Manila Standard Today - April 24, 2012 Issue

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TODAY
Standard
Manila
Vol. XXVI No. 57 12 Pages, 2 Sections
P18.00 TUESDAY, April 24, 2012
Hog raisers rap
sellout to US
Keeping our balance
in the Asia Pacic
Caricature
shows graft
in industry
PNoy scores media for negative news
Environment exec
urges govt to stop
land sale in Baguio
Govt releases
funds to cut
power rates
Not all opposition with Arroyo bloc, Palace told
PNoy speech
SHOAL STANDOFF
Manila to seek
Washington aid
Aquino accused of easing up rules on meat imports
We are mounting a pork and
chicken holiday in protest of the
sellout... said Rosendo So, di-
rector of the Swine Development
Council.
President Aquino sold us out
to the other side after his meeting
with the US Ambassador and US
Department of Agriculture of-
cials in Malacaang.
So said the President met in
January with the US ofcials,
who had complained that Ad-
ministrative Order No. 22, which
compels the sellers of imported
pork, beef, and chicken to keep
their products frozen or in chill-
ers and covered with plastic, was
protectionist.
Shortly after the meeting,
Agriculture Secretary Proceso
Alcala replaced the administra-
tive order with two new ones,
AO 5 and 6, on the hygienic han-
dling of newly slaughtered meat
and the handling of chilled, fro-
zen and thawed meat in markets
that local growers said worked
against them.
But the American ofcials
said they were also unhappy with
the new regulations, claiming
they still discriminated against
imported meat.
Telling the media how to do their job. President Aquino tells the members of the Philippine Press Institute to avoid report-
ing negative stories about the country. Inset shows PPI chairman and president Amado Macasaet exhanging pleasantries with the
President and Presidential Communications Operations Ofce Secretary Herminio Coloma.
Winning entry. A caricature of Uncle Sam being chummy with Customs and Agriculture Department
ofcials, which has caused the downfall of the swine and poultry industry, wins top price. Inset shows
(from left) National Federation of Hog Farmers President Daniel Javellana, Customs Commissioner Ruffy
Biazon, AGAP party-list Rep. Nicky Briones, ABONO party-list Rep. Chairman Rosendo So, and Pork Produc-
ers Federation President Edwin Chen holding the winning entry.
By Francisco S. Tatad
(Continued from Monday)
ALTHOUGH the Scarborough
incident has obviously riled Ma-
nila-Beijing relations, Filipinos
and Chinese are naturally drawn
to each other by geography, his-
tory and close personal ties. Chi-
nese traders were among the rst
to settle in the Philippines, and
their descendants today domi-
nate the countrys nancial and
economic landscape. None but
they appear in Forbes magazines
annual listing of Filipino world
billionaires, and they run every
major industry in the country.
Now, despite our deep frus-
tration with the attempt of some
US agencies and US-based in-
stitutions to ood the develop-
ing world with their most fash-
ionable but highly questionable
ideas about human life, mar-
riage and the family, and in the
process undermine our own
culture and sense of morality,
we retain a deep admiration and
respect for Americas founda-
tional and essential democratic
values, and hope that one day,
in partnership with the US, we
would realize our own vision of
a true democracy.
Given those characteris-
tics, the Philippine government
could probably lead the way in
creating a relationship with both
China and the United States that
could serve as a model of equal
closeness to, and equal distance
from, both. This means not
choosing one against the other,
but choosing both; embracing a
bipolar or multipolar order rath-
er than a unipolar world.
As a staunch US security
ally, the Philippines owes no-
body any explanation for want-
ing to strengthen its ties with the
US to protect and safeguard its
legitimate interests against all
threats. But the alliance must
never be seen as one that is spe-
cically directed at any friendly
power, and the government
must never be seen to be acting
as a cats paw, proxy or agent of
the US. Turn to A5
ANALYSIS
DEL ROSARIO
GAZMIN PANETA
CLINTON
Joyce Pangco Paares
PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino
III on Sunday scolded the media
for allegedly highlighting the
negative stories instead of head-
lining the good news.
In his speech at the 16th Na-
tional Press Forum of the Philip-
pine Press Institute, Mr. Aquino
referred to the so-called Filipino
crab mentality that predisposes
them to pull each other down.
Where are we now? he said.
Do we still believe in the
principle of get it rst but get it
right,? or have we replaced it with
get it rst, make sure the story is
saleable, and if the information is
wrong, just say sorry?
Mr. Aquino cited a few ex-
amples:
A news story with the head-
THE Aquino administration
has released P767.2 million to
local government units as part
of their 40-percent share of en-
ergy revenue collections, Bud-
get Secretary Florencio Abad
said Monday.
He said the amount will be
used to help cut energy costs
and bring down the high elec-
tricity rates in several regions.
The fund came from the rev-
enues generated from the coal,
petroleum, geothermal, and hy-
drothermal operations in the lo-
cal government units localities
in 2011. It was charged against
the P2.45 billion allocation for
LGUs as special shares in the
proceeds of national taxes, of
which P1.8 billion has been de-
voted to programmed expendi-
tures for energy resources.
The P767.2-million fund re-
lease will not only allow LGUs
to fulll their role in implement-
ing critical programs and proj-
ects in their own communities,
it will also give local govern-
ments enough legroom to lower
the cost of electricity across their
localities, Abad said.
This is particularly timely,
given that energy usage tends
to spike during the summer.
Section 294 of the Local
Government Code says at least
By John Concepcion
and Maricel Cruz
SENATE Minority Leader
Alan Peter Cayetano on Mon-
day slammed Malacaang
for lumping the political op-
position under the bloc led
by former President Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo, which he
said was inaccurate and coun-
ter-productive.
Cayetano, who belongs to
the Nacionalista Party, said
the country had a multi-party
system, and that the pro-Ar-
royo bloc represented only
one of several political groups
and coalitions in the country.
We have a multi-party
system. In fact, many anti-
Arroyo politicians also belong
to the opposition, Cayetano
said.
Philippine political parties
are of diverse ideologies and
work with each other to form
coalition governments. Other
than the traditional political
parties, party-list organiza-
tions also join elections to win
congressional seats.
Arroyo belongs to a coali-
tion of the Lakas, Kabalikat
ng Malayang Pilipino and
Christian Muslim Democrats.
President Aquino belongs to
the Liberal Party, one of the
six major political parties.
By Othel V. Campos
THE Environment Department on Monday
urged the government to stop selling land
in Baguio City and Boracay temporarily to
stop their further degradation.
The government can only promote
public welfare on land that it owns, Envi-
ronment Secretary Ramon Paje said.
Once sold to the private sector, we can
not dictate we can only tell [the buyer]
how to mitigate [the impact of develop-
ment on the environment].
Paje cited the case of the government-
owned Camp John Hay in Baguio City,
where his department has issued an order
stopping the cutting of more than 1,000
trees for construction purposes.
We can only implement decisions on
government property, Paje said.
In Baguio, the biggest land owner is
still the government, so we can still miti-
gate and make decisions that will promote
public welfare.
Paje said the government still owned
Boracay based on a Supreme Court ruling,
but that would lapse by 2016. Until then,
the government would have the opportu-
nity to correct and plan for a more sus-
tainable development of the island.
He said President Benigno Aquino III
ordered the Environment, Justice, Interior
and Tourism Departments to study the car-
rying capacities of Baguio City and Bo-
racay and to look into the cases of over-
building in those areas.
Carrying capacity refers to how much
MANDAUE CITYA carica-
ture that best described the sor-
ry state of the hog and poultry
sectors won for a farm worker
P100,000 in a contest sponsored
by the Swine Development
Council and the Abono party-list
during their three-day conven-
tion in Cebu.
The caricature shows Customs
and Agriculture ofcials conniv-
ing with the US government and
US producers to the detriment
of the 36-million strong hog and
poultry and allied industries.
The winning entry also de-
picts corruption in the govern-
ment that allows imported meat
to ood even the wet markets
nationwide, marginalizing local
pork and chicken meat.
PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III said Monday two Coast Guard
vessels sent to the disputed Panatag or Scarborough Shoal will
remain in the area to show the ag after a tense standoff with
Chinese shing and surveillance ships.
We say these are our waters, so our vessels should be there,
Mr. Aquino said as he ordered Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert
del Rosario and Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin to seek US
support for Manila in its face-off with Beijing.
The Coast Guard vessel BRP Pampanga replaced the BRP
EDSA on Sunday, while a boat from the Bureau of Fisheries and
Aquatic Resources was also deployed to Panatag Shoal at dawn
Monday.
Philippine ofcials said they were unable to spot the powerful
Next page
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By Christine F. Herrera
and Othel V. Campos
HOG raisers on Monday accused
President Benigno Aquino III of buck-
ling under US pressure and selling out
the local livestock industry to keep the
countrys restrictions on rice imports.
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News
ManilaStandardToday mst.daydesk@gmail.com APRIL 24, 2012 TUESDAY
A2
Caricature...
Villamin Casuga, a farm-
worker from the Daily Harvest
Development Corp. in Bulacan,
won the P100,000 cash prize
given by Abono chairman and
SDC director Rosendo So.
The delegates from the Daily
Harvest Farm cheered for Ca-
suga, who was not in the conven-
tion but in his farm when he was
told of his win.
The judges, including Customs
Commissioner Rozzano Runo
Biazon, unanimously voted for
Casugas entry, one among 14.
Agap Rep. Nicanor Briones,
who was also a judge, said he
was glad that farm workers were
aware of the problem plaguing
the industry.
The caricature has captured
the complete essence of the
problem besetting the industry,
and even Commissioner Biazon
admitted to the serious prob-
lems of smuggling and massive
importation of pork and chicken
meat, So said.
Biazon, on the second day of
the national convention, assured
the hog industry and allied indus-
tries that the bureau would probe
the top 10 importers that did not
have proper permits to import but
were able to smuggle in huge vol-
umes of imported meat.
Briones cited the case of top
importer Kitchen Solutions
Inc., which he said had a paid-
up capital of only P31,000 but
was able to import P650,000
worth of meat.
Durian Tan, SDC director and
treasurer of the National Fed-
eration of Hog Farmers Inc., said
this was the rst time that local
producers had come together on
the issue.
It is time we got united and
spoke with one voice, because it
is only by getting united that we
can do something about saving
the hog and poultry industries,
Tan said. Christine F. Herrera
Environment...
loadpopulation and infrastructurean area can take
over a given period without adversely affecting the
environment. Environmentalists, for instance, have
pointed out how the bat population in Boracay has
dwindled because the bats are being disturbed.
Paje said the Presidents order was to ensure that
the issues confronting Baguio and Boracay would not
be repeated in other tourism sites. He said the govern-
ment had identied 78 such sites that were approved
by the National Tourism Council.
Those sites include Panglao Island in Bohol, Coron
Island in Palawan, and in the Puerto Princesa Under-
ground River, which has been experiencing a dramatic
increase in tourist arrivals since its proclamation as
one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature.
Govt...
80 percent of the proceeds from the development and use of energy
sources should be used solely to lower the cost of electricity in local gov-
ernment units.
The remaining 20 percent may be used to support local development
and livelihood initiatives in localities covered by beneciaries.
The Aquino administration is committed to seeking viable solutions
to energy issues in the country, Abad said.
We trust that this release will empower our LGUs and allow them
to manage electricity costs in their assigned localities, and in the end
bring direct, immediate, and sustainable benets to the communities
they serve. Joyce Pangco Paares
Hog...
In a report on the sanitary mea-
sures, the US Trade Representative
said it remained seriously con-
cerned about the two-tiered system
for regulating the handling of frozen
and freshly slaughtered meat.
This system imposes very high
standards on the handling of frozen
meat, which is primarily imported,
that do not apply to the handling of
freshly slaughtered meat, which is
exclusively domestic, the USTR
said.
The United States has raised its
concerns with the Philippine gov-
ernment on numerous occasions
and will continue to do so.
The National Meat Inspection
Service, however, said there should
be different rules for frozen meat
and freshly slaughtered meat.
Frozen meat and freshly slaugh-
tered meat are two different prod-
ucts. [The US government] has
been insisting that [the Philippine
government] should subject freshly
slaughtered meat to [refrigera-
tion], the agencys executive di-
rector, Jane Bacayo, said.
So and Agap Rep. Nicanor Brio-
nes said Alcala had told them that
the US had earlier threatened to
block Manilas application for an
extension of quantitative restric-
tions on rice if the Agriculture De-
partment did not defer the imple-
mentation of AO 22.
We were told that the President
had no choice but to buckle to pres-
sure because the US would le a
complaint with the World Trade
Organization to block the QR on
rice, So said.
But why sell us out? Why risk
the food security and kill our industry
by allowing the ooding of imported
meat? Because the US has inuence
over the WTO? It is not right.
The US is such a bully, black-
mailing a small country like ours
and President Aquino allowed him-
self to be bullied at our expense.
Alcala said the position of the
US Department of Agriculture was
relayed to him by a US agricultural
attach, who asked that AO 22 be
suspended.
But the order was not only sus-
pended but scrapped after the US of-
cials met with the President, So said.
Alcala has said the Philippine
government is pushing for a three-
year extension of the quantitative
restrictions on imported rice, citing
the need to prepare Filipino farm-
ers for international trade and to
achieve rice self-sufciency.
An extension of the restrictions
would allow the Philippines to
limit the volume of rice that may
be imported by the government
every year, preventing the inux
of cheap rice from other countries.
The restrictions on rice imports will
expire by July 2012.
During the national hog con-
vention last week, ofcials from
the US Department of Agriculture
sought to gauge local reactions to
the new administrative orders, even
though they were not invited to at-
tend, So said.
They wanted us to invite them to
the convention because they claimed
they wanted to help us, and we told
them how could they possibly help us
when they were the ones who gave
us trouble? So said.
What is tragic is that we learned
about the AO 5 and 6 from US
newspapers and the announcement
came from the US ofcials. Our
government did not even have the
guts to consult us rst, then inform
us. Not a word. They acted like lap-
dogs and puppets of the US. They
are afraid that the Americans will
get mad at them, but they are not
worried that Filipinos who voted
for the President will get mad.
Briones said AO 22 was issued
at the request of local growers and
the recommendation of lawmakers
to protect the industry from smug-
gling and massive importation.
He said AO 22 prohibited im-
ported meat from invading the wet
market and required importers to
use chillers and not sell their pro-
duce alongside fresh meat.
The purpose of requiring them
to use chillers for frozen meat is to
protect our consumers because once
thawing occurs, the exposed meat
easily absorbs bacteria like Salmo-
nella, and this is detrimental to our
consuming public, Briones said.
AO 5 and 6, copies of which were
furnished the Manila Standard, now
limit fresh meat from being sold in
markets eight hours after the pig or
chicken has been slaughtered.
AO 5 and 6 are easing out the
local farmers and allow imported
meat to invade even the wet mar-
kets, Briones said.
Briones, Agham Rep. Angelo
Palmones, and LPG-MA rep. Ar-
nel Ty were worried that the Presi-
dents policy was hurting the live-
stock industry.
Our local farmers have been
complaining about smuggling and
the massive importation of pork
and chicken, Palmones said.
We have more than enough sup-
ply, but the Aquino government chose
to increase the importation from 45.77
million kilos of chicken meat in 2008 to
127.22 million kilos in 2011.
In the case of pork, the impor-
tation grew by 55 percent from
109.36 million kilos in 2008 to
169.21 million kilos in 2011 with
the highest recorded in 2010 at
179.9 million kilos.
Briones said some 36 million
Filipinos, including the allied in-
dustries such as feed millers, corn
and coconut farmers, were relying
on the livestock industry.
Customs Commissioner Ruffy
Biazon said he was looking into
the possibility that government of-
cials were involved in the rampant
smuggling of frozen meat.
The Bureau of Customs will not
hesitate to le charges against any
person found to be involved in fro-
zen meat smuggling,, Biazon said.
With Joel E. Zurbano
Manila...
Chinese gunboat Yuzheng 310 that
was dispatched to the shoal. They
said they only saw one Chinese
vessel, the CMS 71, in the disputed
waters.
Northern Luzon Command chief
Lt. Gen. Anthony Alcantara said
the Chinese gunboat might be sta-
tioned near the shoal where it could
not be sighted.
The situation there is stable. Ev-
erything is normal, Alcantara said.
Del Rosario and Gazmin are
scheduled to meet their US coun-
terparts, State Secretary Hillary
Clinton and Defense Secretary
Leon Panetta, in Washington on
April 30.
The President instructed us to
ask the United States the extent of
the help they can give on the China
issue, Gazmin said in a phone
interview. He did not elaborate on
what kind of help Manila is seeking
from Washington.
Gazmin said the Aquino ad-
ministration was also interested to
know if the US still had excess
defense equipment that the Philip-
pines could acquire.
The countrys second warship,
the Hamilton- Class Cutter Dallas,
will arrive next month and will also
be deployed to the West Philippine
Sea or South China Sea, which is
being patrolled by the BRP Grego-
rio del Pilar.
Del Rosario on Monday said
Chinas behavior in the current dis-
pute was sending the message that
it could set the rules for anybody.
It should be a cause of concern be-
cause it represented a larger threat
to many nations.
The standoff is something they
should be concerned about if they
are interested in maintaining the
freedom of navigation and unim-
peded commerce in the West Phil-
ippine Sea The bigger picture is
anybody can be targeted by this,
Del Rosario said in an interview
over the ANC news channel.
I think the other nations should
be paying attention to what is hap-
pening. With China claiming ev-
erything, having sovereign rights to
the entire South China Sea, whats
the message? The message is, I can
set the rules for anybody.
The meeting of US and Philippine
Cabinet ofcials is the nal step be-
fore Mr. Aquinos visit to Washing-
ton in late May or early June.
Gazmin said the meeting will fo-
cus on regional issues, bilateral ties,
defense and economic cooperation.
He said the standoff in Panatag
Shoal will also be discussed.
The Philippines is now preparing
to unilaterally raise its sovereign
claim on the West Philippine Sea
or South China Sea to the United
Nations International Tribunal for
the Law of the Sea if Beijing re-
fuses to accept Manilas invitation
for arbitration.
An international group reported
Monday that China was deploying
more surveillance and paramilitary
ships to the South China Sea with-
out a clear legal framework to as-
sert its ambiguous territorial claims,
risking more confrontations.
The bigger patrol ships sent by
Chinese maritime surveillance and
sheries agencies have gured in
major are-ups, including an ongo-
ing standoff with a Philippine Coast
Guard vessel over a disputed shoal
off the western Philippine coast.
Six countries are engaged in
long-simmering territorial rifts in
the South China Sea, crossed by
one of the worlds busiest com-
mercial sea lanes and accounting
for about 10 percent of the annual
global sheries catch.
A map China submitted to the
United Nations in 2009 claims vir-
tually the entire area, but China has
so far refused to dene the exact
extent of its claims, causing con-
fusion and fostering potential con-
icts, the ICG says.
Some Chinese patrol ships, ac-
cording to the ICG, are unaware of
the limits of the areas where they
are supposed to assert sovereignty.
Two administration allies on
Monday demanded both chambers
of Congress to use the interna-
tional parliamentary arena as part
of a diplomatic full court press
against China on the Scarborough
shoal controversy.
Bayan Muna Rep. Teddy Casio
called on House Speaker Feliciano
Belmonte and Senate President
Juan Ponce Enrile to use their inter-
national parliamentary networks in
support of the Philippine position.
As standing members of the
Asian Parliamentary Association
and the Inter Parliamentary Union,
we should use these venues to
gather international support for our
sovereign claim over the Panatag
shoal, Casio, a member of the
House committee on foreign af-
fairs, said.
We may not win through mili-
tary might, but certainly we are
strong in the legal, moral and dip-
lomatic arenas.
Western Samar Rep. Mel Senen
Sarmiento, vice chairman of the
House committee on national de-
fense, made a similar appeal.
Ahead of the US discussions,
Del Rosario twisted his left ankle
while heading into a meeting at
the Palace. Itwas immediately
put in a cast, and he was brought
to a hospital after the meeting. He
was discharged from the hospital
Monday afternoon. Joyce Pangco
Paares, John Anthony Concep-
cion, Maricel Cruz, and Florante
S. Solmerin, with AP
PNoy...
line Qatars Emir cuts short state
visit, which he said gave the im-
pression that he was not able to
meet with the emir even if they had
a successful bilateral meting
A radio report saying he
was with a date at the Prom-
enade in Greenhills, when he
was in fact presiding over a
meeting of the National Eco-
nomic Development Author-
ity. Mr. Aquino said the radio
station had a reporter covering
Malacaang, but did not bother
to double check if his convoy
indeed left the Palace.
(Mr. Aquino later went to the
working area of the Malacaang
press corps to explain his speech.
He justied his inclusion of the
story Qatar cuts short state vis-
it among the supposed mislead-
ing stories that had been given
prominence by the media.
He repeated the need for respon-
sible journalism. Reporters should
not report information hook, line
and sinker without validating it
and getting all sides of the story.
