editors or
reporters of any publication
from revealing their sources of
information.
Much of this work involves
condential personal and
company information, and
client rms of our IT-BPOs want
to know that the Philippines
provides international standards
of protection to safeguard their
information, Hernandez said.
SM xes bond rates
SM Investments Corp. set the interest rates for
its seven-year retail bonds at 6 percent annually
and 10-year retail bonds at 6.9442 percent.
SM Investments said it plans to issue P10
billion worth of seven-year and 10-year bonds,
with an option to sell an additional amount of
up to P5 billion. The company plans to offer the
bonds through underwriters from June 27 to July
6 and issue them on July 16.
The bonds due 2019 and 2022 are the second
offering of SM Investments to the public. They
follow the successful P5-billion maiden bond
issue in 2009, which was increased to P10 billion
due to strong investor demand.
SM Investments said the 2009 and the new SM
bonds obtained a rating of PRS Aaa from Philippine
Rating Services Corp., the highest rating assigned
by PhilRatings. A PRS Aaa rating means the
obligations are of the highest quality with minimal
credit risk, and that the companys capacity to meet
the obligations is extremely strong.
SM Investments tapped BDO Capital &
Investment Corp. and First Metro Investment
Corp. as joint issue managers and bookrunners and
BDO Capital, BPI Capital Corp., China Banking
Corp. and First Metro as joint lead underwriters.
Legacy executive charged
PHILIPPINE Deposit Insurance Corp. said
Tuesday that an executive of the Legacy group
will be prosecuted today at the Regional Trial
Court of Bacolod City for estafa charges led by
the government.
PDIC said Alexis Petralba held positions in
various Legacy banks, including Rural Bank
of Carmen, RB of Bais and Pilipino RB, which
were part of the 12 Legacy afliated banks closed
almost simultaneously in December 2008.
Petralba jumped bail in October 2010 and was
on the run for years until his capture in Bohol in
February 2012.
Petralba was co-accused with the still at-large
Legacy group lawyer Christine Cruz-Limpin and
the late Legacy owner Celso delos Angeles in a
string of criminal cases pending before the courts.
Petralba has been arraigned at the Danao RTC
for two estafa cases involving Rural Bank of
Carmen, Inc., also a Legacy-afliated bank.
PDIC, said Petralba, Delos Angeles and Limpin
were charged for conspiring to defraud Nation
Bank of P56 million through a combination of
overt and criminal acts. Petralba ran the operations
of Nation Bank. Lailany P. Gomez
TRADI NG SUMMARY
SHARES VALUE
FINANCIAL 1,8456,897 1,174,922,680.55
INDUSTRIAL 114,025,415 1,422,301,056.082
HOLDING FIRMS 61,474,068 1,311,547,592.25
PROPERTY 285,511,488 986,922,178.935
SERVICES 580,733,625 663,243,113.274
MINING & OIL 4,124,409,588 518,311,846.226
GRAND TOTAL 5,184,611,081 6,077,248,467.314
FINANCIAL 1,285.01 (UP) 19.28
INDUSTRIAL 7,737.45 (UP) 23.74
HOLDING FIRMS 4,443.37 (UP) 66.45
PROPERTY 1,937.5 (UP) 36.78
SERVICES 1,653.65 (UP) 14.74
MINING & OIL 24,630.22 (UP) 398.2
PSEI 5,146.46 (UP) 64.85
All Shares Index 3,394.66 (UP) 30.4
Gainers: 103; Losers: 52; Unchanged: 37; Total: 192
Stocks rise; Jollibee,
Megaworld advance
Business
ManilaStandardToday
[email protected]; [email protected]
JUNE 21, 2012 THURSDAY
B2
52 Weeks Previous % Net Foreign
High Low STOCKS Close High Low Close Change Volume Trade/Buying
MST BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2012
M
S
T
FINANCIAL
70.00 46.00 Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. 63.05 65.00 63.50 64.00 1.51 5,127,650 75,189,084.50
76.80 50.00 Bank of PI 70.00 71.50 70.20 71.50 2.14 1,418,380 69,201,611.00
512.00 370.00 China Bank 491.00 495.00 489.20 495.00 0.81 6,860 (867,320.00)
1.95 1.42 BDO Leasing & Fin. Inc. 1.78 1.77 1.77 1.77 (0.56) 6,000
23.90 12.50 COL Financial 23.30 23.30 23.00 23.20 (0.43) 1,009,400
Eastwest Bank 18.88 19.10 18.90 19.00 0.64 1,762,400 (404,936.00)
22.00 7.56 Filipino Fund Inc. 9.45 9.44 9.44 9.44 (0.11) 1,000
3.26 1.91 I-Remit Inc. 2.50 2.49 2.30 2.48 (0.80) 107,000 11,500.00
29.00 3.00 Maybank ATR KE 37.35 37.15 37.05 37.05 (0.80) 3,000
93.50 60.00 Metrobank 89.85 91.00 89.85 90.85 1.11 3,696,850 162,210,178.00
3.06 1.30 Natl Reinsurance Corp. 2.05 2.05 1.90 1.90 (7.32) 527,000
126.00 35.00 Phil Bank of Comm 69.00 67.00 66.00 67.00 (2.90) 7,180
16.85 41.00 Phil. National Bank 70.00 71.00 70.00 70.00 0.00 879,330 (10,198,549.50)
539.00 204.80 PSE Inc. 350.00 350.20 350.00 350.00 0.00 1,900 210,020.00
44.40 25.45 RCBC `A 43.10 43.75 43.10 43.60 1.16 1,147,100.00 (373,240.00)
151.50 77.00 Security Bank 137.80 143.00 137.70 141.10 2.39 789,060 33,093,284.00
1390.00 950.00 Sun Life Financial 900.00 925.00 900.00 925.00 2.78 400 9,000.00
140.00 58.00 Union Bank 99.50 101.00 99.85 100.90 1.41 237,270 (11,240,397.00)
2.06 1.43 Vantage Equities 1.80 1.81 1.80 1.81 0.56 128,000
INDUSTRIAL
35.50 26.50 Aboitiz Power Corp. 33.10 33.15 33.05 33.15 0.15 5,360,500 40,524,635.00
13.58 7.32 Agrinurture Inc. 8.80 9.00 8.78 8.78 (0.23) 56,600
23.50 11.98 Alaska Milk Corp. 18.00 19.00 18.00 18.00 0.00 2,300
1.86 0.97 Alliance Tuna Intl Inc. 1.39 1.40 1.37 1.40 0.72 482,000 (237,980.00)
54.90 26.00 Alphaland Corp. 28.40 28.70 28.40 28.60 0.70 1,800
1.65 1.08 Alsons Cons. 1.30 1.31 1.29 1.31 0.77 116,000
Asiabest Group 20.95 22.50 20.75 22.35 6.68 67,700
