Manila Standard Today - Wednesday (January 16, 2013) Issue

WEATHER
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

BIFE
A12
TODAY
Standard
Vol. XXVI No. 283 20 Pages, 3 Sections
P18.00 Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Standard
www.manilastandardtoday.com mst@mstandardtoday.com
Soldiers given
blinded order
Troop aid
requested
30 minutes
before clash
Justices nd inrmities in cybercrime law
Joyce P. Paares
PRESIDENT Aquino has ap-
pointed Army chief Lt. Gen.
Emmanuel Bautista as the 44th
chief of staff of the Armed
Forces of the Philippines.
The turnover has been
set on Thursday but the ap-
pointment will take effect
The source said a police of-
cer in the checkpoint opera-
tion obtained troop support by
telephone 30 minutes before
the encounter.
He said Col. Hansel Maran-
tan talked to Col. Monico Abang,
commander of the Army Special
Forces, who sent a 25-man pla-
toon in full battle gear as aug-
mentation for peace and internal
security operations against pri-
vate armed groups.
Somehow, we (special
forces) were blinded by that re-
quest, the ofcer said. I think
the negotiation for the deploy-
ment of Special Forces troops
transpired minutes before the
shootout as alleged.
He said the Army never re-
ceived such kind of request in
the past and even if we did, it
will take days before it is ap-
proved.
The troops arrived on board
a military truck and took posi-
tions in the checkpoint. They
brought to 65 the total force of
military and police, which in-
cluded 25 from the intelligence
THE Supreme Court ordered
Malacanang on Tuesday to re-
spond within 10 days to claims
that the Reproductive Health
law signed by President Aquino
last month was unconstitution-
al because it could split fami-
lies and destroy marriage as an
institution, which are protected
by the Constitution.
The new law, or Republic
Act 10354, also contains 11
provisions that allow couples to
choose to suppress life, which
violates the Constitution, ac-
cording to James and Lovely
Ann Imbong, who sought a
restraining order to stop its
implementation.
The Imbong couple cited
Article II, Section 12 of the
Constitution, which says: The
Staste recognizes the sanctity
of family life and shall protect
and strengthen the family as a
basic autonomous social insti-
tution. It shall equally protect
the life of the mother and the
life of the unborn ...
Despite strong opposition
from the Catholic Church,
INTERIOR Secretary Manuel
Roxas II on Tuesday ordered
the National Police to follow
the rules on the provision of
security to candidates to en-
sure a safe and orderly mid-
term election in May.
Roxas also called on the
citizenry to report any inci-
dents of policemen providing
unauthorized security to poli-
ticians.
He vowed swift action
against anyone found violat-
ing his order that, he said, was
meant to insulate the police
from partisan politics and help
them perform their election
duties efciently.
He gave his order even as
the National Bureau of Inves-
tigation reshufed its ofcials
and six senior police ofcials
were assigned to new posts in
the continuing reorganization
in the police hierarchy.
If we see even a photo of
unauthorized [police] personnel
near or in the company of can-
didates, that will be enough evi-
dence to start administrative and
criminal proceedings against the
offenders, Roxas said.
I want to ensure that the
[National Police] remains neu-
tral in the conduct of the May
2013 elections and all its per-
sonnel to stay out of politics.
By Rey E. Requejo
SEVERAL senior justices of the
Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed
with the arguments of the lawyers
of the petitioners against Republic
Act 10175, or the Cybercrime Pre-
vention Act, over the inrmities of
some of its provisions.
However, Chief Justice Maria
Lourdes Sereno and Associate
Justice Marvic Leonen ques-
tioned the lawyers over the new
law and appeared to be taking the
cudgels for the government.
The oral arguments for and
against the new law took place
even as Senator Edgardo Angara,
the laws principal authort and
sponsor, expressed condence the
Supreme Court would not strike it
down as unconstitutional.
But in the House, Bayan Muna
Rep. Teddy Casio and Gabri-
ela Rep. Luz Ilagan said they were
hopeful that the high court would
rule favorably on the petitions ques-
tioning the laws constitutionality.
Senior Justices Antonio Car-
pio, Teresita Leonardo-De Cas-
tro and Diosdado Peralta stressed
what they considered to be loop-
holes in the law, particularly the
provision on online libel and the
imposition of penalties for cyber-
crimes that are higher than what
is provided for similar crimes in
the Revised Penal Code.
Carpio cited the lack of clear
difference between cybercrimes
and their equivalent in the Re-
vised Penal Code.
Theres nothing in this law
MANILAA Muslim rebel
group which signed a 1996 peace
pact with the Philippine govern-
ment said it sent emissaries on
Monday to negotiate the release
of foreign and Filipino hostages
being held by al-Qaida-linked
Abu Sayyaf gunmen on southern
Jolo island.
Moro National Liberation
Front commander Khabir Malik
said his group sent about 10 com-
manders to the jungle hideouts of
the Abu Sayyaf on Jolo in Sulu
province to convince the extrem-
ist groups leaders to release all
their captives. Malik waited with
hundreds of armed rebels in Su-
lus Patikul town for word from
the emissaries, who he said were
given three days to negotiate.
He refused to say what the
MNLF would do if the Abu
Sayyaf militants do not free the
captives, who police say include
a Jordanian journalist and two
European bird watchers.
Were resorting to peaceful
discussions and Gods wisdom to
ask them to turn over their hostages
to us, Malik told The Associated
Press by cellphone from Patikul.
If they wont agree, well leave to
God whatever will happen.
Malik said his group took the
step after its commanders decid-
ed in a recent meeting to help the
government, military and police
clean up the image of Sulu, a
By Christine F. Herrera
THE United Nationalist Al-
liance on Tuesday alleged
that the ruling Liberal Partys
creeping crackdown against
its opponents was a departure
from President Benigno Aqui-
no IIIs reform agenda.
The UNA bets, including Mr.
Aquinos aunt Margarita Co-
juangco, said that the LPs repres-
sive tactics in Cebu only mirrors
its high-handed style in dealing
with its political enemies.
Cojuangco said that the
move of LP to le other cases
against Garcia was obviously
not in line with President Aqui-
nos Tuwid na Daan.
She also accused Interior
and Local Governments Sec-
retary Mar Roxas II as the one
behind the continued political
harassments against Garcia.
The UNA candidates de-
scribed the LPs plan to le 16
cases against suspended Cebu
By Joyce P. Paares
THE Liberal Party on Tuesday
shrugged off criticisms that it has
yet to come up with an organized
machinery for its senatorial bets
for the May 13 elections.
The ruling party said that in
fact, President Benigno Aquino
III would bring some of the ad-
ministration bets to Cebu today.
Still, there appears to be no
point person for a centralized
dissemination of information on
LP activities.
By Macon R. Araneta
NO RESTRICTIONS have been
imposed on travelers coming
from the United States, where a
u epidemic has been declared,
but Health Secretary Enrique
Ona has ordered the quarantine
people at the ports of entry to
intensify their screening of pas-
sengers for fever.
We must be on our guard to de-
tect inuenza cases not only at our
ports and airports but also from our
health facilities, Ona said.
And following his order, the
quarantine personnel at the Ni-
noy Aquino International Airport
have begun watching the people
coming from the US mainland
more closely for u.
As of now, there is no alert
coming from the WHO [World
Health Organization], so we are
just monitoring incoming pas-
sengers through our thermal
scanners, said Edgar Maala, the
doctor on duty at the airport.
If we detect passengers with
high fever, we prescribe medica-
tion and document them for re-
cord purposes.
The quarantine staff have also
been fumigating aircraft coming
from the United States before al-
lowing passengers to board them.
So far, the quarantine people
have not reported a single case
Critics. Detractors of the Cybercrime Prevention Act picket outside the Supreme Court on Tuesday as the high courts justices heard the oral
arguments for and against it. EY ACASIO AND DANNY PATA
Arrival. MILF commander Khabir Malik, third from left front row, arrives with his comrades in Pa-
tikul, Sulu, to seek the release of foreign and Filipino hostages long held by the al-Qaida-linked Abu
Sayyaf gunmen. AP
On alert. A quarantine ofcer fumigates an aircraft from the US
mainland before allowing passengers to board it as a precaution
against the u as a result of the u epidemic in the United States.
ERIC APOLONIO
Next page
Next page
Baguio chills
By Dexter A. See
BAGUIO CITY The
Summer
Capital re-
corded its
lowest tem-
perature of 11
degrees Cel-
sius around 4
Roxas tells
police to
stay out
of politics
UNA raps
repressive
acts of LP
Admin party
debunks its
messed up
Arrivals from US watched for u clues
Palace told
to answer
plea vs RH
MNLF seeks release of Abu Sayyafs hostages
Next page Next page
Next page
Next page Next page
Next page
Next page Next page
AFP has new
chief of staff
By Francisco Tuyay
and Macon R.
Araneta
THE Army was
blinded into send-
ing a platoon of spe-
cial forces as aug-
mentation force for
a checkpoint op-
eration in Atimonan,
Quezon where 13
people were riddled
with bullets last
January 6, a ranking
Army ofcer said on
Tuesday.
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News
ManilaStandardToday mst.daydesk@gmail.com JANUARY 16, 2013 WEDNESDAY
A2
CUSTOMS Commissioner Ruffy Biazon said Tuesday he
had just started reshufing the agencys ofcials in a bid to
enhance his agencys public service.
Under his newly-issued Customs Personnel Order,
Lourdes Mangaong, formerly assigned to the X-ray Inspec-
tion Project at the Manila International Container Port, was
designated collector of the Cagayan De Oro Port.
Former Cagayan De Oro Ports collector, Anju Castiga-
dor, was subsequently assigned to the Ofce of the Com-
missioner.
Carmelita Talusan is the new head of the X-ray Inspection
Project, replacing Mangaoang. She worked at the Subic Bay
Free Port before her latest appointment.
Adelina Molina, who served as chief of staff at the Of-
ce of the Commissioner, has been assigned to the Subic
Bay Free Port, while Geniefelle Lagmay is the new chief
of staff of the Ofce of the Commissioner.
Former Cebu District Collector Ronnie Silvestre will re-
turn to the Clark International Airport, while Edward Dela
Cuesta has been named the new Cebu District Collector.
Biazon said he ordered the reshufe to improve Cus-
toms and to strengthen its ability to serve the public.
He said he remained committed to fulll President Be-
nigno Aquino IIIs order to rid Customs of mists and
scalawags.
Customs reshufes
to boost efciency
Palace...
which accepts only natural fam-
ily planning methods, Congress
passed the Reproductive Health
bill last December 19 and Aquino
signed it into law two days later.
The Imbong couple led their
case on January 2, but various
groups and foundations followed
with their own petitions, seeking
to stop the laws implementation.
The court will deliberate and de-
cide the issue after it received the
governments comments.
Petitioners said the govern-
ment should not implement the
law because it runs counter to its
constitutional duty to strengthen
(familys) solidarity and actively
promote its total development,
to protect inviolable marraige
and the right of spouses to build
a family in accordance with their
religious beliefs.
From Mindanao, the Serve
Life CDO, a medical services
company, and Rosevale Foun-
dation, a school in Cagayan de
Oro City, also asked the Su-
preme Cour to to stop imple-
mentation of the new law.
The petitioners said the new law
was violative of the Constitution.
Admin...
They can accuse us of being
disorganized but I dont think so.
We have an organized machin-
ery, LP stalwart and Budget Sec-
retary Florencio Abad said.
Abad pointed to Senator Frank-
lin Drilon, the administration
slates campaign manager, as the
one who can answer all questions
related to the sorties and events of
the senatorial candidates.
Abad said that the president
will bring along senatorial candi-
dates and former senators Ramon
Magsaysay Jr. and Jamby Mad-
rigal and former party-list Rep.
Risa Hontiveros in LPs rst-ever
sortie to Cebu today.
One administration candidate
who declined to join todays
event in Mandaue City, however,
admitted that there have been or-
ganizational problems in the slate.
They only informed us of the
Cebu event the other night. But
we have other schedules to attend
to and previous commitments.
Its really a problem for us, the
senatorial bet who asked not to be
named said.
The sortie to Cebu, one of the
vote-rich provinces in the coun-
try, could serve as a critical test to
LPs capability to garner votes, as
it comes in the heels of the sus-
pension of Cebu Governor Gwen
Garcia, a member of the United
Nationalist Alliance.
Garcia was suspended for six
months by Interior and Local
Government Secretary Manuel
Mar Roxas II the LP president-
on-leave.
Roxas appointed Agnes Mag-
pale, an LP member, as Acting
Cebu Governor in place of Gar-
cia, who refused to leave the
Capitol and barricaded herself
inside the building with her sup-
porters.
The United Nationalist Alli-
ance, meanwhile, already held
a sortie in Batangas a week ago,
and will be visiting the provinces
of Cagayan, Isabela, Quirino and
Nueva Vizcaya in a two week-
long sortie that will end on Friday.
AFP...
on January 20 when outgoing AFP
chief of staff Gen. Jessie Dellosa reaches
the mandatory retirement age of 56.
We thank outgoing AFP chief of staff
Dellosa for having served the country
and our uniformed personnel with exem-
plary dedication and commitment. We
look forward to the stint of the incoming
AFP chief of staff in continuing the re-
forms set in motion by the President and
implemented by his predecessors in ad-
vancing the interests of our soldiers and
the enhancement of the defense capabili-
ties of our country, deputy presidential
spokesperson Abigail Valte said.
Prior to his appointment, Bautista
served as commander of the 3rd Infantry
Division of the Philippine Army.
A graduate of the Philippine Military
Academys Dimalupig Class of 1981, he
completed his Masters in Public Admin-
istration at the University of the Philip-
pines.
He was the brains behind the mili-
tarys new counter-insurgency program
called Internal Peace and Security Plan
or Bayanihan.
Bautista bested other candidates in-
cluding Air Force commander Lt. Gen.
Lauro Catalino dela Cruz and AFP Vice
Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Noel Coballes.
As a former internal auditor of the
AFP, Bautistas appointment is seen to
support the efcient management of the
militarys resources.
Roxas...
Roxas said the guidelines for se-
curing fair and honest elections in-
cluded the strict implementation of
the rules in the carrying of rearms
by authorized security personnel
and other authorized individuals.
The Commission on Elections
started implementing its gun ban
on Jan. 13, the start of the elec-
tion period. It is the only agency
authorized to issue exemptions
to candidates who wish to avail
themselves of security detail from
the National Police during the
election period.
The NBI announced its reshuffe
three days before the election pe-
riod started as the transfer or move-
ment of ofcers and employees in
the Civil Service is not allowed
once the election period begins.
The order for the reshufe was
signed by NBI Director Nonna-
tus Caesar Rojas on Jan 10, but
a source at the NBI said the ef-
fectivity of the reshufe would
depend on the turnover of as-
signments, especially those han-
dling high-prole cases like the
Atimonan shooting incident that
resulted in the death of 13 people
and the Aman Futures.
The Atimonan shooting is being
handled by the Regional Opera-
tions Services, but its head, Deputy
Director Virgilio Mendez, was not
affected by the revamp.
However, lawyer Romulo Asis,
head of the Death Investigation
Division that is also investigating
the shooting incident in Quezon,
was named chief of the Anti-Graft
Division and was . replaced by
Ferdinand Lavin.
The top ofcials reshufed
were Deputy Director Rickson
Chiong, from Administrative
Services to Technical Services;
Deputy Director Edmundo Aru-
gay, from Special Investigation
Services to Administrative Ser-
vices; Deputy Director Ruel La-
sala, from Intelligence Services
to Special Investigation Services;
and Deputy Director Reynaldo
Esmeralda, from Technical Ser-
vices to Intelligence Services.
Rafael Ragos will remain Dep-
uty Director for Comptroller Ser-
vices.
Meanwhile, National Police
Director General Alan Purisima
said that of the six ofcials as-
signed to new posts, two were po-
lice directors and one was a chief
superintendent who all assumed
their new posts on Tuesday.
On Dec. 26, Purisima also or-
dered a minor reshufe in the po-
lice organization with the installa-
tion of ve senior police ofcials
to new key positions.
In Bangued, Abra, Regional
Police Chief Benjamin Magalang
said the sealing or taping of the
muzzles of politicians rearms
and theiur safekeeping by the po-
lice will be carried out to ensure
a safe mid-term election in May.
He said police ofcers will be
knocking on the doors of politi-
cians to make sure their guns
were taped and then turned over
to the police to prevent those from
being used. Jonathan Fernan-
dez, Macon Ramos-Araneta
and Dexter A. See
UNA...
Governor Gwendolyn Gar-
cia as part of the ruling partys
grand project to strangle its ri-
vals in the 2013 elections.
The UNA candidates are in
the second leg of a two-week
sortie that include visits to Ca-
gayan, Isabela, Quirino and
Nueva Ecija, from Jan. 15 to 17.
The DILG earlier designated
Vice Governor Agnes Magpale
as acting governor. Magpale, an
LP member, is the running mate
of Hilario Davide III, LPs pro-
vincial chairman for Cebu.
Roxas, however, denied that
politics had something to do with
the ling of the new charges,
which stemmed from the use of
buses owned by the provincial
government that did not have per-
mit from Magpale during the Jan.
9 vigil for Garcia at the capitol.
Garcia denied ordering the
mobilization of the buses, say-
ing she did not have control
anymore over the Cebu govern-
ments resources.
Magpales move has the full
backing of the LP leadership,
according to LP Spokesman and
House Deputy Speaker Lorenzo
Tanada III.
But Cojuangco insisted Rox-
as would benet from taking ef-
fective control of the vote-rich
provinces once the sitting gov-
ernors were ousted during the
six-month election period.
Mar cannot feign ignorance
and one need not be a genius to
decipher and know who is behind
and who will ultimately benet
from the removal of, and political
weakening of Governor Gwen,
said Cojuangco.
Another UNA bet, Ernesto
Maceda, said the statement of
LP spokesman for Cebu lawyer
Democrito Barcenas on the ling
additional charges against Garcia
removes all pretenses about the
motive behind the suspension,
and conrmed that the suspension
smacked of political harassment.
UNA Secretary General and
Navotas Rep. Tobias Tiangco add-
ed that the creeping crackdown
on UNAwas now in full swing.
Reelectionist Senator Grego-
rio Honasan said he was hoping
that the lodging of more charges
against Garcia would not result
in a witch-hunt.
Vice President Jejomar Bi-
nays daughter Nancy, who is
also running for senator under
UNA, said due process and re-
spect for the rule of law appears
to have been set aside by the LP
with its plan to deluge Garcia
with cases now that the election
period had started.
Former Senator Richard
Gordon agreed.
Baguio...
a.m. Tuesday, forcing local residents
and visitors to wear warm clothes
and gather around replaces.
The active northeast mon-
soon coupled with the preva-
lence of the tailend of the cold
front is triggering the cold spell
in the city which is expected to
extend up to the rst week of
March, said Dr. Salvador Olin-
ares, a weather specialist.
Olinares added that the tem-
perature in elevated areas in Ba-
guio and Benguet went down to
as low as 8 to 9 degrees Celsius.
Bengeut Gov. Nestor B.
Fongwan, however, ruled out a
possible shortage of vegetables
because farmers had already
harvested their crops before
the onset of the extremely cold
weather which could have trig-
gered the andap, a Kankana-
ey term for the effects of frost to
locally grown vegetables.
Fongwan said that there is
now an oversupply of the crops,
which resulted in cheaper veg-
etables being sold in the mar-
ket. He added that Benguet has
enough vegetables to sustain the
markets in neighboring provinc-
es and in Manila.
The Baguio ofcial, how-
ever, asked the Department of
Agriculture and the Bureau of
Customs to closely monitor and
prevent the smuggling of veg-
etables from other countries that
are directly competing with lo-
cally grown crops.
Justices...
that requires a computer to be online before the
crime is committed, Carpio said.
Everybody now uses a computer to type a news
report, so practically all libel crimes now are cyber-
crimes because nobody uses a typewriter anymore.
Carpio recalled that the high court already had
several decisions which conict with Sec. 354 of
the Revised Penal Code provision on libel.
With that premise, the senior magistrate hinted
that the online libel provision in Section 4 (c) of
R.A. 10175 could be considered unconstitutional.
Carpio was reacting to the assertion of UP law
professor Harry Roque Jr. that the online libel pro-
vision should be struck down for overbreadth.
Peralta stressed that section 7, which allows
the prosecution of a cybercrime separately from
its counterpart in the Revised Penal Code, was
clearly inrm.
There is really something wrong here, Per-
alta said in agreeing with Bayan Muna Rep. and
lawyer Neri Colminares, who argued that the
questioned provision violated the constitutional
ban on double jeopardy.
De Castro took issue with Section 19 of the
law, which authorizes the Justice Department to
block or restrict access to computer data with-
out a court warrant.
How do we start determining prima facie
evidence? Does that mean law enforcement
agents can now snoop around? she asked when
she questioned lawyer Rodel Cruz.
De Castro also noted the lack of clear guar-
antees under Section 12 of R.A. 10175, which
allows real-time collection of trafc data, that
the right to privacy of citizens will be protected.
Is there any way for the ordinary citizen to
know theyre only collecting trafc data and not
content data? she said.
Petitioner lawyer Jose Jesus Disini Jr. re-
plied: None. The ability to collect copious
amounts of data is unparalleled.
While most of the justices agreed with the
petitioners on many points, a couple of them
obviously did not.
Leonen, who was appointed by President
Aquino in November last year, established the
need to regulate Internet use due to cases of cy-
ber bullying.
Is it not the right of government to come in
and remove the megaphone from individuals who
are careless? Is there not a state interest in coming
in in order to chill them from destroying others?
he asked as he cited the case of Christopher Lao,
the law student who scolded a trafc aide and then
received enormous criticisms online.
Sereno said Regulation of peoples behavior is
the intended effect of criminal statutes. The Internet
has allowed the citizens to cross the line.
Sereno admitted she was most concerned by
those who commit suicide after being cyberbullied.
But the petitioners stood pat on how the pro-
visions of the cybercrime law violated the civic
rights to free speech and due process, among
others things.
At the end of the four-hour hearing, they asked for
an extension to the 120-day temporary restraining or-
der issued by the high court in October last year and
that will expire on Feb. 6. Sereno said the high court
would take note of their manifestation.
The oral arguments will continue on Feb. 22, with
the executive and legislative branches presenting
their case through the ofce of the Solicitor General.
With Macon Ramos-Araneta and Maricel V. Cruz
MNLF...
poor, predominantly Muslim region
950 kilometers (590 miles) south
of Manila that is a stronghold of the
Moro insurgents.
The MNLF has denied any links
with the Abu Sayyaf, but the military
and police have long suspected some
rebels provide refuge and other sup-
port to the extremists. Some ghters
from the two groups are related by
blood, security ofcials say.
Sulus image has been tarnished
by high-prole kidnappings for ran-
som, beheadings, bombings and
deadly attacks blamed on the Abu
Sayyaf, especially in the early 2000s.
Although U.S.-backed Philippine
military offensives have consider-
ably weakened the Abu Sayyaf, an
estimated 300-plus extremists in Sulu
and nearby islands remain a national
security concern.
Malik said the MNLF move was
not aimed at bolstering the candidacy
of its chairman, Nur Misuari, who is
running for governor of a ve-prov-
ince Muslim autonomous region in
the south in elections on May 13. The
rebels, he said, would not pay the ran-
som demanded by the Abu Sayyaf for
the captivesfreedom.
We have long planned this but
we could not coordinate well and
muster the force well need so these
violators will listen to us, Malik said.
Maliks group signed an au-
tonomy deal with the government
in 1996 but the pact did not lead
to the disarming of the rebels, who
returned to their communities with
their rearms. The group later split
into different factions with Misu-
aris group retaining hundreds of
ghters and accusing the govern-
ment of reneging on commitments
to provide political and economic
concessions under the accord.
The Moro Islamic Liberation
Front, a larger insurgent group with
broke off from Maliks group in 1978,
is currently engaged in Malaysian-
brokered peace talks with the Philip-
pine government.
Sulu provincial police chief Senior
Superintendent Antonio Freyra said
Malik informed him of the MNLF
plan to negotiate the freedom of the
hostages. Sulu police forces were on
standby but would not get involved in
the rebel initiative, he said.
Malik said the MNLF emissaries
would attempt to meet with Radu-
lan Sahiron, a one-armed militant,
and other Abu Sayyaf commanders.
Washington has offered a $1 million
reward for the capture or killing of Sa-
hiron, who has been accused of many
terrorist acts.
Authorities believe the cap-
tives include a Dutch and a Swiss
citizen who were abducted in
February while bird watching in
nearby Tawi Tawi province. Abu
Sayyaf gunmen are also believed
to be holding a Japanese treasure
hunter and a Jordanian TV jour-
nalist together with two Filipino
crew who reportedly traveled to
Abu Sayyaf encampments in Sulu
to interview the militants in June
but failed to return.
Arrivals...
of an incoming passenger with
high fever.
Health authorities at the airport
on Monday started a stricter moni-
toring of passengers from the Unit-
ed States following reports of a u
epidemic there on Sunday.
They went on alert after u
downed 20,000 people in New
York City and the US Centers
for Disease Control and Preven-
tion announced that 47 states had
already been affected by the u,
with 24 to 29 states hard hit in-
cluding Florida, Arkansas and
South Carolina.
The only states without wide-
spread u were California, Mis-
sissippi and Hawaii.
Ona on Tuesday said the
Christmas season usually was the
time when US-based Filipinos
chose to vacation with their rela-
tives here.
He advised the public to watch
out in case they had fever, a sore
throat and bouts of coughing as
these were the common symp-
toms of u. He warned
that inuenza was a serious and
contagious disease, and that
young children, pregnant wom-
en, the elderly and those with
health conditions were at risk.
To prevent u from spread-
ing, one who is sick should stay
home as it takes only a few days
before the symptoms subside,
Ona said.
He said any infected person
could pass the virus to others
a day before their symptoms
appeared, or up to 5 days later
when they were already ill.
With Eric B. Apolonio
Soldiers...
ofce of Calabarzon and 15 policemen
from Atimonan and Pagbilao police
stations.
Shots rang out when two sports util-
ity vehicles arrived at the checkpoint.
Among the casualties were a senior
police ofcer and army intelligence op-
eratives.
The National Bureau of Investiga-
tion, which took over all physical evi-
dence gathered by scene of the crime
operative as ofcial prober, said they
were at a loss for words in describ-
ing the killings. Neither rubout nor
shootout was used by the NBI to de-
scribe the killings, but the word am-
bush was ruled out.
The ofcer said other than the sol-
diers in camouage uniforms, only the
Atimonan police chief was in uniform,
which was highly irregular for a police
checkpoint.
Maj. Gen. Alamn Luga, commander
of the Southern Luzon Command, has
ordered the 25 soldiers, inclduding Col.
Abang and two other ofcers, restricted
to barracks pending investigation of
the case, according to Col Generoso
Bolina, the Southern Luzon Command
spokesman.
In effect, they are not allowed to go
on operations, home leave or vacation
until the issue is resolved, Bolina said.
He said initial investigations by
SOLCOM indicate the Special Forces
troops merely responded to a call for
assistance by the local police.
They were told that a group of heav-
ily armed men and gun-for-hire sus-
pects and drug lords were proceeding
to the area and their help was urgently
needed, Bolina said.
He said among those killed, Vic Si-
man, an alleged jueteng operator, and
Tirso Lontok, a suspected communist
rebel, were not in the SOLCOMs or-
der of battle.
Interior and Local Government Sec-
retary Manuel Roxas sacked Chief
Supt. James Melad, director of the Po-
lice Regional Ofce in Region Four,
for his alleged refusal to cooperate with
investigators from the NBI.
Also removed from their posts were
members of the Provincial Public
Safety Company and the Batangas Pro-
vincial Intelligence Group, who were
allegedly involved in the killing last
Monday of Fernando Morales, a close
associate of Siman.
There will be no sacred cows. Sorry,
but the government cannot be used as a
tool to hide the truth from our people,
Roxas said.
He said Marantan, who was wound-
ed in the encounter, refused to submit
to investigators, declining to answer
questions, and would not allow them to
inspect his wounds and kept the slugs
recovered in the shootings.
I advise Supt. Marantan to submit to
investigators from the PNP or NBI. Its
not good for a man in your situation not
to submit to a transparent process so we
get to the whole truth in this incident,
Roxas said.
Ronald Pidlaoan, Marantans physi-
cian, said the police ofcer was wound-
ed in his left forearm, left leg and right
knee.
In Malacanang, presidential deputy
spokesperson Abigail Valte said Presi-
dent Aquino has conveyed his assur-
ances that we are serious in getting to
the bottom of his incident.
She said the government would
throw the book on Marantan, who was
wounded in the encounter and was re-
ported to have declined to submit to a
check-up on the wounds he sustained.
JANUARY 16, 2013 WEDNESDAY
A3 News
ManilaStandardToday mst.daydesk@gmail.com
Customs reconfigures
Gun ban defied; trader killed
IN BRIEF
Finally, Muhlach gets TRO
DOST to host govt websites
TO curb the growing number of hack-
ing attacks, Malacanang on Monday
said that it is studying the possibility of
directing the Department of Science and
Technology to host all websites run by
the government.
Presidential Spokesman Edwin Laci-
erda said migrating or moving all
government websites to the govern-
ment host will ensure their safety from
hackers. Government domain which is
managed by the DOST, is less prone to
hacking, he said.
Those (websites) that are hosted
by DOST are secure, for instance (the)
PCDSPO (Presidential Communications
Development and Strategic
Planning Ofce) and the OP (Ofce
of the President), are run by the govern-
ment and as much as the hackers have
attempted to attack the OP (website), it
has never been defaced, Lacierda said
in the report.
Some government websites are host-
ed by private entities and there has been a
suggestion to move or migrate their host-
ing to government so thats being studied
right now, he said. Marlon Magtira
ACTOR Aga Muhlach may now proceed
with his congressional bid in Camarines
Sur in May. This cropped up after the
Court of Appeals issued a temporary
restraining order enjoining a local court
from enforcing its order to delist him
and wife Charlene Gonzales from the
municipal list of voters.
After hearing Muhlachs petition
yesterday, the CAs 12th Division
through Associate Justice Vicente
Veloso decided to grant Muhlachs
prayer and issue the TRO effective
for 60 days against the San Jose re-
gional trial court.
However, the CA required him to post
a bond of P200,000 for possible damages
to be incurred by public respondents as a
result of the order.
Associate Justices Jane Aurora Lan-
tion and Eduardo Peralta Jr. concurred.
Gonzales, whose name was also re-
moved from the list, joined Muhlach in
ling the petition and was covered by the
TRO. Rey Requejo
Egyptian distinction. President Aquino confers the Order of Sikatuna with a rank of Datu (Silver Distinction) on Egyptian Ambassador
to the Philippines Ahmed Mahmoud Maher Abbas during the farewell call at the Music Room in Malacaan Palace on Tuesday. Abbas
was cited for his efforts to sustain the momentum for more vigorous bilateral relations between the Philippines and Egypt. Foreign Affairs
Undersecretary Jose Brillantes looks on. GIL NARTEA
Flying Brahminy.
A guest extends
his hand to feed
a Brahminy
Kite during the
launching of a
new attraction at
a marine-themed
park Tuesday.
Brahminy Kites,
known as coastal
raptors which
feed on insects,
reptiles and sh,
are on loan from
the Protected
Areas and Wildlife
Bureau of the
government. Bullit
Marquez-AP
By Joel E. Zurbano
A TOTAL of 52.8 million voters
registered for this years mid-
term polls, including those who
joined the list-up overseas.
The number rose by 2.03 mil-
lion from 50.85 million in the
2010 polls.
The Commission on Elections-
Precincts and Voting Center Di-
vision analyst Elisa Canete said
51,898,906 voters registered in the
country, while 988,384 signed up
as overseas absentee voters. The
Foreign Affairs department said
398,554 were new registrants.
The new gures surpassed the
total number of registrants in
2004, which chalked up 364,187
OAV, followed by 2007 with
143,236 and 2010 with 235,950.
The Overseas Absentee Vot-
ing Act of 2003 allows qualied
Filipino citizens residing abroad
to vote for president, vice presi-
dent, senators and party-list rep-
resentatives.
In the breakdown per region,
Region 4 or the Southern Tagalog
area posted the highest number
with 8,757,625 registered voters
followed by Metro Manila with
5,995,865 and Region 3 (Central
Luzon) with 5,822,678.
The Autonomous Region
in Muslim Mindanao posted
1,288,562 registered voters, down
by more than 500,000 compared
to the old list of 1.7 million.
The Comelec actually recorded
1,567,409 new voters during the
July 9 to 18, 2012 registration pe-
riod in ARMM but the commis-
sion discovered double and multi-
ple registrants and subjected them
to Automated Fingerprint Identi-
cation System process.
ARMM is composed of the prov-
inces of Lanao del Sur, Maguindan-
ao, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.
The new gures also sur-
passed the total number of reg-
istrants in 2004, where it only
listed 364,187 OAV; followed
by 2007 with only 143,236; and
in 2010 with 235,950.
The elections on May 13 will
elect 12 candidates for senators, the
highest elective positions available.
The total number of elective
government positions at stake to-
tal 18,053, including 59 partylist
representatives, 233 congress-
men, 80 governors and 143 may-
ors. A regional governor, a vice
governor and 24 assemblymen
will be elected in the ARMM.
The Comelec and the National
Police earlier identied a total of
889 election hot spots or election
watch-list areas in 15 provinces,
majority of which were found in
the Ilocos Region, 88 in the Eastern
Visayas, and 83 in the ARMM.
The provinces considered as
high-risk areas were Abra, Pangasi-
nan, Cagayan, Ilocos Sur, La Union,
Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Batangas,
Cavite, Masbate, Samar, Misamis
Occidental, Maguindanao, Lanao
del Sur and Basilan.
The PNP identied the hot
spots or potential ash points
based on election violence dur-
ing and outside the election pe-
riod, political rivalry, the pres-
ence of private armed groups
and other threat groups and the
proliferation of rearms.
52-M voters sign up for May polls China gears up
for war situation
Another Cabinet man
quits; Palace unfazed
CUSTOMS Commissioner Ruffy
Biazon described the recent chang-
es in his agency as a re-congura-
tion, adding that the agency didnt
play favorites with the selection of
district collectors.
We are now doing a re-congu-
ration of our organizational structure,
especially among our frontline of-
cials, to re-position our district collec-
tors where they can be most produc-
tive, Biazon said.
The retention of Rogel Gatchalian of
Manila, Carlos So of Ninoy Aquino In-
ternational Airport (Naia) and Ricardo
Belmonte of Manila International Con-
tainer Port (MICP) raised speculation
that the agency was afraid of moving
them because of their political and reli-
gious connections.
Gatchalian and Belmonte are al-
lied with two prominent politicians,
who in turn are allied with President
Benigno Aquino III. So, on the other
hand, is a member of a areligious sect.
I wont say that is the reason, I have
my own reasons and basis for moving
people around but its not that, said
Biazon during a forum on Monday.
Both Gatchalian and So have
been overstaying in their positions
for about four years.
In his Customs Personnel Order
last Jan. 10, Biazon reshufed only
ve district collectors assigned in
small ports and 13 other key ofcers.
Asked why he didnt move all the
district collectors, Biazon said there
are certain criteria to be considered.
One, of course, the perform-
ance, external factors the stakehold-
ers. We considered the stakehold-
ers. For me, strategy and drive on
how would I effect the changes. But
you will notice that even if the col-
lector is still there we moved people
in the assessment group, Biazon
said. Joel E. Zurbano
By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan
AMID escalating tensions between China and Japan
over territorial disputes in the East China Sea, the Peo-
ples Liberation Army called on its troops to get ready
and be prepared for actual war situations this year.
The Peoples Liberation Armys department of the
general staff for the entire force said that they are now
shifting focus to Japan instead of the Philippines this
year, which has also an ongoing territorial dispute in
the West Philippine Sea since April last year.
According to Peoples Liberation Army Department of
the general staff for the entire force this year, the PLA aims
to beef up its troops to prepare them for possible war.
In 2013, the goal set for the entire army and the Peo-
ples Armed Police force is to bolster their capabilities
to ght and their ability to win a war, the PLA posted
in the state-owned Peoples Liberation Army Daily.
Last years directive of PLA commander in chief Hu
Jintao only emphasized joint military training and co-
ordination among different PLAs.
This year, as Xi Jinping has taken over Hus post, the PLA
military troops would undergo hard and rigorous training.
The South China Morning Post said that this years
statement stresses the urgency of real combat abilities
in all military training by repeating ghting wars or
dazhang as many as 10 times in the statement.
By Joyce Pangco Paares
ANOTHER Cabinet ofcial
resigned effective yesterday
but Malacaang said that was
no big deal.
Trade Undersecretary Cris-
tino Panlilios resignation took
effect yesterday, following the
footsteps of National Disaster
Risk Reduction and Manage-
ment Council executive direc-
tor Benito Ramos and Philip-
pine Health Insurance Corp.
president Eduardo Banzon.
There was nothing unusual
in the series of resignations
of high-prole ofcials of the
Aquino administration this
month.
However, because of the ap-
pointments ban in light of the
May elections, deputy presi-
dential spokesman Abigail
Valte said President Benigno
Aquino III might opt to assign
an ofcer-in-charge to replace
the three ofcials.
Ramos, whose resignation
will take effect on Feb. 1, said
he was quitting to take care of
his ailing wife.
Banzon, who cited personal
reasons, will be replaced by
Health Secretary Enrique Ona
as OIC.
I think these resignations
are just coincidental, Valte
said.
I suppose you know there
are times when people need to
move on and need to change
different career paths, she
added.
Last month, the President
also accepted the resignations
of chief presidential legal
counsel Eduardo de Mesa and
Bureau of Corrections head
Gaudencio Pangilinan.
Since Mr. Aquino took of-
ce in 2010, there have been a
number of high-ranking Cabinet
and government ofcials who
have resigned from his adminis-
tration, including National Eco-
nomic Development Author-
ity head Cayetano Paderanga,
Transportation Secretary Jose de
Jesus, Customs chief Angelito
Alvarez, Private-Public Partner-
ship Ofce executive director
Philamer Torio, Land Transpor-
tation Franchising Regulatory
Board head Nelson Laluces, Bu-
Cor head Ernesto Diokno, and
Interior Undersecretary Rico
Puno.
Senior Supt. Gabriel Lopez,
Marikina police chief, identi-
ed the victim as Mark Joseph
Ang Luna, 45, of Filipinas Vil-
lage, Barangay Malanday, who
was shot at 8 a.m. at the corner
of Bayan-Bayanan Avenue and
Concepcion Uno.
A witness said the suspect fol-
lowed Luna and red at his head
before escaping with a compan-
ion on a motorcycle.
Luna was rushed to Saint Vin-
cent Hospital but was declared
dead on arrival, the police said.
Gun owner Bradley Barroya,
47, jobless, of Barangay Hag-
dang Bato Libis in Mandaluyong
was arrested around 11:30 a.m.
by anti-illegal drugs agents dur-
ing a stakeout operation.
SPO2 Armando Esperanza Jr.
said Berroya who was in front of
a convenience store had a .45-ca-
liber Armscor pistol when frisked.
At the station, Chief Insp.
Teddy Tomas said the suspect
presented a rearm license
FC117434 and permit to carry ID
BDB 1204006969 but was still
detained for lack of proof that he
was exempted from the ban.
At Camp Crame, National Po-
lice Chief Alan Purisima said 16
rearms were seized and 12 people
were arested in checkpoints across
Metro Manila, Ilocos, Central Lu-
zon, Calabarzon, regions 7, 8 and 9.
The enforcement of the gun
ban was hightened following the
killing in San Juan, Batangas, of
Fernando Morales, associate of
Victorino Siman, who was among
the 13 people killed at a checkpoint
in Atimonan, Quezon, last Jan. 6.
Local Government Secretary
Mar Roxas sacked Calabarzon
Police chief James Melad fol-
lowing the shooting at the victis
residence in Barangay Lipahan.
Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr.
on Tuesday gave a passing mark
to some checkpoints even as his
colleagues in the House dared
the police to follow the standard
procedures.
I passed through three check-
points last Sunday in Bataan. It
looked okay to me, he said, not-
ing that circumstances may have
been different in Atimonan.
Aurora Rep. Juan Edgardo
Angara said checkpoints be well
lighted, properly identied and
manned by uniformed policemen.
Deputy Minority Leader and
Zambales Rep. Mitos Magsaysay
along with San Juan City Rep.
Joseph Victor Ejercito and Que-
zon City Rep. Winston Castelo
said the police should act respon-
sibly at checkpoints.
Zambales Rep. Jun Omar Ebdane
said Atimonan was an isolated case,
Lets just keep our eyes open for
any violation on both sides.
Chairman Francis Tolentino of
the Metro Manila Development
Authority on Tuesday petitioned
the Commission on Elections,
seeking an extended liquor ban.
He said exemptions can be
allowed hotels and other estab-
lishments catering to foreign
travelers with certication by the
Deparetment of Tourism.
By Gigi Muoz David, Francisco Tuyay,
Maricel V. Cruz and Rio N. Araja
DESPITE a ve-month gun ban start-
ing Jan. 13, a Filipino-Chinese trader
was shot dead in Marikina City Tuesday
while a gun holder was nabbed by anti-
illegal drugs operatives in Mandaluyong
City. Police have so far chalked up 12
cases of gun ban violations.
Opinion Adelle Chua, Editor
ManilaStandardToday
mst.lettertotheeditor@gmail.com JANUARY 16, 2013 WEDNESDAY
A4
THE Supreme Court on
Tuesday heard oral arguments
from those who asked it
to declare the Cybercrime
Prevention Act of 2012
unconstitutional. There are at
present 16 petitions against
the law whose passage late
last year took the nation by
surprise.
Two of the most
controversial provisions were
about online libel, which
gives a higher penalty than the
already existing crime of libel,
and what is called the take-
down clause, which allows the
Department of Justice to shut
down Web sites it believes
unlawful.
Senator Edgardo Angara
concedes that the law he
authored is awed even as he
points out that the Internet is an
entirely new eld, especially
in law. He remains hopeful
that the Supreme Court would
not throw the entire law along
the problematic provisions
because it addresses many
other evils that pose threats to
Internet users in general. Its
necessary, he emphasizes,
citing hacking, identity theft
and other crimes the law in its
entirety seeks to prevent.
But those opposing the
law say it plainly and simply
runs contrary to freedom
of expression. Some feel
compelled to resort to drastic
measures like hacking
government Web sites and
staging rallies in masked faces
to drive home their point.
The high court had issued
a temporary restraining order
on the implementation of the
law following strong public
indignation against it. Indeed it
appeared as though the Aquino
administration, while claiming
to champion transparency and
accountability, was going to
the opposite direction when
the cybercrime law was
swiftly signed into law while
the freedom of information
act continued to languish in
both Houses of Congress (the
Senate has since passed it but
the House does not seem to see
any urgency in doing so).
The restraining order
however will expire on
February 6. Beyond that,
how the public will receive
the implementation of a
controversial law which
threatens to impinge on the
most common of activities
blogging, for instance, or
posting comments on social
media networkswill likely be
heightened with the proximity
of the May elections.
Tuesdays arguments
enlightened the Supreme Court
justices on whether the entire
law, or just parts of it, must go.
It is at least good that the parties
agree that the problematic
issues must be addressed.
Then again, the evils the law
claims to prevent may already
be addressed by existing laws.
We do not need another one
especially one that curtails
citizens prerogative to speak
their minds.
Fear of the unknown must not
move us to violate certain basic
freedoms even under the guise
of caution. The Supreme Court
must assert this, and soon.
All or nothing
EDITORIAL
Health, family and
the Cybercrime Law
ID NO sooner noted the strange
resignation of Undersecretary Benito
Ramos, the much-maligned disaster
coordinating agency chief, when yet
another senior Aquino administration
bureaucrat quit on equally dubious
grounds. Dr. Eduardo Banzon,
president of the Philippine Health
Insurance Corp., or Philhealth, resigned
due to family and personal reasons,
according to Malacaang.
The resignation of Banzon, an
accomplished doctor, academic and
technocrat, obviously caught the Palace
by surprise, because it had to scramble
to appoint Health Secretary Enrique
Ona as caretaker of the agency Banzon
once headed. There was no time to nd
a replacement, let alone to brief one on
Philhealths operations, unlike in the
case of Ramos.
Once again, there were no further
details on the abrupt resignation of
Banzon, an appointee
of President Noynoy
Aquino. The code of
omerta that seems to
govern all Aquinos
appoi nt eesand
which has made
many people wonder
why family and
health concerns are
always the reasons
given for bureaucrats
who quitseems
rmly in place.
B a n z o n
was supposed
to implement
controversial reforms in Philhealth,
in furtherance of Aquinos campaign
promise of health care for all.
These included a widely criticized
plan to increase Philhealth premium
contributions, supposedly to cut down
on out-of-pocket expenditures for
members needing medical care; the
planned increases never took effect for
still unknown reasons, even after they
were announced at least three times
since Banzons appointment.
Just once, Id like to hear of an
Aquino-appointed bureaucrat who
quits because of policy differences,
incompetence, corruption or one of the
real reasons for leaving government,
instead of the tired, old health-and-
family excuse. But that would violate
a clause in their hiring contract which
prohibits such candor, it seems, because
that would make it appear like Aquino
made a mistake in hiring someone
and that, apparently, never happens.
* * *
If this administration hates looking
like it hired the wrong people, it
detests being found in error (or grossly
incompetent) by passing laws that
have unintended (and unconstitutional)
consequences with an equal passion.
The new law cracking down on
cybercrime is one instance where the
government, long after it has been
found not to have done its homework,
seeks to save face by insisting on
standing on shaky legal ground.
But even a Supreme Court as Palace-
oriented as this one should nd no
problem striking down the Cybercrime
Prevention Act of 2012, a.k.a. Republic
Act 10175. The alternative, after all, is
totally scary and unacceptable.
As Ive written before, I have
no problem with cracking down on
identity theft, online fraud, child
prostitution, cyber-bullying and
all the other obviously punishable
offenses that an anti-cybercrime law
seeks to address. But the addition of
provisions against online libel and
allowing so-called takedowns of Web
sites suspected of violating the new
law (including the libel provision) are
totally unacceptable, if not patently
illegal.
As the oral debates on RA 10175
began yesterday with the expiration of
the 120-day restraining order issued by
the Court on the lawpassed late last
year and signed with the usual alacrity
by Aquino the governments own
ofcials are now admitting that perhaps
some people have been noynoying
when they should have been studying.
Thus, we are treated to the sight
of the chairman of the Department
of Justices Ofce of Cybercrime,
Assistant Secretary
Geronimo Sy,
saying that libel is
already punished in
the general criminal
code already.
Whether it is
punished in print or
online, it is the same
form of libel; you
dont have to have
a special mention
in the Cybercrime
Prevention Act.
Me a n w h i l e ,
the Ofce of the
Solicitor General,
the governments ofcial lawyer,
has acknowledged, as well, that the
takedown provision in Section 19 is
unconstitutional. Section 19 allows DoJ,
without court approval, to block and
restrict access to Web sites it deems in
violation of anti-cybercrime provisions.
The redundant libel provision and
the takedown clause are the two most
unacceptable aspects of the law, which
passed in Congress and was signed
by the President apparently without
anyone noticing them. Now the Palace,
according to Prevaricator-in-chief
Edwin Lacierda, is saying that while
the law may be awed, the Supreme
Court must declare it to be so before the
government does something about it.
Whatever happened to good old
studying a law before Congress or
Malacaang green-lights it? And what
if the Supreme Court upholds RA
10175will we get stuck with a law
that even its main proponent (the Aquino
administration) now admits is defective?
It could happen, given the out-and-
out subservience of this Supreme Court
to Malacaang. If that comes to pass,
then all hell online and off can be
expected to break loose.
Then, perhaps, the solicitor general
and the head of DoJs cybercrime ofce
will quietly quit, citing health and family
reasons. As for Lacierda, thats never
going to happen; hes told more lies than
anyone can count, in aid of defending
the indefensible, and it doesnt seem to
put any strain on his health or his family.
ROLANDO G. ESTABILLO Publisher
RAMONCHITO L. TOMELDAN Managing Editor
CHIN WONG/ RAY S. EANO Associate Editors
JOEL P. PALACIOS News Editor
ROGELIO C. SALAZAR President & CEO
MEMBER
Philippine Press Institute
The National Association
of Philippine Newspapers PPI
can be accessed at:
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JOJO
A. ROBLES
LOWDOWN
Ofcials are
now admitting
that perhaps some
people have been
noynoying on the
new law.
Worst, but friendliest airport
A STRANDED British tourist who made
the Ninoy Aquino International Airport
his home for 24 days and experienced
legendary Filipino hospitality should
soften our image of having the worst
airport in the world.
Its still a terrible airport but a tad
or notch better than some African
backwater aireld. Backpacking
foreigners who sleep at airports rst
brought to international attention
NAIAs lack of amenities. But Manilas
gateway can now be considered the
friendliest and most hospitable.
Ask Gary Peter Austin who survived
through the kindness of the airports
immigration, customs personnel and
fellow travelers who passed the hat
for food and cellphone load to call the
British Embassy in Manila. But in the
end it was a Dutchman who paid his
return airfare back to London.
Austin, a 54-year old former
racehorse jockey had a jolly good time
island-hopping in the Philippines and
visiting a girlfriend in Cebu. His Gulf
Air electronic booking to London was
canceled by the airline and he did not
have the fare for another ticket after
spending all his money.
For once, the Department of Tourism
can have someone really attest to
its claim that its more fun in the
Philippines!
The story of the stranded Brit and its
happy ending may not have anything
to do with it but Conde Nast Traveller,
a prestigious London-based magazine
listed the Philippines among the top 10
destinations for 2013. Other destinations
that made the magazines list were
Amsterdam, Brazil, Galapagos Islands,
Kashmir, Oman, New Zealand, the
Mayan Riviera in Mexico and the Congo
Although we have a festering
territorial dispute with China, the
Chinese nd the Philippines as an
attractive tourist destination. The
Oriental Morning Post, a leading news
daily in Shanghai, listed the Philippines
as one of the best tourist destinations
together with Ireland, Korea, Dubai and
Finland.
It will be recalled that Beijing at the
height of the Scarborough Shoal tension
told Chinese travel agencies not to sell the
Philippines as a tourist destination. The
blacklisting followed the hostage taking of
several Chinese and Hong Kong tourists.
The hostages were killed in a botched
attempt to rescue them from a hijacked
bus three years ago at the Luneta.
New Chinese provocation
Beijing, meanwhile, continues
to stoke the simmering South China
Sea dispute with the Philippines
and other claimant countries. The
latest provocation, the deployment
of a Chinese patrol ship in the West
Philippine Sea, was reported by the
Department of
Foreign Affairs. The Chinese gunboat
was sighted near the Philippines 200-
mile exclusive economic zone under the
United Nations Convention on the Law
of the Sea.
There are disquieting reports that
China has also published new maps
that included more than 130 islands
and islets in the West Philippine Sea
and waters that are being claimed by
Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei. The area
is potentially rich in oil and mineral and
also a source of livelihood for sher folk
in the coast of Zambales.
The Chinese plan to release the new
maps by the end of January to assert its
claim over the entire South China Sea is
seen as part of the grand plan to document
theiur claim over the entire South China
Sea when they are ready to submit to the
jurisdiction of the International Tribunal
on the Law of the Sea.
The tension arising from the
South China Sea territorial dispute
was discussed by Foreign Secretary
Albert del Rosario with his Japanese
counterpart, Japanese Foreign Minister
Fumio Kishida who was recently in
Manila on a two-day ofcial visit.
Describing Japan as a strategic
partner, the DFA announced the
Japanese donation of 10 patrol boats to
help protect its maritime borders. Japan
also has a territorial row with China over
the Senkaku Island which the Chinese
call Diaoyu.
Negroponte at Peninsula
Former US Ambassador to Manila
John Negroponte will speak on current
global issues in a breakfast meeting
with select journalists at the Peninsula
Hotel on Tuesday, Jan 22.
Negroponte was invited to guest
the 9:30 a.m. event hosted by former
Secretary of Foreign Affairs Roberto R.
Romulo.
The Director of National Intelligence
and former US Representative to the
United Nations, Mr. Negroponte is
a much sought after speaker in the
international lecture circuit. Educated
at Exeter (UK) and Yale, he is a career
diplomat and has held various key
positions at the State Department. His
talent was rst recognized by President
Richard Nixons former National
Security Adviser, Dr. Henry Kissinger.
A5 Opinion Adelle Chua, Editor
ManilaStandardToday
mst.lettertotheeditor@gmail.com
YOU know you are old when you
can no longer put your pants and
underwear on while standing up. Or
when you have to be helped as you
go down even a few steps, or cross
the street. Or stand up for a long time
without looking for something to sit
on.
Sales girls call you Lolo. Frankly,
I resent that. Thats why early on, my
wife and I taught our children to call
us Papito and Manita. Sounds
more endearing, doesnt it?
In any case, with all the maintenance
pills I gorge on morning, noon and
night, I am very much aware that I am,
at 85 going 86, at the pre-departure
area waiting for the last call to board
the ight to the Great Beyond.
I have a few regrets. One of them
is my inability to chronicle my over
60 years as a journalistand the
many untold
stories I was
privy to. I have
seen the best
and the worst
of the people
who walked
the corridors of
power.
Then again,
who would
bother reading
about me?
***
The presence of Federal Bureau of
Investigation agents in the Philippines
to dig deeper into the alleged $5
million (or is it $30 million or $40
million?) bribe of Pachinko founder
Kazuo Okada to the bagman of former
Pagcor Chairman Efraim Genuino is
proof that the American government
is taking this matter seriously.
According to Reuters (which broke
the story and which is now facing libel
charges led by Okada), the Japanese
billionaire had secured a license to
operate a gambling casino together
with three other conglomerates,
infusing at least $1 billion each for
the Pagcor Entertainment City along
the reclaimed area along Roxas
Boulevard.
The three other gambling giants
are Andrew Tans Global Alliance in
partnership with Genting Highlands
of Malaysia; billionaire Ricky
Razons Bloomberry; and Henry Sys
conglomerate.
Just how far the FBI agents, who
are in town with the help of the
National Bureau of Investigation, can
get to the bottom of the alleged payoff
remains to be seen.
For one thing, the alleged bribe
was reported to have been given to
Genuinos bagman after Okadas
license and permit were approved. My
gulay, that doesnt make sense since a
bribe is always given before approval
is secured. Which leads me to ask, for
whom then was that alleged payoff?
In any case, what is truly regrettable
in connection with this scam is that
well never see the shadow of the
Las Vegas gambling giants coming to
the Philippinesnot while Okada is
involved with Pagcor.
I call this regrettable since Las
Vegas gambling giants likes Wynns
and Sands have made Macau and
Singapore what they are today-
destinations for foreign tourists and
gambling casino acionados.
And with the absence of Las Vegas
casino giants pouring in billion of
dollars into Pagcors Entertainment
City, how in the world can we ever
hope to compete with Macau and
Singapore? And all because of Okada.
***
Malacaang says that the Comelec
gun ban imposed during the election
period will not deter crimes. My
gulay, who said it would? Criminals
and lawless elements continue to have
more than 600,000 loose rearms.
Thats why its a good thing that
the President has ordered Philippine
National Police chief Alan Purisima
and Interior and Local Governments
Secretary Mar Roxas to go after
private armies that are known to be
equipped with loose rearms.
What bothers me no end is that
the PNP keeps on telling us that
nationwide crime has gone down by
at least 10 percent. I cannot reconcile
this claim with what we all read in the
newspapers and watch on television on
the upsurge of criminality nationwide,
especially in Metro Manila.
The fact that even the police are
involved in
crime makes
things worse.
T h e
confusing, and
at times even
cont radi ct ory,
s t a t e m e n t s
coming from
both the
police and the
NBI on the
i nvest i gat i ons
into what really happened in Atimonan
is a perfect example of how not to
conduct a probe.
***
As a lawyer, I believe that business
tycoon Bobby Ongpin has basis for
ling a case of graft against Anti-
Money Laundering Council executive
director Vicente Aquino.
As a result of the freezing by the
AMLC of Ongins accounts (along
with the accounts of 20 others) in
connection with the businessmans
loans with the Development Bank
of the Philippines, Ongpin suffered
irreparable damage to his reputation.
This resulted in his loss of some
P8 billion in his Philippine Stock
Exchange listed corporations.
Ongpins suit against Aquino is
separate from his earlier graft suit
against Bangko Sentral Deputy Gov.
Nestor Espenilla, who led an ex-parte
(without hearing the respondents
side) petition at the Court of Appeals
which immediately granted it.
Aquino had sworn under oath that
the two loans totaling P560 million,
which represented only 17 percent
of what Ongpin borrowed from other
sources for the Philex transaction,
were inadequately covered by
collateral and thus irregular. Thats
stupid to say the least since records
showed the DBP itself admits that
the Ongpin loans were adequately
covered by Ongpins Philweb shares.
All told, the collateral for the
Ongpin loans was almost thrice the
value of the loans.
Obviously, Aquino did not study
the case adequately and had a
knee-jerk reaction in line with the
administrations continued harassment
and persecution of Ongpin. Behest
loans, my foot! Jurisprudence says
that a loan is behest when its in
default and not fully paid.
I suggest Aquino should study
banking laws and regulations. He will
be educated.
No Las Vegas giants
for Pagcor
EMIL
P. JURADO
TO THE POINT
This is all because
of Okada.
By Nelson Flores
MY column last week entitled The
secularization movement apparently
needs some clarication hence this piece.
The meaning of the word secularization,
in our countrys case, could not simply be
dened by a dictionary since it can only
be understood in the context of a particular
timeline in our history.
For instance, during the time of Frs.
Pedro Pelaez, Mariano Gomez, Jose
Burgos, Jacinto Zamora (the Gomburza
martyrs) and Gregorio Aglipay (roughly
from 1860 to the 1940s), secularization
pertains to the ght of Filipino priests
who are not from religious or monastic
orders for appointment to key positions
in the Church that was then dominated
by Spanish friars, hence the call among
native clergymen to end frailocracy.
Up to that time, Filipino secular priests
were relegated to secondary roles in
parishes or assigned to far-ung areas that
are undesirable to the Spanish friars.
It was their struggle for the Filipinization
and secularization of the Church and
against the abuses of the friars that led
to the martyrdom of Frs. Gomez, Burgos
and Zamora (Gomburza). It also caused
the start the Propaganda movement, the
printing of Rizals Noli Me Tangere and
El Filibusterismo, the spark that ignited
the 1896 revolution and it also resulted in
the rst great schism in the Church in the
Philippines which led to the formation of
the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI) in
1902 and the appointment of Fr. Aglipay
as its rst Obispo Maximo or Supreme
Bishop.
When we became a republic in 1946,
secularizations meaning morphed into
something more about the struggle of the
national government against the undue
inuence/meddling of the conservative
faction of the Roman Catholic religion
in the public sector since by this time the
friars inuence have waned considerably
and only remained in several exclusive
schools.
The conict between the nations
secular leadership and the conservative
princes of this religion came to a boiling
point in 1956 when the latter vigorously
and openly tried to prevent the passage
of the Rizal Bill for allegedly being a
violation of the freedom of conscience
and religion.
The members of this faction, who are
supposed to be exemplars of Christianity,
honesty and good faith; maliciously
accused the main pillar of Philippine
nationalism in the senate and principal
sponsor of the Rizal Bill, Sen. Claro Mayo
Recto, of being an ardent communist and
anti-catholic.
Fortunately, the conservatives squid
tactic did not work and the Rizal Bill,
which aims to make the hero and his work
known to our people, eventually became
Republic Act 1425 and now is part of the
high school and collegiate curriculum.
Looking back, I think the surviving
family of Dr. Rizal made a correct decision
in 1912 when they rejected a petition from
the Jesuits, an inuential Roman Catholic
order, to rebury Dr. Rizal in Luneta (now
Rizal Park) from a paupers grave Paco
Park and instead accorded that honor to the
heros faithful brethren, the freemasons.
Perhaps this fortunate decision of
Rizals surviving family is because they
correctly perceived that the Jesuits
petition is smack with hypocrisy. Note
that no cleric came out in his defense
and the Catholic Church kept silent
during Rizals trial despite his closeness
to at least four inuential Jesuit priests.
It is only after Rizal became popular that
the Roman Catholic hierarchy started
claiming him.
It could also be justiably supposed that
early in that point, Rizals family already
suspect that the inuential conservative
block in the Roman Catholic Church
does not want anyone or anything that has
something to do with Rizal as later shown
by their determined opposition against
Rectos proposal to institutionalize the
teaching of the heros work to our people.
Recently, this contest between the
secular leadership and the Roman
Catholic Church simmered anew when
the latter exed its muscle in a bid to
maintain its power and political inuence
by trying to prevent the passage of another
pro-people law, Republic Act 10354 or the
Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive
Health Act of 2012.
Short of excommunicating President
Benigno Simeon Aquino III and the other
prominent proponents of the controversial
law, the conservative faction of the church
threw everything against them, including
the toilet bowl, so to speak. They used the
pulpit, the schools under their inuence
and other misled institutions in their
attempts to destroy the personalities who
went against their wishes.
Providentially, the reactionary segment
of the Roman Catholic Church again lost
this battle and the age of enlightenment
continued its march.
* * *
It has been a long time since an
archbishop with genuine priestly qualities
made its presence felt to the nation. Among
all the Roman Catholic prelates who
publicly made known their stand against
the RH Bill, only Manila Archbishop Luis
Antonio Cardinal Tagle spoke with reason
and due bounds.
I truly nd it admiring that last month
shortly after the House of Representatives
passed on second reading the controversial
RH Bill which sealed its fate, Cardinal
Tagle, instead of seeking the electoral
defeat of the politicians who worked
for the passage of the controversial law
in the coming elections, prayed for the
immediate healing and unity of the nation.
I thank God for Cardinal Tagles
sensibility and grace.
So mote it be.
The meaning of the word
It all began in Paradise
ON THE day President Benigno Aquino
III signed the Reproductive Health Act,
which seeks to impose birth control on
all Filipinos, the Inter-American Court
of Human Rights in Costa Rica redened
the moment of conception (from
fertilization to implantation) and
declared that the embryo does not have
the legal status of a person.
It struck down Costa Ricas 12-year-
old ban on in-vitro fertilization (IVF),
making it available to anyone who wants
it in any of the 22 countries in Latin
America and the Carribean under its
jurisdiction. What is IVF? It is a process
in which a female egg is fertilized by a
male sperm outside the body, in vitro
(Latin for in glass), and the fertilized
egg (zygote) is inserted inside the
womans uterus to produce a pregnancy.
To come up with that suitable
embryo, several other embryos could be
wasted. The Costa Rica Constitutional
Chamber found that inconsistent with the
protection of unborn life, so in 2000 it
banned IVF, consistent with the provision
in both Costa Ricas Constitution and the
American Convention on Human Rights
which guarantees protection of the
unborn from the moment of conception.
But in 2004, ten Costa Rican couples
and one fertility clinic led a petition
against the ban before the Inter-American
Commission on Human Rights. Last
Dec. 21, the Inter-American Court ruled
that the IVF ban violated the right to
privacy, family life, personal integrity,
sexual and reproductive health. It ordered
Costa Rica to legalize IVF within the
next six months.
Professor Paolo Carozza, who served
on the Inter-American Commission on
Human Rights from 2006 to 2010, called
it, the worst decision on the protection
of embryonic human life ever issued by
an international court. Piero Tozzi of
Alliance Defending Freedom complained
that the ruling turned the right to life on
its head and subordinated it to so many
other secondary rights. Pope Benedict
XVI expressed his dismay in his annual
address to the diplomatic community at
the Holy See.
We could share that anguish. In
March of 2011, at the invitation of my
friend Austin Ruse, president of Catholic
Family & Human Rights Institute or
C-FAM in the US, I joined a group of 40
scholars assembled in San Jose, Costa
Rica from various parts of the world to
draft an international document that had
since come to be known as The San Jose
Articles. I could not come to the meeting
because of a wedding in my family and
had to participate via the Internet.
Lord David Alton of the British
House of Lords; Lord Nicholas Windsor
of the British Royal Family; Oxford
University Professor John Finnis;
Princeton University Professor Robert
George; Javier Borrego, former Judge
of the European Court of Human Rights;
former Foreign Minister and Deputy
Prime Minister of Slovenia Alojz Peterle;
Carl Anderson, Supreme Knight, Knights
of Columbus; and so many distinguished
professors of philosophy, law,
jurisprudence, public policy, medicine
and bioethics from the most prestigious
universities contributed to and signed the
document.
We then launched the document
at the UN, the British and European
Parliaments, and in all the continents. All
the 10 articles are online, but here are the
rst ve:
Article 1. As a matter of scientic fact
a new human life begins at conception.
Article 2. Each human life is a
continuum that begins at conception
and advances in stages until death.
Science gives different names to these
stages, including zygote, blastocyst,
embryo, fetus, infant, child, adolescent
and adult. This does not change the
scientic consensus that at all points of
development each individual is a living
member of the human species.
Article 3. From conception each
unborn child is a human being.
Article 4. All human beings, as
members of the human family, are entitled
to recognition of their inherent dignity
and to protection of their inalienable
human rights. This is recognized in the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights,
the International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights, and other international
instruments.
Article 5. There exists no right to
abortion under international law, either
by way of treaty obligation or under
customary international law. No United
Nations treaty can be accurately cited
as establishing or recognizing a right to
abortion.
Treaty monitoring bodies have
no authority, either under the treaties
that created them or under general
international law, to interpret these
treaties in ways that create new state
obligations or that alter the substance of
the treaties.
Accordingly, any such body that
interprets a treaty to include a right to
abortion acts beyond its authority and
contrary to its mandate. Such ultra vires
acts do not create any legal obligations
for states parties to the treaty, nor should
states accept them as contributing to the
formation of new customary international
law.
Through the Articles we had hoped
to bury the big lie about the right
to abortion/ reproductive health,
which certain forces had been trying
to propagate for years. But the recent
ruling, like Aquinos RH Act, has shown
that the big lie has more than nine lives.
This only means that we and our children,
and our childrens children, will have to
continue, for all our lives, ghting the
war which rst began among the angels
in Paradise.
fstatad@gmail.com
FRANCISCO S.
TATAD
FIRST THINGS FIRST
By Candice Choi
NEW YORKCoca-Cola became
one of the worlds most powerful
brands by equating its soft drinks with
happiness. Now, for the rst time, its
addressing a growing cloud over the
industry: obesity.
The US-based company on Monday
began airing a two-minute ad during the
highest-rated shows on CNN, Fox News
and MSNBC in hopes of becoming a
stronger voice in the debate over sodas
and their impact on public health. The ad
lays out Coca-Colas record of providing
drinks with fewer calories over the years
and notes that weight gain is the result
of consuming too many calories of any
kind not just soda.
Coca-Cola says the campaign will
kick off a variety of moves that help
address obesity in the year ahead, such
as providing more diet options at soda
fountains.
For the worlds No. 1 beverage
company, the ads reect the mounting
pressures on the broader industry. Later
this year, New York City is set to put
into effect a rst-in-the-nation cap on
the size of soft drinks sold at restaurants,
movie theaters, sports arenas and other
venues.
And when PepsiCo Inc., the No. 2
soda maker, recently signed a wide-
ranging endorsement deal with pop
singer Beyonce, critics called for the
singer to drop the contract or donate
the funds to groups that fund health
initiatives.
Diana Garza Ciarlante, a
spokeswoman for Coca-Cola Co., said
the new ads arent a reaction to any
negative public sentiment but that the
company felt it needed to address the
issue of the times.
Recent studies have suggested
that sugary drinks cause people to
gain weight, independent of other
unhealthy behavior. A decades-long
study involving more than 33,000
Americans suggested that drinking
sugary beverages interacts with genes
that affect weight, amplifying a persons
risk of obesity beyond what they would
be from heredity alone.
Mike Jacobson, executive director
for the Center for Science in the Public
Interest, was skeptical about the intent
behind Coca-Colas ads and said that if
the company was serious about helping
reduce obesity, it would stop ghting
soda taxes.
It looks like a page out of damage
control 101, he said. Theyre trying to
disarm the public.
In the Coca-Cola ad, a narrator notes
that obesity is an issue that concerns
all of us but that people can make a
difference when they come together.
Another ad, which will run
later this week during American
Idol and before the Super Bowl
football championship, is much
more reminiscent of catchy, upbeat
advertising people have come to
expect from Coca-Cola. It features a
montage of activities that add up to
burning off the 140 happy calories
in a can of Coke: walking a dog,
dancing, laughing with friends and
doing a victory dance after bowling a
strike.
Garza Ciarlante said the 30-second
ad, a version of which ran in Brazil
last month, is intended to address
confusion about the number of calories
in soda. She said the companys
consumer research showed people
thought there were as many as 900
calories in one can.
Coca-Cola notes it has already
made several moves to help customers
make smarter choices, such as putting
calorie counts on the front of its cans
and bottles in the U.S. Last year, it also
started posting calorie information on its
vending machines ahead of a regulation
that will require soda companies to do
so by 2014.
Public concern over calories counts
is apparent in Coca-Colas business. In
North America, all the growth in its soda
business over the past 15 years has come
from low- and no-calorie drinks, such as
Coke Zero. Diet sodas now account for
nearly a third of its sales in the U.S. and
Canada. Other beverages, such as sports
drinks and bottled water, are also fueling
growth.
Even with the growing popularity
of diet sodas, however, overall
soda consumption in the U.S.
has declined steadily since 1998,
according to the industry tracker
Beverage Digest. AP
Coca-Cola to address obesity for rst time in ads
Classifeds
ManilaStandardToday
adv.mst@gmail.com
A6
Page Compositor: Diana Keyser Punzalan
ERRORS
&
OMI SSI ONS
I n Cl as s i f i ed
A d s s e c t i o n
must be brought
to our attention
the very day the
adver t i sement
i s publ i shed.
We wi l l not be
responsible for
any incorrect ads
not reported to us
immediately.
(MST-Jan. 16, 2013)
Republic of the Philippines
Department of Public Works and Highways
OFFICE OF THE DISTRICT ENGINEER
Fifth Leyte Engineering District
Baybay City, Leyte
Telephone Number (053) 335-2503
ITEM I
Contract ID : 13IG0018
Contract Name : Preventive Maintenance along Ormoc-Baybay-Southern Leyte
Boundary Road, K1087+000 to K1088+000; K1089+000 to
K1092+000; K1092+000 to K1093+000 (Intermittent Sections)
Contract Location : Hindang, Leyte
Brief Description/Scope : Removal of Existing Concrete Pavement, Roadway
Of Work Excavation (Unsuitable), Structure Excavation, Embankment from
Borrow, Aggregate Sub Base Course, PCCP 280mm, PCCP (for
Road Shoulder, 200mm), Grouted Riprap, Construction Safety &
Health, Warning Signs & Traffc Management.
Approved Budget for the : P 5,335,000.00
Contract (ABC)
Contract Duration : 75 Calendar Days
Cost of Bid Documents : P 10,000.00
ITEM II
Contract Name : Preventive Maintenance Ormoc-Baybay-Southern Leyte Boundary
Road, K1052+000 to K1053+000; K1056+000 to K1056+960;
K1056+960 to K1059+000
Contract Location : Baybay, Leyte
Of Work excavation (Unsuitable), Embankment from Borrow, Aggregate
Sub-Base Course, Bituminous Tack Coat, Bituminous Concrete
Surface Course, Hot Laid, PCCP 280mm, Refective Thermoplastic
Pavement Marking (white), Refective Thermoplastic Pavement
Marking (Yellow), Construction Safety & Health, Warning Signs &
Traffc Management
Contract (ABC)
ITEM III
Contract Name : Rehabilitation/Reconstruction of Damaged Paved National Roads
along Tacloban-Baybay South Road, K0985+000 to K0985+500;
K0993+000 to K0996+000; K0999+000 to K1002+000
Contract Location : Tacloban-Baybay South Road
Of Work Excavation (unsuitable), Embankment from Borrow, Aggregate Sub-
Base Course, PCCP 280mm, PCCP 200mm, Reinforced Concrete
Canal, Warning Signs and Traffc Management, Construction
Safety and Health
Contract (ABC)
1. The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Fifth Leyte Engineering District, through
the General Appropriation Act CY 2013 intends to apply the sum above stated being the Approved
Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments for the abovementioned contract. Bids received in
excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.
2. The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Fifth Leyte Engineering District (5
th
LED)
now invites contractors to bid for the abovementioned description of works. Completion of
the works is required for the above stated contract duration. Bidders should have completed,
within ten (10) years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the
Project. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly,
in Section 10 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 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. Interested bidders may obtain
further information from DPWh 5
th
Leyte Engineering District and inspect the bidding documents
at the address given below from 8:00 A.m. to 5:00 P.M.
5. Acomplete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested bidders from the address
below and upon payment of non-refundable fee for the Bidding Documents in the amount stated
above. Issuance of Bidding Documents will be on January 18 to February 07, 2013.
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 DPWH 5
th
LED will hold a pre-bid Conference on January 24, 2013, 10:00 Oclock in the
morning at Offce of the Bids and Awards Committee, DPWH 5
th
LED, Baybay City, Leyte, which
shall be open to all interested parties.
7. Bids must be delivered to the address below on or before February 07, 2013, 9:00 Oclock in the
morning at DPWH 5
th
LED, Baybay City, Leyte. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security
in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 14.
Bids will be opened at 2:00 Oclock in the afternoon of February 07, 2013 in the presence of
the bidders representatives who choose to attend at the address below. Late bids shall not be
accepted.
8. All interested bidders shall submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) on or before January 22, 2013
9:00 Oclock in the morning the deadline and purchase the Bidding Documents. Bids will
not be accepted without proof of payment for the purchase of bidding documents. Bidders shall
likewise submit their bids through their duly Authorized Liaison Offcers only as specifed in the
Contractors Information (CI).
To bid for this contract, a contractor must submit a Net Financial Contracting Capacity at least
equal to the ABC or Credit Line Commitment at least equal to 10% of the ABC before dropping
of bids.
9. The DPWH 5
th
LED 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.
10. For further information, please refer to:
EUSEBIO T. CULAS
OIC-Assistant District Engineer
BAC Chairman
Attention:
Head, BAC Secretariat
DPWH 5
th
LED
Brgy. Hipusngo, Baybay City, Leyte
(053) 335-2230
Email Add: charlitosacro@yahoo.com
(Sgd.) EUSEBIO T. CULAS
OIC-Assistant District Engineer
BAC Chairman
\NOTED:

(Sgd.) LUT B. BACLEA-AN
District Engineer
Invitation to Bid
January 10, 2013
(MST-Jan. 16, 2013)
Name of Procuring Entity: CTU Main Campus Project Reference Number:
Name of the Project: Improvement of Technology Bldg. 1
Location of the Project: CTU Main Campus
Standard Form Number: SF-INFR-05
Revised on: July 28, 2004
INVITATION TO APPLY FOR ELIGIBILITY AND TO BID
The CEBU TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY-MAIN CAMPUS, through
its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) of the CTU Main Campus, invites
contractors registered with and classifed by the Philippine Contractors
Accreditation Board (PCAB) to apply for eligibility and if found eligible, to
bid for the hereunder project:
Name of Project : Improvement of Technology Bldg. 1
Location : CTU Main Campus
Brief Description : Improvement of Technology Bldg. 1
Approved Budget
For the Contract : Php 7,000,000.00
Prospective bidders should possess valid PCAB License applicable to the
contract, have completed a similar contract with a value of at least 50% of
the ABC, and have key personnel and equipment available for the execution
of the contract. The BAC will use non-discretionary pass/fail criteria in
the Eligibility Check/Screening as well as in the Preliminary Examination
of Bids. The BAC will conduct post-qualifcation to determine the lowest
calculated responsive bid.
All particulars relative to Eligibility Statement and Screening, Bid Security,
Performance Security, Pre-Bidding Conference, Evaluation of Bids, Post-
Qualifcation and Award of Contract shall be governed by the pertinent
provisions of R.A. 9184 and its Implementing Rules and Regulations.
The complete schedule of activities is listed, as follows:
Activities Schedule
1. Receipt from prospective bidders of Letters of Intent
(LOI)
January 16 - 23, 2013
4. Issuance of Bid Documents January 16 - 31, 2013
5. Pre-bid Conference January 24, 2013
6. Dropping of Bid Envelopes February 7, 2013
7. Opening of Bid Envelopes February 7, 2013
8. Bid Evaluation February 8, 2013
9. Post-qualifcation February 11, 2013
Bid Documents will be available only to prospective bidders upon payment
of a non-refundable amount of Php 10,000.00 to the CTU Main Campus
Cashier. Only Prospective Bidders who have purchased the Bidding
Documents are allowed to participate in the Pre-Bid Conference.
The CTU Main Campus assumes no responsibility whatsoever to
compensate or indemnify bidders for any expenses incurred in the
preparation of the bid. The CTU Main Campus also reserves the right to
reject any or all bids or parts hereof, to waive any information therein, or to
accept such bids or to award any part thereof to any bidder/s whose bid/s
is/are considered most advantageous to the government.

Approved by:
(SGD) MR. JERLITO A. LETRONDO, LLB.
BAC Chairman
(MST-Jan. 16, 2013)
Name of Procuring Entity: CTU Main Campus Project Reference Number:
Name of the Project: 5-Storey Technology
Bld. with Roofdeck (Phase 2)
Location of the Project: CTU Main Campus
Standard Form Number: SF-INFR-05
Revised on: July 28, 2004
INVITATION TO APPLY FOR ELIGIBILITY AND TO BID
The CEBU TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY-MAIN CAMPUS, through
its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) of the CTU Main Campus, invites
contractors registered with and classifed by the Philippine Contractors
Accreditation Board (PCAB) to apply for eligibility and if found eligible, to
bid for the hereunder project:
Name of Project : 5-Storey Technology Building with Roofdeck
(Phase 2)
Location : CTU Main Campus
Brief Description : 5-Storey Technology Building with Roofdeck
(Phase 2)
Approved Budget
For the Contract : Php 13,501,023.75
Prospective bidders should possess valid PCAB License applicable to the
contract, have completed a similar contract with a value of at least 50% of
the ABC, and have key personnel and equipment available for the execution
of the contract. The BAC will use non-discretionary pass/fail criteria in
the Eligibility Check/Screening as well as in the Preliminary Examination
of Bids. The BAC will conduct post-qualifcation to determine the lowest
calculated responsive bid.
All particulars relative to Eligibility Statement and Screening, Bid Security,
Performance Security, Pre-Bidding Conference, Evaluation of Bids, Post-
Qualifcation and Award of Contract shall be governed by the pertinent
provisions of R.A. 9184 and its Implementing Rules and Regulations.
Activities Schedule
1. Receipt from prospective bidders of
Letters of Intent (LOI)
January 16 - 23, 2013
4. Issuance of Bid Documents January 16 - 31, 2013
5. Pre-bid Conference January 24, 2013
6. Dropping of Bid Envelopes February 7, 2013
7. Opening of Bid Envelopes February 7, 2013
8. Bid Evaluation February 8, 2013
9. Post-qualifcation February 11, 2013
Bid Documents will be available only to prospective bidders upon payment
of a non-refundable amount of Php 25,000.00 to the CTU Main Campus
Cashier. Only Prospective Bidders who have purchased the Bidding
Documents are allowed to participate in the Pre-Bid Conference.
The CTU Main Campus assumes no responsibility whatsoever to
compensate or indemnify bidders for any expenses incurred in the
preparation of the bid. The CTU Main Campus also reserves the right to
reject any or all bids or parts hereof, to waive any information therein, or to
accept such bids or to award any part thereof to any bidder/s whose bid/s
is/are considered most advantageous to the government.