That is the whole point of the
speech... Foreign media seem to
be protective of their countries,
he said.
When was the last time you
wrote something positive?)
It is as if they are more excited
to criticize, and when they learn
they were a victim of kuryente
[wrong information], they simply
offer an apology, Mr. Aquino said.
He said foreign media appeared
to be more concerned about the
interest of the Philippines.
He cited a report in Newsweek
where the Philippines was praised
for standing rm on its sovereign
claim against China, and Time
magazine which carried a photo-
graph with the caption The lag-
gard of Asia is recovering the dy-
namism it had in the 1960s.
Let me reiterate: the writ-
ers of these [good news] stories
are not Filipinos. Is it too much
to think that Filipinos must also
take into consideration the inter-
ests of the Philippines?
Mr. also lamented the lo-
cal medias supposed penchant
for reporting travel advisories
against the Philippines.
Because of the negativism in
the news, and the non-stop head-
lining of travel advisories, even
if there is no direct threat against
the Philippines, foreign countries
now always question the safety
of their citizens who are plan-
ning to visit the Philippines, Mr.
Aquino said.
He questioned the layout of news-
papers, saying positive news such
as the conviction of carjacking syn-
dicate head Raymond Dominguez
was placed in the lower fold.
When he committed the crime,
the story was placed above the
fold. His conviction, however, was
below the fold... Did we hear any-
one praising our police and pros-
ecutors? Mr. Aquino said.
I am not asking that you in-
vent lies and propaganda just to
make the government look good.
But if we balance our news,
and be careful in our choice of
words, I am sure we will achieve
our collective aspirations for our
country at a faster pace.
About 30 other passengers
on the Shenzhen Airlines Co.
ight also forced their way onto
a Shanghai Pudong Internation-
al Airport taxiway after being
stranded for about 15 hours. That
April 11 demonstration was fol-
lowed by a similar incident two
days later as Chinese travelers
begin to get fed up with delays af-
fecting at least one in four ights.
The service across the whole
aviation industry sucks, said
Meng, 28, who runs a consultancy
in Harbin, northern China, and
ies every couple of weeks. I to-
tally understand why passengers
protested. Shenzhen Air declined
Airport stormed over delays
Simon Mengs ight to Harbin, China,
was supposed to take about ve hours.
Instead, he had a two-day delay, argu-
ments with airline staff, a nighttime
wait in the rain, a trip to the hospital,
and a dispute with police.
to comment when contacted by
Bloomberg News.
Chinese airlines are struggling
to stick with schedules as they
contend with military restric-
tions on airspace, bad weather
and procedures that havent kept
pace with demand in the worlds
fastest growing aviation market.
Thats hampering operations even
as carriers spend $600 billion on
new planes through 2030, accord-
ing to Boeing Co.
Passengers simply cant avoid
delays, said Li Lei, a Beijing-
based analyst at China Securities
Co. Its an industrywide issue.
According to Civil Aviation Ad-
ministration of Chinas statistics,
23.5 percent of ights were delayed
last year. That only measures when
the plane door closed, not when the
aircraft took off. The regulator has
begun tracking takeoff times this
year. By comparison, 85 percent of
US ights arrived on time last year,
according to Department of Trans-
portation statistics.
Airlines are the last to want
delays because the costs are
very high, said Zhang Wuan,
a spokesman for Spring Airline
Ltd., Chinas largest low-cost
carrier. But, apart from looking
after passengers better, theres not
much we can do.
Zhang was on a plane that had
been waiting to take off for more
than two hours in Guangzhou be-
cause of thunderstorms when he
spoke to Bloomberg News by
phone. Delays cost about 1,000
yuan a minute, China Eastern Air-
lines Corp. Chairman Liu Shaoy-
ong told state-run Xinhua News
Agency last month.
About 42 percent of airspace
in eastern China is closed to com-
mercial ights and reserved for the
air force, the ofcial China News
Services reported last year, citing a
military study. That region includes
Beijing and Shanghai, the countrys
most important cities. Bloomberg
CHINESE hackers attacked at least
three of Malacaangs websites
around 4 p.m. on Monday, causing
them to snarl, presidential spokes-
man Edwin Lacierda said.
He said the Presidential Com-
munications Development and
Strategic Planning Ofce no-
ticed a signicant spike in traf-
c with malicious URL requests
from forged user-agents.
Those requests were being
channeled to the Ofcial Gazette
website (www.gov.ph), PCDSPO
website (www.pcdspo.gov.ph),
and the Presidential Museum
and Library website (www.mala-
canang.gov.ph), Lacierda said.
The attacks caused our servers
to momentarily lag. Information
gathered through our data analysis
indicated that the attack originated
from IP addresses assigned to Chi-
nese networks, Lacierda said.
We determined that this was a
denial-of-service attack.
The three websites are now up
and running.
On April 20, hackers attacked
the University of the Philippines
website and uploaded inamma-
tory content on the Philippines
dispute with China over the Pan-
atag Shoal (Scarborough Shoal).
Filipino hackers retaliated and
defaced some Chinese websites
on Sunday.
Images of the Philippine map
and ag with text asserting that the
Kalayaan Island Group (Spratly
Islands) belongs to the Philippines
were posted on the Chinese gov-
ernment website gh.rc.gov.cn.
The note You got f****d by
the Philippines! Spratlys Island
is OURS! You started the re we
end it with dust! also appeared
across that website.
Atext scroll saying STFU Chi-
nese government is clearly retarded
Scarborough Shoal is ours! ap-
peared on the website of the Chi-
nese University Media Union.
Below it was the text: Anony-
mous #OccupyPhilippines We are
Anynymous, We are Legion, We
dont forgive, We dont forget,
United as one, divided by zero, ex-
pect us. Joyce Pangco Paares
Palace
websites
attacked
Not...
Cayetano said Malacaang should
look at its own backyard because
some of Arroyos former party-mates
were now holding positions in the
Aquino Administration.
This is how politics work in our
country, but if the President wants this
to change, we will engage him in that,
Cayetano said.
In the House of Representatives,
the pro-Arroyo block welcomed the
House leaderships decision to ig-
nore a proposal to suspend the former
President as a result of the corruption
charges led against her.
The opposition supported the an-
nouncement of House Majority
Leader and Mandaluyong Rep. Nep-
tali Gonzales that the Sandiganbayan
anti-graft court could not impose its
decision on the assembly because of
the principle of separation of powers.
Nobody can suspend a member of
the House on mere allegation, Gonza-
les told the Manila Standard.
Why place her on preventive suspen-
sion when the case is still being heard?
The trial is not yet over, and no decision
has been rendered against Mrs. Arroyo.
Maguindanao Rep. Simeon Datu-
manong said a member of the House
could be suspended only on disorderly
behavior and on the vote of two-thirds
of all the members.
Besides, the basis of the suspen-
sion is that the act should have been
committed during the term of the
member, Datumanong said.
Arroyo, who won a seat in Congress
after her term as President ended in 2010,
faces electoral sabotage charges in a trial
court in Pasay City and graft and corrup-
tion charges at the Sandiganbayan.
APRIL 24, 2012 TUESDAY
A3 News
ManilaStandardToday mst.daydesk@gmail.com
De Lima slammed over Abalos case
Araw ng mga Buntis
proposed on March 10
100,000 vacancies
at May Day jobs fair
IN BRIEF
Bro. Armin:
No more
book, chair
problems
99
th
Maguindanao massacre suspect falls
Poro Point set to launch rst Sillag festival of lights April 28
IF Baguio City has its yearly Panagbenga
Festival and Clark its annual Hot Air Bal-
loon Festival, Poro Point will have its own
spectacle called Sillag Festival of Lights.
Sillag is an Ilocano word meaning moon-
beam or lunar illumination and the Poro
Point event will focus on a six-hectare light-
house property that will serve as a vital com-
ponent of an integrated tourism complex.
The program is a brainchild of the
Poro Point Management Corp. (PPMC),
a subsidiary of the Bases Conversion
and Development Authority (BCDA).
Sillag will include an air show of ul-
tralight aircraft and paragliders, a chil-
drens show involving clowns, magi-
cians, jugglers and face painters, a drum
and bugle silent drill exhibition by the
Philippine Marines, a lantern uvial pa-
rade and a pyromusical show.
This is part of BCDAs endeavors to
change the landscape of Central and North
Luzon, said BCDApresident and chief ex-
ecutive officer Arnel Paciano D. Casanova,
underscoring BCDAs efforts to develop
tourism and investments in the North.
Not only will we see beautiful and
modern cities, we will also see business
and employment opportunities that will
eventually translate to the upliftment of
the peoples lives.
BCDA chairman Felicito C. Payumo
viewed the Poro Point Freeport Zone as
the countrys gateway in the North.
The holding of the Sillag or La
Unions Festival of Lights in Poro Point
will play a major role in drawing tour-
ists and promoting the Poro Point Free-
port Zone with its seaport and airport as
a magnet for investments and a growth
engine in the North, Payumo said.
Sillag will be launched on April 28 in
conjunction with the BCDAs 20th an-
niversary celebration, but, it may be held
earlier next year to complement the Pan-
agbenga and the Hot Air Balloon festivals.
This is crucial because Baguio City
is host to the BCDAs Camp John Hay
Special Economic Zone, along with the
Poro Point Freeport Zone and the Clark
Special Economic Zone.
PPMC chairman Ives Q. Nisce said vari-
ous public and private groups were tapped as
partners to ensure the success of Sillag.
Among the partners of the PPMC are
the governments of La Union p[rovince,
led by Gov. Manuel C. Ortega, and San
Fernando City Mayor Pablo C. Ortega;
Thunderbird Pilipinas Hotels and Re-
sorts Inc.; Poro Point Agro Industrial
Development Co. Inc.; Poro Point In-
dustrial Corp.; Department of Tourism;
Department of Trade and Industry;
Philippine Information Agency; Phil-
ippine Coast Guard; Philippine Navy,
Philippine Marine; Philippine National
Police; Philippine Air Force; Philippine
National Red Cross; Bureau of Fire Pro-
tection; La Union Hotels, Resorts and
Restaurants Association; Chamber of
Commerce and Industry of La Union;
La Union Tourism Council; La Union
Conventions and Visitors Bureau; La
Union Tourism Ofcers Association;
Bauang Tourism Council; San Juan
Beach Resorts Association and BCDA.
Joining hands. Labor leaders show off the hands they used to sign a manifesto of unity as they formed a new coalition of labor and trade
unions, called Nagkakaisa, to push their call for an across-the-board wage increase. DANNY PATA
LAWMEN have arrested one of the
suspects in the 2009 Maguindanao
massacre nally fell into government
hands.
The authorities identied the suspect
as Zacaria Akil, one of the aids of
former Maguindanao Gov. Andal
Ampatuan Sr., who was arrested by
the Philippine Marines and Philippine
National Police, said Marine Colonel
Alex Balutan, chief of the 1st Marine
Brigade.
Balutan said security forces received
information that Akil will be coming
to Cotabato City on board a passenger
van from Maguindanao.
Our informant was very accurate,
he provided the van type, plate
number, color and the expected time
of arrival in the city, Balutan said,
adding that Akil did not resist but
denied the allegations against him
saying his arrest could be a case of
mistaken identity.
The authorities were armed with
arrest warrants issued by Quezon
City Regional Trial Court Judge
Jocelyn Reyes when they flagged
down the vehicle carrying Akil
around 5 p.m.
Balutan said Akil underwent
interrogation at the Task Force
Kutawato headquarters before he
was turned over to the PNP Criminal
Investigation and Detection Group.
A week earlier, police in the
Autonomous Region in Muslim
Mindanao (ARMM) arrested Sonny
Pandi, said to be the aide of massacre
primary suspect Andal Unsay
Ampatuan Jr. in front of a hotel here
after a month-long surveillance.
Balutan said the help of the
civilian populace against law
violators is very vital as proven in
the arrest of Akil.
We expect more cooperation from
the constituents, Balutan said. It
would be best for massacre suspects
to show up, surrender and clear
themselves before the court of justice
than continue hiding.
Akil was the 99
th
suspect who fell to
government hands.
Siquijor Rep. Orlando Fua and Maguindanao Rep. Simeon Datu-
manong said De Lima has no legal right to intervene in the Comelec
prosecution of former South Cotabato provincial election supervisor
Lilian Susan Radam and former North Cotabato provincial election
supervisor Yogi Martirizar.
In our law, the jurisdiction for prosecuting election cheating,
electoral process-related cases belongs to the Comelec, Fua said.
Only the Comelec has the exclusive jurisdiction over those cases.
Last Thursday, the Comelec en banc voted 4-1 to pursue electoral
sabotage cases against Radam. The decision virtually rejected De
Limas plan to withdraw the case against Radam and Martirizar by
putting them under the governments Witness Protection Program.
De Lima, through DOJ prosecutors, led a motion in the Pa-
say regional trial court where the electoral sabotage case against
Radam and Abalos was being heard and sought the withdrawal of
the charfges against Radam.
Radam and Martiizar were election supervisors who were inves-
tigated and found liable for election sabotage in South Cotabato in
the 2007 elections. They were charged during the time of Chairman
Jose Melo. But went into hiding for four years and only surfaced
last year to be used as witnesses against Abalos.
Fua accused De Lima of acting like a superwoman who does
not respect the rule of law and the Constitution that she has sworn
to protect, defend and uphold.
Datumanong said De Lima is not acting properly and is clearly
out of order. The two were already charged with similar cases of
violation of election laws and the Comelec is correct in pursuing the
charges against them
De Lima is acting improperly and is not giving the Comelec the
respect it desereves as the other party in the case, Datumanong said.
By Maricel V. Cruz
LAWMAKERS slammed Justice
Secretary De Lima yesterday for
undermining and disrespecting the
Comelec which wants to pursue
electoral sabotage cases against two
former election supervisors whom the
DOJ wanted to use as witnesses against
former Comelec chairman Benjamin
Abalos Sr.
No to mercury. Cause=oriented groups show off samples of mercury-laden cosmetics from Taiwan and Chin at the picket they
held at Manilas Plaza Sta. Cruz to raise public awareness of the hazards of mercury to human health. EY ACASIO
THE educational systems
problems regarding textbooks
and classrooms will no longer be
an issue when classes start this
June, Education Secretary Armin
Luistro, FSC assured yesterday.
(K+12) would allow teachers
more efcient monitoring and
the textbook shortage will be
addressed when the school
opens this June, Luistro said.
If these pull the public back
from embracing K+12, let me
assure it wont be a problem
anymore come June 4.
He said he has instructed the
delivery of textbooks and chairs
to all 45,000 public schools
nationwide this summer.
K+12 means extending
basic education by two years, so
instead of having a high school
graduate at 16 (years old),
we will have high schoolers
graduating at 18, he said,
adding that the program will be
implemented this school year
2012-2013 for Grade 1 and rst
year high school students with
the target of full implementation
by school year 2018-2019.
The DepEd stressed that the
K+12 program will be the solution
to the yearly basic education woes
and the deteriorating quality of
education.
No less than President
Benigno S. Aquino III will
formally launch the program
in ceremonies to be held in
Malacaang today.
A BILL led in the House of
Representatives wants to declare
March 10 of every year as a special
non-working holiday to be known as
Araw ng mga Buntis.
House Bill 6009, authored by police
general turned legislator, Pangasinan
Rep. Leopoldo Bataoil, is pending
for action by the House Committee
on Revision of Laws chaired by
Pangasinan Rep. Marlyn Primicias-
Agabas.
The month of March is Womens
Month. It is betting that we give
emphasis on the needs of pregnant
women during the celebration of the
Araw ng mga Buntis, Bataoil said in
the bills explanatory note.
Pregnancy is a fascinating state in a
womans life that is almost impossible
to describe, the bill reads. However,
during the time of a womans
pregnancy, she may be subjected to
several risks. But for most women,
pregnancy makes them feel complete,
totally fullled, and even happier, it
says. Maricel Cruz
THE Department of Labor and
Employment has urged jobseekers
to take advantage of the Labor Day
jobs fair and reminded them to bring
important documents when applying
for jobs.
There will be thousands of jobs
that would be available in the job fairs,
100,000 of them at the World Trade
Center event. Choose the position
that best fits your qualification from
the vacancies listing that would be
made available at the fair. Take note
of the companys name then proceed
to the companys booth, Labor Sec.
Rosalinda Baldoz said.
Employers will interview, pre-
select, and hire on-the-spot qualied
workers, but if the applicant is not
qualied, he may opt to look for other
vacancies, she added.
Applicants seeking training
assistance may proceed to the Technical
Education and Skills Development
Authority booth for interview and
scheduling.
On the other hand, applicants
seeking self-employment assistance
may proceed to the self-employment
and livelihood booth. Overseas
Filipino workers, and their dependents
seeking for welfare services, may also
be accommodated at the Overseas
Workers and Welfare Administration
booth. Vito Barcelo
Opinion Adelle Chua, Editor
ManilaStandardToday
mst.lettertotheeditor@gmail.com APRIL 24, 2012 TUESDAY
A4
FOR most Filipino families, summer vacation
is less about visiting exotic places than it is
about preparing for the next school year.
This year, the challenges will be more
dauntingfor the students, their parents,
and especially so for the government
because of the start of the implementation
of the K-12 basic education program.
Students who will be entering high
school in June will not yet be able to go to
the tertiary level after four years. Instead,
they will go on to their fth and sixth years,
which would be known as senior high
school. What we have previously known as
the four years of high school will be known
as junior high school.
There have been complaints from students
who want to go on to college or start working
after their fourth year, and their parents who
do not want to pay tuition and support the
expenses entailed for the two additional years.
And in a society where working children are
expected to contribute to the family budget or
send their younger siblings to school, the new
scheme translates to two additional years of
expense, as well as two years of foregone
income.
The government, however, believes
that the K-12 scheme will yield long-term
benets for Filipino students and eventual
members of the workforce. The new
program will equip the students with core
competencies needed to succeed in their
chosen elds. The curriculum, originally
designed for 12 years but compressed into
10, will be decongested to allow students
to absorb knowledge before moving in to
other topics.
Such would make our graduates at par
with other nationalities with 12 years of
basic education. The government hopes
our workforce will become even more
competitive with the additional two years.
Students entering college will also be
more mature at 18 years old instead of 16.
Hence, they would be surer of the path they
wish to pursue that is aligned with their
abilities, interests and the demands of the
labor market.
We agree with the rationale, but we have
reservations about the governments will to
carry out the plan in the best way possible.
The state of basic education in the country
remains pitiful, especially in the far-ung
provinces, even under the old, 10-year
system. What assurance can the government
give parents nationwide that school facilities
and the quality of teaching will improve, or
at least not worsen, with the two extra years?
The rst batch will not be entering their
fth year until 2016, or just about the time
this administration is preparing to step
down from power, even as changes to the
curriculum will be felt beginning this year.
We hope that the Aquino ofcials will not
abandon this taskafter having uttered
the schemes lofty objectivesto their
successors.
A necessary burden
Noynoy comes
a-courting
EDITORIAL
Mindanao energy
THE disappointment among the locals
that greeted the Presidents appearance
at the much-ballyhooed Mindanao power
summit the other week was palpable and
pervasive. I dont think any single local
leader of note took it upon himself or
herself to enthusiastically endorse the
Presidents position.
A large part of it was his reported
high-handedness. By most accounts,
he didnt even bother to listen to the
consensus recommendations of the
summit participants. Instead he scolded
them for being spoiled and ordered
them to toe the line about which hed
already made up his mind even before
coming: Youll have to pay more for the
additional electric power you need.
This unnecessarily aroused antagonism
towards the already difcult sell that
Aquino had to make. Among the prickly
rejoinders to the President were the points
made below by the energy and water-
power sector committee of the Philippine
Chamber of Commerce and Industry:
The policy framework for attacking
the power shortage problem in Mindanao
must be the Mindanao Plan, a decades-
old ofcial commitmentgoing all
the way back to the Marcos yearsto
give the region a competitive advantage
over the rest of the country due to its
chronic problems with high fuel and
shipping costs, local conicts, lack of
infrastructure, and inattention by the
Manila government.
We are not spoiled. The citizens of
Mindanao are ready to cooperate with any
government program consistent with the
Mindanao Plan, including reasonable
increases in power cost.
Existing low-cost hydro-power
plants must continue to provide the
baseload anchor for the regions power
needs, with fossil fuel plants providing
ancillary reserves. The hydro plants must
remain in government hands, although
rehabilitation and maintenance of these
plants (as well as the four power barges
now in use) can be bid out to private
operators.
Adequate new fossil fuel plant
capacity is already underway from a new
200-MW coal-red plant being built by
the Alcantara family, as well as a 300-
MW expansion program of the 21 electric
coops in the region.
Do not interconnect Mindanao with
the national grid, because this will just
transfer the high power costs elsewhere
in the country into the region. And the
responsibility for crafting a competitive
blended power rate for the region continues
to rest with the national government.