102.80 3.02 Bloomberry 8.40 8.60 8.38 8.40 0.00 11,206,500 (50,134,445.00)
26.55 12.50 C. Azuc De Tarlac 15.00 17.00 17.00 17.00 13.33 100
2.88 2.24 Calapan Venture 2.80 2.85 2.66 2.70 (3.57) 140,700 (3,345,630.00)
3.07 2.30 Chemrez Technologies Inc. 2.62 2.65 2.62 2.64 0.76 168,000 237,600.00
8.33 7.41 Cirtek Holdings (Chips) 9.64 9.70 9.23 9.64 0.00 448,600
7.06 4.83 Energy Devt. Corp. (EDC) 6.05 6.12 6.00 6.04 (0.17) 17,794,900 8,479,045.00
6.28 2.80 EEI 6.22 6.33 6.21 6.25 0.48 2,105,800 (4,899,374.00)
3.80 1.00 Euro-Med Lab. 1.81 1.82 1.81 1.82 0.55 5,000
15.58 12.50 First Gen Corp. 16.90 17.02 16.60 16.70 (1.18) 12,227,800 11,028,644.00
67.20 51.50 First Holdings A 73.30 74.45 72.50 72.55 (1.02) 888,430 (503,088.00)
31.50 22.50 Ginebra San Miguel Inc. 21.00 21.00 21.00 21.00 0.00 2,500
0.10 0.0095 Greenergy 0.0140 0.0140 0.0130 0.0140 0.00 31,000,000
13.50 7.80 Holcim Philippines Inc. 11.30 11.30 11.30 11.30 0.00 12,100
9.00 4.71 Integ. Micro-Electronics 4.00 4.00 3.80 4.00 0.00 34,000 11,550.00
2.35 0.95 Ionics Inc 0.750 0.800 0.760 0.800 6.67 216,000
120.00 80.00 Jollibee Foods Corp. 103.80 107.70 13.60 107.70 3.76 462,660 2,465,506.00
91.25 25.00 Liberty Flour 52.00 52.00 52.00 52.00 0.00 550
8.40 1.04 LMG Chemicals 1.50 1.48 1.45 1.46 (2.67) 227,000
3.20 1.05 Manchester Intl. A 1.85 2.00 1.82 1.82 (1.62) 6,000
24.70 17.94 Manila Water Co. Inc. 24.30 24.45 24.25 24.25 (0.21) 2,510,100 14,567,350.00
6.95 0.75 Mariwasa MFG. Inc. 2.65 2.65 2.65 2.65 0.00 1,000
15.30 8.12 Megawide 17.48 17.48 17.06 17.46 (0.11) 2,400
295.00 215.00 Mla. Elect. Co `A 235.00 239.00 227.80 230.00 (2.13) 827,340 (7,660,622.00)
3.00 1.96 Pepsi-Cola Products Phil. 2.77 2.77 2.77 2.77 0.00 1,286,000 2,448,680.00
17.40 9.70 Petron Corporation 10.20 10.28 10.20 10.26 0.59 507,500 (479,644.00)
14.00 10.30 Phinma Corporation 10.26 10.50 10.50 10.50 2.34 13,300
15.24 9.01 Phoenix Petroleum Phils. 8.19 8.29 8.05 8.20 0.12 123,000 20,594.00
9.50 5.25 Republic Cement `A 7.75 8.30 8.25 8.25 6.45 4,300
2.55 1.01 RFM Corporation 2.92 2.94 2.92 2.94 0.68 436,000 879,000.00
6.50 2.90 Salcon Power Corp. 4.75 4.70 4.65 4.70 (1.05) 8,000
33.00 27.70 San Miguel Brewery Inc. 29.00 29.00 29.00 29.00 0.00 1,000
132.60 105.70 San Miguel Corp `A 115.40 116.00 114.80 116.00 0.52 556,840 30,880,820.00
1.90 1.25 Seacem 1.78 1.77 1.73 1.77 (0.56) 1,965,000
0.250 0.112 Swift Foods, Inc. 0.129 0.126 0.126 0.126 (2.33) 150,000 18,900.00
5.46 2.92 Tanduay Holdings 4.41 4.52 4.32 4.33 (1.81) 5,159,000 3,206,120.00
3.62 1.99 TKC Steel Corp. 2.18 2.18 2.09 2.17 (0.46) 43,000
1.41 0.90 Trans-Asia Oil 1.22 1.23 1.22 1.22 0.00 1,633,000 (246,000.00)
68.00 36.20 Universal Robina 62.00 62.80 62.00 62.80 1.29 4,650,530 (481,231.00)
Victorias Milling 1.52 1.54 1.48 1.48 (2.63) 1,597,000 (485,660.00)
1.12 0.285 Vitarich Corp. 0.690 0.730 0.700 0.700 1.45 892,000
18.00 2.55 Vivant Corp. 11.72 12.08 11.76 11.78 0.51 20,400
1.22 0.68 Vulcan Indl. 0.95 0.92 0.90 0.92 (3.16) 120,000 13,700.00
HOLDING FIRMS
1.18 0.65 Abacus Cons. `A 0.68 0.68 0.66 0.67 (1.47) 2,077,000
59.90 35.50 Aboitiz Equity 48.00 48.95 48.10 48.80 1.67 1,089,600 14,438,205.00
13.48 8.00 Alliance Global Inc. 11.70 12.04 11.78 11.96 2.22 29,850,300 36,821,042.00
2.97 1.67 Anglo Holdings A 2.00 2.02 2.00 2.02 1.00 100,000
4.60 3.00 Anscor `A 4.65 4.69 4.65 4.69 0.86 65,000 93,000.00
6.98 0.260 Asia Amalgamated A 5.40 5.80 5.41 5.59 3.52 1,081,200 1,364,247.00
437.00 272.00 Ayala Corp `A 462.80 477.00 466.00 474.00 2.42 538,280 50,659,988.00
59.45 30.50 DMCI Holdings 54.95 55.50 54.70 55.05 0.18 2,756,770 25,106,166.00
4.19 1.03 F&J Prince A 2.50 2.48 2.48 2.48 (0.80) 50,000
5.25 3.30 Filinvest Dev. Corp. 3.93 4.00 3.93 3.95 0.51 294,000 (23,700.00)
0.98 0.10 Forum Pacic 0.213 0.212 0.200 0.200 (6.10) 870,000 80,000.00
GT Capital 492.20 493.60 493.00 493.00 0.16 146,500 12,807,074.00
5.22 2.90 House of Inv. 4.37 4.42 4.22 4.22 (3.43) 107,000
34.80 19.00 JG Summit Holdings 33.40 34.50 33.30 34.00 1.80 2,785,300 (15,841,175.00)
4.19 2.27 Jolliville Holdings 2.97 2.08 2.08 2.08 (29.97) 15,000
6.95 4.00 Lopez Holdings Corp. 5.88 5.88 5.77 5.80 (1.36) 4,624,400 (2,765,603.00)
1.54 0.61 Lodestar Invt. Holdg.Corp. 1.08 1.10 1.05 1.10 1.85 166,000
0.91 0.300 Mabuhay Holdings `A 0.390 0.410 0.400 0.410 5.13 70,000
3.82 1.500 Marcventures Hldgs., Inc. 2.45 2.48 2.41 2.47 0.82 698,000 (587,170.00)
4.45 2.56 Metro Pacic Inv. Corp. 4.10 4.17 4.11 4.17 1.71 9,710,000 9,338,120.00
6.24 2.10 Minerales Industrias Corp. 4.87 4.88 4.77 4.88 0.21 20,000
4.10 1.56 Republic Glass A 2.10 2.10 2.10 2.10 0.00 6,000
0.490 0.285 Sinophil Corp. 0.320 0.320 0.320 0.320 0.00 50,000
699.00 450.00 SM Investments Inc. 702.00 712.50 700.00 710.00 1.14 350,370 39,664,610.00
1.78 1.00 Solid Group Inc. 1.36 1.39 1.38 1.39 2.21 96,000
1.57 1.14 South China Res. Inc. 1.18 1.19 1.17 1.18 0.00 375,000 (59,000.00)
0.420 0.099 Unioil Res. & Hldgs 0.2100 0.2450 0.2100 0.2450 16.67 750,000 22,500.00
0.620 0.056 Wellex Industries 0.3600 0.3600 0.3450 0.3450 (4.17) 1,530,000 182,850.00
1.370 0.178 Zeus Holdings 0.510 0.550 0.510 0.540 5.88 1,200,000
P R O P E R T Y
39.00 11.00 Anchor Land Holdings Inc. 40.00 41.80 40.00 41.80 4.50 7,300
0.218 0.150 Arthaland Corp. 0.164 0.162 0.162 0.162 (1.22) 110,000
22.40 13.36 Ayala Land `B 22.00 22.80 22.05 22.50 2.27 12,613,600 64,930,785.00
6.12 3.08 Belle Corp. `A 4.74 4.82 4.70 4.82 1.69 947,000 (640,660.00)