Approved by:

(Sgd.) MR. JERLITO A. LETRONDO, LLB.
BAC Chairman
(MST-Jan. 16, 2013)
PROVINCE OF PANGASINAN
BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE (BAC)
2
nd
Floor Malong Building, Capitol Compound
Lingayen, Pangasinan
Tel. No. (075) 542-6918
Website@biddingandawards.pangasinan gov.ph, E-mail address: ebmendoza57@yahoo.com
INVITATION to BID
The Province of Pangasinan, through its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), invites suppliers/manufacturers/
distributors/contractors registered and classifed by the Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board (PCAB)
(for the infrastructure projects) to bid for the project/s described hereunder:
Project No. 1
Name of Project : Concreting of Bobonot Tambobong Road
Location : Dasol, Pangasinan
Source of Fund : Constn, Repair & Maintenance of Various Roads and Bridges
(PR#2013-01-0218)
Approved Budget
for the Contract : P 7,000,000.00
Contract Duration : One Hundred Fifty (150) Calendar Days
Project No. 2
Name of Project : Concrete Paving of Gonzalo Nangapugan Road
Location : San Quintin, Pangasinan
Source of Fund : Constn, Repair & Maintenance of Various Roads and Bridges
(PR#2013-01-0014)
Approved Budget
Contract Duration : Ninety - Three (93) Calendar Days
Project No. 3
Name of Project : Delivery of Drugs and Medicines (Various Intravenous Fluids)
(refer to bid documents)
Location : GSO, Lingayen, Pangasinan ( for use of various hospitals)
Source of Fund : Drugs & Medicines Inventory (PR# 2012-12-10922)
Approved Budget
Project No. 4
Name of Project : Delivery of Drugs and Medicines (Various Intravenous Fluids)
(refer to bid documents)
Location : GSO, Lingayen, Pangasinan ( for use of various hospitals)
Source of Fund : Drugs & Medicines Inventory (PR# 2012-12-10611)
Approved Budget
Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorship, organizations/corporations with at least sixty
percent (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.
Prospective bidders shall possess a valid PCAB license applicable to the contract, have completed a similar
contract with a value of at least ffty percent (50%) of the ABC to be bid, and have key personnel and equipment
available for the prosecution of the contract. Certifcate/s of satisfactory performance from the client of the
declared completed similar projects shall be submitted for review.
The bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using 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 Eligibility Statement and Screening, Bid Security, Performance Security, Pre-Bidding
Conference(s), Evaluation of Bids, Post-Qualifcation and Award of Contract shall be governed by the pertinent
provisions of R.A. 9184 and its Implementing Rules and Regulation (as amended).
BAC Activities Schedule
1. Pre-Procurement Conference January 4, 2013 ; 10:00am
2. Issuance of Bid Documents January 12, 2013 February 1, 2013
3. Pre-Bid Conference January 18, 2013; 10:00am
4. Deadline of Submissions and Opening of Bids February 1, 2013; 10:00am
Bid Documents shall be issued only to contractors/bidders who have submitted formal Letter of Intent (LOI)
at the BAC Offce, 2/F Malong Building, Capitol Compound, Lingayen, Pangasinan and upon payment of
P1,000.00 Accreditation Fee for new bidders, and a non-refundable amount of P7,000.00/bidder/project
for project No. 1; P6,000.00/bidder/project for project No. 2; P5,000.00/bidder/project for project No.
3 and P4,000.00/bidder/project for project No. 4to 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:
RAFAEL HOWARD F. BARAAN
Provincial Administrator
BAC Chairman
(MST-Jan. 16, 2013)
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
The City Government of Makati, through its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), invites suppliers/
manufacturers/distributors/contractors to apply for eligibility and to bid for the hereunder projects:
NO. NAME OF PROJECT AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION LOCATION APPROVED
BUDGET
1 Brochures and other printed materials on Best Practices, major
programs and services for the use of Information and Community
Relations Department
OM P4,250,000.00
2 Feeding Tubes and other medical supplies for the use of Ospital
ng Makati
OSMAK P2,484,825.00
3 Graduated Cylinder and other laboratory supplies for the use of
Ospital ng Makati
OSMAK P4,487,924.80
4 Graduation Souvenir Pictures for the use of various schools of
Dep-Ed Makati
OM P4,093,544.00
5 TSCD Wafers and other laboratory supplies for the use of Ospital
ng Makati
OSMAK P2,015,149.50
Prospective Bidders should have experience in undertaking a similar project with an amount of at least
50% of the proposed project for bidding. The Eligibility Check/Screening as well as the Preliminary
Examinations of Bids shall use non-discretionary pass/fail criteria. Post-Qualifcation of the Lowest
Calculated Bid shall be conducted.
All particulars relative to Eligibility Statement and Screening, Bid Security, Performance Security, Pre-
Bidding Conference(s), Evaluation of Bids, Post-Qualifcation and Award of Contract shall be governed
by the pertinent provisions of R.A. 9184 and its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR).
ACTIVITIES SCHEDULE
1. Pre-Bidding Conference at BAC Conference Room, 9th Floor January 24, 2013 (02:00 P.M.)
2. Opening of Bids at BAC Conference Room, 9th Floor February 07, 2013 (02:00 P.M.)
Bidding Documents will be available only to Prospective Bidders upon payment of a non-refundable
amount of ______________________ to the City Government of Makati Cashier.
(fee for Bid Documents) (Procuring Entity)
The City Government of Makati assumes no responsibility whatsoever to compensate or
(Procuring Entity)
indemnify bidders for any expenses incurred in the preparation of the bid.
The City of Makati reserves the right to disqualify any or all proposal, to waive any defects or
informalities therein and to accept such proposal as may be considered most advantageous to the
Government.
Approved by:
(Sgd.) ATTY. ELENO M. MENDOZA, JR.
Chairman
Department of Public Works and HIghways
Region IV-A (Southern Tagalog Region)
DPWH-Rizal I District Engineering Offce
Government Center, Calumpang, Binangonan, Rizal
Telephone #: 652-3652/652-3657/652-5093
(MST-Jan. 16, 2013)
Contract ID No. : 13DN0003
Contract Name : REPAIR/REHAB./IMPROVEMENT OF CAINTA-
KAYTICKLING-ANTIPOLO-TERESA-MORONG
ROAD, KM. 21+104 TO KM. 21+746
Location of the Contract: TAYTAY, RIZAL
DPWH Rizal I District Engineering Offce
Barangay Calumpang, Binangonan, Rizal
BID BULLETIN NO. 001
Subject: Changes in Kilometer
This Bid Bulletin No. 001 is being issued to inform prospective bidders that
the kilometer of the above stated project has been changed.
FROM TO
Km. 21+104 to Km. 21+746 Km. 21+152 to Km. 21+794
It shall form an integral part of the said Bidding Document.
For guidance and information of all concerned.
FERDINAND T. MONAKIL
Name and Signature
BAC Chairman
Chief, Construction Section
Date: January 14, 2013

Noted:
(Sgd.) EDGARDO P. PERALTA
District Engineer
I NVI TATI ON TO BI D FOR
(MST-Jan. 16, 2013)
1. The Department of Public Works and Highways-National Capital Region-Metro
Manila II District Engineering Offce (DPWH-NCR-MMIIDEO), through the General
Appropriation Act (GAA) FY-2013 intends to bid out the projects listed below:
(1) a. Contract ID : 12OC0178
b. Contract Name : Urgent Repair and Potholes Patching
of Damaged National Roads Caused
by Intense Rains due to Southwest
Monsoon (Habagat) and Typhoon
Helen last August 2012
c. Contract Location : Paraaque City and Makati City, Metro
Manila
d. Scope of Work : Urgent Repair and Potholes Patching
of Roads
e. Approved Budget for the
Contract (ABC)
: Php 5,762,147.13
f. Contract Duration : 45 calendar days
g. Amount of Bid Documents : Php 10,000.00
Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.
2. Bidders should have completed, within ten (10) years from the date of submission
and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the project. The description of an eligible
bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents.
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 the Republic Act 9184 (RA 9184), otherwise known as the
Government Procurement Reform Act.
Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or
organizations with at least seventy fve (75%) interest or outstanding capital stock
belonging to citizens of the Philippines.
4. Interested bidders may obtain further information from DPWH-NCR-MMIIDEO and
inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below from 8:00 A.M. - 12:00
NN and 1:00 P.M. 5:00 P.M.
5. A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by Interested Bidders
from the address below and upon payment of a non-refundable fee for the Bidding
Documents prescribed in the above mentioned list of projects.
It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Electronic
Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the website of the DPWH, provided that bidders
shall pay the fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their
bids.
6. The DPWH-NCR-MMIIDEO will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on January 11, 2013
at 10:00 A.M. at the Conference Room of DPWH-NCR-MMIIDEO, Bonifacio Drive
corner 8
th
Street, Port Area, Manila, which shall be open only to interested parties
who have purchased the Bidding Documents.
7. Bids must be delivered to the address below on or before January 24, 2013, 10:00
A.M. at DPWH-NCR-MMIIDEO, Bonifacio Drive corner 8
th
Street, 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.
Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders representatives who choose
to attend at the address below. Late bids shall not be accepted.
8. Prospective bidders shall submit their sealed envelopes duly accomplished in forms
as specifed in the BDs on or before the deadline of dropping of the bid documents at
the DPWH-NCR-MMIIDEO by the Authorized Managing Offcer (AMO) or authorized
liaison offcer of interested parties as stated in their Contractors Certifcate of
Registration (CRC). The liaison offcer shall submit a letter from the AMO authorizing
her/him to drop their bid, attend the bidding process and also submit a copy of company
I.D. for verifcation. No Special Power of Attorney (SPA) shall be allowed.
9. The DPWH-NCR-Metro Manila II District Engineering Offce reserves the right to
accept or reject any bid, to annul the biding process, and to reject all bids at any time
prior to contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidders.
NILA T. LIBRANZA
Chief, Quality Assurance Section
BAC Chairman
DPWH-NCR-MMIIDEO
Bonifacio Drive corner 8
th
Street
Port Area, Manila
Tel. No. (02) 3049388
(Sgd.) ARLEEN D. BELTRAN
Offcer-In-Charge
Offce of the District Engineer
National Capital Region
METRO MANILA II DISTRICT ENGINEERING OFFICE
Bonifacio Drive cor. 8
th
Street, Port Area, Manila
N O T I C E
Industry & Investments Building, 385 Sen. Gil J. Puyat Avenue, Makati City, Philippines
Trunkline: 897-6682, (IPG) 896-9212, (MSG) 896-5167, (IDG) 895-3983
(ISG) 890-3056, (FASD) 890-9325
Website: http//www.boi.gov.ph P.O. Box 1872 Makati City
(MST-Jan. 16, 2013)
Notice is hereby given that D' LUXE BAGS
PHILIPPINES, INC. is applying for registration with the
Board of Investments (BOI) as a New Export Producer
of Leathergood items such as but not limited to small
gift items made of leather at an annual capacity of
2,386,800 pieces per year on a Non-Pioneer status,
with project site located at Tarlac Productivity Center,
Sta. Rosa, Concepcion, Tarlac.

Any person with valid objection/s 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/posting.
(Sgd.) RUDY B. CANA
Director
Manufacturing Industries Department
This is to notify the public that formerly
J.V. LORETO CONSTRUCTION &
DEVELOPMENT CORP. has changed
its name to HIGH-INNOVATIVE
CONSTRUCTION & DEVELOPMENT
PHILS., CORP. under Sec. Reg. No.
ASO95-010560 dated September 08, 2012.
This Notice is given so the public may know.
NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC
(MST-January 16, 2013)
For
f as t
ad
r es ul t s ,
pl eas e
c al l
659-48-30
l oc al
303
or
659-48-03
A7
Classifeds
ManilaStandardToday
adv.mst@gmail.com
Page Compositor: Diana Keyser Punzalan
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS AND HIGHWAYS
Region X
OFFICE OF THE REGIONAL DIRECTOR
Engineers Hill, Bulua, Cagayan de Oro City
RE-I NVI TATI ON TO BI D
(MST-Jan. 16, 2013)
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), through
its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) of the 10
th
Regional Offce, Bulua,
Cagayan de Oro City, re-invites registered and licensed private security
agencies to apply to bid for the project:
1)
Project Reference No. : 12K00045 (Goods)
Name of Project Procurement of Twenty (20) Security Personnel
Services for the DPWH Regional Offce X
Location : Engineers Hill, Bulua, Cagayan de Oro City
Approved Budget for
the Contract
: P5,594,803.63
Cost of Bid Documents : P10,000.00
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: (a)
prior registration with DPWH, (b) Filipino citizen/sole proprietorships,
corporations / partnerships / 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 value must be
at least 50% of the ABC within a period of 5 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.
The signifcant times and deadlines of procurement activities are
shown below:
Activities Schedule
1 Issuance of Bid Documents January 16 to February 5, 2013 @ 12 noon
2. Pre-Bid Conference January 23, 2013 @ 2:00 PM
3. Submission and Receipt of Bids Deadline: 2:00 p.m., February 5, 2013
4. Opening of Bids 2:00 PM on February 5, 2013
Bid documents will be available to bidders upon payment of non-
refundable amount as stated above to the DPWH-X Cashier. Prospective
bidders may also download the BDs, if available, from the DPWH website.
Prospective bidders that will download the BDs from the DPWH website
shall pay the said fees on or before the submission of their Bid Documents.
Bids must be accompanied by a bid security, in the amount and acceptable
form, as stated in Section 27.2 of the Revised IRR.
Prospective bidders shall submit their duly accomplished forms as
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 (DPWH) reserves
the right to accept or reject any or all bid and to annul the bidding process
anytime before Contract award, without incurring any liability to the affected
bidders.

(Sgd.) ATTY. ERNEST ANTHONY L. LOREA
OIC, Administrative Division
BAC Chairman
Noted:
(Sgd.) EVELYN T. BARROSO, Ph.D.
Regional Director
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS AND HIGHWAYS
Region X
OFFICE OF THE REGIONAL DIRECTOR
Engineers Hill, Bulua, Cagayan de Oro City
I NVI TATI ON TO BI D
(MST-Jan. 16, 2013)
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), through
its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) of the 10
th
Regional Offce, Bulua,
Cagayan de Oro City, invites bids for Procurement of Janitorial Personnel
Services for one (1) year.
1)
Project Reference No. : 12K00074 (Goods)
Name of Project Procurement of Twenty (20) Janitorial
Personnel Services for the DPWH
Regional Offce X
Location : Engineers Hill, Bulua, Cagayan de Oro
City
Approved Budget for the
Contract
: P2,187,186.10
Cost of Bid Documents : P10,000.00
To bid for this contract, a bidder must meet the following: (a)
prior registration with DPWH, (b) Filipino citizen/sole proprietorships,
corporations / partnerships / 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 value must be
at least 50% of the ABC within a period of 5 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
The signifcant times and deadlines of procurement activities are
shown below:
Activities Schedule
1 Issuance of Bid Documents January 16 to February 5, 2013 @ 12 noon
2. Pre-Bid Conference January 23, 2013 @ 2:00 PM
3. Submission and Receipt of Bids Deadline: 2:00 p.m., February 5, 2013
4. Opening of Bids 2:00 PM on February 5, 2013
Bid documents will be available to bidders upon payment of non-
refundable amount as stated above to the DPWH-X Cashier. Prospective
bidders may also download the BDs, if available, from the DPWH website.
Prospective bidders that will download the BDs from the DPWH website
shall pay the said fees on or before the submission of their Bid Documents.
Bids must be accompanied by a bid security, in the amount and acceptable
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 (DPWH) reserves
the right to accept or reject any or all bid and to annul the bidding process
anytime before Contract award, without incurring any liability to the affected
bidders.

(Sgd.) ATTY. ERNEST ANTHONY L. LOREA
OIC, Administrative Division
BAC Chairman
Noted:
(Sgd.) EVELYN T. BARROSO, Ph.D.
Regional Director
Region III
Pampanga 2
nd
District Engineering Offce
San Antonio, Guagua, Pampanga
I NVI TATI ON TO BI D FOR
(MST-Jan. 16, 2013)
1. Contract ID No. : 13CH0005
Contract Name: Concreting of Barangay Road, Quinto Looban
San Miguel Road, San Francisco
Contract Location: Lubao, Pampanga
Work Description: Concreting of Road
Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC): Php5, 452,358.34
Contract Duration: 45 CD
Non-Refundable Bid Doc Fee: 10,000.00
The DPWH-Pampanga 2
nd
District Engineering Offce through the PDAF FY-
2012 intends to apply the sum of (as indicated above) being the Approved
Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for (as
listed above)). Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically
rejected at bid opening.
The DPWH-Pampanga 2
nd
District Engineering Offce, now invites for
(see work description above). Completion of the Works is required (see
expected contract duration above). Bidders should have completed, within
ten (10) years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract
similar to the Project. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in
the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II. Instruction to Bidders.
Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures
using non-discretionary pass/fail criterion as specifed in the Implementing
Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the Republic Act 9184 (RA 9184), otherwise
known as the Government Procurement Reform Act.
organizations with at least seventy fve percent (75%) interest or outstanding
capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines.
Interested Bidders may obtain further information from DPWH-Pampanga
2
nd
District Engineering Offce, San Antonio, Guagua, Pampanga and
inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below from 8:00
A.M. 12:00 N.N. & 1:00 P.M. 5:00 P.M.
A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested
Bidders from the address below and upon payment of a nonrefundable fee
for the Bidding Documents in the amount of (as indicated above).
It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine
Government Electronic Procuring System (PhilGEPS) and the website of
the Procuring Entity, provided that bidders shall pay the fee for the Bidding
Documents not later that the submission of their bids.
The DPWH-Pampanga 2
nd
District Engineering Offce will hold a Pre-Bid
Conference on January 18, 2013, 2:00 P.M. at DPWH-Pampanga 2
nd

District Engineering Offce Conference Room which shall be open
only to all interested parties who have purchased the Bidding Documents.
Bids must be delivered to the address below on or before January 30,
2013 10:00 A.M. at DPWH Pampanga 2
nd
DEO Conference Room. All
Bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms
and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18.
Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders representatives who
choose to attend at the address below. Late bids shall not be accepted.
The DPWH-Pampanga 2
nd
District Engineering Offce 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:
EMELY O. TAYAG
BAC-Secretariat
DPWH-Pampanga 2
nd
DEO
San Antonio, Guagua, Pampanga
Tel No. 434 1004 / 434 1005
Email Add. pamp2nd_deo@yahoo.com
(Sgd.) GENE D. GONZALES
BAC-Chairman
CATANDUANES ENGINEERING DISTRICT
SAN ISIDRO VILLAGE, VIRAC, CATANDUANES
I NVI TATI ON TO BI D
(MST-Jan. 16, 2013)
The Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) of the Department of Public Works
and Highways, Catanduanes Engineering District, invites contractors to bid for the
aforementioned projects:
Contract
ID
Contract Name Contract
Location
Scope
of Work
Approved
Budget
For the
Contract (ABC)
Contract
Duration
Source of Fund
& Year
Amount of Bid
Documents
13FH0001 1 . R E H A B . /
I M P R O V E M E N T
OF MAY N GAWAY-
CAL OMAGON SAN
I SI DRO FARM- TO-
M A R K E T R O A D ,
S A N A N D R E S ,
CATANDUANES
SAN ANDRES,
CATANDUANES
REHABI LI TATI ON/
IMPROVEMENT OF
4,400 L.M. FARM-TO-
MARKET ROAD AS
PER PLAN & SPECS.

P 18,582,776.00 150
CD
DAR-AGRARIAN
REFORM
INFRASTRUCTURE
SUPPORT PROJ.
,PHASE III (DAR-
ARISP III)
P 25,000.00
The BAC will conduct the procurement process in accordance with the Revised
IRR of R.A. 9184. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected
at the opening of bid.
To bid for this contract, a contractor must purchase bid documents and must
meet the following major criteria: (a) prior registration with DPWH, (b) Filipino citizen
or 75% Filipino-owned partnership, corporation, cooperative, or joint venture, (c)
with PCAB license applicable to the type and cost of this contract, (d) completion of
a similar contract costing at least 50% of ABC within a period of 10 years, and (e)
Net Financial Contracting Capacity at least equal to ABC, or credit line commitment
at least equal to 10% of ABC. The BAC will use non-discretionary pass/fail criteria
Unregistered contractors, however, shall submit their applications for registration
to the DPWH Central Procurement Offce (CPO) before the deadline for the receipt
of LOI. The DPWH Central Procurement Offce (CPO) will only process contractors
applications for registration with complete requirements and issue the Contractors
Certifcate of Registration (CRC). Registration Forms may be downloaded at the
DPWH website www.dpwh.gov.ph. Interested contractors shall submit their duly
accomplished Expression of Interest statements upon presentation of their Contractor
Registration Certificate (CRC with the Contractors Information), buy Tender
Documents and drop their bids in person or through their Authorized Representative
as refected in their CRC with the Contractors Information to the Chairman, Bids
& Awards Committee (BAC), DPWH, Catanduanes Engineering District.(Please
bring valid I.D.)
The signifcant times and deadlines of procurement activities are shown below:
1. Issuance of Bidding Documents From: JANUARY 16-FEBRUARY 7, 2013
2. Pre-Bid Conference JANUARY 25, 2013
4. Receipt of Bids Deadline: UP TO 10:00 A.M., FEBRUARY 7, 2013
5. Opening of Bids 2:00 P.M., FEBRUARY 7, 2013
The BAC will issue hard copies of Bidding Documents (BDs) at DPWH,
Catanduanes Engineering District, Virac, Catanduanes, upon payment of a non-
refundable fee of (Fee for BDs). Prospective bidders may also download the BDs
from the DPWH web site, if available. Prospective bidders that will download the BDs
from the DPWH website shall pay the said fees at DPWH, Catanduanes Engineering
District, Virac, Catanduanes on or before the submission of their bids Documents.
The Pre-Bid Conference shall be open only to interested parties who have purchased
the BDs. Bids must accompanied by a bid security, in the amount and acceptable
Prospective bidders shall submit their duly accomplished forms as specifed in
the BDs in two (2) separate sealed bid envelopes to the BAC Chairman. The frst
envelope shall contain the technical component of the bid, which shall include a copy
of the CRC. 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 post-qualifcation.
The Department of Public Works and Highways, Catanduanes Engineering
District reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bid and to annul the bidding
process any time prior contract award, without incurring any liability to the affected
bidder/s.

Approved by:
(Sgd.) GIL AUGUSTUS A. BALMADRID
Asst. District Engineer
BAC Chairman
Region I
1
st
Pangasinan Engineering District
Alaminos City, Pangasinan
I NVI TATI ON TO BI D f or :
(MST-Jan. 16, 2013)
13AG0009: Rehabilitation/Improvement of Port & Harbor at Guiguioanen,
Pangasinan
1. The Department of Public Works and Highways, 1
st
PED, Alaminos City,
Pangasinan, through the GAA 2013, intends to apply the following sum
of Php 9,783,893.92 being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC)
to payments under the contract for Rehabilitation/Improvement of Port
& Harbor at Guiguioanen, Pangasinan. Bids received in excess of the
ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.
Brief Description: Stone Masonry Works and PCC Pavement (See Plan)
2. The DPWH, 1
st
PED, Alaminos City, Pangasinan now invites bids for
works briefy described above. Completion of the Works required is 140
Calendar days. Bidders should have completed, within ten (10) years
from the date of submission 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 Regulation(IRR ) of Republic Act 9184 (RA 9184), other wise
4. Interested bidders may obtain further information from DPWH-1
st
PED,
Al ami nos Ci ty, Pangasi nan and inspect the Bidding Documents at
the address given below from 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M., January 14,
2013-January 31, 2013
5. A complete set of Bidding Document may be purchased by interested Bidders
from the address below and upon payment of a non refundable fee for
the Bidding Documents in the amount of Php 10,000.00
It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippines
Government Electronics Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the website of
the DPWH, provided that bidders shall pay the fee for the Bidding Document
not later than the submission of their bids
6. The DPWH-1
st
PED, Al ami nos Ci ty, Pangasi nan will hold a Pre-Bid
Confernce On January 18, 2013, 10:00 A.M. at DPWH BAC Room,, 1
ST

PED, Conference Hall, Alaminos City, Pangasinan, which shall be open
7. Bids must be delivered on or before January 31, 2013, 10:00 A.M. at DPWH
BAC Room, 1
ST
PED, Conference Hall, Alaminos City, Pangasinan, Bids
will be opened in the presence of the bidders representatives who choose
to attend at the aforesaid address. Late bids shall not be accepted.
8. The DPWH-1
st
PED, Alaminos City, Pangasinan 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.
JUNE MIGUEL V. RAMOLETE, SR.
BAC Chairman
DPWH 1
ST
Pandayan Street, Alaminos City, Pangasinan
075-552-7213
(Sgd.) JUNE MIGUEL V. RAMOLETE, SR.
Engineer III
BAC Chairman
NOTED:
(Sgd.) SMILE D. FERMIN
OIC, District Engineer
Region I
1
st
Alaminos City, Pangasinan
I NVI TATI ON TO BI D f or :
(MST-Jan. 16, 2013)
13AG0008: Rehabilitation/Improvement of Port Island at Santiago
Island, Bolinao, Pangasinan
1. The Department of Public Works and Highways, 1
st
PED, Alaminos City,
Pangasinan, through the GAA 2013, intends to apply the following sum
of Php 5,800,000.00 being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC)
to payments under the contract for Rehabilitation/Improvement of Port
Island at Santiago Island, Bolinao, Pangasinan. Bids received in
excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.
Brief Description: Stone Masonry Works and PCC Pavement (See Plan)
2. The DPWH, 1
st
PED, Alaminos City, Pangasinan now invites bids for
works briefy described above . Completion of the Works required is
107 Calendar days. Bidders should have completed, within ten (10) years
from the date of submission 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 Regulation(IRR) of Republic Act 9184 (RA 9184), other wise
4. Interested bidders may obtain further information from DPWH-1
st

PED, Alaminos City, Pangasinan and inspect the Bidding Documents
at the address given below from 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M., January 14,
2013-January 31, 2013
5. A complete set of Bidding Document may be purchased by interested
Bidders from the address below and upon payment of a non refundable
fee for the Bidding Documents in the amount of Php 10,000.00
It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippines
Government Electronics Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the website
of the DPWH, provided that bidders shall pay the fee for the Bidding
Document not later than the submission of their bids
6. The DPWH-1
st
PED, Al ami nos Ci ty, Pangasi nan will hold a Pre-Bid
Confernce On January 18, 2013, 10:00 A.M. at DPWH BAC Room, 1
ST

PED, Conference Hall, Alaminos City, Pangasinan, which shall be open
7. Bids must be delivered on or before January 31, 2013, 10:00 A.M. at DPWH
BAC Room, 1
ST
PED, Conference Hall, Alaminos City, Pangasinan,
Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders representatives who
choose to attend at the aforesaid address. Late bids shall not be accepted.
8. The DPWH- 1
st
PED, Alaminos City, Pangasinan 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.
JUNE MIGUEL V. RAMOLETE, SR.
BAC Chairman
DPWH 1
ST
Pandayan Street, Alaminos City, Pangasinan
075-552-7213
(Sgd.) JUNE MIGUEL V. RAMOLETE, SR.
Engineer III
BAC Chairman
NOTED:
(Sgd.) SMILE D. FERMIN
OIC, District Engineer
A8 | WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 16, 2013
COMMISSION ON ELECTIONS
M a n i l a
ManilaStandardTODAY
IN THE MATTER OF THE REPORTS ON THE
RECOMMENDATIONS BY THE REGIONAL
ELECTION DIRECTORS, PROVINCIAL
ELECTION SUPERVISORS AND ELECTION
OFFICERS ON THE DECLARATION OF
CANDIDATES AS NUISANCE
x--------------------------------------------------------x
Chairman Sixto S. Brillantes, Jr.
Commissioner Rene V. Sarmiento
Commissioner Lucenito N. Tagle
Commissioner Armando C. Velasco
Commissioner Elias R. Yusoph
Commissioner Christian Robert S. Lim
Commissioner Maria GraciaCielo M. Padaca
Promulgated: 11 January 2013___
RESOLUTION NO._9610__
WHEREAS, Section 69 of the Omnibus Election Code (B.P. Blg. 881) provides:
Sec. 69.Nuisance candidates. The Commission may, motu proprio or upon
a verifed petition of an interested party, refuse to give due course to or cancel
a certifcate of candidacy if it is shown that said certifcate has been fled to put
the election process in mockery or disrepute or to cause confusion among the
voters by the similarity of the names of the registered candidates or by other
circumstances or acts which clearly demonstrate that the candidate has no bona
fde intention to run for the offce for which the certifcate of candidacy has been
fled and thus prevent a faithful determination of the true will of the electorate.
WHEREAS, Section 39, Title II, of the Local Government Code of 1991, otherwise,
known as Republic Act No. 7160 provides:
Sec. 39.Qualifcations. (a) An elective local offcial must be a citizen of the
Philippines; a registered voter in the barangay, municipality, city, or province,
or, in the case of a member of the sangguniang panlalawigan, sangguniang
panlungsod, or sanggunian bayan, the district where he intends to be elected;
a resident therein for at least one (1) year immediately preceding the day of the
election; and able to read and write Filipino or any other local language or dialect.
(b). Candidates for the position of governor, vice-governor or member of the
sangguniang panlalawigan, or mayor, vice mayor or member of the sangguniang
panlungsod of highly urbanized cities must be at least twenty-three (23) years of
age on election day. xxx
WHEREAS, Comelec Resolution No. 9523, entitled: In the matter of the Amendment to
Rules 23, 24 and 25 of the Comelec Rules of Procedure for purposes of the 13 May 2013 National,
Local and ARMM Elections and Subsequent Elections, particularly, Rule 24 provides:
Rule 24 Proceedings Against Nuisance Candidates
Section 1.Grounds. Any candidate for any elective offce who fled his certifcate
of candidacy to put the election process in mockery or disrepute or to cause
confusion among the voters by the similarity of the names of the registered
candidates or who by other acts or circumstances is clearly demonstrated to have
no bona fde intention to run for the offce for which the certifcate of candidacy has
been fled, thus preventing a faithful determination of the true will of the electorate,
may be declared a nuisance candidate, and his certifcate of candidacy may be
denied due course or may be cancelled.
Section 2.Who May File Petition to Declare a Candidate as Nuisance Candidate.
Any registered candidate for the same position may fle a verifed Petition to
declare a candidate as a nuisance candidate.
Section 3.Period to File the Petition. The Petition shall be fled personally or
through an authorized representative, within fve (5) days from the last day for the
fling of certifcates of candidacy. In case of a substitute candidate, the Petition
must be fled within fve (5) days from the time the substitute candidate fled his
certifcate of candidacy.
Section 4.MotuProprio Cases. The Commission may, at any time before the
election, motuproprio, declare a candidate as a nuisance candidate subject to an
opportunity to be heard.
Section 5.Applicability of Rule 23. Except for motuproprio cases, Sections 3, 4,
5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 of Rule 23 shall apply in proceedings against nuisance candidates.
WHEREAS, on November 29, 2012, the Commission issued Comelec Minute
Resolution No. 12-1101 entitled: In the matter of the consolidated report on the suspected
nuisance prospective Local Candidates for the 2013 National, Local and ARMM Regional
Elections, adopting procedures in compliance with Sec. 4 of COMELEC Resolution No. 9523
promulgated on September 25, 2012, on the opportunity to be heard where prospective local
candidates can prove the legitimacy of their Certifcates of Candidacy;
WHEREAS, the Law Department in its Memoranda dated December 19 (Memo No.
12-1547), December 26, (Memo No. 12-0005),December 28, (Memo No. 12-1806) 2012,
January 3 (Memo No. 13-0028), January 4 (Memo No. 13-0031) and January 7, (Memo
No. 13-0034) 2013, submitted to the Commission the consolidated reports/recommendations
of Comelec feld offcials after due clarifcatory hearings conducted pursuant to Comelec
Resolution No. 9523 and Comelec Minute Resolution No. 12-1101, copy of which is hereto
attached as Annex A consisting of Two Hundred Fifty One (251) pages and two (2) CDs;
WHEREAS, the above memoranda containfact-fnding investigations and preliminary
hearings by the feld offcials, showing, among others, that there are nuisance candidates who
have fled their certifcates of candidacy to put the election process in mockery and disrepute
(such as having no clear and viable campaign plan, displaying irrational behaviour), and
cause confusion among the voters by the similarity of the names of the registered candidates
and by other circumstances or acts which clearly demonstrate that they have no bona fde
intention to run for the offce for which the COC has been fled (giving of an incorrect address
in their COCs) and thus prevent a faithful determination of the true will of the electorate;
WHEREAS, the Commission having in mind the huge number of Certifcates of
Candidacy fled before it and the procedure to determine the legitimacy of the Certifcates of
Candidacy (COCs), and in keeping with the aim of retaining only those who are serious in
their candidacies;
NOW THEREFORE, the Commission, after due deliberation, taking into consideration
the reports of feld offcials as submitted by the Law Department, the Constitution, the Omnibus
Election Code and other related elections laws, RESOLVED, as it hereby RESOLVES, as follows:
I. To declare the following as NUISANCE candidates and to cause the immediate
cancellation/deletion of their names from the Candidates Profle System and the
Certifed List of Candidates for the May 13, 2013 Elections:
Name of Candidate Position Municipality/
City/Province
1. Abad, Onofre Estrada Mayor City of Manila
2. Abella, Bert, Leo Member, S. Panlungsod
(2
nd
Dist.)
Cebu City
3. Acebedo, Romeo Sanchez Mayor Quezon City
4. Adlawan, Ricardo Nacor Member, S. Panlungsod
(1
st
Dist.)
Cebu City
5. Aliangan, Antonio Aguilar Governor Province of Isabela
6. Almera, Jaime A. Governor Province of Bulacan
7. Arenasa, Juan Umacob Member, HR (1
st
Dist.) Cebu City
8. Bantilo, Allan Dilim Vice-Mayor Quezon City
9. Basbas, Jones C. Mayor Sison, Pangasinan
10. Bersamina, Joel Bicera Governor Province of Abra
11. Bueno, Eustaquio A. Member, Sangguniang Panlalawigan 1
st
District Province of Abra
12 Calimag, Sherwin C. Member, House of Representatives 2
nd
District,
Province of Cagayan
13 Cane, Jose Cida Member, S. Panlungsod
(2
nd
Dist.)
Cebu City
14 Caete, Gumersindo
Canoy
Member, S. Panlungsod
(2
nd
Dist.)
Cebu City
15 Cantal, Felix Cabrera Mayor City of Manila
16. Cruz, Fidel Carido Mayor City of Manila
17. De Jesus, Jimmy Durango Councilor Agusan del Sur
18 Ebarrete, PilarFajardo Vice-Mayor San Juan City
19. Gabot, Samuel Mayor City of Manila
20. Gorospe, Felipe J. F. Vice-Mayor Sison, Pangasinan
21. Idea, Fermin U. Vice-Mayor Quezon City
22. Lim, Rodolfo Gayola Mayor City of Manila
23. Lumongsod Jorge Maceda Governor Agusan del Norte
24. Magallanes, Marino Dela Pea Mayor City of Manila
25. Mijares, Norberto A. Governor Davao del Norte
26. Ong, Lea Remedios Mayor Cebu City
27. Padalhin, Adolfo Sr. Nabayra Mayor Mandaluyong City
28. Perez, Jose A. Governor Province of Cagayan
29. Plaza, Mauricio Jr. C. Member, House of Representative 2
nd
District, Agusan
del Sur
30. Rivera, Benjamin Polidario Mayor City of Manila
31. Santos, NorgeneJongay Member, Sanguniang Panglungsod 1
st
District Paraaque City
32. Selim, Miguel Gonzalve Mayor Cebu City
33. Sollano, ErlindaSy Member, HR (2
nd
Dist.) Cebu City
34. Talledo, Charlie Bucao Mayor Surigao City
35. Tan, Mark Alvin Arquero Mayor Santiago City, Isabela
36. Tumulak, EliseoSanjorjo Member, HR (1
st
Dist.) Cebu City
37. Uy, Lilia Mijares Governor Province of Isabela
38. Ancheta, Rosendo Cardona Vice Mayor Muntinlupa City
39. Aquino, Amelia Nocup Member Sangguniang Panglungsod,
2
nd
District
Muntinlupa City
40. Claus, Elmer Morata Member Sangguniang Panglungsod,
2
nd
District
Muntinlupa City
41. Laberinto, BenedictoLobendino Member Sangguniang Panglungsod,
1
st
District
Muntinlupa City
42. Marmeto, Oscar Arciaga Mayor Muntinlupa City
43. Malit, Ellen Danganan Member Sangguniang Panglungsod,
1
st
District
Muntinlupa City
44. Moreno, Ruben Carsido Member Sangguniang Panglungsod,
1
st
District
Muntinlupa City
45. Bello, Fred Naim Mayor Caloocan City
46. Esquila, MerlitaLacre Mayor Caloocan City
47. Garibay, Eduardo Rivera Mayor Caloocan City
48. Gonzales, Melanio Reyes Mayor Caloocan City
49. Gurnot, ArlanMonteo Mayor Caloocan City
50. Lapuz, Romeo Vinuya Mayor Caloocan City
51. Malquisto, AnastacioRecaido Mayor Caloocan City
52. Pangilinan, Adrian Mallari Mayor Caloocan City
53. Razo, Luis San Pedro Mayor Caloocan City
54. Aquino, Roberto Jr., Catacutan Member SP, 1
st
District Caloocan City
55. Crisostomo, CherlitoProtacio Member SP, 1
st
56. Gundayao, Ferdinand Oria Member SP, 1
st
57. Pragas, Milagros Berones Member SP, 1
st
58. Dela Merced, Clarence Javier Member SP, 2
nd
59. Dumalag, Edwin Brioso Member SP, 2
nd
60. Gonzales, Jose IsaganiMalig Member SP, 2
nd
61. Lim, Edgar Dichoso Member SP, 2
nd
62. Placer, SerafcoGura Member SP, 2
nd
63. Timbol, Joseph Balagtas Member SP, 2
nd
II. To declare the following as INELIGIBLE candidates for the positions aspired for due
to their failure to meet the age requirement/not a registered voter, as refected and
admitted in their COC under oath during the preliminary hearings:
Name of Candidate Position Municipality/City/Province
1. Abalde, TarajoTulabing Member, S. Panlalawigan(2
nd
Dist.) ZamboangaSibugay
2. Andres, Mary Kaye Noll Member, Sangguniang Panlungsod 1
st
District Marikina City
3. Asensi, Marjorie Francisco Member, Sangguniang Panlungsod Lucena City, Quezon
4. Bustos, Janine Dabu Member, Sangguniang Panlungsod 2
nd
District Taguig City
5. Cerafca, Kimberly Da Silva Member, Sangguniang Panlungsod 1
st
District Taguig City
6. Crespo, Juan Rafael Caluza Member, SangguniangPanlungsod 1
st
District, Manila
7. Jalosjos-Carreon, Angelica Sangguniang Panlalawigan Zamboanga del Norte
8. Romeo, Maria B.
(Not a registered voter in the
Municipality of Mutia, which she
admitted)
Member, Sangguniang Bayan Mutia, Zamboanga del Norte
9. Magnaye, Elvis Vergil Bigtacion Member SP, 5
th
District Quezon City
10. Martele, JardiyaManlion Member SP, 6
th
District Quezon City
Further, to DENY due course to their COCs and to cause the immediate cancellation/
deletion of their names from the Candidates Profle System and the Certifed List of Candidates
for the May 13, 2013 Elections;
The Law Department is hereby directed to implement this resolution with dispatch.
Let the Education and Information Department publish this resolution in two (2) daily
newspapers of general circulationin the Philippines.
SO ORDERED.
SIXTO S. BRILLANTES, JR.
Chairman
RENE V. SARMIENTO LUCENITO N. TAGLE
Commissioner Commissioner
ARMANDO C. VELASCO ELIAS R. YUSOPH
CHRISTIAN ROBERT S. LIM MARIA GRACIA CIELO M. PADACA
_____________________________________________________________________________
M a n i l a
IN THE MATTER OF THE
FILING OF A PETITION FOR
ACCREDITATION FOR THE
PURPOSE OF DETERMINING
THE DOMINANT MAJORITY
PARTY, DOMINANT MINORITY
PARTY, TEN (10) MAJOR
NATIONAL PARTIES AND TWO
(2) MAJOR LOCAL PARTIES
IN CONNECTION WITH THE
MAY 13, 2013 AUTOMATED
NATIONAL AND LOCAL
ELECTIONS.
X- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - X
PRESENT:
Brillantes, Jr. Sixto S.,
Sarmiento, Rene V.,
Tagle, Lucenito N.,
Velasco, Armando C.,
Yusoph, Elias R.,
Lim, Christian Robert S.,
Padaca, Maria Gracia Cielo M.,
Promulgated: 15 January 2013
Chairman
Commissioner
Commissioner
Commissioner
Commissioner
Commissioner
Commissioner
RESOLUTION NO. 9611
WHEREAS, Section 34 of Republic Act No. 9369 provides:
Sec. 34. Sec 26 of Republic Act No. 7166 is hereby amended to read as follows:
Section 26. Offcial Watchers. Every registered political party or coalition of political
parties, and every candidate shall each be entitled to one watcher in every polling place and
canvassing center: Provided, That, candidates for the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, Sangguniang
Panlungsod, or Sangguniang Bayan belonging to the same slate or ticket shall collectively be
entitled to one watcher.
The dominant majority party and dominant minority party, which the Commission shall
determine in accordance with law, shall each be entitled to one offcial watcher who shall be paid
a fxed per diem of Four hundred pesos (P400.00).
There shall also be recognized six principal watchers, representing the six accredited major
political parties excluding the dominant majority and minority parties, who shall be designated by
the Commission upon nomination of the said parties. These political parties shall be determined
by the Commission upon notice and hearing on the basis of the following circumstances:
(a) The established record of the said parties, coalition of groups that now
composed them, taking into account among other things, their showing in past elections;
(b.) The number of incumbent elective offcials belonging to them ninety (90) days
before the date of election;
(c) Their identifable political organizations and strengths as evidenced by their
organized chapters;
(d) The ability to fll a complete slate of candidates from the municipal level to the
position of President (Senators); and
(e) Other analogous circumstances that may determine their relative organizations
and strengths.