After all, no single distribution utility or
major power user (contestible account)
in the region is big enough to negotiate
such a competitive rate.
These recommendationsperhaps
because they were crafted by localsare
freighted with an attachment to the status
quo as well as continued intervention of
government. The underlying economics
is shaky; for example, its difcult to see
how the rest of the country could benet
from Mindanaos lower power costs
through interconnection when the region
cant generate enough power for itself.
And frankly, the thought of a Mindanao
Planlike any other scheme to confer
anyone or any place with unearned
advantage, by atleaves me cold.
By contrast, a set of recommendations
from the Management Association of the
Philippines is much more attuned to the
free-market thinking of the day, even in
the EPIRA law itself:
It is unhealthy for Mindanao to rely
so much on hydro plants (53 percent of
total), given its relative lack of baseload
capacity (only 37 percent, compared
to 67 percent in Luzon and 76 percent
in Visayas)as well as, I would add,
the vagaries of climate change that can
periodically dry up those hydro plants. It
would be a protable exercise for DOE
to study the optimum blend of generating
capacity for the region.
The operation of the Wholesale
Electricity Spot Market should be
extended into Mindanao, so that the
region can benet from additional power
supply being called up elsewhere in the
country through the appropriate market
pricing signals. This however will require
the NPC to privatize its remaining assets
in the region so that the auction process
is not destabilized by governments size.
Finally, Mindanao should be
interconnected to the national grid,
in order to facilitate the transfer of
power across regions. The cost of this
interconnection is estimated at only 17-
19 centavos per kilowatt hour, surely less
than the cost of Mindanao building its
own additional power reserve generating
capacity.
A tting coda is provided to this
controversy by the estimable Dr. Gerardo
Sicat, the former National Economic
and Development Authority head in
the Marcos years. In his latest column,
Sicat reminds us that it was the political
vendetta waged by the rst Aquino
presidency that led to the dismantling of
the Energy Department, an organizational
miscalculation that reversed many of the
power-related initiatives under Marcos
and did away with the necessary platform
for pursuing energy self-sufciency.
The power blackouts that ushered
out Tita Corys presidency were just a
short-term consequence that set back
the countrys growth by a couple of
percentage points. More serious, for the
long-term, was abandoning the nuclear
option when the Bataan nuclear plant was
mothballed. This anti-nuclear bias is one
of the blinkers that effectively handicap
our energy viewpoint todaythe other
one being a xation on green energy
alternatives that may be politically
correct but are still immature technically
or commercially (hence the need for feed-
in tariff-FIT subsidies).
Its always a difcult choice to make
between doing whats needed versus
what the vociferous section of the public
will cheer you for. We can only hope
despite the contrary evidence to date
that the second Aquino presidency will
behave with less vindictive hindsight and
more mature foresight than the rst.
PRESIDENT Noynoy Aquino is in
courtship mode once again. Only this
time, instead of going after women
who have caught his ever-roving
eye, hes wooing powerful people
who could keep him from being an
irrelevant lame duck for the rest of his
term.
Last weekend, the assiduous suitor
Aquinowho has never been known
to be patient at social or even ofcial
gatheringssat through four hours
of speeches made in honor of Joseph
Estrada on the latters 75
th
birthday.
Earlier in the week, Aquino made the
unprecedented gesture of going to
Binay at the Veeps
ofcial residence
at the Coconut
Palace, needing
only owers
to complete
the picture of a
visiting bachelor
seeking a fair
ladys approval.
The reason for
the courtship is
simple: Aquino
wants the Binay-
Estrada power
bloc by his side,
knowing full well
that this is the
political coalition that could make
his administration miserable for the
remainder of its term, should it use
its swelling numbers and increasing
clout against Malacaang.
But, as Facebook tells us, the
relationship between Aquino, on the
one hand, and 2010 running mates
Binay and Estrada, on the other, has
always been complicated.
Lets consider Estrada rst. The
still-popular former President, who
ended up second to Aquino in the
2010 race for the presidency, was
once the object of derision by the
Aquino family, which wholeheartedly
joined the groups (collectively
known to Erap as the evil society)
that plotted to bring him down and
to install Estradas Vice President,
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
The same groups that conspired
to remove Estrada in 2001 are still
very much around Aquino today,
even if the current President is no
longer considered an enemy of the
family after it turned its back on
Arroyo over the Hacienda Luisita
dispute. In keeping with the principle
that the enemy of my enemy is my
friend, Aquino has made the peace
with Estradawho, ironically, was
jailed by Arroyo upon the urgings of
the same people who worked so hard
to oust Erap and who remain in the
current administrations camp to this
day.
(Of course, the civil society groups
that removed Estrada also turned their
back on Arroyo a couple of years after
she assumed the presidency. Hows
that for complications?)
* * *
As for Binay, well, its been
long accepted that while the Veep
has always been a loyal ally of the
Aquinos, the second-highest ofcial
of the land assumed his post at the
expense of Aquino running made
Mar Roxas. And Roxas, according
to impeached Chief Justice Renato
Corona, wants the Supreme Court
to oust Binay by siding with Roxas
in the latters electoral protest case
against the longtime Makati mayor
and Aquino loyalist.
Now that Binay has resurrected his
alliance with Erap, who picked him as
his running mate, through their new
United Nationalist Alliance, Aquino
has denitely taken notice. So Aquino
is now trying very hard to project the
image that his administration (and LP,
by extension) is actually not at odds
with UNAwhich Aquino hopes
will never bolt from Malacaang.
But why should Binay remain in
Aquinos camp if it will mean his
eventual ouster by Roxas? And why
should Estrada support Aquino when
Malacaang is thickly populated
by the very same
people who
removed him from
the presidency more
than a decade ago?
It comes as no
surprise, then, that
both Binay and
Estrada have been
content to keep their
suitor guessing.
While both say
that they still
support the Aquino
a dmi ni s t r a t i on,
they have pointedly
continued to form
their own senatorial
lineup for next years elections,
independently of what Aquino, Roxas
and LP may be doing to create their
own team.
Politicians of all stripes except
those truly committed to Aquino (and
there are really very few of those who
are expected to win) have already
voted with their feet. Nearly everyone
who is believed to have a good chance
of making it to the Senate next year
and many others who dontare
making a beeline for UNA; LP, at
this late date, with a little over a year
left till May 2013, cant even seem
to come up with a complete slate of
12, despite the obvious advantages of
being candidates of the administration.
And that is truly what must be
worrying Aquino these days, as
he struggles to preen and seek to
impress both Binay and Estrada
both of whom, as politicians much
smarter than the President, simply
keep the latter hanging on their every
pronouncement. Both know that its
Aquino who needs them, after all, and
not the other way around.
Meanwhile, Aquino seems no
longer interested in the outcome
of the Corona impeachment trial,
something which he monomaniacally
pursued for almost half a year now.
But that could only mean that Aquino
has either given up on securing a
conviction from the Senate or he is
convinced that a successful courtship
of the Binay-Estrada combine is
the only way for him to achieve the
removal of the chief justice.
About the only thing thats
certain is that Aquino is no longer
smugly confident that his own
popularity is going to keep him
afloat in the days ahead. He is
showing that he needs not just a
woman to marry but also powerful
allies in order to survive.
JOJO
A. ROBLES
LOWDOWN
GARY
OLIVAR
BYPASS
ROLANDO G. ESTABILLO Publisher
RAMONCHITO L. TOMELDAN Managing Editor
CHIN WONG/ RAY S. EANO Associate Editors
RALEIGH J. JALECO News Editor
JOEL P. PALACIOS City Editor
ROMEL J. MENDEZ Art Director
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Manila
Standard
TODAY
CLIMACO E. CALIWARA Controller
ANITA F. GREFAL Treasury Manager
EDITH D. ANGELES Advertising Manager
EDGAR M. VALMORIDA Circulation Manager
ROGELIO C. SALAZAR President & CEO
Binay and
Erap know that
its Aquino who
needs them, and
not the other way
around.

A5 Opinion Adelle Chua, Editor
ManilaStandardToday
mst.lettertotheeditor@gmail.com
I CANNOT think of any other place
in the country that is friendlier and
more attuned to the needs of senior
citizens than Makati City.
This was how it was when Vice
President Jejomar Binay was mayor,
and when his wife, Dr. Elenita,
succeeded him. Now it is their son
Jun-Jun who keeps the Binay legacy
alive in the city.
The Makati City government
has passed an ordinance increasing
the allowance of
senior citizens
aged 70 to 79 from
P2,000 to P3,000.
For those 80 years
old and above, like
me, the allowance
has been increased
from P3,000 to
P4,000 a year,
released in two
equal installments.
Local executives
see the increasing
need for
medicine and
other nutritional
supplements as we
age.
Aside from this, we already enjoy
free movies among all other discounts
and benets.
Truly, the Binays appreciate
the elderly and recognize our
contributions to society during our
productive years.
I will certainly vote for Binays
candidates in 2013 and for Binay
himself in 2016.
***
In an earlier column, I mentioned
that there are two issues in the raging
controversy between the Bases
Conversion Development Authority
and the Camp John Hay Development
Corporation that won a bid to develop
the former American outpost in
Baguio City.
The issues were whether or not
John Hay defaulted in its financial
obligation to the government, and
whether or not it is entitled to
remain in possession of the leased
property.
I maintain that Camp John Hay has
not defaulted. Rather, it is the BCDA
that has been in breach of various
agreements. IN fact, the agreement
has been restructured twice already
this shows that BCDA admits its
breaches.
I have to cite Article 1169 of the
revised Civil Code which states: (1)
reciprocal obligation, neither party
incurs in delay if the other does not
comply or is not ready to comply
in a proper manner with what is
incumbent upon him. On record, the
BCDA committed repeated breaches
of the original lease agreement for
more than a decade and a half. Put
simply, the CJHDevco was not in true
and effective possession of the entire
leased property.
Why? The BCDA failed to
obtain for the lease an effective
Environmental Compliance
Clearance. This delayed Camp John
Hays development for at least two
years. This in turn led to lawsuits
led by project oppositionists.
The Asian nancial crisis, which
happened at around this time, was
clearly beyond the control of Camp
John Hay Development Corp. This
led to the rst restructuring agreement
in 2000.
The lease subsequently suffered
unmitigated delays in securing
permits and clearances to implement
the Master Development Plan for
Camp John Hay. The poor state of
tourism and the real estate recession
led to the second restructuring of the
lease agreement in 2003.
As if these
were not enough,
the Supreme
Court withdrew
the tax incentives
for Camp John
Hay, leading to
threats of suits,
and assessment of
taxes by the BIR,
the city treasurer
of Baguio. Banks
and nancial
institutions grew
cold in lending.
To make
matters worse,
the Aquino
a d mi n i s t r a t i o n
and its attack
dogs from BCDA wanted to take
over Camp John Hay. The company
was constrained to obtain injunctive
relief from the courts and commence
arbitration, which is specically
provided for in the lease agreement.
This was totally ignored by BCDA,
continuing to say it would take over
of the property forcibly.
Camp John Hay Development
Corp. has the right to remain in
possession of the leased property.
***
My inside information is that
BCDA is already committed to a
giant property developer, which is
reportedly close to Malacaang.
Thats the reason BCDA wants to
take over Camp John Hay. This is
why the former wants the latter
out.
But its elementary that no one
can take the law into its own hands, a
sacrosanct right embodied in Article
536 of the Revised Civil Code.
Besides, the parties have mutually
agreed to maintain the status quo.
So I cannot understand why BCDA
continues to act like a bully.
I repeat: Camp John Hay
Development Corp. has the right to
remain in the leased property. It has
not defaulted on any of its obligations.
The original lease agreement,
although it has been restructured
twice, remains in full force.
Matuwid na daan, my foot! No
wonder the Presidents approval
ratings are sliding. He proclaims one
thing and yet he allows his allies to
do the opposite.
I am saddened by these
developments because Camp John
Hay is the only saving grace of
Baguio. The city has been bogged
down by trafc gridlock, pollution,
and overcrowding especially during
the summer months.
A bully
in Baguio
Responsible mining (2)
IN THIS sixth of seven columns on
mining, I continue to elaborate the
conditions to enable responsible
mining.
The rst condition is the
identication of no-go areas.
Despite provisions in the law that
identify areas closed to mining, eld
implementation has been beset by
conicts. There is no clear-cut policy
on mining in island ecosystems that
are most vulnerable to environmental
and social impacts. This has to be
the priority and it can be done as the
technical date available. It is only the
political economy of ignorance,
a phrase coined by Yale professor
Michael Dove and popularized in
the Philippines by Professor Owen
Lynch, where lack of knowledge and
competence is used to perpetuate an
unjust situation, which has prevented
us from identifying and establishing
these no-go areas.
In this regard, there must be respect
for the NIPAS law (on protected areas)
and the special environmental law for
Palawan that declare areas closed to
mining. There must be respect for
the right of local governments to
close areas within their territorial
jurisdiction to mining operations
as a precautionary measure, in the
absence of credible information on
impacts and acceptable risks. Small
island ecosystems should be excluded
from mining, as they support small
communities as special cases for
environment and development, being
ecologically fragile and vulnerable.
The ocean and coastal environment of
small islands of strategic importance
and constitutes a valuable development
resource. Their small size, limited
resources, geographic dispersion and
isolation from markets, place them
at a disadvantage economically and
prevent economies of scale.
As previously written, responsible
mining also has to accurately assess
and account for all relevant costs and
benets. The appropriate valuation
mechanisms should be employed
to ensure that the environmental
and social responsibilities are
accounted for, and that the negative
impacts are mitigated and affected
communities compensated. There
must also be a more comprehensive
articulation of risk assessment for
disaster management, given that the
Philippines is prone to geophysical
disturbance and climate change-
induced hazards. Regulations on
environmental impact studies should
be reviewed to account for the value
of biodiversity and ethnodiversity
signicance.
Responsible mining has to respect
the decision of local stakeholders,
especially indigenous peoples.
Inconsistencies in the implementation
of the requirement of Free and Prior
Informed Consent raise serious doubts
as to the validity of community consent
and benet-sharing agreements. The
right of IPs and local communities to
say no should be respected and not
taken as a provisional decision subject
to negotiation until communities
nally say yes.
Responsible mining requires that
small-scale mining should be held to
the same high standards imposed on
the big mining companies. In the rst
place, most small-scale mining today
already employs tools and machines
similar to those used by the big
companies. There are also nanciers
with deep pockets behind many
small-scale mining operations and
such nanciers must hold accountable
for compliance with environmental,
social and economic laws.
Government must dene a policy
to get the best deal for the people
given that the current scal incentives
and taxation regime in mining are
inadequate and do not assume long-
term national and local benets.
It must also identify clear and
measurable indicators needed to track
compliance and progress in reforms
needed for responsible mining,
including inclusiveness of economic
benets, as well as social, cultural,
and environmental safeguards.
Massive capacity building of
government personnel and agencies
are needed to support stable, rational
decision-making in mining. These
include capacity to implement: (1)
resources valuation; (2) equitable
benet-sharing schemes; (3) regular
and science-based monitoring of
environmental impacts; (4) enforcement
of environmental and other laws; (5)
validation of free and prior informed
consent of IPs; (6) effective public
participation mechanisms; and, (7)
disaster risk assessment, management,
and reduction.
The actions needed must be set
in a clear, doable, time-bound, and
adequately funded action plan, so that
all stakeholders can reasonably expect
accomplishment of the reform goals.
The reforms are only as good as their
implementation. While the private
sector can help and communities can
assist, government has to provide
the manpower and resources needed
to implement the reforms both at
national and local government levels.
As we concluded in our policy
brief, for decades, the shortcomings
in mining governance have been
ignored. This is no longer acceptable.
A new mining policy is needed and we
need it now.
E-mail: tonylavs@gmail.com Facebook:
tlavina@yahoo.com Twitter: tonylavs
EMIL
P. JURADO
TO THE POINT
DEAN TONY
LA VIA
EAGLE EYES
Bloomber g View
A FEW years ago, according to
the Justice Department, publishers
decided on a strategy to fight the
grave and gathering menace posed
to their business model by the rise
of digital books: They would meet
about it.
These meetings took place in
private dining rooms of upscale
Manhattan restaurants, says the
departments complaint in its antitrust
lawsuit. Later meetings took place in
Europe, though presumably not at the
Paris Chipotle.
The case will turn on whether the
publishers were meeting to x prices.
If they were merely discussing new
ways of selling digital books and
their effect on prices, the publishers
may beat back the government. Of
the six defendantsthe Hachette
Book Group, HarperCollins, Simon
& Schuster, Macmillan, Penguin and
Applethe rst three have already
settled.
Apple, for its part, was not present
at any of these meetings (its corporate
cafeteria is reportedly quite good).
So why is it being charged? The
governments theory of the case is
that Apple was part of the conspiracy
to limit price competition. More
likely that, like the co-worker who
encourages the ofce gossip, Apple
acted as an enabler.
If it were a crime for New
York publishers to gather at fancy
restaurants, then the entire industry
would be doing time. Whether this
was collusion is for the courts to
decide. The larger question raised by
the lawsuit is not legal but existential:
Can publishing be saved?
The main villain, in the publishers
account, is their once-loved,
now-hated coopetitor: Amazon
specically, its wretched $9.99 price
point for most digital books on its
Kindle device.
There is no doubt Amazon has
reduced publishers prot margins.
And it has been known to use bullying
tactics. At the same time, Amazon has
made it easier for authors to publish
and promote books, and for readers
to nd and buy them. Its impact on
the publishing industry, it almost
goes without saying, far exceeds
the wretched $9.99 e-book. Yet
publishers and even the Authors Guild
are irrationally antagonistic toward
Amazon.
One mistake publishers have
made is viewing digital books more
as a threat (to the prices of physical
books) than as an opportunity (to
gain more readers in all formats).
One in five Americans have read a
digital book, a proportion that will
only grow, and there are signs that
reading books is more popular now
than ever. Revenue from digital
books doubled in 2011, accounting
for almost $2 billion of a $27 billion
industry, and sales of digital books
for younger readers were up an
astounding 475 percent in January
from a year ago.
Publishers obviously see the
potentialthats why they were so
excited about the iPad in 2010. Where
they erred was in seeing it merely
as a shiny new cudgel with which to
battle Amazon and raise the price of
digital books. But whos to say they
werent just exchanging one master
for another? Apple has sharp elbows,
too.
Perhaps the saddest aspect of this
lawsuit is its portrayal of desperation.
The complaint reads like the minutes
of a support group for publishers with
PDSD (post-digital stress disorder).
The predominant emotion, and verb,
is fear, as in publisher defendants
feared that .
We do not dismiss the anxiety
that new media causes old media.
We are familiar with the many scary
charts and graphs. But technology
has enabled writers (and even,
dare we say it, retailers) to foster
deeper relationships with readers.
Publishers have not seized the same
opportunity, even though they have
a valuable asset. The modern term is
content, but it has also been called
literatureand technology greatly
expands its market.
Publishers need not perish
On the other hand, as next-door
neighbor and friend, the Philippines
should be able to enter into the most
natural arrangements with China
on anything of mutual interest and
benet to them, without provoking
any insecurity, suspicion or mistrust
on the part of the US. The
US has done so for its own
advantage. The Philippines should do
likewise for its own benet.
All this would require courage,
creativity, candor, transparency, and
absolute fair-mindedness on the
part of the government. And
sincerity, skill and statesmanship
on the part of the individual
players. Above all, it would
require the populations informed
support, through the intelligentsia,
academic community, diplomatic
service, bureaucracy, professional
corps, private sector, and civil
society, to carry it forward.
It does not look easy but it seems
doable enough. In the next part
of this article, we shall see how this
could work out.
As I said in the beginning, our
alliance with the US should not
prevent us from developing the
closest possible ties with China. But
neither should our friendship with
China undermine our alliance with
the US. Should the demands of one
conict with those of the other, that
which serves our national interest
best should prevail.
Whether or not the published
reports are correct, President
Aquino or at least Foreign Secretary
del Rosario will have to disavow
statements attributed to the
government that it is ready to host
US bases all over again, or allow
US troops to use ve airelds and
various ports in the country, without
satisfying the treaty requirements.
It is not necessarily the
governments good fortune that
not a single intelligent voice has
been raised on this issue in the
Keeping our balance...
From A1
Senate, which shares the treaty-
making powers of the President.
That would have been unthinkable
in the olden days of the Senate.
But until Del Rosarios purported
statement is officially clarified,
it will continue to bother those
who know what the Constitution
permits and prohibits.
Under Sec. 25, Article XVIII of
the Constitution, the Philippines
cannot host any foreign bases
unless a treaty duly concurred
in by the Senate allows it. The
1947 Philippine-US military bases
agreement expired in 1991 and
has never been replaced. Then-
President Corazon C. Aquino had
tried to replace it, but the Senate
rejected the new treaty, which would
have extended the bases term by
another ten years. In any case, even
if that had passed, it would have
expired by now, and there would
no legal basis now for allowing US
bases in the Philippines.