9.00 2.26 Cebu Holdings 5.53 5.83 5.53 5.53 0.00 131,300
5.66 0.26 Century Property 1.41 1.50 1.41 1.44 2.13 1,457,000 (292,500.00)
2.85 1.20 City & Land Dev. 2.40 2.44 2.28 2.43 1.25 105,000
1.65 1.07 Cityland Dev. `A 1.23 1.22 1.22 1.22 (0.81) 11,000
0.127 0.060 Crown Equities Inc. 0.076 0.076 0.076 0.076 0.00 1,000,000
1.16 0.67 Cyber Bay Corp. 0.78 0.80 0.77 0.78 0.00 1,240,000
0.90 0.54 Empire East Land 0.710 0.770 0.720 0.770 8.45 55,099,000 2,042,300.00
0.310 0.10 Ever Gotesco 0.155 0.170 0.170 0.170 9.68 50,000
3.06 1.76 Global-Estate 1.78 1.82 1.76 1.77 (0.56) 2,940,000 (3,009,700.00)
1.35 0.98 Filinvest Land,Inc. 1.24 1.26 1.24 1.25 0.81 10,020,000 1,313,390.00
2.14 0.65 Interport `A 1.11 1.06 1.05 1.05 (5.41) 118,000
2.48 1.51 Megaworld Corp. 2.02 2.10 2.03 2.08 2.97 170,453,000 129,059,440.00
0.80 0.215 MRC Allied Ind. 0.1850 0.1860 0.1830 0.1840 (0.54) 810,000 22,320.00
0.990 0.072 Phil. Estates Corp. 0.6700 0.7000 0.6700 0.6700 0.00 3,825,000 (140,000.00)
4.77 1.80 Polar Property Holdings 4.03 4.10 3.90 4.03 0.00 211,000 34,950.00
18.86 10.00 Robinsons Land `B 16.80 17.06 16.80 17.00 1.19 2,321,600 2,344,326.00
Rockwell 3.09 3.12 3.07 3.09 0.00 401,000 (15,860.00)
2.70 1.74 Shang Properties Inc. 2.55 2.55 2.55 2.55 0.00 136,000
9.47 6.50 SM Development `A 6.10 6.25 6.11 6.16 0.98 2,306,800 (428,450.00)
18.20 10.90 SM Prime Holdings 12.94 13.22 13.02 13.18 1.85 7,236,400 18,137,728.00
1.14 0.64 Sta. Lucia Land Inc. 0.66 0.67 0.67 0.67 1.52 40,000
0.80 0.45 Suntrust Home Dev. Inc. 0.540 0.520 0.520 0.520 (3.70) 5,000
4.30 2.60 Vista Land & Lifescapes 4.070 4.100 4.050 4.100 0.74 722,500 4,030,970.00
S E R V I C E S
43.00 28.60 ABS-CBN 35.50 35.50 35.50 35.50 0.00 4,400
14.76 1.60 Acesite Hotel 14.56 5.87 4.60 5.69 (60.92) 2,297,000 1,032,800.00
0.80 0.45 APC Group, Inc. 0.630 0.690 0.630 0.690 9.52 116,000
0.5300 0.0660 Boulevard Holdings 0.1410 0.1440 0.1400 0.1410 0.00 10,520,000 (493,500.00)
Calata Corp. 10.78 10.98 10.04 10.14 (5.94) 4,844,100 (2,787,962.00)
98.15 62.50 Cebu Air Inc. (5J) 64.85 65.80 65.00 65.80 1.46 80,300 (1,663,765.00)
10.60 8.20 Centro Esc. Univ. 10.30 10.00 10.00 10.00 (2.91) 3,140
9.70 5.40 DFNN Inc. 6.25 6.46 6.25 6.27 0.32 187,100 30,480.00
5.90 1.45 Easy Call Common 3.26 3.80 3.50 3.80 16.56 23,000
1270.00 825.00 Globe Telecom 1070.00 1065.00 1050.00 1056.00 (1.31) 26,005 (9,797,340.00)
10.34 6.18 GMA Network Inc. 10.14 10.18 10.00 10.12 (0.20) 554,900
69.00 43.40 I.C.T.S.I. 74.80 75.00 73.95 74.80 0.00 1,613,690 58,831,764.50
0.98 0.34 Information Capital Tech. 0.440 0.420 0.420 0.420 (4.55) 50,000
18.40 5.00 Imperial Res. `A 8.50 8.52 8.50 8.50 0.00 4,000
6.00 4.00 IPeople Inc. `A 5.55 5.55 5.55 5.55 0.00 2,900
4.29 2.20 IP Converge 3.26 3.79 3.00 3.34 2.45 3,895,000
34.50 0.123 IP E-Game Ventures Inc. 0.042 0.043 0.041 0.042 0.00 533,800,000
3.87 1.16 IPVG Corp. 1.05 1.08 1.06 1.06 0.95 165,000
5.1900 2.900 ISM Communications 2.6500 2.58 2.56 2.58 (2.64) 31,000
3.79 1.58 JTH Davies Holdings Inc. 2.80 2.83 2.50 2.50 (10.71) 438,000
11.68 5.90 Leisure & Resorts 6.50 6.66 6.60 6.66 2.46 65,000 31,968.00
4.28 2.65 Liberty Telecom 2.78 2.79 2.70 2.79 0.36 123,000
0.84 0.57 Manila Bulletin 0.66 0.70 0.70 0.70 6.06 100,000
3.00 1.00 Manila Jockey 2.13 2.18 2.14 2.18 2.35 1,033,000
21.00 17.20 Pacic Online Sys. Corp. 21.00 21.50 20.60 21.50 2.38 20,200 373,830.00
8.58 4.50 PAL Holdings Inc. 7.19 7.19 7.05 7.19 0.00 200
3.32 1.05 Paxys Inc. 2.85 2.90 2.85 2.86 0.35 972,000 228,900.00
10.00 4.60 Phil. Racing Club 9.48 9.50 9.10 9.50 0.21 12,024,000 (57,000,000.00)
60.00 17.02 Phil. Seven Corp. 42.00 42.00 42.00 42.00 0.00 203,000 7,350,000.00
17.18 14.50 Philweb.Com Inc. 14.40 14.40 14.12 14.30 (0.69) 368,700 (1,184,050.00)
2886.00 2096.00 PLDT Common 2390.00 2424.00 2400.00 2424.00 1.42 40,080 45,264,010.00
23.75 10.68 Puregold 25.45 26.95 25.70 26.00 2.16 4,885,000 70,847,610.00
0.79 0.26 Waterfront Phils. 0.435 0.455 0.420 0.440 1.15 1,840,000 (248,200.00)
MINING & OIL
0.0083 0.0036 Abra Mining 0.0039 0.0040 0.0040 0.0040 2.56 46,000,000
6.20 3.01 Apex `A 4.67 4.67 4.67 4.67 0.00 1,000
25.20 14.50 Atlas Cons. `A 17.40 18.02 17.40 17.90 2.87 3,856,400 (21,738,952.00)
31.00 20.00 Atok-Big Wedge `A 29.80 30.20 28.70 30.20 1.34 17,300 (119,925.00)
0.380 0.148 Basic Energy Corp. 0.240 0.255 0.245 0.250 4.17 120,000
30.35 15.00 Benguet Corp `A 22.00 23.50 22.50 22.50 2.27 10,400
34.00 14.50 Benguet Corp `B 22.05 23.20 23.20 23.20 5.22 2,800
2.51 1.62 Century Peak Metals Hldgs 1.39 1.40 1.38 1.40 0.72 230,000
50.85 4.35 Dizon 31.00 32.00 30.00 30.95 (0.16) 202,600
1.21 0.50 Geograce Res. Phil. Inc. 0.69 0.70 0.68 0.69 0.00 2,523,000
1.82 0.5900 Lepanto `A 1.370 1.420 1.370 1.410 2.92 36,461,000
2.070 0.6700 Lepanto `B 1.430 1.490 1.430 1.480 3.50 17,110,000 5,230,340.00
0.085 0.035 Manila Mining `A 0.0660 0.0680 0.0640 0.0680 3.03 115,780,000
0.087 0.035 Manila Mining `B 0.0650 0.0680 0.0650 0.0680 4.62 40,440,000
34.80 15.04 Nickelasia 31.85 32.00 31.80 31.80 (0.16) 503,300 2,274,020.00
12.76 2.08 Nihao Mineral Resources 8.58 8.88 8.00 8.20 (4.43) 2,218,100 (10,378,661.00)
1.100 0.008 Omico 0.7200 0.7300 0.7100 0.7100 (1.39) 106,000 46,720.00
8.40 2.12 Oriental Peninsula Res. 5.110 5.150 5.000 5.080 (0.59) 1,189,900 (90.00)
0.032 0.012 Oriental Pet. `A 0.0180 0.0200 0.0180 0.0180 0.00 1,717,100,000
0.033 0.013 Oriental Pet. `B 0.0190 0.0200 0.0190 0.0200 5.26 179,600,000 500,000.00