WHEREAS, Section 19 and Section 21 of Republic Act No. 9369 require that copies of the
election returns and certifcate of canvass be given to the (a) dominant majority party; (b) the
dominant minority party; (c) ten (10) major national parties; and (d) two (2) major local parties.
WHEREAS, for this purpose, the Commission on Elections has to determine, after notice
and hearing, the dominant majority party, the dominant minority party, the ten (10) major national
parties and the two (2) major local parties in connection with the May 13, 2013 Automated
National and Local Elections.

NOW, THEREFORE, the Commission on Elections by virtue of the powers vested in it by
the Constitution, the Omnibus Election Code, Republic Act No. 9369 and other election laws,
RESOLVED, as it hereby RESOLVES to promulgate the following rules for the fling of a petition
for accreditation of the dominant majority party, dominant minority party, ten (10) major national
parties, and two (2) major local parties:

Section 1. Who may fle. Political parties duly registered with the Commission may fle
a verifed petition for accreditation for determination of dominant majority party, the dominant
minority party, the ten (10) major national parties, and the two (2) major local parties.
The Clerk of the Commission shall receive the petition and docket the same as SPP (DM).
Section 2. When to fle. The petition shall be fled not later than February 15, 2013.
Petitioner shall allege in its petition such facts that will entitle it to accreditation.
Section 3. Criteria for determining the dominant majority party, dominant minority
party, ten (10) major national parties and two (2) major local parties. The dominant
majority party, the dominant minority party, the ten (10) major national parties and the two (2)
major local parties shall be determined on the basis of the following criteria:
(a) The established record of the said parties, coalition, of groups that now composed
them, taking into account, among other things, their showing in past elections;
(b) The number of incumbent elective offcials belonging to them ninety (90) days
before the date of election;
(c) Their identifable political organizations and strengths as evidenced by their
organized chapters;
(d) The ability to fll a complete slate of candidates from the municipal level to the
position of the President (Senators); and
(e) Other analogous circumstances that may determine their relative organizations
and strengths.
For purposes of the foregoing, petitioner shall include in its petition, pertinent data and
statistics to support its arguments in accordance with the above criteria.

Section 4. Filing fee. A fee of Ten Thousand One Hundred (P 10,100.00) Pesos for
fling and legal research fee shall be paid at the Cash Division of this Commission.
Section 5. Effectivity. This Resolution shall take effect on the seventh (7
th
) day after its
publication in two (2) daily newspapers of general circulation in the Philippines.
Section 6. Publication and dissemination. The Education and Information Department
of the Commission shall cause the publication of this Resolution in at least two (2) newspapers
of general circulation in the Philippines, and disseminate this Resolution for the information of
the public.
SO ORDERED.
Chairman
_____________________________________________________________________________
Intramuros, M a n i l a
RULES AND REGULATIONS
IMPLEMENTING REPUBLIC ACT
NO. 9006, OTHERWISE kNOWN
AS THE FAIR ELECTION ACT, IN
CONNECTION TO THE 13 MAY 2013
NATIONAL AND LOCAL ELECTIONS,
AND SUBSEqUENT ELECTIONS.
x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x
BRILLANTES, Sixto S. Jr., Chairman
SARMIENTO, Rene V., Commissioner
TAGLE, Lucenito N., Commissioner
VELASCO, Armando C., Commissioner
YUSOPH, Elias R., Commissioner
LIM, Christian Robert S., Commissioner
PADACA, Ma. Gracia Cielo M., Commissioner
Promulgated: 15 January 2013
Resolution no. 9615
WHEREAS, Republic Act No. 9006 provides for the holding of free, orderly, honest, peaceful
and credible elections through fair election practices;
WHEREAS, the said Act allows the publication or broadcast, through mass media, of
political advertisements or propaganda for or against any candidate or political party;
WHEREAS, Section 3 of the said Act provides that election propaganda, whether on
television, cable television, radio newspapers or any other medium shall be subject to the
supervision and regulation of the Commission on Elections;
WHEREAS, Section 6.4 of the said Act directs the Commission to supervise the use
and employment of press, radio and television facilities insofar as the placement of political
advertisements is concerned so as to give candidates equal opportunities under equal
circumstances to make known their qualifcations and stand on public issues;
WHEREAS, Section 13 of the same Act requires the Commission to promulgate the
necessary rules and regulations for the implementation thereof;
NOW, THEREFORE, the Commission, by virtue of the powers vested in it by the
Constitution, the Omnibus Election Code, Republic Act Nos. 6646, 7166, 9006 and other related
laws has RESOLVED, as it hereby RESOLVES, to promulgate the following rules and regulations
implementing the Fair Election Act.
SECTION 1.Defnitions. As used in this Resolution:
(1) The term election campaign or partisan political activity refers to an act designed to
promote the election or defeat of a particular candidate or candidates to a public offce, and shall
include any of the following:
(a) Forming organizations, associations, clubs, committees or other groups of persons
for the purpose of soliciting votes and/or undertaking any campaign for or against a candidate;
(b) Holding political caucuses, conferences, meetings, rallies, parades or other similar
assemblies for the purpose of soliciting votes and/or undertaking any campaign or propaganda
for or against a candidate;
(c) Making speeches, announcements or commentaries, or holding interviews for or
against the election of any candidate for public offce;
(d) Publishing or distributing campaign literature or materials designed to support or
oppose the election of any candidate; or
(e) Directly or indirectly soliciting votes, pledges or support for or against any candidate.
Personal opinions, views, and preferences for candidates, contained in blogs shall not
be considered acts of election campaigning or partisan political activity unless expressed by
government offcials in the Executive Department, the Legislative Department, the Judiciary,
the Constitutional Commissions, and members of the Civil Service.
(2) The term candidate refers to any person seeking an elective public offce, who
has fled his certifcate of candidacy, and who has not died, withdrawn his certifcate of
candidacy, had his certifcate of candidacy denied due course or cancelled, or has been
otherwise disqualifed before the start of the campaign period for which he fled his certifcate
of candidacy. Provided, that, unlawful acts or omissions applicable to a candidate shall take
effect only upon the start of the aforesaid campaign period.
It also refers to any registered national, regional, or sectoral party, organization or
coalition thereof that has fled a manifestation of intent to participate under the party-list
system, which has not withdrawn the said manifestation, or which has not been disqualifed
before the start of the campaign period.
(3) The term party refers to either a political party, sectoral party or a coalition of
parties, and party-list organizations duly registered/accredited with the Commission.
(4) The term political advertisement or election propaganda refers to any matter
broadcasted, published, printed, displayed or exhibited, in any medium, which contain
the name, image, logo, brand, insignia, color motif, initials, and other symbol or graphic
representation that is capable of being associated with a candidate or party, and is intended
to draw the attention of the public or a segment thereof to promote or oppose, directly or
indirectly, the election of the said candidate or candidates to a public offce. In broadcast
media, political advertisements may take the form of spots, appearances on TV shows
and radio programs, live or taped announcements, teasers, and other forms of advertising
messages or announcements used by commercial advertisers.
Political advertising includes matters, not falling within the scope of personal opinion, that
appear on any Internet website, including, but not limited to, social networks, blogging sites, and
micro-blogging sites, in return for consideration, or otherwise capable of pecuniary estimation.
(5) The terms blog and collective blog refer to websites on which an individual or
group of users, respectively, record news, opinions, and information, in varying degrees of
regularity. A micro-blog refers to a blogging format which allows users to exchange small
elements of content referred to variously as posts or status updates such as short
sentences, individual images, or links to video material uploaded to the Internet.
(6) The term media practitioner refers to a person who is not employed by a media
entity but performs similar functions or has control over what is printed or broadcast such as
a talent or a block timer.
Persons who create online content for personal or collective blogs and micro-blogs shall
be considered media practitioners for purposes of these Rules.
(7) The term election survey refers to the measurement of opinions and perceptions
of the voters as regards a candidates popularity, qualifcations, platforms or matters of public
discussion in relation to the election, including voters preference for candidates or publicly
discussed issues during the campaign period.
(8) The term exit polls refers to a species of election survey conducted by a qualifed
individual or a group of individuals for the purpose of determining the probable result of an
election by confdentially asking randomly selected voters for the names of candidates they
have voted for, immediately after they have offcially cast their ballots.
SECTION 2.Campaign Periods. For purposes of the 13 May 2013 National and Local
Elections, the campaign periods shall be:
Elective Offce Start End
Candidates for Senator & Party-List groups
participating in the party-list system of
representation
12 February 2013
(Tuesday)
11 May 2013 (Saturday)
Candidates for Members of the House of
Representatives, regional, provincial, city
and municipal offcials
29 March 2013 (Friday) 11 May 2013 (Saturday)
For subsequent elections, the campaign period shall be that prescribed by the
Commission.
SECTION 3.Prohibited Campaigning. It is unlawful for any person, whether or not
a voter or a candidate, or for any political party, or association of persons to engage in an
election campaign or partisan political activity on Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, eve of
Election Day, and on Election Day.
For purposes of the 13 May 2013 National and Local Elections, campaigning is prohibited
on 28 March 2013 (Maundy Thursday), 29 March 2013 (Good Friday), 12 May 2013 (eve of
election day), and 13 May 2013 (election day).
SECTION 4.Prohibition against Foreign Intervention. It is unlawful for any foreigner,
whether juridical or natural person, to aid any candidate, or political party, organization or
coalition, directly or indirectly, or to take part in, or infuence in any manner, any election, or
to contribute or make any expenditure in connection with any election campaign or partisan
political activity.
SECTION 5.Authorized Expenses of Candidates and Parties. The aggregate
amount that a candidate or party may spend for election campaign shall be as follows:
a. For candidates - Three pesos (P3.00) for every voter currently registered in the
constituency where the candidate fled his certifcate of candidacy;
b. For other candidates without any political party and without support from any political
party Five pesos (P5.00) for every voter currently registered in the constituency where the
candidate fled his certifcate of candidacy.
c. For Political Parties and party-list groups Five pesos (P5.00) for every voter
currently registered in the constituency or constituencies where it has offcial candidates.
SECTION 6. Lawful Election Propaganda. Election propaganda, whether on
television or cable television, radio, newspaper or any other medium, is hereby allowed for all
parties and for all bona fde candidates seeking national and local elective positions subject
to the limitation on authorized expenses of candidates and parties, observation of truth in
advertising, and to the supervision and regulation by the Commission.
Lawful election propaganda shall include:
(a) Pamphlets, leafets, cards, decals, stickers or other written or printed materials the
size of which does not exceed eight and one-half inches (8 ) in width and fourteen inches
(14) in length;
(b) Handwritten or printed letters urging voters to vote for or against any particular
political party or candidate for public offce;
(c) Posters made of cloth, paper, cardboard or any other material, whether framed or
posted, with an area not exceeding two feet (2) by three feet (3);
(d) Streamers not exceeding three feet (3) by eight feet (8) in size displayed at the site
and on the occasion of a public meeting or rally. Said streamers may be displayed fve (5)
days before the date of the meeting or rally and shall be removed within twenty-four (24) hours
after said meeting or rally;
(e) Mobile units, vehicles motorcades of all types, whether engine or manpower driven
or animal drawn, with or without sound systems or loud speakers and with or without lights;
(f) Paid advertisements in print or broadcast media subject to the requirements set forth
in Section 9 hereof and Republic Act No. 9006;
(g) In headquarters or residences of candidates, lawful election paraphernalia may be
displayed, but banners or streamers referred to in paragraph (d) above shall not be allowed;
(h) All other forms of election propaganda not prohibited by the Omnibus Election Code
or these rules.
Parties and candidates are hereby encouraged to use recyclable and environment-
friendly materials and avoid those that contain hazardous chemicals and substances in the
production of their campaign and election propaganda. In local government units where
local legislation governing the use of plastic and other similar materials exist, parties and
candidates shall comply with the same.
SECTION 7.Prohibited Forms of Election Propaganda. During the campaign period,
it is unlawful:
(a) To print, publish, post or distribute any newspaper, newsletter, newsweekly, gazette
or magazine advertising, pamphlet, leafet, card, decal, bumper sticker, poster, comic book,
circular, handbill, streamer, sample list of candidates or any published or printed political
matter and to air or broadcast any election propaganda or political advertisement by television
or radio or on the internet for or against a candidate or group of candidates to any public
offce, unless they bear and be identifed by the reasonably legible, or audible words political
advertisement paid for, followed by the true and correct name and address of the candidate
or party for whose beneft the election propaganda was printed or aired. It shall likewise
be unlawful to publish, print or distribute said campaign materials unless they bear, and are
identifed by, the reasonably legible, or audible words political advertisements paid by,
followed by the true and correct name and address of the payor.
(b) To print, publish, broadcast or exhibit any such election propaganda donated or given
free of charge by any person or publishing frm or broadcast entity to a candidate or party
without the written acceptance by the said candidate or party and unless they bear and be
identifed by the words printed free of charge, or airtime for this broadcast was provided free
of charge by, respectively, followed by the true and correct name and address of the said
publishing frm or broadcast entity;
(c) To show, display or exhibit publicly in a theater, television station, or any public forum
any movie, cinematography or documentary portraying the life or biography of a candidate, or
in which a character is portrayed by an actor or media personality who is himself a candidate;
(d) For any newspaper or publication, radio, television or cable television station, or
other mass media, or any person making use of the mass media to sell or to give free of
charge print space or air time for campaign or election propaganda purposes to any candidate
or party in excess of the size, duration or frequency authorized by law or these rules;
(e) For any radio, television, cable television station, announcer or broadcaster to allow
the scheduling of any program, or permit any sponsor to manifestly favor or oppose any
candidate or party by unduly or repeatedly referring to, or unnecessarily mentioning his name,
or including therein said candidate or party; and
(f) To post, display or exhibit any election campaign or propaganda material outside of
authorized common poster areas, in public places, or in private properties without the consent
of the owner thereof.
(g) Public places referred to in the previous subsection (f) include any of the following:
1. Electronic announcement boards, such as LED display boards located along
highways and streets, LCD TV displays posted on walls of public buildings, and other similar
devices which are owned by local government units, government-owned and controlled
corporations, or any agency or instrumentality of the Government;
2. Motor vehicles used as patrol cars, ambulances, and other similar purposes that are
owned by local government units, government-owned and controlled corporations, and other
agencies and instrumentalities of the Government, particularly those bearing red license plates;
3. Waiting sheds, sidewalks, street and lamp posts, electric posts andwires, traffc
signages and other signboards erected on public property, pedestrian overpasses and
underpasses, fyovers and underpasses, bridges, main thoroughfares, center islands of roads
and highways;
4. Schools, shrines, barangay halls, health centers, public structures and buildings or
any edifce thereof;
5. Public utility vehicles such as buses, jeepneys, trains, taxi cabs, ferries, pedicabs
and tricycles, whether motorized or not;
6. Within the premises of public transport terminals, such as bus terminals, airports,
seaports, docks, piers, train stations, and the like.
The violation of items 4 and 5 under subsection (g) shall be a cause for the revocation
of the public utility franchise and will make the owner and/or operator of the transportation
service and/or terminal liable for an election offense under Section 9 of Republic Act No. 9006
as implemented by Section 18 (n) of these Rules.
The printing press, printer, or publisher who prints, reproduces or publishes said campaign
materials, and the broadcaster, station manager, owner of the radio or television station, or
owner or administrator of any website who airs or shows the political advertisements, without
the required data or in violation of these rules shall be criminally liable with the candidate and,
if applicable, further suffer the penalties of suspension or revocation of franchise or permit in
accordance with law.
SECTION 8. Petition for Authority to Use other Election Propaganda. Any person
seeking authority to use other forms of election propaganda not covered by those enumerated
in Sec. 6 hereof and not prohibited by law may fle with the Commission, through the Clerk
of the Commission, a verifed petition in eight (8) legible copies, describing the election
propaganda sought to be authorized with samples thereof.
ManilaStandardTODAY WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 16, 2013 | A9
Upon receipt of the petition, the Clerk of the Commission shall set it for hearing and shall
send notice thereof to the petitioner. On the day following the receipt of the notice of hearing,
the petitioner shall cause the publication of the petition, together with the notice of hearing, in
two (2) newspapers of general circulation, notifying the Commission of such action.
If the Commission authorizes the use of the requested election propaganda, the
authorization shall be published in two (2) newspapers of general circulation within one (1)
week after the authorization has been granted.
SECTION 9. Requirements and/or Limitations on the Use of Election Propaganda
through Mass Media. All parties and bona fde candidates shall have equal access to
media time and space for their election propaganda during the campaign period subject to
the following requirements and/or limitations:
a. Broadcast Election Propaganda
The duration of air time that a candidate, or party may use for their broadcast
advertisements or election propaganda shall be, as follows:
For Candidates/
Registered Political
parties for a National
Elective Position
Not more than an aggregate total of one hundred (120) minutes
of television advertising, whether appearing on national,
regional, or local, free or cable television, and one hundred
eighty (180) minutes of radio advertising, whether airing on
national, regional, or local radio, whether by purchase or
donation.
For Candidates/
Registered Political
parties for a Local
Elective Position
Not more than an aggregate total of sixty (60) minutes of
television advertising, whether appearing on national, regional,
or local, free or cable television, and ninety (90) minutes of
radio advertising, whether airing on national, regional, or local
radio, whether by purchase or donation.
In cases where two or more candidates or parties whose names, initials, images,
brands, logos, insignias, color motifs, symbols, or forms of graphical representations are
displayed, exhibited, used, or mentioned together inthe broadcast election propaganda
or advertisements, the length of time during which they appear or are being mentioned or
promoted will be counted against the airtime limits allotted for the said candidates or parties
and the cost of the said advertisement will likewise be considered as their expenditures,
regardless of whoever paid for the advertisements or to whom the said advertisements were
donated.
Appearance or guesting by a candidate on any bona fde newscast, bona fde news
interview, bona fde news documentary, if the appearance of the candidate is incidental to
the presentation of the subject or subjects covered by the news documentary, or on-the-spot
coverage of bona fde news events, including but not limited to events sanctioned by the
Commission on Elections, political conventions, and similar activities, shall not be deemed to
be broadcast election propaganda within the meaning of this provision. To determine whether
the appearance or guesting in a program is bona fde, the broadcast stations or entities must
show that: (1) prior approval of the Commission was secured; and (2) candidates and parties
were afforded equal opportunities to promote their candidacy. Nothing in the foregoing
sentence shall be construed as relieving broadcasters, in connection with the presentation of
newscasts, news interviews, news documentaries, and on-the-spot coverage of news events,
from the obligation imposed upon them under Sections 10 and 14 of these Rules.
Provided, further, that a copy of the broadcast advertisement contract be furnished to
the Commission, thru the Education and Information Department, within fve (5) days from
contract signing.
b. Printed or Published Election Propaganda
The maximum size of print advertisements for each candidate, whether for a national or
local elective positions, or party shall be, as follows:
In broadsheets One fourth (1/4) page
In tabloids One half (1/2) page
Said print advertisement, whether procured by purchase, or given free of charge,
shall not be published more than three times a week per newspaper, magazine, or other
publication during the campaign period.
c. Online Election Propaganda
The maximum size of online propaganda for each candidate, whether for a national or
local elective position, or party shall be as follows:
Name Width /pixels Height /pixels Aspect Ratio
Rectangles and Pop-ups
Medium 300 250 1.2
Square Pop-Up 250 250 1
Vertical Rectangle 240 400 1.67
Large Rectangle 336 280 1.2
Rectangle 180 150 1.2
3:1 Rectangle 300 100 3
Pop-Under 7.20 300 2.4
Banners and Buttons
Full Banner 468 60 7.8
Half-Banner 234 60 3. 9
Micro-Bar 88 31 2.84
Button 1 120 90 1.33
Button 2 120 60 2
Vertical Banner 120 240 2
Square Button 125 125 1
Leaderboard 728 90 8.09
Skyscrapers
Wide skyscraper 160 600 3.75
Skyscraper 120 600 5
Half-Page ad 300 600 2
Said online advertisement, whether procured by purchase, or given free of charge, shall
not be published more than three times a week per website during the campaign period.
For this purpose, the exhibition or display of the online advertisement for any length of time,
regardless of frequency, within a 24 hour period, shall be construed as one instance of
publication.
d. Common requirements/limitations:
(1) Any printed or published, and broadcast election propaganda for or against
a candidate or group of candidates to any public offce shall bear and be
identifed by the reasonably legible or audible words political advertisement
paid for, followed by the true and correct name and address of the candidate or
party whose beneft the election propaganda was printed or aired. It must also
bear, and be identifed by, the reasonably legible, or audible words political
advertisement paid by, followed by the true and correct name and address of
the payor. This rule shall apply to online advertisements.
(2) If the printed or published election propaganda is donated by the publishing
frm, or the broadcast election propaganda is given free of charge by the radio,
or television station or cable television, it shall bear and be identifed by the
reasonably legible or audible words printed free of charge, or airtime for this
broadcast was provided free of charge by, respectively, followed by the true
and correct name and address of the said publishing frm or broadcast entity.
This rule shall apply to online advertisements.
(3) For the above purpose, each broadcast entity and website owner or
administrator shall submit to the Commission a certifed true copy of its
broadcast logs, certifcates of performance, or other analogous record,
including certifcates of acceptance as required in Section 7(b) of these
Guidelines, for the review and verifcation of the frequency, date, time and
duration of advertisements aired for any candidate or party through:
For Broadcast Entities in the NCR
The Education and Information Department (EID) which in turn shall furnish
copies thereof to the Campaign Finance Unit (CFU) of the Commission within
fve days from receipt thereof.
For Broadcast Entities outside of the NCR -
The City/Municipal Election Offcer (EO) concerned, who in turn, shall furnish
copies thereof to the Education and Information Department (EID) of the
Commission which in turn shall furnish copies thereof to the Campaign Finance
Unit (CFU) of the Commission within fve (5) days from the receipt thereof.
For website owners or administrators
The City/Municipal Election Offcer (EO) concerned, who in turn, shall furnish
copies thereof to the Education and Information Department (EID) of the
Commission which in turn shall furnish copies thereof to the Campaign Finance
Unit (CFU) of the Commission within fve (5) days from the receipt thereof.
All broadcast entities shall preserve their broadcast logs for a period of fve (5) years
from the date of broadcast for submission to the Commission whenever required.
Certifed true copies of broadcast logs, certifcates of performance, and certifcates of
acceptance, or other analogous record shall be submitted, as follows:
Candidates for
National Positions
1
st
Report 3 weeks after start of campaign period March 4 11
2
nd
Report 3 weeks after 1
st
fling week April 3 10
3
rd
Report 1 week before election day May 2 9
Last Report Election week May 14 - 17
Candidates for Local
Positions
1
st
Report 1 week after start of campaign period April 15 22
2
nd
Report 1 week after 1
st
fling week April 30 May 8
3
rd
Report Election week May 9 15
Last Report 1 week after election day May 16 - 22
For subsequent elections, the schedule for the submission of reports shall be prescribed
by the Commission.
SECTION 10.Fair and Accurate Reporting. All members of the news media,
television, radio, print, or online, shall scrupulously report and interpret the news, taking
care not to suppress essential facts or distort the truth by omission or improper emphasis.
They shall recognize the duty to air the other side and the duty to correct substantive errors
promptly without prejudice to the right of said broadcast entities to air accounts of signifcant
news or newsworthy events and views on matters of public interest.
SECTION 11.No Suspension of Franchise. No franchise or permit to operate a radio
or television station shall be granted or issued, suspended or cancelled during the election
period.
SECTION 12.COMELEC Space and Time for Announcement of Candidates. The
Commission shall procure print space and air time as follows:
a. Print Space
The Commission shall, through the Education and Information Department,
upon payment of just compensation, procure print space in at least three (3)
national newspapers of general circulation wherein candidates for national offce
can announce their candidacies. Such space shall be allocated free of charge
equally and impartially to all candidates for national offce on three different
calendar days, as follows:
1
st
day within the frst week of the campaign period;
2
nd
day within the ffth week of the campaign period;
3
rd
day within the tenth week of the campaign period.
b. Air Time
The Commission shall, through the Education and Information Department,
also procure free air time from at least three (3) national television networks
and three (3) national radio networks wherein candidates for national offce can
announce their candidacies.
Air time shall be allocated free of charge equally and impartially to all
candidates for national offce on three (3) different calendar days, as follows:
1
st
day within the frst week of the campaign period;
2
nd
day within the ffth week of the campaign period;
3
rd
day within the tenth week of the campaign period.
Each advertisement shall be in the form of a maximum of thirty (30) seconds
spot, or in the form of interviews or campaign speeches at time limits to be set by
the Commission in consultation with the said candidates or the parties;
Costs of production of political advertisement shall be at the expense of
the candidate or political party, but the speeches or interviews shall be free of
charge and the moderator shall be a COMELEC Offcial or one designated by the
COMELEC for the purpose.
SECTION 13.COMELEC Space and Time for COMELEC Information Dissemination.
The Commission shall furthermore procure print space and air time as follows:
a. Print Space
The Commission shall, through the Regional Election Director (RED), or in
the case of the National Capital Region (NCR), the Education and Information
Department, upon payment of just compensation, procure print space in at least one
(1) newspaper of general circulation in the province or city which shall be known as
COMELEC Space to be utilized exclusively for public information dissemination on
election-related concerns. In the absence of said newspaper of general circulation,
publication shall be done in any other magazine or periodical in the province or city.
b. Airtime
The Commission shall, through the Regional Election Director (RED), or in the
case of National Capital Region (NCR), the Education and Information Department,
also procure air time free of charge in at least one (1) major broadcasting station
or entity in every province or city which shall be known as COMELEC Time to be
utilized exclusively for public information dissemination on election-related concerns.
In the absence of a major station or entity, broadcasting shall be done in any radio or
television station in the province or city.
Each radio, television or broadcasting station chosen by the Regional Election
Director or the Director of the Education and Information Department, as the case may
be, shall provide airtime including primetime at least sixty (60) minutes daily.
SECTION 14. Right to Reply. All parties and bona fde candidates shall have the right
to reply to charges published or aired against them. The reply shall be given publicity by the
newspaper, television, and/or radio station which frst printed or aired the charges with the same
prominence or in the same page or section, or in the same time slot as the frst statement.
Candidates may invoke the right to reply by submitting a formal, verifed, claim against the
media outlet to the COMELEC, through the appropriate Regional Election Director, or in the case
of the NCR, the EID. The claim shall include a detailed enumeration of the circumstances and
occurrences which warrant the invocation of the right to reply.
The COMELEC shall, within 24 hours of receipt of the claim, endorse the same to the
media outlet involved, which shall, within 24 hours, submit a report to the COMELEC, through
the appropriate Regional Election Director, or in the case of the NCR, the EID, on the action it
has taken to address the claim.
SECTION 15. Rates for Political Propaganda. During the election period, media outlets
shall charge parties and bona fde candidates a discounted rate for their election propaganda
over the average rates charged during the frst three (3) quarters of the calendar year preceding
the elections, as follows:
a. For television Thirty percent (30%);
b. For radio Twenty percent (20%);
c. For print Ten percent (10%)
SECTION 16. Regulation of Election Propaganda through Mass Media. In all
instances, the Commission shall supervise the use and employment of press, radio and
television facilities insofar as the placement of political advertisements is concerned to ensure
that candidates are given equal opportunities under equal circumstances to make known their
qualifcations and their stand on public issues within the limits set forth in the Omnibus Election
Code, Republic Act No. 9006, and these rules.
SECTION 17. Posting the Campaign Materials. Parties and candidates may post any
lawful campaign material in:
a. Authorized common poster areas in public places subject to the requirements and/or
limitations set forth in the next following section; and
b. Private places provided it has the consent of the owner thereof.
The posting of campaign materials in public places outside of the designated common
poster areas and those enumerated under Section 7 (g) of these Rules and the like is prohibited.
Persons posting the same shall be liable together with the candidates and other persons who
caused the posting. It will be presumed that the candidates and parties caused the posting of
campaign materials outside the common poster areas if they do not remove the same within
three (3) days from notice which shall be issued by the Election Offcer of the city or municipality
where the unlawful election propaganda are posted or displayed.
Members of the PNP and other law enforcement agencies called upon by the Election
Offcer or other offcials of the COMELEC shall apprehend the violators caught in the act, and
fle the appropriate charges against them.
SECTION 18. Common Poster Areas. Parties and independent candidates may, upon
authority of the Commission, through the City or Municipal Election Offcer (EO) concerned,
erect, at their expense, common poster areas wherein they can post, display, or exhibit their
election propaganda to announce or further their candidacy subject to the following requirements
and/or limitations:
a. A common poster area does not refer to a post, a tree, the wall of a building or an
existing public structure that is in active use, but a structure, the location and number
of which are herein below determined, that is temporarily set up by the candidates or
political parties for the exclusive purpose of displaying their campaign posters;
b. In no instance shall an Election Offcer designate any trees, fowering plants, shrubs
located along public roads, in plazas, parks, school premises or in any other public
grounds as common poster areas. In cases where parties and candidates still persist
in displaying, posting, or exhibiting of their campaign or election propaganda on trees
and plants, they shall be prosecuted for violation of these Rules, without prejudice to
the institution of a criminal complaint for the violation of Republic Act No. 3571.
c. Each party and independent candidate, with prior consent from the Commission, may
put up common poster areas in every barangay, subject to the following conditions:
5,000 registered voters or less 1 common poster area
For every increment of 5,000 registered voters, or
a fraction thereof, thereafter
1 additional common poster
area
d. Such common poster areas shall be allowed by the Election Offcer only in selected
public places such as plazas, markets, barangay centers and the like where posters
may be readily seen or read, with the heaviest pedestrian and/or vehicular traffc in the
city or municipality;
e. The Election Offcer shall make, and post in his offce, a list of the common poster
areas in each city or legislative district in said city or municipality, indicating therein
their exact locations, and furnish each political party or candidate copies of said list at
the latters expense, and also the Provincial Election Supervisor and the Director IV of
the Education and Information Department;
f. The Election Offcer shall comply with his obligations in the immediately preceding
paragraph not later than fve (5) days before the start of the campaign period for
national elections and failure to do so shall make him liable for gross neglect of duty;
g. The size of each common poster area shall not exceed the following dimensions:
1. For political parties and party-list groups. twelve (12) by sixteen (16) feet, or its
equivalent but not exceeding a total area of 192 square feet; and
2. For independent candidates four (4) by six (6) feet or its equivalent but not
exceeding a total area of twenty four (24) square feet.
h. The individual posters that may be posted in each common poster areas shall not
exceed two (2) by three (3) feet. However, in case of space limitations, posters of
candidates of political parties may be reduced to a uniform size to accommodate all
candidates. This regulation is also violated by making single letters of names having
the maximum size or lesser and then putting them together to form a size exceeding
two (2) by three (3) feet;
i. The common poster areas allocated to parties and independent candidates shall not
be used by other parties and independent candidates even with the consent of the
former;
j. The common poster areas put up for party-list groups, organizations and/or coalitions
thereof shall be allocated at the rate of one (1) common poster area for every thirty-two
(32) party-list groups, organizations and/or coalitions thereof;
k. In case there are less than thirty-two (32) party-list groups, organizations and/or
coalitions thereof, applying to put up the common poster areas, the Election Offcer
(EO) concerned shall reduce the size of the common poster area depending on the
total number of applicants thereof, provided that each group is entitled to post one two
(2) feet by three (3) feet poster;
l. In case there are more than thirty-two (32) party-list groups, organizations and/
or coalitions applying to put up common poster areas, the Election Offcer (EO)
concerned shall determine the appropriate number and size of common poster areas
to equitably accommodate the total number of applicants, subject to the provisions of
the immediately two (2) preceding paragraphs;
m. Parties and independent candidates shall fle their applications to erect common
poster areas with the Offcer of the City/Municipal Election Offcer (EO) concerned
within fve (5) days from the effectivity of this Resolution; otherwise they must accept
the listing prepared by the Election Offcer.
n. Within fve (5) days after the elections and without need of notice, the parties and
candidates which applied for the putting up of common poster areas shall tear down
the same at their own expense and restore the site into its original condition. Non-
performance of this obligation shall be deemed a violation of the law and regulation on
the observance of common poster areas for which the candidate and party concerned
shall be liable.
o. No lawful election propaganda materials shall be allowed outside the common poster
areas except in private properties with the consent of the owner or in such other places
mentioned in these Rules. Any violation hereof shall be punishable as an election
offense.
p. In all cases, the parties shall agree among themselves how their individual posters
in the common poster areas shall be placed. In case no agreement is reached, the
Election Offcer (EO) concerned shall determine said placement by drawing of lots.
q. The Election Offcer shall act on all applications for common areas within three (3)
days from receipt thereof. For this purpose, he shall determine whether the proposed
common poster area sites are public places with heavy pedestrian or vehicular traffc,
or business or commercial centers, or densely populated areas, and equitably and
impartially allocate the sites to ensure maximum exposure of the lawful propaganda
materials of all parties and independent candidates.
r. Any party or independent candidate aggrieved by the action of the Election Offcer
may appeal the same within two (2) days from receipt of the order of said Election
Offcer to:
1. The Provincial Election Supervisor (PES); or
2. The Regional Election Director (RED), in the case of the National Capital Region
(NCR).
s. The Provincial Election Supervisor (PES) or Regional Election Director (RED)
concerned shall decide the appeal within two (2) days from receipt thereof, furnishing
copies of the decision to the parties concerned and to the Law Department of the
Commission. The decision shall be fnal and executory.
SECTION 19. Establishment of Headquarters. Every registered political party or
sectoral organization or coalition participating in the party list system or candidate may be
allowed to establish a limited number of headquarters subject to the following conditions:
a. A registered party with national constituency and a national candidate may establish
one headquarters in each province or highly urbanized city;
b. A registered political party with regional constituency may establish one headquarters
in each province or highly urbanized city in the region;
c. A registered political party with provincial constituency and a provincial candidate may
be allowed to establish one headquarters in each municipality;
d. Congressional candidates may be allowed to establish one headquarters in the
legislative district they seek to represent. Should their legislative district be composed
of several municipalities, they may be allowed to establish one headquarters per
municipality;
e. City candidates may be allowed to establish one headquarters per councilor district;
f. Municipal candidates may be allowed to establish one headquarters in the entire
municipality.
g. Lawful election propaganda may be displayed at headquarters subject to the limitations
provided for in SEC. 6 (g) hereof.
SECTION 20. Submission of List of Location of Headquarters. All parties and
candidates shall submit within fve (5) days from their establishment, the list showing the specifc
locations and addresses of all their headquarters, to the following offces:
a. National parties and candidates Law Department
b. Provincial parties and candidates PES
c. City and Municipal parties and candidates EO
d. Parties and Candidates in the NCR RED
The Offcial of the COMELEC to whom the list of headquarters is submitted shall furnish
copies thereof to the Law Department and the Education and Information Department, within
fve (5) days from receipt of the list.