What remains is the RP-US
Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) of
1951, supported by its enabling act,
the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA)
of 1999.
The MDT recognizes that any
armed attack in the Pacic area
on either of the parties would be
dangerous to its own peace and safety
and declares that it would meet the
common dangers in accordance with
its constitutional processes. Any
such armed attack and all measures
taken as a result thereof shall be
immediately reported to the Security
Council of the United Nations. Such
measures shall be terminated when
the Security Council has taken the
measures necessary to restore and
maintain international peace and
stability.
The VFA for its part provides
the rules governing the temporary
visit of US forces, usually for the
purpose of conducting joint military
exercises with the Armed Forces of
the Philippines.
As a sitting senator in 1999, I
had the privilege of co-sponsoring
and actively defending on the Floor
the Senate resolution concurring in
the ratification of the VFA, together
with Sen. Blas Ople of happy
memory, then chairman of the
Foreign Relations committee, and
Sen. (now Rep.) Rodolfo Biazon,
former AFP Chief of Staff, and
then chairman of national defense
committee.
I have not regretted carrying a big
part of the burden of those debates.
But I do regret seeing certain things
happen under the VFA in exactly
the way I had been assured by the
government at the time, and had
in turn assured the public, they
would not. That is not a fault of
the agreement, but rather of those
implementing or not implementing
it.
Contrary to what many may be
seeing today, the VFA was not meant
to allow the open-ended stationing
of US forces or the establishment
of anything that may be construed
as a permanent or semi-permanent
basing facility anywhere in the
Philippines. It was not meant
for that purpose, and it cannot be
used as the basis for any expanded
US presence in the country, as
reportedly agreed to our Secretary
of Foreign Affairs.
(concluded tomor r ow)
The controversy
between the
Bases Conversion
Development
Authority and
Camp John Hay
Development Corp.
rages.
News
ManilaStandardToday
mst.daydesk@gmail.com APRIL 24, 2012 TUESDAY
A6
IN BRIEF
Demolition melee probe ordered
Govt wants non-paying
Payanig tenants evicted
Court rejects Orate appeal;
Bulacan dad pleads not guilty
Tolentino tackles Katipunan Ave. trafc
Manila
Standard
TODAY
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
DPWH INFRA-07 - Standard Advertisement Revised IRR
INVITATION TO BID
The Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) of the DPWH, Mindoro Oriental District
Engineering Offce, through the Government of the Philippines 2012, invites
contractors to bid for the following projects:
1.) Contract ID : 12ED0038
Contract Name : Restoration of CNR K0040+892-K0040+925
Contract Location : Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro
Scope of Work : Repair/Reconstruction of 36.50 L.m. Slope Protection
Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC): Php 5,080,953.91
Contract Duration : 90 calendar days
The BAC will conduct the procurement process in accordance with the Revised
IRR of R.A. 9184. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected
at the opening of bid.
To bid for this contract, a contractor must submit a Letter of Intent (LOI), purchase
bid documents and must meet the following major criteria: (a) prior registration with
DPWH, (b) Filipino citizen or 75% Filipino-owned partnership, corporation, cooperative,
or joint venture, (c) with PCAB license applicable to the type and cost of this contract,
(d) completion of a similar contract costing at least 50% of ABC within a period of 10
years, and (e) Net Financial Contracting Capacity at least equal to ABC, or credit line
commitment at least equal to 10% of ABC. The BAC will use non-discretionary pass/
fail criteria in the eligibility check and preliminary examination of bids.
Unregistered contractors, however, shall submit their applications for
registration to the DPWH-POCW Central Offce before the deadline for the
receipt of LOI. The DPWH-POCW Central Offce 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.
The signifcant times and deadlines of procurement activities are shown below;
1. Issuance of Bidding Documents April 20, 2012 to May 10, 2012
2. Pre-Bid Conference April 27, 2012
3. Deadline of Receipt of LOI from Prospective
Bidders
May 03, 2012
4. Receipt of Bids May 10, 2012 up to 10:00 A.M.
5. Opening of Bids May 10, 2012 @ 10:00 A.M
The BAC will issue hard copies of Bidding Documents (BDs) at BAC Offce, DPWH,
Mindoro Oriental District Engineering Offce, upon payment of a non-refundable fee of
Ten Thousand Pesos (P 10,000.00). 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 on or before the submission of their
bid Documents. The Pre-Bid Conference shall be open only to interested parties who
have purchased the BDs. Bids must be accompanied by a bid security, in the amount
and acceptable form, as stated in Section 27.2 of the Revised IRR.
Prospective bidders shall submit their duly accomplished forms as 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 DPWH, Mindoro Oriental District Engineering Offce reserves the right to
accept or reject any bid, to annul the bidding process at any time prior to contract
award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder/s.

Approved by:
(Sgd.) NESTOR L. DEL ROSARIO
BAC Chairman
(MST-Apr. 24, 2012)
Republic of the Philippines
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS AND HIGHWAYS
Region IV-B, MIMAROPA
OFFICE OF THE DISTRICT ENGINEER
Mindoro Oriental District Engineering Offce
Masipit, Calapan City 5200, Oriental Mindoro
Tel. No (043) 288-2365
Robredo said he was told that
the policemen assigned to escort
the demolition teams did not ini-
tiate the hostilities but merely
protected themselves and their
companions when violence
erupted.
He also urged both parties to
submit any video footage they
may have to make the investiga-
tion more comprehensive.
Robredo said he is looking
into reports that certain individ-
uals agitated the residents into
thinking that the entire com-
pound would be demolished.
Silverio Compound hosts an es-
timated 6,000 shanties.
Actually, only 40 to 60 hous-
es were scheduled to be demol-
ished along with the small mar-
ket, but then someone or some
groups started spreading rumors
that residential areas will also be
affected. This served to agitate
the residents so bad, that they
hurled rocks, bottles, and what-
ever else was portable at our po-
lice ofcers, Robredo said.
The Southern Police District
(SPD) said at least four police-
men were among those injured
in the clash, which started
around 10 a.m. About 30 people,
mostly market vendors, were
rounded up.
The lone fatality, who ap-
peared to be shot in the head,
has yet to be identied. A vil-
lage watchman was also listed
in critical condition after being
shot in the abdomen during the
confusion.
Targeted for demolition was
the small market outside the
9.2-hectare Silverio Compound
in Barangay San Isidro, which
the city government said houses
about 28,000 squatter families.
That market was block-
ing the main road, and those
were covered by a court order,
Paranaque Mayor Florencio
Bernabe Jr. said, referring to the
demolition order issued by the
Paranaque Regional Trial Court
Branch 195.
Chief Insp. Jenny Tecson of
the SPD-Public Information Of-
ce said the court sheriff was
negotiating with the residents
when militant groups number-
ing 1,500 suddenly broke ranks
and assaulted the line of the po-
licemen with stones, bottles and
Molotov bombs.
The angry mob even tried to
burn down police cars and re
trucks as the anti-riot policemen
charged back, ring warning
shots and tear gas canisters, ac-
cording to Tecson.
The police contingent nally
regained control of the stretch of
Sucat Road at around 11:30 am.
It was only then that the market
was demolished, Tecson added.
Bernabe said the fatality was
not a resident of Silverio Com-
pound. He, however, vowed to
conduct an investigation into
the death.
As early as 7 a.m., police es-
timated some 10,000 residents
were barricaded at entrance to
the Silverio Compound and
blocked trafc along Sucat
Road.
By Ferdinand Fabella
INTERIOR and Local Government
Secretary Jesse Robredo has ordered
an immediate investigation into the
demolition of shanties at the Silverio
Compound, Barangay San Antonio in
Paraaque City which resulted in the
death of one person and injuries to at
least 20 others yesterday.
Policemen try to shield themselves from objects hurled at them by residents of squatter colony in Paranaque City that was demolished yesterday.
At least one person was killed while 20 others were hurt in the melee that Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo wants investigated. DANNY PATA
By Rio N. Araja

THE Metro Manila Develop-
ment Authority on Monday met
with homeowners in villages as
well as ofcials of schools on
Katipunan Avenue in Quezon
Cityto thresh out solutions to
trafc problems in the area.
Chairman Francis Tolentino
said his agency can implement
some measures to ease the grid-
lock on Katipunan Avenue, like
the modication of U-turn slots,
enforcement of a truck and tri-
cycle ban, installation of closed
circuit televisions and deputation
of trafc aides.
Tolentino met with the resi-
dents and school ofcials six
days after the popular travel
website CNNGo.com listed
Metro Manila as the third worst
places in the world to drive and
depicted the story with a pic-
ture showing a stalled public
utility vehicle being pushed by
its passengers.
The MMDA chief said the
agency is more than willing
to extend trafc enforcement
training for community trafc
aides to be composed of parents
and security personnel from the
schools because trafc man-
agement is not the sole respon-
sibility of the government al-
though the MMDA employs
thousands of trafc enforcers.
The involvement of the
community is of great help to
MMDA, said Tolentino, who
initially denied that Metro Ma-
nila is one of the third worst
places to drive in the world and
even invited a crew from CNN-
Go.com to visit Manila and
join him in driving around the
major thoroughfares of Metro
Manila.
But Presidential Communica-
tions Development and Strategic
Planning Ofce Secretary Ricky
Carandang was more forthright.
I do drive and I know that
trafc here is pretty bad. I also
know that there are a number of
things that are being undertak-
en, Carandang said.
We think that improving the
road infrastructure in Metro Ma-
nila will eventually improve the
trafc. We also think that bet-
ter enforcement by the MMDA,
lets say of kotong cops, colorum
buses and jeeps will also lead to
an improvement in the trafc sit-
uation, he added. We can also
exercise a little more discipline
in the road, myself included.
Tolentino said there will be
more consultations and dialogues
with barangay ofcials, school
and university ofcials, trafc
engineers, residents and students
regarding trafc.
By Florante S. Solmerin
THE Presidential Commission on Good
Government (PCGG) asked a Pasig City
court on Monday to issue an order of evic-
tion on tenants who have not paid their rent
on the properties they occupy at the Paya-
nig sa Pasig.
Nicanor Suarez, PCGG chief information
ofcers, said they led the motion for evic-
tion against Citygolf Development Corpo-
ration and nine other tenants who have not
paid their rent since 2008.
The PCGG seeks the eviction of the ten-
ants for non-payment of rental fees covering
the period September 2008 to January 2012.
The tenants have not been paying rental fees
for more than three years, to the damage and
prejudice of the government, Suarez said.
The other 9 deliquent tenants are Trans-
view Golf Philippines Inc., actor Augustus
Albert Martinez (Uncle Moes Shawarma
Hub), Salome R. Baltazar (Razons), Paolo
M. Olives (Golfworx), Innovative Bar and
Restaurant Concepts Inc. (Bugsys Bar and
Restaurant), Anne Sirikit Del Mundo (An-
gels Pizza), Geeks New York Pizzeria, Inc.
(Brooklyn Pizza), and Tijuanas Mexican
Grill Corporation.
The MPLDC, a government controlled
rm which owns the land, wrote the tenants
in March 2011 to demand payment of their
unpaid rentals.
[But] the tenants unjustiably refused to
comply, and to this day, continue to occupy
subject premises to the damage and preju-
dice of the government, Suarez read from
their pleading.
The PCGG and MPLDC also asked the
court to issue a writ of preliminary mandatory
injunction compelling the tenants to turn over
physical possession and vacate the premises.
It also asked the court to order the tenants
to pay damages to the government represent-
ing reasonable compensation for the use and
enjoyment of the subject premises beginning
September 2008 up to January 2012 and for
lost opportunities and offers from potential
lessees willing to lease the subject premises
based on the current fair rental value.
THE SON-in-law of former congresswoman
Nanette Daza yesterday pleaded not guilty
to the homicide charge led against him for
killing Dazas long-time boyfriend Noel
Orate inside the former lawmakers resi-
dence on Feb. 10.
At the same time, Quezon City Regional
Trial Court Branch 218 Judge Luis Zenon
Maceren junked the Orate familys appeal
to defer the arraignment of Romeo Allan
Robes, 38, because they had a pending mo-
tion for reinvestigation before the Depart-
ment of Justice to upgrade the homicide
charges to murder.
The Orates last week asked Justice Sec-
retary Leila de Lima to upgrade the charges
because Prosecutor General Carlos Arel-
lano, who signed the charge sheet, allegedly
ignored evidence showing that there was
treachery, abuse of superior strength, aid of
armed men and use of an unlicensed rearm
in the incident, all aggravating circumstanc-
es that justify the upgrade.
The Orate family also accused prosecu-
tors of disregarding several key physical
evidence against Robes that would have
merited the charge of murder.
The Orate family lawyer, Eduardo
Bringas, also said the prosecutors dis-
regarded the death investigation report
of the National Bureau of Investigation,
which would have [shown] that there was
probable cause to charge the respondent-
appellee for murder.
The prosecutor general erred in disre-
garding the physical evidence which is the
highest in the hierarchy of evidence and the
afdavits of witnesses showing that there is
probable cause to indict respondent-appellee
for murder, read the petition.
Robes is a provincial board member of
Bulacan and the husband of Quezon Citys
District 4 Councilor Jessica Daza, the daugh-
ter of ex-representative Nanette Castelo-
Daza and niece of incumbent Congressman
Winnie Castelo. Rio N. Araja
Manila cops tagged
in extortion attempt
A JAPANESE tourist accused police-
men of Manila Police District Station 5
of allegedly trumping up rape charges
against him because he refused to pay
P1 million for his freedom.
No less than Manila Mayor Alfredo
Lim revealed in a press conference yes-
terday that the supposed 17-year-old
college students who was purportedly
raped by Yukiga Haga, 41, was a fake.
Lim ordered a thorough investigation
into the alleged extortion try by the MPD
policemen, who had earlier claimed that
Haga raped a 17-year old student of St.
Paul College.
Lim said ofcials of the Japanese em-
bassy presented an afdavit of a young
woman named Mabel who denied that
she was raped on April 19, 2012 at
about 7 p.m. inside the Bayview Hotel
on Roxas Boulevard in Manila.
The police had earlier claimed that
Mabels purported sister Glaiza went
to the police and claimed that her sis-
ter was raped by Haga, who was sub-
sequently arrested while he was having
coffee with Mabel at a Starbucks coffee
shop in Ermita, Manila.
At the police station, Haga claimed
that the policemen took turns in asking
him for P1 million for his liberty, but he
refused to yield and asked for help from
the Japanese Embassy.
To help Haga, the Japanese embassy
allegedly conducted its research and they
located the alleged real Mabel and her
mother, who denied that her daughter
was a victim of rape, and that her daugh-
ter was not a student of St. Paul. She al-
legedly denied that Mabel has a sister by
the name Glaiza. Hernani Cuare
Fire razes Zenco shoe
factory in Malabon
A FIRE of still undetermined origin hit
a footwear factory in Malabon City yes-
terday and razed at least P4 million in
property and products.
Arson investigator SFO4 Alvin Torres
of the Malabon City Fire Station said the
re started at the ground oor of the two-
story Zenco Footsteps Corp. on Luna Street
in Barangay Concepcion at 12:20 a.m.
Torres said the re that reached the
third alarm lasted for more than four
hours until it was put out at 4:30 a.m.
Some items inside the establishment
were combustible causing the blaze to
spread quickly. Gigi Muoz David
IN BRIEF
Aric named Altas coach
Blackwater eyes 4
th
win
Eagles stop Bombers, 77-71
ARIC Del Rosario is back.
Del Rosario, who was behind the
University of Santo Tomas Tigers
four consecutive basketball titles from
1993 to 1996, is bringing his act to the
University of Perpetual Help Altas in
the coming 88th season of the National
Collegiate Athletic Association mens
basketball tournament.
Del Rosario, who was offered the
coaching job by the Las Pinas-based
school as early as last year, gave his nod
only this year.
But for now, his son, Lester will handle
the coaching reins, while Del Rosario
serves as technical ofcial in two pre-
season tournaments.
Del Rosario took the place of Jimwel
Gican, who was part of the coaching
staff of former coach Boris Aldeguer,
who resigned a week before the start of
season due to personal reasons.
The Altas will also parade a new set
of players, including Nigerian center
Adefemi Babayemi. Peter Atencio
STREAKING Blackwater Sports tries
to clinch a crucial fourth win when it
tests the mettle of Cebuana Lhuillier
on Tueday in the elimination round of
the Philippine Basketball Association
D-League Foundation Cup at the San
Juan Gym.
After a huge win against Big Chill
last April 12, the Elite go for the all-
important, fourth straight win against the
Gems in their 4 p.m. duel.
A favorable result would give
Blackwater Sports (4-1) a rm grip on
the no.2 spot behind leader and unbeaten
defending champion NLEX. More
importantly, it will enhance its chances
for an outright seminal berth.
THE Ateneo Blue Eagles banked on
the hot hands of Kiefer Ravena, Tonito
Gonzaga and Nico Salva in stopping the
Jose Rizal University Heavy Bombers,
77-71, Sunday in the 19th Fr. Martin
Summer Cup basketball tournament.
Ravena tallied 18 points, while
Gonzaga and Salva had 15 points apiece
for the Blue Eagles, who posted their
second straight win at the Dom Placid
gymnasium inside the San Beda College-
Manila campus in Mendiola, Manila.
In another senior game, the Informatics
Icons rode on the game-long brilliance of
Eric Acuna, who red 10 of his 18-point
output in the third period to put away
Ateneo-B, 80-62.
A7 Sports Riera U. Mallari, Editor
ManilaStandardToday
sports_mstandard@yahoo.com
Led by triple gold medalists Rabino
Wilson and Jerome Magallanes, Region
4-A captured eight of the 16 nals
yesterday while Echavez, carrying the
colors of Central Visayas, swept the
womens 200 and 50-meter freestyle to
begin her pledge of winning all of her
eight events in the meet.
A freshman student at La Salle-
Dasmarinas, Magallanes, 17, topped
the mens 100-meter breaststroke
(1:13.4) and the 400-meter individual
medley (5:39.86), while Wilson, a
third-year University of Perpetual
Southern Tagalog tankers win
CEBU CITYSouthern Tagalog tankers and
Cebuana phenom Loren Dale Echavez made
waves to usher in the swimming competitions
of the 2012 Private Schools Athletic Association
National Collegiate Games at the Cebu City
Sports Center here Monday.
Alaska to develop world-class triathletes
I HAD a lengthy interview with
some members of the newly
formed Alaska Team TBB
Philippines last weekend. The
team is composed of 10 members
of four foreign professionals and
six promising local athletes, who
will serve as scholars.
Present at the interview
were the ve teenage, scholars
including Dhill Anderson Lee,
Martin Torres, Nena Torres,
Marc Altura and Banjo Northe.
Another scholar, Loren Dale
Echavez, was at another
competition.
I was also able to talk to one
of the professionals Matthieu
OHalloran, who serves as
unofcial assistant coach to
coach Brett Sutton and the
scholars mentor.
OHalloran said that more
than just winning races, the
Alaska Team TBB program
hopes to develop a generation
of Filipino champions in the
sport of triathlon. This will
be accomplished through the
athlete development program.
Filipino scholarship athletes
will be provided spots in the
team so that they may follow in
the footsteps of the teams pro
athletes.
What I found admirable was
the dedication and the discipline
of the scholars. They are all
students and have successfully
combined excellence in sports
with academic and scholastic
competence.
Triathlon is a particularly
demanding sport because it
combines the three disciplines of
swim, bike and run in one sport.
This means that triathletes have
to practice all three disciplines.
Practicing for one sport and
maintaining high grades is
difcult enough. Practicing for
three disciplines demands real
hard work and sacrice.
OHalloran said the best
foundation for a would-be
triathlete is swimming. This is
because swimming is a sport
which needs to be mastered at a
young age. He says that if youre
not a good swimmer at a young
age, chances are you wont
become a good swimmer later
in life no matter how hard you
practice.
Three youngsters from
Cagayan De Orothe Torres
siblings and Northewill
compete in swimming at the
coming Palarong Pambansa, a
national competition for high
school students.
Strangely enough OHallorans
original sport of choice was
snowboarding in Canada. But he
said he put in a lot of swimming
time as a youngster.
The 26-year-old OHalloran
has been in the country since
2007. You could say he came,
fell in love with the country
and stayed for keeps. He has
participated in more than
100 races in the world. He
represented Canada in three
World Championships. Recently,
he won 1st Place in the Zambales
Beach Games Triathlon and 1st
Place in Bantayan Beach Games
Triathlon.
Though not as procient
as Alex Compton, another
foreigner who has mastered
the native dialects, OHalloran
speaks almost intelligible
Filipino. He says he could
understand the spoken language
of Filipino completely as long as
the speaker doesnt talk too fast.
Alaska team TBB will
compete in all major triathlon
races in the Philippines (Ironman
5i50 Subic Bay, 70.3 Cebu).