7.14 5.10 Petroenergy Res. Corp. 6.00 6.30 6.27 6.30 5.00 5,000
28.95 17.08 Philex `A 23.80 24.15 23.75 23.90 0.42 2,589,800 8,128,030.00
14.18 3.00 PhilexPetroleum 39.60 42.10 39.10 41.50 4.80 1,947,000 9,918,845.00
0.058 0.013 Philodrill Corp. `A 0.049 0.053 0.049 0.052 6.12 1,920,300,000 (11,113,600.00)
252.00 161.10 Semirara Corp. 216.40 218.00 216.20 217.00 0.28 173,340 463,594.00
0.029 0.013 United Paragon 0.0180 0.0180 0.0170 0.0180 0.00 35,100,000
PREFERRED
47.90 27.30 ABS-CBN Holdings Corp. 32.00 33.50 32.00 33.30 4.06 201,300 (5,481,600.00)
60.00 30.00 Benguet Corp. Con. Pref 52.00 52.00 30.00 30.00 (42.31) 120
First Gen G 102.50 102.50 102.50 102.50 0.00 18,000 (62,525.00)
11.02 6.00 GMA Holdings Inc. 10.00 10.04 9.97 10.04 0.40 156,000 (517,000.00)
80.00 74.50 SMC Preferred 1 75.60 76.50 76.50 76.50 1.19 70
1050.00 990.00 SMPFC Preferred 1016.00 1020.00 1017.00 1020.00 0.39 3,210
6.00 0.87 Swift Pref 1.04 1.06 1.06 1.06 1.92 2,000
WARRANTS & BONDS
1.35 0.62 Megaworld Corp. Warrants 1.02 1.08 1.04 1.08 5.88 84,000
1.38 0.67 Megaworld Corp. Warrants2 1.10 0.99 0.99 0.99 (10.00) 6,000
RAY S. EANO
Pagbilao is Asias next energy hub
THE sleepy town of Pagbilao, Quezon province may
soon turn into a vibrant energy port, lling up LNG
tankers coming from various points in Asia.
An Australian company is in the advanced stages
of securing funding for a planned 300-megawatt
combined cycle gas power plant in Grande Island,
Pagbilao and a $210-million liqueed natural gas
terminal that will supply fuel to the station.
Pagbilao, a rst-class town with a population
of 83,831, faces Tayabas Bay and offers an ideal
berthing site for large cargo ships. The town hosts the
735-MW Pagbilao coal-red plant of TeaM Energy.
Energy World International Ltd. of Australia,
according to a report of the Energy Department,
has secured the commitment of Standard Chartered
Bank to fund the power plant and the LNG hub that
will process and supply fuel. The terminal is key to
the operations of the new power plant because it will
serve as the receiving facility and fuel supplier to the
combined cycle gas power plant of Energy World.
The Pagbilao LNG facility, meanwhile, is expected
to complement the operations of Energy World in
the Asia-Pacic rim. The company has primary gas
and power operations in Sengkang, South Sulawesi
in Indonesia. It produces gas, power and LNG in
Australia.
The LNG hub, set for commissioning by December
this year, has drawn the interest of local companies
and nancing institutions. Under condentiality
agreements, we have received very strong interest
from nanciers and industrialists in the Philippines
to co-invest and develop the hub terminal, Energy
World informed the Energy Department.
The interest is not surprising. The LNG hub
can serve as the distribution base of other power
producers in Asia and the transport sector.
The Australian company plans to build the LNG
terminal in two phases. The rst involves the
construction of a 130,000-cubic meter LNG storage
tank, regasication facility, jetty and supporting
infrastructure estimated to cost $130 million. The
second phase will include an additional 130,000-
cubic meter LNG storage tank costing $80 million.
More LNG power plants
The LNG Terminal in Pagbilao could force TeaM
Energy to rethink its plan of expanding its coal-red
power plant by 400 megawatts in favor of the cleaner
fuel. TeaM Energy president Federico Puno earlier
said his company and Aboitiz Power Corp., which
administers the supply contract of the Pagbilao
plants, could build a separate 400-MW power plant
costing between $600 million and $700 million.
Puno has hinted at the possibility of TeaM Energy
putting up an LNG power plant, instead of coal. But
the logistics required in building an LNG power
plant are enormous. The power station will need an
LNG terminal to supply the fuel
If we do LNG, it has to be 1,000 MW. You have
to put up your own receiving facility, you need to
have at least 1,000 MW as host power plant to justify
it, says Puno.
Eneregy Worlds planned LNG terminal in the
same town will virtually address Punos concerns.
Shell stays put
Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp., a unit of the
Royal Dutch Shell Group, has virtually shelved its
plan to expand its renery in Tabangao, Batangas
and make it a regional hub. But the company has
remained bullish on its prospects on the Philippine
economy, committing to infuse over $1 billion worth
of new investments.
Shell is upgrading the Tabangao renery, which
has a daily capacity of 110,000 barrels and pursuing
a $1-billion investment in a proposed liqueed
natural gas facility, also in Batangas.
Shells decision to defer a decision to expand
the Tabangao renery may hasten the plan of an
unnamed Dubai-listed petroleum company to lease
at least 100 hectares of land in Bataan from PNOC
Alternative Fuels Corp. in Bataan.
The Dubai company has proposed an oil-based
facility in Bataan that will serve as its Southeast Asian
hub. The facility could be a renery, or a regional
depot that will store crude oil for distribution in East
Asia, including Japan and China.
E-mail: [email protected];
[email protected]
STOCKS rose for the third straight session
Wednesday, pushing the benchmark index
past the 5,100-point mark, following
overnight gains on Wall Street and ahead of
Federal Reserves announcement on whether
it will take new steps to boost the economy.