SECTION 21. Headquarters Signboard. Before the start of the campaign period,
only one (1) signboard, not exceeding three (3) feet by eight (8) feet in size, identifying the
place as the headquarters of the party or candidates is allowed to be displayed. Parties may
put up the signboard announcing their headquarters not earlier than fve (5) days before the
start of the campaign period. Individual candidates may put up the signboard announcing
their headquarters not earlier than the start of the campaign period. Only lawful election
propaganda material may be displayed or posted therein and only during the campaign period.
SECTION 22. Prohibition on the Removal, Destruction or Defacement of Lawful
Election Propaganda. - During the campaign period, it is unlawful for any person to remove,
destroy, obliterate or, in any manner, deface or tamper with, or prevent the distribution of any
lawful election propaganda enumerated in Section 6 hereof.
SECTION 23. Removal, Confscation, or Destruction of Prohibited Propaganda
Materials. Any prohibited form of election propaganda shall be summarily stopped,
confscated, removed, destroyed, or torn down by the representatives of the Commission,
at the expense of the candidate, parties or person for whose apparent beneft the prohibited
election propaganda materials have been produced, displayed, and disseminated.
Any person, party, association, agency, offce, bureau or department of the government
may fle with the Commission, through its feld offce, a petition to confscate, remove, destroy
and/or stop the distribution of any propaganda material on the ground that the same is
offensive to public morals, libelous, illegal, prohibited, subversive or irrelevant to the election
issues.
The Commission, after summary hearing, shall resolve the petition within six (6) days
from the time it is submitted for decision. Where the parties concerned cannot be contacted
or are unknown or refuse to appear at the hearing, the Commission may decide the petition
ex parte.
The Commission may, motuproprio, immediately order the removal, destruction and/
or confscation of any prohibited propaganda material, or those materials which contain
statements or representations that are illegal, prohibited, patently libelous, offensive to public
morals, subversive or which tend to incite sedition or rebellion.
SECTION. 24. Creation of Task Force to Tear Down and Remove Unlawful Election
Materials. There is hereby created a task force to tear down and remove all unlawful
election materials composed of the Election Offcer as Chairman, the Station Commander
of the PNP (Chief of Police) as Vice Chairman, and a third member belonging to any of the
deputized agencies of the Commission.
The Task Force shall have the following duties and functions:
a. To tear down and remove campaign propaganda materials posted in public places
outside the common poster areas;
b. To tear down and remove all prohibited forms of campaign materials wherever
posted or displayed;
c. To monitor and watch out for persons posting or distributing said unlawful election
paraphernalia and to arrest said persons caught in the act; and
d. To make a report of said activities done by them.
SECTION 25. Removal of Prohibited Propaganda Materials Before the Start of the
Campaign Period. All prohibited forms of election propaganda as described in Section 7
of these Rules shall be immediately removed, or caused to be removed, by said candidate or
party before the start of the campaign period; otherwise, the said candidate or party shall be
presumed to have committed the pertinent election offense during said campaign period for
national candidates or for local candidates as the case may be.
The prohibited forms of propaganda contemplated in this Section include any names,
images, logos, brands, insignias, color motifs, initials, and other forms of identifable
graphical representations placed by incumbent offcials on any public structures or places as
enumerated in Section 7 (g) of these Rules.
SECTION 26. Election Surveys. During the election period, any person, whether
natural or juridical, candidate or organization may conduct an election survey. The survey
shall be published and shall include the following information:
(a) The name of the person, candidate, party, or organization that commissioned or
paid for the survey;
(b) The name of the person, polling frm or survey organization who conducted the
survey;
(c) The period during which the survey was conducted, the methodology used, including
the number of individual respondents and the areas from which they were selected,
and the specifc questions asked;
(d) The margin of error of the survey;
(e) For each question for which the margin of error is greater than that reported under
paragraph (4), the margin of error for that question; and
(f) A mailing address and telephone number, indicating it as an address or telephone
number at which the sponsor can be contacted to obtain a written report regarding
the survey in accordance with the next succeeding paragraph.
(g) The survey together with raw data gathered to support its conclusions shall be
available for inspection, copying and verifcation by the Commission. Any violation
of this SECTION shall constitute an election offense.
SECTION 27. Exit Polls. Exit polls may only be taken subject to the following
requirements:
a. Pollster shall not conduct their surveys within ffty (50) meters from the polling place,
whether said survey is taken in a home, dwelling place and other places;
b. Pollsters shall wear distinctive clothing and prominently wear their identifcation
cards issued by the organization they represent;
c. Pollsters shall inform the voters that they may refuse to answer; and
d. The results of the exit polls may be announced after the closing of the polls on
election day, and must identify the total number of respondents, and the places
where they were taken. Said announcement shall state that the same is unoffcial
and does not represent a trend.
SECTION 28. Rallies, Meetings and Other Political Activities. Subject to the
requirements of local ordinances on the issuance of permits, any political party supporting
offcial candidates and parties or any candidate, individually or jointly with other aspirants,
may hold peaceful political meetings, rallies or other similar activities during the campaign
period.
Any party or candidate shall notify the election offcer concerned of any public rally said
party or candidate intends to organize and hold in the city or municipality. The notice must be
submitted three (3) working days prior to the date thereof, and must include the venue and
its address, as well as a commitment to submit a Statement of Expenses, and within seven
(7) working days thereafter submit to the election offcer a Statement of Expenses incurred
in connection therewith. The prescribed forms for Notice of Public Rally and Statement of
Expenses are provided in Comelec Resolution No. 9476.
SECTION 29. Application for Permit to Hold Public Meetings, Rallies or Other
Political Activities. All applications for permits to hold public meetings, rallies and other
similar political activities shall be fled with the authorized city or municipal offcial who shall
acknowledge receipt thereof in writing. Immediately after its fling, the application shall be
posted in a conspicuous place in the city hall or municipal building.
The offcial before whom the application is fled shall submit to the Election Offcer (EO)
concerned on the frst working day of each week the list of applications, if any, fled during the
previous week and the action taken thereon.
SECTION 30. Action on Application for Permit. Within three (3) days after the fling
of an application for permit to hold public meetings, rallies or other political activities, the local
authority concerned shall act in writing on said application. Any application not acted upon
within three (3) days from the date of its fling shall be deemed approved.
In acting on the application, the approving offcial shall give all candidates and parties
equal and fair opportunity as to date, time and place, to hold public political meetings or rallies.
In the last week of the campaign period, all independent candidates and parties shall be
entitled to hold at least one public meeting or rally, at the time to be chosen by the applicant, in
the public plaza or place where public political meetings or rallies are usually held.
An application for permit shall be denied only on the ground that a prior written
application by another candidate or party for the same purpose has been approved. Denial
or any application may be appealed to the Provincial Election Supervisor and in the National
Capital Region, to the Regional Election Director who shall decide the same within forty-eight
(48) hours after the fling of the appeal, and shall give notice of the decision to the parties. The
decision shall be fnal and executory.
SECTION 31. Prohibited Acts During Public Meetings. It is unlawful for any
candidate, party or any person to give or accept, free of charge, directly or indirectly,
transportation, food and drinks, or anything of value during and within the fve (5) hours before
and after a public meeting, or to give or contribute, directly or indirectly, money or things of
value for such purpose.
SECTION 32. Mass Media Columnist, Announcer or Personality Running for Public
Offce or is a Campaign Volunteer. Any mass media columnist, commentator, announcer,
reporter, on-air correspondent, or personality who is a candidate for any elective public offce,
a party-list nominee, or is a campaign volunteer for or employed or retained in any capacity
by any candidate or party shall be deemed resigned, if so required by their employer, or shall
take a leave of absence from his/her work as such during the campaign period; Provided,
that after he has fled his certifcate of candidacy but before the campaign period, it shall be
his obligation not to use his media work for premature election campaign or partisan political
activity: Provided, fnally, that any media practitioner who, while not himself a candidate, is an
offcial of a political party or a member of the campaign staff of a candidate or party shall not
use his/her time or space to favor any candidate or party;
SECTION 33. Deputation. The Commission hereby deputizes the Philippine Information
Agency (PIA), Kapisanan ng mga Brodkasters ng Pilipinas (KBP), Philippine Association of
Private Telephone Companies (PAPTELCO), and the Telecommunication Operators of the
Philippine (TOP) to conduct, in coordination with the Education and Information Department,
regular information campaign on the proper use of any medium of communication.
The Commission hereby deputizes local government units to prevent, remove, destroy,
confscate or tear down any prohibited propaganda materials without any partiality.
SECTION 34. Applicability to Overseas Absentee Voting. This Resolution shall
apply in a suppletory character wherever applicable to all resolutions on campaigning abroad
under Republic Act No. 9189.
SECTION 35. Election Offense. Any violation of RA 9006 and these Rules shall
constitute an election offense punishable under the frst and second paragraph of Section
264 of the Omnibus Election Code in addition to administrative liability, whenever applicable.
Any aggrieved party may fle a verifed complaint for violation of these Rules with the Law
Department of the Commission.
SECTION 36. Effectivity. This Resolution shall take effect on the (7
th
) seventh day after
its publication in two (2) daily newspapers of general circulation. This Resolution supersedes
all previous resolutions inconsistent herewith.
SECTION 37. Publication and Dissemination. The Education and
Information Department shall cause the publication of this Resolution in at least
two (2) newspapers of general circulation, and furnish copies thereof to all feld
offces of the Commission, and to the presidents or secretary-generals of all
parties, candidates, mass media entities, and deputized offces.
SO ORDERED.
Chairman
News
ManilaStandardToday
mst.daydesk@gmail.com JANUARY 16, 2013 WEDNESDAY
A10

IN BRIEF
Year-long Edsa repair looms
3 DENR ofcials face
raps over survey plan
Comelec eyes raps vs Laguna warehouse landlord
UN lauds Filipinos heroism
Terminal 3 fully operational by yearend
No new taxes in Makati
THE Makati City government vowed it
will not increase taxes this year, Mayor
Jejomar Erwin Binay said on Tuesday.
Binay made the assurance during his
State of the City Address at the Manila
Peninsula Hotel.
The Makati mayor noted the upward
trend in the annual revenue collection
of the city despite the fact that tax rates
have remained unchanged since the Re-
vised Revenue Code of Makati took ef-
fect in 2006.
As of mid-December 2012, the citys
revenue collection reached P12 billion,
mostly sourced from business tax and
realty tax payments.
Binay said total business tax collec-
tion stood at P5.77 billion or 12 percent
higher than 2011. Overall, total revenue
collection of Makati increased by six
percent compared to 2011.
Ferdinand Fabella
Biking in the metro
THOSE who want to use bikes from
Makati Citys Magallanes Drive to Ayala
Avenue may apply for membership in
the Metropolitan Manila Development
Authoritys bike sharing program.
Chairman Francis Tolentino said the
agencys new program will allow people
to take a bike from any of the stations
on Magallanes Drive, Arnaiz Avenue
and Ayala Avenue and return them at in
another station.
Members will only be allowed a max-
imum of two hours to use the agencys
bikes, but bike afcionados can bring
their own bikes and deposit them in the
stations which are manned from 6 a.m.
to 2 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 10 p.m.
To apply for membership, Tolentino
said an applicant must ll out a form,
submit a certicate of employment, a
barangay clearance and a 1x1 identi-
cation picture. A special ID membership
card will be issued once his or her appli-
cation is approved. Rio N. Araja
Sandy Ching, 42
SANDYCalalan Ching, son of
journalist Conrado Ching and Ernanita
Calalan, joined his creator on Monday.
He was 42.
Sandy, who hails from Barangay
Del Monte in Quezon City, graduated
from the Miriam Colleges Southeast
Asian Institute for the Deaf.
He is survived by his wife Josephine,
son John Stephen, and siblings Sandra,
Peter, Marlyn, Jhoan and Anthony.
His body now lies at Chapel 10, 3rd
oor of the La Funeraria Paz along G.
Araneta Avenue in Quezon City. Inter-
ment will be announced later.
Singson said the agency
has proposed the closure of
several sections of EDSA
to pave the way for its one-
year rehabilitation.
We want to smoothen
the EDSA from end to
end, meaning from Roxas
Boulevard to Balintawak,
so that the riding surface
can be xes after being
neglected for a long time,
Singson said in a radio in-
terview.
Singson assured motor-
ists and commuters that the
rehabilitation will be done
one lane at a time and dur-
ing weekends only.
There will denitely
be inconvenience to the
riding public, but we
agreed with the [Metro-
politan Manila Develop-
ment Authority] to limit
it to weekends, from Fri-
day evening until Monday
morning, he said.
When we do repairs,
we will work on one lane
at a time and we will not
close the entire EDSA. And
they wont be long stretch-
es, but limited to, say 150
meters, then the next one
will be 200 meters away,
he added.
He said the MMDA
is still studying the pos-
sible rerouting scheme for
motorists once the project
starts.
Singson said the project
is divided into three seg-
ments from Roxas Bou-
levard to SM Megamall,
from SM Megamall to Tri-
noma and Trinoma to Bal-
intawak.
Singson said the reha-
bilitation will take a year
to nish because it usu-
ally takes three days to
properly cure the cement
before an asphalt overlay
is done.
The project is included
in the departments 2013
budget, Singson said, ap-
pealing to motorists and
commuters to bear with the
inconvenience once repair
works begin.
Just a little patience
so that we can be more
comfortable on our roads
and bridges, particularly
in Metro Manila, he said,
adding that he wants the
project nished before the
country hosts the Asia Pa-
cic Economic Coopera-
tion meeting in 2015.
Were running after
something. We will host the
APEC meeting in 2015 so
I dont want to be pressed
for time, he said. PNA
By Janice Cave
THE Department of Public Works
and Highways is set to begin the
P3.7-billion rehabilitation of the
busy Epifanio delos Santos Avenue
once the agencys 2013 budget has
been released, Secretary Rogelio
Singson said announced on
Tuesday.
Daragang Magayon. Two dancers perform a part of the ballet presentation Daragang Magayon: Istorya ni Mayon during a brieng in Manila on Thurs-
day. The program is a dance adaptation of the Bicolano legend and will be shown at the Cultural Center of the Philippines on February 8. DANNY PATA
By Lailany P. Gomez
THE government can nally as-
sure availablity of funds to repair
and commission 23 systems at the
Ninoy Aquino International Airport
Terminal 3, raising hopes that the
terminal that has been running at
half capacity for the past three years
will be fully operational by the end
of 2013.
Transportation and Communica-
tion Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya
said on Tuesday the government
will give the certication of avail-
ability of funds as required in the
deal with Japanses contractor Tak-
enaka Corp. and will sign the con-
tract within the week.
We hope we could give the
green signal within the month so
they could start the commissioning
and rehabilitation of the 23 systems
at the NAIA 3 and nish it within the
year or by end 2013. Were hopefull
the terminal will be 100-percent up
and operating by yearend, Abaya
told reporters.
These systems include re alarm
and protection system, ight infor-
mation display system, building
management system, local area
network, baggage handling and rec-
onciliation system and passenger
loading bridges.
The government signed a
memorandum of agreement with
Takenaka on the rehabilitation
and commissioning the 23 key
systems in March and awarded a
P67-million contract to Incheon
International Airport Corp. for
consulting services on the com-
pletion works in December.
Takenaka was contracted to
build Terminal 3 in 1998 by
the Philippine International Air
Terminals Co., but the works on
the airport was stopped in 2002
amid allegations of anomalies
purportedly committed by Piatco
ofcials.
New QC police chief. Senior Superintendent Richard Albano (center) presents the rearms
that were seized from seven robbery suspects on Tuesday. MANNY PALMERO
By Joel E. Zurbano
THE Commission on Elections is
planning to le contempt of court and
election-related charges against its
landlords employees for allegedly
tampering with the election equipment
stored at a warehouse in Cabuyao,
Laguna.
Comelec Chairman Sixto Bril-
lantes Jr. said the poll body may le
the raps against employees of ware-
housing rm Power Serve Inc. who
were caught inside the conguration
assembly area, where compact ash
cards that will record the May 13
election results are stored.
Brillantes said Comelec representa-
tives inspected the facilities last week
and they discovered that some screws
on the conveyor of the assembly were
tampered.
We saw that it was tampered after
we found loose screws. So we started
already the maintenance, Brillantes
said, adding that the ballot-reading
Precinct Count Optical Scan ma-
chines were stored in another area
and were not touched.
Brillantes said the tampering was
not a cause for alarm, but he main-
tained that the conguration assem-
bly is an important aspect for the
2013 elections.
They shouldnt break down. We
maintain them continuously. We need
to inspect them frequently and we se-
cure them in such a way that only our
people can enter, Brillantes said.
The warehouse is under a long-
term lease with PSI, which had want-
ed Comelec to sublease the facility
for three years, but the poll body re-
fused enter into the lease agreement
because it only needed the warehouse
until June.
The Comelec subsequently sought
and was given a writ of possession, al-
lowing the government to temporarily
expropriate the facility until June. The
poll body deposited P44.8 million, rep-
resenting rent for seven months, fol-
lowing the expropriation.
I have already ordered an inves-
tigation into the incident and we will
probably cite them for contempt be-
cause there is a writ of possession,
Brillantes said, adding that the com-
mission will hire additional security
guards to man the facility.
By Merck Maguddayao
THREE ofcials of the Department of Environment and Natural
Resources was suspended for one year and will face graft charges
before the Sandiganbayan after they allegedly cancelled survey
plans to favor land developer DNCI Holdings Inc.
Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales charged DENR Central
Luzon regional director Regidor De Leon, regional technical direc-
tor for lands Leonardo Aggabao Jr., and DENR engineer Fernando
Clerigo with corruption through manifest partiality.
Morales said the three ofcials arbitrarily cancelled the approved
survey plans of several parcels of land at Barangay Bolitoc in Sta.
Cruz, Zambales being claimed by complainants Jaime Lazaro, Sal-
vador Osita and Monico Waje, owners of several lots covered by
survey plans.
Morales said conspiracy among respondents De Leon, Ag-
gabao, Jr. and Clerigo indicating unity of the purpose in accom-
plishing a criminal design to favor DMCIs foreshore lease applica-
tion is gathered from their [acts.]
Morales explained that respondents manifest partiality and bad
faith became very obvious when they arbitrarily cancelled private
complainants approved survey plans before the scheduled ground
verication survey using as bases the January 11, 2008 Memoran-
dum/Investigation Report of respondents Special Investigator Ro-
wena Magat and Land Management Inspector Joel Dedicatoria and
Forest Ranger Dionito Pascual, and [the] January 8, 2008 Order of
respondent De Leon.
The complainants stressed that the lots covered by the plans
were classied as alienable and disposable as they are agricultural
in nature as certied by Aggabao, Community Environment and
Natural Resources-Masinloc ofcer-in-charge Juanito David, and
surveys division chief Juan Fernandez Jr.
The complainants also disputed the DENR ofcials claimed that
the land covered by the survey plan were submerged in the South
China Sea when they are really not.
This is a clear case of putting the cart ahead of the horse,
Morales said. While there is possibility that there might be legal
grounds to cancel the same, still, it offers no excuse for the respon-
dents to make legal short cuts and ignore the cardinal requirements
of due process.
Aside from their indictment, Morales also found De Leon, Ag-
gabao, Jr. and Clerigo guilty of grave misconduct and conduct and
were suspended for one year without pay.
A FILIPINO peacekeeper who saved the
lives of 14 Austrians who were attacked in
the Israel-occupied Golan Heights was rec-
ognized by the United Nations.
T/Sgt. Herman Galiza was driving a
vehicle bearing the Austrians to Damas-
cus International Airport last November
28 when anti-government forces opened
re at the convoy, but Galiza immediately
accelerated the vehicle and took his pas-
sengers out of danger.
The UN peacekeeping force award-
ed Galiza the Peacekeeper of the Month
award for exemplary performance and
devotion to duty.
This award will reect how the 6th Phil-
ippine Contingent to Golan Heights per-
formed well in its mandated tasks and mis-
sion. Likewise, this will boost the morale of
the ofcers, men and women of the Philip-
pine Battalion, said Philippine contingent
head Lt. Col. Nolie Anquillano.
The Philippine contingent assumed
peacekeeping duties in Golan Heights on
Nov 19, 2012.
Philippine Ambassador to Israel Gener-
oso Calonge said Galizas bravery and ex-
emplary performance in the line of duty are
truly remarkable and worth noting.
He highlighted the gallantry and self-
lessness of each and every Filipino soldier
at home or anywhere in the world, Ca-
longe said.
He truly deserves the award, commen-
dation and recognition of the Community of
Nations. The Philippines is proud of you.
Israel seized the Golan Heights from Syr-
ia in the closing stages of the 1967 Six-Day
War wherein most of the Syrian Arab inhab-
itants ed the area during the conict.
A11 Sports Riera U. Mallari, Editor
ManilaStandardToday
sports_mstandard@yahoo.com
Armstrong admits to doping
Philta net
circuit gets
going
tomorrow
Karatedo body to host
Southeast Asian meet
St. Scho, San Beda lead winners
HOW do you solve a problem like a
three-racing club schedule?
The thoroughbred racing industry
is still puzzling over the conundrum
of fairly apportioning the number
of racedays among three racetracks
without undue loss or disadvantage
occurring to any.
For seven decades, the Manila
Jockey Club and Philippine Rac-
ing Club had dominated the scene,
crushing any short-lived competitors
and co-existing peacefully, racing on
alternate weeks and often collaborat-
ing on events and activities of mutual
interest.
Racing fans of several generations
had made it a habit to visit each track
to watch important stakes races and
festivals, making the trip to either
Tayuman (MJC) or Sta. Ana (PRC),
many having their favorite eateries
and hang-out places at both.
This changed when both racing
clubs moved to Cavite, MJC to Car-
mona in 2003 and PRC to Naic in
2009. The majority of racing fans
now get their x via television at
home or at off-track betting stations.
Now, there is a third track on the
scenethe Metro Manila Turf Club
in Malvar, Batangas. Its entry into the
picture prompted the simulcasting ex-
periment early this month that ended
after only three days, as I explained in
my last column.
MJC Chairman and CEO lawyer
Alfonso R. Reyno Jr., at a meeting
last week at the Philippine Racing
Commission, suggested a nine-day
cycleDay 1, 4, and 5, racing club
number 1; Day 2, 5, and 8, club 2;
and Day 3, 6, and 9, club 3on a
rotation basis.
In an exclusive interview, he clari-
ed that assuming there are 360 avail-
able days in a year to race, this sched-
ule would resolve to 120 solo racing
days per club, which is better than
220 days of simulcast.
At the moment, he said, unless the
betting infrastructuremobile, on-
line, etc.is developed to fully sup-
port it, simulcasting cannot work for
the Philippines.
Atty. Reyno suggested also that
given the shortfall of runners, that
races per day be limited to a maxi-
mum of 10 or 11 on Sunday, 9 on
Friday and Saturday, and 8 on
weekdays.
In his opinion, he says that had
more consultation been done with all
three racing clubs, the simulcasting
experiment could have been avoided
and a more feasible racing scheduled
devised.
During simulcasting, sales were
roughly about the same as the av-
erage but for double the number of
races.
This was favorable for the jockeys,
said New Philippine Jockeys Associ-
ation president Antonio B. Alcasid Jr.,
because where there were around 30
jockeys riding per day during solo
racing, there were around 50 getting
rides during simulcasting.
However, he said that prize mon-
ey for second to fourth places was
reduced by half. Prizes for rst re-
mained about the same as average,
said Alcasid, but this was only be-
cause the clubs gave guaranteed prize
money for rst, something that they
cannot continue forever.
The horseowners questioned
MMTCs readiness to host races, said
lawyer Ramon Bagatsing Jr., vice-
president of the Metropolitan Asso-
ciation of Race Horse Owners.
At the Philracom meeting last
week, the horseowners of the tri-
orgMARHO, Philtobo (Philip-
pine Thoroughbred Owners and
Breeders Organization), and Klub
Don Juan de Manilapointed out
that simulated betting and broad-
cast of races should have been per-
formed at Malvar before including
them in the racing schedule.
Malvar says they have 20 betting
terminals, said Bagatsing, but were
these tested in a dry run? The racing
coverage? They cannot just run all of
this technical equipment only on the
rst day of actual racing. There could
be connectivity issues, other glitches.
How about their handicapping?
He added that fellow horseowner
Herminio Esguerra noticed the lack
of markings for the tres octavo, mile,
and other distance points around the
Malvar track, while former Philracom
chairman Andrew Sanchez said that
400 horses a week are needed for a
weeks racing, but Malvar has stables
for only 200 or so, and those stabled
there are mostly novatos.
The management of MMTC as-
sured the attendees at the meeting
that Malvar was building 200 more
stables and would be ready to race by
the third week of next month.
Philracom has informed industry
stakeholders that Malvar will run a
test simulation on Saturday during the
MJC races.
For the meantime, MJC and PRC
are back to the former alternate solo
racing week schedule.
Everyone is awaiting the release
of the ofcial racing schedule that
includes Malvar; meanwhile, the
entire industry has put its wise and
experienced heads together to come
up with a solution that is fair and ac-
ceptable to all.
* * *
Email: jennyo@live.com, Blog:
http://jennyo.net, Facebook: Gogirl
Racing, Twitter: @jennyortuoste
The Three Racing Club Schedule
IN BRIEF
After years of bitter and force-
ful denials, he offered a simple
Im sorry to friends and col-
leagues and then admitted he
used performance-enhancing
drugs during an extraordinary cy-
cling career that included seven
Tour de France victories.
Armstrong confessed to doping
during an interview with Oprah
Winfrey taped Monday, just a
couple of hours after an emo-
tional apology to the staff at the
Livestrong charity he founded
and was later forced to surrender,
a person familiar with the situa-
tion told The Associated Press.
The person spoke on condition of
anonymity because the interview
is to be broadcast Thursday on
Winfreys network.
The confession was a stun-
ning reversal for the proud athlete
and celebrity who sought lavish
praise in the court of public opin-
ion and used courtrooms to pun-
ish his critics.
For more than a decade, Arm-
strong dared anybody who chal-
lenged his version of events to
prove it. Finally, he told the tale
himself after promising over the
weekend to answer Winfreys
questions directly, honestly
AS part of the national teams
build-up to the Myanmar South-
east Asian Games, the Philip-
pine Karatedo Federation will
host the 2nd Southeast Asian
Karatedo championships from
April 17 to 21 at Fontana Hot
Springs and Leisure Parks in-
side Clark Freeport Zone in An-
geles City, Pampanga.
We will use the competition not
only as part of our national team try-
outs, but also to scout our opposition
at the Myanmar SEA Games, said
PKF secretary general Raymund
Lee Reyes in yesterdays Philippine
Sportswriters Association Forum at
Shakeys Malate branch.
Expected to see action in the
competition will be over 200 ath-
letes from the 11 member coun-
tries in SEA Karatedo Federation,
said Reyes, who was joined in the
session sponsored by Shakeys
and the Philippine Amusements
and Gaming Corp. by PKF of-
cials Dr. Enrico Vasquez, Rom-
mel Raymundo and Fontana sales
manager Jean Alonte.
He added that SEAKF sec-
retary general Vincent Chen of
Malaysia was scheduled to arrive
yesterday and would inspect the
facilities at the tournament venue,
which has become a popular rec-
reation, leisure and entertainment
spot in Central Luzon.
Fontana is proud and privi-
leged to be able to host this big
international karate tournament,
said Alonte, whose sprawling
resort complex features a world-
class golf course, hot springs, 70
hotel rooms, villas and a 600-ca-
pacity conference hall where the
competitions will be staged.
Reyes said that current national
team members, who will be off
late this month for intensive train-
ing in Iran, considered an Asian
and world karatedo powerhouse,
will be back to test their mettle
against the regions best during
the SEA competition.
ST. Scholasticas College
and San Beda-Alabang
led the early winners in
the 17-Under Competi-
tive Division at the start
of the Best Center-orga-
nized, Milo-sponsored
17th Womens Volley-
ball League at the Xavier
School courts over the
weekend.
National team and Far
Eastern University star
Rachel Daquiz was spe-
cial guest in the opening
ceremonies, led by Best
Center founder and presi-
dent Nic Jorge.
St. Scholasticas beat
St. Theresas College,
25-8, 25-14, to lead the
Group A winners, which
included Hope Christian
School, a 25-2, 25-13
winner over San Anto-
nio de Padua College and
Paref-Rosehill, a 26-24,
17-25, 25-21 survivor in
its match against PWU-
JASMS.
Group B saw San Beda-
Alabang prevailing over St.
James Academy, 25-21, 25-
19; and King Montessori
School over the Academy
of Gods Children, 25-5,
25-20.
In the 17-Under De-
velopmental Division,
As s umpt i on- Ant i pol o
beat St. Scholasticas-
Westgrove, 25-20, 25-
12; Colegio de Sta.
Rosa-Makati ripped
PWU-JASMS, 25-5, 25-
9; Escuela de Sophia of
Caloocan whacked Phil-
ippine Womens Univer-
sity, 25-7, 25-4; and Es-
cuela de Sophia clipped
St. Scholaticas-Wesgro-
ver, 25-18, 25-17.
In Group B, Assump-
tion College turned back
Child Jesus of Prague,
25-15, 25-20; San Beda-
Alabang trounced Im-
maculate Heart of Mary
College, 25-18, 25-13;
St. Joseph School of Fair-
view crushed School of
the Holy Spirit, 25-18, 25-
13; and St. Scholasticas
Manila edged Child Jesus
of Prague, 25-19, 25-19.
Group C had La Salle
College-Antipolo win-
ning over Espiritu Santo
Parochial School, 25-15,
18-25, 26-24; St. Bridget
School beating St. Marys
College, 25-18, 16-25, 25-
22; and St. Paul-Makati
routing St. Theresas Col-
lege, 25-5, 25-7.
THE Philta-Palawan Pawn-
shop Regional Age-Grouper
kicks off its nationwide 27-leg
circuit tomorrow in Dumalag,
Capiz with a banner eld ex-
pected to clash for top honors
in various divisions.
The four-day event ending
Sunday marks the rst time
that Dumalag is hosting a Philta
ranking tournament since 1960.
The province last produced a
Davis Cupper in Ramon Funtera
in 1974-76 while Tomas Falcis
reigned as the national collegiate
and national studen champion
from 1973-76.
We are very grateful to
Philta, Palawan Pawnshop and
Babolat for bringing this tour-
nament here and its an honor
to be chosen as the kick-off leg
of the nationwide circuit, said
Mayor Lilia Nene Castro.
Registration is ongoing with
deadline set at 12 noon also
tomorrow before the Group 3
tournament, sponsored by Phil-
ippine sports commissioner and
former Philta chief Buddy An-
drada, starts at 2 p.m., according
to Philta referee and tournament-
in-charge Bobby Mangunay.
For details, text or call Man-
gunay at 0195-4046464 or
email bobbymangunay@ya-
hoo.com.
We are one with Philta in
its effort to develop the sport
and provide tournaments for
the young tennis players, said
Palawan Pawnshop Chief Op-
erating Ofcer Bobby Castro.
For his part, Guillermo No-
com, president of Technos-
ports, exclusive distributor of
Babolat, reiterated their contin-
ued support to Philtas worth-
while program.
AUSTIN, TexasLance Armstrong has
nally come clean.
and candidly.
Winfrey was scheduled
to appear on CBS This
Morning on Tues-
day morning to dis-
cuss the interview.
She tweeted shortly
after the interview:
Just wrapped with
(at)lancearmstrong
More than 2 1/2 hours.
He came READY!
The cyclist was stripped of his
Tour de France titles, lost most of
his endorsements and was forced
to leave Livestrong last year after
the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency is-
sued a damning, 1,000-page re-
port that accused him of master-
minding a long-running doping
scheme.
Armstrong started the
day with a visit to the
headquarters of the
Livestrong charity
he founded in 1997
and turned into a
global force on the
strength of his ath-
letic dominance and
personal story of sur-
viving testicular cancer
that had spread to his lungs
and brain.
About 100 Livestrong staff
members gathered in a conference
room as Armstrong told them
Im sorry. He choked up dur-
ing a 20-minute talk, expressing
regret for the long-running con-
troversy tied to performance-en-
hancers had caused, but stopped
short of admitting he used them.
Before he was done, several
members were in tears when he
urged them to continue the char-
itys mission, helping cancer pa-
tients and their families.
Heartfelt and sincere, is how
Livestrong spokeswoman Kather-
ine McLane described his speech.
Armstrong later huddled with
almost a dozen people before
stepping into a room set up at a
downtown Austin hotel for the in-
terview with Winfrey. The group
included close friends and law-
yers. They exchanged handshakes
and smiles, but declined comment
and no further details about the in-
terview were released because of
condentiality agreements signed
by both camps. AP
ATENEO freshman Ernest John Obiena
stepped out of his fathers shadows by set-
ting a national junior record recently in the
75th University Athletic Association of the
Philippines at the Philsports track stadium
in Pasig City.
The 17-year-old Obiena shattered the
Philippine junior mark when he cleared 4.5
meters in the mens pole vault event.
The Philippine Amateur Track and Field
Association has certied Obienas feat as a
national mark after he rst broke it during
a Taipei meet in March 28 last year at 4.41
meters.
The son of former national team member
Emerson Obiena and athlete-wife Jeannette
also set a new mens mark in the UAAP
mens pole vault event.
He eclipsed the previous UAAP record of
4.3 meters which Adamsons Jerome Mar-
gallo did in 2006.
His mother Jeannette said EJs feat came
six months after he recovered from a frac-
tured tibia bula he suffered while seeing
action for the national junior team in the
Southeast Asian Youth championships.
Former La Salle-Greenhills bet Francis
Valdecanas settled for the silver behind
Obiena with a 4.2-meter leap, while Uni-
versity of the Philippines Robert Nasis
claimed the bronze (four meters).
Valdecanas, a nephew of former justice
secretary Agnes Devenadera, rst broke
the record on April 16, 2010 during the
2010 Palarong Pambansa in Tarlac with a
leap of 4.05 meters on his second attempt
that year. Peter Atencio
Ateneo bet shatters PH
junior pole vault record
JENNY
ORTUOSTE
THE HOARSE WHISPERER
THE Letran Knights and the Emilio
Aguinaldo College Generals won over
separate rivals Sunday to remain on top
of their respective brackets in the 9th
Fr. Martin Cup Collegiate Open basket-
ball tournament.
The Knights weathered a late rally from
the University of Perpetual Help-A Altas to
escape with a 69-63 triumph and their fth
straight victory at the Trinity University of
Asia gymnasium.
John Tayongtong showed the way with
14 points for the Generals, who blasted
University of Perpetual Help-B.
Earlier, Jayson Ibay banged in 16 points
for the Informatics Icons, who repulsed the
College of St. Benilde-A Blazers, 59-56.
The Knights, led by Kevin Racal and
JC Po with 18 and 16 points, stayed un-
beaten in Group A as they stayed on track
for bagging the rst quarternal seat in
their bracket.
The Generals wield a 3-1 win-loss slate
in Group B.
Knights, Generals win
Papa Johns is PBAs
official pizza brand
IT IS ofcial: Papa Johns Pizza, the
newest dynamically growing pizza
chain in the Philippines, is now the of-
cial pizza of the countrys premier bas-
ketball leaguethe Philippine Basket-
ball Associationfor its 2013 season.
Berjaya Pizza Philippines, the of-
cial franchise holder for Papa Johns
Pizza in the Philippines, recently forged
a partnership with the PBA last No-
vember to become Season 2013 of-
cial pizza. Led by Papa Johns Pizzas
Managing Director Bobby Ocampo and
PBA CommissionerAngelico Chito
Salud, the signing of the agreement was
witnessed by some of the PBA top ex-
ecutives and the press.
We are thankful that this partner-
ship came into fruition. Not only will
Papa Johns Pizza provide us with the
quality pizzas that the brand is known
for, they will also be our partners as
we pursue some of our activities and
advocacies, said Salud.
The historic signing just highlights
Papa Johns Pizzas support for sports
development, as it has extended the
same not only to professional basketball
but also to collegiate basketball, par-
ticularly the San Beda Red Lions, who
would eventually become the champion
team in last years National Collegiate
Athletic Associations college basket-
ball nals. This is just the beginning for
Papa Johns Pizza as it plans to support
other areas of sports and even other ad-
vocacies it nds meaningful.
Papa Johns extraordinary support
for Philippine basketball is truly ad-
mirable. They extended their gener-
ous arms to the PBA and its players,
who I must admit have fallen head
over heels with the delicious pizza be-
ing served to them, remarked Mag-
sanoc, who is the former assistant
coach of the Meralco Bolts.
Robert Ocampo (left), Managing Director of Berjaya Pizza Philippines hands over a vintage Chevrolet
Camaro toy model to PBA Commissioner Chito Salud. The symbolic turnover is a reminder of how
Papa Johns founder John Schnatter started the pizza business when he sold his car to open the first
Papa Johns store in the US.
Armstrong
Sports
JANUARY 16, 2013
Manila Standard TODAY
WEDNESDAY
A12
Staging FIBA-Asia cagefest a logistical nightmare
THE Samahang Basketbol ng
Pilipinas faces a logistical
nightmare as it prepares to host
the 27th FIBA Asia Champion-
ship from Aug. 1 to 11 at the
Mall of Asia Arena.
Moying Martelino, the former
secretary general of the Asian
Basketball Confederation, who
is sharing his expertise with the
SBP, yesterday said hosting the
event is no joke.
Its a logistical nightmare.
Because its an international
event, the requirement is eas-
ily 50 percent more than what
is needed in the Philippine Bas-
ketball Association, he told the
Philippine Sportswriters Associ-
ation Forum at Shakeys Malate.
First, you need hotel billeting
for the 16 teams, including the
Philippines. You also have to look
after the ofcials, the referees, the
technical and statistical groups,
the foreign media, he said.
Martelino said transportation
and security for all participants,
providing them with liaison of-
cers, renting practice venues
with equipment of international
caliber will all be a must.
He did not disclose how much
is actually needed to run the
show.
Yet, the SBP, under the coun-
trys No. 1 sports patron, Manny
V. Pangilinan, will leave no stone
unturned making sure the coun-
trys rst hosting of the event
since 1973 will be a success.
Sonny Barrios, SBP executive
director, said its now 36 hours
a day for the organizers.
On Jan. 26, FIBA representa-
tives will y in for a series of
meetings with SBP people and
the broadcasters, and an inspec-
tion of the venues.
The ball is rolling, said the
former PBA commissioner, add-
ing the SBP has been coordinating
with the PBA, and soon with col-
legiate leagues like the University
Athletic Association of the Philip-
pines and the National Collegiate
Athletic Association to ensure that
their calendars dont interfere with
the FIBA event.
Barrios said elding the best
team to represent the Philippines
is just as important as the suc-
cessful hosting of the event.
Fielding the best of the best is
not enough. Preparation of best
of the best is more important. If
our team only has one month to
prepare it may not be enough,
he said.
sports@manilastandardtoday.com sports_mstandard@yahoo.com Riera U. Mallari, Editor
NBA HOME TEAM IN CAPS
LOTTO RESULTS
6/49 000000000000
6/42 000000000000
6 DIGITS 000000000000
3 DIGITS 000000
2 EZ2 0000
P0.0M+
P0.0M+
WASHINGTON 120 Orlando 91
BOSTON 100 Charlotte 89
CHICAGO 97 Atlanta 58
LA Clippers 99 MEMPHIS 73
DALLAS 113 Minnesota 98
UTAH 104 Miami 97
Oklahoma City 102 PHOENIX 90
SACRAMENTO 124 Cleveland 118
WORLD Boxing Organiza-
tion/World Boxing Asso-
ciation yweight champion
Brian Viloria (32-3, 19 KOs)
is back in training at the Wild
Card Gym of Freddie Roach
in Los Angeles.
His manager Garry Gittel-
sohn, on the other hand, works
on putting up a big ght to-
gether, possibly against Roman
Chocolatito Gonzalez (34-0,
28 KOs), the WBA light y-
weight champion of Nicaragua
handled by well-known Japa-
nese businessman-sportsman
Akihiko Honda.
The possibility of a Vilo-
ria-Gonzalez showdown
was mentioned as early as
the press conference prior to
the Viloria-Hernan Tyson
Marquez and Gonzalez-Juan
Francisco Estrada title ghts
at the Los Angeles Sports
Arena last Nov. 17.
Viloria won the WBA title
with a rousing 10th-round TKO
of Marquez in a slam-bang bat-
tle, while Gonzalez also engaged
Estrada in a toe-to-toe encounter
before emerging winner by a
unanimous decision.
Although undefeated Mi-
lan Melindo (28-0, 11 KOs)
has been declared the manda-
tory challenger to Viloria by
the WBO, it is obviously not
a ght that could earn two-
division champion Viloria
the kind of purse he deserves.
Ronnie Nathanielsz
Viloria
back in
training
Salud wants PBA teams to help national squad
PMA to clarify position on Pacman controversy
With a commanding 3-0
best-of-seven series lead, the
Tropang Texters want to take
advantage of their rst oppor-
tunity as they shoot for the title
in Game 4 today at 6:45 p.m.
at the Smart Araneta Coliseum,
with Rain or Shine standing in
their way looking to avoid a
humiliating sweep.
Well go for the champion-
ship here in Game 4, said Talk
N Text coach Norman Black,
who seeks his 12th overall
championship.
The Tropang Texters are
showing why they are tagged as
the favorites to once again take
home the crown as their cham-
pionship poise is all over the
staggered Elasto Painters. A 3-0
lead is not something Black ex-
pected, but he is very happy with
the situation.
We put ourselves in a good
position to get the champion-
ship. Well try to get the nish-
ing win today, but were sure
that Rain or Shine will throw
everything at us, added Black,
whose Texters once again turned
back the Elasto Painters, 89-80,
last Sunday.
A championship win today
will grant the Tropang Texters
the very rst Jun Bernardino tro-
phy that will only be presented
to a team that wins three straight
All-Filipino plums.
Admitting that he and his
squad are facing a deep hole,
Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao
said his approach is to prevent
Talk N Text from celebrating
tonight.
Well just try to delay their
party or celebration, said
Guiao. I dont think well
change many things in terms of
our game plan today. Its just that
were not making our shots and
we need to make them.
No team has ever come
back from a 0-3 deficit in a
best-of-seven series and that
part of history clearly doesnt
favor the Elasto Painters in
any way.
Guiao also called out his
guards, particularly Jeff Chan
and Paul Lee, who are both
struggling in this series, to nd
their grooves on before its too
late.
Our guards need to hit their
mark if we will have any chance.
They are not hitting their
strides.
Prior to tip-off, the Papa
Johns Best Player of the Confer-
ence will be named.
Jayson Castro and Ranidel De
Ocampo, who are the Texters
two vital cogs, are leading candi-
dates for the plum with Alaskas
super rookie Calvin Abueva and
Petron Blazes Arwind Santos as
other candidates.
IN his own way, Philippine Basketball
Association commissioner Chito Salud is
trying to nd a way to help the Smart Gi-
las Pilipinas National Team.
Salud wants each PBA team to lend at
least one player to the National Team and
he plans on pushing this to improve the
squads program and chances of building
the best possible combination of players.
In the spirit of unity and broad repre-
sentation, PBA commissioner Chito Salud
is proposing for Gilas Pilipinas to get at
least one player each from the 10 PBA
ball clubs in forming the national roster
for the 2013 FIBA-Asia Championship
slated Aug. 1-11 in the country, said the
PBA in an ofcial statement.
Salud thinks that its one of the best pos-
sible ways to strengthen the bid of Gilas Pil-
ipinas in its quest to land a spot in the FIBA
World Basketball Championship next year.
It was a hands-on effort by Salud as he
personally tackled the plans to every team
owner in the league.
If there are teams willing to lend more
players, so be it, added Salud, who per-
sonally contacted every team owner to re-
quest for unqualied cooperation after he
was informed that FIBA-Asia had award-
ed the hosting rights of the 2013 Asian
joust to Manila.
He added: As early as last year, the
PBA Board of Governors had approved
the resolution allowing Gilas to tap our
players for the national team.
He then went on to ask every owner to
be a bit more understanding in terms of
the possible conicts in schedules of both
the league and the National Team.
Of course, there will be conict-of-
schedule issues so with this latest devel-
opment, I wanted to be sure of the own-
ers commitment. I called every one and
they guaranteed their all-out support and
cooperation from Mr. Ramon Ang to Mr.
Wilfred Uytengsu to Mr. George Chua to
Mr. Mikee Romero to Mr. Raymund Yu to
Mr. Terry Que and to Mr. Bert Lina. This
undertaking wouldnt be possible without
the persistence, patience and dedication of
our team owner Mr. Manny Pangilinan,
said Salud. Jeric Lopez
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
THE Philippine Medical Asso-
ciation will hold a news confer-
ence on Wednesday to clarify
its position on the report by one
of its directors, Dr. Rustico Ji-
menez, that he had noticed Man-
ny Pacquiao showing early signs
of Parkinsons disease.
Dr. Jimenez made it clear that he
has not personally seen Pacquiao
and that his statement on dzMM Tel-
eradyo of ABS-CBN was based on
what he had noticed on television.
At the same time, Dr. Jimenez,
who is president of the Private Hos-
pitals Association of the Philippines,
conceded that he could be wrong.
The press conference will be
presided over by the president of
the Philippine Medical Associa-
tion Dr. Modesto O. Llamas and
will take up several other issues,
besides the Pacquiao case.
Pacquiao is in General Santos
City and keeps in shape by play-
ing basketball, which is one of
his favorite sports.
In the meantime, his adviser
Michael Koncz said they are still
pursuing plans to stage a tuneup
ght in April and that he might
cancel a planned trip to New
York this weekend to meet with
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum.
He will instead travel to Sin-
gapore, one of the possible sites
aside from Macau and Abu Dha-
bi mentioned as venues for Pac-
quiaos ring return on April 20.
Traveling to New York was my
plan, but I might get derailed and
go to Singapore rst, said Koncz.
Arum said last week that Top
Rank president Todd duBeof visited
Macau and that there was no venue
available for an April ght. He was
also scheduled to visit Singapore.
However, Arum told the Ma-
nila Standar d that Singapore
was not falling over them-
selves to stage a Pacquiao ght.
While Pacquiao, as well as Kon-
cz ruled out Manila as a possible
venue, a member of Team Pac-
quiao continues to push the pro-
posal with business tycoon and big
sports patron Manny Pangilinan.
The proponent is reportedly
scheduled to meet with one of the
Pangilinans trusted executives
later this week to present the nan-
cial details of the proposal, under
which World Boxing Organization/
Ring Magazine and World Box-
ing Council Diamond Belt super
bantamweight champion Nonito
The Filipino Flash Donaire and
WBO/World Boxing Association
yweight champion Brian Viloria
were also included on the card.
By Jeric Lopez