They will carry the Alaska
brand in major international
races which include the Ironman
Asia Pacic Championship in
Melbourne, European Ironman
Championship in Frankfurt and
the World Championship in
Kona, Hawaii.
The foreign athletes include
Caroline Steffen, Ali Fitch,
OHalloran and David Dellow
according to Alaska Milk
President and CEO Fred
Uytengsu.
But we want to augment
this with promising young
Filipino athletes that will be
able to represent the country at
international competitions in the
near future, said Uytengsu in a
separate interview. Obviously,
having a top caliber coach in
Brett Sutton helps make this
goal a real possibility,
Uytengsu added that Alaska
Team TBBs professional
athletes will not only race for the
team but also act as role models
to the young, providing hope and
opportunity through sport.
* * *
If you want to find out how
I sound like please tune in to
the two-time KBP Best Sports
Program on the radio, MBC
Sports Center, in our new
time slot 1 to 2 p.m., every
Sunday, over the no. 1 radio
network in Asia, dzRH, 666
on your AM dial.
The same program is simulcast
on RHTV over Channel 25 on
Sun Cable and Channel 9 on
Cable Link. Sports Center can
be followed live from anywhere
in the world through the Internet
on http://dzrh.tripod.com and
http://dzrh.prepys.com.
For comments, questions and
non-violent reactions please,
send your e-mail to reuelvidal@
ymail.com.
REUEL VIDAL
SPORTS CENTER
Help-Laguna student, took the mens
200 free (2:13.99) and 50 free (25.84)
for their individual golds.
Magallanes and Wilson then secured
their third golds by teaming up with
Roque Hizola and Julius Rarela in ruling
the mens 200 medley relay in 2:02.03.
Diminutive Jackelyn Orig of the
Saint Anne College-Lucena shared
the spotlight with her male teammates
in topping womens 200 buttery
(2:43.16) and 400 IM (5:56.61),
while Andrea Fuentes, Cherilyn
Jurado, Erleane Medina and Helyna
Magallanes capped Southern Tagalogs
mighty show in winning the womens
400 freestyle relay (4:51.00).
Easily the swimmer to reckon with
in the womens division, Echavez,
who plucked seven golds and a silver
in last years PRISAA Games, did not
disappoint her hometown fans as the
third-year BS Biology University of
San Carlos student stamped her class
in winning both her individual events.
She took the womens 200 free in a
time of 2:15.68, more than 20 seconds
ahead of runner-up Jurado of Southern
Tagalog (2:36.00), and added the 50
free in 28.06 to handily prevail over
Western Visayas Reynalisa Catapang
(31.36).
THE Philippines shooting representative to the London
Olympics is now down to two shotgun shootersBrian del
Rosario (skeet) and Hagen Topacio (trap).
This was announced yesterday by Philippine National
Shooting Association president Mikee Romero, who is in
London attending the General Assembly of the International
Sports Shooting Federation.
Romero said that ISSF Vice President and Asian Shooting
Confederation President Sheik Salman Al Sabah has assured
the country of a slot in shotgun, since the rie and pistol
events in the coming quadrennial games are already full.
Al Sabah, who is a member of the Royal family of Kuwait, vigorously
pushed that the Philippines be given a wild-card in the Olympics.
We have to lobby day in and day out for us not to lose
that slot, we have chased the ISSF and IOC (International
Olympic Committee) all over the world for the Philippines
to be given the wild-card, said Romero, who thanked former
PNSA president Arturo Macapagal for his support.
Manny Lopez, the countrys chef de mission, has also rallied the
support of several allies so that the country will have a slot in shooting.
I also would like to thank the members of the POC (Philippines
Olympic Committee) for their support in giving shooting a slot
in the London Games, added Romero, who is also the president
and Chief Executive Ofcer of Harbour Centre.
Shotgun shooter headed for London Olympics
THE Faldo Series Asia will start its
new season in San Pedro near Manila
when the Faldo Series Philippines
Championship tees off at TAT Filipinas
Golf Club on April 24 to 26.
The tournament has been expanded
to three rounds in its fth year to give
more opportunity to the countrys young
golng stars.
Golfers aged 12 to 21 will compete
over 54 holes for a place in the Faldo
Series Asia Grand Final, to be hosted
by Sir Nick Faldo at Mission Hills Golf
Club in China next March.
With the mixed eld divided into ve
age categories three for boys and two
for girls the winner in each category
will qualify for the World Amateur Golf
Ranking event on the Faldo Course in
Shenzhen.
The Faldo Series Asia recently
announced a record schedule for its
seventh season, with 18 tournaments in
15 countries across the region during the
next 12 months.
Starting in the Philippines, the six-
time Major Champions global golf
development program will also stage
four tournaments in mainland China and
others in Chinese Taipei, Pakistan, Hong
Kong, Vietnam, Singapore, Brunei,
Cambodia, Nepal, India, Malaysia,
Japan, Indonesia and Thailand.
The Faldo Series Asia is supported by
major partners ISPS, Mission Hills and
The R&A, ofcial golf wear partner UFL
and ofcial suppliers TaylorMade and
Tricor. It is endorsed by the Asian Tour
and the Asia Pacic Golf Federation.
Established in 1996, 38 Faldo Series
tournaments now take place in 28
countries worldwide with more than
7,000 golfers participating each year.
Past winners include Major Champions
Rory McIlroy and Yani Tseng.
Faldo Series Asia tees off new season
A WIN is still a win, and with that,
the Lady Pirates of the Lyceum
of the Philippines University
posted their fourth straight
victory via a default win over
University Athletic Association
of the Philippines champion
Far Eastern University, which
failed to report for the game
last weekend at the Sandugo-
Collegiate Development League
at the Treston College inside the
Bonifacio Global City.
College of St. Benildes
womens team joined LPU at
the top after debuting with
an impressive 51-30 win over
University of the Philippines-
Diliman, which suffered its
second defeat for a 1-2 record.
Still in the womens
division, National University
rebounded from a loss to LPU
with an emphatic 92-21 victory
over Miriam Universitys high
school squad for a 2-1 record,
while Miriam occupied the
bottom with a 0-2 mark.
San Beda College-Alabang
was also winless in two games
after absorbing a 38-70 drubbing
at the hands of University of Sto.
Tomas, which raised its card to 1-2,
following losses to FEU and LPU.
In the mens side of the
competition, also backed by the
Philippine Sports Commission,
Gatorade, Phiten and Primovit,
National University made short
work of Enderun, winning 74-
42 to share the lead with STI
and Informatics at 1-0.
Enderun won its game
against the Trinity University
of Asia, 55-49, for joint second
place with TUA and College of
St. Benilde at 1-1.
Lyceum
nails 4
th
triumph
IN celebration of its ninth anni-
versary, the SERVIAM Catholic
Charismatic Community Founda-
tion will be launching the second
Jaime Cardinal Sin Memorial
Golf Classic at the Wack Wack
Golf and Country Club on May 4.
The 18-hole event pays trib-
ute to the late Jaime Cardinal
Sin, whose efforts included up-
lifting the quality of life of the
poor, as well as playing a cru-
cial role in the transformation
of the Philippine society.
At the same time, funds will
be raised for a wide variety of
programs such as marriage and
family enrichment seminars, and
developing servant leaders in the
various mission outreach areas, in
cooperation with Caritas Manila.
At stake in the event, supported
by gold sponsors Philex Mining,
Gallery Big, Standard Insurance
Corporation, hole sponsors GBR
Foundation Inc., Joaquin Gallery,
Raoul C. Romulo, Toyota Global,
Dr. Jaime Tomas and Asian Cen-
tre for Insulation Philippines plus
mission partners, is a specially de-
signed Ramon Orlina trophy for
the champion.
Entry fee into the event is
pegged at P5,000 per head cov-
ering the Green Fee, lunch, tour-
nament giveaways and partici-
pation in the rafe.
Player registration is scheduled
at 6 a.m., followed by shotgun tee
off at 7 a.m. For inquiries, interested
parties may contact the organizers,
headed by Layann Orlina and
Sheila Baylon (0927-2809305) at
722-2989 or by email at serviam.
community@gmail.com
Cardinal Sin
memorial
golfest set
De Ocampo is top cager
ALWAYS trust Ranidel de Ocampo to
deliver at the clutch.
Talk N Texts do-it-all forward proved
this by helping boost the Tropang Texters
to a pair of crucial wins in the seminals
that fanned their hopes of retaining
the Philippine Basketball Association
Commissioners Cup title.
The Accel-PBA Press Corps Player of the
Week for the period April 16 to 22 shone the
most from among TNTs locals in the back-
to-back victories over tenacious Barako
Bull, enabling the defending champions to
wrap up the best-of-ve duel, 3-2.
In those games, De Ocampo averaged
20.5 points and 7.0 rebounds in atoning
for his relatively lackluster performances
in the series other matches.
Net champ. Sally Mae
Siso again dominated
the Visayas region after
capturing the girls'
18-under division in
the recent 2012 MILO
Junior Tennis Cup
at the Consolacion
International Tennis
Center in Cebu Province.
Siso received her trophy
and tennis equipment
from CITC ofcials
Ken Salimbangon and
Nestor Toledo and
organizer CTW director
Jovy Mamawal in the
MILO netfest sanctioned
by the Philippine
Tennis Association and
supported by Wilson
tennis balls.
Shooting president Mikee Romero, with ISSF Vice President and
Asian Shooting Confederation president Sheik Salman Al Sabah
in a recent meeting.
THERE is confusion over
the report that Filipino Arden
Diale is scheduled to ght
World Boxing Association
yweight champion Hernan
Tyson Marquez on
July 14 at the Cowboys
Stadium in Dallas, Texas
on the undercard of World
Boxing Organization junior
welterweight champion
Juan Manuel Marquezs
title defense against a still
unnamed opponent.
Boxingscene.com said
Zanfer Promotions, headed by
Fernando Beltran, who works
closely with Top Ranks
Bob Arum, announced the
Marquez-Diale title ght.
However, in a strange
twist, the Filipino boxers
manager Dante Almario
told the Manila Standard
he didnt know who made
this deal. Even international
ma t c hma ke r / pr omot e r
Sampson Lewkowicz, who
signed up Diale two years
ago, also knows nothing
about the title ght.
Filipino promoter Sammy
Gello-ani, who is a partner
of Lewkowicz, said he had
contacted the international
matchmaker/promoter and
made it clear that nobody
other than Lewkowicz or
Sean Gibbons have the right
to deal on behalf of Diale.
Gello-ani said he is hoping
to hear from Gibbons.
Ronnie Nathanielsz
INTERNATIONAL Container
Terminal Services Inc.
Splendido Classic winner
Miguel Tabuena and fellow
Asian Tour campaigners Tony
Lascuna, Artemio Murakami,
Mars Pucay, Jhonnel Ababa and
Jay Bayron re-join the ICTSI
Philippine Golf Tour, ensuring
a spirited chase for top honors
when the P2.5 million ICTSI
Sherwood Hills Classic is red
off Wednesday in Cavite.
Tabuena and the ve others
skipped last weeks second
leg at ICTSI Camp John Hay
Championship to vie in the
Indonesian Open, but are back
in the hunt for a local crown in
this weeks event, one of the
ve 72-hole championships
lined up in the 16-stage circuit
organized by Pilipinas Golf
Tournaments, Inc.
Frankie Minoza, winner
of the last years closing
leg at Wack Wack, has also
confirmed his participation
in the four-day event, making
it a star-studded affair and a
wide-open race for the top
P450,000 purse in the event
sponsored by ICTSI.
Tabuena rallied from behind to
snatch the Splendio crown from
Ferdie Aunzo in tough playing
conditions for his maiden pro
victory. At 17, he also became
the youngest winner on the pro
circuit.
But he will be as much
tested as the rest of the
fancied bets at Sherwood
with Salvador, toughened
up by his stints on the Asian
circuit, raring to retain the
crown he won over Murakami
and Pucay last year.
A8
Chan bags Golden Wheel, AAP awards
CLINCHING major achievements
last year fueled the big
improvement and racing maturity
of FERN-C Racings Matthew
Chan, under the tutelage of head
coach Edgen Dy-liacco.
This season, hes gearing for
bigger challenges ahead as he
moves up to the ROK Senior and
the KF2 classes.
The 16-year-old Chan, a top
student of St. Jude Catholic
School and Kumon Math School,
may not be as electrifying as the
top guns of karting, but certainly,
his suave driving and mental
alertness were key factors in his
winning moments, with the big
support of Sanyoseiki Stainless
Steel Corporation and BOSCH
Power Tools.
He not only bagged the ROK
Novice crown in the Petron Karting
Super Series, he also captured the
Asian ROK Senior plum.
Aside from these feats, Chan
was likewise heralded as the
2011 Clubman Karter of the Year
and got prestigious distinctions
from two reputable motorsports
awards bodies the Golden
Wheel and the Automobile
Association Philippines.
It was a fruitful year and I
couldnt have made it without
Gods guidance, the wisdom and
experience of coach Edgen, and
the support of my teammates,
crew and mechanics of the
FERN-C Racing Team, said
Chan, who will join the Riveras
Milo and Estefano, and Suba
brothers VJ and Vrei-AR, in the
second leg of the 2012 Petron
Karting Super Series on April 28
and 29 at the Batangas Racing
Circuit.
To the Golden Wheel and
the AAP, thank you for the
distinction. And to my loving
parents who supported me all
the way, I give them back these
victories and recognitions, he
added.
Big guns back in rich ICTSI Sherwood golf
Confusion
over Diale
title ght
Sports
Manila Standard TODAY
sports@manilastandardtoday.com sports_mstandard@yahoo.com Riera U. Mallari, Editor
LOTTO RESULTS
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NBA RESULTS
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
POUND-FOR-POUND king Manny
Pacquiao said he is focused on his
training for the showdown against
undefeated junior welterweight
champion Timothy Desert Storm
Bradley and refuses to get sidetracked
by the Alex Ariza caper.
However, a visibly upset
trainer Freddie Roach said
Ariza abandoned both Pacquiao
and former junior lightweight
champion Amir Khan in the
middle of training camp in
Baguio City and accused the
strength and conditioning coach
of trying to take Khan with him
when he left last Saturday for
Los Angeles.
Roach intimated to Australian
TV host and promoter Peter
Maniatis that he told Khan,
Ariza didnt know anything
about training a ghter. He also
prevented Ariza from taking
Khan along with him.
Roach is the trainer of Khan,
while Ariza is his strength and
conditioning coach.
Ariza told Manila Standar d
earlier that he had received
permission from Pacquiao last
Friday to leave, so he could
train World Boxing Council
middleweight champion Julio
Cesar Chavez and that the
Filipino champ gave him the
approval to leave.
But Roach was reported
to have said that Ariza left
because he will earn more
money from Chavez Jr., as
ATENEO kicks off its title-
retention drive against Far
Eastern University today, while
former titlist San Sebastian
squares off with Letran in
what promises to be a slam-
bang opener of the Shakeys
V-League ninth season at The
Arena in San Juan.
With a short format
and an even-playing
eld of 10 teams
divided into two
groups, a spirited
battle with the top
four in each side
after a single round robin elims
advancing to the quarters is
expected.
That makes each game
crucial with the Lady Eagles,
backstopped by Thai ace
Lithawat Kesinee and a host of
talented locals, hoping to start
out with a win against an FEU
side raring to prove its worth.
Gametime is at 4 p.m.
The Lady Stags, winless since
ruling the second conference of
the 2008 season of the league
sponsored by Shakeys Pizza,
parade resident Thai import
Jang Bualee and Rubie de Leon
as they go up against the Lady
Knights, reinforced by Joy
Cases, at 2 p.m.
Meanwhile, the organizing
Sports Vision has cited the
growth of the sport the last
few years even as it
expressed condence
of coming up with
a truly commercial
league in the near
future.
Over the last
eight years, we have seen
womens volleyball grow in
popularity. We believe that
this is due to the tournament
we have put up as more
students are now willing to
take up the sport with the end
in view of eventually playing
in the Shakeys V-League.
Hopefully, this interest will
result in the development of
better players for our national
team, said Sports Vision
president Ricky Palou.
Ateneo kicks off title
bid as V-League starts
Cone wants Dalupans record
Pacman vows: I
wont lose focus
By Jeric Lopez

AT THE back of his head,
B-MEG coach Tim Cone also
has a realistic goal that he
personally wants to achieve,
besides winning a championship
with his new team.
Cone, the second winningest
coach in Philippine Basketball
Association history, aims to
move up the ladder and become
the mentor with the most number
of championships won when
everything is said and done in
his illustrious career.
Moreover, that goal is somewhat
signicant for Cone as the man
above him, the one he wanted to
pass and overtake, is his personal
hero--Baby Dalupan.
I have two goals left in life
right now. The rst one is to
send my children to college and
the second is chase and pass my
idol and hero Baby Dalupan,
said Cone.
Currently, Cone, who has 13
championships under his belt, is
just two titles behind Dalupan.
The legendary former Crispa
Redmanizers mentor has the
most PBA coaching titles with an
astounding 15 crowns to his credit.
Cone needs two more to tie and
at three to be the all-time leader.
On Monday, Cone and his
B-MEG Llamados began their
best-of-seven championship
against defending champion Talk
N Text for the 2012 Philippine
Basketball Association
Commissioners Cup.
This is a perfect chance for
Cone, should his Llamados
play to their potential and
expectations, to inch closer to
Dalupan.
he is reportedly also a co-
manager of the Mexican,
besides being his strength
and conditioning coach.
Maniatis reported that
Pacquiao went jogging in the
morning, along with Khan.
During Pacquiaos training
at the Cooyesan Gym,
Maniatis said that the Fighter
of the Decade looked 60
percent ready, but still has
tremendous power.
Pacquiao is right on target
and theres no need to worry,
said Maniatis.
Pacquiao himself said
that Filipino trainers Buboy
Fernandez and Nony Neri, as
well as former amateur boxer
Marvin Somodio, whom Roach
thinks highly of as a trainer and
physical instructor, could easily
ll in for Ariza.
However, with his new-
found religiosity and study of
the Bible, Pacquiao told some
members of Team Pacquiao, not
to judge Ariza.
Beermen
grab solo
ABL lead
THE San Miguel Beermen routed
the Chang Thailand Slammers, 103-
76, to overtake the AirAsia Patriots
for the Asean Basketball League
Sunday at the Thai-Japanese Asso-
ciation Gym in Bangkok, Thailand.
The Beermen won their
fourth straight game for a
14-4 record ahead of the Air
Asia Patriots (13-4), with the
seminal berth in the bag.
Former Petron import Nick
Fazekas led the Beermen with 22
points and seven boards, while Duke
Crews had 14 and five boards for the
team, which was sailing the rest of the
way after a 26-all tie in the first quarter.
Fil-American guard Chris Ban-
chero had 15 points, seven assists
and two steals, while Leo Avenido
had 15 markers. Shooter Benedict
Fernandez tallied 10 and four steals.
The Slammers, who absorbed
their 13th loss in 18 games and are
virtually out of the playoffs, were
led by Calvin Williams20 points.
The Beermens next assign-
ment will be against the Sin-
gapore Slingers (April 25),
Bangkok Cobras (April 28) and
Saigon Heat (May 9).
Matthew Chan (center) receives the Automobile Association Philippines
trophy from AAP president Gus Lagman (left) and AAP Motorsports
Committee chairman Mandy Eduque.
LAKERS 114, THUNDER 106, 2OT
CLIPPERS 107, HORNETS 98
KNICKS 113, HAWKS 112
KINGS 114, BOBCATS 88
HEAT 97, ROCKETS 88
PISTONS 76, RAPTORS 73
WARRIORS 93, WOLVES 88
SPURS 114, CAVALIERS 98
Games today
2 p.m. Letran
vs San Sebastian
4 p.m. Ateneo
vs FEU
Volleyball kings. Jade Illut (right) of University
of San Jose-Recoletos tries to foil the smash of
University of the Visayas Jade Becalde during
the nals of the15th Nestea Beach Volleyball
tournament at the Balabag beachfront sand
courts in Boracay. The Green Lancers won, 21-16,
21-19, to capture the mens crown.