The Philippine Stock
Exchange index, the 30-company
benchmark, jumped 64 points, or
1.3 percent, to close at 5,146.46,
its highest since May 11. All
six counters ended in the green,
led by the 1.9-percent surge of
property rms.
The heavier index representing
all shares also added 30 points,
or 0.9 percent, to 3,394.66, as
gainers outnumbered losers,
103 to 52, with 37 issues
unchanged. Value turnover hit
P6 billion.
Megaworld Corp., a builder
of residential and ofce towers,
climbed 3 percent to P2.08, the
highest close since May 14.
Robinsons Land Corp. increased
1.2 percent to P17, the highest
close since June 1. The nations
property market is at the best
in 20 years, CB Richard Ellis
Philippines Inc. chairman Rick
Santos said Wednesday in a press
brieng in Manila.
Ayala Land Inc., the nations
largest developer, rose 2.3 percent
to P22.50, a record close based
on prices going back to March
1992. The company will build
apartments, shops and ofces
on 6.6 hectares of land that it
acquired in Muntinlupa City,
Ayala Land said in a statement.
Its parent Ayala Corp. gained 2.6
percent to P475.
Jollibee Foods Corp., the
nations biggest fastfood company,
increased 3.8 percent to P107.70,
the highest close since June 13.
Investors expect margins to
improve in the second half because
of lower energy costs and prices of
some of its raw materials, said
James Lago, an analyst at PCCI
Securities Brokers Corp.
Meanwhile, Asian stock mar-
kets also rose Wednesday amid
hopes that the Federal Reserve
would announce measures to
stimulate the US economy.
Analysts say the US central
bank could announce new bond-
buying plans or signal that a plan
is in the works at the end of its
two-day meeting. The Fed has
already launched two rounds of
bond purchases to lower long-
term interest rates.
Another option is to extend
Operation Twist, under which the
Fed has been gradually selling
short-term Treasury securities
and using the proceeds to buy
longer-term bonds to keep their
rates down. The current program
is set to expire at the end of the
month.
Japans Nikkei 225 index rose 1.2
percent to 8,762.40. Hong Kongs
Hang Seng added 0.8 percent to
19,559.37 and South Koreas Kospi
gained 0.6 percent to 1,902.02.
Australias S&P/ASX 200
added 0.2 percent to 4,131.50.
Benchmarks in Singapore,
Taiwan and Indonesia were
also higher. Mainland Chinas
Shanghai Composite Index fell.
Benchmarks in Thailand and New
Zealand were also lower.
Bloomberg, AP
Cerabo tiles launch.
Hoecheng president Sam
Chen (right) introduces the
companys new chairman
Patrick Chiu (center) and
HCB Cerabo division country
manager Francisco Flameno
Jr. at the launching of their
latest product, the HCB
Cerabo custom printed 4 x 8
ft. ceramic tiles for interior
and exterior wall and
ceilings at the Edsa Shangri-
La Hotel in Mandaluyong
City. HCB Cerabo tiles are
manufactured in Taiwan.
The products have high
chemical resistance, are re-
proof and non-combustible,
inhibit bacterial and
germicide growth and are
antibacterial.
Business
ManilaStandardToday [email protected] [email protected] JUNE 21, 2012 THURSDAY
B3
Govt agency eyes
higher coco blend
Japans Itochu buying PH mines
Cebu Pacic to begin new domestic flights from Davao
Boulevard taps advisor to sell Puerto Azul
By Alena Mae S. Flores
THE Philippine Coconut
Authority has recommended a
higher blend of coco-methyl ester
in diesel products, saying the
coconut industry can meet even
a 20-percent blend by 2030.
Diesel products are currently
mixed with 2-percent coco-
methyl ester, but the regulators
wanted to increase the CME
blend to comply with the Biofuels
Act of 2006. The long-term goal
is to raise the biofuel blend of
20-percent ethanol in gasoline
and 10-percent CME in diesel by
2030.
The PCA, however, recom-
mended that the 2030 target for
diesel products be increased to
20-percent CME, beginning with
a 5-percent mix in the next round
of implementation.
The administrator as the vice
chair for biodiesel concerns
has announced recently that he
is recommending to the NBB
[National Biofuels Board] a
5-percent blend, thus we have
the supply for a higher blend,
PCA deputy administrator Carlos
Carpio told reporters.
Carpio said the coconut indus-
try would be able to support the
higher blend, as the government
continued to encourage planting
and replanting of high-yielding
coconut varieties/hybrids in suit-
able areas.
PCA has already developed
15 hybrids and 1 open pollinated
variety which can yield 4 to 6
tons per hectare per year, Carpio
said.
Carpio noted the 2030 target
of the Energy Department was
18 years away. Thus if we do
this now or even before 2030, we
can attain the supply to support
20-percent blend, he said.
The Energy Department had
earlier announced plans to defer
the implementation of higher
biofuel blends over a span of 20
years to 2030, subject to public
consultations.
Energy Undersecretary Jay
Layug said the department was
looking at implementing the
biofuel blend of 20-percent
ethanol in gasoline and 10-
percent CME in diesel by
2030.
Purefoods-Timezone deal. Purefoods Hormel Co. Inc., manufacturer of market leading Purefoods
Tender Juicy Hotdogs, signed a deal with leading arcade amusement chain Timezone for the opening
of Tender Juicy Hotdog selling and redemption outlets in 42 Timezone branches nationwide. First to be
opened are outlets in Trinoma, Glorietta 4, Market! Market!, Bonifacio High Street and Alabang Town
Center. At the contract signing are (from left) Timezone business development ofcer Manoy Llige, chief
operating ofcer Joy Fabiosa, president and general manager Raffy Pratts Jr. and PHC general manager
Raul Nazareno, group product manager Gel Angeles and assistant product manager Leandro Ignacio.
BUDGET carrier Cebu Pacic
announced Wednesday it will
launch new direct ights from
Davao to Kalibo and to Puerto
Princesa on Aug. 1, in time for
the delivery of three brand-new
Airbus A320 aircraft.
The airline said it would
operate a four-times-weekly
service or every Tuesday,
Thursday, Saturday and
Sunday, from Davao to Kalibo
and to Puerto Princesa. It will
be the only airline servicing
those routes.
Cebu Pacic said from Davao,
it currently operates eight daily
ights to Manila, four daily
ights to Cebu, daily ights to
both Iloilo and Zamboanga and
four weekly ights to Cagayan
de Oro.
The airline posted a 17-percent
passenger growth in the rst
quarter, compared to the same
period last year.
These routes will be launched
just in time for Davaos
Kadayawan Festival in August.
It will open up new markets from
Palawan and Aklan, especially
since fares to Davao and vice
versa are now 55 percent lower
with direct ights, Cebu Pacic
vice president for marketing and
distribution Candice Iyog said in
a statement.
CEBs extensive route
network will also encourage
Davaos top tourist markets from
the US, Japan, South Korea,
China and Asean to proceed to
Davao after visiting Palawan or
Boracay. We believe in Davaos
potential for tourism, as the
largest airline operating from this
hub, Iyog added.
Tourism Department Region
11 director Art Boncato said
direct ights would help them
achieve tourism targets.
The modern-day traveler
prioritizes seamless travel when
choosing the destinations to
visit. These direct ights would
certainly hasten our tourism
growth since we already have
ample products and services
t for various markets, said
Boncato.
Boncato described the Davao
region as an eco-tourism
destination, where travelers
could go on a fun adventure from
its islands to highlands terrain.
By Yuriy Humber and Ichiro Suzuki
ITOCHU Corp., Japans third-biggest
trader, is looking for copper mines in the
Philippines and the Pacic rim, seeking to
transform itself into a mine operator and
beat competition for resources from China
and India.