A THIRD straight Philippine Cup championship.
Thats the only thing on the mind of Talk N Text as it shoots
for basketball immortality today in the 2013 Philippine Bas-
ketball Association Philippine Cup Finals.
Texters go
for the kill
AN EARLY shootout among
the countrys top shotmakers
and a horde of foreign aces is
expected right in todays start
of the Champion Innity Philip-
pine Ladies Open 2013 at the
Mt. Malarayat Golf and Country
in Lipa City, Batangas.
Dottie Ardina, hard-pressed
to nail the elusive crown, drew
Malaysian Michelle Koh and
Clare Legaspi in the 8 a.m.
rst ight at the Mt. Lobo
side of the 27-hole layout set
against the backdrop of a local
mountain range. The tough Mt.
Makulot serves as the other
nine where the other half of
the starting 58-player eld will
start.
Princess Superal, the
16-year-old emerging star
from the ICTSI-The Coun-
try Club stable, also hopes to
launch a strong start against
Thailands Supamas Sangchan
and Jan Punzalan at 8:20 a.m.
after the 8:10 a.m. group com-
posed of former champion
Cyna Rodriguez and teammate
Jayvie Agojo and Malaysian
Loy Hee Ying.
Tight battle
looms in
ladies golf
SBP executive director Sonny Barrios (right) explains the enormous
task of hosting the FIBA-Asia Championships at the PSA Forum on
Tuesday. He is joined here by Mauricio Martelino, a former Asian
cage ofcial sharing his expertise with the SBP. EY ACASIO
Barreling drive. Allan Mangahas (left) of Blackwater drives against the defense of Cebuana Lhuillier's
James Martinez in a Philippine Basketball Association D-League Aspirants Cup game at the Trinity
University of Asia Gym in Quezon City. The Elite of coach Leo Isaac won, 91-80.
B1
Business
Ray S. Eano, Editor business@mst.ph
Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor; extrastory2000@gmail.com
IN BRIEF
URC allots P5b for 2013
local, foreign investments
Remittances increase 7.6%; peso rises
PH ready
to export
premium
rice in Q1
Mactan auction bars airlines
VOLUME 687.950M VOLUME 1051.400M
PSE COMPOSITE INDEX
Closing January 15, 2013
OIL
PRICES
TODAY
P584-P695
LPG/11-kg tank
P47.15-P53.07
Unleaded Gasoline
P38.40-P41.05
Diesel
P40.30-P52.20
Kerosene
P27.20-P31.00
Auto LPG
FOREI GN EXCHANGE RATE
Currency Unit US Dollar Peso
United States Dollar 1.000000 40.6510
Japan Yen 0.011191 0.4549
UK Pound 1.608400 65.3831
Hong Kong Dollar 0.128992 5.2437
Switzerland Franc 1.085305 44.1187
Canada Dollar 1.016984 41.3414
Singapore Dollar 0.815927 33.1682
Australia Dollar 1.055520 42.9079
Bahrain Dinar 2.652520 107.8276
Saudi Arabia Rial 0.266652 10.8397
Brunei Dollar 0.812612 33.0335
Indonesia Rupiah 0.000104 0.0042
Thailand Baht 0.033113 1.3461
UAE Dirham 0.272287 11.0687
Euro Euro 1.338800 54.4236
Korea Won 0.000947 0.0385
China Yuan 0.160792 6.5364
India Rupee 0.018372 0.7468
Malaysia Ringgit 0.331675 13.4829
NewZealand Dollar 0.839419 34.1232
Taiwan Dollar 0.034548 1.4044
Source: PDS Bridge
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
PESO-DOLLAR RATE
40
42
44
46
48
40.570
CLOSE
Closing JANUARY 15, 2013
6,087.67
6.23
HIGH P40.550 LOW P40.610 AVERAGE P40.569
5200
4460
3720
2980
2240
1500
1200
Agriculture, DAR sign P17-b crop insurance deal
THE government signed Tuesday
an inter-agency agreement that
will provide as much as P17.1
billion worth of crop insurance
protection to agrarian reform
beneciaries over the next two
cropping seasons.
Philippine Crop Insurance
Corp., an agency attached to the
Agriculture Department, and the
Agrarian Reform Department
under the agreement will imple-
ment a protection plan contained
in the Agrarian Reform Bene-
ciaries-Agricultural Insurance
Program.
Agriculture Secretary
Proceso Alcala and Agrarian
Reform Undersecretary Jerry
Pacturan signed the cooperation
agreement.
The insurance protection plan
is the rst collaboration between
two of the countrys main rural
development agencies and the
biggest issued by PCIC.
The program aims to provide
agrarian reform farmer-
beneciaries a safety net against
crop pests and diseases and
unpredictable weather patterns
caused by climate change in two
cropping seasons this year.
Under the program, over
224,000 agrarian reform
beneciaries, or members of
their households farming some
330,000 hectares of land and
raising some 30,700 animals,
will receive premium subsidy.
The Agrarian Reform
Department will identify the
eligible beneciaries.
The beneciaries include
99,580 rice farmers tilling
178,801 hectares; 37,772 corn
growers in 72,506 hectares; and
85,760 commercial crop farmers
in 78,633 hectares.
Each beneciary will receive
protection cover of up to
three hectares and three types
of insurance coverage. The
insurance protection is good for
two cropping seasons.
Othel V. Campos
By Othel V. Campos
THE Philippines will start
exporting premium rice to Europe,
the US, the Middle East and other
Asian countries in the rst quarter,
Agriculture Secretary Proceso
Alcala said Tuesday.
What we will export are the
higher quality varieties of rice.
We have black, red and organic
fancy rice. Trial shipments will
be sent to different markets in
Europe, the Middle East, the
US and Singapore, he said.
Alcala said by exporting the
expensive premium rice, the
Philippines would be a net gainer
even if it imported the cheaper
varieties of the grain to satisfy the
multilateral trade commitments
under the minimum access
volume scheme.
The government said it was
imperative for the country
to allow private importers to
import rice due to Manilas
international commitments.
National rice program
director Dante Delima said the
government was ready to start
trial shipments of black rice
from Quezon province to Hong
Kong and Dubai this quarter.
He said on standby for trial
shipment were some 15 metric
tons of black rice.
He said by September or
October, heirloom rice from
the Banaue rice terraces would
also be shipped to the US.
The government started the
rice export program in 1969, but
it was halted in 1993 amid tight
supply. The export program was
revived in 1998, albeit in small
quantities. The country exported
some 538 metric tons of rice and
seeds in 2011.
This quarter, we will come
up with a comprehensive plan
for the export of premium rice
and seeds. We want to continue
increasing our [rice] export,
Delima said.
He said the Philippines
could only export premium
rice because ordinary rice is
very cheap in other countries
so we cannot compete.
Delima said the export
program would not affect the
rice self-sufciency program,
which was likely achieved
in 2012, although the ofcial
gures remained to be
released.
By Anna Leah Estrada
FILIPINOS working overseas sent home
$1.9 billion in November, up 7.6 percent
year-on-year, bolstering the balance of
payments surplus and supporting private
consumption in the fourth quarter.
The Bangko Sentral said the Novem-
ber remittances brought the 11-month
tally to $19.4 billion, up by 6 percent
from the same period in 2011.
This has already surpassed the BSPs
projection of 5-percent growth in cash
remittances from overseas Filipinos
coursed through banks for the full-year
2012, Bangko Sentral Governor Aman-
do Tetangco Jr. said in a statement.
Remittances have also supported the
peso. The peso advanced further Tues-
day to 40.57 against the US dollar.
Data showed total remittances, includ-
ing non-cash transfers, rose 7.6 percent to
$2.1 billion in November and 6.1 percent
to $21.6 billion in the rst 11 months.
Even with an unfavorable base ef-
fect, the year-on-year number was ro-
bust in November, reecting the large
number of Filipinos employed overseas
as well as the resilient nature of their
occupational and geographical diver-
sity, HSBC economist Trinh Nguyen
said.
Looking ahead, we expect inows in
December to accelerate due to improved
economic conditions in host countries,
she added.
Remittances, the biggest source of for-
eign exchange, led to a BoP surplus of
$8.9 billion in 2012, although this was
lower than the $10.2-billion surplus re-
corded in 2011.
As a testament to our strong exter-
nal payments position, the Philippines
has been free from IMF indebtedness
since 2006 and is now a creditor to the
Fund through its contributions to the
nancial transactions plan and the new
arrangements to borrow, Tetangco
said.
Indeed, our improved economic per-
formance, stable nancial system, and
diminished external vulnerability have
made 2012 a notable year for the Philip-
pines. With the economy underpinned by
such solid foundations, we look forward
to weather what could prove to be a chal-
lenging year ahead, he added.
By Jenniffer B. Austria
UNIVERSAL Robina Corp., the
food manufacturing unit of JG
Summit Holdings Inc., allotted
P5 billion for capital expenditures
this year to expand its beverage
and snacks businesses both here
and abroad.
URC said in a ling with the
stock exchange it would spend
P4.3 billion for the installation
of new lines to expand capacities
in the snack and grocer products
and the modication of existing
beverage facilities in the
Philippines.
It will also put up new
beverage and bakery lines in
Vietnam and expand its salty
snacks, chocolates and biscuits
and wafer lines in Thailand,
Indonesia and Malaysia.
It said another P445 million
would be allotted as maintenance
capital expenditures of the
commodity group while P250
million would be for the
expansion and handling facilities
of the companys feeds division.
The company said on top of the
P5-billion capital expenditures,
it would also set aside P1 billion
for the ongoing construction of
an ethanol plant.
The company plans to invest
P2 billion in a state-of-the-art
40-megawatt biomass-red
power co-generation facility.
Euromoney award. Leading international magazine Euromoney named International Container Terminal Services Inc. as
winner of the overall best managed company in Asia for the Transportation/Shipping sector in Euromoneys Best Managed and
Governed Companies-Asia poll 2013. Analysts praised ICTSI for its leading role in promoting transparent communication to
investors, citing the company has a clear strategy and good visibility. ICTSI chairman and president Enrique Razon Jr. (left) receives
the award from Euromoneys Marcus Langston.
Iloilo power plant launched
THE consortium of AC Energy Holdings Corp.
(Ayala Corp.), Palm Thermal Consolidated Holdings
Corp. (A. Brown Company Inc.) and Jin Navitas
Resource Inc. formally launched Tuesday the rst
state-of-the-art clean coal power plant at the 30-
hectare project site in Nipa, Concepcion, Iloilo.
The power plant will use the circulating uidized
bed combustion technology which is one of the most
advanced and most fuel-efcient plants in the Visayas.
It will use the latest Alstom Technology [Europe] for
its steam turbine and generator, PCPC president and
chief executive Roel Castro said.
Castro said the power plant would have a combined
capacity of 27 megawatts and the target commercial
dispatch for the rst unit of 135 MW was expected in
the last quarter of 2015. The rst phase of the project
is estimated to cost P12.5 billion.
SNC-Lavalin, a leading Canadian-American
company, was appointed as the project owners
engineer and project manager.
Iloilo Gov. Arthur Defensor Sr., House Deputy
Speaker Erin Taada and Concepcion Mayor Milliard
Villanueva led the groundbreaking ceremony. They
were joined by Walter Brown, chairman of Palm
Concepcion Power Corp., directors Eric Francia
and Jack Ng, and other key political and business
personalities.
Meanwhile, NLSCthe consortium of First
Northeast Electric Power Engineering Corp.
of China, Liaoning Electric Power Survey &
Design Institute and Shenyang Electric Power
Design Institute Co. Ltd. is the projects preferred
engineering, procurement and construction (EPC)
contractor.
NLSC has over 100 years of combined EPC
work experience for thermal power plants. Aside
from China, the group has constructed and managed
international projects in Asia, South America and
Europe. Alena Mae S. Flores
Bad loans decrease to 2%
NON-PERFORMING loans of universal and
commercial banks fell to a new record level of 2
percent as of end-October, reecting an improvement
in the asset quality of banks balance sheets.
Data from the Bangko Sentral showed the NPL
ratio, which refers to the portion of loans that remain
unpaid 30 days after due date, declined from 2.05
percent in September and 2.54 percent in October
2011.
The Bangko Sentral said the NPL ratio eased as
soured loans fell 1.2 percent to P69.1 billion while
total loans increased 1.4 percent to P 3.5 trillion.
This is of particular signicance given the current
market environment where benchmark interest rates
continue to remain low, the Bangko Sentral said.
Banks continued to take an active position in setting
up loan loss reserves, as the NPL coverage ratio of
universal and commercial banks was estimated at
138.73 percent as of end-October.
The high NPL coverage ratio taken together with
the decline in NPL ratio provides a strong indication
that universal and commercial banks continue to take
proactive steps in ensuring the strength of its loan
portfolio, the Bangko Sentral said.
Credit risks account for roughly 85 percent of the
risk-weighted assets of the banking industry.
For this reason, credit standards remain a high
policy priority. The soundness of the banks loan
portfolio is a key element in maintaining nancial
stability, and thus, the strong performance of the NPL
ratio takes on added policy relevance, the Bangko
Sentral said. Anna Leah Estrada
By Lailany P. Gomez
THE Transportation
Department reiterated
Tuesday it will prohibit
airline operators to take
part in the bidding for
the P17.5-billion Mac-
tan-Cebu International
Airport terminal project.
Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio
Abaya also denied reports the government
was favoring some parties following the
release of the qualication requirements
for prospective bidders.
It has been a little bit controversial
because we made certain guidelines
as to who are eligible or ineligible
in participating. But its proceeding
as planned. Were sticking to the
guidelines that airline operators are
ineligible to take part as bidders
because of sheer conflict of interest,
Abaya told reporters.
The guidelines bar air transport
services, or airlines, in the Philippines,
from participating in the auction.
They also cannot have any interest,
direct or indirect, in such entity or cannot
be owned by such entity, the bidding
terms read, adding that the prohibition
applies to consortiums and afliates.
I dont think a public hearing is
needed for procurement process.
Consultations, request for information
are the usual methods for prospective
bidders or even the government.
There were some consultations with
affected companies. ...we would
entertain all forms of engagement to
clarify both the government side and
from prospective bidders, Abaya
said.
We want to make it as level as possible
so we could get the full potential of the
project, he added.
Abaya said his department had not
received any formal complaints from
airline operators such as San Miguel Corp.
and Cebu Air Inc., which earlier claimed
they would bid for the project.
Ayala Corp. and Aboitiz Equity Ventures
Inc. formed a P10-billion joint venture for
the Mactan-Cebu project. The MCIA is the
second-largest airport in the Philippines in
terms of passenger trafc.
Transportation and the MCIA has just
published the invitation for prospective
bidders to nance, build, operate and
maintain the new passenger terminal
development project.
The project includes construction of
a new passenger terminal, along with
all related infrastructure and facilities
according to the International Civil
Aviation Organization standards, and the
renovation and expansion of the existing
facility.
The project is one of the so-called public-
private partnership projects recently
approved by the National Economic and
Development Authority board.
TRADI NG SUMMARY
SHARES VALUE
FINANCIAL 18,041,000 1,515,187,182.052
INDUSTRIAL 347,533,806 1,718,270,483.11
HOLDING FIRMS 589,712,692 2,492,125,217.11
PROPERTY 522,610,270 1,526,701,496.31
SERVICES 197,559,002 1,118,625,125.34
MINING & OIL 2,285,396,698 698,491,231.835
GRAND TOTAL 3,960,856,470 9,069,422,168.752
FINANCIAL 1,581.8 (down) 17.3
INDUSTRIAL 9,214.21 (up) 16.63
HOLDING FIRMS 5,389.43 (down) 16.01
PROPERTY 2,409.22 (up) 27.87
SERVICES 1,815.61 (up) 6.03
MINING & OIL 21,491.3 (up) 216.11
PSEI 6,087.67 (down) 6.23
All Shares Index 3,836.1 (down) 1.04
Gainers: 73; Losers:97; Unchanged: 45; Total: 215
Market retreats;
Atlas, ALI advance
Business
ManilaStandardToday
business@mst.ph extrastory2000@gmail.com
B2
52 Weeks Previous % Net Foreign
High Low STOCKS Close High Low Close Change Volume Trade/Buying
MST BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW
TUESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2013
M
S
T
FINANCIAL
77.10 57.30 Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. 77.00 77.55 76.00 76.80 (0.26) 4,561,390 (4,060,601.00)
100.00 56.60 Bank of PI 101.20 102.80 97.00 98.10 (3.06) 1,836,660 (8,014,746.00)
1.82 0.68 Bankard, Inc. 0.72 0.73 0.73 0.73 1.39 3,000
595.00 48.00 China Bank 55.00 56.25 55.00 55.50 0.91 157,940
23.90 17.90 COL Financial 18.96 19.20 18.94 18.94 (0.11) 121,300 948,000.00
32.95 18.50 Eastwest Bank 29.65 30.20 29.65 30.00 1.18 1,959,600 (37,037,370.00)
22.00 7.95 Filipino Fund Inc. 10.28 10.88 10.30 10.88 5.84 1,300
0.95 0.62 First Abacus 0.84 0.75 0.75 0.75 (10.71) 90,000
3.25 2.00 I-Remit Inc. 2.80 2.80 2.74 2.80 0.00 127,000
590.00 420.00 Manulife Fin. Corp. 560.00 540.00 540.00 540.00 (3.57) 300
39.20 3.00 Maybank ATR KE 24.50 24.50 24.00 24.00 (2.04) 6,100
104.90 71.75 Metrobank 107.60 108.00 106.00 107.00 (0.56) 3,854,710 33,198,317.00
3.06 1.69 Natl Reinsurance Corp. 1.75 1.76 1.70 1.75 0.00 1,059,000 (1,741,350.00)
96.20 59.00 Phil. National Bank 89.60 89.60 88.05 88.05 (1.73) 817,260 (35,018,766.00)
109.00 71.80 Phil. Savings Bank 105.50 105.50 105.00 105.50 0.00 550
500.00 239.00 PSE Inc. 414.00 414.20 410.00 411.00 (0.72) 144,500
60.00 29.75 RCBC À 61.00 61.00 60.55 60.55 (0.74) 312,950.00 78,952.00
169.10 100.00 Security Bank 164.00 164.60 164.00 164.40 0.24 1,173,500 146,316,449.00
1100.00 879.00 Sun Life Financial 1038.00 1032.00 1030.00 1030.00 (0.77) 175
140.00 69.00 Union Bank 115.00 115.80 114.50 115.00 0.00 794,780 163,319.00
2.70 1.71 Vantage Equities 2.45 2.44 2.44 2.44 (0.41) 255,000
INDUSTRIAL
38.00 28.70 Aboitiz Power Corp. 38.50 38.20 37.80 38.05 (1.17) 2,584,600 13,369,030.00
13.58 6.22 Agrinurture Inc. 8.20 8.10 7.90 7.90 (3.66) 8,700
2.26 1.24 Alliance Tuna Intl Inc. 2.02 2.05 1.99 2.00 (0.99) 692,000 43,520.00
1.62 1.20 Alsons Cons. 1.35 1.36 1.34 1.34 (0.74) 18,000
61.00 17.10 Asiabest Group 19.48 19.48 19.00 19.00 (2.46) 1,600
4.99 2.12 Calapan Venture 4.30 4.30 4.30 4.30 0.00 47,000
144.00 42.00 Conc. Aggr. À 65.00 65.00 65.00 65.00 0.00 100
3.12 2.41 Chemrez Technologies Inc. 2.95 2.95 2.92 2.95 0.00 35,000 88,500.00
27.75 7.60 Cirtek Holdings (Chips) 27.25 27.20 25.00 27.00 (0.92) 172,700 (775.00)
4.55 4.32 DNL Industries Inc. 5.01 5.150 4.88 4.98 (0.60) 28,959,600 (20,582,608.00)
7.16 4.83 Energy Devt. Corp. (EDC) 6.98 7.07 6.98 6.98 0.00 20,180,000 (40,807,052.00)
10.40 3.60 EEI 10.82 11.04 10.82 10.98 1.48 2,602,900 3,712,978.00
3.80 1.00 Euro-Med Lab. 1.90 2.00 1.80 1.80 (5.26) 92,000
25.00 5.80 Federal Chemicals 11.50 12.00 11.50 11.80 2.61 3,000
24.00 12.80 First Gen Corp. 23.50 24.50 23.85 23.90 1.70 2,973,100 7,174,535.00
95.50 58.50 First Holdings A 99.10 101.20 99.70 100.20 1.11 2,499,600 80,101,024.00
0.027 0.0110 Greenergy 0.0210 0.0210 0.0200 0.0200 (4.76) 205,900,000 (811,700.00)
14.00 10.00 Holcim Philippines Inc. 13.26 13.24 13.16 13.18 (0.60) 178,700 (270,802.00)
5.49 3.80 Integ. Micro-Electronics 4.03 4.03 4.03 4.03 0.00 12,000
2.35 0.61 Ionics Inc 0.700 0.730 0.660 0.680 (2.86) 889,000 (36,850.00)
120.00 89.00 Jollibee Foods Corp. 108.00 108.30 104.80 106.10 (1.76) 1,956,980 (66,890,916.00)
11.70 5.70 Lafarge Rep 11.60 11.60 11.32 11.60 0.00 1,679,900
8.40 1.44 LMG Chemicals 2.02 2.02 1.92 1.94 (3.96) 295,000
14.66 3.70 LT Group 12.90 12.92 12.84 12.88 (0.16) 547,600
1.90 1.11 Mabuhay Vinyl Corp. 1.60 1.61 1.61 1.61 0.63 3,000
22.50 1.39 Manchester Intl. A 14.60 14.00 12.80 13.70 (6.16) 354,400
23.00 1.50 Manchester Intl. B 14.74 14.00 12.98 13.90 (5.70) 68,900 42,926.00
33.50 20.55 Manila Water Co. Inc. 33.05 33.40 33.05 33.20 0.45 3,141,100 (14,153,530.00)
7.50 2.00 Mariwasa MFG. Inc. 5.89 5.89 5.71 5.71 (3.06) 152,400
18.80 8.76 Megawide 17.040 17.980 17.060 17.500 2.70 2,743,000 31,149,642.00
291.20 218.80 Mla. Elect. Co À 279.80 281.00 278.00 279.80 0.00 441,480 26,742,352.00
12.20 7.50 Pancake House Inc. 7.80 7.90 7.80 7.80 0.00 6,700
6.82 2.09 Pepsi-Cola Products Phil. 6.43 6.57 6.40 6.40 (0.47) 1,449,200 1,138,133.00
13.60 9.70 Petron Corporation 10.40 10.46 10.40 10.44 0.38 2,191,200 (17,306,680.00)
13.70 10.20 Phinma Corporation 11.70 14.00 11.80 13.00 11.11 231,700 (1,939,500.00)
14.94 8.03 Phoenix Petroleum Phils. 9.10 9.41 9.10 9.35 2.75 506,500 827,292.00
5.09 1.33 RFM Corporation 4.97 5.10 4.87 4.95 (0.40) 12,871,000 30,334,430.00
3.90 2.30 Roxas Holdings 3.00 3.00 2.90 3.00 0.00 28,000
7.60 3.00 Salcon Power Corp. 4.55 4.55 4.54 4.54 (0.22) 48,000
122.50 100.00 San Miguel Corp À 108.80 109.10 108.30 108.60 (0.18) 695,010 47,208,731.00
3000.00 240.00 San MiguelPure Foods `B 244.00 244.00 243.00 243.00 (0.41) 4,100
2.44 1.70 Splash Corporation 1.79 1.82 1.79 1.79 0.00 226,000
0.220 0.121 Swift Foods, Inc. 0.140 0.142 0.140 0.140 0.00 5,770,000 (2,800.00)
2.77 1.66 TKC Steel Corp. 1.72 1.71 1.70 1.70 (1.16) 15,000
1.41 1.08 Trans-Asia Oil 1.44 1.46 1.41 1.41 (2.08) 24,660,000 829,940.00
88.00 50.00 Universal Robina 87.15 88.00 86.90 87.00 (0.17) 1,225,440 83,668,338.50
5.50 1.05 Victorias Milling 1.50 1.53 1.47 1.48 (1.33) 13,367,000 22,200.00
2.08 0.450 Vitarich Corp. 0.98 1.00 0.95 0.95 (3.06) 2,604,000 58,970.00
18.00 2.65 Vivant Corp. 9.50 9.99 9.02 9.80 3.16 3,200
2.20 0.90 Vulcan Indl. 1.55 1.57 1.52 1.53 (1.29) 1,137,000
HOLDING FIRMS
1.03 0.65 Abacus Cons. À 0.69 0.69 0.67 0.69 0.00 3,974,000
59.90 40.50 Aboitiz Equity 56.80 57.00 56.55 56.80 0.00 3,027,860 7,952,176.50
0.169 0.014 Alcorn Gold Res. 0.1420 0.1430 0.1410 0.1410 (0.70) 210,020,000 6,374,380.00
17.50 10.24 Alliance Global Inc. 17.40 17.52 17.00 17.14 (1.49) 19,010,100 (69,282,226.00)
2.70 1.88 Anglo Holdings A 2.32 2.39 2.30 2.32 0.00 6,577,000 (59,250.00)
5.95 3.30 Anscor À 5.64 5.67 5.60 5.61 (0.53) 261,600
6.98 3.700 Asia Amalgamated A 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 0.00 12,000 35,000.00
2.98 0.90 ATN Holdings A 0.94 0.91 0.90 0.90 (4.26) 195,000
3.52 0.90 ATN Holdings B 0.93 0.91 0.89 0.91 (2.15) 154,000
552.50 332.00 Ayala Corp À 540.00 548.00 529.50 530.00 (1.85) 925,160 (62,380,925.00)
64.80 42.80 DMCI Holdings 54.00 54.10 53.00 53.90 (0.19) 2,045,920 (77,231,820.50)
5.20 3.36 Filinvest Dev. Corp. 4.71 4.75 4.68 4.68 (0.64) 330,000
693.00 455.40 GT Capital 650.00 660.00 646.00 655.00 0.77 556,490 (34,493,495.00)
6.80 3.07 House of Inv. 6.56 6.69 6.42 6.43 (1.98) 90,200 (6,580.00)
40.70 24.50 JG Summit Holdings 39.00 39.80 38.35 39.00 0.00 2,328,500 (11,795,500.00)
5.60 3.30 Keppel Holdings À 5.16 5.00 5.00 5.00 (3.10) 279,900
6.78 4.90 Lopez Holdings Corp. 6.98 7.06 6.70 6.90 (1.15) 16,308,700 (14,505,646.00)
1.54 0.81 Lodestar Invt. Holdg.Corp. 1.04 1.05 1.01 1.01 (2.88) 925,000
0.85 0.320 Mabuhay Holdings À 0.445 0.475 0.475 0.475 6.74 8,000 9,500.00
3.82 1.710 Marcventures Hldgs., Inc. 1.92 1.92 1.90 1.92 0.00 466,000
5.03 3.48 Metro Pacic Inv. Corp. 5.00 5.17 5.03 5.10 2.00 44,966,100 90,238,671.00
6.63 4.38 Minerales Industrias Corp. 7.09 7.24 7.08 7.18 1.27 2,032,400 36,050.00
9.66 1.33 MJCI Investments Inc. 6.28 7.20 6.30 6.65 5.89 95,500
0.0680 0.044 Pacica À 0.0510 0.0500 0.0490 0.0490 (3.92) 3,810,000
2.20 1.20 Prime Media Hldg 1.440 1.650 1.410 1.450 0.69 227,000
0.66 0.42 Prime Orion 0.600 0.610 0.570 0.570 (5.00) 852,000
0.420 0.300 Sinophil Corp. 0.320 0.320 0.320 0.320 0.00 2,300,000 (640,000.00)
923.00 557.00 SM Investments Inc. 929.50 933.00 928.50 930.00 0.05 303,490 18,843,925.00
2.71 1.13 Solid Group Inc. 2.28 2.30 2.15 2.20 (3.51) 1,737,000 (22,900.00)
1.57 1.04 South China Res. Inc. 1.10 1.11 1.10 1.10 0.00 150,000
850.00 425.00 Transgrid 375.00 480.00 480.00 480.00 28.00 20
0.420 0.205 Unioil Res. & Hldgs 0.2950 0.3000 0.2800 0.2900 (1.69) 2,440,000
0.620 0.255 Wellex Industries 0.2950 0.3100 0.2900 0.2900 (1.69) 9,450,000 (79,500.00)
0.850 0.330 Zeus Holdings 0.550 0.770 0.570 0.690 25.45 253,695,000 (869,240.00)
P R O P E R T Y
48.00 15.00 Anchor Land Holdings Inc. 17.00 17.00 16.90 16.90 (0.59) 11,100
3.89 2.37 A. Brown Co., Inc. 2.99 3.00 2.99 2.99 0.00 84,000
0.87 0.43 Araneta Prop À 0.790 0.840 0.790 0.810 2.53 4,756,000
0.195 0.162 Arthaland Corp. 0.190 0.200 0.190 0.200 5.26 420,000
27.35 15.82 Ayala Land `B 26.60 27.65 26.65 27.40 3.01 14,115,200 89,215,215.00
5.62 4.00 Belle Corp. À 5.08 5.12 5.00 5.00 (1.57) 927,730 7,722,381.00
9.00 2.51 Cebu Holdings 3.98 4.00 3.88 3.88 (2.51) 1,179,000 109,200.00
2.47 1.35 Century Property 1.78 1.80 1.76 1.76 (1.12) 7,806,000 17,800.00
3.00 1.50 City & Land Dev. 2.32 2.30 2.30 2.30 (0.86) 12,000
1.50 1.05 Cityland Dev. À 1.20 1.14 1.14 1.14 (5.00) 5,000
0.092 0.060 Crown Equities Inc. 0.074 0.072 0.068 0.072 (2.70) 3,020,000
1.11 0.76 Cyber Bay Corp. 0.79 0.80 0.78 0.79 0.00 458,000
1.13 0.60 Empire East Land 1.050 1.050 1.010 1.020 (2.86) 49,890,000 809,780.00
0.435 0.152 Ever Gotesco 0.390 0.400 0.380 0.380 (2.56) 13,080,000
2.48 1.63 Global-Estate 1.95 2.01 1.96 2.00 2.56 10,412,000 (11,125,420.00)
1.66 1.06 Filinvest Land,Inc. 1.64 1.65 1.61 1.63 (0.61) 70,409,000 1,216,780.00
2.14 0.72 Interport À 1.16 1.21 1.17 1.21 4.31 501,000 1,210.00
3.33 1.58 Megaworld Corp. 3.18 3.25 3.16 3.18 0.00 62,144,000 60,974,270.00
0.31 0.145 MRC Allied Ind. 0.1210 0.1200 0.1050 0.1110 (8.26) 93,770,000 133,100.00
0.990 0.240 Phil. Estates Corp. 0.6400 0.6700 0.6300 0.6500 1.56 11,517,000 65,000.00
0.67 0.41 Phil. Realty À 0.455 0.460 0.460 0.460 1.10 100,000
22.30 11.86 Robinsons Land `B 21.35 21.90 21.40 21.90 2.58 4,577,300 37,997,155.00
7.71 2.35 Rockwell 2.96 3.48 2.96 3.38 14.19 17,104,000 2,255,280.00
3.15 1.98 Shang Properties Inc. 3.20 3.22 3.22 3.22 0.63 8,000
7.57 5.72 SM Development À 6.02 6.02 5.95 5.95 (1.16) 3,348,700 6,721,784.00
18.20 12.10 SM Prime Holdings 16.98 17.00 16.74 16.84 (0.82) 5,967,700 (49,574,336.00)
0.84 0.65 Sta. Lucia Land Inc. 0.70 0.72 0.71 0.71 1.43 1,346,000 (35,500.00)
4.55 2.31 Starmalls 3.90 3.90 3.90 3.90 0.00 5,000
0.64 0.49 Suntrust Home Dev. Inc. 0.580 0.580 0.570 0.580 0.00 271,000
5.20 2.85 Vista Land & Lifescapes 5.120 5.210 5.140 5.150 0.59 16,191,300 19,048,525.00
S E R V I C E S
4.72 1.33 2GO Group 1.80 1.80 1.69 1.80 0.00 2,000
42.00 24.10 ABS-CBN 40.25 41.30 40.50 41.00 1.86 385,900
18.98 1.05 Acesite Hotel 1.32 1.32 1.27 1.32 0.00 44,000
0.88 0.60 APC Group, Inc. 0.820 0.840 0.820 0.830 1.22 4,326,000 124,500.00
10.92 7.60 Asian Terminals Inc. 9.75 9.87 9.87 9.87 1.23 16,000
63.90 8.13 Bloomberry 13.16 13.24 12.98 12.98 (1.37) 8,162,900 (62,646,990.00)
0.2420 0.1010 Boulevard Holdings 0.1330 0.1360 0.1330 0.1330 0.00 23,590,000
24.00 3.65 Calata Corp. 3.85 3.90 3.85 3.85 0.00 488,000 194,250.00
77.00 52.40 Cebu Air Inc. (5J) 61.75 62.00 61.20 61.50 (0.40) 467,110 (9,252,756.00)
9.70 4.00 DFNN Inc. 4.98 5.06 4.90 5.00 0.40 294,000 (244,020.00)
5.47 1.80 Easy Call Common 2.70 2.75 2.70 2.75 1.85 5,000
1750.00 800.00 FEUI 1075.00 1100.00 1088.00 1095.00 1.86 122,050 (36,610,600.00)
1270.00 990.00 Globe Telecom 1090.00 1100.00 1088.00 1095.00 0.46 122,050 (36,610,600.00)
11.00 6.63 GMA Network Inc. 9.62 9.73 9.62 9.70 0.83 1,458,100
77.00 54.00 I.C.T.S.I. 77.20 78.00 77.40 77.40 0.26 815,420 5,021,665.00
0.98 0.36 Information Capital Tech. 0.420 0.470 0.420 0.460 9.52 7,380,000 (23,250.00)
18.40 5.00 Imperial Res. À 7.60 5.10 5.00 5.00 (34.21) 20,000
10.00 4.65 IPeople Inc. À 9.00 9.00 8.50 8.70 (3.33) 22,300
4.70 1.75 IP Converge 3.70 3.70 3.66 3.70 0.00 53,000
22.00 0.019 IP E-Game Ventures Inc. 0.025 0.025 0.024 0.024 (4.00) 115,700,000 (1,276,700.00)
1.65 0.54 IPVG Corp. 0.63 0.64 0.60 0.61 (3.17) 1,506,000 61,000.00
0.0850 0.040 Island Info 0.0510 0.0520 0.0500 0.0510 0.00 1,810,000
3.4400 2.170 ISM Communications 2.2000 2.2000 2.1800 2.1800 (0.91) 17,000
9.90 6.28 Leisure & Resorts 8.17 8.24 8.15 8.24 0.86 14,200 494,400.00
2.65 1.05 Lorenzo Shipping 1.35 1.50 1.50 1.50 11.11 3,000
3.96 2.70 Macroasia Corp. 2.67 2.50 2.50 2.50 (6.37) 18,000
4.08 1.34 Manila Jockey 2.65 2.89 2.70 2.76 4.15 1,111,000 390,380.00
22.95 13.78 Pacic Online Sys. Corp. 14.00 14.00 13.98 14.00 0.00 1,157,300
3.47 1.49 Paxys Inc. 2.90 2.93 2.90 2.92 0.69 403,000
12.00 7.15 Phil. Racing Club 9.85 9.99 9.85 9.98 1.32 2,586,600 (3,451,000.00)
98.00 21.00 Phil. Seven Corp. 87.60 88.00 88.00 88.00 0.46 25,770 2,260,720.00
17.88 12.10 Philweb.Com Inc. 14.22 14.26 13.92 14.26 0.28 4,023,700 (15,332,348.00)
2886.00 2096.00 PLDT Common 2698.00 2720.00 2690.00 2708.00 0.37 127,360 (2,004,420.00)
0.39 0.27 PremiereHorizon 0.360 0.350 0.350 0.350 (2.78) 200,000
34.45 17.90 Puregold 32.35 33.15 32.30 32.50 0.46 2,873,000 (25,668,485.00)
STI Holdings 1.00 1.01 1.00 1.00 0.00 9,496,000 (301,000.00)
14.18 3.30 Touch Solutions 9.18 9.31 9.10 9.19 0.11 268,600 (350,627.00)
0.72 0.35 Waterfront Phils. 0.405 0.410 0.405 0.410 1.23 590,000 (8,200.00)
4.50 1.14 Yehey 1.300 1.310 1.300 1.310 0.77 173,000
MINING & OIL
0.0070 0.0039 Abra Mining 0.0057 0.0057 0.0056 0.0057 0.00 59,000,000
6.20 4.01 Apex À 4.91 4.90 4.85 4.90 (0.20) 50,000
6.22 3.00 Apex `B 4.70 4.80 4.79 4.80 2.13 64,000 (288,000.00)
19.82 16.80 Atlas Cons. À 20.50 21.40 20.50 21.15 3.17 6,523,400 7,459,825.00
48.00 10.00 Atok-Big Wedge À 20.65 20.65 20.00 20.60 (0.24) 600 8,250.00
0.345 0.210 Basic Energy Corp. 0.285 0.285 0.280 0.280 (1.75) 420,000
29.00 18.60 Benguet Corp À 18.50 19.20 18.70 19.20 3.78 900
34.00 17.70 Benguet Corp `B 18.88 19.50 18.50 18.50 (2.01) 71,500 (821,030.00)
2.12 0.82 Century Peak Metals Hldgs 1.08 1.15 1.04 1.06 (1.85) 1,316,000 54,720.00
1.68 1.02 Coal Asia 1.00 1.03 1.00 1.01 1.00 9,066,000
61.80 12.10 Dizon 15.20 15.48 15.00 15.20 0.00 8,200
1.21 0.48 Geograce Res. Phil. Inc. 0.53 0.53 0.51 0.52 (1.89) 1,058,000 166,200.00
1.79 0.8600 Lepanto À 1.100 1.150 1.090 1.130 2.73 76,891,000
2.070 0.9200 Lepanto `B 1.170 1.210 1.170 1.180 0.85 36,704,000 573,910.00
0.085 0.047 Manila Mining À 0.0620 0.0640 0.0610 0.0620 0.00 1,157,320,000
0.087 0.047 Manila Mining `B 0.0670 0.0680 0.0660 0.0680 1.49 295,340,000 1,819,390.00
36.50 15.78 Nickelasia 20.10 20.50 20.00 20.05 (0.25) 2,481,600 (8,808,625.00)
12.84 4.70 Nihao Mineral Resources 4.99 5.02 4.87 4.88 (2.20) 1,040,000 84,700.00
1.100 0.008 Omico 0.5500 0.5500 0.5500 0.5500 0.00 166,000
8.40 3.07 Oriental Peninsula Res. 3.640 3.730 3.650 3.650 0.27 1,193,000 55,250.00
0.032 0.016 Oriental Pet. À 0.0210 0.0210 0.0200 0.0210 0.00 14,300,000
0.033 0.017 Oriental Pet. `B 0.0220 0.0220 0.0210 0.0210 (4.55) 3,100,000 (21,000.00)
7.05 5.62 Petroenergy Res. Corp. 6.34 6.34 6.27 6.28 (0.95) 136,200 (60,211.00)
27.85 12.52 Philex À 17.20 18.000 17.320 17.76 3.26 11,563,000 10,438,826.00
48.00 8.50 PhilexPetroleum 33.50 33.80 32.70 32.80 (2.09) 162,700 858,190.00
0.062 0.024 Philodrill Corp. À 0.042 0.043 0.041 0.041 (2.38) 28,470,000 407,400.00
257.80 200.00 Semirara Corp. 244.00 244.00 242.00 242.80 (0.49) 141,470 11,850,662.00
0.028 0.014 United Paragon 0.0180 0.0190 0.0180 0.0180 0.00 322,400,000
PREFERRED
50.00 22.65 ABS-CBN Holdings Corp. 42.00 43.90 42.85 43.40 3.33 905,900 5,924,095.00
580.00 505.00 Ayala Corp. Pref À 530.00 530.00 530.00 530.00 0.00 100
105.50 100.00 First Gen G 102.50 103.00 103.00 103.00 0.49 1,220
108.00 101.00 First Phil. Hldgs.-Pref. 102.90 102.90 102.00 102.00 (0.87) 1,020
11.02 6.52 GMA Holdings Inc. 9.80 10.00 9.55 9.94 1.43 665,100 15,247,955.00
116.70 104.10 PCOR-Preferred 108.00 108.50 108.00 108.50 0.46 23,040
SMC Preferred A 74.95 75.00 74.95 75.00 0.07 832,600 (33,611,900.00)
79.50 73.00 SMC Preferred B 75.25 74.50 74.50 74.50 (1.00) 900
SMC Preferred C 75.00 75.00 75.00 75.00 0.00 379,430
1050.00 1000.00 SMPFC Preferred 1010.00 1010.00 1010.00 1010.00 0.00 11,035
WARRANTS & BONDS
2.28 0.68 Megaworld Corp. Warrants 2.15 2.18 2.02 2.06 (4.19) 786,000
2.20 0.74 Megaworld Corp. Warrants2 2.20 2.05 2.05 2.05 (6.82) 10,000
S M E
11.88 4.21 Ripple E-Business Intl 8.44 8.50 7.06 8.50 0.71 3,000
GERRY GERONIMO
THE TRUST GURU
A Sun Tze in our midst?
FROM where I sit, the current attacks against banking
regulators that are being conducted by, or on behalf
of, the late Ferdinand Marcos Minister of Trade,
Roberto Ongpin, have a two-fold purpose. The
rst is, as is standard in major military offensives,
to divert attention away from the real object of the
operations. The second, more sinister than the rst,
is to infuse fear in the hearts of government ofcials
who have yet to decide or act on the cases brought
against Ongpin and his cohorts. Dont mess with
me is the clear message of Ongpin to them. Both
belong to the Art of War.
The diversionary tactic of Ongpin has apparently,
for now, been effective. Already forgotten are the
fundamental questions asking what made possible
Ongpins singular achievement of making tons of
money by (a) wrangling two big loans from DBP, the
rst, a P150 million in record time of 28 days from
April 7 to May 8, 2009 and the second, an additional
P510 million just six months thereafter, similarly
hasty and replete with a lot of cutting corners, (b)
then using DBPs own money in the form of loan
proceeds as the principal source of funds to buy from
DBP itself shares of stock of Philex mining and (c)
nally executing, the coup de grace with a quick
turn-around sale to Manny Pangilinan who seemed
only too willing pay big money for a company he
could have acquired through other less expensive
means.
Instead, what are currently coming out in the press,
in measured cadence, clearly orchestrated both in
terms of content and timing, are stories of Ongpins
umbrage, eventually turning into cases, against
banking ofcials, particularly BSP Deputy Governor
Nestor Espenilla and AMLCs executive director
Vicente Aquino; Espenilla for taking seemingly
contradictory positions on the regularity of the DBP
loans to Ongpin and Aquino for asking the Court of
Appeals to freeze Ongpins bank accounts on grounds
of probable cause to believe they are proceeds of his
wrongdoing. Both are peripheral issues.
As a result of this diversionary sortie, outrightly
relegated to the backstage is the real issue: Did
Ongpin, with the connivance of his cohorts in the
right places at Development Bank of the Philippines
and in expert exploitation of the imperfections and
vulnerabilities of the stock market and the regulatory
system overseeing its players, illegally and, more
important, immorally, steal money from the public?
That Ongpin is an investment banker of the highest
caliber is beyond debate. But apparently his genius,
nevertheless, needed extraordinary assistance of his
minions at DBP to effect tremendous prot from a
willing Pangilinan. This is clear from Ongpins own
admissions at public hearings and documents that
are publicly available.
It was admitted that on the same day, Nov. 4, 2009,
that First Pacic Co. Ltd., headed by Pangilinan,
announced its intention to invest $277 million in
mining in the Philippines despite its already 20-
percent ownership of Philex, and South East Asia,
Ongpin was able to secure approval by the docile
DBP board of his P510-million loan. That loan,
which was additional to an earlier P150 million, had
for its purpose an objective that was not anywhere
near the developmental objective or mission of DBP.
It was purely and simply, to nance [Ongpins]
acquisition of 50,000 shares of stock of Philex
Mining Corp. (PMC) owned by the Bank. The
same shares were in no time sold by Ongpin at a
huge prot to a waiting Pangilinan; DBP was fried
in its own fat. Why was DBP so eager to sell, to the
extent of funding the buyer, its Philex shares?
DBPs eagerness to sell was so great that its
approval of the P510-million loan was given despite
the breach of at least 10 prudential standards and
security requirements usually imposed by the bank
on other borrowers. For instance, for ordinary
borrowers a loan-to-value of pledge at the rate of
50 percent so that in case of default the bank can
recover its money easily by selling the pledged
shares that had the value of twice the loan. In the
case of Ongpin, the DBP board agreed to only 80
percent. In other words, the DBP board was willing
to expose the bank to greater risk (greater than it
would tolerate of other borrowers) of not recovering
the full value of the loan in the possible event of
default. Was the condence of the DBP board to
take that extra risk due to someones assurance that,
as will be conrmed by contemporaneous movement
of the price of Philex shares, the price of Philex was
being made to march to the beat of some hidden
drummer?
P12.75 per share was supposed to be Ongpins
agreed purchase price for DBPs Philex shares. Why
is nobody asking whether the upward movement
of Philex shares from its early October levels was
orchestrated to establish an arguable basis for DBP
to sell, at a prot, to Ongpin who was sure to make
much greater prot in no time? The closing price
on Oct. 5, 2009 was just P8.60. It went up to P9.10
on Oct. 12 and then to P9.50 on Oct. 22. One day
before the sale to Ongpin was approved by the DBP
Board, the price was P13.00 and then it went down
to P12.75 on Nov. 4, the very day DBP approved
Ongpins P510-million loan. Was that downtick
real? Or staged?
Then on Nov. 5, a day after the loan approval and
on the day the trading sheet of DBP was executed
covering the sale to Ongpin, Philex shares jumped to
P13.25. Then, it kept going up: to P13.50 on Nov. 6;
P19.50 on Nov. 12; and hovered in the range of P14
to P17.50 in the week of Nov. 13 to 20. On Nov. 23,
the price of Philex was at P18.25 per share; and on
Nov. 23, it reached P19.25.
It was in the week of Nov. 24, according to
Pangilinan that he was formally offered 550,000,000
Philex shares by Ongpin. Are we to believe that no
signals were being communicated between Ongpin
and Pangilinan before that? It is said that initial
talks were at P27.00 per share; but the price nally
agreed upon by the end of the week was P21; the
share purchase agreement was documented on Dec.
2, 2009.
Were all these price movements of Philex shares
due to its natural ebb and ow, or the handiwork of
a hidden orchestrator? Former DBP president Rey
Davids bragging at the DBP board meeting of Dec.
9, 2009 seems to give a clue. He was recorded as
saying ...a week before the nal run, Ongpin told
me that negotiation must start with Pangilinan and
we have to protect the price....what happened was
the Pangilinan groupwe knew the broker they
were using was [name of broker], we were watching
[name of broker]started to sell it down from P19
to P18 to P17 to P16. So we went in and buoyed it at
P17, P18, and pushed it back to about P18.50...The
last purchase that we had was even at P19.50 just to
make sure that we have to protect our price...
From where I sit, that admission by David is
worrisome. It means people could deliberately move
the price up or down. That bragging by David ought
to move the Securities and Exchange Commission,
as the overseer of the securities industry of the
country, to investigate, notwithstanding Ongpins
Sun Tze techniques, whether the price movements of
Philex shares were in a real sense market driven or
whether there was one, or some, doing the driving?
If so, who was at the drivers seat?
The prices of shares of stock do not have lives
of their own. They are moved by esh and blood.
The Securities and Exchange Commission ought to
assure us that those movements, and the prots made
by Ongpin and his ilk, were not at the expense of
yours and mine.
(For comments, e-mail me
at thetrustguru@icloud.com)
STOCKS advanced to a new record in
the early part of trading Tuesday, before
closing lower on prot-taking as investors
begin to assess if the stocks are already
overbought.
The Philippine Stock Exchange
index peaked at 6,140.72 in the
morning session, before losing
steam to settle at 6,087.67 in the
afternoon, down by 6 points, or
0.1 percent, from the previous
days closing.
The heavier index, represent-
ing all shares, also shed 1 point
to nish at 3,836.10, as losers
outnumbered gainers, 97 to 73,
with 45 issues unchanged. Trad-
ing value reached P9 billion.
Property companies led gainers
Tuesday, with Ayala Land Inc. ris-
ing 3 percent to P27.40. Its par-
ent rm, Ayala Corp., however,
tumbled 1.9 percent to P530.
Mining companies also ad-
vanced, with Philex Mining Corp.
gaining 3.3 percent to P17.76.
Atlas Consolidated Mining and
Development Corp. was up 3.2
percent to P21.15.
Zeus Holdings Inc. was the
biggest gainer among the 20
most active stocks, as it climbed
25.5 percent to P0.69.
Meanwhile, Asian stocks were
mixed Tuesday after Fed chief
Ben Bernanke said the central
banks bond buying is providing
crucial support for the US econ-
omy, suggesting it will continue
despite divisions with the Fed.
The Nikkei 225 in Tokyo,
meanwhile, hit a nine-month in-
traday high before paring gains
slightly as investors scooped up
shares amid a weaker yen and
major stimulus measures from the
new government to help Japans
struggling economy. The Nikkei
rose 0.7 percent to 10,885.
Australias S&P/ASX 200 fell
0.2 percent to 4,708.90. South
Koreas Kospi fell 0.8 percent to
1,991.64. Hong Kongs Hang Seng
shed 0.3 percent to 23,335.84.
Its just prot-taking because
the index is already overbought
and many stocks are overbought,
said Kwong Man Bun, chief oper-
ating ofcer at KGI Securities in
Hong Kong.
In a speech Monday, Bernanke
said the US Federal Reserves
bond-buying program, dubbed
quantitative easing, was provid-
ing key support for the economy
and made no mention of winding
the program down, even though
some Fed ofcials recently said
they favor doing that.
With AP
ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION
San Miguel Avenue, Pasig City
IN THE MATTER OF THE
APPLICATION FOR APPROVAL OF
THE POWER SUPPLY AGREEMENT
(PSA) BETWEEN MANILA ELECTRIC
COMPANY (MERALCO) AND THERMA
LUZON, INC. (TLI)
ERC CASE NO. 2013-003 RC
MANILA ELECTRIC COMPANY
(MERALCO),
Applicant.
x- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
TO ALL INTERESTED PARTIES:
Notice is hereby given that on January 2, 2013, the Manila Electric Company
(MERALCO) fled an application for approval of the Power Supply Agreement (PSA)
it entered into with Therma Luzon, nc. (TL), with prayer for provisional authority.
n the said application, MERALCO alleged, among others, the following:
1. t is a private corporation existing under the laws of the Republic of the
Philippines with principal offce located at Lopez Building, MERALCO
Compound, Ortigas Avenue, Pasig City;
2. t has a legislative franchise to operate and maintain a distribution system
in the Cities/Municipalities of Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite and Rizal and
certain Cities/Municipalities/Barangays in Batangas, Laguna, Quezon and
Pampanga, pursuant to Republic Act No. 9209 and is authorized to charge
all its customers for their electric consumption at the rates approved by the
Commission;
3. n a Joint Statement by the Commission and the Department of Energy
(DOE), it was resolved that the initial implementation of Retail Competition
and Open Access (RCOA) shall be on December 26,2012;
4. On November 28, 2012, the DOE issued Department Circular No. DC
2012-11-0010, which provides, among others, for a six (6) - month transition
period from December 26, 2012 to June 25, 2013 (Transition Period) during
which Distribution Utilities (DUs), such as MERALCO, shall continue to
serve Contestable Customers in their respective franchise areas;
5. On December 17, 2012, the Commission issued Resolution No. 16, Series of
2012
1
, which, likewise, provides that during the Transition Period, "the DUs
shall continue to supply electricity to the Contestable Customers operating
in their respective franchise areas
2
;
6. n view of the foregoing, it requested for the extension of its Transition
Supply Contract (TSC) with the National Power Corporation (NPC) and the
Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corporation (PSALM),
resulting in the execution of a Memorandum of Agreement (for the Extension
of NPC-MERALCO TSC until February 25, 2013) (TSC Extension). Such
TSC Extension shall be effective until the earlier of February 25, 2013 or
the turnover of the Angat Hydroelectric Power Plant to the winning bidder
therefor or the execution of power supply contract/s by the Successor
Generating Companies to which NPC has allocated the contracted energy
specifed therein and the approval thereof by the Commission to be effective
in February 2013;
7. However, considering that NPC and PSALM agreed to the TSC Extension
only up to February 25,2013, it was constrained to look for and negotiate
with potential power suppliers that can provide the energy requirement of
its customers for the remaining four (4) months of the Transition Period (i.e.
February 26,2013 to June 25,2013);
8. On December 27, 2012, it executed a PSA with TL for the purchase of
energy from the Pagbilao Power Plant (Unit 2), a coal-fred power generating
facility in Pagbilao, Quezon;
9. TL is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Aboitiz Power Corporation, a publicly-
listed holding company that has interests in both hydroelectric power
generation facilities and thermal plants. Particularly, it is the ndependent
Power Producer (PP) Administrator of the Pagbilao Power Plant in Pagbilao,
Quezon;
10. ts PSA with TL, a copy of which is attached to the application as Annex "B
and made an integral part thereof, contains the following salient features:
SECTION THREE - TERM OF AGREEMENT
3.1 Subject to Section 3.2, this Agreement shall be binding and
effective on the date on which this Agreement is signed
(Effectivity Date) and shall terminate on June 25, 2013. Subject
to ERC approval, the term may be extended by mutual agreement
of the Parties.
3.2 The obligation of Power Supplier to deliver, and the obligation of
MERALCO to purchase, Contract Energy shall commence upon
the termination of the TSC; provided that the Parties have obtained
the fnal approval by the ERC of all the terms and conditions herein
provided, including the full recovery of the Contract Price and any
adjustment thereto, and all other pass-through costs under this
Agreement.
ERC APPROVAL
3.3 f the ERC's final approval requires an amendment of any
provision herein, including provisions on amounts payable under
this Agreement, or subjects such approval to any material term or
condition that is not acceptable to either Party, acting reasonably
(ERC Conditional Approval), the Parties shall cooperate
in good faith to resolve the required ERC amendment(s) or to
address the material term or condition. The Parties may:
(a) within ffteen (15) days after the receipt by MERALCO of the
ERC Conditional Approval, seek reconsideration of the ERC
Conditional Approval (Motion for Reconsideration); or
(b) within thirty (30) days after receipt by MERALCO of the ERC
Conditional Approval, revise and fle an amended Agreement
incorporating changes (other than the Price) for approval by
the ERC (Amended Agreement);
provided that if the Motion for Reconsideration is denied by the
ERC, or the Amended Agreement is disapproved by the ERC, or
approved by the ERC but still with any material term or condition
that is not acceptable to either Party, acting reasonably, the Party
adversely affected may terminate this Agreement upon prior notice
to the other Party, provided that the date of termination shall be
effective when the accumulated difference between the Contract
Price and the ERC approved rate (Price Differential) exceeds
the amount of Thirty Million Pesos (PhP30,000,000.00) for the
entire term of this Agreement (Threshold).
3.4 Pending the fling of the Motion for Reconsideration and the
decision of the ERC thereon, the Parties agree to implement
this Agreement as approved by the ERC provided that if ERC
fnal approval requires a price lower than the Contract Price
as provided in this Agreement, Power Supplier shall deliver
the Contract Energy of MERALCO at such lower price until the
date on which the Price Differential reaches or exceeds the
Threshold (Threshold Date). n the event that the Motion for
Reconsideration remains pending at the Threshold Date, Power
Supplier may terminate this Agreement upon prior notice to
MERALCO, effective on the Threshold Date.
3.5 Pending the negotiations for the terms of the Amended Agreement
and the decision of the ERC on the application for approval of
the Amended Agreement, the Parties agree to implement this
Agreement as approved by the ERC fnal approval.
3.6 n the event that the decision of the ERC on the Motion for
Reconsideration or the Amended Agreement is not acceptable,
then the Party that is adversely affected may terminate this
Agreement upon prior notice to the other Party, effective on the
Threshold Date.
3.7 n the event the ERC fnal approval is not issued by the date
of termination of the TSC, MERALCO shall source its energy
requirements from the WESM and pass on the cost thereof to its
customers until such date the ERC fnal approval is issued.
SECTION FOUR - CONTRACT ENERGY
4.1 Power Supplier shall sell and deliver to MERALCO, and
MERALCO shall purchase from Power Supplier, the Contract
Energy, at the Contract Price, provided that:
(a) if the TSC terminates earlier than February 26, 2013, the
Contract Energy shall in no case exceed the equivalent of
140,900 kW capacity limit for each hourly trading interval
from effectivity of this Agreement pursuant to Section 3.2
hereof until February 25, 2013. For such period, the load
factor for each Billing Period shall not be less than sixty-six
percent (66%);
(b) the Contract Energy shall in no case exceed the equivalent
of 140,900 kW capacity limit for each hourly trading interval
from February 26,2013 until March 25, 2013, and from April
26, 2013 until June 25, 2013. For such period, the load factor
for each Billing Period shall not be less than seventy-fve
(75%);
(c) the Contract Energy shall in no case exceed the equivalent
of 114,900 kW capacity limit for each hourly trading interval
from March 26, 2013 until April 25, 2013. For such period,
the load factor for each Billing Period shall not be less than
seventy-fve (75%);
with respect to Sections 4.1 (b) and (c) above, in all trading
intervals, the energy nominations of MERALCO shall be equivalent
to no less than thirty-fve percent (35%) of the applicable capacity
limit.
GUARANTY AND AVAILABILITY OF SUPPLY
xxx
4.4 The Parties acknowledge that the schedule of Planned Outages of
the Power Plant requires the approval of the System Operator. n
the event that the System Operator modifes an approved schedule
of Planned Outage, Power Supplier shall notify MERALCO within
forty-eight (48) hours after Power Supplier's receipt of notice from
the PP containing the approved schedule of Planned Outage, as
modifed by the System Operator. The Parties shall then agree
on the necessary modifcations on Contract Energy to take into
account the revised schedule of Planned Outages.
n the event the System Operator modifes the schedule of the
Planned Outage such that the Planned Outage falls between
February 26, 2013 and June 25, 2013, MERALCO shall source
replacement power from the WESM, and shall pass on the costs
for such replacement power to MERALCO customers.
SECTION FIVE - CHARGES AND ADJUSTMENTS
5.1 The Contract Price shall be the ERC approved NPC's time-of-use
(TOU) generation rate indicated in Annex (Time of Use Rates),
and subject to ERC approval, plus the following ERC approved
adjustments, which shall be passed through to MERALCO
customers:
(a) Franchise and Benefts to Host Communities (FBHC);
(b) Generation Rate Adjustment Mechanism (GRAM);
(c) ncremental Currency Exchange Rate Adjustments (CERA);
(d) Fuel and Purchase Power Cost Adjustment (FPPCA); and
(e) Foreign Exchange Related Cost Adjustment (FxA).
The Contract Price is exclusive of WESM line rental cost,
which shall be for the account of MERALCO and passed
through to MERALCO customers.
SERVCE OF POWER BLLS AND PLACE OF PAYMENT
xxx
5.3 Payments
(a) MERALCO shall pay Final nvoices when due and
payable as provided in Annex (nvoicing and Payment
Procedures), provided that MERALCO shall not be required
to make payment on any Final nvoice that is manifestly
in error, apparently invalid or not in the form or substance
contemplated by this Agreement.
(b) f MERALCO disputes all or any portion of a Final nvoice
for a reason other than a manifest error in, or the patent
invalidity or incorrect form or substance of, such Final
nvoice, MERALCO shall, nonetheless, pay the full amount of
such nvoice. Any payment by MERALCO under this Section
5.3 is without prejudice to MERALCO's right at a later date
to dispute, protest or question any amount so paid.
xxx
SECTION SIX - MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS
xxx
CHANGE N LAW
6.10 The Parties shall faithfully perform all their obligations in
accordance with the provisions of this Agreement as well as the
applicable laws and ERC rules and regulations.
6.11 (a) f, as a result of Change in Law, MERALCO becomes
liable to pay new charges, fees, taxes, duties, assessments
or other similar amounts (New Charges), or any increase in
existing charges, fees, taxes, duties, assessments or other similar
amounts (Increased Charges) become payable with respect to
this Agreement, these New Charges or ncreased Charges shall
form part of the price that MERALCO will charge to MERALCO
customers.
(b) f as a result of Change in Law, and pursuant to a
corresponding order of the ERC
(i) MERALCO is no longer permitted to pass through to
its customers any amounts that it is permitted to pass
through as of the date of this Agreement (such amounts
referred to hereafter as (Disallowed Pass-Through
Amounts); or
(ii) any portion of the Contract Price that has been
paid to Power Supplier is required to be refunded to
MERALCO or MERALCO's customers in connection
with any petition, claim, case, proceeding or other
action involving any of the Parties brought before any
judicial, administrative or quasi-judicial body (such
portion of the Contract Price referred to hereinafter as
Refundable Amounts).
the Parties shall enter into good faith negotiations to agree on a
satisfactory solution regarding the amendment of this Agreement
to restore each Party's commercial position prior to such Change
in Law, including an adjustment of the Contract Price; provided that
in the case of Section 6.11 (b) (ii), Power Supplier shall refund all
Refundable Amounts to MERALCO or MERALCO's customers in
the manner and within the period as required by the ERC. Subject
to Section 6.11 (c), as applicable, if the Parties fail to reach a
mutually satisfactory resolution within thirty (30) days from the
commencement of negotiations (the Negotiation Period), then
the Party that is adversely affected by the Change in Law may
terminate this Agreement effective at the end of such Negotiation
Period.
(c) f as a result of a Change in Law, Power Supplier becomes
liable to pay New Charges or ncreased Charges with respect
to this Agreement, or Power Supplier is no longer able to
require payment from MERALCO for Disallowed Pass-
Through Amounts, or Power Supplier is required to refund
Refundable Amounts, Power Supplier may terminate this
Agreement effective on such date that the total accumulated
amount of the Price Differential, unreimbursed New or
ncreased Charges, Disallowed Pass-Through Amounts
that Power Supplier is unable to collect from MERALCO,
and the Refundable Amounts actually refunded by Power
Supplier exceeds the Threshold.
(d) f as a result of a Change in Law, the Contract Price is
affected as will result in a reduction in the Contract Price,
the Parties shall enter into good faith negotiations to agree
on a satisfactory solution.
11. The resulting average rate under the PSA for the simulated month
of May 2013 is PhP5.7899 per kWh, as shown in the sample
calculation below:

12. For the simulated month of May 2013, the effective rate under
the PSA of PhP5.7899 per kWh would result in cost savings
in the blended generation rate of about PhP0.0754 per kWh.
However, should its PSA with TL not be approved by the time
the TSC Extension expires
3
, it would be constrained to source its
defciency in energy volume from the Wholesale Electricity Spot
Market (WESM) where the calculated average WESM price for
said simulated month is PhP9.0516 per kWh. t is to be noted
that this price can increase further considering the high volatility
of WESM prices. Thus, it is essential and urgent that the instant
application be approved in order to afford end-users the benefts
resulting from implementation of the PSA;
13. There is a paramount relevance and necessity to implement the
subject PSA in time for the expiration of the TSC Extension to
ensure continuous and reliable electricity for its customers. The
implementation of the subject PSA will clearly redound to the
beneft of the end-users as it will shield them from the detrimental
impact of the expiration of the TSC Extension;
14. n support of the instant application, the Judicial Affdavit of Mr.
Ciprinilo C. Meneses, Senior Manager and Head of its Energy
Sourcing Offce, is attached to the application as Annex "C; and
15. t prays that after hearing on the merits, a Decision be rendered
approving its PSA with TL.
The Commission has set the application for jurisdictional hearing, expository
presentation, pre-trial conference and evidentiary hearing on January 30, 2013
(Wednesday) at ten 0 clock in the morning (10:00 A.M.) at the ERC Hearing
Room, 15
th
FIoor, Pacic Center BuiIding, San MigueI Avenue, Pasig City.
All persons who have an interest in the subject matter of the proceeding may
become a party by fling, at least fve (5) days prior to the initial hearing and subject to
the requirements in the ERC's Rules of Practice and Procedure, a verifed petition with
the Commission giving the docket number and title of the proceeding and stating: (1)
the petitioner's name and address; (2) the nature of petitioner's interest in the subject
matter of the proceeding, and the way and manner in which such interest is affected
by the issues involved in the proceeding; and (3) a statement of the relief desired.
All other persons who may want their views known to the Commission with
respect to the subject matter of the proceeding may fle their opposition to the
application or comment thereon at any stage of the proceeding before the applicant
concludes the presentation of its evidence. No particular form of opposition or
comment is required, but the document, letter or writing should contain the name
and address of such person and a concise statement of the opposition or comment
and the grounds relied upon.
All such persons who may wish to have a copy of the application may request
the applicant, prior to the date of the initial hearing, that they be furnished with a
copy of the application. The applicant is hereby directed to furnish all those making a
request with copies of the application and its attachments, subject to reimbursement
of reasonable photocopying costs. Likewise, any such person may examine the
application and other pertinent records fled with the Commission during the usual
offce hours.
WITNESS, the Honorable Chairperson, ZENAIDA G. CRUZ-DUCUT, and the
Honorable Commissioners, MARIA TERESA A.R. CASTAEDA, JOSE C. REYES,
ALFREDO J. NON and GLORIA VICTORIA C. YAP-TARUC, Energy Regulatory
Commission, this 7th day of January, 2013 at Pasig City.
ATTY. FRANCIS SATURNINO C. JUAN
Executive Director
____________________
1
Entitled "A Resolution Adopting the Transitory Rules for the mplementation of Open Access and
Retail Competition
2
Section 4.1 thereof
3
Note that Section 3.2 of the PSA provides that the PSA shall only be implemented upon the
Commission's fnal approval thereof
(MST-Jan. 10 & 16, 2013)
Business
ManilaStandardToday
extrastory2000@gmail.com business@mst.ph
WEDNESDAY
B3
JANUARY 16, 2013
LTO bidder
getting antsy
SMC eyes
600-MW
coal plant
in Bataan
HAPPY Hour buddies closely watching the progress of the P8.2-billion
Land Transportation Ofce information technology project say they have
reason to believe Digitext Asia is getting antsy over questions regarding
its capability to take on a behemoth project, compounded by the growing
perception that its tender offer of P3.8 billion is too low and not feasible.
Which is probably why the companywhose owners are facing multimillion-
peso graft chargeshas seen it t to issue clarications through its legal
counsel, who goes on to raise the specter of a possible bidding failure.
As some conservative Happy Hour buddies would say, what a lot of
balderdash! No less than DOTC Secretary Jun Abaya himself has given
his assurance that the LTO bidding is pushing throughgiving careful
emphasis to the fact that the bids and awards committee (headed by USec
Juju Lotilla) is carefully evaluating the proposals. Meaning, the BAC
is not only looking at the bid amount but the technical capability of the
proponentswhether they have the IT know how, the track record as far as
the required services is concerned, and most of all, if they can hit the ground
running when Stradcom nally leaves the scene (expected this February and
not a moment too soon according to the long-suffering public).
Observers (and most likely people from the BAC as well) have noted
that Digitext Asia is known more as a call center and business process
outsourcing outt. So the company is shifting gears by putting its technical
partners/third-party suppliers, namely Newtech Media Solutions and
Trading Corp. and Indian company Trimax IT Infrastructure and Services,
the same observers noted.
Now heres an interesting thought: Isnt trafc in Indiaespecially in
cities like Mumbaione of the worst in the world? So how come the vaunted
expertise of Trimax hasnt been able to help Indians with their nightmarish
trafc congestion problemswhich is costing India an estimated $10.8
billion annually? As some unhappy motorists have described the situation in
Mumbai: Its a maximum city moving at a minimum pace.
If we want the Philippines to be truly at par with global standards as far
as trafc management is concerned, perhaps we would be better off getting
the best technology from European companiestwo of whom are also
bidding for the LTO IT project, namely Fritz and Macziol and Eurolink
who submitted the second and third lowest bidders, respectively.
Incidentally, Royal Imtech N.V. (a technical services provider in and
outside Europe that also happens to be the parent company of bidder Fritz
and Macziol) recently secured orders worth more than 43 million euro for
the high-tech infrastructure in a double-deck tunnel in Maastricht in the
Netherlands. Imtechs smart technology are resonating in Europe for its
ability to contribute to better trafc management, having been engaged
for the upgrading and improvement of the current trafc infrastructure in
cities such as Stockholm, Moscow, Dublin and Copenhagen.
The double-deck tunnel in Maastrichtstretching for almost 2.3
kilometerswill be the rst double deck tunnel in the Netherlands to have
four tubes (two above and two below with two trafc lanes each), and
the rst to be built according to the new Dutch tunnel standard. Some
80 percent of the current trafc volume will run underground, which will
denitely improve trafc ow and safety, experts commented.
Perhaps the Philippines can take a leaf from these innovations happening
in other countries, where key infra projects are provided by some of the
best in the world. As for the LTO-IT project if we can have the best (and
at reasonable cost), why settle for less?
Top Wi-Fi strategy revealed
Talking of technology, a new survey reveals that service differentiation
seems to be the buzzword among service providers when it comes to developing
strategy for Wi-Fi services, even as they think of new ways to make Wi-Fi
contribute more to the bottom linewithout necessarily charging customers
directly since many customers equate the service with free Internet access.
According to the recent global survey commissioned by Amdocs, a leading
provider of customer experience systems and services, Wi-Fi is critical to
strategy and business growth, with 89 percent of respondents (including
xed, mobile and cable providers) disclosing they have either deployed or
plan to deploy, or leverage Wi-Fi networks. Operators also expect Wi-Fi to
be more than a solution for simply ofoading congested networks and are
interested in using it to provide incremental value to customers.
Providing a seamless subscriber experience between cellular and Wi-Fi
networks registered strongly on importance by service providers, which
suggests that they view a quality customer experience across 3G/4G/Wi-Fi
as top priority. Interestingly, the survey also revealed that Wi-Fi roaming is a
priority, and that capturing key strategic locations for Wi-Fi hotspots before
competitors beat them to it is considered equally important. But of course
since one of the best strategies is to always be ahead of the game.
For comments, reactions, photos, stories and related concerns, readers
may e-mail to happyhourtoday2012@yahoo.com.
By Alena Mae S. Flores
CONGLOMERATE San Miguel Corp.,
through unit SMC Global Power Corp.,
is putting up a 600-megawatt coal-red
power plant in Limay, Bataan, an industry
source said Tuesday.
The SMC coal plant is in
Limay, Bataan. Its a 4 x 150-
MW circulating uidized bed
broiler, the source said.
The source added San Miguel
was negotiating with electric
power cooperatives and other
prospective buyers of Limay
coal plants output. The plant
is expected to be completed by
2016.
LCI Envi Corp., an
environmental consultancy
company, recently conducted an
environmental impact study on
the proposed Limay coal plant.
SMC Global is also pursuing
the construction of a 300-MW
coal plant in Mindanao to address
the islands power needs by late
2015.
The proposed Mindanao plant,
which will be fueled by the
companys coal mines, will also
utilize the clean coal technology.
San Miguel, according to
an industry source, will offer
competitive rates to electric
cooperatives because of the
cheaper fuel coming from the
Daguma mines owned by the
company.
B4
WORLD
Venezuela
faces food
shortages
French ght in Mali
as US takes backseat
Beijing smog prompts unusual transparency
Thailand urged to ban ivory trade
IN BRIEF
Libya sets envoy security
Prince William,
Kates baby due
LONDONThe former Kate
Middleton is due to give birth
to her rst baby in July, and her
health is improving after a bout of
severe morning sickness, palace
ofcials said Monday.
The child of Kate and Prince
William will be third in line to
the British throne.
The 31-year-old Duchess of
Cambridge, as she is formally
known, spent several days in the
hospital last month being treated
for acute morning sickness.
She has since resumed public
appearances..
The palace said in a statement
that the duchesss condition
continues to improve and the two
are delighted to conrm they are
expecting a baby in July.
The announcement by the
couples St. Jamess Palace ofce
lays to rest speculation that the
duchess could be having twins.
The palace would not comment
on whether the baby is a boy or
a girl. The British government
is changing centuries-old
succession laws to ensure that a
royal daughter will have the same
claim to the throne as a son.
Bookmaker William Hill
released odds on the name of
the royal baby, with favorites
including George, Victoria and
Diana, all at 10-1.AP
Bank robbers dig
tunnel to get loot
BERLINGerman police
say robbers dug a 30-meter
(100-foot) tunnel into the safe
deposit room of a Berlin bank
and escaped with their haul,
setting a re as they left to
cover their tracks.
Berlin police spokesman
Thomas Neuendorf says the
tunnel led from an underground
garage into the banks safe
deposit room.
Neuendorf told The
Associated Press Monday
that the tunnel was very
professional and must have
taken weeks or even months
to complete. It was elaborately
constructed and even had
ceiling supports.
Police were alerted to the
break-in early Monday when a
security guard noticed smoke
coming from the deposit room.
Neuendorf says police are
still trying to determine what
valuables were stolen from the
deposit boxes.
Details of the heist called to
mind the spectacular robbery
of another Berlin bank in 1995.
During that robbery thieves
entered the bank through the door,
took hostages and demanded a
helicopter and ransom.
Police besieged and
eventually stormed the safe
room where the thieves had
holed up only to nd they had
escaped through a tunnel dug
by accomplices. Several of the
thieves were later caught.AP
Israel investing in disputed West Bank sites
A brigadier general will lead the new
force, Interior Ministry spokesman
Magdi el-Ur told The Associated
Press. It will be made up of former
rebels who have been integrated into
the nations police force.
He said setting up the force is in
preliminary stages, and ofcials are
studying international law governing
the security of foreign dignitaries and
buildings.
The announcement of a new security
force comes four months after an assault
on the U.S. consulate in the eastern
city of Benghazi last September that
killed US Ambassador Chris Stevens
and three other Americans. The US
suspects al-Qaida-linked militants
carried out the attack.
There has been little news of progress
so far in bringing the perpetrators
to justice, and U.S. ofcials have
complained about poor cooperation
with the governments of the region in
the investigation.
On Saturday, militants opened fire
on the car of the Italian consul in
Benghazi, where the Libyan uprising
began in 2011. He was not hurt in
the attack. Last year, the offices of
the International Red Cross were
attacked and the British ambassador
to Libya was targeted. He also
escaped unhurt.
Libyas security sharply deteriorated
after the ouster and killing of longtime
dictator Moammar Gadha in 2011. A
new police force was formed under the
Interior Ministry, but neither the police
nor the military, which also draws
heavily from former rebel groups, has
been able to fully rein in militias that
became well armed as weapons spread
through the country during the civil
war that ousted Gadha.
The White House signed off in late
2010 on a new counterterrorism task
force in North Africa to combat what
it believes is a growing threat from al-
Qaida-linked militants in northern Mali,
Libya and elsewhere in the region. An
elite Delta Force team was sent to the
region last year to set up an intelligence
and targeting network.AP
BEIJINGOne of Beijings worst rounds of air
pollution kept schoolchildren indoors and sent
coughing residents to hospitals, but this time
something was different about the murky haze: the
governments transparency in talking about it.
While welcomed by residents and
environmentalists, Beijings new openness
about smog also put more pressure on the
government to address underlying causes,
including a lag in efforts to expand Western-
style emissions limits to all of the vehicles in
Beijings notoriously thick trafc.
Really awful. Extremely awful, Beijing
ofce worker Cindy Lu said of Mondays haze
as she walked along a downtown sidewalk.
But she added: Now that we have better
information, we know how bad things really are
and can protect ourselves and decide whether
we want to go out.
Before, you just saw the air was bad but
didnt know how bad it really was, she said.
Even state-run media gave the smog
remarkably critical and prominent play. More
suffocating than the haze is the weakness in
response, read the headline of a front-page
commentary by the Communist Party-run
China Youth Daily.
Government ofcials who have played
down past periods of heavy smog held news
conferences and posted messages on microblogs
discussing the pollution.
The wave of pollution peaked Saturday with
off-the-charts levels that shrouded Beijings
skyscrapers in thick gray haze. Expected to last
through Tuesday, it was the severest smog since
the government began releasing gures on PM2.5
particles among the worst pollutants early last
year in response to a public outcry.
A growing Chinese middle class has become
increasingly vocal about the quality of the
environment, and the public demands for more
air quality information were prompted in part by
a Twitter feed from the U.S. Embassy that gave
hourly PM2.5 readings from the buildings roof.
The Chinese government now issues hourly air
quality updates online for more than 70 cities.
I think theres been a very big change,
prominent Beijing environmental campaigner
Ma Jun said, adding that the government knows
it no longer has a monopoly on information
about the environment. Given the publics
ability to spread this information, especially on
social media, the government itself has to make
adjustments. AP
TRIPOLIA special Libyan security force is being
created to protect embassies and consulates after a
wave of attacks by militants that highlights the serious
deterioration in security over the past year, an ofcial
said Monday.
C A R A C A S M i r e y a
Bustamante spent most of the
day trying in vain to nd our
to bake a birthday cake for her
4-year-old son.
Like most Venezuelans, the
single, 33-year-old ofcer
worker has periodically
struggled with such food
shortages for years, and,
like many in the country,
thinks theyre getting
worse. She blames price
and currency controls
imposed by the government,
though authorities contend
unscrupulous business owners
are at fault.
An odyssey that never
seems to end was how
Bustamante described the
everyday challenge of nding
basic foodstuffs. What good
are the controls if it becomes so
difcult to nd basic products?
asked the mother of three. Its
the governments fault, not
the owners of neighborhood
grocery stores.
Venezuelans have long had
to shop around to nd scarce
foods, and lately consumers
have had particular trouble
nding staples like chicken,
cooking oil, sugar and coffee,
as well as toilet paper and some
medicines. The shortages are a
potential political vulnerability
for the government while
President Hugo Chavez lies
bedridden in Cuba, unheard
from more than a month after
his fourth cancer operation. AP
JERUSALEMIsrael is
advancing a plan to invest in
places it considers part of its
national heritage, including
nine West Bank sites, the
government said Monday in an
announcement that could appeal
to hard-line voters a week ahead
of elections. It triggered an angry
Palestinian response.
Israeli Cabinet Secretary Tzvi
Hauser said Israel is adding
handicapped access to the Tomb
of the Patriarchs, a sensitive
site in the West Bank city of
Hebron sacred to both Jews and
Muslims.
The U.S. objected to Israels
initial 2010 announcement that it
would label the shrine an Israeli
heritage site, charging it impeded
peace efforts. Palestinian
protesters clashed with Israeli
troops in Hebron then, and
Palestinian President Mahmoud
Abbas warned the move could
spark a religious war.
Nour Odeh, a spokeswoman
for the Palestinian Authority,
called on the international
community to condemn the
latest Israeli announcement.
The Tomb of the Patriarchs
is a Palestinian site, and the
Palestinian Authority is the
only one in charge of making
any changes to it, Odeh said
Monday.
With elections set for next
week, Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu appears likely to win
another term, but his party has
been losing seats to a hard-line
religious-nationalist faction. The
timing of the announcement hinted
that he was trying to win back his
traditional hawkish voters.
Hauser said Israel has an
obligation to renovate the sites,
and it is not related to politics. AP
BANGKOKA conservation
group on Tuesday urged
Thailand to ban all ivory
trading, warning that rising
demand for tusks is fueling
an unprecedented slaughter of
elephants in Africa.
The World Wildlife Fund
said massive quantities of
African ivory are being imported
illegally into Thailand, where
they are carved into Buddhist
statues, bangles and jewelry
that are then sold to tourists or
smuggled elsewhere. Although it
is against the law to sell African
tusks in Thailand, ivory from
domesticated elephants can be
traded legally.
Many foreign tourists would
be horried to learn that ivory
trinkets on display next to silks
in Thai shops may come from
elephants massacred in Africa,
said Elisabeth McLellan,
manager of WWFs Global
Species Program. It is illegal
to bring ivory back home and it
should no longer be on sale in
Thailand.
The UN Convention
on International Trade in
Endangered Species, or CITES,
banned all international ivory
trade in 1989. But Thai traders
and smugglers have thrived
because the ban never addressed
the domestic markets, and
without DNA testing, it is
difcult to tell where ivory
originated.
Criminal networks have
exploited that loophole to
ood Thai shops with blood
ivory from Africa, the World
Wildlife Fund said.
The only way to prevent
Thailand from contributing to
elephant poaching is to ban
all ivory sales, said Janpai
Ongsiriwittaya, campaign leader
for WWF in Thailand. Today
the biggest victims are African
elephants, but Thailands
elephants could be next.
Africa is in the midst of a
crisis that saw tens of thousands
of elephants slaughtered last
year alone. According to the
World Wildlife Fund, the
international trade in ivory
has reached its highest ever
recorded rate.
Poaching is up because of
increasing demand from Asia
particularly from China. But
poor African villagers also have
much to gain; they can collect
vast sums relative to their normal
earning power for killing an
elephant and taking its tusks.
On Tuesday, the group
launched a global petition drive
Tuesday urging Thai Prime
Minister Yingluck Shinawatra
to ban the trade to curb
illegal killings on the African
continent.
In March, representatives
from governments worldwide
are expected to attend a CITES
meeting in Bangkok to discuss
wildlife issues, including
rampant elephant poaching.AP
THE US is leaving France to
battle militant Islamists in Mali,
providing limited military
support even as ofcials warn
that al-Qaeda advances there
endanger American interests.
Defense Secretary Leon
Panetta said Tuesday that the
US is providing intelligence to
French forces, and is considering
some limited logistical support
such as airlift.
While the US, which is
speeding its withdrawal from
combat in Afghanistan and has
steered clear of the ghting
in Syria, doesnt plan to
commit troops to the conict
in Mali, Panetta said it has
a responsibility to prevent
al-Qaeda from establishing a
base there from which it could
threaten the US and Europe.
We have a responsibility
to make sure that al-Qaeda
does not establish a base for
operations in North Africa and
Mali, Panetta told reporters as
he ew to Europe for a week of
meetings.
Referring to al-Qaeda in the
Islamic Maghreb, one of the
main Islamist groups in the
region, he said: While they
might not have any immediate
plans for attacks in the United
States and in Europe, that
ultimately, that still remains
their objective, and its for
that reason that we have to
take steps now to ensure that
AQIM does not get that kind
of traction.
If the French fall short, the
militants will continue to
train, continue to arm, theyre
on the back door of Europe
and will continue to destabilize
the region, said Rudy Atallah,
a senior fellow at the Atlantic
Council, a Washington policy
group, in a telephone interview.
Its like a cancer that continues
to grow. Bloomberg
Retirees play Taichi during their morning exercise on a hazy day in Fuyang city, in central Chinas Anhui province, Jan. 14, 2013.
Air pollution is a major problem in China due to the countrys rapid pace of industrialization, reliance on coal power, explosive
growth in car ownership and disregard for environmental laws. AP
Jewish settler Orit Struk walks past a shop in the Israeli-controlled area in
the West Bank city of Hebron. On Dec. 17, 2012, the Israeli government
says it will evict two Jewish settler families from property they seized in
the volatile West Bank city of Hebron. AP
Words and images by Gianna G. Maniego
Additional images by Jayson Brizuela and Roy Bonghanoy
TORONTO DIARIES 3:
Mystic falls
YOUR CHAMP CHILD
Train your child to become a
champion athlete as early as
possible by following a sports
psychologists simple steps.
W
H
A
T
S
I
N
S
I
D
E
TIBETAN JOURNEY
Transform your living space
into a Himalayan wonder
with Our Homes Tibetan
furniture collection.
sha.re/
Gianna Maniego, Editor
Dinna Chan Vasquez, Assistant Editor
you absolutely
home work relationship
standardlifestyle@gmail.com
C1
WEDNESDAY JANUARY 16, 2013
NO VISIT to Toronto would be complete without a trip to Niagara Falls.
And no visit to Niagara Falls would be complete without a side trip or two
to one of the picturesque attractions along the way.
The road from Toronto to Niagara is lined with statuesque redwood curtains on both
sides. If you like countryside pretty, then this route would denitely be your cup of tea.
The route meanders through Canadas wine country, dotted with many charming vine-
yards and villages, including Niagara-on-the-Lake, a well-preserved 19th century com-
munity, and Fort George, a series of restored military structures that used to be a British
military base. It played a central role during the American Revolution, and was used by
American forces as a base for invading Canada in the War of 1812. Its now considered a
National Historic Site.
A walk in the clouds
From there, one can stop in on any of the numerous wineries in the area, including
Jackson-Triggs Winery, one of two that we visited.
One of the most technologically advanced facilities in the area, it is known for marry-
ing high-tech wizardry with ancient winemaking systems. This includes a gravity-ow
assisted system of winemaking that eliminates pumping, which is a potential threat to
young wines. Aside from producing super and ultra premium VQA wines, the winery has
a research facility that studies soils, root stock combinations, pruning techniques, and
climatic conditions.
Visions of Keanu Reeves and Aitana Sanchez-Guijon fanning the vineyards in A
Walk in the Clouds went through our minds as we joined the Jackson-Triggs wine tour.
The tour takes visitors from the demonstration vineyard (empty because they were re-
cently harvested) to the traditional underground barrel cellars, the gravity-ow system
and ends in a wine-tasting room, where visitors are given a taste of the winerys products.
Those of us who want more than the two sips allotted per visitor walked across the
corridor to buy a bottle or two to bring home.
Ice ice baby
If you like your wine sweet, a visit to Inniskillin, famous for its ice wine, is a side trip
worth taking.
Ice wine, which has become representative of Canadian wines, is created by allowing
the grapes to be left on the vine well into the winter months to concentrate and intensify
the avours. The water content is allowed to freeze, thaw and dehydrate in these grapes.
Grapes are harvested, often in the dead of night, in minus-eight degree (Celsius) weather.
Members of Inniskillins staff explained the process to us as we enjoyed the sumptuous
lunch of salad greens and creamy salmon. Dessert was a special treat, as it came with a
round of Inniskillins celebrated ice wine.
We even went home with special 50ml bottles as souvenirs.
Mighty Mother Nature
As it was raining when we arrived at the Falls, we decided to forgo the Maid of the
Mist toura boat ride that would have taken us to the rapids below the fallsfor the
Journey Behind the Fallsa circuitous underground route that took us behind the curtain
of water.
Considered one of the Wonders of Nature, a reputation it comes by honestly, Niagara
Falls is breathtaking. It is massive, spanning the border between Ontario and New York.
It roars with the deafening crescendo of four million cubic feet of water crashing more
than 165 feet below every minute and calls to mind the mightiness of Mother Nature (and
the puniness of man.)
For many of us, coming face to face with one of Natures amazing wonders is an ex-
perience we wont soon forget.
Allegedly formed by melting glaciers, Niagara Falls is a collection of three powerful
cataracts straddling the Niagara River. The largest of these, the Horseshoe Falls, lies on
the Canadian side, while the two smaller ones, the American Falls and the Bridal Veil
Falls lie on the American side.
The Falls is a major source of hydroelectric power, thereby making it powerful as well
as majestic. Niagaras generating stations can produce about 4.4 gigawatts of power.
It has attracted millions of visitors, including the late Pr incess Diana, Mar ilyn
Monroe and Winston Churchill. A favorite among honeymooners and vaca-
tioners, it has also attracted several hotels and casinos, turning the area sur-
rounding the falls into a thriving resort town.
PALs Toronto service (PR 118) departs Manila every Wednesday,
Friday and Sunday at 3:00 p.m. Arrival at Terminal 3 of Toronto
Pearson International Airport is at 5:00 p.m. on the same days.
The return ight (PR 119) departs Toronto every Wednesday,
Friday and Sunday at 7:35 p.m., stopping in Vancouver at
9:30 p.m. The service continues on to Manila at 11:30 p.m.
and arrives at Terminal 2 of Ninoy Aquino International
Airport at 5:45 a.m. two calendar days later.
For more information, visit the PAL Web site (www.
philippineairlines.com)
The Horseshoe Falls is one
of three cataracts that form
the Niagara Falls
With Tanya Lara
(Philippine Star),
Gerard Ramos,
and Baby Alano.
A few tips before sampling the wine.
Ready for our close-ups. From left, Cheche Moral (Inquirer), Aida Delos Reyes (Malaya), Dinah
Ventura (Tribune), the writer, Jeff Valisno (Business World), Fil Sionil (Manila Bulletin), Gerard
Ramos (Business Mirror), Tessa Arriola (Manila Times) and Jojo Robles (Standard Today).
Lunch at Inniskillin. From left, Dinah Ventura, Jeff Valisno, the writer, Gerard Ramos, Tessa Ar-
riola, Joanne Ramirez (Philippine Star), Tanya Lara, and Cheche Moral.
One of the quaint
buildings in Niagara-
on-the-Lake
These grapes will soon become ice wine
WEDNESDAY C2
JANUARY 16, 2013
home work relationships
standardlifestyle@gmail.com
Gianna Maniego, Editor
Dinna Chan Vasquez, Assistant Editor
ManilaStandardToday
sha.re/
LANDCO Pacic Corp. and
Aplaya Laiya Corp. recently
executed a Deed of Donation
for a 7,000 sqm parcel of land
to the Oblates of St. Joseph
(OSJ) for the construction of a
new parish, the Parish Church
of St. Joseph Marello in Laiya,
San Juan, Batangas.
The groundbreaking ceremo-
ny was preceded by a mass at
Laiya Coco Grove to ensure the
speedy and safe completion of
the new church. A ribbon-cut-
ting ceremony and the ground-
breaking followed at the site,
headed by Landco vice chair-
man and executive director Al-
fr ed Xer ez-Bur gos J r., ALC
president Rene Aguir r e, San
Juan Mayor Rudy Manalo and
OSJ Provincial Superior Father
Ronulfo Alkonga. Present also
were Landco VP for Technical
J ose Antonio Xer ez-Bur gos,
Landco SVP for Operations
Cr is Zuluaga, Landco chief -
nancial ofcer Syam Devineni,
ALC SVP Allen Staley and
Brgy. Capt. Wivin Llana.
The construction of the new
church will give parishioners
in Laiya their own church af-
ter years of hearing mass in
San Juan Nepomuceno Church
at the town proper. The place
of worship will also create a
stronger sense of community
between the property owners,
the future residents of Playa
Laiya and the surrounding
communities. Upon comple-
tion, the Parish Church of St.
Joseph Marello, is expected to
stimulate even further commer-
cial growth and tourism in the
areathrough year-round wed-
ding ceremonies and the tradi-
tional Visita Iglesia during
Holy Week.
IN her talk, What Makes
a Champion, Dr. Mar issa
Guinto-Adviento, sport psy-
chologist and faculty member
at the Ateneo School of Medi-
cine and Public Health, said
there are no championship
genes, people can be trained
for championship and champi-
ons can be nurtured.
Backed by her study of the
life stories of ve elite Filipino
athletes, she found that these
Champions developed the
love for the game as they were
growing up. With unrelenting
passion for the sport, striving
for excellence, unparalleled
discipline and determination,
clear goal-orientation, and
steady optimism, they became
developed as world-class ath-
letes and champions in their
league.
Parents can be mentor,
coach, teacher, and cheerleader
rolled into one, and play a key
role in their childs success! A
childs championship spirit (or
championship mindset) can be
cultivated with these winning
tips:
1. Discover their strengths.
According to Dr. Guinto-
Adviento, an initial positive
encounter with the sport is a
MADE primarily from pine and
other Himalayan soft woods,
Tibetan furniture is a reec-
tion of the culture, beliefs, and
lifestyles in the so-called roof
of the world. From the design
point of view, the pattern of
traditional Tibetan furniture
has been mostly religious sub-
jects, as well as landscapes,
owers, and other patterns. It is
also unique in decorative tech-
niques, including painting, jew-
elry, mosaic, sculpture, and the
use of animal skin.
In recent years, Tibetan fur-
niture has been known for its
vitality, embodied in its design,
decoration and color that have
attract more and more furniture
enthusiasts, collectors, and peo-
ple who simply love decorating
with style.
The good news is that Our
Home at SM City North Edsas
Interior Zone now carries a lim-
ited edition of Tibetan furniture
collection.
There are classic chests,
cabinets and tables, as well as
more modern pieces like chairs,
lamps, alarm clocks, medicine
boxes and incense burners.
Made by skilled Tibetan crafts-
men from the Norbulingka In-
stitute in Dharamsala, India,
these are painstakingly hand-
carved from 100% natural ma-
terials. The designs use ancient
Tibetan techniques of carpentry,
decorative furniture painting
and hand carving.
Tibetan cabinets were tra-
ditionally used for storage of
anything from food stuff to re-
ligious objects, similar to the
function of a Western chest of
drawers. Cabinets were often
built and decorated as pairs
placed side by side. These are
ornamented with paintings or
wood carvings mostly in mystic
patterns associated with reli-
gion, fortune and treasure.
Tables, on the other hand,
were used both in monasteries
and in the houses of more afu-
ent Tibetans. Some Tibetan ta-
bles were used simply for serv-
ing food or tea, while others
had ceremonial functions, and
were used to hold ritual objects.
Some tables fold into a at unit,
as these were transported from
place to place either by monks
or government ofcials.
It is also with tables that Ti-
betan wood carvers got to show
off their greatest skills. Many
tables are elaborately carved.
Dragons and other fanciful ani-
mals, foliage, vines, and bam-
boo are common motifs. More
often than not, the carving is
painted as well.
The limited edition of Tibetan
Furniture collection is current-
ly on exhibit and for sale at Our
Home SM North Edsa Interior
Zone.
common experience of champi-
ons during their novice years. As
individuals, everyone has talents
and inclinations.
2. Give them oppor tunities
to win. Once you discover your
kids potential, present them
a challenge. Suggest joining
contests and clubs, enrolling
in formal classes or training
sessions, and befriending like-
minded peers. Afrm your kids
in various ways so that they
will believe that they have what
it takes to be champions. Pro-
vide them with opportunities
to prove that in small competi-
tions, recitals or presentations
that showcase their develop-
ing skills.
3. Make pr actice enjoy-
able. Whenever your kids are
doing the activity they like,
they should experience fun
in playing, despite having
goals for achievement. A lot
of the things we are good at
are the things we enjoy. For
Dr. Guinto-Adviento, a win-
ning streak that outnumbers
defeats, is an important expe-
rience that convinces the de-
veloping champion that he or
she can go even further.
4. Always encour age. As
your kids grow, they will face
frustrations, discouragements,
and even losses.These are all
integral in the development of
a champion. Be sure to be there
during crucial times to support
them and remind them that
they are champions, regardless
of their current circumstances.
The study on champions re-
veals that adversities set us up
for greater heights. Never be
afraid of your child encoun-
tering temporary setbacks.
Instead, help them see the big
picture by encouraging them to
rise after every fall, believing
that sooner or later, they will
reach their dreams and attain
their goals. Ultimately, what
makes a champion is a mindset
that refuses to give up despite
the many trials and challenges
along the way of achieving
greatness.
Nexcare provides a wide ar-
ray of products to ensure that
your champion is taken care of
when pain intrudes while prac-
ticing and training. Reusable
hot and cold packs, Steri-Strip
Skin Closure, Nexcare Gentle
Paper First Aid Tape, and Nex-
care Soft n Flex Bandages
are just some of kid-friendly
products can be used should
your Champion encounters
daunting sprains, bumps, and
bruises.
How
CHAMPIONS
are made
A Tibetan journey at Our Home
2 companies donate land
to build church in Laiya
Tibetan long life folding table and chairs both made from teak wood.
If you have this problem,
what you need is to store in
plain sight. All it takes is a
little creativity, intense de-
sire to de-clutter and the fol-
lowing items:
Fur nit ur e wit h st or -
age. Of course, ottomans
and coffee tables with stor-
age are the first to come
to mind. This is a fantas-
tic idea if you have a lot
of spare cash, if you can
pick the right pieces that
would go with your interior
scheme and if youre will-
ing to let go of your exist-
ing no-storage coffee table.
Otherwise, move on...
Chest s. Again, this
would cost a pretty penny,
but it works with most inte-
rior themes. Or maybe you
can go to your grandmoth-
ers house and ask her to
give you the old chest thats
gathering dust in her attic.
You can use this to store all
the things that you wont be
needing/using in the near
IN PLAIN SIGHT
STORAGE
ORGANIZED
By Ed Biado
THE biggest living-space problem is probably clutter, even for
homes with sufcient storage, because we only throw away
things that we are absolutely sure we have no use for and keep
away things that we wont be needing in the foreseeable fu-
ture. Everything else is lying around the house, including use-
less objects (usually small ones) that we believe will be useful
one of these days. That is clutter.
future, like those old CDs.
Wall mount s. Most walls
are underutilized. Theyre
a great vertical space that
you can take advantage of
by mounting a few shelves,
racks and hooks. Books,
DVDs, memorabilia and oth-
Couch with storage
Wall mounted shelves
Decorative boxes
er trinkets can be displayed
without taking up virtually
any floor space on wooden
planks that are hammered
onto a wall. Vertical maga-
zine racks are also avail-
able at home dcor stores
for easy organization and
access. Hooks, on the other
hand, are fantastic for things
you can hang, like bags and
scarves.
Decor at ive boxes. Items
that are not for display can
be kept in small- and medi-
um-sized decorative boxes.
Stash all your paperbacks,
video game cartridges, old
school textbooks that you
dont want to dispose of, and
other collectibles. The box-
es can be placed anywhere
as part of your interior; they
can even be stacked on top
of one another beside the
couch as an end table.
Coor dinat ed cont ain-
er s. The reason that it still
feels messy even when
things are kept in contain-
ers is that the containers
themselves add clutter. To
avoid the look of mess,
get identical containers:
canisters for tiny objects
such as gadget chargers
(which you probably have
a lot of), USB connec-
tor wires and other techie
stuff, sewing kits, pins,
pens/pencils and paper
clips. Label them accord-
ingly for a clean, organized
look. (Or you can also get
transparent containers if
you dont want to label.)
Toolboxes. Aside from
the obvious, a toolbox may
house other small things
like everything mentioned
in the previous paragraph, as
well as fashion accessories,
crafts supplies, office sup-
plies and first-aid kits.
Landco ofcials headed by vice president and executive director
Alfred Xerez-Burgos Jr., ALC president Rene Aguirre, San Juan Mayor
Rudy Manalo, and OSJ provincial superior Father Ronulfo Alkonga at-
tended the groundbreaking ceremony.
represented. OLED screens are
very hard to make in larger sizes.
Now, LG is shipping a 55-inch
OLED TV set in Korea, and is
expected to bring it to the U.S.
this spring for about $12,000.
Beyond being thin, power-thrifty
and capable of extremely high color
saturation, OLEDs are interesting
for another reason: they can bend.
LCDs have to be laid down on at
glass substrates, but OLEDs can
be laid down on exible glass or
plastic. The major obstacle here
is that exible substrates tend to
let through air, which destroys
OLEDs, but manufacturers seem
to have tackled the problem.
Samsung showed off a phone that
can bend into a tube. It consisted of
a rigid plastic box with electronics
and an attached display that is
as thin as a piece of paper. The
company suggested that in the
future, it could make displays that
fold up like maps - big screens that
t in a pocket.
Were likely to see the benets
of bendy OLEDs sooner in a
less eyebrow-raising but more
practical implementation. It may
never have occurred to you, but
all electronic screens, except
for cathode-ray tubes, are at.
With OLEDs, they dont have
to be. LG and Sony showed TV
sets with concave screens at the
show - not very useful, but an
interesting demonstration. In the
future, you could have a phone
with a screen that laps over onto
the edges, providing you with
smart buttons with labels that
change depending on whether
youre in camera mode or music
mode. You could have a coffee
mug with a wrap-around news
and weather ticker. A revolution
in design awaits.
By the way, you wont have
to choose between ultra-HD and
OLED screens - Sony, Panasonic
and LG showed prototype TVs
that combine the technologies.
The Pebble Watch
The Pebble is a smart
timepiece that can be programmed
to do various things, including
showing text messages sent to
your phone. The high-resolution
display is all digital, so it can be
programmed with various cool
watch faces. But whats really
interesting about the Pebble is
how it came to be -and that it
exists at all.
Young Canadian inventor
Eric Migicovsky couldnt nd
conventional funding to make
the watch, so he asked for money
on Kickstarter, the biggest
crowdfunding website. In
essence, he asked people to buy
watches before he actually had
any to sell. The fundraising was
a blowout success. Migicovsky
raised $10.3 million by pre-
selling 85,000 Pebbles. At CES,
he announced that the watches
were ready to ship.
Kickstarters goal is to bring
things and events into fruition
that otherwise wouldnt happen,
by creating a shortcut between
the people who want to create
something and the people willing
to pay for it. The effect is starting
to become apparent at CES. At
least two other smart watches
funded through Kickstarter
were on display. Some startups
were at the show to drum up
interest in ongoing Kickstarter
campaigns, including a Swedish
company that wants to make
a speaker with a transparent
body, and a California outt that
wants to produce a swiveling,
remote-controlled platform for
cameras.
Creative Technology Ltd.s
Interactive Gesture Camera
This $150 camera, promoted
by Intel, attaches to a computer
much like a Webcam. From a
single lens, it shoots the world
in 3-D, using technology similar
to radar. The idea is that you can
perform hand gestures in the air
in front of the camera, and it lets
the computer interpret them. Why
would you want this? Thats not
really clear yet, but a lot of effort
is going into nding an answer.
CES was boiling with gadgets
attempting to break new ground
when it comes to how we interact
with computers and appliances
like TV sets. The Nintendo Wii
game console, with its innovative
motion-sensing controllers,
and the Microsoft Kinect add-
on for the Xbox 360 console,
which has its own 3-D-sensing
camera, have inspired engineers
to pursue ways to ditch -or at
least complement- the keyboard,
mouse, remote control and even
the touchscreen.
Samsungs high-end TVs
already let viewers use hand
gestures to control volume, and it
expanded the range of recognized
gestures with this years models.
Startup Leap Motion was at the
show with another depth-sensing
camera kit, this one designed to
mount next to a laptops touch
pad, looking upward.
So far, though, the new
interaction eld hasnt had a real
hit since the Kinect. Consumers
may be eager to lose the TV
remote, but theres a holdup
caused by the nature of the setup:
to effectively control the TV, you
need to take command not just
of the TV, but of the cable or
satellite set-top box. TV makers
and the cable companies dont
really talk to each other, and
theres no sign of them uniting on
a common approach. Only when
both devices can be controlled by
hand-waving can we permanently
let the remote get lost between
the couch cushions. AP
C3
MARLON C. MAGTIRA, Section Editor
CHRISTIAN CARDIENTE, Asst. Editor
4 gadgets that defined CES
HEADING HEADING HEADING
email: tech@mst.ph
Tech
ManilaStandardToday
LAS VEGASAs the worlds
largest gadget show wrapped up, the
organizers said it was the biggest ever,
beating last years record in terms of
the floor space companies purchased to
display their wares.
A NEW report from network
solutions rm Arieso has found
that despite a surge in the market
for tablets, smartphone users
have overtaken tablet users in
their thirst for mobile data for
the rst time.
As overall mobile data
consumption continues to
rocket, driven by new devices
and richer content, the study
suggested that extreme users are
beginning to move to new LTE
networks, but there is no let up
on existing networks.
Yet again we found that
novel usage patterns, new
technologies and regional
idiosyncrasies are conspiring
to make life increasingly
difficult for mobile operators
trying to meet evolving
customer expectations. The
ability to conduct detailed
analysis such as this is critical
in giving operators a rich
source of intelligence to help
boost network performance
and enrich user experience,
said study author and Arieso
CTO Michael Flanagan.
The research revealed that for
the rst time, smartphone users
are consistently consuming more
mobile data than tablet users.
Out of the top ten most
voracious devices (excluding
dongles) six were smartphones,
three tablets, and one a phablet.
Tablet users placed 4th, 8th, and
9th.
This is pretty counterintuitive,
but it seems the capabilities of
the newest smartphones not
tablets are unleashing even
greater user demand. Once
you move away from raw
consumption statistics, the most
remarkable nding is the way in
which people use smartphones
and tablets, continued
Flanagan.
Regardless of device type
and operating system, there is
very little variation in the usage
signature between smartphone
users and between tablet users.
From this we discover that
voice-capable phablets like
the Samsung Galaxy Note II
are currently being used like
smartphones, not tablets. If you
can use it to make a phone call,
the phablet wont be much like
a tablet at all.
From the 125 devices studied,
users of the latest iPhone again
proved the most voracious data
consumers. But for the rst time
in three years, this dominance is
being challenged.
Users of the iPhone 5 demand
four times as much data as
iPhone 3G users and 50 percent
more than iPhone 4S users (the
most demanding in the 2012
study).
However, Samsung Galaxy
S III users generate (upload
rather than download photos,
videos etc.) nearly four times
the amount of data than iPhone
3G users, beating iPhone 5
users into third place on uplink
data usage behind the Samsung
Galaxy Note II.
And in the rapidly growing
tablet market, Samsung Tab 2
10.1 users have asserted their
dominance demanding 20
percent more data than iPad
users.
Last year, the study revealed
that 1 percent of users consumes
50 percent of the downlink data
on 3G/UMTS networks. This
year, the hungriest 1 percent
consume 40 percent (the
hungriest 0.1 percent consume
almost 20 percent, the hungriest
10 percent consume 80 percent
of the downlink data) as LTE
starts to make an impact.
The region we studied this
year has recently launched
LTE, and were already seeing
extreme users especially
those with dongles starting to
ock to 4G, said Flanagan.
In many respects, this is
great news LTE networks
are doing their job. But the
consumption levels and patterns
of LTE use are very different
to what operators could expect
from 3G. Its a complex, uid
and increasingly high stakes
situation for operators to deal
with. Having performance
engineering solutions that can
reveal the customer experience
across multiple technologies is
going to be vital to understanding
this going forward.
LTE introduces much-needed
bandwidth and relieves pressure
on UMTS networks, the report
said. However, operators cannot
relax their focus on network
planning, optimization and
performance LTE holds a
sting in its tail.
For three years now weve
seen how greater technical
capabilities
lead to greater data
consumption by consumers.
From our own experience
helping operators around the
world prepare their networks
for evolving user demands,
we hypothesise that LTE alone
wont solve the data problem
it will exacerbate it, warned
Flanagan. Newsbytes.ph
What was it that drew more
than 3,500 companies and
150,000 people to Las Vegas for
this mega-event? Here are four
gadgets that exemplied the top
trends at this years International
CES.
Sonys 55-inch
ultra-high-denition TV
The introduction of high-
denition and at-panel TVs sent
U.S. shoppers on a half-decade
buying spree as they tossed out
old tube sets. Now that the old
sets are mostly gone, sales of
new TVs are falling. To lure
buyers back, Asian TV makers
are trying to pull the same trick
again. Theyre making the sets
sharper. This fall, Sony and
LG introduced 84-inch sets
with four times the resolution
of regular high-denition
sets. They provide stunning
sharpness, but theyre too big for
most homes, and at more than
$20,000, too expensive. At the
show, the companies unveiled
smaller ultra-high-denition
sets, measuring 55 inches and
65 inches on the diagonal. They
will go on sale this spring. Prices
were not announced, but will
presumably be a lot lower than
for the 84-inch sets, perhaps
under $10,000.
Both the size and price of these
smaller ultra-HD TVs should
make them easier buys, but the
higher resolution will be a lot less
noticeable on a smaller screen,
unless viewers sit very close.
Analysts expect ultra-HD to
remain an exclusive niche product
for some years. Theres no easy
way to get ultra-HD video content
to the sets, so they will mostly
be showing regular HD movies.
However, the sets can upscale
the video to make it look better
than it does on a regular HD set.
Analyst James McQuivey of
Forrester Research believes the
TV makers are focusing on the
wrong thing. He doesnt think
consumers really care that much
about picture quality.
What matters most is not the
number of pixels or the quality
of the pixels themselves ... but
the increasing convenience of the
contents discovery and delivery.
This is why TV makers should be
investing in a better experience
rather than a bigger one,
McQuivey wrote in a blog post.
LGs 55-inch OLED TV
Organic light-emitting diodes,
or OLEDs, make for thin,
extremely colorful screens.
Theyre already established
in smartphone screens, and
they have a lot of promise for
other applications as well. For
years, a promise is all theyve
SEOUL, South Korea
Samsung Electronics Co. said
Monday that global sales of its
Galaxy S smartphones surpassed
100 million units since the rst
model in the series was released
less than three years ago.
Samsung said it has sold
more than 25 million Galaxy S
smartphones, 40 million Galaxy
S II smartphones and 41 million
Galaxy S III smartphones.
Samsung launched the rst
Galaxy S model at the end of May
2010, scrambling to catch up with
Apple, which was reshaping the
market with the iPhone.
But Samsung was quick to
narrow the gap with bigger
smartphone makers. Research
rm IHS iSuppli said last month
that Samsung beat Nokia in
cellphone sales and Apple in
smartphone sales last year.
Apples iPhone sales hit the
100-million mark in March
2011, nearly four years after
the introduction of the phone in
2007.
Analysts expect Samsung to
announce the fourth version of
the Galaxy S smartphone before
this summer. AP
ASUS launches low-priced, 7-inch Android tablet
Smartphones trump tablets in data consumption
ASUS today announced the
launching of the MeMO Pad,
a 7-inch Android tablet with an
SRP of US$149. The MeMO
Pad will be available in the
Philippines by February 2013.
Local pricing will be announced
then, ASUS Philippines said
in a statement sent to Manila
Standard.
Completing the ASUS
Android tablet line-up together
with the Transformer Pad series,
the MeMO Pad features a 350-
nit brightness display with 10-
point multi-touch and 1024 x
600 resolution, along with SD
card expansion up to 32GB. It
has a diamond-patterned nish
and is available in three colors.
Pronounced meemo,
MeMO stands for My Mobile.
My Moment and reects the
position of ASUS MeMO Pad as
a tablet for people on-the-go.
Measuring 196.2 x 119.2 x
11.2mm, MeMO Pad can be
held in one hand.
Available in three colors
Sugar White, Titanium Gray
and Cherry Pink, the MeMO
Pad sports a non-slip diamond-
patterned nish. The MeMO
Pad is a tablet-only product and
does not come with a dock.
The MeMO Pad runs Android
4.1 Jelly Bean and is powered by
a 1GHz VIA WM8950 CPU and
a Mali-400 GPU for a smooth
web browsing experience. It
features a 10-point multi-touch
LED-backlit display with 1024
x 600 (169 points-per-inch)
resolution and 140-degree wide
viewing angle, and its 350-
nit brightness means images
remain clear, even outdoors.
The MeMO Pad has up to 16GB
internal storage, which can be
supplemented by up to 32GB via
the microSD card slot. A suite of
ASUS applications are also pre-
installed, including SuperNote Lite,
BuddyBuzz, ASUS WebStorage,
ASUS Studio and WebStorage
Ofce for enhanced productivity.
tech.mst.ph
Samsung
sells 100-m
Galaxy S
Smartphones