Business
B1
Ray S. Eano, Editor business@manilastandardtoday.com
Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor extrastory2000@gmail.com
IN BRIEF
PDIC sues banks directors
SM gets
nearer to
acquiring
Ortigas
PSE COMPOSITE INDEX
Closing April 23, 2012
5,163.09
6.63
OIL
PRICES
TODAY
P780-P895.00
LPG/11-kg tank
P54.55-P61.02
Unleaded Gasoline
P46.10-P49.90
Diesel
P52.34-P57.85
Kerosene
P38.50-P39.20
Auto LPG
FOREI GN EXCHANGE RATE
Currency Unit US Dollar Peso
United States Dollar 1.000000 42.6790
Japan Yen 0.012274 0.5238
UK Pound 1.614200 68.8924
Hong Kong Dollar 0.128846 5.4990
Switzerland Franc 1.100352 46.9619
Canada Dollar 1.008369 43.0362
Singapore Dollar 0.801282 34.1979
Australia Dollar 1.037775 44.2912
Bahrain Dinar 2.652661 113.2129
Saudi Arabia Rial 0.266667 11.3811
Brunei Dollar 0.798085 34.0615
Indonesia Rupiah 0.000109 0.0047
Thailand Baht 0.032404 1.3830
UAE Dirham 0.272264 11.6200
Euro Euro 1.322100 56.4259
Korea Won 0.000879 0.0375
China Yuan 0.158516 6.7653
India Rupee 0.019223 0.8204
Malaysia Ringgit 0.326872 13.9506
NewZealand Dollar 0.816327 34.8400
Taiwan Dollar 0.033916 1.4475
Source: PDS Bridge
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas
Monday, April 23, 2012
PESO-DOLLAR RATE
40
42
44
46
48
P42.685
CLOSE
Closing APRIL 23, 2012
5200
4460
3720
2980
2240
1500
1200
VOLUME 786.600M
HIGH P42.550 LOW P42.690 AVERAGE P42.616
By Bernadette Lunas
THE Bureau of Internal
Revenue missed its collection
target in the rst quarter
because of the slower-than-
expected growth in March
revenues.
The tax agency said
collections in the rst quarter
rose 14.8 percent from a year
ago, but were short of the
target for the period.
It collected P229.04 billion in
taxes in the January-to-March
period, up by P29.5 billion
from the collection made in the
rst quarter of 2011.
The gure, however, was
short by P3.6 billion of
the governments tax goal
of P232.67 billion for the
quarter.
Collection in March grew
by 5 percent to P75.2 billion,
but the BIR also missed
the revenue target of P82.3
billion for the month.
The agency surpassed
its collection target in
February, setting the highest
monthly year-on-year growth
in two decades without
implementation of new tax
measures.
BIR collected P68.69
billion in February and
P85.15 billion in January.
The BIR, which accounts
for about 70 percent of state
revenues, set a collection
target of P1.06 trillion in
2012, up by 13.4 percent
from its P940-billion goal in
2011.
Actual collection last year
amounted to P924.1 billion.
The agency aims to
collect P302.68 billion in
tax revenues in the second
quarter.
It focuses on raising
the collection from self-
employed individuals,
particularly the high-income
earning professionals who
avoid paying taxes.
The BIR also said it would
continue to le cases against
tax evaders.
BIR missed Q1 collection target by P3.6b
By Elaine Ramos Alanguilan
THE Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp.
has led a criminal complaint before the
Justice Department against eight ofcials
of the closed Banco Filipino Savings and
Mortgage Bank for unsafe and unsound
banking schemes.
The state-run bank deposit
insurer led charges against the
banks board of directors and
executive committee members
Teodoro Arcenas Jr., Albert
Aguirre, Maxy Abad, Catherine
Aguirre-Hernandez, Deln
Dimagiba, Ramon Montano,
Orlando Samson and Francisco
Rivera.
The Bangko Sentral ordered
the closure of the Aguirre
family-owned bank and placed
it under the receivership of
PDIC in March 2011. The bank,
however, led a case against the
regulator.
Banco Filipino was accused of
extending loans to companies also
owned by the Aguirre family.
PDIC said the respondents
unduly favored 11 related
entities when they approved
loans amounting to P3.08 billion
in violation of the General
Banking Law and the banks
policy manual, and despite
adverse ndings by bank
personnel evaluating the loan
applications.
It said the loans resulted in
losses and damage to the bank.
They are related entities
because the respondents are also
directors/ofcers of the borrowing
companies or the companies that
allowed their properties to be
used as collaterals for the loans.
The complaint also stated that,
as of bank closure, respondents
willfully failed to collect P2.99
billion of these loans although
they have been past due for
periods ranging from four to
seven years.
The complaint alleged that
even as the bank was suffering
from huge operational losses,
the respondents did not exert any
effort to collect the said loans.
PDIC also said that from 2008
to 2011, the bank spent P515.5
million in legal fees, yet none of
it was spent to collect the past due
loans of the 11 related entities.
It also noted that Banco Filipino
advanced P37.556 million as real
estate taxes for the collaterals of
these loans.
PDIC had requested the
Justice Department to conduct a
preliminary investigation against
the respondents and the ling of
criminal charges of conducting
business in an unsafe and unsound
manner.
By Jenniffer B. Austria
THE SM group is getting
nearer to acquiring a majority
stake in the private holding
firm of the Ortigas family.
Everything is ready. The
nancing is ready. Were just
waiting for nal instruction,
SM Investments Corp. vice
chairman Henry Sy Jr. said.
Ortigas & Co. Limited
Partnership director Rafael
Ortigas conrmed last week in
an interview that both parties
were still in talks.
We are talking but we have
not concluded anything yet,
Ortigas said.
Sy said negotiations between
the two parties are getting
nearer and nearer and talks
are getting more frequent.
The Ortigas group has vast
properties in Mandaluyong,
San Juan and Quezon City.
Its properties include some of
the countrys best residential,
business and commercial
developments.
These include the landmark
Greenhills Shopping Center,
the nancial district of
Ortigas Center, value regional
shopping destination Tiendesitas
in the mixed-use prime location
of Frontera Verde, residential
areas Valle Verde subdivisions,
Greenmeadows, Greenhills
subdivisions, Luntala, Circulo
Verde and Viridian in Greenhills.
SM Investments, on the other
hand, is one of the countrys
largest conglomerates with
investments in banking,
real estate, shopping mall
development and mining.
SM Investments chief
finance officer Jose Sio
earlier confirmed the Sy
group eyed a majority
interest in OCLP.
Both groups, however, did
not disclose the size of the
transaction.
US to buy more sugar
THE US will import additional
72,373.653 metric tons of raw sugar
from the Philippines, on top of previous
allocation.
The US earlier granted the Philippines
138,827 metric tons of country-specic
in-quota allocation under favorable tariffs.
This refers to the minimum amount to
which the US is committed to import from
the Philippines with lower tariff rates under
the World Trade Organization Uruguay
Round agreements.
The United States Trade Representative
allocated 454,463 metric tons to preferred
countries that traditionally receive sugar
quota allocation.
Twenty-ve countries, including the
Philippines, will receive the minimum
quota allocation as well as the additional
volume that was reallocated.
Othel V. Campos
Belle to build mall
REAL estate and gaming rm Belle
Corp. plans to build a P2-billion high-
end shopping mall near its integrated
casino-entertainment complex in Pagcor
Entertainment City in Paraaque City.
Belle vice chairman Willy Ocier said
in an interview following the annual
stockholders meeting the company
would start next week the construction of
the shopping mall within the 2.5-hectare
Belle Grande complex.
The mall will have a gross oor area of
260,000 to 290,000 square meters and is
scheduled for completion by 2014.
Ocier said the shopping mall, which will
also have a world-class performing arts
theater, will target the high-end market.
The shopping mall will complement
the planned casino operations and will not
compete with the SM Mall of Asia, which
is very near the area, Ocier said.
The Belle Grande, which is scheduled to
open next year, will have 880 hotel rooms
under three brands of ve-star and six-star
quality and gaming area spanning 19,626
square meters. Jenniffer B. Austria
Acuzar
cited for
tourism.
Jose Acuzar,
chairman of
New San Jose
Builders Inc.
which built Las
Casas Filipinas
de Acuzar in
Bagac, Bataan,
was cited for
his exemplary
contribution to
tourism during
the 8th Annual
Tourism
Award of the
Rotary Club of
Manila at the
Manila Polo
Club. Shown
are (from left)
Rotary Club
of Manila
Tourism Award
committee
chairman
Robert Lim
Joseph, Acuzar
and Rotary
Club of Manila
president
Urbano Caasi
Jr.
Business
ManilaStandardToday
business@manilastandardtoday.com extrastory2000@gmail.com
B2
A prize for Linux
Market rebounds,
bucks Asian slump
52 Weeks Previous % Net Foreign (Peso)
High Low STOCKS Close High Low Close Change Volume Trade/Buying
MST BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW
MONDAY, APRIL 23, 2012
M
S
T
FINANCIAL
70.00 46.00 Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. 68.70 68.70 66.95 68.70 0.00 1,266,360 9,041,681.50
76.80 50.00 Bank of PI 75.50 76.20 75.90 76.15 0.86 869,790 32,678,901.50
1.82 0.69 Bankard, Inc. 0.78 0.78 0.78 0.78 0.00 69,000
512.00 370.00 China Bank 527.00 528.00 525.00 528.00 0.19 49,140 20,933,270.00
1.95 1.42 BDO Leasing & Fin. Inc. 1.75 1.77 1.75 1.75 0.00 173,000 15,800.00
23.90 12.50 COL Financial 23.40 23.40 22.90 23.30 (0.43) 1,517,000
22.00 7.56 Filipino Fund Inc. 13.98 12.20 12.00 12.00 (14.16) 7,100
3.26 1.91 I-Remit Inc. 2.38 2.37 2.26 2.37 (0.42) 101,000
775.00 475.20 Manulife Fin. Corp. 525.00 530.00 530.00 530.00 0.95 80
29.00 3.00 Maybank ATR KE 22.85 23.00 22.60 22.60 (1.09) 11,800 67,800.00
93.50 60.00 Metrobank 90.50 90.50 89.75 90.00 (0.55) 4,093,640 63,460,321.50
3.06 1.30 Natl Reinsurance Corp. 2.21 2.21 2.20 2.20 (0.45) 203,000
126.00 35.00 Phil Bank of Comm 75.00 77.00 77.00 77.00 2.67 990
16.85 41.00 Phil. National Bank 74.70 74.70 72.80 73.95 (1.00) 663,890 (6,840,797.50)
85.00 57.70 Phil. Savings Bank 85.00 84.50 81.50 81.50 (4.12) 750
539.00 204.80 PSE Inc. 350.00 354.00 349.00 350.00 0.00 158,640 1,280,952.00
44.40 25.45 RCBC À 43.20 43.20 42.40 43.20 0.00 1,050,300.00 5,511,050.00
151.50 77.00 Security Bank 146.10 146.50 142.00 142.00 (2.81) 548,150 11,259,498.00
1390.00 950.00 Sun Life Financial 1025.00 1001.00 1001.00 1001.00 (2.34) 85
140.00 58.00 Union Bank 103.60 105.00 102.80 102.90 (0.68) 297,470 7,264,784.00
2.06 1.43 Vantage Equities 1.85 1.86 1.86 1.86 0.54 354,000
INDUSTRIAL
35.50 26.50 Aboitiz Power Corp. 35.05 35.10 34.50 35.00 (0.14) 3,734,700 (81,898,990.00)
13.58 7.32 Agrinurture Inc. 11.76 12.56 11.76 12.52 6.46 1,111,000 (1,426,032.00)
23.50 11.98 Alaska Milk Corp. 23.35 23.50 23.35 23.35 0.00 1,049,500 (12,907,000.00)
1.86 0.97 Alliance Tuna Intl Inc. 1.53 1.57 1.53 1.56 1.96 707,000 (876,130.00)
54.90 26.00 Alphaland Corp. 30.00 30.00 27.00 30.00 0.00 49,000 (113,750.00)
1.65 1.08 Alsons Cons. 1.38 1.38 1.37 1.38 0.00 643,000
Asiabest Group 48.10 49.00 47.40 48.00 (0.21) 9,100
102.80 3.02 Bloomberry 15.00 16.20 12.76 13.08 (12.80) 8,971,200 (7,421,520.00)
2.88 2.24 Calapan Venture 2.30 2.30 2.30 2.30 0.00 8,000
3.07 2.30 Chemrez Technologies Inc. 2.70 2.71 2.70 2.70 0.00 130,000
8.33 7.41 Cirtek Holdings (Chips) 8.20 8.19 8.19 8.19 (0.12) 100
7.06 4.83 Energy Devt. Corp. (EDC) 6.00 6.04 5.94 6.00 0.00 8,966,400 3,484,114.00
6.28 2.80 EEI 6.20 6.22 6.10 6.15 (0.81) 1,398,600 (6,735,551.00)
3.80 1.00 Euro-Med Lab. 2.23 2.24 2.05 2.05 (8.07) 59,000
15.58 12.50 First Gen Corp. 13.98 13.94 13.90 13.90 (0.57) 1,009,300 218,230.00
67.20 51.50 First Holdings A 65.90 65.95 65.60 65.65 (0.38) 31,270 (40,056.00)
31.50 22.50 Ginebra San Miguel Inc. 23.45 23.45 23.35 23.45 0.00 39,000 (420,950.00)
0.10 0.0095 Greenergy 0.0180 0.0180 0.0170 0.0170 (5.56) 30,500,000
13.50 7.80 Holcim Philippines Inc. 12.10 12.04 12.00 12.04 (0.50) 992,900 (519,400.00)
9.00 4.71 Integ. Micro-Electronics 4.90 4.90 4.85 4.85 (1.02) 36,000 (4,850.00)
2.35 0.95 Ionics Inc 1.670 1.690 1.670 1.690 1.20 119,000
120.00 80.00 Jollibee Foods Corp. 109.00 112.00 109.90 112.00 2.75 193,850 427,001.00
8.40 1.04 LMG Chemicals 3.15 3.20 3.11 3.11 (1.27) 34,000
3.20 1.05 Manchester Intl. A 2.00 2.12 2.05 2.12 6.00 3,000
24.70 17.94 Manila Water Co. Inc. 24.65 24.95 24.65 24.70 0.20 1,003,900 8,278,340.00
6.95 0.75 Mariwasa MFG. Inc. 4.01 4.50 4.50 4.50 12.22 1,000
15.30 8.12 Megawide 15.04 15.04 14.92 15.04 0.00 340,800 (766,240.00)
295.00 215.00 Mla. Elect. Co À 260.00 262.00 259.00 262.00 0.77 109,520 (3,971,602.00)
6.75 4.50 Panasonic Mfg Phil. Corp. 6.50 6.75 6.30 6.75 3.85 4,500 25,765.00
3.00 1.96 Pepsi-Cola Products Phil. 2.76 2.79 2.75 2.78 0.72 510,000 452,990.00
17.40 9.70 Petron Corporation 10.66 10.66 10.60 10.66 0.00 2,371,500 (6,188,554.00)
15.24 9.01 Phoenix Petroleum Phils. 9.65 9.70 9.45 9.70 0.52 150,700
9.50 5.25 Republic Cement À 8.96 9.00 8.70 9.00 0.45 211,000
2.55 1.01 RFM Corporation 2.63 2.98 2.63 2.80 6.46 19,760,000 4,945,420.00
2.49 1.10 Roxas and Co. 2.50 2.85 2.85 2.85 14.00 2,000
3.49 2.01 Roxas Holdings 3.25 3.06 3.06 3.06 (5.85) 1,000
6.50 2.90 Salcon Power Corp. 3.50 4.10 3.50 4.10 17.14 12,000
33.00 27.70 San Miguel Brewery Inc. 30.00 30.00 29.80 30.00 0.00 20,900 30,000.00
132.60 105.70 San Miguel Corp À 112.00 112.40 111.50 112.00 0.00 439,200 (12,308,679.00)
1.90 1.25 Seacem 1.79 1.79 1.76 1.79 0.00 10,691,000 (17,989,920.00)
2.50 1.85 Splash Corporation 1.90 1.95 1.89 1.89 (0.53) 414,000 7,600.00
0.250 0.112 Swift Foods, Inc. 0.139 0.146 0.137 0.137 (1.44) 5,390,000
5.46 2.92 Tanduay Holdings 3.87 3.87 3.85 3.85 (0.52) 54,000
3.62 1.99 TKC Steel Corp. 2.49 2.42 2.42 2.42 (2.81) 4,000
1.41 0.90 Trans-Asia Oil 1.24 1.25 1.24 1.24 0.00 1,241,000
68.00 36.20 Universal Robina 67.00 67.00 65.75 65.90 (1.64) 2,795,720 (34,128,488.50)
1.12 0.285 Vitarich Corp. 0.590 0.600 0.570 0.570 (3.39) 113,000
18.00 2.55 Vivant Corp. 12.50 12.40 11.90 12.40 (0.80) 7,700
1.22 0.68 Vulcan Indl. 1.00 1.02 0.98 1.02 2.00 163,000 (2,940.00)
HOLDING FIRMS
1.18 0.65 Abacus Cons. À 0.74 0.75 0.74 0.74 0.00 1,023,000
59.90 35.50 Aboitiz Equity 49.10 49.15 48.80 48.90 (0.41) 2,245,100 (9,780,650.00)
0.019 0.014 Alcorn Gold Res. 0.0160 0.0160 0.0150 0.0150 (6.25) 1,600,000
13.48 8.00 Alliance Global Inc. 12.34 12.48 12.14 12.22 (0.97) 18,115,600 (30,059,552.00)
4.60 3.00 Anscor À 4.55 4.62 4.55 4.55 0.00 1,455,000
6.98 0.260 Asia Amalgamated A 4.26 4.26 4.12 4.21 (1.17) 130,000
437.00 272.00 Ayala Corp À 416.20 420.00 416.00 416.60 0.10 167,980 (8,891,344.00)
59.45 30.50 DMCI Holdings 57.80 59.20 58.80 58.90 1.90 2,492,080 7,791,884.50
4.19 1.03 F&J Prince A 2.88 2.70 2.70 2.70 (6.25) 40,000
5.25 3.30 Filinvest Dev. Corp. 4.61 4.63 4.52 4.60 (0.22) 634,000
GT Capital 492.00 495.00 490.00 492.20 0.04 1,104,740 283,862,344.00
5.22 2.90 House of Inv. 4.61 4.57 4.54 4.57 (0.87) 58,000
34.80 19.00 JG Summit Holdings 34.00 34.30 33.50 33.50 (1.47) 1,619,500 14,818,375.00
4.19 2.27 Jolliville Holdings 2.50 2.30 2.30 2.30 (8.00) 2,000
6.95 4.00 Lopez Holdings Corp. 5.69 5.72 5.50 5.69 0.00 1,119,600 (5,613,140.00)
1.54 0.61 Lodestar Invt. Holdg.Corp. 1.21 1.22 1.19 1.20 (0.83) 5,107,000
0.91 0.300 Mabuhay Holdings À 0.660 0.640 0.600 0.640 (3.03) 108,000
3.82 1.500 Marcventures Hldgs., Inc. 3.710 3.800 3.650 3.710 0.00 2,512,000 54,450.00
4.45 2.56 Metro Pacic Inv. Corp. 4.33 4.34 4.27 4.27 (1.39) 5,675,000 (7,942,750.00)
6.24 2.10 Minerales Industrias Corp. 4.85 4.85 4.79 4.84 (0.21) 121,000
0.0770 0.054 Pacica À 0.0590 0.0590 0.0580 0.0580 (1.69) 9,290,000
2.20 1.42 Prime Media Hldg 1.600 1.600 1.560 1.560 (2.50) 32,000
0.82 0.44 Prime Orion 0.520 0.510 0.510 0.510 (1.92) 100,000
2.40 0.91 Seafront À 1.47 1.47 1.40 1.40 (4.76) 41,000
0.490 0.285 Sinophil Corp. 0.350 0.355 0.350 0.350 0.00 1,400,000
699.00 450.00 SM Investments Inc. 680.50 695.50 685.00 692.00 1.69 302,700 147,808,155.00
1.78 1.00 Solid Group Inc. 1.28 1.30 1.28 1.30 1.56 402,000
1.57 1.14 South China Res. Inc. 1.26 1.32 1.21 1.21 (3.97) 210,000
0.420 0.099 Unioil Res. & Hldgs 0.2650 0.2650 0.2600 0.2600 (1.89) 4,490,000
0.620 0.056 Wellex Industries 0.3800 0.3950 0.3800 0.3950 3.95 4,770,000
1.370 0.178 Zeus Holdings 0.620 0.620 0.620 0.620 0.00 297,000
PROPERTY
2.82 1.70 A. Brown Co., Inc. 2.39 2.58 2.50 2.57 7.53 56,000
0.75 0.31 Araneta Prop À 0.690 0.730 0.690 0.720 4.35 590,000
0.218 0.150 Arthaland Corp. 0.186 0.190 0.190 0.190 2.15 810,000
22.40 13.36 Ayala Land `B 21.55 21.70 21.50 21.55 0.00 3,870,900 16,187,570.00
6.12 3.08 Belle Corp. À 5.04 5.15 5.06 5.06 0.40 12,077,400 8,689,420.00
9.00 2.26 Cebu Holdings 7.18 7.19 6.90 7.15 (0.42) 192,500 24,515.00
5.66 0.26 Century Property 1.68 1.70 1.65 1.66 (1.19) 992,000 (82,820.00)
2.85 1.20 City & Land Dev. 2.60 2.50 2.48 2.48 (4.62) 3,000
1.65 1.07 Cityland Dev. À 1.25 1.29 1.22 1.29 3.20 206,000
0.127 0.060 Crown Equities Inc. 0.086 0.084 0.081 0.084 (2.33) 980,000
0.90 0.54 Empire East Land 0.610 0.640 0.610 0.640 4.92 2,761,000 (32,000.00)
3.80 2.90 Eton Properties 3.50 3.55 3.50 3.50 0.00 198,000
3.06 1.76 Global-Estate 1.89 1.90 1.85 1.88 (0.53) 975,000 (5,700.00)