Were veering in the
direction of becoming a mining
company, Satoshi Kondo,
the head of Itochu Mineral
Resources Development Corp.,
said in an interview in Tokyo.
Weve decided on a goal of
becoming like Xstrata Plc,
gradually building in size.
Japans trading houses,
which funded mines operated
by the worlds biggest mineral
producers through buying
minority stakes over the past
ve decades, are no longer
being offered a share in projects
as high commodity prices drive
record prots for companies
such as BHP Billiton Ltd. Asian
buyers outlaid $50 billion on
mining acquisitions this year,
the busiest start for at least
12 years, according to data
compiled by Bloomberg.
Itochus Kondo said hes
inspired by Xstrata. The Zug,
Switzerland-based company,
built itself through acquisitions
to become the worlds largest
thermal coal exporter after
being split off from its trading
company parent in 1999. That
parent, now called Glencore
International Plc., is seeking
to buy back Xstrata in a deal
that values the company at 27.6
billion pounds ($43.3 billion).
If you compare us with
Xstrata today its like a dwarf
and a giant, said Kondo, who
was a mining specialist for
the Japanese government for
29 years. Today, if you want
mining assets, you need to go
and get them yourself.
Baar, Switzerland-based
Glencore, which owns about
34 percent of Xstrata, agreed
in February to an all-share
combination to create the
worlds fourth-biggest miner
and cut annual costs by about
$500 million.
Kondo joined Itochu Mineral
Resources four years ago as its
parent trading company sought
to create a unit that could invest
in metal exploration and hire
mining specialists, a move
Kondo said was unique among
Japans traders. Earlier, Itochu
would tie up with mining
companies including BHP and
avoid the technical side of
operations, he said.
Kondos unit has invested in
three deposits, including the
Platreef platinum and nickel
project of billionaire Robert
Friedlands Ivanplats Ltd.
Itochu paid $280 million last
year to raise its stake in the
South African project to 10
percent from 2 percent.
In future, well buy companies
in their entirety and also aim to
work as a mining company in
our own right, Kondo said. We
dont quite have the manpower
now, but well try hard to reach
that level, developing mines
jointly as a strategic partner and
not just a money supplier.
Bloomberg
By Julito G. Rada
RESORT operator Boulevard
Holdings Inc. and Cala Paniman
Inc. have hired property
consultancy rm Jones Lang
LaSalle Philippines to market
the Puerto Azul properties in
Ternate, Cavite to qualied
investors.
BHI vice president for
nance Mauro Badiola said
in a disclosure to the stock
exchange Wednesday the two
companies signed a contract
with Jones LangLaSalle as
marketing advisor.
The contract involves the
exclusive marketing of Puerto
Azul properties to attract and
engage qualied partners and
investors who will expand
and develop Puerto Azul in
cooperation with, and under
the terms and conditions
acceptable to BHI and CPI,
Badiola said.
The Puerto Azul properties
cover 3,000 hectares.
Boulevard Holdings has been
looking for foreign and local
partners to develop the said
properties.
BHI has earlier acquired
Cala Paniman for P100
million payable in seven years.
Cala Paniman owned the
development over the Cresta
Grande subdivision, a 21-
hectare seaside subdivision
overlooking the China Sea and
Corregidor Island.
Cala Paniman is BHIs co-
master partner for the entire
Puerto Azul complex.
BHI is also the owner and
operator of Fridays Boracay
Island beach resort in Aklan
and in Puerto Galera.
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
Manila
Standard
TODAY
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
Republic of the Philippines
Region XIII Caraga
PROVINCE OF SURIGAO DEL NORTE
Surigao City
INVITATION TO BID
for the
CONSTRUCTION OF SURIGAO DEL NORTE PROVINCIAL HOSPITAL
BUILDING PHASE I
The Provincial Government of Surigao del Norte through its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC)
invites bids for Construction of Surigao del Norte Provincial Hospital Phase I, with the
description of works hereunder specifed. Bidder should have completed, within ten (10) years from
the date of submission and receipt of bids, at least one (1) contract similar to the contract to be bid
and ffty percent (50%) of the ABC to be bid. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the
Bidding Documents, particularly, in the instruction to Bidders. Bids received in excess of the ABC
shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.
Name of Contract Construction of Surigao del Norte Provincial Hospital
Phase I
Location Brgy. Sta. Cruz, Placer, Surigao del Norte
Brief Description The project will involve the Construction of One storey building
with the following scope of works; Siteworks, Earthworks,
Scaffolding/Formworks, Concrete works, Reinforcing Steel
works, Masonry works (including fnishing) (w/o fxtures),
Electrical works, (partial), and supply/installation of windows
Approved Budget for the
Contract (ABC)
Php 29,999,687.05
Source of Fund Health Facility Enhancement Program (Trust Fund)
Contract Duration 240 Calendar days
Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using of non-discretionary
pass/fail criterion as specifed in the mplementing Rules and Regulations (RR) of Republic Act
9184 (RA 9184) as amended, otherwise known as the "Government Procurement Reform Act.
Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at
least seventy fve percent (75%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizen of the
Philippines. nterested bidders may obtain further information from the Provincial Engineer's Offce
and inspect the Bidding Documents at the same address on the date specifed. Complete set of
Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested Bidders from the same address upon payment
of a non-refundable fee for the Bidding Documents in the amount of Six Thousand Five Hundred
Pesos (Php 6,500.00).
BAC ACTIVITIES Schedule
Posting of nvitation to Bid/Request for Expression of nterest June 21-28, 2012
Receipt of Letter of ntent/Expression of nterest Not later than July 10, 2012
Issuance/Inspection of Bid Documents June 21 July 10, 2012
Pre-bid Conference June 2, 2012 @ 3:00PM
Receipt of Bids/Eligibility Documents July 16, 2012 @ 2:00PM
Opening of Bids/Eligibility Documents July 16, 2012 @ 4:00PM
The Bids and Awards Committee this province will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on the date specifed.
The Pre-Bid conference when conducted shall be open only to all interested parties who have
purchased the Bidding Documents. Bids must be delivered on the same address above and on the
date specifed and must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the
amount stated in nstruction to Bidders and Bid Data Sheet. Bids will be opened in the presence
of the bidder's representatives who choose to attend at the same address. Late bids shall not be
accepted.

The Province of Surigao del Norte reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, to annul the bidding
process, and to reject all bids at any time prior to contract award, without thereby incurring any
liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

For further information, please refer to:

Engr. Alwin T. Pono
Acting Provincial Engineer
Provincial Engineer's Offce
Capitol Site, Surigao City
Tel. No. (086)2317024
(Sgd.) PREMOLITO B. PLAZA
Provincial Administrator
BAC Chairman
June 14, 2012
(MST-June 21 2012)
Republic of the Philippines
Region XIII Caraga
PROVINCE OF SURIGAO DEL NORTE
Surigao City
INVITATION TO BID
for the
CONSTRUCTION OF CENTRALIZED WAREHOUSE & OFFICES BUILDING PHASE 2
(Provincial Training Center 2
nd
and 3
rd
Floors)
The Provincial Government of Surigao del Norte through its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC)
invites bids for Construction of CentraIized Warehouse & Ofces BuiIding Phase 2 (ProvinciaI
Training Center 2nd & 3rd Floors), with the description of works hereunder specifed. Bidder
should have completed, within ten (10) years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, at least
one (1) contract similar to the contract to be bid and ffty percent (50%) of the ABC to be bid. The
description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in the instruction
to Bidders. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.