Isah V. Red, Editor standard.showbiz@gmail.com
showbitz
ISAH V.
RED
SIMPLY RED
Mark Bautista
C4
WEDNESDAY JANUARY 16, 2013
Forever promises to steal
the viewers hearts as it fol-
lows a captivating story of two
individuals who will let fate
determine if they are meant to
be together despite time, dis-
tance, and the obstacles that
conspire to keep them apart.
The drama series stars
Geoff Eigenmann and Heart
Evangelista who for a time
was a love team at a compet-
ing network. In this series they
are reunited, Geoff as Ramon/
Patrick, and Heart Evangelista
as Adora. The two are joined
by Gloria Romero as the old-
er Adora.
Forever begins with the sto-
ry of Adora, the sole heir to a
wealthy sugar plantation in the
1950s. Despite her social sta-
tus, Adora falls in love with the
poor and passionate Ramon, a
hand in their familys farm.
Adoras domineering father
Don Jamie strongly disap-
proves of Adoras relationship
with Ramon but the young
lovers pledge to stay togeth-
er. This forbidden romance
leads to Ramons death who
vows to return and be with
his one true love Adora.
Adora is devastated with
Ramons passing and she
realizes her life is now empty
and meaningless without him.
But she gets a second chance
to be reunited with Ramon
after an old woman gives her
an antique pocket watch that
could bring back her youth.
Fast forward to the present
time where Adora will be re-
united anew with Ramon but
this time in the person of Pat-
rick, a painter who will form
an unusual romantic connec-
tion with Adora.
Will the promise of Adora
and Ramon to rekindle their ro-
mance transcend the boundaries
time no matter where or when
their paths cross? Can the ill-
fated lovers fulll their destiny
to once and for all be together
even in the next lifetime? Can
anything or anyone still come
between the two lovers?
Also lending more dra-
matic hands are Isabel Oli as
Monique, Saab Magalona as
Leila, Gian Magdangal as
BROADCAST giant GMA
Network, Inc. (GMA) ended
2012 on a positive note, lead-
ing other local free-to-air chan-
nels in full year nationwide TV
ratings for the second consecu-
tive year, according to data
from the industrys leading rat-
ings service provider, Nielsen
TV Audience Measurement.
GMA overtook its closest
rival ABS-CBN in National
Urban TV Audience Measure-
ment (NUTAM) in January
2011, and has since sustained
nationwide ratings leadership.
For the period January to
December 2012 (Dec. 16 to
31 based on overnight data),
GMA scored an average total
day household audience share
of 34.4 percent, outscoring
ABS-CBNs 31.5 percent by
2.9 points, and TV5s 15.1 per-
cent by 19.3 points.
GMAs lead in overall na-
tionwide ratings was driven
mainly by its strong ratings
performance in the afternoon
block, where it led competi-
tion by signicant margins. In
addition, GMA was also ahead
of the other networks in the
morning block.
GMA also led across all day
parts for the second straight
year in the important areas of
Urban Luzon and Mega Ma-
nila, which make up 77 and,
59.5 percent of the total urban
television households nation-
wide, respectively.
In Urban Luzon, GMA
ruled over rival stations with
a 38.2 percent average total
day household audience share,
ahead by 10.8 points over
ABS-CBNs 27.4 percent and
by 23.6 points over TV5s 14.6
percent average.
GMA also ended the year
strongly in its bailiwick Mega
Manila with an average total
day household audience share
of 39.2 percent, up 13.4 points
over ABS-CBNs 25.8 percent
and ahead by 24 points over
TV5s 15.2 percent.
The GMA airing of the Pac-
quiao-Marquez 4 and Pac-
quiao-Bradley ghts emerged
as the top two most watched
programs in 2012 across NU-
TAM, Urban Luzon and Mega
Manila.
Other top performing pro-
grams of GMA last year were
the Survivor Philippines Ce-
lebrity Doubles Showdown Fi-
nale, which ranked third in the
over-all list in Urban Luzon
and Mega Manila, Kapuso Mo
Jessica Soho, Amaya, Munting
Heredera, Eat Bulaga, 24 Oras,
Biritera, Legacy, Luna Blanca,
My Beloved, One True Love,
Makapiling Kang Muli, Kapuso
Movie Night Pinoy Flicks, Aso
ni San Roque, Kapuso Movie
Night, Naglalayag (Holy Week
Special) and Pepito Manaloto.
This 2013, GMA is all set
to roll out its new line-up of
programs starting off with the
fantasy drama Indio, the Net-
works most expensive drama
program to date, this January.
Indio is topbilled by Senator
Ramon Bong Revilla, Jr.
and features some of the Net-
works biggest stars.
Among the new entertain-
ment programs that will also
be launched in January are
the afternoon drama Forever
starring Heart Evangelista,
Geoff Eigenmann and Gloria
Romero, and Manny Pac-
quiaos new show, Para Sayo
ang Laban na to.
GMA subscribes to Nielsen
TV Audience Measurement
along with 22 other paying
subscribers including another
local major television network
(TV5), Faulkner Media, CBN
Asia, 15 advertising agencies,
and 4 regional clients.
In Mega Manila, Nielsen
has a sample size of 1,190
homes versus Kantar Medias
770 homes. Nationwide, Niels-
en has a sample size of 2,000
homes compared to the lower
sample size of 1,370 utilized
by Kantar Media.
GMA leads all stations in 2012 nationwide TV ratings
Heart-Geoff reunion
in GMAs afternoon drama
GMA Network rings in the New Year
with the launch of its rst afternoon
prime drama for 2013Forever,
which two of the biggest Kapuso
stars today. It will air beginning Jan.
21 after Eat Bulaga.
Rico, and Candy Pangilinan
as Susie.
The special guests of For-
ever include Marc Abaya as
Federico and Ronnie Henares
as Don Jaime.
The series is directed by
actor-turned-director Ricky
Davao.
Ina Kapatid Anak
has a Book 2
ABS-CBNs top caliber
family drama series Ina Ka-
patid Anak continues to soar
high in national TV ratings as
proven by the latest data from
Kantar Media on Monday (Jan.
7) when it once again took the
no. l spot in the list of overall
top programs in the country.
The most talked about teleserye
with Kim Chiu, Xian Lim, En-
chong Dee and Maja Salvador
recently garnered a national TV
rating of 33 percent, while its
two rival programs in GMA,
Aso Ni San Roque and Pahiram
Ng Sandali only scored 17.5
percent and 16.3 percent, re-
spectively.
With its nationwide ratings
success and the growing fond-
ness of fans to the life stories
of Celyn (Kim), Liam (Xian),
Ethan (Enchong), and Mar-
gaux (Maja), Ina Kapatid Anak
opened its book 2 last Monday.
Tagged as gabi ng katoto-
hanan (night of truth), the be-
ginning of book 2 is set to un-
cover the most explosive reve-
lations that are bound to change
everyones lives forever, espe-
cially for friends-turned-rivals
Celyn and Margaux.
What pushed Julio (Ariel
Rivera) to reveal Celyns real
identity? How will Beatrice
(Janice de Belen) accept the
fact that her husband, mother
(Pilar Pilapil), and her sister
Teresa (Cherry Pie Picache)
connived to hide the truth about
her long lost daughter? Will
Margaux accept the fact
that her best friend turned ri-
val Celyn is the real daughter
of her foster parents?
Ina Kapatid Anak directed
by Don Cuaresma and Jojo
Saguin.
Meanwhile, a new character
will be introduced in Ina Ka-
patid Anaks book 2Diego
Medina, to be portrayed by 8
th

Cinema One Originals Film
Festival Awards Best Actor
Alex Medina.
The ercer confrontations
and more intense dramatic per-
formances in Ina Kapatid Anak,
airs weeknights, 8:15 p.m. after
Princess and I on ABS-CBNs
Primetime Bida.
Early Valentine with
Mark Bautista
VALENTINES Day is just
around the corner and Casino
Filipino is in the mood for an
early celebration this January
with the nationwide concert
tour of pop heartthrob Mark
Bautista.
Mark set the tone for a ro-
mantic prelude to the hearts
month on Jan.11, at Casino
Filipino Tagaytay, followed by
his performances at the Casino
Filipino branches at Heritage on
Jan.16, Angeles on Jan. 18, Mac-
tan on Jan. 19, Davao on Jan. 20,
Airport Casino Filipino on Jan.
23, Mimosa on Jan. 25, Hyatt on
Jan. 26, Olongapo on Jan. 30 and
Ronquillo Arcade on Jan. 31.
Bautista has been a familiar
celebrity performer in various
Casino Filipino events.
Reuniting with the casino
crowd in his upcoming nation-
wide tour excites Mark no end
especially as his previous shows
with Casino Filipino were a
blast. The popular balladeer
prepared something special for
the casino guests and vowed to
make his coming shows more
fun and entertaining.
Pagcors Assistant Vice
President for Entertainment
Bong Quintana said this is the
sixth time that the state-owned
gaming agency is staging a na-
tionwide concert tour featur-
ing a rst-rate OPM performer.
Last year, the Casino Filipino
National Tour presented high-
prole local artists like Sitti,
Ariel Rivera, Erik Santos,
Rico Puno and Randy San-
tiago. In December last year, it
was the turn of international hit
maker David Pomeranz to ser-
enade our guests, he added.
According to Quintana, these
nationwide concert tours help
promote Casino Filipino further
as a venue for top-rate enter-
tainment events. We have been
working hard to improve our en-
tertainment offerings. We want
people to know that there is more
than just casino gaming in Casino
Filipino, that we can offer them a
total entertainment package.
Since admission to Marks
concert is free just like the pre-
vious national concert tours, he
expects no less than an SRO
(Standing Room Only) crowd
during the shows.

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