1.35 0.98 Filinvest Land,Inc. 1.30 1.32 1.30 1.31 0.77 14,865,000 883,440.00
3.80 1.21 Highlands Prime 2.04 2.03 1.83 1.83 (10.29) 41,000
2.14 0.65 Interport À 1.44 1.47 1.40 1.40 (2.78) 718,000
2.48 1.51 Megaworld Corp. 2.05 2.14 2.05 2.13 3.90 234,394,000 155,845,030.00
0.80 0.215 MRC Allied Ind. 0.2190 0.2190 0.2150 0.2150 (1.83) 2,260,000 17,200.00
0.990 0.072 Phil. Estates Corp. 0.7700 0.8200 0.7800 0.8100 5.19 31,295,000 500.00
0.71 0.41 Phil. Realty À 0.530 0.540 0.520 0.530 0.00 904,000 (2,120.00)
4.77 1.80 Polar Property Holdings 3.49 3.48 3.44 3.48 (0.29) 113,000
18.86 10.00 Robinsons Land `B 18.50 18.80 17.80 17.80 (3.78) 717,800 1,204,700.00
2.70 1.74 Shang Properties Inc. 2.49 2.50 2.40 2.44 (2.01) 33,000
9.47 6.50 SM Development À 7.10 7.10 6.99 6.99 (1.55) 2,236,400 285,600.00
18.20 10.90 SM Prime Holdings 16.60 16.96 16.70 16.70 0.60 8,539,900 33,075,814.00
1.14 0.64 Sta. Lucia Land Inc. 0.75 0.76 0.75 0.75 0.00 729,000
4.30 2.60 Vista Land & Lifescapes 4.200 4.500 4.190 4.490 6.90 21,263,000 (24,439,330.00)
S E R V I C E S
2GO Group 2.30 2.15 2.08 2.15 (6.52) 7,000
43.00 28.60 ABS-CBN 41.80 41.70 41.60 41.70 (0.24) 12,200
14.76 1.60 Acesite Hotel 11.66 12.38 11.00 11.64 (0.17) 58,200
0.80 0.45 APC Group, Inc. 0.680 0.670 0.670 0.670 (1.47) 1,000
9.30 7.30 Asian Terminals Inc. 8.80 9.10 8.30 9.10 3.41 93,500 374,896.00
0.5300 0.0660 Boulevard Holdings 0.1720 0.1750 0.1700 0.1710 (0.58) 13,900,000
98.15 62.50 Cebu Air Inc. (5J) 69.90 70.00 69.45 69.50 (0.57) 112,800 6,734,194.50
10.60 8.20 Centro Esc. Univ. 9.90 10.00 10.00 10.00 1.01 200
9.70 5.40 DFNN Inc. 7.11 7.20 7.05 7.10 (0.14) 37,000
5.90 1.45 Easy Call Common 3.72 3.80 3.71 3.75 0.81 11,000
1750.00 765.00 FEUI 945.00 940.00 935.00 940.00 (0.53) 1,240
1172.00 11.70 Globalports 30.00 37.00 27.20 27.20 (9.33) 11,800 3,500.00
1270.00 825.00 Globe Telecom 1103.00 1117.00 1105.00 1110.00 0.63 28,120 8,332,950.00
10.34 6.18 GMA Network Inc. 9.50 9.62 9.30 9.40 (1.05) 784,900
69.00 43.40 I.C.T.S.I. 67.60 68.90 67.90 67.90 0.44 1,389,800 7,699,783.00
0.98 0.34 Information Capital Tech. 0.440 0.440 0.440 0.440 0.00 30,000
18.40 5.00 Imperial Res. À 8.70 9.00 9.00 9.00 3.45 700
6.00 4.00 IPeople Inc. À 6.49 6.30 6.10 6.30 (2.93) 26,500
4.29 2.20 IP Converge 3.05 3.05 3.00 3.00 (1.64) 40,000
34.50 0.123 IP E-Game Ventures Inc. 0.132 0.140 0.130 0.134 1.52 18,270,000 157,820.00
3.87 1.16 IPVG Corp. 1.21 1.24 1.19 1.20 (0.83) 1,111,000 (865,220.00)
0.0760 0.040 Island Info 0.0600 0.0600 0.0600 0.0600 0.00 210,000
5.1900 2.900 ISM Communications 3.0500 3.0800 3.0500 3.0500 0.00 211,000
3.79 1.58 JTH Davies Holdings Inc. 2.39 2.40 2.38 2.39 0.00 60,000
11.68 5.90 Leisure & Resorts 7.80 7.80 7.69 7.74 (0.77) 315,600 (71,982.00)
2.35 0.92 Lorenzo Shipping 1.81 1.81 1.81 1.81 0.00 1,000
3.96 2.70 Macroasia Corp. 3.07 3.00 3.00 3.00 (2.28) 16,000
3.00 1.00 Manila Jockey 1.55 1.55 1.55 1.55 0.00 40,000
9.60 6.50 Metro Pacic Tollways 5.60 5.61 5.61 5.61 0.18 200
21.00 17.20 Pacic Online Sys. Corp. 19.92 20.20 19.92 20.00 0.40 47,400 200,180.00
8.58 4.50 PAL Holdings Inc. 7.50 7.60 7.47 7.50 0.00 356,300
3.32 1.05 Paxys Inc. 2.90 3.02 2.90 2.97 2.41 2,845,000 18,120.00
60.00 17.02 Phil. Seven Corp. 42.00 43.00 43.00 43.00 2.38 20,400 645,000.00
17.18 14.50 Philweb.Com Inc. 17.18 17.40 17.18 17.40 1.28 2,156,600 (20,088,500.00)
6.90 3.80 PLDT Comm & Energy 4.20 4.20 4.20 4.20 0.00 2,000
2886.00 2096.00 PLDT Common 2550.00 2560.00 2526.00 2546.00 (0.16) 69,965 (14,353,740.00)
0.48 0.23 PremiereHorizon 0.37 0.385 0.360 0.385 4.05 22,020,000 (29,900.00)
23.75 10.68 Puregold 23.00 23.95 23.00 23.75 3.26 2,681,200 25,426,175.00
Touch Solutions 3.50 3.50 3.50 3.50 0.00 177,000
3.30 2.40 Transpacic Broadcast 2.94 2.94 2.85 2.94 0.00 67,000
0.79 0.26 Waterfront Phils. 0.530 0.530 0.520 0.530 0.00 389,000
MINING & OIL
0.0083 0.0036 Abra Mining 0.0055 0.0055 0.0054 0.0054 (1.82) 198,000,000 21,600.00
6.20 3.01 Apex À 5.31 5.31 5.05 5.10 (3.95) 37,400
6.22 3.00 Apex `B 5.25 5.30 5.00 5.30 0.95 15,000
25.20 14.50 Atlas Cons. À 19.16 19.36 19.16 19.16 0.00 1,916,500 2,464,976.00
31.00 20.00 Atok-Big Wedge À 25.80 26.30 25.00 26.00 0.78 10,400
0.380 0.148 Basic Energy Corp. 0.290 0.295 0.285 0.285 (1.72) 1,290,000
30.35 15.00 Benguet Corp À 25.00 25.00 24.80 24.80 (0.80) 6,000
34.00 14.50 Benguet Corp `B 26.50 25.50 25.00 25.00 (5.66) 10,100
2.51 1.62 Century Peak Metals Hldgs 1.75 1.75 1.69 1.71 (2.29) 2,645,000 34,000.00
50.85 4.35 Dizon 49.70 52.00 49.70 51.75 4.12 918,100 11,291,090.00
1.21 0.50 Geograce Res. Phil. Inc. 0.95 1.01 0.95 0.98 3.16 21,080,000 13,284,530.00
1.82 0.5900 Lepanto À 1.410 1.430 1.400 1.410 0.00 9,176,000
2.070 0.6700 Lepanto `B 1.520 1.540 1.500 1.520 0.00 3,131,000 1,183,060.00
0.085 0.035 Manila Mining À 0.0730 0.0740 0.0730 0.0740 1.37 109,060,000
0.087 0.035 Manila Mining `B 0.0740 0.0740 0.0730 0.0730 (1.35) 40,390,000 294,000.00
34.80 15.04 Nickelasia 32.30 32.30 32.00 32.30 0.00 479,100 5,131,640.00
12.76 2.08 Nihao Mineral Resources 12.36 12.70 12.34 12.38 0.16 3,780,800
1.100 0.008 Omico 0.7800 0.8100 0.7800 0.7800 0.00 284,000 79,600.00
8.40 2.12 Oriental Peninsula Res. 7.920 8.070 7.900 7.940 0.25 1,135,800 (79,500.00)
0.032 0.012 Oriental Pet. À 0.0220 0.0220 0.0210 0.0220 0.00 71,300,000
0.033 0.013 Oriental Pet. `B 0.0230 0.0230 0.0220 0.0230 0.00 16,800,000 88,000.00
28.95 17.08 Philex À 20.90 21.00 20.55 20.90 0.00 4,267,800 (39,365,270.00)
14.18 3.00 PhilexPetroleum 12.40 14.12 12.36 13.80 11.29 2,377,500 (324,024.00)
0.058 0.013 Philodrill Corp. À 0.053 0.053 0.052 0.053 0.00 402,790,000
69.00 46.00 PNOC Expls `B 58.00 58.00 50.00 50.00 (13.79) 4,200
252.00 161.10 Semirara Corp. 244.40 246.00 244.40 244.60 0.08 100,430 (1,518,480.00)
0.029 0.013 United Paragon 0.0200 0.0210 0.0200 0.0200 0.00 282,900,000
PREFERRED
47.90 27.30 ABS-CBN Holdings Corp. 44.00 46.00 45.00 45.00 2.27 2,000
570.00 520.00 Ayala Corp. Pref À 578.00 550.00 550.00 550.00 (4.84) 200
109.80 100.50 First Phil. Hldgs.-Pref. 105.30 106.00 106.00 106.00 0.66 42,500 4,505,000.00
11.02 6.00 GMA Holdings Inc. 9.40 9.55 9.14 9.19 (2.23) 3,394,500 (1,617,946.00)
116.70 106.20 PCOR-Preferred 115.00 116.00 116.00 116.00 0.87 9,000
80.00 74.50 SMC Preferred 1 76.50 76.00 75.60 75.60 (1.18) 11,480
1050.00 990.00 SMPFC Preferred 1027.00 1035.00 1027.00 1027.00 0.00 2,860
6.00 0.87 Swift Pref 1.20 1.25 1.20 1.22 1.67 91,000 (13,420.00)
WARRANTS & BONDS
1.35 0.62 Megaworld Corp. Warrants 1.02 1.09 1.02 1.08 5.88 5,569,000
TRADI NG SUMMARY
SHARES VALUE
FINANCIAL 114,353,333 844,570,480.10
INDUSTRIAL 105,768,533 822,681,170.26
HOLDING FIRMS 66,716,634 1,444,378,188.50
PROPERTY 352,395,729 997,322,477.06
SERVICES 71,024,144 523,634,840.39
MINING & OIL 1,174,067,368 387,014,940.74
GRAND TOTAL 1,781,407,741 5,019,602,097.05
FINANCIAL 1,299.52 (DOWN) 3.27
INDUSTRIAL 7,910.78 (UP) 16.77
HOLDING FIRMS 4,365.14 (UP) 7.97
PROPERTY 1,939.51 (UP) 6.19
SERVICES 1,699.33 (DOWN) 0.54
MINING & OIL 25,599.61 (UP) 0.86
PSEI 5,163.09 (UP) 6.63
All Shares Index 3,425.06 (DOWN) 4.49
Gainers: 66; Losers: 88; Unchanged: 51; Total: 205
CHIN WONG
DIGITAL LIFE
Puregolds profit up 24.5% in Q1
By Jenniffer B. Austria
PUREGOLD and Price Club Inc.
said Monday net income in the
rst quarter grew by 24.5 percent
to P469 million from P376 million
a year ago on higher net sales.
The shopping chain led by
businessman Lucio Co said in a
disclosure to the stock exchange
net sales increased 30.3 percent
in the quarter to P10.7 billion
from P8.2 billion during the same
period last year.
This was largely due to increase
in turnover as a result of opening of
new stores in the last three quarters of
2011, Puregold said.
The company said that as of
end-March 2012, it had 101
stores in operations including 62
hypermarkets, 28 supermarkets
and 11 discounters.
It opened 34 stores over the fourth
quarter of 2011. These new stores
accounted for 17.7 percent of total
net sales in the rst quarter of 2012.
Puregold approved the
acquisition of S&R Membership
Shopping through share swap
arrangement worth P16.5 billion
in March.
The acquisition involves the
companys issuance of 766 million
new shares to Kareila Management
Corp., the company that owns
and operates S&R Membership
Shopping at P21.50 per share.
Puregold, in exchange, will
acquire 100 percent of Kareila,
which is also owned by Co family.
With the completion of the share
swap deal, the Co family will
increase its stake in Puregold to 77
percent from 65.5 percent.
STOCKS rebounded Monday, the rst
gain in three days, as positive corporate
news helped domestic companies buck the
downtrend in other Asian markets.
The Philippine Stock
Exchange index, the 30-company
benchmark, picked up 6 points, or
0.1 percent, to close at 5,163.09.
Some 1.78 billion shares worth
P5 billion were traded Monday.
The heavier index representing
all shares, however, fell 4 points,
or 0.1 percent, to 3,425, as losers
outnumbered gainers, 88 to 66,
with 51 issues unchanged.
RFM Corp. rose 6.5 percent to
P2.80, the highest close since May
1999. The food manufacturer said
it signed an agreement to distribute
products for US-based fruit company
Dole Food Inc. RFM expects
prot to recover in the rst quarter
after falling in 2011, vice president
Ramon Lopez said. Prot growth of
20 percent this year is realistic, he
said.
SM Investments Corp., the
holding company of billionaire
Henry Sy, added 1.7 percent to
P692, the highest close since Feb.
8. The companys rst-quarter
performance was good and its
still in talks to acquire a stake in
the Ortigas group, vice chairman
Teresita Sy said.
Megaworld Corp., one of the
countrys largest developers, rose
3.9 percent to P2.13. GT Capital
Holdings Inc., which had its
trading debut on Friday, traded
at at P492.2 per share.
Vista Land and Lifescapes Inc.
was up 6.9 percent to P4.49.
Meanwhile, Asian stocks fell
for a third day, after data showed
that Chinas manufacturing may
contract for a sixth month and
companies reported lower-than-
estimated prots. Budget talks
in the Netherlands also collapsed
over the weekend while a socialist
who wants to put Frances
austerity plans in reverse won
the rst round of the countrys
presidential election.
Japans Nikkei 225 index
swung between gains and losses
before settling into negative
territory, down 0.1 percent at
9,552.64.
With Bloomberg, AP
LINUS Torvalds, the inventor of Linux, has been
awarded the technology worlds equivalent of a
Nobel prize, signaling the growing importance of the
open source operating system he created in 1991.
Torvalds, now 42, is one of two winners this year
of the Millennium Technology Prize, an award given
once every two years to recognize a technological
innovation that signicantly improves the quality of
human life today and in the future. Shinya Yamanaka,
49, the other winner this year, was honored for
nding a new way to create stem cells without the
use of embryonic stem cells.
The two laureates, who follow in the footsteps of
past winners like the creator of the World Wide Web,
Sir Tim Berners-Lee, will be celebrated at a ceremony
in Helsinki, Finland, in June, where they will share
more than one million Euros in prize money.
The prize, organized by the Technology Academy
of Finland, is one of the worlds largest, with
candidates sought from around the world and from
all elds of technology.
We had many worthy nominations that we
deliberated over, but ultimately we narrowed it
down to these two candidates who have made such
a signicant impact in the eld of computing and
stem cell research, says Dr. Ainomaija Haarla,
president of Technology Academy Finland. I hope
this announcement will lead to added recognition for
these extraordinary scientists and the technologies
that they have developed. These two men may well
be talked about for centuries to come.
In honoring Torvalds, the awards body said the
free availability of Linux on the Web caused a chain-
reaction leading to further development and ne-
tuning worth the equivalent of 73,000 man-years.
Today millions use computers, smartphones
and digital video recorders... run on Linux. Linus
Torvalds achievements have had a great impact
on shared software development, networking and
the openness of the Web, making it accessible for
millions, if not billions, the academy says.
Torvalds acknowledges that his original goal in
creating Linux was not all that lofty.
Ive never been a visionarythe thing I tend
to worry about is actual technical issues, and my goal
has always been to just make sure the technical side
of Linux [and other projects Ive been involved in]
have been as solid as possible.
He adds, however, that Linux is signicant
because of the way it was developed and what it
makes possible.
Software is too important in the modern world
not to be developed through open sources, he says.
The real impact of Linux is as a way to allow people
and companies to build on top of it to do their own
thing. Were nally getting to the point where data is
just data, and we dont have all these insane special
communications channels for different forms of
data.
In a series of short interviews available on the
Millennium Prize Web site, Torvalds talks about the
operating systems development and its signicance.
On Linux development:
It wasnt even meant to be an operating system.
I started it basically as a test project for my own
amusement to learn about a new computer... and it grew.
Originally it was just my own private project, just in my
bedroom with me and my computer and I initially made
it available to and told just a few people that, hey, Ive
done this project, Ive worked on it for several months,
and there were just a couple of people who had met over
the Internet who were interested in operating systems.
And I dont even know how... it just kept growing.
People told each other. We had some mailing lists. We
had discussions on various newsgroups, and more and
more people got involved. It took a long time. To some
people it looks like its an overnight thing when they
suddenly started hearing about Linux, but it...was years
of slow growth [and] suddenly weve reached certain
milestones that made it more approachable to more
people.
On who uses Linux:
Most people probably use Linux without ever
realizing it. You might use it when you use your cell
phone, if you have an Android cell phone. If youre ever
on the Net, you probably use Google to look things up.
Google runs Linux. Even if you dont nd Linux itself
on your machine, the servers at the other end run Linux.
But even in situations where you would not be aware
that youre using a computermaybe when youre
using an ATM, or when youre sitting on a long ight
and watching a movie on your personal movie screen.
Quite a lot of those are running Linux, too.
On Linux milestones:
Most of Linux development has really been about
gradual, small things... I mean, Ive been doing this for
20-plus years... The one [milestone] that was the most
memorable to me personally was very early on, when
I realized that I didnt actually know everybody who
was involved anymore. This was just a few months
after I started. It just dawned on me that people that I
had never met and had never had anything to do with
were actually using my creation and that was to me a big
step.... When Oracle made their database available for
Linux, that was a big thing, because that was something
that validated Linux and said to people that this is not
just somebodys hobby operating system, this is not
some academic exercise, this is actually real Unix. So
theres been things like that. But on the whole, a lot of it
has been just continual improvement and more people
using it for different things.
As a proud Linux user, Ive had a button that reads
Linus Torvalds for President pinned to my bulletin
board for the last few years. So when I heard about
his Millennium Technology Prize, I thought, Well,
its about time.
Column archives and blog at:
http://www.chinwong.com
Business
ManilaStandardToday business@manilastandardtoday.com extrastory2000@gmail.com APRIL 24, 2012 TUESDAY
B3
Renewable firms
snub rate bidding
Banks resources climb 6% to P7.4t
Car importers report strong sales
Manila
Standard
TODAY
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
Republic of the Philippines
ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION
San Miguel Avenue, Pasig City
IN THE MATTER OF THE JOINTAPPLICATION
FOR THE APPROVAL OF THE POWER
PURCHASE AND SALE AGREEMENT (PPSA)
ENTERED INTO BY AND BETWEEN SORSOGON
I ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE, INC. (SORECO I)
AND GNPOWER MARIVELES COAL PLANT
LTD. CO. (GMCP), WITH PRAYER FOR A
PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY
ERC CASE NO. 2012-041 RC
SORSOGON I ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE, INC.
(SORECO I) AND GNPOWER MARIVELES COAL
PLANT LTD. CO. (GMCP),
Applicants.
x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
TO ALL INTERESTED PARTIES:
Notice is hereby given that on March 16, 2012, the Sorsogon I Electric Cooperative, Inc. (SORECO I) and
GNPOWER Mariveles Coal Plant Ltd. Co. (GMCP) fled a joint application for the approval of their Power Purchase
and Sale Agreement (PPSA), with prayer for a provisional authority.