Name of Contract Construction of CentraIized Warehouse & Ofces BuiIding
Phase 2 (Provincial Training Center 2nd & 3rd Floors)
Location Capitol Complex, Surigao City
Brief Description The project will involve the Construction of 2
nd
& 3
rd
foors
of the Centralized Warehouse and Offces Building Phase
2 (as Provincial Training Center) with the following scope of
works; Earthworks, Concrete works, Reinforcing Steel works,
Formworks and Scaffoldings, Roof Framing Works, Tinsmithry
Works, Ceiling works Partition (Masonry and Hardifex),
Electrical works, and Plumbing works.
Approved Budget for the
Contract (ABC)
Php 9,700,001.28
Source of Fund LGSF
Contract Duration 150 Calendar days
Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using of non-discretionary
pass/fail criterion as specifed in the mplementing Rules and Regulations (RR) of Republic Act
9184 (RA 9184) as amended, otherwise known as the "Government Procurement Reform Act.
Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at
least seventy fve percent (75%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizen of the
Philippines. nterested bidders may obtain further information from the Provincial Engineer's Offce
and inspect the Bidding Documents at the same address on the date specifed. Complete set of
Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested Bidders from the same address upon payment
of a non-refundable fee for the Bidding Documents in the amount of Four Thousand Five Hundred
Pesos (Php 4,500.00).
BAC ACTIVITIES Schedule
Posting of nvitation to Bid/Request for Expression of nterest June 21-28, 2012
Receipt of Letter of ntent/Expression of nterest Not later than July 10, 2012
Issuance/Inspection of Bid Documents June 21 July 10, 2012
Pre-bid Conference June 2, 2012 @ 3:00PM
Receipt of Bids/Eligibility Documents July 16, 2012 @ 2:00PM
Opening of Bids/Eligibility Documents July 16, 2012 @ 2:30PM
The Bids and Awards Committee this province will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on the date specifed. The
Pre-Bid conference when conducted shall be open only to all interested parties who have purchased
the Bidding Documents. Bids must be delivered on the same address above and on the date specifed
and must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated
in nstruction to Bidders and Bid Data Sheet. Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidder's
representatives who choose to attend at the same address. Late bids shall not be accepted.

The Province of Surigao del Norte reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, to annul the bidding
process, and to reject all bids at any time prior to contract award, without thereby incurring any
liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

For further information, please refer to:

Engr. Alwin T. Pono
Acting Provincial Engineer
Provincial Engineer's Offce
Capitol Site, Surigao City
Tel. No. (086)2317024
(Sgd.) PREMOLITO B. PLAZA
Provincial Administrator
BAC Chairman
June 14, 2012 (MST-June 21 2012)
Republic of the Philippines
Region XIII Caraga
PROVINCE OF SURIGAO DEL NORTE
Surigao City
INVITATION TO BID
for the
CONSTRUCTION OF TWO STOREY SIX (6) CL SCHOOL BUILDING
w/ SIX (6) SEATERS COMFORT ROOM
The Provincial Government of Surigao del Norte through its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC)
invites bids for Construction of Two Storey Six (6) CL School Building w/Six (6) Seaters
Comfort Room, with the description of works hereunder specifed. Bidder should have completed,
within ten (10) years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, at least one (1) contract
similar to the contract to be bid and ffty percent (50%) of the ABC to be bid. The description of an
eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in the instruction to Bidders. Bids
received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.
Name of Contract Construction of Two Storey Six (6) CL School Building w/
Six (6) Seaters Comfort Room
Location Municipality of General Luna, Surigao del Norte
Brief Description The project will involve the Construction of two (2) storey
building with a foor area of 684 sq.m. with the following
scope of works; Earthworks, Reinforced Concrete works,
Masonry works, Roof Framing Works, Roofng (Tinsmithry)
Works, Ceiling works, Doors & Windows, Tileworks, Painting,
Carpentry works, G.. Pipe Railing, Electrical works, Plumbing
works, Elevated water tank and installation of Project Billboard.
Approved Budget for the
Contract (ABC)
Php 6,310,851.94
Source of Fund Trust Fund
Contract Duration 120 Calendar days
Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using of non-discretionary
pass/fail criterion as specifed in the mplementing Rules and Regulations (RR) of Republic Act
9184 (RA 9184) as amended, otherwise known as the "Government Procurement Reform Act.
Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with
at least seventy fve percent (75%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizen of
the Philippines. nterested bidders may obtain further information from the Provincial Engineer's
Offce and inspect the Bidding Documents at the same address on the date specifed. Complete
set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested Bidders from the same address upon
payment of a non-refundable fee for the Bidding Documents in the amount of Four Thousand Pesos
(Php 4,000.00).
BAC ACTIVITIES Schedule
Posting of nvitation to Bid/Request for Expression of nterest June 21-28, 2012
Receipt of Letter of ntent/Expression of nterest Not later than July 10, 2012
Issuance/Inspection of Bid Documents June 21 July 10, 2012
Pre-bid Conference June 2, 2012 @ 2:00PM
Receipt of Bids/Eligibility Documents July 16, 2012 @ 2:00PM
Opening of Bids/Eligibility Documents July 16, 2012 @ 3:00PM
The Bids and Awards Committee this province will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on the date specifed. The
Pre-Bid conference when conducted shall be open only to all interested parties who have purchased
the Bidding Documents. Bids must be delivered on the same address above and on the date specifed
and must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated
in nstruction to Bidders and Bid Data Sheet. Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidder's
representatives who choose to attend at the same address. Late bids shall not be accepted.

The Province of Surigao del Norte reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, to annul the bidding
process, and to reject all bids at any time prior to contract award, without thereby incurring any
liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

For further information, please refer to:

Engr. Alwin T. Pono
Acting Provincial Engineer
Provincial Engineer's Offce
Capitol Site, Surigao City
Tel. No. (086)2317024
(Sgd.) PREMOLITO B. PLAZA
Provincial Administrator
BAC Chairman
June 14, 2012
(MST-June 21, 2012)
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
JUNE 21, 2012 THURSDAY
B4
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
Manila Standard TODAY
Provinces
Edited by Leo A. Estonilo [email protected]
IN BRIEF
Mindanao agri gets P510-m stimulus
Del Rosario files
pro-poor measure
Grid putting up 230kV line on Cagayan stretch
Rizal achievers. Dr. Avelino DL Zapanta (fourth from left), president of South East Asian Airlines leads the awardees for the 10 most outstand-
ing Rizaleno for 2012. Standing beside him is Prof. Virgilio Esguerra, chairman of the Rizaleno Sulo awards group and publisher-chief editor of
Rizaleno Sulo magazine. Rizal vice governor Frisco San Juan Jr. and members of the Provincial Board attended the rites at the SM Taytay Event
Center. The other awardees are Clemen Bautista, Agapito Caritativo, Engr. Reynaldo Carpio, Dr. William Co, Pastor Jose Jaime Enage, Prof. Ligaya
Rubin, Sister Adelina San Miguel, Jose Dennis Teodosio, and Prof. Lydia Cuevas Vicente. In the board of judges were Prof. Virgilio Esguerra as
chairman along with Julie Victor, Angelina Velasco, John Barreto and Lito Naidas.
Ride for a cause
CITY OF MALOLOSBulacan Gov.
Wilhelmino Sy-Alvarado led the kick-off
for Tatlong Republika, The Bulacan Bayani
Ride for Cancer and Palliative Care for the
benet of needy patients in the province.
About 1,500 motorcycle riders from
Bulacan, Bataan and Metro Manila took to the
streets to raise funds for Palcare Foundation
Inc., a non-prot, non-stock organization
looking after the welfare of the patients.