In the said application, SORECO I and GMCP alleged, among others, that:
1. GMCP owns and will operate a 2 x 300 MW clean pulverized coal-fred electric power generation facility
currently under construction near Mariveles, Bataan, for the purpose of supplying its customers with
environmentally clean electric power commencing in late 2012;
2. n view of the anticipated insuffcient supply of power in 2012 as projected by the Department of Energy
(DOE) and the expiration of the Transition Supply Contract (TSC) that was entered into by SORECO ,
it sent out request for proposals to supply its energy requirements to potential suppliers from May 2011
to June 2011;
3. After careful evaluation of the proposals from three (3) suppliers, SORECO 's management found the
proposal of GMCP acceptable and awarded the PPSA to GMCP. The copy of the sworn statement
detailing the selection process of SORECO is included in the instant application;
4. As a result, SORECO entered into a PPSA with GMCP on November 11, 2011, whereby the latter
agreed to provide the power requirements of SORECO commencing in early 2013;
5. They submitted several documents in support of the instant application and in compliance with the
pre-fling requirements of the Commission pursuant to Section 2, Rule 20 of the Commission's Rules of
Practice and Procedure and Resolution No. 38, Series of 2006;
6. Under the said PPSA, GMCP's Purchased Power Rate (Contract Price) is the price in US Dollars (as
adjusted in accordance with Schedule 1 of the PPSA) to be paid by SORECO for the purchase of the
electric capacity. The said Contract Price comprised of relevant Capacity Fee and Energy Fee that may
be paid in Philippine Peso (PhP);
7. The Capacity Fee is the component of the Contract Price allocated to pay for the cost, as well as
the operations and maintenance of the power plant and may be adjusted from time to time based on
SORECO 's Capacity Factor;
8. The Energy Fee is the component of the Contract Price allocated to pay for the coal, including government
charges, and may be adjusted from time to time due to changes in the delivered price of Coal;
9. Shown below is the calculation of the GMCP Contract Price in a particular billing period:
Capacity Factor = Capacity Fee + Energy Fee
9. The rate determination of the subject PPSA to SORECO 's consumers is as follows:
In order to determine the impact of the PPSA, SORECO 's 2013 load profle was simulated as shown
below:
SORECO Is
SUPPLIERS Energy (kWh)
1
Generation Rate
(PhP/kWh)
4/5
Weighted Average Rate
(PhP/kWh)
GMCP
2
3,570,448 4.7859
Supplier 2
3
174,095 5.3780 4.8134
TOTAL 3,744,543 -
Notes:
1. Analyses and simulations are based on the monthly average of SORECO 's projected monthly
average hourly demand data; 2013 growth was simulated using the data from SORECO 's Distribution
Development Plan (DDP).
2. Projected SORECO 's quantity that will be supplied by GMCP. GMCP rate is based on the following:
a. Capacity Fee of the resulting Capacity Factor;
b. Energy Fee based on the 2011 average coal prices;
c. Foreign Exchange (FOREX) at PhP43.3117:$1 (January 2011 December 2011 Average FOREX
from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP);
d. Prompt Payment Discount (PPD) for 15 years not included; and
d. Generation cost only and without Value Added Tax (VAT) not included.
3. mbalance or uncontracted quantity that can be sourced out from other suppliers such as Wholesale
Electricity Spot Market (WESM); Supplier 2 rate is based on monthly average of June 26, 2006 to
December 25, 2011 WESM LWAP.
.
Allegations in Support of Their Prayer for the Immediate Issuance of a Provisional Authority
10. The operation by GMCP of the proposed 2 x 300 MW clean pulverized coal-fred electric power
generation facility to be located near Mariveles, Bataan is a concrete step in averting a power crisis
that could hit the Luzon Grid by 2012. n fact, as stated in a published news article, the DOE has
urged distribution utilities, large industrial and commercial users to help in facilitating investments in new
capacity "by frming up and indicating their energy requirements and by signing up for bilateral contracts
with power providers to provide stable market.
11. Relative thereto, in the latest presentation of the DOE during its 6th Energy nvestment Forum held
on January 17, 2012, DOE Secretrary Jose Rene D. Almendras, pronounced a 4.7% annual average
growth rate in electricity demand in Luzon;
12. With the estimate used in the said presentation and given the present capacity and committed projects,
power supply will become critical in Luzon in the coming years. Luzon Grid needs a total additional
capacity of 10,450 MW onwards to 2030. GMCP is one of the frst committed major projects since 2001
that can support the additional capacity needed by Luzon;
13. As shown in the Market Operations Update by the WESM held on February 15, 2011, "numerous price
spikes occurred, particularly during the frst half of the year, due to the increased demand and tight
supply condition in 2010.
14. GMCP as it is frst in the market has achieved its fnancial closing and is now in an advanced stage of
construction of its power plant;
15. The project is bound by milestones, and any delay or barrier will hinder GMCP's commencement of
commercial operations and supply to SORECO by early 2013;
16. t is, therefore, in this context that they pray for the immediate issuance of a provisional authority in order
to address the expected power short-fall this year;
17. The early grant of a provisional authority is as important, if not more important that the fnal approval
of the PPSA itself, considering the timeliness involved before the start of the project's commercial
operations. t will not help the power demand-supply situation in Luzon if this proposed project suffers
any delay beyond early 2013. At this point, the immediate issuance of a provisional authority would be
critical both to the project proponent and to the distribution utilities, which have signed similar individual
PPSA's considering the supply risk and market price expected in the event that GMCP fails to complete
the regulatory requirements under its fnancing arrangements and the subject PPSA;
18. The instant application is in line with the frst (1st) and ffth (5th) WHEREAS clauses of the DOE Circular
No. 2003-12-22, which state:
"WHEREAS, Section of the Republic Act No. 9136, also known as the Electric Power ndustry Reform Act of
2001 or EPIRA, declared as a policy of the State, among others, [t]o ensure the quality, reliability, security
and affordability of the supply of electric power, (frst WHEREAS, DOE Circular No. 2003-12-11)
"WHEREAS, pursuant to Section 23 of EPRA, all distribution utilities, as designed in the law, shall have
the obligation to supply electricity in the least cost manner to its captive market subject to the collection
of retail rate duly approved by the Energy Regulatory Commission. (5th WHEREAS, ibid.)
19. Moreover, Section 1 of the said DOE Circular categorically mentions the avowed policy of the State that:
"All distribution utilities must henceforth take cognizance and assume full responsibility of forecast,
assure and contract for the supply of electric power in their respective franchise areas to meet their
obligations as a distribution utility.
20. By way of emphasis, the Commission's Resolution No. 21, Series of 2005 dated October 19, 2005 had
directed all DUs "to ensure future bilateral power supply contract with power producers to be subjected
to a review by the Commission;
21. Public welfare, the Luzon-wide consumers in particular, necessity and interest demand the immediate
approval of the instant application as this will help meet the forecasted capacity shortage in the Luzon
Grid by early 2013; and
22. They pray that the PPSA be provisionally approved and that after due notice and hearing, the same be
made permanent for being advantageous to the consumers of SORECO and it will ensure the quality,
reliability and security of supply of electricity within the franchise area of SORECO .
The Commission has set the instant application for jurisdictional hearing, expository presentation, pre-trial
conference and evidentiary hearing on May 10, 2012 (Thursday), at two oclock in the afternoon (2:00 P.M.) at the
SORECO I's Main Ofce, Irosin, Sorsogon.
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
applicants conclude the presentation of their 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 applicants, prior to the date
of the initial hearing, that they be furnished with a copy of the application. The applicants are hereby directed to
furnish all those making such 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 16
th
day of April, 2012 at Pasig City.
ATTY. FRANCIS SATURNINO C. JUAN
Executive Director
(MST-APRL 24 & 30, 2012)
Globe at Generika. Globe Telecom partners with Generika Drugstore to enable customers who are buying medicines
to also reload their Globe or TM prepaid phones via point-of-sale technology at any Generika check-out counters.
Shown are Globe national commercial accounts head Dhing Pascual (center) who is anked by Generika Franchising
Services Corp. vice president Julien Bello (left) and national head for business development Mike Maquiran during the
partnership launch.
By Alena Mae S. Flores
RENEWABLE energy developers have
opposed the proposal to determine the prices of
renewable energy based on a bidding system.
The industry players said the
proposal of Senator Sergio Osmea
to bid out the pricing of renewable
energy projects would be in violation
of the Renewable Energy Law and
would discourage local and foreign
investors.
The suspension and review by the
government of its renewable energy
policy by entertaining the matter of
bidding, notwithstanding the RE
Law, would violate the central tenets
of the rule of law, stand in the way of
progress and send a chilling message
to RE investors and lenders, the
group said.
The group includes Biomass
Renewable Energy Alliance Inc.
president Jose Ma. Zabaleta,
Philippine Solar Power Alliance
president Dennis Ibarra, Philippine
Association of Small Scale Hydro
Developers Inc. president Jose
Silvestre Natividad, Bell Pirie Power
Corp. managing director Desiree
Latimer and Wind Energy Developers
Association of the Philippines
president Niels Jacobsen.
The group instead pushed for the
feed-in tariff system to be used by the
government to encourage rapid and
sustained investments in renewable
energy.
The bidding system, with its
narrow objective of eliciting the
lowest price, would not provide any
certainty to investor-bidders. It is this
uncertainty which makes bidding
incompatible with the law since
such uncertainty will slow down the
implementation of the RE projects,
the developers said in nine-page
position paper.
The group said the feed-in tariff
system, which provides for a xed per
kilowatthour rate for each renewable
source for a 20-year period, is a policy
instrument globally recognized
to be cost-effective in stimulating
investments for rapid deployment of
renewable energy.
Investors want consistency,
predictability and transparency in
the rule of law. These same qualities
are likewise characteristics of the
FIT system, where the nanciability
of the RE projects hinges on the
stability and transparency of the
regulatory mechanisms, they said.
The group said the feed-in tariff
system is adopted in developing
countries such as China, Malaysia,
Indonesia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and
Thailand. It is also adopted in the
US, UK, Italy, Japan, Germany and
Spain.
They also warned that the bidding
system would result in the failure of
the RE Law, as well as the withdrawal
of condence in the Philippines
as an investment venue. It would
also negate and render unnecessary
the determination of the FIT by the
Energy Regulatory Commission.
An auction system has a singular
objective of evincing the lowest cost
per kWh while the FIT is an exercise
in determining long-term sustainable
rate, they said.
It has been the experience in
countries like China and Brazil
that where underbidding to obtain
contracts is widespread, contract
failures are high. An auction system
requires lowest cost bid which will
discourage the development of
dynamic and robust manufacturer
and supplier market and goes against
the purpose of the RE Law, the
group said.
They said a bidding system may
not be ideal especially in a market
that is underdeveloped or intended to
be developed.
Bidders must put up signicant
sums in order to mount a bid, thus
adding to layers of transaction cost
with little assurance that the risk will
be rewarded with an actual contract
to build, they said.
By Elaine Ramos Alanguilan
THE banking sector expanded by more than 6 percent in
January from a year ago, on the back of higher deposits
despite the exit of weak industry players.
The Bangko Sentral said the combined resources of
the banking system rose 6.3 percent to P7.4 trillion as of
end-January from P6.99 trillion a year ago. The gure,
however, fell 2.6 percent from the end-2011 level of
P7.64 trillion.
Total bank deposits rose nearly 5 percent year-on-
year to P5.37 trillion in 2011, data from the Philippine
Deposit Insurance Corp. showed.
Bangko Sentral said the growth in deposits indicated
the publics continued trust in the banking sector.
Commercial banks, which accounted for 88.4 percent
of deposits, posted the highest growth among banks.
Deposit at commercial banks reached P4.75 trillion as of
end-2011, up 5.4 percent from P4.51 trillion in 2010.
Thrift and rural banks also managed to post annual
deposit growth rates of 1.2 percent and 1.5 percent
in 2011, respectively, at P496.6 billion and P125
billion.
Universal and commercial banks accounted for nearly
90 percent of the total resources of the banking system
at P6.66 trillion, while the balance was shared by thrift
(P594 billion) and rural savings banks (P185.6 billion).
Non-bank nancial institutions also saw their total
resources expand to P1.94 trillion from P1.84 trillion in
January last year.
Asset quality improved during the period with the
non-performing loan ratio kept below 3 percent.
The banking system also remained adequately
capitalized, with capital adequacy ratios exceeding
prescribed levels set by the Bangko Sentral.
The average capital adequacy ratio as of end-June
2011 remained healthy at 16.34 percent, exceeding the
statutory level set by the Bangko Sentral at 10 percent
and the Bank for International Settlements standard at
8 percent.
By Julito G. Rada
CAR sales of the Association of
Vehicle Importers and Distributors
posted a 38-percent growth in the
rst quarter of 2012, fueled by the
passenger car segment.
The group, led by Korean importer
Hyundai Asia Resources, sold 8,298
vehicles in the January-March period,
up from 6,034 units sold a year ago.
Avid said the number of passenger
cars sold in the three-month period
surged 95 percent to 5,202 units
from 2,674 sold a year earlier.
Sales of passenger cars in March
alone reached 1,621 units, up from
813 units sold during the same month
last year.
Total sales of Avid in March also
increased by 31 percent to 2,791
units from 2,123 a year ago.
Avid president Ma. Fe Perez
Agudo expressed optimism the
strong showing would continue in
the succeeding months.
Moving along a predominantly
optimistic business and economic
scenario, Avid members sales
performance remain on an upswing.
We anticipate this trend to continue
as we move into the second quarter
of 2012, Agudo said in a statement.
Hyundai, the ofcial importer
and distributor of Korean Hyundai
vehicles in the country, sold the most
number of units at 2,245 in March,
up from 1,633 units a year earlier.
It was followed by Covenant
Car Co. Inc. (Chevrolet) which
sold 294 vehicles; Motor Image
Pilipinas (Subaru), 124; CATS
Motors (Mercedes Benz), 58;
PGA Cars (Porsche), 35; British
United Automobiles (Mini), 17; and
Scandinavian Motors (Volvo), 18
units.
Agudo said consumer demand
is expected to remain strong,
which would translate to stronger
performance in sales.
APRIL 24, 2012
TUESDAY
B4
Gakit
highlights
bamboo
70 justice workers
facing charges
Provinces
Edited by Leo A. Estonilo www.manilastandardtoday.com mst@manilastandardtoday.com
Sun backs rural bank growth in Central Luzon
Solve Taal fish cage row
Bicol town capitalizes on healing touch
SUN Business, the enterprise
solutions arm of Sun Cellular,
joined the 2012 Annual
Management Conference of
the Confederation of Central
Luzon Rural Banks Inc. in
Pampanga.
At the membership meeting,
the group underscored the
role of countryside projects
in contributing to national
development with rural banks
spurring economic activity
and emerging commercial
ventures.
Neph Denosta, Sun Business
vice president, commended the
confederation in empowering
town-based enterprises through
efficient communication and
transaction tools.
The Mobile Ticketing
Service enables rural banks to
monitor and attend to client
needs via SMS. This text-
based service may also be used
to send promotional broadcast
and collect client feedback.
The Goldmine Solution
gives rural banks an
additional revenue source by
allowing their clients to buy
Sun Cellular prepaid credits
through their existing point of
sales. This solution is further
supported with a transaction
tracking that automatically
updates client records and
bank inventory.
Following our already
extensive support on various
commercial banks, we now
embark on this advocacy of
helping rural banks in their
development initiatives for
their areas, Denosta said.
Through our best-value
Mobile Banking and Goldmine
Solutions, were hoping to
give them a more efficient and
profitable banking system.
Sun Business is powered by
Sun Cellular, a member of the
PLDT Group.
Turnover. George Dycaico, incoming Confederation of Central Luzon
Rural Banks, is welcomed by Jerry Coloma, outgoing president, along
with Neph Denosta and Michele Curran, Sun Business assistant vice
president and vice president, respectively.
By Rey E. Requejo
THE Court of Appeals has ordered parties
in a petition over the issuance of a writ of
kalikasan covering the Taal Lake in
Batangas to settle the case amicably.
After hearing the parties
respective positions, the Court
suggested that they rst try
meeting and ironing out their
differences among themselves,
the resolution said. After all,
they are united by a common
desire to conserve and protect
the Taal Lake Protected Area for
themselves, the entire Filipino
people, and the future generations
as well.
The CA pushed for amicable
settlement after the March 30
hearing attended by petitioner
Agham Partylist under its president
Angelo Palmones, representatives
from the Department of
Environment and Natural
Resources and the Protected Area
Management Board.
The parties were given two
weeks after the Holy Week to come
up with the best solution to the use
and management of Taal Lake.
The CA also tasked Assistant
Solicitor General Renan Ramos to
oversee the proceedings without
prejudice to the other meetings
which the parties themselves
may initiate.
Earlier, the Supreme Court
granted the petition led by
Agham seeking the kalikasan
writ to stop the degradation of the
lake along with the moratorium
on the granting of permits to put
sh cages in the lake.
Likewise, the High Court
referred the petition to the CA to
hear and receive evidence on the
issue.
In his petition, Palmones noted
76 species recorded in 1927
across the in the locality which
have become fewer over the past
50 years.
Based on the groups recent
inventory, only 15 migratory and
4 endemic species were found in
the lake.
The study said that in 2003,
the catch of tawilis, the only
freshwater sardine and unique to
Taal, reportedly dropped by 80
percent.
Palmones said last years sh kill
in the lake destroyed 2,105 metric
tons of harvestable stocks with an
estimated loss of P148.7 million.
By Macon Ramos-Araneta
GOVERNOR Raul Lee has opened
Prieto Diaz town to eco-tourism as the
hub of the age-revered art of hilot, the
traditional massage of rural folks.
Secretary Joel Villanueva, director
general of Technical Education and
Skills Development Authority, has
signed an agreement with the capitol to
start last April 20 the training for hilot
practitioners in a certied program at
the Bulusan National Vocational and
Technical School.
Through this partnership with the
local government, we hope TESDA can
breathe life into this town by tapping its
human resources for the development of
its wellness and eco-tourism potentials, he
told local executives led by Lee during the
launching of the TESDA provincial center.
Villanueva said trainees would join
TESDA batches lined up for agriculture,
construction, business process
outsourcing and other in-demand courses
such as food and beverage services,
commercial cooking and hairdressing
mentioned in the memorandum.
Prieto Diaz is a fth class town with
about 20,000 residents eking out a
living on an average P100 daily income
from farming, shing and other forms of
livelihood.
By Dexter A. See
BAGUIO CITYMore than 70 employees,
including judges and clerks of court of
the Baguio Justice Hall, are now facing
administrative charges before the Supreme
Court from ndings of an investigating team
over questionable entries in daily time records
and bundy cards of the court workers last year.
Lawyer Jose Midas Marquez, Court
Administrator and SC spokesman, also
approved the recommendation that the Clerks
of Court of the Municipal Trial Court in Cities
and the Regional Trial Court will be required
to le their comment.
Earlier, the Ofce of the Court Administrator
created a legal team to look into the validity
of a letter complaint of a Baguio court worker
who blew the whistle on the alleged acts of
fellow employees who were caught on video
punching the time cards of other staff.
According to Marquez, a discreet probe was
made last May 2 to 11 while the SC justices
were on session in the Summer Capital.
During the initial investigation, the team
observed the loose attitude among court
personnel thereat in observing proper ofce
hours, he said. While a few were dutifully
arriving and leaving their ofces on time, others
were evidently indifferent and unconcerned as
to the prescribed working hours.
By Jessica M. Bacud
ANGADANANMa y o r
Jourdes Panganiban put forward
the versatile bamboo as her towns
One-Town-One Product during
the 5th Gakit Festival here.
She said gakit, Gaddang word
for raft symbolized the meeting of
tribes and various groups in different
sections of the municipality.
We need to secure supply of
bamboo in the future once the
industry become in demand in
the local and even in international
market, Panganiban told Manila
Standard.
She said women would play
the lead role among Angadanan
artisans in fashioning out of
bamboo sala sets, chairs and
tables, lamp shades, trophies,
wine holder, baskets, souvenir
items, and other handicrafts.
Studies show that the plant
from the grass family is used for
construction in place of metal
scaffoldings and iron bars in
making posts.
Culinary recipes are prepared
from bamboo shoots ranging
from salads to main courses that
are considered health food.
Bamboo charcoal rivals its
coconut counterpart as purifying
and ltering agent for air and
water.
Panganiban said supply for the
towns bamboo needs is ensured by
planting along waterways which
also serves as erosion control.
She said her husband Jose
then vice mayor became mayor
in 2005 started the festivites that
included a Farmers Congress led
by Isabela Governor Faustino Dy
III and Rep. Teddy Casio, the 1st
Provincial Tribal Summit, Socio
Cultural Night with former Rep.
Cynthia Villar, a uvial parade
and a show emceed by Ethel
Booba and Chocolate.
Summer with a bang. Students of Bauang town in La Union swing and twirl in a dancing exhibition along a side street of McArthur Highway to celebrate Baggak Festival. DANNY PATA
Forests in
the mist.
Fog veils
trees in the
Cordillera
range in
Bontoc, Mt.
Province.
RICK REYES

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