Pandi Vice Mayor Dr. Rachel Santos-Oca led
the ag-off over the weekend in Meycauayan
City, on a historical route covering Kakarong
de Sili in Pandi, Biak na Bato in San Miguel
and Barasoain Church, forming the Home of
the Three Republics.
The project is a joint effort of the Vice
Mayors League of the Philippines-Bulacan
Chapter and the Bulacan Motorcycle Riders
Federation.
Training for safety
CALAMBA CITYNever race a train to a
junction: If its a tie, you lose.
Mayor Joaquin Chipeco Jr. and General
Manager Junio Ragrario of the Philippine
National Railways have renewed a ve-year
agreement to undertake measures in keeping
junctions a safe zone through reminders and
xtures.
The state-run agency will provide the
specications for signs and barriers along
three national roads-Real, Halang and
Bucal.
In turn, City hall will put up and maintain
the installations along with the posting of
village watchmen as crossing keepers in at
least 18 crossings.
Under its mandate, the local government
is authorized to require homeowners,
commercial and business proprietors and
other entities using level crossings on private
roads to install barriers and signs, particularly
those located in NIA Road, Halang, San Juan
de Letran, Bucal, and Cuyab Hot Spring.
For Ragrario, the age-old advice of Stop,
Look and Listen still applies to motorists and
pedestrians.
It takes about a kilometer for a train to
come to a full stop, he said. Train schedules
change with unpredictable factors such as
weather--always assume one will pass by at
any moment.
Ragrario said the tracks and adjoining land
are government property with the Courts
consistently ruling that the PNR has the right
of way.
He said parents should always keep their
children away from the tracks, and for good
measure, farmers to have their animals in a
safe distance.
DIPOLOG CITYThe airport
here is among the terminals outside
the National Capital Region
to be upgraded by the Aquino
administration, said Ed Cabalida of
the Civil Aviation Authority.
The project allocation
consists of P55.2 million for
the construction of the Dipolog
airport passenger terminal
building and P42 million to
expand the runway and terminal
of Pagadian City airport.
Cabalida said the improvement
of air travel is expected to
draw more visitors to tourist
hubs in the provinces under
the governments revitalized
tourism program.
Dipolog airport is serviced
by Philippine Airlines and Cebu
Pacic, both with daily ights in
the Manila loop. Cebu Pacic
also has a Cebu-Dipolog service
Monday, Wednesday, Friday and
Sunday. Alfonso T. Ruda PIA
Airport makeover set
Industrial peace pushed
By Dexter A. See

TABUK CITYThe National Grid
Corporation is laying a 230kV transmission
line along the Santiago-Tuguegarao stretch
to back up the present distribution network.
Lilibeth Gaydowen, NGC communication
head , said the project was approved by
the Energy Regulatory Commission for
completion in 2014.
This is one of NGCPs contributions
to the Public-Private Partnership program
of the Aquino administration by ensuring
undisrupted power supply transmission,
she said.
This will enable economic activities to go
on during calamities and for business industries
to operate since the high voltage alternate line
substitutes the 69kV line, Gaydowen said,
noting the automatic load shift.
On operating voltages less than 34.5 kV,
the distribution system carries energy from
the local substation to individual households,
using both overhead and underground lines,
she said.
With operating voltages of 69-138 kV,
the subtransmission system distributes
energy within the entire district and
regularly uses overhead lines, Gaydowen
said but for operating voltage exceeding
230 kV, the transmission system
interconnects generating stations and large
substations located close to load centers
by using overhead lines.
She said the National Grid was responsible
for putting online the right mix of power
plants that produce high-voltage output
and for transmission to distribution utilities
which in turn deliver the electricity at a
lower voltage rating to households and other
end-users.
A private rm, the National Grid won
the governments 50-year congressionally
granted franchise to operate and maintain
the countrys transmission network.
As system operator, it balances the demand
and supply of electricity to efciently
serve its customers, generators, private
distribution utilities, ecozones, industries, as
well as directly connected companies.
Team effort. Private corporations in Antipolo City continue to support the programs of
Mayor Nilo Leyble. KSERVICO Store supervisor Agnes Pedracio turns over netbooks for the
citys Youth and Sports Development Ofce, which received four sets along with two printers.
By Othel V. Campos
THE Agriculture Department is spending
P510 million, on top of the P52 million
regular allocation, to increase the
productivity and incomes of small and
marginal farmers and shermen in the
Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
Pine capital. Employees and executives of SM City Baguio planted
7,000 pine seedlings together with Cordillera police at the Busok
watershed in support of Malacaangs National Greening Program.
Targetting 50,000 trees, SM is assisted by DEYAN Construction to
maintain the reforested zones.
The project is part of the
Aquino administrations
Transition Investment Support
Plan or stimulus fund for the
ARMM, Agriculture Secretary
Proceso Alcala said.
He said the release will
bankroll farm-to-market roads
and agri-shery projects, which
are part of continuing support
and commitment to the food
producing sector of the region.
As programmed, about P293
million will go to farm-to-market
roads with P23 million to put up
a halal livestock facility and a P5
million to spur the rubber nursery.
At least P5.75 million will be
allocated to qualied farmers
groups to operate cassava graters
with pressers.
Alcala signed Tuesday a
memorandum of agreement
with ARMM Governor Mujiv
Hataman in Davao City, adding
that the P510 stimulus was apart
from the regular agricultural
program funds like the annual
budget for irrigation along with
foreign assistance such as the
Mindanao Rural Development
Program.
Under the MRDP, the total
portfolio for ARMM is P726
million for FMRs and other rural
infrastructure and agri-shery
livelihood projects, Alcala
said. For irrigation projects,
Maguindanao alone has a budget
allocation of P470 million.
The government is implementing
Transition Investment Support Plan
to hasten development initiatives
in the ARMM, institute governance
reforms, improve service delivery,
create enabling environment and
attract public private partnership
investments. Hataman
Alcala
By Maricel V. Cruz
DAVAO del Norte Rep.
Anthony Del Rosario has
introduced a measure to
exempt job-seeking indigents
from paying any fee when
securing pre-employment
certicates and clearances
from government agencies.
House Bill 6178 aims to
make it easier for them to
apply for work instead of
being bogged down by a lot of
requirements.
There is still a large segment
of the population who cannot
liberate themselves from the
bondage of poverty because
of the lack of employment
opportunities, the bills
explanatory note started.
While these poor people
are capable of work, there
are limited jobs available for
them thus preventing them
from escaping poverty, said
Del Rosario, vice chairman
of the House Committee
on Banks and Financial
Intermediaries.
Under House Bill 6178,
indigents are not required to
pay for clearances issued by the
barangay clearance, National
Bureau of Investigation
clearance, and police including
medical certicates from
government hospitals, clinics or
health centers.
The bill defines the indigent
as a person who has no visible
means of income or whose
income is insufficient for
the subsistence of his family
based on the criteria set under
the National Household
Targeting System for Poverty
Reduction as certified by the
barangay and validated by the
Department of Social Welfare
and Development.
BALANGA CITY-- Bataan Rep. Albert Garcia of the 2nd district
said industrial peace is the key to the growth of the province.
During the recent Talakayan sa Balanga, he said the former
Bataan Export Processing Zone in Mariveles was saddled by labor
disputes, prodding him to craft a measure creating what is now the
present Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan.
Garcia said the key was to have a pool of highly skilled workers
with the leverage to choose the company that meets their expecta-
tions among the many locators in the Freeport.
He cited garment maker Luen Thai, a publicly listed company in
Hong Kong, as a leading locator expanding its need for new hires.
Last May, Dunlop Slazenger, another locator, settled a dispute
with the union, saving production hours to meet the rms export
quotas. Buth Gunio